Second time’s a charm for Wellesley’s Sally Draper.
As a two-time participant, she was chosen as this year’s Wellesley-North Easthope Fall Fair Ambassador.
The 2014-15 ambassador, Ashley Jeffries, handed over the crown and sash on Tuesday night at the opening of the fair after judges selected Draper as the winner. Four hopefuls, adorned in long gowns of black and blue, gave speeches and answered an impromptu question.
Draper spoke about what it means to her to be from Wellesley. The 18-year-old is in her first year at the University of Guelph studying international development. She often gets to explain where home is to people she meets.
![St. Clements’ Sally Draper was named the 2015-16 Wellesley-North Easthope Fall Fair Ambassador on Tuesday at the opening of the event.[Whitney Neilson / The Observer]](https://www.observerxtra.com/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/post_news_ambassador.jpg)
“I tell them to take the 86 until their cell phone runs out of service, then take a left and if they’ve hit Dorking they’ve gone too far,” Draper said.
She explained how being from a small town is more than an address for her, it’s a way of life.
“It’s the way we drive our tractors to school, pick out our best jeans for church, know all of our neighbours’ names, and discuss with them what height to set the lawnmower at over a drink,” Draper said.
Because of where she’s grown up she said a deep passion for agriculture is ingrained in her, and with that comes the need to properly represent Canadian farming. When people find out she can tell the difference between a cow and a heifer, where her burger came from and what its name was, she gets some funny questions.
“First of all, is it like Breaking Amish? Which is no. What about the GMOs Sally, what about the factory farms? I gently remind them that their truth is misinformed, and that we are the 98 per cent of families that own 98 per cent of our Canadian farms and produce the 245,000,000 meals that our Canadians eat every day,” Draper said.
Now, as she sits in lecture halls at university, she may not be able to tell you all her fellow classmates’ name and fun facts about them. But she promises she’ll always try to find out.
“This means the world to me,” Draper said in an interview after she was crowned. “It’s such an honour to be able to represent my community like this and to be able to represent my community to a larger audience at the CNE this year.”
She said during her time as the ambassador she’s looking forward to working with the Wellesley-North Easthope Agricultural Society as a member and also helping put on the fair next year and for years to come.
“All the girls were so great and so friendly. And it’s always nice to work with Joanne (Stewart) and Wendy (Richardson), and it’s so inspiring to see how much work all the volunteers put into the fair and I’m inspired myself by that,” Draper said.
Before passing the torch, Jeffries told the crowd how the experience has changed her over the course of the last year.
“From the moment I entered the competition I knew I had stumbled upon a group of role models that would change my life. Thank you all for encouraging me, supporting me, and allowing a goofball like me to represent you for the year,” Jeffries said.
She encouraged all the participants, win or lose, to soak in the experience and be proud of the accomplishments they’ve made so far. She also took time to thank the people closest to her, in her own unique way.
“I would like to thank my family and friends for putting up with me and my tiara headaches, constant reciting of speeches, and annoying with sharing facts I’ve learned about proper etiquette and agriculture,” Jeffries.
She had some simple advice for Draper, who will be filling her shoes representing Wellesley across the province and at the Canadian National Exhibition.
“This coming year will change you forever. Take lots of photos. Share your experience with others through social media and face-to-face conversation. You’re about to embark on quite the adventure,” Jeffries said.
“Bring comfortable shoes and your amazing personality. That’s all you’ll need to succeed.”
