Life, Loss, Love by Lorraine Downes

Author:Lorraine Downes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2018-03-12T04:00:00+00:00

I was very moved by the exhibition that Te Papa put together to mark the thirtieth anniversary of my Miss Universe win. Photo by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

Murray had been clearing out his storage cupboard and had found both items in a box. I was chuffed, as I had thought they’d been lost forever in one of our house moves.

Lou wasn’t impressed by the fact that I kept such special items of memorabilia packed away in the garage.

‘It’s not just a part of your history; it’s part of New Zealand’s history,’ she said. ‘You should do something with them.’

With that in mind, she approached the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, and asked if they would be interested in exhibiting my Miss Universe items, or at least storing them properly for me.

Te Papa’s response was extremely positive—in fact they suggested holding an exhibition to mark the thirtieth anniversary of my win.

I packaged up the dress, crown, sash and trophy and sent them down to museum staff in Wellington. I also filmed a video clip for the exhibition, in which I reflected on my experience. It was surprisingly emotional for me, remembering everything I had been through and how it had changed my life.

Lou and I flew down to Wellington for the opening of the exhibition, which featured a moving Maori blessing. I was totally overwhelmed when I saw what the museum had done with my items. All the pieces were beautifully arranged, and the display included video footage from the competition as well as the clip I had made. It was much more than I had expected and I was very grateful to Te Papa, and to Lou for coming up with the idea.

The exhibition was meant to run for six months, but that period was extended due to public interest. It still seems strange to me that I’m considered a cultural icon of sorts!

Thanks to being seen as a part of New Zealand’s history, I was asked to be on the cover of a special issue of the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, marking the magazine’s eightieth anniversary. I’d appeared in the magazine many times since my very first cover back in 1983. As well as celebrating eighty years of publication, they told me that they wanted to pay tribute to inspirational New Zealand women. It was a huge honour to be asked to be on the cover.

For the photo shoot I wore a stunning jade-green dress designed by the very talented Tanya Carlson. While I may look very relaxed in the photos—in which the dress is flowing around me and my arms are draped over a giant gold number 80—in fact I was in agony. I had to stand in very high heels, holding the pose for hours so that Monty Adams could get the perfect shot. There were so many components that had to be exactly right: the dress had to flow in a certain way, my arms and legs had to be

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