Local Cairns girl in Miss Australia Pageant

By Isabella Guzman Gonzalez

TWENTY-SIX-YEAR-OLD Jade Mancini is following her dream of becoming a model after being selected as a national finalist for the Miss Global Australia 2023, her first-ever pageant.

Ms Mancini will travel to Gold Coast in April to represent Cairns and FNQ in the Miss Global Australia 2023.

Through her Miss Australia Pageant journey, Ms Mancini’s goal is to send a message to young women to fight for their dreams and promote local and sustainable fashion.

Born in Cairns, Jade, who is from Italian and Scottish backgrounds, moved to Canberra, where she lived as a teen; four years ago, she returned to Cairns with her mother.

When Ms Mancini was 15, her mother, Melinda Laidlaw, suffered a life-changing accident. At the time she had finished a modelling course in Canberra and was ready to start in the industry when her life changed completely.

“I always loved fashion, health and fitness and self-development,” she said.

“Around the age of 15, mum had a head injury; she’s much better now, but after my modelling diploma, I couldn’t go on because I was caring for mum.

“The years went by, and I thought about getting back into modelling; mum called me saying that she had to have major surgery, so I had to take care of her again.

“It really took a toll on my confidence not being able to focus on myself as much.”

When Ms Mancini saw an ad for the Miss Global Australia pageant, she decided it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to return to her passion.

“I was scrolling through Instagram and happened to see the ad, and I thought I would give it a go,” she said.

“A month later, I received an email saying I was accepted as a national finalist.

“I thought, ‘this is a lot, but it’s amazing’. I read through what you need to bring, and I was overwhelmed.

“You need an evening gown, you need a lot of outfits, hair and makeup, and I thought, ‘I can’t afford it’.”

With a goal in mind, mum and daughter got on the task of finding the perfect outfits, walking through the city’s op shops looking for local, sustainable and affordable options.

“The way we found the evening gown was very serendipitous,” Ms Mancini said.

“We went to the op shops in Cairns, and finally, at Lifeline in Earlville, I found the perfect pageant dress.

“It was sitting on a shelf; I saw it, tried it on, and it fit perfectly.

“I loved the colour, it’s a sort of tropical shade of green and blue, and it’s very flattering.

“At the same op shop, we found another dress I’m taking to the event, and we looked at the label, and it’s from local designer Vivienne Francine.

“The earrings I’m wearing were also gifted to me by the local store Leonnata Décor, so I’m all about supporting local businesses and representing the region,” she said.

With her gowns ready to go, a sponsor was her last step to get to the finals.

“Luckily, Cairns Local News has agreed to sponsor me, and I’m very grateful,” Ms Mancini said.

With all the challenges ahead of Ms Mancini’s journey to the Gold Coast in April, Ms Laidlaw said she wanted to support her daughter until the end.

“It’s really important to me to give back to her now; she’s done so much for me,” Ms Laidlaw said.

“I want to support her in whatever way I can.”

Although Ms Mancini’s future in the pageant industry is undecided, she said she would like to study music in the coming years.

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“My mum bought me a keyboard when I was 15, and I researched how to play the piano, so I’m a self-taught pianist and composer,” she said.

“I’ve been teaching locals how to play the keyboard and introducing beginners to music.

“I would like to study music in the future, but right now I’m just taking it as it goes.

“The title is not so important to me; what’s important is to promote a message to young girls to follow their dreams no matter their background, to follow their heart, find their passion and go for it.

“Anyone can shine; it doesn’t matter where you come from or how you look; everyone can shine.”

To follow Jade Mancini’s journey to Miss Australia 2023, visit: http://jadelaurenmancini.com/

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