THE TWEED River Agricultural Society host the 2019 The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Zone 1 Final at the Murwillumbah Civic Centre on March 16.
Murwillumbah Showgirl Zone Coordinator Belinda Grace said two showgirls will be selected at the competition, which includes 23 show societies that extend from Gloucester and Taree to Murwillumbah.
βItβs a real privilege to have such a big event here and itβs really inspirational for the girls,β Ms Grace said.
βBeing a Showgirl is beneficial in many ways for a young ladyβs life β it builds self-esteem, public speaking skills, teaches interview processes, life skills, community involvement and they meet other like-minded contestants as well as being inspirational role models for other young girls.
βIt is a wonderful opportunity to help shape a life in a positive way. Although I was part of Pony Club growing up, I didnβt know about the showgirl event and canβt help but wish that I had been part of it when I was younger.β
Show Society Treasurer Ralph Kramer said the contestants are judged on public speaking skills, presentation, community involvement and knowledge and understanding of rural issues and agriculture in their region.
βThe winners of the zone final will compete in the State Final at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in April where the winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize amongst other awards and prizes,β Mr Kramer said.
βEveryone who enters becomes role models for other young girls and are an inspiration for the whole community.
βOur local competition was contested by six entrants and the winner, Delani OβBrien will represent The Tweed River Agricultural Society at the Zone Final where all the 13 regional finalists will give a presentation and the winners will be announced.β
Delani told The Weekly it has been a great experience.
βIn the Murwillumbah Show contest we went around and met our local farmers and saw what itβs like to work on a farm,β she said.
Delani grew up on five acres at Nobbyβs Creek and travelled around the country with her parents, sparking a deep love of the land.
βA lot to those places are now drought stricken areas and itβs terrible,β Delani said.
βIt affects everybody, not just the farmer and the fact that itβs still going on and we have all these charities still trying to raise money but people have stopped giving is sad.
βThe kids out there canβt be kids and have fun because they are so aware of the pressures their parents are facing and are exposed to those mental health pressures at a young age which is really sad.β
The 20-year-old works at the Sugar Beat Cafe, a beauty salon in Tweed Heads and has her own cleaning business.
βUltimately I would like to meld the beauty side of it with agricultural and go out into those more remote areas,β she said.
βIβd like to bring women together to talk about beauty and things like skin cancer prevention.
βJust bringing them together is really good for their mental health so thatβs something Iβd like to look at in the future.β
Delani said she is already in contact with the other finalists through social media and looking forward to meeting them at the event.
Tickets include a meal and entertainment with drinks available at the bar. For more information contact the Show Secretary on (02) 6672 5507 or email secretary@murwillumbahshow.com.