The Clyde and Districts Lions Club has picked up the baton to champion the competition, taking over from the previous committee of Liz Pratt, Billie Tohill and Suzette Battrick who stepped back from their administrative roles after 25 years.
The annual competition has been a cornerstone event in the Blossom Festival since 1996, with a focus on celebrating Alexandra’s senior women and the significant contributions they make to the community.
Clyde and Districts Lions representative and 2019 Senior Queen entrant Sue Noble-Adams, said the club was inspired to take on the competition in memory of club member Valmai Beeby — she was the 1959 Blossom Festival Queen — who died earlier this year.
"It’s a good thing for the club to do, and it’s a fun thing to do," Mrs Noble-Adams said.
Preparation is under way for the competition with nominations currently open.
Mrs Noble-Adams said the competition was an opportunity to celebrate the older women in the community and have a "fun experience".
"It’s not about beauty or fashion, it’s a way to say thank you, a recognition of what they’ve done in the community."
Blossom Festival event manager Martin McPherson said he was glad to see the Lions Club take the reins of the competition.
"The Senior Queen has been a cornerstone event of the festival for more than two decades, and we are excited for it to continue into a new chapter," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr McPherson and the festival committee was closely monitoring the Covid-19 Alert Levels in the wake of the nationwide Alert Level 4 lockdown.
Decisions regarding the festival going ahead would be made closer to the time as the Government released more information, Mr McPherson said.
"We have been here before so we know we can pull the festival together in a short timeframe if necessary, the groundwork has already been laid."
It was business as usual with planning; however festival spending would be limited to reduce the impact of the alert level changes Mr McPherson said.
