On the day that Emma Pryse Jones was selected as Blayney Show showgirl on March 14 2020, NSW went into lockdown.
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With the subsequent cancellation of nearly every show in 2020, Emma's role has now being extended into 2021, making her the longest lasting showgirl in the history of the show.
Not only is Emma rebooting her role in 2021, but 2019 showgirl and showgirl coordinator Sally Nicholls will now be representing the region at the 2021 Royal Easter Show because the 2020 show was cancelled.
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In that time though Emma hasn't been sitting on her hands, indeed with COVID lockdowns and the general increase in anxiety caused by the pandemic, she's never been busier.
"Working in mental health it's the one industry that really didn't slow down last year," she said.
Working at Bloomfield Hospital in Orange as a peer worker, Emma not only works in the wards, but is also a virtual outreach worker for people in the remote areas of greater western NSW.
"I spend a lot of my time in front of a camera talking to people in places like Walgett and Baradine, places like that," she said.
Emma is continuing her mental health roles as a national Headspace Ambassador and is working on the United Nations World Youth report.
"The report is on the social determinance of mental health for young people and I'm really fortunate to be working on that," she said.
This year for the first time a junior Blayney Showgirl competition will be held for girls aged 13-17.
"It won't be as intimidating as what the senior showgirl is, it's a great way to introduce girls into the show as it's quite hard to get girls to participate once they get older," Sally said.
Junior showgirls can enter right up to the day and for further information contact Sally Nicholls on 0429 895 514.
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