Choosing ‘Miss Canterbury’

Press, 8 March 1989, Page 16

Choosing ‘Miss Canterbury’

Not just a pretty face

By

ANABRIGHT HAY

Two of the judges at tonight’s final of the 1989 “Miss Canterbury” contest say the woman they pick will have much more going for her than just a pretty face.

Mrs Merryn Corcoran and Mr Frank Brierton are among the five judges who will decide which of the 20 finalists becomes “Miss Canterbury.”

Frank Brierton is a director of Print Marketing, Ltd, and has 20 years of advertising agency experience. Merryn Corcoran is a Christchurch public relations consultant and a former model. She has been organising product promotions involving beautiful women for a number of years.

Both are first time judges of the event, but they are adamant the winner must have more than a photogenic face and a model’s figure. She must have personality. Merryn Corcoran says "Miss Canterbury” is not a model’s competition. So she will be looking for a woman with charm and beauty in the wider sense of the word.

These qualities are needed if the winner is to represent Canterbury, which Merryn Corcoran sees as one of the main functions of the winner and purpose of the pageant. Frank Brierton agrees. He says he has been looking for contestants who speak well and answer questions intelligently. Some of the 50 women who entered “Miss Canterbury” were deficient in

these areas, and so did not make it to the final, he says. The judges have met the contestants at a variety of organised functions as well as conducting preliminary interviews with them in the lead-up to the final.

Both say the standard of entrants is high, and

that they have seen their grooming and confidence improve in the last few weeks.

“My questions are designed to be challenging, rather than the standard type questions because I am interested in their instant reaction to questions,” Merryn Corcoran says.

Frank Brierton says he has endeavoured to be objective. Rather than pick a personal favourite, he wants to choose a woman who will appeal to everyone.

“I've changed my mind two or three times since the start,” he adds. The experience of being judges in a “Miss Canter-

bury” pageant has been enjoyable for them both. Their co-judges at tonight’s final are Mrs Gaye Bartlett, a fashion designer and consultant; Mrs Pieter Stewart, of Pieter Stewart Promotions; and Mr Gary Harris, the New Zealand sales and marketing director of Spencer L. Ayrey, Ltd.