Three rural women representing the communities of Blayney, Cowra and Bathurst respectively are setting their sights on this year's The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl title after success at Dubbo.
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Sally Nicholls, Beatrice Patterson and Stephanie Ferguson won the zone final of the prestigious competition on Saturday night.
The result of the contest was announced at a ball attended by 245 people at the Dubbo RSL Memorial Club.
Praise flowed to all 21 hopefuls, including 2019 Narromine Showgirl Anabelle Powell.
Bathurst Showgirl Stephanie Ferguson is studying a Bachelor of Veterinary Biology and Bachelor of Veterinary Science at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, and hopes to be a veterinarian with a focus on livestock production and effective consultation with farmers.
Blayney Showgirl Sally Nicholls is a physiotherapist in Orange who is aiming to complete a Masters of Rehabilitation Physiotherapy so she can specialise in working with people with amputations, spinal cord injury, stoke and work-related injuries.
Cowra Showgirl Beatrice Patterson is a solicitor in Cowra who has her eye on becoming a dispute resolution practitioner enabling her to help rural people settle disputes. She holds a Bachelor of Business (Business Analytics) and Laws from the University of New England.
The Showgirl movement provided rural women with the opportunity to network and learn new skills while at the same time be an ambassador for rural Australia.
Born in Narromine, 23-year-old Ms Powell entered the competition to represent and promote the small community, and saw it as an opportunity to meet like-minded young women who wish to raise the profile, concerns and beliefs of a country lifestyle.
She has been an active member of the Narromine Agricultural Show Society for the last 10 years, and is currently acting chief steward of the fruit and vegetable section.
"I love working with such a wide range of people - everyone is different in some way and together we work as a team to make the annual Narromine Show happen," she said.
The other Zone 6 Showgirls were: Bedgerabong Showgirl Heather Earney; Bourke Showgirl Emily Bowden; Canowindra Showgirl Anna McNamara; Condobolin Showgirl Reba Nicholson; Coonamble Showgirl Molly; Dubbo Showgirl Tyla Comerford; Eugowra Showgirl Tara Jenkins; Forbes Showgirl Molly Fuge; Gilgandra Showgirl Lydia Scotti; Grenfell Showgirl Shannon Best; Orange Showgirl Annie Hazelton; Parkes Showgirl Rebeckah Auld; Peak Hill Showgirl Georgia Westcott; Murrumburrah-Harden Showgirl Katia Manton; Nyngan Showgirl Sophie Menzies; Young Showgirl Caitlin Bowman and Wellington Showgirl Meg Smith.
The judges were Agricultural Societies Council of NSW vice president Jill Chapman, 2018 Royal Agricultural Society Rural Achiever winner Tim Green and The Land's Karen Bailey.
The Zone 6 final was hosted by Dubbo Show Society.
