Mrs Australia Went From Paddocks to Pageants

Have you ever met a beauty queen that was more at home in a pair of gumboots than her stillettos? Leila Sweeney lives in the tiny country town of Tatyoon, where she's a textile teacher and mum to two kids that she totes around her 3000 acre farm. But when she's not being called 'mum' or 'Mrs Sweeney,' Leila has a very different title. She's also Mrs Australia. But this pageant is not at all about sparkly gowns and bikinis. It's one where this salt of the earth farm girl competed pregnant, in her old wedding dress that she dyed herself. It's a platform she uses to campaign for the big issues that matter to farmers. From educating city folk about where the food comes from, to advocating for mental health in rural communities.  Show notes Your host is Alissa Warren With thanks to Leila Sweeney You can buy any book mentioned on our podcasts from iBooks at apple.co/mamamia, where you can also subscribe to all our other shows in one place. This podcast was produced for the Mamamia Podcast Network.  Executive Producer of Podcasts is Monique Bowley Head of Entertainment is Holly Wainwright. Please give this show a rating on iTunes and leave a review; it helps more people to find it! Let us know what you thought of this show or suggest another guest via email [email protected] tweet us @mamamiapodcasts or join the conversation on facebook.