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8 THE WEEKLY TIMES Wednesday 26 February, 2020

THE WEEKL Y TIMES SPECIAL TRIBUTE

Farewell June Dally-Watkins OAM

TWT Miss Eastwood Granny Smith

Festival Queen judging panellist

THE WEEKLY TIMES pays tribute to June Dally-Watkins OAM – a distin-
guished member of the TWT Miss Eastwood Granny Smith Festival Queen judging
panel – who passed away on Sunday, aged 92.

June Dally-Watkins was an integral part of the an- According to the Dally-Watkins ethos, the true test
nual Miss Eastwood event and inspired hundreds of of beauty was in a girl’s elegance, style, charm and
contestants during her decades of service. sophistication.
Close personal friend and TWT Managing Editor “I think we definitely do need good etiquette be-
John F Booth AM paid tribute to her. cause the human race should want to present itself
“June Dally-Watkins is an Australian legend and in the very best way and be elegant and charming,”
her contribution to the TWT Miss Eastwood Granny she said.
Smith Festival Queen judging panel was enormous Her advice to girls was to look fabulous at all times
and influential” he said. and when at home wear casual clothes and look even
“She gave countless hours of advice and encour- more fabulous.
agement to every entrant and was always gracious, She was famous for creating the “Dally Stance” in
charming and thoroughly committed to every aspect which one foot would be tucked neatly behind the
of this famous annual event. other when standing or sitting.
“This inspiring Australian model understood that In recent years she spoke out against girls’ depen-
a festival queen needed to be a good ambassador for dency on mobile phones and thought it was very poor
Eastwood and for this newspaper as well as being a form to speak on a mobile phone during dinner.
role model for her generation. ABC Chairwoman Ita Buttrose agreed.
“She also had a deep appreciation of the role deport- “As well as being a beautiful woman and a model
ment and grooming has in the presentation of our en- she knew how to teach people the art of being elegant,
trants and how this prestigious event was much more the art of being civilised,” she said.
than a beauty pageant. “I think her legacy is to be kind to one another and
“The Weekly Times is saddened by her passing and don’t forget to say please and thank you.”
knows that her legacy will continue to live on, in East- June Dally Watkins is reputed to be the first Austra-
wood, in Australia and overseas.” lian woman to own and drive her own car.
In 1950, she established the June Dally-Watkins This famous TWT Miss Eastwood Granny Smith
school, which trained young Australian women in de- Festival Queen panellist is survived by four children,
portment and etiquette and was awarded the Medal seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
of the Order of Australia for services to business in Her family has asked for privacy and will release the
1993 details of her funeral at a later time.
“Not only do I want to transform the way they look
but the way they think, the way they dream,” she said. PICTURED: June Dally-Watkins over the years
More recently, she taught etiquette to millions of officiating at judging the TWT Miss Eastwood
students across China, after co-founding the Dally In- Granny Smith Festival finalists.
stitute in Guangzhou in 2013.
Widely acclaimed as Australia’s first supermodel,
she famously turned down a marriage proposal from
Hollywood star Gregory Peck but continued her close
relationship with John Booth until her passing.
Dally-Watkins was born in Sydney in 1927 and was
raised in Watsons Creek, north of Tamworth, by her
mother and grandparents.
She moved to Sydney at the age of 15 with her
mother, who launched her stellar career by taking
her to Farmers Department Store where she became
a model.
In 1949 this beautiful young girl was named Model
of the Year and the Most Photographed Model of the
Year.