Dubbo’s Josie Anderson has shone to secure a place at the final of The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl competition.
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The 2018 Zoo FM Dubbo Showgirl was one of three selected from a field of 22 hopefuls.
The announcement was made on Saturday night at the zone finals held at Young.
A contingent of more than 20 supporters including family, friends and Dubbo Show Society members accompanied Miss Anderson.
Historic homestead Clifton House and Gardens at Young was the venue for the zone final, which saw the rural women take part in an interview, luncheon and onstage interview.
Forbes Showgirl Sally Downie and Coonamble’s Emily Ryan were also selected.
Miss Anderson, a business advisory trainee with Crowe Horwath, reflected on the experience on Sunday.
“A little bit lost for words,” she said.
“It’s always a really nice pleasure to be acknowledged for your efforts and make it through from such a big zone.
“Twenty-one other girls, so anybody could have gone through and it’s really nice to have been selected.”
The final test will take place across the course of the Sydney Royal Easter Show, starting on April 12.
Miss Anderson was looking to embrace the full experience, but remained grounded.
“Getting to state is the dream, everybody dreams of doing that, and anything else after that is a bonus,” she said.
“So if you placed in Sydney, that would be incredible, but not expected.”
The competition hopeful is also an ambassador for her city.
“Dubbo is a really strong community, in terms of supply and demand,” Miss Anderson said.
“There’s lots of industry there that support it.
“Employment opportunities are endless, it’s a great regional base for people, it’s the hub of the central west.”
Miss Anderson, who recently took on the key role of Dubbo Show Society treasurer, advocated the competition as an opportunity for young women to connect with people from within and beyond the region.
She appreciated the network of people who got behind her.
“I’d like to thank my family, my beautiful parents and my three brothers travelled from Cobar, Bathurst and Wollongong to come and support me,” she said.
“I had family come from Sydney, we had 24 guests, we were the biggest guest list and it just shows how strong our community is and how passionate people are about supporting their showgirl.”
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