Miss N.Z. Young Farmer

Press, 18 February 1977, Page 7

Miss N.Z. Young Farmer

it is perhaps not as well known as the Skellerup Young Farmer of the Year competition, but there is also a similar contest for female members of Young Farmers’ Clubs, who are between 18 and 25 years of age and who are single. It is called the Australian Women’s Weekly Miss New Zealand Young Farmers’ contest and this year’s contest, which was finalised at Whakatane almost two weeks ago, was ,won by a Canterbury girl who is now teaching at Kaikoura. She is 22-year-old Miss Jane Etherington, who is now in her second year teaching at Kaikoura primary school. Although representing the Otago-Southalnd region, the winner of the last Skellerup Young Farmer contest, Mr John Metherell, was also brought up and educated in Canterbury. Miss Etherington was one of eight finalists at Whakatane, including four from the South Island and four from the North. A member of the Kaikoura Young Farmers’ Club she was representing the Canterbury region. The

final for the regional area was held at Timaru at Labour week-end last year. Miss Etherington was the runner-up in the national final for the contest last year. This year's national final was the third. The contest is judged on general knowledge of New Zealand with a farming slant, personality

and appearance — the latter quality, Miss Etherington says, is the least important.

Her prize is a month s visit to Australia with all expenses paid. She leaves at the end of next month and will spend two weeks in Sydney, where she will have duties to perform at the Royal Easter Show, and after that she will spend two weeks on a farm in the Narromine district.

Actually Miss Etherington will be returning to her homeland, as she was born in Melbourne, but she came to New Zealand as a baby and was brought up and educated in Christchurch, where she attended Rangi Ruru school and also the Christchurch Teachers’ College. She is now in her third year in teaching. Her first year was spent at Hawarden where she belonged to the Hawarden Young Farmers’ Club. Jane is the daughter of Mr and Mrs R. C. Etherington, of Ham, Christchurch. Although a city girl, she has many country relatives.