Miss Australia
Miss Australia was the title for the winner of the Miss Australia Quest or the Miss Australia Awards, which ran from 1954 until 2000, when the last Miss Australia was named. From 2002, the Miss World Australia contest has been held, and the Miss Universe Australia contest has been held since 2004.
The title of Miss Australia had existed since 1908, although it was not until 1954 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 to 1991 the program operated as the Miss Australia Quest, after which the name 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.
The pearl-encrusted Miss Australia crown, worn by titleholders from 1965 to 1991. The crown was hand-crafted in silver and blue velvet, and decorated with more than 800 pearls. Designed by Melbourne artist Ernest Booth and manufactured in Japan, the crown was presented to the Miss Australia Quest in 1965 by Toyomoto Australia Pty Ltd. The crown was last used in 1991, and is held at the National Museum of Australia.
History
The first Miss Australia contest was held in 1908 as a one-off event sponsored through the Lone Hand, with entrants from New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The winner was Alice Buckridge from Victoria. The primary purpose of the contest was "to attract customers: whether they were newspaper readers, patrons at an amusement venue or visitors to a country fair"The Miss Australia contests of 1926 and 1927 were sponsored by Smith's Weekly magazine and Union Theatres, with heats from each State, and were straightforward beauty contests, judged by an anonymous panel from the staff of the magazine and associated publications. Miss Australia 1937 was again sponsored by Smith's Weekly and again had heats in each State, but judging criteria were far broader, and the judging panel comprised prominent women. The prizes for the first two centred around film tests and an escorted trip to the movie capitals of America. The 1937 prize was a chaperoned first-class travel world tour which included London for the Coronation season. Smith's Weekly was not involved in later Quests.
In 1953, the contest was revised by Bernard J. Dowd to promote the American Hickory lingerie that he marketed in Australia. A panel of Hickory-appointed judges in each state selected a winner based on photos sent it by young women, and then a national panel of Hickory-appointed judges chose the winner, Miss Australia.
In 1954, Colin Clay of the Queensland Spastic Welfare League asked Hickory if the Miss Australia competition could be used as a fundraiser for the league. Hickory agreed and from then on the contestants raised money for the league. Each state branch of the league would conduct its own contest to find a state winner, known as Miss Queensland, Miss New South Wales, etc, based on traditional "beauty contest" critieria. They would also award Miss Queensland Charity Queen, Miss New South Wales Charity Queesland, etc to the young woman who raised the most money in each state. The state finalists would then compete in the national competition for Miss Australia and Miss Australia Charity Queen.
In 1963, Dowd assigned all rights to the contest to the League.
Titleholders
- 1908 – Alice Buckridge
- 1926 – Beryl Mills of Geraldton, Western Australia
- 1927 – Phyllis Von Alwyn of Launceston, Tasmania
- 1937 – Sheila Martin of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
- 1946 – Rhonda Kelly
- 1947 – Judy Gainford
- 1948 – Beryl James
- 1949 – Margaret Hughes
- 1950 – 1952 No Miss Australia as a result of the dispute between Miss Australia 1949 and her chaperon.
- 1953 – Maxine Morgan
- 1954 – Shirley Bliss
- 1955 – Maureen Kistle
- 1956 – June Finlayson
- 1957 – Helen Wood
- 1958 – Pam Mackay
- 1959 – Joan Stanbury
- 1960 – Rosemary Fenton
- 1961 – Tania Verstak
- 1962 – Tricia Reschke
- 1964 – Jan Taylor
- 1965 – Carole Jackson
- 1966 – Sue Gallie
- 1967 – Margaret Rohan
- 1968 – Helen Newton
- 1969 – Suzanne McClelland
- 1970 – Rhonda Iffland
- 1971 – June Wright
- 1972 - Krystyna Sztanska
- 1972 – Gay Walker
- 1973 – Michelle Downes
- 1974 – Randy Baker
- 1975 – Kerry Doyle
- 1976 – Sharon Betty
- 1977 – Francene Maras
- 1978 – Gloria Krope
- 1979 – Anne Sneddon
- 1980 – Eleanor Morton
- 1981 – Melissa Hannan / Leanne Dick
- 1982 – Jenny Coupland
- 1983 – Lisa Cornelius
- 1984 – Maryanne Koznjak
- 1985 – Maria Ridley
- 1986 – Tracey Pearson
- 1987 – Judi Green
- 1988 – Caroline Lumley
- 1989 – Lea Dickson
- 1990 – Rebecca Noble
- 1991 – Helena Wayth
- 1992 – Suzanne Lee
- 1993 – Joanne Dick
- 1994 – Jane Bargwanna
- 1995 – Margaret Tierney
- 1996 – Suzanne Haward
- 1997 – Tracy Secombe
- 1998 – Suellen Fuller
- 1999 – Kathryn Hay
- 2000 – Sheree Primer
Miss Australia at International pageants
- 1952 – Leah MacCartney
- 1953 – Maxine Morgan
- 1954 – Shirley Bliss
- 1955 – no, Beverly Prowse
- 1956 – no
- 1957 – no, June Finlayson
- 1958 – Astrid Tanda Lindholm
- 1959 – no
- 1960 – no
- 1961 – no
- 1962 – no
- 1963 – no
- 1964 – Maria Luyben
- 1965 – Pauline Verey, Jan Rennison
- 1966 – no
- 1967 – no, Judy Lockey
- 1968 – Lauren Jones, Penelope Plummer
- 1969 – Joanne Barret, Stefane Meurer
- 1970 – Joan Lydia Zealand, Valli Kemp
- 1971 – Tony Suzanne Rayward, Valerie Roberts
- 1972 – Kerry Anne Wells, Belinda Green
- 1973 – Susan Mainwaring, Virginia Radinas
- 1974 – Yasmin May Nagy, Gail Margaret Petith
- 1975 – Jennifer Matthews, Anne Davidson
- 1976 – Julie Anne Ismay, Karen Jo Pini
- 1977 – Jill Maree Minahan, Jaye-Leanne Hopewell
- 1978 – Beverly Frances Pinder,Denise Ellen Coward
- 1979 – Kerry Dunderdale, Jodie Anne Day
- 1980 – Katrina Judith Rose Redina, Linda Leigh Shepherd
- 1981 – Karen Sang, Melissa Hannan
- 1982 – Lou-Anne Caroline Ronchi, Catherine Anne Morris
- 1983 – Simone Cox, Tanya Bowe
- 1984 – Donna Thelma Rudrum, Lou-Anne Caroline Ronchi
- 1985 – Elizabeth Rowly, Angelina Nasso
- 1986 – Lucinda Bucat, Stephanie Eleanor Andrews
- 1987 – Jennine Susan Leonarder, Vanessa Gibson, Donna Thelma Rudrum
- 1988 – Vanessa Gibson, Catherine Bushell
- 1989 – Karen Wenden, Natalie McCurry
- 1990 – Charmaine Ware, Karina Brown
- 1991 – no, Leanne Buckle
- 1992 – Georgina Denahy, Rebecca Simic
- 1993 – Voni Delfos Karen Ann Carwin
- 1994 – Michelle van Eimeren, Skye Edwards
- 1995 – Jacqueline Shooter, Melissa Porter
- 1996 – Jodie McMullen, Nicole Smith
- 1997 – Laura Csortan
- 1998 – Renee Henderson, Sarah Jane St.Clair
- 1999 – Michelle Shead, Kathryn Hay
- 2000 – Samantha Frost, Renee Henderson
- 2001 – no, Eva Milic, Christy Anderson
- 2002 – Sarah Davies, Nicole Gazal, Ineke Candice Leffers
- 2003 – Ashlea Talbot, Olivia Stratton, Shivaune Christina Field
- 2004 – Jennifer Hawkins, Sarah Davies, Alethea Lindsay, Shenevelle Dickson
- 2005 – Michelle Guy, Alethea Lindsay, Denae Brunow, Ann Maree Bowdler
- 2006 – Erin McNaught, Sabrina Houssami, Victoria Winter
- 2007 – Kimberley Busteed, Caroline Pemberton, Victoria Stewart
- 2008 – Laura Dundovic, Katie Richardson, Rachael Smith,
- 2009 – Rachael Finch, Sophie Lavers
- 2010 – Jesinta Franklin, Ashleigh Francis
- 2011 – Scherri-Lee Biggs, Amber Greasley
- 2012 – Renae Ayris, Jessica Kahawaty
- 2013 – Olivia Wells, Erin Holland, Kelly Louise Maguire.
- 2014 – Tegan Martin, ; Courtney Thorpe ; Renera Thompson.
- 2015 – Monika Radulovic, ; Tess Alexander ; Claire Elizabeth Parker.
- 2016 – Caris Tiivel, Madeline Cowe ; Dani Fitch
Famous Miss Australias
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 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 of Peter Brock.
The first Aboriginal woman to win the Miss Australia title was Kathryn Hay in 1999. Hay subsequently became a Cabinet Secretary in the Tasmanian government.
The 1994 Miss Australia Universe, Michelle van Eimeren, became a household name when she stayed in the Philippines, became an actress and married a Filipino comedian-actor-singer, Ogie Alcasid.
Stories from the people involved
In 2007, a National Museum of Australia exhibition, Miss Australia: A Nation's Quest, told the stories of titleholders, volunteers, fundraisers and sponsors involved in the Miss Australia Quest. Historic dresses, trophies and crowns were also included in the exhibition.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 controversially crowned the winner. Penelope Plummer became Australia's first Miss World in 1968.