Kurt de Smet (52), the town crier of the East Flemish town of Oudenaarde, won almost all the prizes at the 72nd National Town Criers' Championship in the English town of Rye last Saturday. His son Robbe won the audience award, while Kurt and his wife also won the prize for best-dressed participants.
A total of 18 town criers competed in the open championships. ‘In addition to British contenders, there was also one Canadian entrant and three Belgians. My colleagues from Lokeren and Ghent were there too,’ Kurt explains.
The championship has strict judging rules. The jury looks at how loud and powerful the call sounds, how clear it is and how well the words are pronounced. Expression and feeling are also important. ‘They even use a decibel meter to measure the sound.’
Kurt was participating for the sixth time. Last year he won, but this year he surpassed all expectations. "Last year I thought they picked me to choose someone other than a Brit. But look, I won again this year. Even though everything I said was in Dutch. But that's how it should be, every town crier should speak his own language. If a Brit comes to Belgium for a competition, he should speak in English."
The jury doesn't so much judge on what you say, but how you say it. Every year there is also an assignment. ‘My first attempt was the wording used in Oudenaarde; my second message was about peace. Eighty years ago, the Second World War ended, but you were allowed to interpret the concept of peace broadly. I talked about the bond between Britain and Belgium before Brexit,’ Kurt explains.
Not only Kurt, but also his family did very well in the competition. Together with his wife, who always accompanies him, they were also voted best-dressed participants. During the event, the audience was also allowed to ring the bell and shout something. ‘Our son Robbe took his chance and won that competition. As a result, we won almost all the prizes.’