​So another month down and another month closer to the end of the year! This month we have been on the countdown to our big overseas trip to Europe. With only a few days left to go before we fly out on route to our sister city Nördlingen, we have been busy finalising our itineraries and starting to pack our bags. We are extremely grateful for this amazing opportunity to represent our beautiful city internationally!
 
The month of August started with our regular stint on radio with StarFM and 2WG. As usual it was great fun to catch up with the teams to discuss our past and future events. Our next time on the airwaves will be the morning that we fly out (September 5th) - so be sure to keep an ear out!
 
On Wednesday 3rd August, Melissa attended a Mayoral Reception for The Australia Day Awards Nominations Launch. The purpose of this event was to encourage the community to start thinking about worthy recipients to nominate for our 2017 Australia Day Awards; “Citizen of the Year”, “Young Citizen of the Year”, “Walk of Honour” and “Ted Ryder Memorial” awards.  If you know someone in the Wagga Wagga community who deserves recognition for their tireless community service, these application forms can now be downloaded from the Council’s website (www.wagga.nsw.gov.au).
 
As volunteers with the Wagga Wagga and Surrounds Branch of Make-A-Wish Australia, we attended our first official branch meeting on the second Tuesday of the month. We have both taken up positions on this new committee, with Melissa being elected President and Megan as Secretary. On August 20th we held an information stall in the Market Place and we are hoping to hold another information stall in the Sturt Mall very soon. If you are interested in becoming a Make-A-Wish volunteer - more information can be located on the Make-A-Wish website: (https://www.makeawish.org.au/volunteering-make-wish).

Melissa had the privilege of judging the Junior Showgirl Competition at The Ganmain Show on Saturday 20th August. She has a strong connection to this local show – having been involved in this annual show from a young age. Melissa happily welcomed this opportunity and thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of the young girls who participated in the Showgirl competition this year.

Daffodil Day was on Friday 26th August this year. Daffodil Day gives hope for a brighter, cancer-free future by raising some much needed funds for cancer research. Melissa had an enjoyable afternoon selling merchandise with other volunteers at a stall in the Market Place.
 
It is with great pleasure that this month Megan was able to kick off the Community Princess Foundation with the inaugural donation to the Wagga Wagga Toy Library on Saturday 27th August. Megan donated $200 worth of new toys to the library, which will enable many local youngsters the opportunity to learn and enjoy. We hope to have more grant handovers in coming months and will be sure to keep you posted. If any local sporting groups, community groups, charities or organisations would like to apply for a Community Princess Foundation Grant, please head to our website to download an application form (misswaggaquest.com).

The 2017 Miss Wagga Wagga Quest entrants held their second fundraiser of the year on Saturday 27th August. The Great Gatsby Ball held at Elements of the Gardens was a raging success; with many people putting in a fantastic effort to dress up, great music by Kapooka Army Band and a live auction. Congratulations to Travis and Esther who won best dressed on the night. The 2017 Miss Wagga Wagga Quest entrants all looked amazing and should be very proud of what they achieved on the night!
 
MWW & Princess x

​It is hard to believe that it is already the end of June – 2016 is flying by rapidly!
 
On June 1st, Melissa attended an Australia Day Committee Meeting. The Australia Day Committee is responsible for organising all of the Australia Day events each year including the Australia Day Award’s Ceremony and the Citizenship Ceremony. Melissa is looking forward to working with this dynamic team to organise Australia Day 2017! Melissa was also invited to attend a Respect Awareness Committee Meeting on June 14th. This is a wonderful group dedicated to spreading awareness about Respect in our local community. The committee is currently working on their preparation for Respect Week 2016 (November 19th-26th).
 
Melissa attended the Official Cheque Handover for Wagga Wagga Takes 2 (WWT2) 2016 on June 2nd. Her dream was to raise $10,000 for her chosen charity; Kurrajong Early Childhood Intervention Service (KEIS). As you can imagine, Melissa was beyond thrilled to present KEIS with a cheque for $22,527.48 at the conclusion of WWT2!! This money is currently being used to purchase resources, equipment and furniture to help children who have a disability or developmental delay. Overall the twelve acts in WWT2 2016 raised an astounding $553,758.71 for local charities in Wagga Wagga!!
 
On June 7th, Melissa went on Star FM and 2WG for our monthly titleholder interviews. Our next radio interviews will be this Monday 4th August. We will both be speaking to Whitto & Ash on Star FM at 7:20am and Pottsy & Leighton on 2WG at 7:40am – so please tune in to hear all about our adventures and upcoming events!
 
Blood Donor Week 2016 fell in the month of June and we were keen to raise awareness for this important cause. On June 17th, Melissa and some of the new 2017 MWWQ entrants went to the Australian Red Cross Blood Service to donate blood. For some of us, it was our very first time donating blood – however we wanted to make a difference and potentially save a life! Did you know that only 1 in 30 Australians give blood – but 1 in 3 Australians will need blood in their lifetime? Win TV came to do a story on our Blood Donor Week donations which was then followed by an interview on ABC radio with Melissa and 2017 MWWQ entrant Katharine Graham. Overall it was a fantastic experience – plus the milkshakes and cookies were definitely worth it!
 
The 2017 MWWQ Entrants hosted their first fundraiser on June 18th – a Trivia Night at The Henschke Public School Hall. It was a wonderful night attended by over 300 enthusiastic people! We had a lovely time supporting these beautiful ladies and they should be very proud of their successful night! The MWWQ entrants also have some upcoming fundraising events; a Great Gatsby 1920’s Ball on August 27th and a High Tea on October 8th – so please save the dates! More details to come on the website and Facebook page.
 
As mentioned in our previous blogs, the Community Princess Foundation is a new initiative that has been launched this year. The foundation provides small grants (to the value of approximately $200) to local charities, sporting groups and individuals who need a hand. Applications for the Community Princess Foundation grants can be found on the MWWQ website.
 
We would like to continue to join the local community at as many events as possible for the remainder of 2016. If you would like us to attend your special event, please do not hesitate to contact us by email (mwwqtitleholders@hotmail.com). We welcome every opportunity to be involved in our beautiful community. 

​Over six months have passed since we were crowned as the current MWWQ titleholders. Not a day goes by where we are not thankful for this amazing opportunity to represent our beautiful city.

On May 2nd, we went on StarFM and 2WG for our monthly titleholder interviews. As always, we had a lot of fun talking to our local radio hosts. Don't forget to tune in on the first Monday of every month to hear all about our adventures.
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Ellie from County Hope invited the 2016 MWWQ entrants to get together on the 9th of May at Country Hope. Ellie wanted to thank us for the money that we fundraised for the organisation as one of our MWWQ beneficiaries last year. We had a lovely evening catching up with the other girls and reminiscing about our time as an entrant in the MWWQ.

Australia's Biggest Morning Tea was held on May 26th this year. We were given the opportunity to be Ambassadors for the event. This involved attending delicious morning teas at both the Turvey Tops Pharmacy and at Leola Hull's house in North Wagga. This was Leola's 13th time of being a host for the Australia's Biggest Morning Tea!! Everyone knows someone who has been affected or impacted by cancer in one way or another, so we were more than happy to get behind such a worthwhile cause.

On May 27th, we attended the "Walk of honour plaque unveiling for John Brasier" on Baylis Street. Megan knew John for many years, as both a teacher in primary school and also through the Harness Racing Club. It was a privilege to be in attendance to honour such an extraordinary and inspiring community man.

The Make A Wish Foundation is in the process of opening up a branch in Wagga Wagga. We decided to volunteer to be on the committee, so that we can help get this valuable organisation up and running in Wagga Wagga. We will be sure to keep you updated over the coming months.

Melissa has also been approached by the Youth Frontiers Mentoring Program to mentor a young person in year 8 or 9 for a period of six months. The aim of the program is for the mentor to assist this young person in the development, implementation and completion of a civic project. Melissa has just finished the application process and will hopefully begin mentoring a young person in the next month.

As mentioned in our last blog, the Community Princess Foundation is a new initiative that was launched this year. The foundation provides small grants (to the value of approximately $200) to local charities, sporting groups and individuals who need a hand. Applications for the Community Princess Foundation grants can be found on the MWWQ website.
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We would like to continue to join the local community at as many events as possible throughout 2016. If you would like us to attend your special event, please do not hesitate to contact us by email (mwwqtitleholders@hotmail.com). We welcome every opportunity to be involved in our beautiful community.
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- Queen & Princess xx

Being crowned Miss Wagga Wagga 2016 and Community Princess 2016 has been an incredible end to an amazing year! We are honoured to have the opportunity to represent our beautiful city, and inspire other young women to be the best they can be.

We would like to thank our fellow entrants in the Quest this year - Chloe, Jessica, Amelia and Adele - for taking this journey with us and helping us to create treasured memories. We would also like to thank the Miss Wagga Wagga Committee and previous titleholders Adriana and Sarah for their support and guidance throughout the last 8 months. Last but not least, this journey would not have been possible without the amazing support from our wonderful sponsors - Riverina Livestock Agents (Melissa) and Short'N'Sharp Welding (Megan) - THANK YOU!

The first month in our official duties has flown by. We attended the official opening of the Forest Hill Community Preschool ANZAC Memorial Garden on Monday 9th November. We untied the ribbon to officially open the garden that was made possible through our fundraising efforts during the Quest. The garden will enable the Preschool children to not only remember the fallen and the impact of soldiers sacrifice on the life we live today, but also engage them in sensory experiences to extend their learning.

Our first radio sessions as titleholders were a hilarious mix of paper plane challenges, reflections on the crowning and friendly banter. Keep an ear out on the first Monday of every month where you will hear us both giving an update on our roles within the community.

​November 27 saw us join Santa at the RAAF Base Christmas Treat where we helped deliver lolly bags to the excited children enjoying the festivities. It was a lot of fun and wonderful to see so many smiling faces and connect with our defence families.
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We look forward to joining the local community at as many events as possible throughout our reign. If you would like us to attend your special event, please do not hesitate to contact us by email (mwwqtitleholders@hotmail.com).

- Queen & Princess xx