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"How do you pronounce Ipima? Is it 'eye-pima' or e-'pima'?" This is what Dickson College students asked each other as they nervously awaited their turn to say three sentences. "The next stop is Alinga. Upon arrival, please exit through the left-hand side doors." "Now departing Macarthur. The next stop is Ipima." "Now departing Depot. The next stop is Epic and Racecourse." The college is one of four schools along the light-rail corridor whose students were asked to audition to be the voices for the pre-recorded public announcements of 13 tram stops. Jackson Houng, who auditioned on Tuesday, said it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. "I think it's very interesting that the light-rail people have approached college students to be the voice of the light-rail because I thought maybe they'd get somebody who has experience doing this kind of stuff," he said. "There's so much pressure to pronounce words correctly." Gungahlin College, Daramalan College and Merici College are the other schools involved. Each will select eight students from years 11 and 12 to take part in the initial audition. Dickson College principal Craig Edwards said the competition created a buzz across the school. "We've got lots of students here that are interested in auditioning so we thought we would run an audition process just to shortlist the guys that we will then put forward to be considered," he said. "They're really keen on the idea of being the voice of the light rail." So, what makes a good light-rail voice? Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said a friendly conversational tone that was easy to understand "will be the secret to getting this sought-after gig". "This initiative is part of a broader engagement of schools and students along the light-rail corridor," she said. "[It] is an opportunity to acknowledge the valuable support of the school communities while promoting travel options to students near light-rail stops." From the initial recordings, a short-list of eight students will be invited to attend a live reading in front of a judging panel. The panel will include representatives from Transport Canberra, Canberra Metro operations, Canberra FM, Canberra Weekly and Guide Dogs ACT. Between two and four students will be selected. Their voices will be recorded for the official light-rail announcements.

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