Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Talofa lava. I feel honoured to be in the presence of so many talented students and proud parents today!

May I begin by thanking our hosts - Gatoaitele Savea Sano Malifa, Editor in Chief of the Samoa Observer and Muliaga Jean Malifa for your kind invitation to attend the Prize Giving ceremony of the 12^th Annual Samoa Observer Tusitala Story Competition for School Students.

I’d also like to acknowledge the generous support of the competition sponsors - Samoa Stationery and Books (SSAB), Eveni Block and Vodafone. Also acknowledge teachers, parents and friends present who encouraged the students to enter the competition. And a special mention should go to the judges for their impressive work in reading and scoring over 870 individual stories. 

I want to congratulate all the students who took part in the competition, and hope you enjoyed this opportunity to use and expand your English language skills with such creativity and imagination. And I add my congratulations to all of you who are receiving prizes today in recognition of your outstanding efforts.

This year’s competition was inspired by quotes from the Scottish author, Robert Louis Stevenson. I am sure you will all be familiar with Robert Louis Stevenson because of his special connection with Samoa. He lived and wrote in this house for four years, until his death in 1894, and it is now a magnificent museum in honour of his memory. And RL Stevenson remains with us in spirit; his memorial stands on top of Mount Vaea.

RL Stevenson spent much of his time in Samoa collecting stories from the villages and sharing his own stories and ideas with local communities. He said “There are no foreign lands. It is only the traveller who is foreign.”  Through his interest in story-telling, he was able to ‘connect’ with people from villages across the island, to understand and respect Samoan traditions, and the customs and values that underpin Samoan society. It is a great example of how story-telling can bring people from different cultures together, to better understand and appreciate each other, to share our common interests and to break through the feeling of being a foreigner in a foreign land.

As a youngster growing up in a small village in England, I remember being transported by RL Stevenson’s “Treasure Island” to a far away and exotic place, full of adventure and I was enthralled by the larger-than-life characters in the book, like Long John Silver. Looking back I now realise what a strong influence writing can have on the reader; the power to ignite the imagination and inspire new thoughts, ideas and possibilities.  Although I may not have realised it at the time, I think all the adventure books I read as a child sparked my curiosity and interest in overseas travel, discovering the world for myself and finding my own place in it.

Within every story, there is a message and the same is true of speeches. So let me finish my speech with a message to all the students here today. That message is to encourage you to continue to work really hard on developing your English oral and writing skills. Why is that important?  One reason is that English is the global language, spoken around the world, so it doesn’t matter where you are you can still use English to communicate with other people.

But the most important reason is that being able to express yourself by speaking and writing English well is a reward you will receive your whole life. Whether it’s the pleasure you get from using your imagination to write a story or set out your thoughts in a diary, write an essay or school report or when the time comes to fill out university forms or apply for a job, writing well in English can help you to fulfil your dreams and ambitions in life.

So, I strongly encourage you to continue to work hard to develop and use your English language writing skills, to follow your imagination and pursue your writing dreams. You never know, one day your English writing skills may open up new opportunities, or help you to overcome challenges that lie ahead on life’s journey and eventually lead you to where X marks the spot and you discover your own Treasure Island of riches and success!

Well done again to everybody receiving prizes today, and I wish you all the best in your future writing endeavours. Thank you.

• This speech was delivered by the British High Commissioner to Samoa, Gareth Hoar at the Samoa Observer: Tusitala Prize-giving Ceremony at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum on Wednesday, 27 September 2023.