Sat 27 Jun 2009 In: New Zealand Daily News View at Wayback View at NDHA
11.20PM: Just moments ago Miss Barby Prawne, representing Australia, was crowned the new Queen of the Whole Universe at a glittering and innuendo-packed pageant at the St James Theatre in Wellington. Queen of the Whole Universe: Miss Barby Prawne As Miss Oz, Miss Prawne, aka Owen Anderson, told the huge audience that she once wanted to become a Virgin air hostess "but failed the physical." The extravagantly dressed Miss Prawne said it was some consolation that her snatch had won a weightlifting gold at the Sydney Olympics. She thanked the people who had helped her prepare for the pageant, saying "it takes a whole lot of people to make a queen." Second place-getter was Miss Japan (Miss Kitty Tamagucchi) and Miss England (Miss Annette Curtain) came third. The three place-getters will share a prize package valued at $11,000. The pageant's head judge, Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast, said deciding a winner was "a hard choice" but she felt Miss Oz was a deserving first place getter. In his Bimbo persona, event producer and co-compere Jonathan Smith announced from the stage that the show had again set a world record for the most drag queens performing on a single stage. The cast included 38 drag artistes and ten supporting 'boy' dancers. Smith says he hopes to bring the pageant back to the Capital for the 2nd Asia Pacific OutGames in 2011. Cast and supporters are currently partying hard into the night with a live band upstairs at the St. James, while an exhibition of gowns from past QWU pageants, until tonight held annually only in Auckland, is on display in the foyer. Note: GayNZ.com photographers covered the event and will post their photos over the next 24 hours.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Saturday, 27th June 2009 - 11:23pm