Monday 1 March, 2010

Golden Girls Reunite 

MORE than sixty people attended a reunion of the Miss Golden Shears competition yesterday, held in the stunning gardens of Te Whiti Homestead, east of Masterton.

Miss Golden Shears played a big part in the annual competition from 1971 through to 1989, as did the Make and Model contest which involved young women designing and modelling their own garments.

Taking part in the reunion was the very first woman to have ever been crowned Miss Golden Shears, Janine Wallace (nee Maroulis) of Masterton who was joined at the reunion by her mother Evelyn Maroulis.

Janine was Miss Golden Shears in 1971 and enjoyed holding the title so much that she gave full support to her sister, Carolyn, when she decided to enter the competition the following year. Carolyn went on to become the second ever Miss Golden Shears.

Part of the original competition in 1971 included modelling a ball gown. Janine’s mother owned a dress shop in Masterton at the time, Maroulis Gowns, and actually designed and handmade the dress that Janine wore to become winner.

Evelyn had originally designed the dress to enter into the Benson & Hedges Design Awards in 1971. It has 23 separate panels, 18 metres of fabric, and is made of one hundred percent fine merino wool.

“It is such a beautiful dress and I always thought that wearing it was like putting on a magic spell. I felt so amazing in it.”

Janine said she has many fond and even amusing memories of her time spent holding the Miss Golden Shears title. After being announced winner, she then spent three months travelling the country in the lead up to the Miss New Zealand contest. At the time Cameo cigarettes sponsored the competition and, being a contestant, Janine automatically received a carton of Cameo cigarettes every week.

“I didn’t smoke and I didn’t know what to do with them. So I ended up just giving them away to people.”

Ends