At 20-years of age, it was her father and president of the Wagga Touch Association at the time, Noel French, who encouraged her to enter the Miss Wagga Wagga Quest.

Ms Griffin (nee French), who was "always up for a challenge", jumped at the opportunity and chose the Loretta Home of Compassion as the community group she would raise funds for during her campaign.

"Today, the entrants all fundraise together," she said.

"It was very different back then and you very much managed your own campaign."

What began as a spur-of-the-moment decision led to an invaluable experience containing memories Ms Griffin holds onto dearly.

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"I learned a lot about event management and fundraising, of course, because you had to have your own fundraising committee," she said.

"I even learned about the bookkeeping side of it because you had to manage your own bank account as well, so it really taught me a lot of skills that I still fall back on now.

"Even if without winning, the experience was invaluable."

She would go door-to-door to local businesses that did not know her "from a bar of soap", asking owners whether they would consider donating a prize for her to offer winners during her charity trivia nights.

"I never got a 'no'," she said. "Even if it was only a $20 voucher - which back in 1985, was no small amount of money - they were always willing to support."

However, at no point did the former Mount Austin High student consider she would ultimately win the Miss Wagga crown.

"I thought I'd done well ... we'd all raised a substantial amount of money, but I went in with no expectations," she said.

Yet, gazing upon the souvenirs which represent her crowning moment more than 30 years on, it was with great pride that Ms Griffin shared one of her most "invaluable" experiences.

"I was talking to another staff member the other day," she said.

"I mentioned that I'd missed a call from The Daily Advertiser and she asked, 'Oh, what are they after you for?

"So I said 'Oh, I was Miss Wagga' and her reaction... When you tell people, they're just blown away."

Following her time with the quest, Ms Griffin moved to Victoria briefly before returning to Wagga to raise her three children Ben, Grace and Sam.

In 2018, her niece Bonnie Jackson-French entered the 2019 Miss Wagga Wagga Quest, stating it was the words of her aunt which inspired her to do so.

"I only really knew what it was through my aunt who, being Miss Wagga, had a lot of great things to say about it," Ms Jackson-French said.

"If it hadn't been for that I probably actually wouldn't have even known about the quest."

Upon the conclusion of the 2019 quest, she joined its committee and is currently the secretary. Even now she continues to learn new skills which continue to aid in her own personal development.

"I transformed over to the committee after I finished my quest year to continue my development and learning," she said.

"I've learned so many other skills that I suppose you don't really get to touch on unless you're actually in the committee."

In recent years a number of contestants seeking to enter descend from a line of former Miss Wagga entrants and titleholders.

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