Last weekend’s Zone 6 NSW Young Woman finals saw some of the region's most dedicated women gather at Condobolin, where Bourke’s Lilly Hand was selected as one of three to represent the zone at the Sydney Royal Show. 

Formally known as the Showgirl competition, the NSW Young Woman competition selects regional young women to become ambassadors to promote the Sydney Royal Easter Show and Agricultural Shows across the state. 

Entrants in the Zone 6 finals for RAS NSW Young Woman held at Condobolin. PHOTO SUPPLIED.

Lilly Hand was originally selected as Bourke’s ‘showgirl’ in 2020, but the cancellations of the pandemic meant that her chance for success didn’t come until last week at the Zone 6 finals. 

As well as working full time, Lilly has become the poster woman for rural life and an advocate for community, operating the Young Farmers Challenge at Bourke Show, volunteering for Parkrun and being on various local committees. 

However she said being a Showgirl was always the dream. 

“Since I was younger I always looked up to Showgirls. It looked so fun and they all looked so beautiful…when I attended the Sydney show with the cattle I used to go and sit and watch them and just wanted to be like them,” she said .

“To be honest, I thought they were just there to have a beautiful sash on. It was like a beauty pageant…then I grew older and found out more about what the role actually entailed, to be a part of my community and be a role model,” Ms Hand said. 

Working as a mobile playgroup educator, Ms Hand travels hundreds of kilometres either side of Bourke, presenting children with early learning opportunities that they otherwise wouldn’t have access to. 

“We are slowly but surely getting in as much early intervention as we can, not only with the rural remote children but the indigineous children in our community," Ms Hand said.

“A lot of the children in our communities do not have access to education as their parents cannot afford clothes, shoes, or to even send their children to school. Our job is to go out and bring the school to them,” she said. 

While the local and zone stages brought about enough challenges, there’s plenty of prep work to be done before Ms Hand packs up for Sydney next month. 

“There’s a lot of preparing for speeches, interviews and outfits. We get given mentors from last year’s competition and they run us through possible things that we need to know.”

“I’m very nervous but I’m also very excited. It’s been such a wonderful experience and something new for me. I’m a little nervous for the interviews and the speeches, but I mean, it’ll all be worth it in the end,” Ms Hand said.

Lilly was selected out of 19 finalists alongside Cowra Show’s Marta Sarova and Peak Hill’s Molly Wright, who are also on their way to Sydney next month. 

Other local Western Plains participants included Haidee Yeomans from Condobolin, Lauren Moody from Narromine, Emily Turnbull from Warren, Kate Banks from Gilgandra, and Edwina Knight from Coonamble.