“MISS NEW ZEALAND”

Opunake Times, 25 July 1947, Page 1

“MISS NEW ZEALAND”

QUEST FOR 1947

FOOD FOR BRITAIN FUND

Somewhere in the Dominion there is a girl between the ages of 18 and 30, nov yet married, with all the qualities that go to make up the ideal New Zealand girl By the end of September she will be found, in a. “Miss New Zealand” Quest conducted by the Wellington branch of the Royal Society of St. George. She will go to Britain by land, sea and air, and stay there for a while as a guest of the Royal Society of St. George, whose patrons are the King and Queen, and whose president is Lord Qneenborough. She will receive a cheque for £250 for her personal expenses on the trip; she will have specially designed for her a complete wardrobe of the finest materials New Zealand can produce; in Britain she will be given a film test in one of the powerful Rank organisations; and she will be presented with a magnificent trophy to remind her of her success.

Sixteen other district finalists in New Zealand will receive a prize of £IOO each, and m addition will be taken to Wellington free of expense for the final judging and announcement of the result.

It is all being done as part of the Society’s “Pood for Britain” fund, whic h has already sent much food to deserving people ol Britain.' But winter is approaching in the Northern Hemisphere and the British people will need every ounce of food they can get. The “Miss New Zealand” Quest 1947 presents a great opportunity to New Zealand to increase its aid to the Mother Country. It is emphasised by the honorary Board of Directors of the Quest that this is not just another beauty contest but a national campaign for the best possible Cause, conducted by men and women of Dominion-wide reputation and integrity, and carrying the interest and good wishes of the Prime Mr. Fraser.

As the “Miss New Zealand” Quest is being conducted by the Iloyal Society of St. George to swell its “Food for Britain” fund each candidate will be required to raise for the fund, either by her own efforts or by the efforts of a committee of supporters, the sum of £250, or more if more is collected.

For the purposes of the Quest, New Zealand will be divided into seventeen districts, and each district winner will get a prize of £IOO. In addition, there will be a special award to the candidate who raises the largest sum of money for the “Food for Britain” ’land, blit this will not, of course, influence the judging in any way, judging will be done neither by popular vote nor by the buying of votes. To make sure that the best possible candidate wins, a panel of judges will interview personally each entrant, awarding marks under the headings of beauty and health, education, photogenic possibilities, deportment and personality, voice culture, and sporting qualifications. Equal attention will be paid to each of these points. So far is it removed from tinusual “bathing beauty” contest that photographs of candidates in bathing costumes will not be used tor the purposes of the contest.

The names of the judges are yet to be announced, but it is hoped to include a doctor, an artist, a photographer, an educationalist, and an authority on voice culture and personality.

Judging of the district finalists will begin a few days after the closing of the entries for the Quest, on September 2. The district winners will be brought to Wellington for the national final and tile announcement of the re* suit of the Quest about the end of September. The Quest is under the control of a Board of Directors consisting of Mr. G. C. Sherwood, chair, man of the Council of the Royal Society of St. George, Welling-

ton; Mrs. D. Basham better known to radio lisle ers as “Aunt Daisy;” Mr. lin E. Hunt, president of the yal Society of St. George, W- ngfon; Captain S. K. Thompson, chairman of the St. George “Food for Britain” fund;. Mr. C. E. Owen, representing the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of N.Z.; Mr. A. E. Tarrant, representing the New Zealand Junior Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Howard Wadman, editor of “Art in New Zealand” ; and Mr. R. A. Usmar, for many years an executive of the J. C. Williamson Pictures Corporation. Executive Director of the campaign is Mr. K. W. Kilpatrick, and Mrs. Winifred Clough is secretary. The seventeen districts, from each of which a finalist will be chosen to go to Wellington for the final judging, are Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Poverty Bay, Taranaki, Hawke’s Bay, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Wellington, Marlborough, Nelson, Westland, Canterbury, South Canterbury, Otago and Southland.

It is not expected that many girls will he able to find the ,£250 extrance' fee themselves, it is rather a chance for all sorts of organisations to nominate a girl and support her by raising the qualifying fee, at the same time brightening the lives of many people in Britain by making extra food available to them.

Sports bodies, women’s organisations, musical and dramatic socities and dancing studios, for instance, could nominate candidates for the Quest. So could trade unions, radio stations, social clubs, indu trial organisations, Navy, Annv and Air Force depots, ex-servicemen’s associations, and the staffs of any Government department, Hospital, department store, factory, bank, local government body, insurance company or any commercial house. Entries close with the Board of Directors, P.O. Box 3002, Wellington, on September 2, but so that the “Food for Britain” fund may get the benefit of the Quest as soon as possible candidates are urged not to wait until the last moment before entering, but to enter early and make progress payments of their £250 during the six weeks before closing date. Immediately the money comes in it will go into more parcels for Britain

Captain Thompson Said that the Royal Society of Si. George litul been sending food parcels lor more than a year n- v, and the total number sent to ate exceeded 2,100, in ad-lif .on t° which food had also hoe a dispatched in bulk. Included in its list are more than 400 winners of the George Cross or the George Medal. The “Miss New Zealand” Quest Is A Continuation Of This Effort. Confidence that the Quest would meet with general approval and support was expressed by Mr. Sherwood: chairman of the directors.

“The Wellington branch of the Royal Society of St. George” he said, “hopes that the campaign will bring in many thousands of pounds to maintain its flow of gift food to Britain. Most people in New Zealand now realise how great is Britain’s need. With winter approaching over there, it will become greater still. We are relying on the people of New Zealand, through the many organisations which can sponsor a girl in this quest, to make it a record effort. Never has there been so good a cause.”

The directors of the Hotel St. George, Wellington, have generously made available shop premises in their building to serve as a Dominion headquarters for the quest. A leaflet giving full details can be got from there, or hy writing to the executive director at Box 3002, Wellington.