2005-2025
20 Years of Discovering Voices
3rd April, 2025. Campus Oriente, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
A Few Words of Reflection...
“That light we see is burning in my hall / How far that little candle throws his beams! / So shines a good deed in a naughty world.”
Portia, in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, Act V, Scene 1.
Portia delivers these lines after her dramatic intervention—disguised as a male lawyer—in the trial of Antonio, where she saves him from certain death at the hands of Shylock, who demands a pound of his heart’s flesh as payment for his debts. It is a remarkably humble acknowledgment of her own courage and invention, as well as a profound moral reflection on how even the smallest actions (“little candle”) can bring light and relief to a dark world. The image also conveys a sense of ownership and responsibility for those actions (“my hall”), and their lasting effect—as we must ensure they continue to burn over time.
We would like to believe that these lines were in the back of Sir Evelyn Wrench’s mind in 1918—in a continent ravaged by the Great War—as he set up the English-Speaking Union and sought to promote English as a universal language of global understanding and lasting peace. A lofty ambition, pursued with the most modest of means: the spoken word. But like that little candle burning in Portia’s hall, a word thrown far into the world—and from the right lips—can make all the difference.
We also trust it serves as a reminder of all the ‘little candles’ that have kept the light burning from the ‘hall’ of the English-Speaking Union Chile since 2005:
All our volunteers.
All our teachers, students, and their parents.
All living, and all who have passed on.
All who have believed that standing up to show the world their voices, in the pursuit of collaboration, is a ‘good deed in a naughty world’.
All who have believed that these voices are worth hearing—for this is the foundation of care and understanding.
Our 20th Anniversary Ceremony
Why learn English in a Spanish-speaking Country?
Throughout the ceremony, we aimed to answer this question: Why learn English in a Spanish-speaking country? To this effect we invited several guest speakers to try and answer it from their personal and professional experiences. We also wanted to proudly show how the English-Speaking Union Chile has helped in making our nation one that values the English language and fosters cultural exchanges.
After a warm welcome by Christopher Maguire, Director of English UC (our hosts on the day) to all our attendees -teachers, Heads of School, past volunteers, current public speaking competition semifinalists, parents, etc- we presented a sneak preview of a series of interviews and speeches recreations with past Public Speaking Competition winners, that we’ve been preparing with Gastón Bruna (2011 PSC Champion).
A few gasps, laughs and proud smiles could be observed in the crowd as the clip was shown. We’ll be uploading all complete interviews and speeches to our YouTube Channel in the near future.
The ESU's History
Then followed a short account of the ESU’s history, as well as significant moments in our country’s chapter’s, in the hands of Mrs. Ana María Tomassini, our current Chair since 2022.
You can read more about our history and who we are at our ‘About ESU’ section on our website, clicking here.
Our First Guest Speaker... and one of our Guests of Honour
Our first Guest Speaker was Mr. Richard Collingwood-Selby, who was also our first Chairman and the leading force behind the group of educators who responded to the call of the British Embassy 20 years ago to found the Chilean chapter of the English-Speaking Union.
Mr. Collingwood-Selby delivered a talk in which he recalled some significant moments from his childhood during World War II—memories that resonated deeply when he was invited to establish ESU Chile in 2005, giving us a brief recollection of those early years of our organisation.
In his talk, he powerfully conveyed the importance and joy of collaboration, kindly challenging, we might say, the current ESU Chile volunteers to include activities in the calendar that are not competitive in nature. In his own words, “human beings are capable of reaching high standards without competition,” and “cooperation is closer to the spirit of the ESU than rivalry.”
You can read his full address by clicking here.
We Honoured our Past Chairs
We proceeded to recognise our past chairs for their dedication and commitment shown in leading the ESU in its mission of promoting the English language and fostering cultural exchange in Chile.
Present on the day were Mr. Richard Collingwood-Selby (2005-2011) and Mr. Jonathan Callund (2016-2022).
Also invited but unable to attend on the day were Mrs. Verónica Stronach (2011-2013) and Mr. John Mackenzie, in representation of his late brother Alan Mackenzie (2013-2016).
Our Second Guest Speaker
Our second guest speaker was Dr. Jorge Dagnino Sepúlveda, an anaesthesiologist and Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where he also served as Vice-Dean of the School of Medicine. He is also a member of the Chilean Academy of Medicine.
His speech addressed the importance of English in his academic and professional development—not only as a means of acquiring knowledge, but also as a way to forge international personal and academic connections through a shared language.
Above all, he emphasised how learning English had enriched his life beyond measure, by giving him access to a different way of seeing and enjoying the world—one that is unique to the English language.
He also delivered one of the most emotional moments of the ceremony when he addressed Mr. Richard Collingwood-Selby directly, telling him how he had made a lasting difference in his life—as he had been his English teacher more than 60 years ago!
Our Third Guest Speaker
Our third Guest Speaker was Mrs. Amaya Forch Barry, Chilean actress and singer, who would also spend the rest of the day with our Public Speaking Competition semifinalists and their teachers in a series of workshops she’d be leading.
Her talk centred on her passion for learning English as a child, as a means of understanding the music she heard on the radio. As a polyglot (she also knows German, French and Spanish, of course!) she conveyed enthusiastically how learning a new language broadens your worldview and adds nuances to every experience. She even brought the first book she used to learn English when living as a kid in Germany!
Mrs. Forch also talked about her decision to enrol her children in a billingual school as the best way to prepare them for a globalised world.
And a few words from a Teacher at one of our member schools!
Also joining us was Mrs. María Paz Rivera, Head of Early Years at The American British School in Santiago and a member of ESU Chile’s Executive Committee since 2024.
She spoke about the importance of teaching English at all levels, and particularly about the challenges and rewards of doing so in schools that do not benefit from a longstanding English-speaking tradition within their communities.
She reflected on how incorporating ESU Chile’s events and activities has helped motivate both her school and students, while also strengthening their English language skills.
