Samantha wins Miss working Girl crown

Contestant No 13 Samantha Vanessa Schucroft may have had some superstitious misgivings as she walked the ramp, but the 'unlucky number' did not hinder her fortune as she triumphed in the Miss Working Girl contest held on March 27. Tall, fair and blessed with a sultry smile, Samantha was a popular choice as she carried way the crown of Miss Working Girl 1999. Tania Pillai and Rozanne Fernando were adjudged first and second runners-up respectively.

"I worked very hard. I didn't want to look back and have any regrets so I did my best to improve my personality, posture and my general knowledge and with God's help it all ended well. People think beauty contests are all glamour, but we went through much rigorous training these past one and a half months," said a happy Samantha.

An old girl of St Bridget's Convent, 19- year- old Samantha works as a teller at Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank and says it was her friends at the bank who prodded her into entering the contest. "It was a kind of last-minute decision," she said, adding that she had the support of her family as well.

Though studying for her finals in the Institute of Banking exams, Samantha finds time for her music. She plays the organ at St Theresa's Church, Thimbrigasyaya and has the Trinity College of Music exams to her credit as well. Standing 5'10, she has modelled for the occasional show before but not considered modelling as a vocation.

Asked to describe herself, she says, "I'm a simple, down to earth person . I love meeting people and I think in life you learn something every day." Indeed she was back at work on Monday, after the heady moments of Saturday night.

The Miss Working Girl contest was organised by the Lions Club of Thimbri- gasyaya, District 306C with the laudable aim of raising funds for an elders' home in Mirihana. This year too there had been many entries and the Lanka Oberoi's Serendib Ballroom was packed to overflowing as the fourteen finalists vied for the title making their appearance in evening wear, office wear and finally saree as the evening wore on.

Guest spots by Maxi Rosairo and Corinne Almeida and undoubtedly the highlight of the event, an appearance by the Gypsies' Sunil and his dancing girls kept the tempo up as the winners of the mini -pageants which had been worked off earlier were announced. Video clips of these contests were shown to give the audience an idea of the run-up to the night.

The Miss Photogenic contest was the first to be worked off, being held at the Galle Face Hotel. Here Suzanne Herft was adjudged the winner and took away a Rs 10,000 prize from Ninehearts (Pvt) Ltd, the sponsors of this mini-pageant.

The Miss Talent title went to Natasha Fernando while Miss Personality was won by Samantha Schucroft. These mini-pageants were hosted by the Sinbad Hotel, Kalutara and Airport Gardens. The winners received cash prizes from EAP Technologies and Sign Advertising who sponsored these events.

The much awaited interview session came as the finalists were whittled down to eight. Asked questions on career, a woman's role in life, whether they would chose intelligence or beauty, celebrity etc, the contestants acquitted themselves with some aplomb.

There were prizes aplenty for the winners of Miss Working Girl; cash awards of Rs 30,000, Rs 20,000 and Rs 10,000 and airtickets to Singapore, Bombay and Madras from Greenlanka Shipping for the top three. Miss Working Girl also received a gold necklace from Swarna Mahals and a Singer sewing machine from Ceylon Weighing Machines.

The finalists had been trained by Senaka de Silva who expertly handled the choreography for the show. Hair and make-up were by Ramzi's Salon. The Miss Working Girl outfits were provided by Mondy and sarees by Rasi Silks. Flowers were from Supreme Orchid.

Swarna Mahal Jewellers were the main sponsors of the show while Wijeya Newspapers and Swarnavahini were the media sponsors.

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