By Luke Voogt
Lara’s Amber Dew became Miss International Australia on Saturday, after winning the national finals of the world’s fourth largest pageant.
“It was unbelievable,” the thrilled 21-year-old said. “I didn’t know that I was going to win!”
The marketing student will represent her country at the Miss International pageant against more than 80 women from across the world in Japan this November.
Amber first spoke to the Indy in April 2016 after she made the Australian finals of the Miss Galaxy pageant.
A photo on social media sent her on a whirlwind pageant adventure in 2015, after a modelling agency executive saw her tagged.
The then-teenager set off to Taiwan to represent Australia in Miss Charity Queen.
“After that experience I fell in love with pageants and became a freelance model and now often judge pageants,” she said.
Amber spent 10 months attending Geelong community events and fund-raising to prepare for the Miss International Australia finals.
“I did literally every event I could I think of,” she said.
She has raised hundreds of dollars for ovarian cancer foundation Teal Wings of hope, the pageant’s chosen foundation, and met with people battling the disease.
“It makes me appreciate what I have and motivates me to be able to help them further,” she said.
Amber now has her sights set on her first international win.
“The pageants are much bigger internationally in Australia overseas – you’re basically a celebrity,” she said. “There are paparazzi everywhere.”
She said pageants gave young women a chance to help others in Australia and abroad.
“It is slowly growing in Australia but there is a bit of stigma about it,” she said. “But girls who are in pageants are actually very inspirational.
“I love meeting new people with common interests. And we’re raising a lot of money for charity.”
Her marketing degree, modelling career and pageant success go hand in hand, she said.
“It has helped me learn how to present myself and how to raise awareness.
“I’m using it to my advantage now but in the future I want to work for a big advertising agency and become a director there.”
She credited Melbourne-based transsexual Filipina pageant trainer, Gabriella Martinez, for her recent success.
“She’s taught me everything I know,” she said. “She’s always said ‘You’re going to get somewhere and you’re going to win something, just keep going’.”
Amber planned a workshop to help aspiring local models develop their catwalk credentials and raise more money.
She hoped local businesses would support her next quest for glory in Japan, and encouraged other women to give pageants a go.
“You never know what’s going to happen,” she said.
Amber travelled to Sydney for the finals with fellow Lethbridge contestant Abi Grigsby, who narrowly missed out on the title herself.
“She actually won an award all the girls voted for called Miss Friendship,” Amber said.
