Dubbo's Kennedy Tourle named Sydney Royal Showgirl champion
Published Date: 01 Apr 2013
Summary
Daily Liberal
DUBBO's own Kennedy Tourle was announced the winner of this year's Land Sydney Royal Showgirl at the Amphitheatre at Sydney Showground on Saturday.
After spending a week with the 16 showgirl finalists, Ms Tourle said it was nothing short of shock she felt, when she heard her name announced.
"I just couldn't believe it," she said yesterday from Sydney.
"I's all still a bit of a blur, it's been amazing spending time with such a lovely bunch of girls, after getting to know them for a week it could have been any of us."
Kennedy Tourle (centre) with Showgirl runners up Sarah Groat from Walgett
and Sally Ormiston from Frenchs Forest.
The finalists were individually assessed on their personality, confidence, ambition and life goals, general knowledge, rural knowledge, presentation and speech.
After a demanding day of interviews and judging, Ms Tourle was announced the winner.
Along with the impressive title of 2013 The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl, she will be taking home an impressive $10,000 cash prize.
Ms Tourle said she was well supported by family and friends and members of the Dubbo Show Society.
A community safety officer with the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), Kennedy is heavily involved in the family's property, "Naroo", near Dubbo.
It has been a long wait between Dubbo winners, but Ms Tourle now follows in the footsteps of previous Dubbo Showgirls Margo Bassett in 1973 and Melanie Trethowen in 1986.
Western NSW continued with its winning streak with Walgett Showgirl Sarah Groat announced the runner up.
Ms Groat, 24, an agronomist, is the first Walgett showgirl to win a place in the Sydney final in 20 years and the first to have ever placed.
Former Sydney woman and Frenchs Forest Showgirl Sally Ormiston, 24, works as an agronomist at Forbes.
She was named the second runner up.
The winners joined with other finalists for a cruise on Sydney Harbour yesterday.
Ms Tourle and Ms Grout spent the remainder of Easter Sunday fulfilling their respective duties and getting accustomed to the pace.
