The search for Miss Wagga 2019 officially began on Wednesday evening when this year’s entrants made their first public appearance at the quest’s launch.
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The seven contestants had just finished a grueling month of personal development, which saw them brush up on everything from dining etiquette and appropriate dress sense to speech writing and event management.
Nerves were high as the entrants prepared to make their debut with a five minute speech in front of a crowd of almost 100 explaining what Wagga meant to them.
For soldier Presslea Cowan, taking part in the Miss Wagga Quest meant embracing the community she called home.
“We’ve done lots of personal development in the last month – dining etiquette, dress, public speaking, media training – but we’ve also been getting to know each other and learning how to present ourselves to the community,” Ms Cowan said.
“Wagga’s home to me – I’m in the army and serving at Kapooka, so I chose to come back to Wagga because I love my community so much.”
Kooringal High School teacher Ebony Neal, who has lived in Wagga her whole life, decided to take part in the Miss Wagga Quest after watching quest after quest when she was growing up.
“I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to build relationships and give back to the community while doing some new and challenging,” Ms Neal said.
“For me, Wagga is all about the people – without people, you’re just a place on the map – it’s the people that make the place.”
Air force recruit Taylor Lemon, who only moved to Wagga a year ago from Townsville, said Wagga has already given her so many opportunities in her short time here.
“To me, Wagga is my career – it’s where everything has fallen into place, it’s where the little stepping stones have started to get bigger, and it’s where I began flying,” Ms Lemon said.
“I think it would be nice to have a new face as Miss Wagga, and I want to help women get into more defence roles, because it’s a very good job and a very supportive environment.”
For the next six months, the seven Miss Wagga candidates will become more closely acquainted with the community as they host various fundraisers and events.
The 2019 Miss Wagga and Community Princess winners will then be crowned at a ceremony in November.
