A Mandurah nine-year-old has been crowned the winner of WA's Little Miss Premier Elite 2023 pageant, marking a memorable first pageant experience.
Rennee Innes has been dancing for four years, taking part in competitions and showcases cheered on by her close-knit family.
Rennee's mum Jacky said it was through dancing that Rennee learned about the pageants, with one of the women at her dance competition being heavily involved in the pageant world.
"I started following her on social media and saw she was doing pageants and I got in touch with her about it," Jacky said.
Jacky and Rennee decided to enter Rennee into the Little Miss Premier Elite pageant, and she was soon accepted as a national finalist.
For the pageant's philanthropy section, Rennee was required to choose a charity close to her heart and work with them closely for six months.
Rennee chose Perth Rescue Angels, an animal rescue where she had adopted her own cat, Paris.
"We adopted a little kitten from them about a year ago. We just love the organisation, they help so many stray cats find homes," Jacky said.
"When we got our kitten they made sure our home was suitable and that we had the perfect cat to suit our family."
Rennee hosted raffles, attended fundraising events and started a GoFundMe for Perth Rescue Angels, raising around $500.
Other rounds of the pageant included different costume segments, including evening gowns, fun fashion, sportswear and an op-shop theme.
The 2022 top-shop theme was 'endangered species research', and Rennee chose the green sea turtle, which she had become fascinated with during a family trip to Exmouth.
"We were very lucky to be able to swim with the turtles there, so that's the animal she chose. The pageant teaches kids a lot about different ways of giving back - and caring for the environment."
Jacky said the pageant world was different to how it is portrayed on TV, and was more about camaraderie and friendship than competition.
"It's nothing like on TV, it's about sisterhood and helping each other through their own journeys," Jacky said.
"It's lovely to dress up and have fun but it's not just about that."
Rennee said her favourite part of the experience was being around the other girls in the competition.
"My favourite part was making friends and enjoying the whole thing and making other people happy," Rennee said.
"Everyone was really nice to me."
Jacky said her daughter had a giving heart, and the philanthropic opportunities that being crowned Little Miss Premier Elite would bring her would help put it to even better use.
"I was blown away by how much my little nine-year-old blossomed and was just so confident... She has such a kind heart and it made me proud to see her congratulate others on the night," Jacky said.
"I'm proud of how much it has impacted her. At Christmas time we were walking the mall and the Red Cross was collecting food and she said 'mum can we go shopping and give some food?' - the pageant world has just opened that part even more."
Jacky said for the next 12 months, Rennee will be taking part in a number of events and appearances within the community as part of her queen commitments.
"I'm looking forward to the journey and to see what she will do next. Next year she will hand her crown over to the next little one."
Samantha Ferguson
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
Samantha Ferguson is a journalist at the Mandurah Mail. She is an entertainment, sport, crime, community and education journalist with a special interest in investigative pieces and human interest stories.
