No wonder no-one I know reads "The Mockery" you fixate on pulling down Illawarrians who are succeeding. Try to find some positives in life. Demelza has been in this contest since January. It has taken you six months to pick up the story and run with this shabby article which has very little substance and is a beat up to increase TV ratings. It would have been refreshing for you to take the time to interview Demelza and tell the Illawarra the real story where a beautiful young sixteen year old has the courage to leave her friends and family for three months. She endures a baptism of fire in the fashion industry living with 13 total strangers. She has an incredibly steep learning curve which she tackles with courage and determination while isolated from friends and family. Demelza shows she is more mature than most of the other contestants who are 18, 19 and 20 year olds. She has shown her strength by training as an athlete would who wanted to compete at a world-class level. During the competition she has shown she is able to mix it with the best and has in fact become a great role model for younger girls who aspire to become international models. I think Demelza would be the first to admit that she is far from perfect, however she is on a journey which embraces the positives of life increasing her knowledge in things that interest her. She is learning that to be in the public eye requires the ability to ignore the "bullying attitude of gutter journalists" and to believe in herself. Demelza is one of many shining lights in the Illawarra and should be applauded in the local press. The two other beautiful young ladies Rebecca Jobson and Alyce Crawford who have also had to endure this public flogging should be extremely proud of themselves. I would challenge the "reporters" at your paper to put their faces on TV and be critiqued on their journalistic skills "warts and all". I wonder how many of them would get through unscathed.

i think it is disgusting she is still in the competition as this has given the illawarra terrible image and the other girls from the Illawarra were the same. When you are in a competition u should have to not just look the part but also act with respect. I would not like to see any of the girls that were involved in the degrading of another contestant to be Australia's top model they should have been kicked out as this is bad public behaviour and I'm disgusted....

Well done, finally someone is articulate enough to write something sensible!

It is a shame that the media tends to want to focus on the negatives instead of the positives!

Get a grip - move on and let's support our Illawarra girl in the final!

Firstly, many people in Dapto take offence to your reference of 'Dapto Dogs' as many fine young women from Dapto have gone on to excel in their lives and do not need to be associated with such a derogatory expression.

As for Demelza, she is a young woman, trying to establish a future career in modelling and has taken on board the degrading comments that have been made about her, particularly by the judges in relation to her not so perfect size 8 figure.

Over the period of the competition, she has developed and matured and taken on board the judges' criticism and is working towards achieving the result that she is hoping for.

Why can't the Illawarra Mercury try to promote a beautiful, young Illawarra girl?

Why go with all the negatives?

I'm sure it would be difficult living in a house full of young, competent hopefuls. Of course there will be friction, competition and pranks, which are inevitable in such a high-powered competitive atmosphere.

We wish you all the best Demelza and hope that you promote the Illawarra as having some of Australia's most beautiful young women.

We're talking about representing Australia in the modelling world here. With such atrocious behaviour and attitude, she will shame Australia and Illawarra. Up up up Alex!

Get a grip. She is not a supermodel yet, who is slapping other models in their face or abusing staff on flights, etc. This is the behaviour that shames the model herself, and the modelling industry. Demelza is 16. Alamela was a little unusual in that house. A bunch of girls - someone will get picked on. Peer pressure, ganging up - that is what young girls do. Forgive her. I think Alamela already did. And Alamela will have a wonderful career too.

Agreed Andrew

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