The history behind the Mulvey Cup, one of the region's oldest pieces of silverware

And one of the descendants of the trophy's namesake has lifted the lid on some of the stories behind the famous cup.

The Mulvey Cup is awarded as the major prize for the annual debate between Dubbo College, Bathurst High and Orange High School, which is now run alongside the time-honoured Astley Cup competition.

It was originally donated by Dr Roy Mulvey, who was a prominent Bathurst medical practitioner and community member for 22 years until his death in 1952.

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Andrew Buchanan, the grandson of the late Dr Mulvey, spoke to the winning Bathurst team this week, where he shared memories of his late grandfather and the impact he had on the Central West community.

"I grew up in O'Connell and I was one of the grandsons of Mulvey," he said.

"He grew up in Parramatta and after World War I, he was compelled to sign-up as a doctor, after the injuries he saw.

"He was first posted to Oberon in the 1920s and then he moved to Bathurst in 1930."

Dr Mulvey moved to the area with his five children, after the 1929 death of his wife Gladys.

Actively involved in the community, he was Government Medical Officer from 1937 when he replaced Dr Brooke Moore, and at times he was president of the Bathurst High School P&C, Bathurst Rotary Club and the Western Medical Branch of the BMA.

His standing as a medical practitioner was recognised in 1938 when he was appointed as one of the three commissioners in the Federal Royal Commission on doctors' remuneration for national insurance service.

He died suddenly in 1952 on his honeymoon in the Netherlands, three weeks after remarrying.

In 1937 in an address to a Bathurst High function, Dr Mulvey spoke of the advantages of school debates and urged a competition should run alongside the Astley Cup.

Dr Mulvey's proposal was adopted and has been an integral feature of the inter-school rivalry for over 80 years.

An old copy of The Burr, the Bathurst High annual, detailed Dr Mulvey's enthusiasm for debating and while in Oberon was largely responsible for the success of the Oberon Debating Society.

The first debate took place at Orange but despite solid preparation from Bathurst, it was the host school that convinced the judges that "medical services should be controlled by the state and administered like education".

Dubbo won the next debate against Orange, while Bathurst defeated Dubbo in the final debate, after it successfully maintained "that a democratic type of government was preferable to government by a dictator".

Dubbo College scored a drought-breaking Mulvey Cup win in 2021, but just missed out this year.

Back in June, Bathurst claimed victory after defeating Dubbo, having taken the affirmative on the topic: Honesty is more important than kindness.

It was a close contest, with adjudicator Sandra Chapman saying both teams had strong arguments, but she ultimately awarded the win to Bathurst.

It was Bathurst's first win in the Mulvey Cup since 2019, with Dubbo having won the title last year.

Bathurst's win in the Mulvey Cup was the school's 29th title, moving it joint-most alongside rivals Orange.

Dubbo has won 26 titles.

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