Kinta Culture and Tourism Association organised a charity dinner cum pageant competition along with the Perak Association for Intellectually Disabled at Kinta Riverfront Hotel on Saturday, August 4.
The dinner successfully raised RM10,000 in funds. Vice President of Kinta Culture and Tourism Association, Shirley Angeline Woodworth handed a mock cheque for that amount to Dato’ Dr Yeoh Beng San, President of Sekolah Semangat Maju, Batu Gajah.
Shirley, in her speech said, her association’s role was to give back to the community. They had, in the past, donated to numerous charities. The Dementia Society of Perak was among the recipients.
A beauty pageant was held to enliven the occasion. It was judged by a panel of five.
Alice Ong, winner of Mrs Gorgeous 2017 was the chief judge.
Three crowns were up for grabs, namely Kebaya Queen, Cheongsam Queen and Saree Queen.
The pageant saw contestants of various ages, the youngest contestant being a 22-year-old student, and the oldest being 59 years of age. Women from various backgrounds, such as homemakers, beauticians, students, accounts assistants and hotel receptionists took confident strides on the runway.
Seventeen contestants took part, six for the Kebaya and Saree Queen titles, and five for the Cheongsam Queen category. The top two from each category progressed to the final question-and-answer round, which later that night determined who would walk away with the title, and the grand prize.
No stranger to the world of pageantry, Lam Woon Nee was crowned Kebaya Queen, while Aini Yusry was the first runner-up.
In the question round, Lam was asked to choose one family member she loves the most. She picked her mother, adding that she would not be where she is today without her.
Lam said that she chose to enter the Kebaya category instead of the Cheongsam, as she feels that the Kebaya accentuates a woman’s figure and highlights their femininity in an elegant manner.
Sandy Lee, an accounts assistant and a mother of two, was crowned Cheongsam Queen. Sandy would use her baking and cooking talent to organise bake sales and would donate the proceeds to charity.
Madam Chong Choo Lian was the first runner-up. Chong, a grandmother, won the crowd’s hearts with her soft-spoken nature, and her sophisticated velvet cheongsam.
Ipoh-born Vivasheni was crowned Saree Queen, while 22-year-old student, Tarshini Vijayakumar came in second.
Loshni Nair
