Mary Nelson: The crown that built her confidence

At 92, former Miss Hibiscus Mary Nelson still remembers how being crowned in 1958 helped build her confidence before a scholarship took her to London.

Ms Nelson was crowned Miss Hibiscus after being entered by Superintendent Dr Good, representing the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva.

She said the festival gave young women confidence and helped them become more comfortable in social settings.

Her reign was cut short after she received a scholarship to London to undertake a postgraduate course in paediatrics.

“I was a nurse. I had a scholarship to go to London and do a course in paediatrics,” she said.

Ms Nelson returned to Fiji in the late 1990s and has watched the Hibiscus Festival develop over the years.

She said the festival should receive greater national support and should not be seen as an event only for Suva.

“I think they should build the Hibiscus Festival up to be bigger and better,” she said.

Ms Nelson encouraged this year’s contestants, saying it took courage for young women to enter the competition.

She said participating in the festival could help build confidence, improve social skills and encourage contestants to become comfortable with themselves.

She believes many former Miss Hibiscus queens gained these qualities through their experience at the festival.