WHAT do nursing pioneer Florence Nightingale and conservationist David Attenborough have in common?
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On the face of it, not a lot.
But they were both mentioned on stage at The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Zone 6 final held at Blayney last Saturday night, where Parade was a guest.
As a way to get them to reveal something of their personality, each of the showgirls at the function was asked by the MC which person – living or dead, real or fictional - they would invite to a special lunch at a fancy cafe at Millthorpe.
The answers, as you would expect, were varied – from the aforementioned Florence Nightingale and David Attenborough to education activist Malala Yousafzai and ultramarathon runner Turia Pitt.
One of the showgirls stood out for sheer inventiveness, however, when she said she would like to invite meerkat Timon and warthog Pumbaa (she acknowledged she was breaking the rules by issuing a double invite) from the Disney movie The Lion King.
And why?
She said she liked the fact they took a potential threat (lion Simba) and turned him into a friend and a strength in the film and she thinks there’s a life lesson in that.
Having had a chance to think about it, Parade has to admit it makes some sense.
Finding lots of love on the road
PARADE has attended quite a few showgirl functions over the years and has really enjoyed the chance to visit some irregularly-visited parts of the state.
Parade heard tales of the bone marrow-freezing cold when he visited Nimmitabel on the Monaro and tales of the face-melting heat when he visited Hillston out on the western plains.
Walcha, on the Northern Tablelands, was a charming revelation and Warren, far down the Macquarie from Bathurst, was a river town through and through (the levee banks gave that away).
What all the places Parade has visited have had in common is that their long-term residents adore them.
From the tiniest village to the biggest city, Parade always meets a local who says (and means it): “I would never, ever want to live anywhere else.”