General News
26 April, 2024
2024 Young Woman is Tahlee-Rose Duffy
Tahlee-Rose Duffy has been announced as the 2024 Young Woman Award winner.
It was an “incredibly close call” between entrants this year, according to Dubbo-based judge Pip Archer. The other entrant for this year’s award alongside Tahlee-Rose was Aliza Purvis.
“I’ve been [involved in] agriculture my whole life,” said Tahlee-Rose at the 2024 Gilgandra Show. She has participated in ag shows since she was young and has consistently placed top three in local events since 2021. Whether it be cattle, fleece, or schoolwork, Tahlee-Rose has always been a high achiever.
Now she studies at Charles Sturt University in Dubbo, pursuing nursing and midwifery. “[The Young Woman Award] is a great opportunity to develop myself and my skills,” said Tahlee-Rose. “I’m thankful to be presented with [this award]. It’s an honour.”
The AgShows Young Woman Competition, formerly the ‘Showgirl Competition’, aims to find a young woman to act as an ambassador for rural NSW. It was introduced to “Bridge the gap between rural Australians and those in the city… [and to] provide personal and professional growth and development [to young women],” according to show chaperone Bianca Williams.
Following an entrant’s success at their local show, the young woman then goes on to a zone final. In the early months of next year, Tahlee-Rose will compete against young women from other zones for the opportunity to be selected as a representative for the state final.
The state final for the competition is conducted by the Royal Agriculture Society (RAS) at The Sydney Royal Easter Show and usually has between 14 and 16 entrants. In addition to a twenty-minute interview, the finalists partake in various social functions in which they are judged on personality, knowledge, ambition, and speech.
A presentation ceremony is held at the show where two prizes are awarded – the state final winner (first place) and first runner-up (second place). All finalists stay in Sydney for seven days as guests of the RAS while the winner of the state final and the second placegetter will be asked to remain in Sydney as guests of the RAS to perform official duties at The Sydney Royal Easter Show.
Emma Hutchison, the 2023 Young Woman Award winner, participated in the zone final held in Narromine earlier this year. Of the event, she said, “I loved every second of it. I met some amazing women [that night]. We all had the same interest in our rural communities”.
She further commented that it was a fantastic opportunity for women living in rural areas. “It’s a development opportunity for young women. It’s great how far it can take you. You can learn so much about ag [and yourself].”
Tahlee-Rose has a lot of opportunities ahead of her in the coming year. “[The Young Woman Award] offers so much more than just the sash and title,” said local show chaperone Bianca Williams.
