Miss Deaf Seychelles contestants receive prizes |20 June 2009

Attending the prizegiving were Minister for Community Development, Youth, Sports and Culture Vincent Meriton, relatives and members of the Association of Persons with Hearing Impairment (APHI), C&W chief executive Charles Hammond and his staff, and other sponsors.

Miss Deaf Seychelles was staged for the first time in April under the theme Making Dreams Come True.

Sign language teacher Shana David won the crown, besides being chosen as Miss Photogenic and Miss Sympathy, a title equivalent to Miss Personality.
She was also voted as contestant with the best evening wear.

As prizes, Mr Hammond handed over R500 to Miss David for taking part in the competition and R7,500 for all four titles she won.

First princess Mary Ah-Kon received R3,000, while second princess Debra Dogley won R2,000.

Each of the five contestants received R500 for taking part in the contest.
The other two competitors were Maylise Morel, who has been given a voucher for lunch or dinner for two by Le Relax Hotel and Restaurant, while Beverly Roucou was given a similar voucher by Beau Vallon Bay Beach Resort.

Mr Hammond congratulated the contestants for their determination and said the first-time event will be one to remember.

He thanked the sponsors who joined his company and the APHI to make the event a success and the girls’ dreams come true.

He said the pageant showcased the contestants’ qualities and abilities, and he also thanked the APHI’s chairperson Anita Gardner for her leadership.

Mrs Gardner was also the interpreter for those with a hearing impairment at the event.

Miss David will take part in the Miss Deaf International pageant to be held in Prague, Czech Republic, in July.

She thanked everyone for helping to make the contest a success and for supporting the association.

She called on her colleagues not to be discouraged but to unite so they can keep the strong bond formed.

Miss David said her priorities include the work being done to produce a dictionary for sign language and to set up a school for deaf people.

She has received $100 from businessman Antonio Filipin and R2,500 from Kids Stuff, which will be used for her trip to Prague.

Apart from the international competition, she will also be taking part in the Miss Regatta contest at the International Conference Centre in August.