NewsBite

Model turned mum Leanne Webber reminisces on posing in bikini for Bulletin’s centenary in 1985

LEANNE Webber last set foot on a catwalk more than 25 years ago but she keeps coming face to face with herself as a model.

Flashback: Bulletin bikini babe
Flashback: Bulletin bikini babe

LEANNE Webber last set foot on a catwalk more than 25 years ago but she keeps coming face to face with herself as a model.

The 48-year-old traded the catwalk for marriage and motherhood but still finds herself remembering back to a warm day 30 years ago at Main Beach.

Mrs Webber, then known as Leanne Wink, was just 18 years old when she first slipped on the red and white Bulletin bikini along with friend and fellow model Anita Black to advertise the newspaper’s centenary.

Don’t miss Saturday’s souvenir liftout #‎gcb130‬

FLASHBACK: GOLD COAST MINE DRAMA

Despite more than three decades passing since the photo was taken, Mrs Webber said the image kept turning up unexpectedly.

Right, Leanne Webber (nee Wink) with her daughter Tara Webber. They recreate the famous Bulletin bikini photograph from 1985 which Leanne was in with Anita Black. Picture: David Clark
Right, Leanne Webber (nee Wink) with her daughter Tara Webber. They recreate the famous Bulletin bikini photograph from 1985 which Leanne was in with Anita Black. Picture: David Clark

“I was a model for six years during the 1980s which was quite exciting and we were always doing something for the Bulletin or 4GG Radio,” she said.

Leanne Webber when she appeared on the front page of the Gold Coast Bulletin on April 18, 1985.
Leanne Webber when she appeared on the front page of the Gold Coast Bulletin on April 18, 1985.

“It is quite unbelievable that the picture still comes up and my daughter even found it on Google when she looked up my name for a school assignment many years ago.

“Seeing that picture again brings a smile to my face and I occasionally see it popping up on Facebook every now and then.”

The Helensvale resident remembered the day the picture was taken as being sunny and that she had to improvise to make the picture work.

“Anita was a lot taller than I was, so I dug a hole in the sand and made her stand in it so we looked the same height,” she said.

Mrs Webber stayed on the Gold Coast after the end of her modelling career in 1989, while Ms Black is understood to now live in Gympie.

The photograph, which appeared in the Bulletin’s 100th anniversary commemorative edition in 1985, was used several times in the following years to promote the paper.

The Bulletin bikinis were part of a promotional campaign launched the same year by then-manager Paul Jorgensen which included Leo the Bulletin Dog, a large trailer which made appearances at community events.

A Bulletin-branded speedboat and open-wheel racing car were also used.

To mark the anniversary, Mrs Webber this week returned to Main Beach to re-enact the shot with her 20-year-old daughter Tara standing in for Ms Black.

While the Bulletin bikinis themselves have long since disappeared into history, Mrs Webber said it was fun to revisit the picture.

“The original is a fun reminder of the 1980s and how much fun I had as a model back then,” she said.

“The Gold Coast has changed a lot since that day but back then we did a lot of tours to promote the city, including a trip to New Zealand with Margot Mott’s Fashion with Flair group.

“Getting to re-recreate the picture for the Bulletin’s anniversary was a lot of fun.”

Add your comment to this story

To join the conversation, please Don't have an account? Register

Join the conversation, you are commenting as Logout

Original URL: https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/lifestyle/gold-coast-130/model-turned-mum-leanne-webber-reminisces-on-posing-in-bikini-for-bulletins-centenary-in-1985/news-story/884c132562572b9c5580688c3c911fb7