"Miss Canterbury" Crowned

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31004, 9 March 1966, Page 14

"Miss Canterbury" Crowned

An 18-year-old blue-eyed blonde, Miss Michelle Armstrong, was crowmed “Miss Canterbury 1966” by “Miss Canterbury 1965,” Miss Ruby Foley, in the Winter Garden last evening.

A 19-year-old blonde model, Miss Linda Marsden, was runner-up and Miss Valerie Pritchard, a 19-year-old hairdresser was placed third. The judges were Mesdames Betty Carl and Margaret Barren and Messrs F. D. Cantwell, W. Lonie and R. H. Stewart. Their decisions met with the popular approval of a large audience. * The new “Miss Canterbury,” a Christchurch secretary, said she was overwhelmed at being chosen from the 11 contestants. “It hasn’t really hit me yet,” she said. “I had no idea that I could win.” Her statistics are 35-24-35. As part of her prizes she was pinned with an honorary members’ badge of the Christchurch Junior Chamber, which sponsored the contest, by Mr R. Stewart.

The statistics of Miss Marsden are 36-25-37, and those of

Miss Pritchard, a brunette, are 36-24-36. Each contestant made three appearances before the judges, in street and evening wear and a bathing suit. They were also interviewed by Mr J. G. Leggatt. For her first appearance in street wear, “Miss Canterbury” wore a black and white check two-piece suit with white fur collar and cuffs. Her hat was also of white fur and her accessories were black. She chose one of the new swim suits, a white bikini joined by white lace to give a one-piece effect, for her second appearance. Her evening gown was a long slender silver lame dress

with a cross-over bodice caught with a silver lame rose near the waist. The back was slit to the calf. Miss Marsden wore a winter white wool suit with a brown fur pill box hat and brown accessories. Her bathing suit was also white with a high neck in front and a scooped out back. For evening wear she chose an Empire line dress of Siamese pink Thai silk. Miss Pritchard appeared in a pale wool beige doublebreasted coat frock with brown accessories. Her bathing suit was black with a scoop back and wool lace inset at the top of the bodice. Her evening gown was the

same as that of “Miss Canterbury.” The judges said they had little difficulty in arriving at first and second platings, but found it harder to arrive at third place. The standard had never been so high. Judging was based on the system used for the “Miss World” contest, with eight sections as follows:—Beauty of figure 30 points, beauty of face 25, personality 10, grace and bearing 10, voice 5, general attitude and manner of speaking 5, grooming, hair and hands 10, texture of flesh 5. The proceeds of this year’s contest will go to the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation.