Miss Australia
Miss Australia was an Australian beauty pageant held from 1908 until 2000. It was replaced by Miss World Australia from 2002, and Miss Universe Australia from 2004. From 1926 to 1992 the program operated as the Miss Australia Quest, after which the name was changed to the Miss Australia Awards.
From 1954, the contest was associated with the Spastic Centres of Australia. The winner of Miss Australia raised money for the centres through her family and friends, raising money for children and adults with cerebral palsy. The Miss Australia Quest was sponsored and organised from 1954 until the early 1960s by the lingerie manufacturer, Hickory, until Dowd Associates transferred ownership to the Australian Cerebral Palsy Association in 1963.
The pearl-encrusted Miss Australia crown was worn by titleholders from 1965 to 1991. The crown was hand-crafted in silver and blue velvet, and decorated with more than 800 pearls. Designed by Melbourne artist Ernest Booth and manufactured in Japan, the crown was presented to the Miss Australia Quest in 1965 by Toyomoto Australia Pty Ltd. The crown was last used in 1991, and is held at the National Museum of Australia.
History
The first Miss Australia contest was held in 1908 as a one-off event sponsored through the Lone Hand, with entrants from New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland. The winner was Alice Buckridge from Victoria. The primary purpose of the contest was "to attract customers: whether they were newspaper readers, patrons at an amusement venue or visitors to a country fair"The Miss Australia contests of 1926 and 1927 were sponsored by Smith's Weekly magazine and Union Theatres, with heats from each State, and were straightforward beauty contests, judged by an anonymous panel from the staff of the magazine and associated publications. Miss Australia 1937 was again sponsored by Smith's Weekly and again had heats in each State, but judging criteria were far broader, and the judging panel comprised prominent women. The prizes for the first two centred around screen tests and an escorted trip to the movie capitals of America. The 1937 prize was a chaperoned first-class travel world tour which included London for the Coronation season. Smith's Weekly was not involved in later Quests.
In 1953, the contest was revised by Bernard J. Dowd to promote the American Hickory lingerie that he marketed in Australia. A panel of Hickory-appointed judges in each state selected a winner based on photos sent it by young women, and then a national panel of Hickory-appointed judges chose the winner, Miss Australia.
In 1954, Colin Clay of the Queensland Spastic Welfare League asked Hickory if the Miss Australia competition could be used as a fundraiser for the league. Hickory agreed and from then on the contestants raised money for the league. Each state branch of the league would conduct its own contest to find a state winner, known as Miss Queensland, Miss New South Wales, etc, based on traditional "beauty contest" critieria. They would also award Miss Queensland Charity Queen, Miss New South Wales Charity Queensland, etc to the young woman who raised the most money in each state. The state finalists would then compete in the national competition for Miss Australia and Miss Australia Charity Queen.
In 1963, Dowd assigned all rights to the contest to the League.
Titleholders
- 1908 – Alice Buckridge
- 1926 – Beryl Mills of Geraldton, Western Australia
- 1927 – Phyllis Von Alwyn of Launceston, Tasmania
- 1937 – Sheila Martin of Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
- 1946 – Rhonda Kelly
- 1947 – Judy Gainford
- 1948 – Beryl James
- 1949 – Margaret Hughes
- 1950 – 1952 No Miss Australia as a result of the dispute between Miss Australia 1949 and her chaperon.
- 1953 – Maxine Morgan
- 1954 – Shirley Bliss
- 1955 – Maureen Kistle
- 1956 – June Finlayson
- 1957 – Helen Wood
- 1958 – Pam Mackay
- 1959 – Joan Stanbury
- 1960 – Rosemary Fenton
- 1961 – Tania Verstak
- 1962 – Tricia Reschke
- 1964 – Jan Taylor
- 1965 – Carole Jackson
- 1966 – Sue Gallie
- 1967 – Margaret Rohan
- 1968 – Helen Newton
- 1969 – Suzanne McClelland
- 1970 – Rhonda Iffland
- 1971 – June Wright
- 1972 - Krystyna Sztanska
- 1972 – Gay Walker
- 1973 – Michelle Downes
- 1974 – Randy Baker
- 1975 – Kerry Doyle
- 1976 – Sharon Betty
- 1977 – Francene Maras
- 1978 – Gloria Krope
- 1979 – Anne Sneddon
- 1980 – Eleanor Morton
- 1981 – Melissa Hannan / Leanne Dick
- 1982 – Jenny Coupland
- 1983 – Lisa Cornelius
- 1984 – Maryanne Koznjak
- 1985 – Maria Ridley
- 1986 – Tracey Pearson
- 1987 – Judi Green
- 1988 – Caroline Lumley
- 1989 – Lea Dickson
- 1990 – Rebecca Noble
- 1991 – Helena Wayth
- 1992 – Suzanne Lee
- 1993 – Joanne Dick
- 1994 – Jane Bargwanna
- 1995 – Margaret Tierney
- 1996 – Suzanne Haward
- 1997 – Tracy Secombe
- 1998 – Suellen Fuller
- 1999 – Kathryn Hay
- 2000 – Sheree Primer
Miss Australia at International pageants
Australia is now represented by either Miss Universe Australia or Miss World Australia:- 1952 – Leah MacCartney
- 1953 – Maxine Morgan
- 1954 – Shirley Bliss
- 1955 – no, Beverly Prowse
- 1956 – no
- 1957 – no, June Finlayson
- 1958 – Astrid Tanda Lindholm
- 1959 – no
- 1960 – no
- 1961 – no
- 1962 – no
- 1963 – no
- 1964 – Maria Luyben
- 1965 – Pauline Verey, Jan Rennison
- 1966 – no
- 1967 – no, Judy Lockey
- 1968 – Lauren Jones, Penelope Plummer
- 1969 – Joanne Barret, Stefane Meurer
- 1970 – Joan Lydia Zealand, Valli Kemp
- 1971 – Tony Suzanne Rayward, Valerie Roberts
- 1972 – Kerry Anne Wells, Belinda Green
- 1973 – Susan Mainwaring, Virginia Radinas
- 1974 – Yasmin May Nagy, Gail Margaret Petith
- 1975 – Jennifer Matthews, Anne Davidson
- 1976 – Julie Anne Ismay, Karen Jo Pini
- 1977 – Jill Maree Minahan, Jaye-Leanne Hopewell
- 1978 – Beverly Frances Pinder,Denise Ellen Coward
- 1979 – Kerry Dunderdale, Jodie Anne Day
- 1980 – Katrina Judith Rose Redina, Linda Leigh Shepherd
- 1981 – Karen Sang, Melissa Hannan
- 1982 – Lou-Anne Caroline Ronchi, Catherine Anne Morris
- 1983 – Simone Cox, Tanya Bowe
- 1984 – Donna Thelma Rudrum, Lou-Anne Caroline Ronchi
- 1985 – Elizabeth Rowly, Angelina Nasso
- 1986 – Lucinda Bucat, Stephanie Eleanor Andrews
- 1987 – Jennine Susan Leonarder, Vanessa Gibson, Donna Thelma Rudrum
- 1988 – Vanessa Gibson, Catherine Bushell
- 1989 – Karen Wenden, Natalie McCurry
- 1990 – Charmaine Ware, Karina Brown
- 1991 – no, Leanne Buckle
- 1992 – Georgina Denahy, Rebecca Simic
- 1993 – Voni Delfos Karen Ann Carwin
- 1994 – Michelle van Eimeren, Skye Edwards
- 1995 – Jacqueline Shooter, Melissa Porter
- 1996 – Jodie McMullen, Nicole Smith
- 1997 – Laura Csortan
- 1998 – Renee Henderson, Sarah Jane St.Clair
- 1999 – Michelle Shead, Kathryn Hay
- 2000 – Samantha Frost, Renee Henderson
- 2001 – no, Eva Milic, Christy Anderson
- 2002 – Sarah Davies, Nicole Gazal, Ineke Candice Leffers
- 2003 – Ashlea Talbot, Olivia Stratton, Shivaune Christina Field
- 2004 – Jennifer Hawkins, Sarah Davies, Alethea Lindsay, Shenevelle Dickson
- 2005 – Michelle Guy, Alethea Lindsay, Denae Brunow, Ann Maree Bowdler
- 2006 – Erin McNaught, Sabrina Houssami, Victoria Winter
- 2007 – Kimberley Busteed, Caroline Pemberton, Victoria Stewart
- 2008 – Laura Dundovic, Katie Richardson, Rachael Smith,
- 2009 – Rachael Finch, Sophie Lavers
- 2010 – Jesinta Franklin, Ashleigh Francis
- 2011 – Scherri-Lee Biggs, Amber Greasley
- 2012 – Renae Ayris, Jessica Kahawaty
- 2013 – Olivia Wells, Erin Holland, Kelly Louise Maguire.
- 2014 – Tegan Martin, ; Courtney Thorpe ; Renera Thompson.
- 2015 – Monika Radulovic, ; Tess Alexander ; Claire Elizabeth Parker.
- 2016 – Caris Tiivel, Madeline Cowe ; Dani Fitch