By: Marc Membrere
Alexandra Pitcher takes the stage as Miss Nauru vying for the Miss Pacific Crown 2023 this Friday with mixed emotions.
Born in Manila Philippines, Alex is representing her current place of residence but privately she is coping with tremendous personal pressure as her mother, Mrs Juliana Curry Pitcher is a former Miss Samoa who claimed the crown in 1981.
And it doesn’t get any easier with her Aunt Ursula Elizabeth Curry was crowned as 1987 Miss Samoa.
Her family did not pressure her in any way but nonetheless it was not an easy decision due to the family legacy on her mother’s side haunting her, says Alexandra, a journalist by profession who graduated from the Griffith University of Australia in 2021 with a Bachelors in Journalism and Creative Writing.
“As much as I am proud of my Samoan identity and heritage, I also identify myself as a Nauruan and I am just proud and blessed to be able to have both for they make me the unique person I am,” she told the Savali News in an exclusive one on one.
In her spare time while in Apia to prepare for the Pageant, she took five to visit her grandparents residing at Vailima, saying the visit is priceless since her last visit was 11 years ago.
For now the show must go on after a three year absence, no thanks to the COVID19 headache on the heels of the Measles Outbreak which forced international borders to shut down in the last 3 consecutive years.
She sees the Pageant as the perfect vehicle to promote the region as a tourism destination through informational sharing particularly journalism.
Tourism is the main stay of Samoa’s economy and the Pacific Island included.
Without a doubt, tourism is the biggest money earner for all of the Pacific Islands generating economic and final benefits spin-offs reaped by Pacific residents from the grassroots to the national levels.
“I feel that writing about our people is echoing their stories within the Pacific region,” she says noting that the unique Pacific Way of Life and identity deserves to be recognised and appreciated worldwide.
“I love writing,” echoed Alex who presently works as Project Administrator under the umbrella of the Nauru Government Department of Multi-Cultural Affairs.
Alexandra is thankful for the support she received from Nauru to get her to Samoa and says she is blessed to have a helping hand from Nauru’s Department of Women Affairs and Social Development and Nauru Tourism.
But she is most thankful to be Home away from home and spending quality time with families and friends.
Passion for writing, family legacy, and her love for her culture is what motivates Miss Nauru Alexandra Melody Pitcher to be the next Miss Pacific Islands.
And if the 23-year-old is crowned Miss Pacific Island she plans to advocate for young writers in the Pacific who are the voice and vehicles of change for future generations.
She believes when you holds the crown it means you are representing the region not just her country and so she plans to learn the culture of each island.
Born in Manila Philippines, and is representing an island with a population of 12,000 and her joyful spirit makes her proud to represent her island nation on a regional platform.
She is the daughter of former President of Nauru William Fredrick Pitcher, and former Miss Samoa 1981 Juliana Curry Pitcher.
Speaking exclusively to the Savali Newspaper, Alexandra says she had fulfilled her mother’s dream of seeing one of her daughters take the stage.
She is already feeling the pressure of representing Nauru and Samoa especially since there is a story of legacy as she follows in the footsteps of her mother and her aunt who both represented Samoa in Miss Samoa Pageants in the past.
Miss Nauru is a journalist by profession who graduated from the Griffith University of Australia in 2021 with a Bachelors in Journalism and Creative Writing.
PHOTO: Marc Membrere
