Six contestants seek Ms. Y crown
With apologies to Miss Belize and the Queen of the Bay, if there is any event that can be called the mother of all pageants–make that grandmother of all pageants–it’s the Ms. Y. Here’s a preview.
Norma Sutherland, 69 years old
“Now the bowing was jokes because many of us after two days had pains in our knees and in our thighs right. The thing that we laughed about the oldest of us is the one who goes down the best and she does not have any pain.” (Laughs)
Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
These women may be between the ages of sixty and seventy-eight years old, but they continue to remain active.
Janet Graham, 60 years old
“Always try to do something to keep their mind busy because that is what caused you to have this blood pressure and diabetes, because the mind is not working properly.”
It is that refreshing outlook on life demonstrated by the contestants that has made the annual Ms. Y Pageant the most popular fundraising event in Belize. This year, the six women vying for the title hope their performances will bring in as much as fifty thousand dollars.
Anita Henry, 62 years old
“It’s so unique, it’s all elderly people coming as one, enjoying themselves and it is for a good cause, for the little girls out there who need some sort of help.”
Birdy Francis, Trainer, Ms. Y
“It will be helping the early leavers programme. What happens, most of these youngsters cannot pay their tuition. This function is the most important of our fundraisers because the money from this function carries us for a few months throughout the year. So it’s very important that we make this money you know, it probably can take us through three, four, five months. So we need it, we need the support.”
For the past two weeks the contestants have been rehearsing at the Y.W.C.A. that is also celebrating its fifty-first Anniversary.
Marie Lewis, 64 years old
“I am here for a show but not a poppy show (laughs) but finally they caught me at the age of the golden citizen year because on July nineteenth, I will be sixty-five but I cannot say sixty-five before because I am sixty-four years young.”
Emily Avilez is the most senior among the group, but she did not hesitate when asked to enter the fifteenth Ms. Y Pageant.
Emily Avilez, 78 years old
“Because I know that the Y they help elderly people, they help young people and people in between. So when they called on me to take part, I was glad to give them my assistance.”
Sixty-nine year old Eileen Haylock hopes to keep the entertainment going on the stage by doing what she does best.
Eileen Haylock, 69 years old
“I love dancing. I love music and that’s why I chose that. You know singing is boring, reciting is boring, but music whenever you hear music there is life. Everybody gets so when it comes to music; everybody loves music.”
In 2006, sixty-three year old Hettiemay Moody had the honour of being crowned. One year later, she is helping her colleagues achieve their objectives. Moody says although the overall goal is to raise money, it is a good feeling when you are chosen to represent the Y.
Hettiemay Moody, Ms. Y 2006
“Just small things like if they have an event that they would like me to go, they would call me in and I would come and take part. Like when they had the graduation for the Early Leavers girls and when they had the elderly women’s party in December, and for September, I was on parade and like that.”
For the past three years, Birdy Francis has been preparing contestants. This year however, she has planned something special that promises to get things off with a bang.
Birdy Francis
“What I try to do every year is to have different opening presentations so this year, I figure since James Brown just died and James Brown is from the fifties and sixties, we will be doing a tribute to him in our opening production. So we will be dancing to “I Feel Good.”
“We need the support, we need people to come out and say that they will support us, we need to say that we can count on them. They have always come through for us and we hope that they will again.”
Ms. Y 2007 takes place this Saturday at the Belize City Centre at seven-thirty sharp. Tickets can be purchased from the Y on St. Thomas Street for twenty dollars reserve and twelve dollars general admission, but it will cost you three dollars more if you wait and buy on the night of the event. Children pay only five dollars.
