KATE NEWTON
Being a farm girl proved to be an advantage for Cushla Traill at the Central Hawke's Bay show at the weekend. The self-confessed tomboy beat her eight other rivals to be crowned Showgirl of the Year.
Cushla, 24, had entered the competition because her boss at Vetservices Waipukurau told her
he was putting her name forward.
A stroke of luck helped Cushla win the first part of the competition. With only a few bare ingredients, the girls were told to whip up a delicious snack. But with a clever mystery ingredient choice -chocolate chips - Cushla was able to impress with pancakes.
A four-wheel motorbike race involving lifting hay bales and a lamb gave Cushla an opportunity to shine.
"That was quite easy because only three of the girls knew how to ride a bike," Cushla said.
But the waiter's race was Cushla's downfall. Carrying a tray with a jug of water and glasses proved tricky.
A broken axe held her back in the chopping wood section but after winning two out of the four challenges, Cushla was declared the winner.
She walked away with a prize pack including $600 of Elizabeth Arden Products donated by Amcal Pharmacy, $500 cash from the CHB A and P Association, $250 worth of linen from Townsend and Brown and a $50 voucher from Kutz4u.
