Madam –
I have always wanted to enter the annual Miss Newcastle Pageant, so this year I finally did and I made it to the top six and I am grateful for that. The Miss Newcastle Pageant is a pageant of high standards and is carried out with dignity.
We had training every Wednesday since March this year at Fancy That Models Studio (FTM) with Christinè Harburn. Christinè was like a mother to us as she was really patient with us and was always there for us and understood when we had transport problems and always made sure that everyone went home safely. Each and every contestant was treated with respect; we also respected each other as contestants and made each other comfortable throughout the whole pageant journey. This pageant was not only about modelling; it strengthened my character and also the other contestants’ characters.
We were given a diary of events so we would be able to know and plan for future events such as photo shoots. That alone fostered responsibility as we would know where and when we should be, and the dress code. We had rehearsals with Kevin Ellis, which were an absolute blast, and I have learnt a lot from him. We got to wear his amazing designs each and everyone of us looked stunning in.
This was a pageant worth entering. This years’ theme was under construction and this required each contestant to make a dress from recycled material. This was a shock at first, as we wondered how we were going to do this, but with the help from the ladies from the Newcastle Lions Club, everything was a success in the end and we all looked stunning.
I would like to thank Christinè, Rob, Elize, Chevonne, Kevin Ellis, Gareth, the judges, Jeep Newcastle (my sponsor) and the other Lions Club ladies for making the final night a success and very special. I would also like to thank them for the wise words they shared with us as those words made us strong.
I would like to congratulate the winners and I would advise other girls to enter the annual Miss Newcastle pageant next year, because it truly is an experience of a lifetime.
Dimakatso Dikgweli
