Australia’s oldest beauty queen, Robbie Canner has been awarded Australian beauty pageantry’s highest honour.
Ms Canner, who has just returned from the Bahamas where she handed over her Ms World 2018/19 crown, was honoured with the title of “Ultimate Role Model of the Year” at the Australian Golden Sash Awards in Sydney on Saturday.
The highly-prestigious annual awards are touted as a “ceremony aimed at showcasing Australian beauty queens and kings who have made the most outstanding contributions to the pageant industry during the year”.
Ms Canner was also recognised by Star Central Magazine for her “Breakout Style”.
After being crowned Ms World 2018/19 in Seattle last year, Ms Canner has proven that age really is just a number, from beating out beauties from 22 different countries aged 26 and up, to walking at the prestigious New York Fashion Week earlier this year in February as the world’s oldest model to grace the runway.
“It is a one up for the oldies and a one up for Australia and hopefully something big will come out of this. Age is a state-of-mind rather than a life-defining figure,” said Ms Canner.
“I am busier than I have ever been throughout my career.
“I never thought I would be this busy at 60. I am supposed to be sitting back and relaxing and going on holidays.”
Much more than just a pretty face, Robbie has twice taken first place in the Masters women’s outrigger canoe race in Hawaii with her crew and is also a National Preliminary Dressage champion.
“I have been modelling since I was 16-years-old and have done film and TV work too. Since I won Ms World last year in Seattle, all these wonderful opportunities have come up and it’s because of my age. At 60 I have been featured in the media and graced the covers in 50 odd countries around the world. Age is no barrier these days,” said Ms Canner.
Robbie started competing in pageants as a 57-year-old, after losing her son Scott, 22 to non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2011. After Scott was diagnosed, Robbie began working with Tour de Cure to raise money for cancer research.
Since 2007, Tour De Cure has raised more than $40 million dollars, funding 322 cancer projects, 24 significant cancer breakthroughs and helped to raise awareness of cancer prevention to more than 110,000 school children across Australia.
Through the organisation, she created the Scott Canner Young Investigator Grant to help fund the research of young Australian academics studying cancer. More than 750K in grants has been awarded thus far.
Robbie is using pageantry to help spread her cause around the world.
“My goal is to just get one Mum to cuddle her child as a survivor,” she said. “If I get three, we’re headed towards a breakthrough.
“I’m determined no one else will have to go through losing a child.”
Being a positively motivating influence with women over 50 and starting a conversation around the world about ageing with a positive mindset, is a platform Robbie is very grateful for, and passionate about. She also wants to help inspire and give hope to other parents grieving the loss of a child.
