 |
This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. (May 2009) |
Miss Australia is the title for the winner of the Miss Australia Quest/Awards, which ran from 1954 until 2000, when the last Miss Australia was named.
The title of Miss Australia had existed since 1908, although it was not until 1954[1] that it became associated with The Spastic Centres of Australia. The Miss Australia Quest was sponsored and organised from 1954 until the early 1960s by the lingerie manufacturer, Hickory, until Dowd Associates transferred the ownership to the Australian Cerebral Palsy Association in 1963.
From 1926 the program operated under the name of The Miss Australia Quest until 1992 when it was changed to The Miss Australia Awards to reflect changing community attitudes.
Miss Australia raised money for The Spastic Centres of Australia through her family and friends. She was judged on merit, as well as raising the monies for children and adults with cerebral palsy.
Contents |
Representatives
| Year | Name | City | Placement | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Rachael Finch | Townsville | 3rd Runner-up | |
| 2008 | Laura Dundovic | Sydney | Top 10 | |
| 2007 | Kimberley Busteed | Gladstone | ||
| 2006 | Erin McNaught | Canberra | ||
| 2005 | Michelle Guy | Sydney | ||
| 2004 | Jennifer Hawkins | Sydney | Winner | |
| 2003 | Sarah Davies | Brisbane | ||
| 2001 | ||||
| 2000 | Samantha Frost | Western Australia |
Famous Miss Australias
One of the most famous Miss Australias was Tania Verstak. She was born in China of Russian parents, and when she won Miss Australia in 1961, she was the first woman of an immigrant background to win the award. Verstak's daughter is the actor Nina Young.
The 1960 Miss Australia, Rosemary Fenton, became the second wife of Ian Sinclair, former leader of the federal National Party and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The 1960 "Miss Darling Downs" was Gay Kahler (Gay Kayler), a multiple beauty quest title holder, television personality, award-winning country music entertainer and recording artist.
The 1973 Miss Australia, Michelle Downes, was the second wife (1974-75) of Peter Brock.
The first Aboriginal woman to win the Miss Australia title was Kathryn Hay in 1999. Ms Hay subsequently became a Cabinet Secretary in the Tasmanian government.
The Role Of Volunteers in Miss Australia
Miss Australia: A Nation's Quest. [2]
Miss Australia in International Beauty Pageants
There are now multiple competitions using Miss Australia in their title. To differentiate amongst the official national preliminaries to international competitions, the franchise name is added to Miss Australia.
For example, Australia's Miss Universe contestants never came from The Spastic Centres Association Miss Australia. A local modelling agency selected representatives through small beauty pageants and screenings.
In 2002 Jim Davie revived Miss Universe in Australia by setting up the Miss Universe Australia organisation. This contest, which exclusively sends contestants to Miss Universe, was made famous by Jennifer Hawkins's victory in the 2004 Miss Universe pageant in Quito, Ecuador. Jennifer became only the second Australian woman ever to win the international title, following Kerry Anne Wells who won the pageant in 1972.
For the Miss World contest, a Miss World Australia is chosen through screenings. In previous years, titleholders from the original Miss World Australia contest were sent to Miss World. However, this was not the case in 2006, when the national contest was cancelled and Sabrina Houssami was conroversially crowned the winner. Penelope Plummer became Australia's first Miss World in 1968.
The Miss Earth Australian candidate is chosen through the Miss Earth Australia pageant. The Miss Earth International pageant is one of the "Big Four" world pageants and the only one of its kind, as it promotes environmental awareness. Rachael Margot Smith was the first Australian candidate to win a special award at the 2008 international pageant, where she was awarded Miss Talent. Other Australian candidates have made it to the top 16 finalists, however there has been no Australian winner as yet.
Sources and Further Reading
- Miss Australia: A retrospective 1908-2000 Katherine Beard (Hindmarsh, S. Aust. : Crawford House Publishing, c2001)
External links
|
|||||
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
