Two young women from Cairns and Tully respectively have been named the North Queensland Sub-Chamber 2024 Showgirl and Rural Ambassador.
Alannah Giuffrida has come a long way since she was named the Tully's golden gumboot princess at eight-years-old, wore a long pink dress and rode a float in the town's parade.
On the weekend at the North Queensland sub-chamber final, Ms Giuffrida, 27, was named the showgirl winner and will represent the The Cairns Show at the Royal Queensland Show in Brisbane this August.
Ms Giuffrida will be joined by 2024 North Queensland Rural Ambassador Hannah Gumbleton who represented the Tully and District Show which hosted the finals.
Ms Giuffrida who works at the Cairns Chamber of Commerce as an executive services officer, said she was "very surprised" to be named the sub chamber winner.
"I entered with the mindset to do my best and have a go but didn't think I'd win as I was impressed there are so many talented young women involved with shows," Ms Giuffrida said.
"The other ladies were phenomenal and the work they do was incredible."
Ms Giuffrida said one of the elements about ag shows which had impressed her were the economic and social benefits the events made for the community.
"There are so many economic benefits, advantages and challenges to our ag shows," she said.
"Part of the showgirl movement is about making sure the legacy of shows lives on while ensuring they are relevant to today's society."
Ms Giuffrida said in addition to her role at the Cairns Chamber of Commerce, she was involved in two volunteer subcommittees as a program manager for the Emerging Leaders Program, was the events lead for the Business Excellence Awards and was a former director of the Connected Communities.
"I have been on the far North Queensland board since 2019 and was invited to become a general member of the FNQ Youth Assistance Fund in 2023," she said.
"Being the 2023 Cairns Showgirl reignited a passion for the show movement in me, that I had not realised I had lost and spending three days at the Cairns Show immersing myself in all of the experiences and engaging with exhibitors, showmen, entertainers, volunteers and patrons was truly remarkable.
"The excitement that this decades long tradition still evokes in people today, is both heartwarming and inspiring."
Ms Giuffrida said her role also involved attending the Babinda Harvest Festival, Mareeba Rodeo and Wine Awards.
Ms Giuffrida said local ag shows were all about "bring local communities together."
"Look at the Warwick Show," she said.
"The town's population is 12,000 and they get around 30,000 attending."
While balancing her career with showgirl responsibilities will mean a frantic few months, Ms Giuffrida said she wouldn't have it any other way.
"There are 13 shows in our sub-chamber and I am really going to try to get involved in all of the them," she said.
"There's something different to make every show stand out, every show is special in its own way."
