Debbie Rachelle Campbell won the Miss Jamaica World title along with several other prizes. The 17-year-old shared that she will share a portion of the $4,000 with a family that was affected badly by the floods in the west.

Published Monday, August 20, 1979

Debbie Campbell Miss Jamaica

Seventeen-year-old student Debbie Rachelle Campbell became Miss Jamaica (World) 1979 at the National Arena on Saturday night. Witnessed by a tightly packed arena crowd, Debbie, as ‘Miss York Pharmacy’, won over eighteen rivals and walked off with all the major prizes.

Apart from being judged the most beautiful, she was also voted the contestant with the best legs, best personality, the best figure, and the most aware. As the emcees Don Topping and Marie Garth named prize after prize, the crowd roared with approval while the cash mounted to over $4,000 in Debbie’s favour.

Second place went to popular St Mary girl 20-year-old Audie Culliton Moore, a Couples' receptionist sponsored by Swift Chemicals, her major prize being $750. Sandra Kong, a 21-year-old freelance photographic model wearing the sash of Miss Ting was third. Fourth place went to 17-year-old Miss Pete’s Suzanne McKenzie, and the fifth prize winner was dimple cheeks, Alpha Commercial student Marlene Leon, wearing the sash of Miss Fabric De Younis. She won the prize for best smile. Also, Miss J. Wray & Nephew Ann-Marie Chin Sang got $200 for being the most congenial contestant while Angela Fox, Miss Body Mist, won $200 also for being the most photogenic.

On time

The gala event dubbed Rainbow Magic started at 8:30 p.m. sharp, and this promptness put the crowd in a warm, receptive, appreciative mood, and when Governor General the Most Hon Florizel Glasspole opened the show, he was greeted with an ear-splitting welcome from the thousands of Jamaicans in the Arena.

Mr Glasspole paid tribute to Spartan Health Club, organisers of the contest, for last year’s donation of $16,000 to the Mona Rehabilitation Centre and further congratulated them on their pledge to the International Year of the Child as the proceeds from the show will be given to the Bustamante Children’s Hospital.

The Governor General declared himself an unrepentant lover of beauty contests in this year 1979 as he was in 1978. He said that whichever girl won, she would promote Jamaica when she goes to London for the Miss World Contest.

The show was well coordinated. The Bert Rose dancers delighted the audience as did The Sonny Bradshaw Seven.

Then it was time for the girls to make their first appearance in evening wear, and with growing excitement, the audience waited and watched as the rotating stage delivered its beautiful charge resplendent in bold greens, pinks, and blues, and angelic whites.

When the girls appeared in bathing suits, the appreciation was even more prolonged. Continuous hand claps echoed in the Arena, and when the contestants appeared collectively and took the audience by complete surprise as they peeked out from slots in the back of the stage, the crowd could hardly contain itself.

The 1979 Queen, Miss Joan McDonald, made the final walk of her reign on stage and was warmly received. The stage, adorned with blinking lights, made sure that not one detail was missed. She later assisted in crowning the winners.

Trying to get a word in to the 115 lbs, 32-22½-36 beauty Debbie was slightly difficult as the other contestants, registering their approval, swamped her with passes and congratulations.

The daughter of real estate dealer Ernest Campbell said, "It is an experience I can’t find words to describe." She plans to give part of her prize money to an affected family in the flood-stricken west end of the island.

After the prize donors, including THE STAR, had given their awards to the girls, a battery of photographers crowded the stage, but this did not spoil the successful show for Mickey Haughton James and Spartan.

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