Dexter Munnik’s speaking talent was apparent from the moment of his arrival as a ‘new boy’ at St Andrew’s College. As a consequence, he is the only St Andrew’s scholar in the history of College Debating to have been selected to represent the province (at a senior level) every year since his first provincial championship in Grade 8. This is a remarkable achievement as he was competing for selection against seniors from schools around the province.
Dexter has been a prominent Debating Society member throughout his time at St Andrew’s College. He has been willing to take part in any internal event on offer (Inter-House debates, leagues and weekly debates) and has been eager to give his time to coach others. He has represented the school on countless occasions at various festivals and tournaments, and is well known in debating circles around the country for his eloquence and formidable powers of persuasion.
For two consecutive years, Dexter represented St Andrew’s College at the African Schools Debating Championships, perhaps the most prestigious event on the South African debating calendar, and in 2009 was placed as the third-ranked speaker at this event which is a most impressive achievement.
As a member of the St Andrew’s Model United Nations team which won the provincial competition, Dexter went on to compete at the national finals. As a result of his performance at this event, he was selected to represent South Africa at the Cornell Model United Nations Conference in New York. Reports from the tutors and organisers of this event were unanimous in their glowing praise for the depth of his knowledge, his research skills and his speaking ability, and his individual award at this international event attests to this outstanding performance at an international level.
While all the accolades and achievements are impressive indeed, it must be acknowledged that Dexter Munnik has not simply used a natural talent for his own benefit. His achievements have necessitated many hours of dedicated research, the extensive honing of skills, the dealing with disappointments and many personal sacrifices. Throughout his St Andrew’s debating career, Dexter has been instrumental in establishing St Andrew’s College’s reputation and has brought significant credit to the school. For these reasons, he is a worthy Honours candidate.
