Tasmania’s Jonathan “Jony” Berry was only nine years old at that time, but he still remembers the buzz of an Australian winning the prestigious global title. And he hopes his own career, after recently being crowned Mr Universe, might involve some equally incredible opportunities.

“I remember being very young and watching her win Miss Universe,’’ recalls the now 30-year-old, who grew up at Opossum Bay and on Bruny Island.

“It was such a big thing back in Australia in 2004 when she won, it was phenomenal.’’

Berry is a model, actor, comedian, LGBTQIA+ advocate and proud palawa man and says to be following in Hawkins’s footsteps – after being the first Australian to ever be named Mr Universe, at a ceremony in India in August – was a huge honour. The international pageant for “global male excellence” aims to find “a global ambassador who is not only physically fit but also intelligent, socially aware and charismatic” and possesses “leadership qualities and potential to make a difference on a global scale’’.

“To be the first Australian (to win a Universe title) since Jennifer Hawkins, it’s absolutely mind blowing,’’ Berry says.

“And to be a queer Indigenous man and to hold that title – it feels like an honest blessing and shows the leaps and bounds in change that’s happening. And gosh, to be held in the same conversations and referred to with – and compared to – Jennifer Hawkins is a massive compliment.’’

The past few weeks have involved a whirlwind of media interviews, TV appearances and photo shoots for Berry, who beat contestants from more than 30 countries to win the Mr Universe crown.

And while Berry loves this aspect of his job, he’s most excited about continuing his work with various charity organisations as he continues to advocate for change on issues including youth homelessness, suicide prevention and child sexual abuse.

Berry works in a range of paid and volunteer roles with organisations including the Heart Research Institute, The Stroke Foundation, Save the Children, The Royal Flying Doctor Service and as a First Nations co-ordinator with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The former NIDA student has also recently joined the board of the Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival in Tasmania’s Huon Valley.

He works as a passionate advocate within LGBTQIA+ and Indigenous communities, because, as Berry says, “representation really matters”.

He says being crowned Mr Universe is much more than just winning a beauty pageant – it’s a way to enact real change within society.

“It has given me a global platform to share my stories and give a voice to other people in those spaces who may not have had those voices previously, and I think that’s the biggest opportunity,’’ Berry says of his win.

Born in Tasmania, Berry hails from both Portuguese and Aboriginal heritage, with palawa ancestry on his father’s side. Even though he’s now based in Sydney, Berry loves returning to Tassie regularly to visit his family. He says being able to showcase his cultural heritage on a global stage and also advocate for both Indigenous Australians and the LGBTQIA+ community was an honour.

“I’ve always been a queer man, I never really came out as a gay person, I’ve always just kind of existed in the queer spectrum of sexuality,’’ Berry says.

Berry, who was a Tasmanian Young Australian of the Year nominee in 2022, has overcome significant challenges in his life, and is publicly sharing his experiences of trauma in the hope his story will help others.

Berry was a victim of sexual abuse as a child.

He also left home when he was 14, and ended up homeless.

And as a result, a lot of his charity work is centred around helping at-risk young people.

“Some things I’ve been through in life are horrific,’’ Berry explains.

“I was abused and molested as a child.

“I left home just before I turned 15.

“From a young age I overcame a lot of traumas and one of the biggest things for me is to try and use those things to better other people’s lives and make a difference for other people – that has given me a lot of purpose and a lot of healing.

“If I hadn’t ended up homeless, I wouldn’t be able to speak on youth homelessness. Without lived experience I wouldn’t be able to speak in any of these spaces. Lived experience is an important thing in making authentic change.’’

Berry was inspired to work with The Stroke Foundation after his Pop, a First Nations person, suffered multiple strokes.

“Equity and equality are my driving forces,’’ Berry says of his charity work.

“That’s what drives me to do this stuff.’’

Despite the hardship he’s faced, Berry says modelling has always been something that has brought joy to his life.

He says he was always destined to be a model and a performer.

“I started modelling quite young, I was an OshKosh baby,’’ explains Berry, who has since modelled in Australia and in various overseas locations, as well as appearing in numerous TV commercials.

“Modelling and acting were always what I wanted to do – to be in entertainment. Acting came naturally. It was always something I really enjoyed doing – I really enjoyed comedy, and I loved dressing up, and pretending, and living in a fantasy world.’’

Berry attended South Arm Primary School and spent time at both Rose Bay High School and Rokeby High School before studying at Rosny College. He performed in school theatre productions and also enjoyed dance lessons.

When he was 18, Berry moved to New York to pursue a modelling career.

He was working in fashion retail store Lucky Brand, in New York’s famous Columbus Circle, when he was approached to appear in Seventeen Magazine, one of the world’s top-selling teen fashion magazines.

“It’s one of my favourite memories of all time,’’ Berry recalls of being scouted for that photo shoot.

“I felt like the coolest guy in town.’’

That appearance led to Berry working with modelling and acting agency Barbizon.

He returned to Australia and continued modelling in his early 20s.

He was studying screen acting short courses at NIDA, and comedy at the Hard Knock Knocks Comedy School, when he was approached to compete in the Mr Australia contest, a precursor to larger-scale events including Mr World and Mr Universe.

Not to be confused with the bodybuilding competitions of the same name, Mr World and Mr Universe are pageants that involve modelling, but they’re not just about physical appearance – the competitions are also about each contestant’s charm, talent, and social responsibility.

“I first did Mr Australia to just build my platform,’’ Berry recalls.

“I really hoped it would open more opportunities up for me as a model.’’

And that certainly happened – in 2019 Berry flew to the Philippines to compete against 70 delegates from across the globe in the Mr World international final, as Mr World Australia. It was a trailblazing moment – Berry was the first Aboriginal person to represent Australia at the competition – which is something he’s very proud of. And he says it was also refreshing to bring a queer perspective to competing.

“This is predominantly a very macho, ‘man’s man’ space,’’ Berry says.

“And I just really wanted to see what it looked like for an openly queer man.’’

He says he had little idea how the competition worked when he went to the Philippines but quickly realised that, in addition to getting to travel and make friends and form industry connections, there was substance to the pageant – rather than just modelling – which presented opportunities to bring change.

“I saw how much more there was to it,’’ Berry explains of the contest.

“The diplomatic and intellectual side made me fall in love with it.’’

He had the opportunity to enter Mr Universe at that time but “ummed and ahed’’ and ultimately decided it wasn’t the right time, as he’d recently started a new relationship – he’s now engaged to be married – and was involved with some business ventures that required his attention.

So when the opportunity came up again more recently, Berry decided to say yes, and it was a history-making decision, as he ended up becoming not only the first representative from Australia to compete in Mr Universe, but also the first to win it.

“When I was asked this time around, I thought you know what, I’m going to be 30 soon, so I may as well have one last hurrah,’’ Berry says.

“And I ended up taking the crown – it was pretty amazing.’’

“It’s testament to us Australians, we’re a good-looking bunch,’’ he adds with a grin.

He says there was “such fierce talent”, especially from countries that have a long and established history with global pageantry, but ultimately that didn’t matter to the judges because “this little Tassie duck came in and won … they loved the Australian spirit.’’

Berry says behind every contestant is years of hard work and dedication.

“The mental and physical preparation for a pageant is pretty intense,’’ he says.

Contestants spend a lot of time working on their fitness, as they want to be in top physical condition, but, as Berry explains, “you’ve also got to have the chops to back it up”.

Contestants need to be eloquent, well-rounded and well-versed on world issues, with Q&A responses, public speaking and charity involvement considered as important as performances on the catwalk.

The competition’s terms and conditions state that “the winner of the Mr Universe competition is not only recognised for his physical attributes but also for his leadership qualities and potential to make a difference on a global scale’’.

“Pageantry is wild,’’ Berry says.

“It’s a whole other world. It’s very cut-throat and a very tough space. But it’s so much fun. And it has been so rewarding.’’

He says he felt far more confident going into Mr Universe after having gained vital pageantry experience at Mr World. He showcased Tasmania during the competition, donning maireener shell necklaces, traditionally made by Aboriginal shell stringers, including necklaces handed down from his great-great-grandmother.

“It’s an incredible feeling to showcase the beauty of my country in this incredible experience,” Berry said at the time.

He says he “grinned with glee” when he was announced as the winner, and still can’t quite believe the prestigious global title bestowed upon him.

“I always had confidence that I would do well,’’ Berry says.

“I understood the pageant game more the second time around. But to be the winner was really quite mind blowing.’’

Berry turned 30 on September 11, only a couple of weeks after being named Mr Universe.

“It was quite beautiful to walk into my 30s like that,’’ he says.

In addition to the many media interviews and photo shoots, Berry will soon travel to Spain and Asia as part of his Mr Universe reign.

“There’s definitely some really fun things that will be coming up in the pipeline,’’ he says.

But he’s most excited about the work he can do as a changemaker, using his global platform to support others, whether that’s helping First Nations communities, supporting the LGBTQIA+ community or advocating for at-risk youth.

“It all amounts to one big thing in the end, which is equity and equality,’’ Berry says.

“For me, to be able to have different voices in different spaces, that has been phenomenal.’’

He says seeing others gain the confidence to share their stories, and know they are not alone, has been heartening.

“Seeing more survivors – more young people – come out and be willing to speak about their experience and what happened to them and not carry that shame and fear, that’s probably been the most inspiring part for me,’’ Berry says.

And he hopes that others are inspired and empowered by his achievements as a queer Indigenous man making a difference on the global stage.

“I never thought these things would happen for me,’’ Berry says.

“It has been absolutely life changing, absolutely incredible.’’•

If this story has raised any issues for you, or anyone you know, support services include Lifeline 13 11 14; Kids Helpline 1800 551 800; and Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636.