All 12 finalists know who they are and are preparing for the title of Illawarra’s Top Model after the second heat named six more contenders on Saturday.
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The final six aspiring models to make it to the final stage are Hayley Whittaker, 21, of Wollongong, McKaylah Evans, 19, of Primbee, Ruth Lee, 23, of Wollongong, Savannah McDonagh, 16, of Wollongong, Caitlin Bates, 18, of Shellharbour, and Smiths Hill High School student Gianna Cheung, 17.
The 11 young women and one male each raised over $500 for the Light & Hope Mental Health Clubhouse in Wollongong to be among more than 50 eligible competitors in the inaugural competition that attracted more the 150 entries.
They will now receive more expert tuition from Robyn te Velde and some former models before the final is staged in front of international judges on a specially constructed runway in the middle of Crown Street Mall on October 10.
The winner will then be announced at the Highlights Ball and Glamour Awards at the Novotel Wollongong Northbeach on October 17.
‘‘The spirit that has been created through it all has been incredible’’
It is all part of the Highlights on Mental Health campaign which has already raised close to $41,000 in 2015.
Committee member Janine Cullen said that had mostly come from the models.
Ms Pinkerton said her boss Kevin Ayres, of the Commonwealth Bank, where she works, gave her a $500 donation for the cause on Friday.
Mrs te Velde said all the entrants including the four males who had competed during the last two weeks had been wonderful.
They all get along and supported each other so well many of them went out to Pepe’s together after the heat on Saturday.
‘‘The spirit that has been created through it all has been incredible,’’ she said.
Mrs te Velde said for the first year she was amazed by the number of entries and the standard.
And she had no doubt whoever the winner was on October 10, they would represent the Illawarra well in Europe when they won a contract with Hamburg, Germany-based Core Artist Management EU.
Mrs te Velde encouraged everyone to come to the final.
‘’We will have international judges, international celebrities and 12 beautiful finalists so it will be a wonderful day,’’ she said.
GALLERY
illawarramercury.com.au
