A speech pathologist with a desire to become a rural generalist, and a rural journalist with a passion for connecting city and country have been announced as the 2018 Longreach Miss Showgirl and Rural Ambassador.
Lucy Griffin and Melanie Groves were sashed at a function at the Longreach Show on Friday night.
Lucy moved to Longreach motivated by career prospects and adventure, and was welcomed openly into the community, which she said had given her a strong appreciation for the people and lifestyle of the outback.
“I am extremely passionate about the relationship between mental health and communication, and hope to pursue this interest further as a senior speech pathologist and rural generalist,” she said.
Lucy said being the 2018 Longreach Miss Showgirl would give her the chance to keep contributing to the community, in a unique way, and encourage their involvement in the show movement.
“One of the best pieces of advice I was given growing up was, 'the more you put in, the more you get out',” she said. “I have found this to be profoundly true, and I hope to share this message with other young people.”
In the meantime, she wants to live and work in every state of Australia and travel to 30 countries before she turns 30.
Longreach Suncorp staff member, Ally Dyer, was named as the Longreach Showgirl runner-up.
For Melanie Groves, who has been working as a rural reporter for regional radio in Longreach for nearly a year, the position as the Longreach Show Society’s rural ambassador will give her the chance to connect more with the local community and to share what producers are doing with the outside world.
She grew up just outside the beach town of Yeppoon on her family’s mango, lychee, and avocado farm, where she spent her childhood eating fruit and riding horses.
“I’ve loved every minute of living in Longreach,” she said. “A stint in India set me on my track to study international relations and development, but my agricultural background has always played a part in my life.
“Having the opportunity to work with mandarin farmers in Nepal, designing packing sheds and packing standards, and now being a rural reporter.
“I’m passionate about the connections between the city and the country, sustainable agriculture, development, and the environment, and believe there’s a lot of opportunity to be had in rural Australia.”
Melanie was one of three Rural Ambassador entrants in only the competition’s second year in Longreach.
Show president, Margie Webb, said she was “sold” on the Miss Showgirl competition because she could see how it was getting young people involved.
“The movement is so important for shows because we need young people,” she said. “Two occupational therapists are running the camp oven cooking and a speech pathologist is running the ute competition – work that one out!”
She complimented all the show’s sponsors, saying it had been an amazing effort considering the district was in its sixth drought year.