Tara woman Kennedy Stenzel is competing in the Darling Downs Miss Showgirl competition
After raising more than $4000 for the Miss Showgirl competition in Tara, Kennedy Stenzel is on her way to the Toowoomba Royal Show and will take part in the Darling Downs contest that will see her represent her beloved region.
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Women from across the region will go head-to-head this weekend at the Toowoomba Royal Show, for the title of the Darling Downs Miss Showgirl, and for Tara woman Kennedy Stenzel it will not be her first rodeo.
After raising $4715 for the Tara Miss Showgirl 2023, Ms Stenzel will once again take to the stage and represent her community proudly.
The Tara local, who is now 28, competed when she was 19 after winning the Tara Miss Showgirl competition in 2014.
“I was unsuccessful, but between then and now has been a huge learning curve,” she said.
“I’ve also been a member of the committee so I know more about what it entails, I know more about the agricultural shows and what they give to their communities.”
Ms Stenzel, who is also studying a Bachelor of Nursing in her free time, said she was passionate about what she can give back to her community.
“Things have been quite tough in our community as of late, but I love that we can all ban together and keep soldiering on,” she said.
“There’s a lot of support in this town.
“And although times are tough, the fact people still got in there and supported me, they’re fantastic it’s a great show committee and I love them.”
Since September last year, Ms Stenzel along with the other girls and women who competed in the Tara competition have been fundraising by hosting a range of events that involved the community and local businesses.
“We successfully raised over $17,000 between the six girls who participated overall,” she said.
While the Miss Showgirl is aimed at giving back to communities, it’s clear there has been a drop in participation over the years, with Ms Stenzel stating there were eight more participants in her competition back in 2014.
“There were rules and regulations around women that were married or had children,” she said.
“But in 2019 they cancelled those regulations so going forward more women can compete.
“We need people to advocate for it to continue, you need the younger generation to get in and have a go.”
Ms Stenzel will take the stage at the Toowoomba Royal Show on April 1 at 2.45pm at the Heritage Founders Pavilion.
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