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MELINDA HEFFERNAN - Miss Earth Australia 2009
By David Natanawan for Critical Beauty
Please tell us something about yourself, your full name, age, height, vital stats, where you came from, educational
information, your interests and hobbies and other important facts about yourself.
My name is Melinda Heffernan (Mel) I am 24 years-old, 171 cm, 62 kgs. I live in Sydney Australia now but I grew up in Nowra on the
South coast. That was a rural town and I would spend time riding horses and swimming at the beach. I moved away to pursue a
career in Marketing after completing my university degree in Communications and media studies majoring in Advertising
& Marketing. I have always been a creative person and I would love to be a published author some day when I have time.
I am currently in a long term relationship and my boyfriend use to be a professional footballer in Australia.
I love my family and friends and I am a very social person so I spend a lot of time with them. I love exercising
I do a boot camp style group training 3 times a week outdoors it’s so fun. Well maybe fun isn’t quiet the word for
it but it’s never boring and I hate to be bored. Oh and I can’t resist chocolate dipped strawberries they are my favorite!
Who influenced you to join your country’s national pageant prior to winning the title to represent your country at Miss Earth?
Me! I believe if you want something you have to go out and get it. Miss Earth was something I wanted to do for myself.
It’s a great way to have your voice heard by many on important issues that affect every creature on the planet.
Plus which girl doesn’t love the opportunity to wear designer gowns and get all dressed up?
How were you chosen to represent you country and what preparations have you done for the Miss Earth 2009 competition?
The journey started with an online application and selection, then I spent months tree planting before the final week in
September where 24 girls from around Australia converged on Sydney for a week of activities, preliminaries and rehearsals.
I was crowned Miss Earth Australia in the final national pageant on Sept 19. It was the biggest thrill and such an
accomplishment for me and my family who were watching.
What environmental advocacy do you want to pursue during the Miss Earth 2009 pageant and how would you help to pursue this advocacy?
I would say that the world needs greater investment in sustainable projects worldwide. I would like to gain funding for
these projects by arranging sponsorship for investments such as wind farms, Desalination plants, solar power and clean
energy research. Once we have these set up in countries worldwide we can focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
look to use different fuel sources that are not resource intensive.
Are you a member of any environmental organization or animal rights protection in your country?
No, I don’t have an organization yet, but I would love to endorse brands I believe in and also animal rights groups like RSPCA.
I love the work of Planet Ark in planting trees and cleaning up Australia.
Do you have any idea about the host country, Philippines? What are your impressions about the country? And what do you know about
the Finals Night venue, the island of Boracay?
This will be my first time overseas so I have tried to research as much as I can about the Philippines and Boracay.
It looks very tropical and beautiful I have packed plenty of bikinis! I am preparing myself for a culture shock and I’m excited
at the prospect of experiencing a different place to Australia. I have met a lot of Filipinos already and I know they are
lovely people
Have you heard about the recent disaster brought by typhoons Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma) in the Philippines?
How do you feel about the tragedy that befell some part of the Philippines due to these typhoons?
I was very shocked and saddened; I donated some clothes to a local charity that was sending supplies over there.
There is always hope in the saddest of times and I think we see that with the support from around the world and the
Filipino communities. Obviously there needs to be better evacuation plans and rescue operations in place for such tragic
and sudden events. A mass event like this can really leave a country’s morale low and I really admire the Filipino people
for sticking together and pulling through in this tragic time.
With the recent disaster that happened in the Philippines and other parts of the world, do you think Miss Earth pageant is still relevant in promoting environmental awareness all over the world?
I think it’s even more relevant now than ever don’t you? People are too content with their cushy lives that they forget Mother
Nature’s force and the destruction she can bring. Miss Earth is also about spreading the love for each other and all
creatures on earth. We see love in numbers when tragedies out of our control strike. At the very least it makes people
think that what they are doing is affecting other climate and impacting on quality of life in countries that already don’t
have the proper structures in place to deal with climate change. Actions speak louder than words and Miss Earth candidates
are actively involved in reducing climate change, even if it’s planting trees or driving less. We educate children,
communities and the media thus we give them the knowledge and the power to put their own climate reduction plans in place.
What do you think is the biggest environmental problem that our planet Earth is experiencing today? And how would you do
your share to prevent this problem?
Climate change is the biggest threat to our planet and it is facing harsh criticism from skeptics who claim the world
is just following a normal pattern. My intentions are to dispel the myths surrounding climate change and to encourage
others to take climate change seriously. I already catch public transport, don’t use plastic bags, plant trees and promote
Miss Earth Australia in my country. The point is that every day counts and we need to be conscious of our carbon footprint.
If you win the Miss Earth title, how would you use your title to promote environmental awareness all over the world?
I have a degree in marketing and would love to use my skills to better the organization. I think we need greater world
recognition and acknowledgement of the great work we do. I would be pushing for involvement in the Copenhagen discussions,
even if that is just meeting with the leaders. In the long term I would like to be involved in charity work, school tours
and talks, also become a spokesperson for conservation and animal rights. I think we need greater investment in sustainable
projects and I would like to help fund these projects through gaining sponsorship.
Lastly, what is your message to all the people reading this interview?
We all share this earth together and I hope you will all join me on this journey.
I couldn’t be more excited and thank you for all the support.
PHOTO CREDIT: Melinda Heffernan
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