A NEW reign has begun in Tamworth with a queen and princess of country music crowned as organisers hope to usher in a new era of female leadership in the city.
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This year’s queen quest was closely contested with the judges deliberating over a winner for more than 40 minutes on Sunday night.
It made for a nerve-wracking wait for the contestants as they dared to dream of royalty.
The bedazzled Akubras were eventually bequeathed to queen Rebecca Hunt and princess Casey Skewes.
Despite the obvious pageantry of the process, there is a strong purpose driving the quest.
Women’s group , Zonta, took the reins of the quest a few years ago and president Steph Cameron hoped it was going someway to addressing the dearth of female leaders in the community.
“I really think there is a lack of female leadership in Tamworth,” she said.
“We’ve got Barnaby Joyce, Kevin Anderson, Col Murray and Phil Betts, but it would be good if there was more equality in gender representation.
“We just want to be proud of the fact these girls can speak just as well and talk about our region in such a way that is equal and if not better than the men out there.”
I really think there is a lack of female leadership in Tamworth.
- Zonta president Steph Cameron
In the 2016, council election just two of the 19 candidates were women, incumbents Juanita Wilson and Helen Tickle.
Ms Cameron said demands on time and often a lack of confidence would see women refrain from putting their hands up.
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“A lot of women shy away from the spotlight because they want to be a support in the background and they want to make sure people reach their potential,” she said.
And the region’s newly minted royalty are committed to giving their all in the roles.
Ms Hunt said it felt surreal and she’d achieved everything she wanted before claiming the win.
“I said before, I didn’t come in to win this, I just came, like a lot of girls, to get out of my comfort zone, open up a bit more,” she said.
Spurred-on by her boss, Ms Hunt said the win would open up more doors for her socially and professionally.
“I think if anyone is thinking about doing it they definitely should,” she said.
“So many great things happen.”
Princess Casey Skewes, whose aunt Rebecca Pritchard was the 2002 queen, said she was going to make the most of the opportunity. She had a message for future contestants.
“Just throw yourself at every opportunity,” she said.
“And that is something [Rebecca and I] have to remember throughout the year, every chance we get just throw ourselves into it 100 per cent.”