Useless? No, she's the perfect sheila

NATASHA HOLLAND

PICTURE PERFECT: Debbie Scurr, right, of Cardrona Valley, toasts her success as the 'perfect woman' with runner-up Michelle Osbourne, of Mt Aspiring Station.

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Debbie Scurr's husband will be eating his words about now – or rejoicing in the fact that he gets to live with this year's Speight's "perfect woman".

Yes, that's right, blokes, your perfect woman this year is married, has two children and is a hairdresser.

Mrs Scurr said she entered because her husband told her she would be useless at the weekend-long competition. But that was last year. This year, Mrs Scurr skinned a rabbit, gave a haircut, drove a four- wheel-drive, whistled, went jetboat driving and whipped off the top of a bottle of beer with her chosen weapon – a bright red stiletto – to win the title.

"I think this competition is important because it shows women can get down and work hard during the day and get dirty, but still have the class to get out and strut it with the boys at night," she said.

Sir Clifford Skeggs, before announcing the winner, said a lot of perfect women could be found in Wanaka and the surrounding region, and many of them had helped to shape the region and its communities. Then he turned and admired the 10 finalists draped on a couch on stage and joked he might take one of them home.

The two runners-up this year were shepherds Michelle Osbourne, of Mt Aspiring Station, Wanaka, and Jaimee McMeeken, of Ohai. Ms McMeeken, 21, said it was her third time trying to win the coveted title and she had decided that if she did not win she would take the hint she wasn't the "perfect woman". But now she'd have another crack next year.

The event raised more than $8000 toward the Speight's Perfect Woman Cancer Trust.