Showgirl Finals & all things dairy

Zone 3 Final - The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Competition

For those of you that follow The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Competition, you would be aware that February has been a busy month on the Showgirl calendar.

This weekend, Zone 3 hosted their Zone Final - which had very special significance for me as this was the zone I represented last year at the State Final.

Zone 3 extends from the Southern Tablelands down to the Snowy Mountains and Far South Coast and this year the Zone Final was hosted by Bega.

Bega put on a great event with the Zone Final dinner held in the Grand Pavilion at the Showground.  This building is the largest of its kind in Southern NSW - and was built over 100 years ago!

Congratulations to all 12 of the Zone Finalists - you did a wonderful job representing your local communities and I hope you gained alot from your showgirl experience.

The 2013 Zone 3 Finalists at Bega.

The Bega Valley is a gorgeous corner of NSW and is well renowned for its "Bega Cheese" and its dairy industry.

Bega is also the hometown of one of the 2012 Young Farming Champions in the Art4Agriculture program - Tom Pearce put together this video to share his experience in the Australian Dairy Industry and inspire a new generation to consider the opportunities that await in Australian Agriculture.

I think this is a great video - which both showcases the Bega Valley & also encourages young people to think about the opportunities and experiences that getting involved with the Australian Dairy industry can offer. (Thanks Tom for sharing this video.)





Tom was also kind enough to take a few showgirls on a tour of a dairy farm while they were in town for the Zone Final! Thanks Tom, Warwick Farms & the Bega Show Society for all your wonderful country hospitality!

Showgirls - representing your local show

What the Showgirl Competition is really all about - not what you may think...

2012 The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl State Finalists

The countdown to the Sydney Royal Easter Show is on and with that also means the Showgirl competition is stepping up with the Zone Finals already underway. 

For those of you not so familiar with the Showgirl Competition here is a quick brief:

Each local show has a local showgirl competition - the aim is to select a young lady as an ambassador for the local community and recognize their involvement in their local community and show. The winner then goes on to represent their town at the Zone Final.

The winners of each Zone Final (there is 7 zones across NSW) earn a place at the State Final which is hosted by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

The Showgirl Competition provides young women with an opportunity to give something back to their community, as well as engage in their own personal development and build networks with other young women with a passion for rural NSW.

2012 The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl State Finalists at Government House in Sydney with the Governor of NSW,  Her Excellency Professor Marie Bashir 

The 2013 Zone 1 Showgirl Final was hosted by Mullumbimby. Echonetdaily.net.au put together a great video on the  Zone 1 Final and I think it summaries really well what the Showgirl Competition is all about. 

~ Enjoy.

& Good luck to all the Showgirls participating in the upcoming Zone Finals across the State!

Extract from the Showgirl Information guide (www.agshowsnsw.org.au) 

Overall, the aim of the Showgirl Competition is to find a person most suited to represent young rural 

women of NSW during her term as ‘The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl’. This covers many 

official and informal situations during the Sydney Royal Easter Show, as well as her travels 

within NSW and interstate. The Society therefore seeks an articulate and presentable person 

with a pleasant personality. 

The winner will be required to meet a wide variety of people and should be able to converse 

intelligently about Australia in general and in particular her own district. She will be 

interviewed by press, radio and television and will be asked to speak about her experiences 

before a range of groups. 

The RAS defines a ‘local’ showgirl as a person with strong family, personal, educational or 

business associations within the local community. She must also be approved and nominated 

by her local Show Society and have a genuine interest in and understanding of rural and 

regional issues.

2012 The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl place-getters

Woolworths Ag Business Scholarship Wrap-up

The 2012 Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship finally comes to a close.

Wow - what a busy two weeks! Week one was only a warm-up compared to the intense timetable the Agscholars had for week two at the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship program!

We covered a huge range of topics, including

• presentations from industry experts on the BIG issues and challenges facing Australian agriculture,
• discussions around agricultural education of the broader community,
• tour of a Woolworths distribution centre which is the key part of getting that great, fresh Australian produce to the store shelf,
• guided visit of a Woolworths store to explore the new concepts and innovative ideas to provide the best fresh food solutions to consumers,
• rubbed shoulders with some industry champions at the 2012 National Landcare Awards
• leadership development workshops
• & experienced a new perspective of Sydney - from on top of the Bridge!

Needless to say I can not fit all of that in this post!

Watch this space - I will fill you in on all the details on some of these amazing sessions soon!

Being able to participate in discussions facing Australian agriculture and our rural communities with some of the brightest young minds the industry has to offer was truly a great experience.  It challenged me to think outside the square and was great to have other young people that are passionate about their industry to share and bounce ideas around with. The passion these young people have for Australian agriculture is remarkable and assures me the future of Australian agriculture is bright if we have these young people heading up our approach to the challenges and our industry will face.

The Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship was an invaluable experience and I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate - a big thank you to the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW for supporting the growth and development of young people with a passion for agriculture.

If you are looking for an opportunity to network with other like-minded young people with a passion for agriculture, learn about the supply chain from several different perspectives as well as further your own professional development I highly recommend applying for the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship - you will be amazed what doors it may open for you.

Thank you very much Woolworths (shout out to Katie Poray for all her great work!) for conducting this program and providing us with such a great opportunity. Your support of the youth of Australian agriculture is greatly appreciated. Thank you.



Thank you to Yvette and Katie for putting this together :)