PHOTO: Coonamble Show’s 2024 Junior and Senior Young Woman winners, Tori Hourigan and Tessa Parry.
Coonamble’s Senior and Junior winners in the Young Woman competion for the 2024 Royal Agricultural Society have been crowned and their names are Tessa Parry (23) and Tori Hourigan (13).
There were four competitors in this year’s senior division, which caters for young women aged 18 to 25.
Tessa won the section with Gemma Fitzgerald as Runner-Up and Edwina Knight and Georgia Ditchfield rounding out a strong field of contenders.
In the Junior Young Woman category, for girls aged 13 to 17, Tori Hourigan emerged the winner with Destyni Bright, the runner-up, and Jaliyah Thurston and Rihanna MacBride showing the depth of local talent.
The volunteer co-ordinator for this year’s local competition was Paige Becker.
She managed recruitment, sponsors, prizes and judging, with guest judges being Maddy Strudwick, Anne Cullen and Lyndy Regan.
The Coonamble Show Society announced the winners during the Coonamble Show on Wednesday 15 May after all contestants answered a tough round of questions from the judges on 11 May.
Tessa said that the nerves got to her at one point during the interview and she blanked at the question of who the NSW Premier was.
“I looked it up and I checked, and I still forgot. That was bad but we were all laughing about that because no one could remember who it was in the moment,” Tessa said.
She signed up for the competition after becoming involved with the show committee and learning more about what it means to be a young woman in a community like Coonamble.
“I was becoming more passionate about the event itself, and the sort of things that the young woman competition stands for.
“I was like, actually I wouldn’t mind going and trying to represent this because I am enjoying the process.”
Tessa said going into the challenges of being a young woman in rural Australia was the most difficult question to answer because she likes to focus on the positives.
“I don’t like to think of myself as a woman as being particularly disadvantaged. Not to say there aren’t any issues, but I don’t love to dwell on them.”
Since coming back from a year abroad in the United Kingdom and three years studying psychology at University of New England Armidale, Tessa has become increasingly involved in the community since taking up employment as a caseworker.
“I didn’t want to join the competition until I was actually living and working in the community.
“I found it quite natural to do the interview because I was involved in the community, and I am feeling quite passionate.”
Tessa puts her degree to use by working on a research project about rural mental health outcomes. She says job interviews and applying for scholarships has helped her prepare for the Young Woman interviews.
“I’ve applied for a few rural scholarships and written reports about why I like living rural, and my dreams and passions for the future in that sort of space.”
Tori said she prepared for the competition by practising questions at home with her family.
“Mum, dad, and my sister asked me questions that could come up during the interviews.”
A teacher told Tori one day she should sign up for the Junior Young Woman competition.
“I gave it another thought. I said, ‘Yeah, why not? Let’s give it a go.’ I thought it might be a good experience to have.”
“The hardest part is walking through the door to the interview.”
When Tori won the competition she couldn’t believe it, “I didn’t think I would until they actually said my name. I was really excited.”
Tori loves horseback riding and being outdoors with her parents and three siblings. She lives with her family out on a property in Coonamble.
She spent a lot of her childhood on the road helping her parents drove hundreds of heads of cattle to greener pastures.
“I’m always out on the farm and get taught lots of stuff. I’m always willing to help out.”
Tori gave some advice to other girls looking to enter the Young Woman competition.
“Be very confident. Even if you don’t think you’ll get, just give it a go because you never know. There’s always a chance.”
Tiny Tots Competition
Before the Young Woman competition started, Coonamble’s youngest gave it their all at the Tiny Tots competition.
Miriam McKeown and Maureen Nalder bravely volunteered to be the judges and child wranglers for the boys & girls competition.
Freddy Toole was the winner among the eight boys in the zero to three years category with Colton Dewson as the runner up.
Ivy Shields was the winner for the girls in the same category with Harriet Smith as a close second, as the judges struggled to separate the seven entrants.
All the entrants in the four to six year old category answered questions about their favourite part of the Show.
Alice Kennedy was the winner for the girls in her bright show ensemble with Xanthe Hertel as runner-up.
The only entrant for the boys aged four to six was John Parsons, making him the automatic, but not any less deserving winner.
Congratulations to all entrants and winners.