Hume Barbour Trophy

The Hume Barbour Trophy is an annual debating trophy for Year 12 secondary school students in New South Wales. It is awarded to the winner of a combined round-robin and knock-out competition. The competition was first held in 1930 after a trophy was donated to the NSW Department of Education by Miss Hume-Barbour, a descendant of the Australian explorer - Hamilton Hume. It was initially only open to boys schools in the Sydney metropolitan area, however by 1990 the competition became open to girls' and co-educational schools and in 2001, the competition became statewide. Sydney Boys High School has won the trophy the most times with 22 wins. Since 2004, the Hume Barbour competition has been part of the Premier's Debating Competition.

Competition Structure

At the start of the year, each participating school submits one team to compete in the competition. The teams consist of 4 members - 3 speakers and a team advisor. The teams are then grouped into zone groups of 4 or 5 for a round-robin competition. Each team debates each other once and the winner of the most debates becomes the zone champoion. Each of the zone champions then enter a knock-out competition. The quarter-final and semi-final debates are held in June and July and the two winners of the semi-finals compete in the final in August.

Each debate is a one hour preparation debate where the two teams only find out the topic one hour before they are to speak. Topics are chosen by each team after being presented three different options before preparation time. The topics usually relate to current issues rather than being metaphorical in nature and require team members to have a strong grounding in a wide range of current issues. During the debate, speeches are supposed to be eight to ten minutes long.

Past winners

*2008 - Smiths Hill High School
*2007 - Smiths Hill High School
*2006 - Murwillumbah High School
*2005 - Sydney Girls High School
*2004 - Sydney Girls High School
*2003 - Sydney Boys High School
*2002 - Sydney Boys High School
*2001 - James Ruse Agricultural High School
*2000 - Sydney Boys High School
*1999 - North Sydney Girls High School
*1998 - North Sydney Girls High School
*1997 - Sydney Boys High School
*1996 - Bomaderry High School
*1995 - Sydney Boys High School
*1994 - Sydney Boys High School
*1993 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1992 - Sydney Boys High School
*1991 - North Sydney Girls High School
*1990 - North Sydney Girls High School
*1989 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1988 - Port Hacking High School
*1987 - Sydney Boys High School
*1986 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1985 - Sydney Boys High School
*1984 - Balgowlah Boys High School
*1983 - Sydney Boys High School
*1982 - Holroyd High School
*1981 - Hurlstone Agricultural High School
*1980 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1979 - Pennant Hills Boys High School
*1978 - Sydney Boys High School
*1977 - Epping Boys High School
*1976 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1975 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1974 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1973 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1972 - Normanhurst Boys' High School
*1971 - Sydney Technical High School
*1970 - Not held
*1969 - Asquith Boys High School
*1968 - Vaucluse Boys High School
*1967 - Homebush Boys High School
*1966 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1965 - Vaucluse Boys High School
*1964 - Vaucluse Boys High School
*1963 - Not held
*1962 - Fort Street High School
*1961 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1960 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1959 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1958 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1957 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1956 - Randwick Boys High School
*1955 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1954 - Sydney Boys High School
*1953 - Sydney Boys High School
*1952 - Sydney Boys High School
*1951 - Sydney Boys High School
*1950 - Sydney Boys High School
*1949 - North Sydney Boys High School
*1948 - Cessnock High School
*1947 - Wollongong High School
*1946 - Not held
*1945 - Not held
*1944 - Sydney Boys High School
*1943 - Sydney Boys High School
*1942 - Sydney Boys High School
*1941 - Sydney Boys High School
*1940 - Sydney Boys High School
*1939 - Canterbury Boys High School
*1938 - Sydney Technical High School
*1937 - Sydney Boys High School
*1936 - Newcastle Boys High School
*1935 - Canterbury Boys High School
*1934 - Fort Street High School
*1933 - Fort Street High School
*1932 - Fort Street High School
*1931 - Sydney Technical High School
*1930 - Fort Street High School

Multiple Winners

*22 times - Sydney Boys High School
*16 times - North Sydney Boys High School
*5 times - Fort Street High School
*4 times - North Sydney Girls High School
*3 times - Sydney Technical High School, Vaucluse High School

References

NSW Department of Education and Training: The Arts Unit, [http://www.pau.nsw.edu.au/TAU/Debating/Year%2012/Home.htm Hume Barbour Trophy]