Norma Buckland MBE

Norma Buckland was a somewhat reluctant contributor to the Melbourne Royal at first. Her husband John Buckland was heavily involved with Melbourne Royal, becoming Assistant Director in the 1960s. Norma recalled John returning home one day and telling her he had a job that she might be able to help with:

Oh yes. He just came home one day and he said, "I've got a job for you," and I said, "I don't want a job." He said, "Well you're going to look after the Show Girls." "Oh okay." For one year [it was supposed to be]; I stayed about 30 years or something.

The inaugural Miss Show Girl competition began in 1957 as a joint initiative of the Sun News-Pictorial newspaper and the Melbourne Royal. The competition was open to all single girls, aged 16 to 25 years. Norma oversaw the girls and the competition, taking on the challenge of caring for and preparing the competition entrants each year for 37 years.

Many of the entrants had never been to the city before, and watching them improve in confidence over the course of the competition was a great joy for Norma. ‘It was very interesting those girls’, Norma remembered, ‘they were wonderful because they just improved’.

Looking back on what made her remain for so long, she reflected:

Well I just loved them all, they were my charges, and they were my girls. And for that time it was my responsibility. I think we all got to know one another and it was fun. Well I made it fun. Some of them didn't like it in the beginning but everybody went home liking it, so I congratulated myself I think.

For her dedication to the Miss Show Girl competition, Norma was awarded the President’s Medal in 1992. Such an honour came as a complete shock to her. She remembered, ‘I nearly died. It was so unnecessary, but it was wonderful’.

Despite a reluctant start, Norma had a long and rewarding connection with the Show and everyone she met through the Melbourne Royal. ‘It was a wonderful thing’, she reminisced, ‘very special memories’. Norma passed away in 2018.