Maisie Close is undeniably fabulous.
The vivacious nine-year-old from Mount Richon is well on her way to achieving her dream of becoming a queen, after taking out the first national finalist spot in the ‘Pre-Teen Miss’ category of the 2025 Premier Elite Pageant.
“I was so happy when I found out I did a little dance,” she said.
Her exuberance is infectious – but she wasn’t always like this. Her confidence has been hard-earned through her experience in the world of pageantry.
“During my first pageant I was petrified – I was crying backstage. It looked fun in the videos, but in reality, I was so scared,” she said.
“But now, it’s so fun. I love everything about it. And I’ve made so many best friends through this. We’re so happy being friends that we don’t care we’re up against each other.”
After being crowned Ms Premier Elite in 2022, Maisie’s mum Hayley Parker knows firsthand how empowering and confidence-boosting the world of Miss pageantry can be.
With a focus on philanthropy and personality, the Miss pageantry world is far removed from the searing spotlight of glitz and high glamour pageantry made famous on shows like Toddlers and Tiaras.
“Miss pageantry encourages you to be your authentic self,” she said. “It’s a way to get youngsters engaged in their local communities and really embody the idea: act, belong, commit.”
While one of Hayley’s driving forces behind her pageantry journey was to inspire her daughters to achieve their wildest dreams, she wasn’t necessarily expecting them to follow in her high-heeled footsteps. But watching her eldest daughter’s growth has been a rich reward.
“It tugs at the heart-strings watching her go from a shy young lady scared to do most things, to this outgoing person you see before you now,” she said.
“I’m here to support her journey now.”
So far this year that journey has led Maisie to an audience with the Governor.
Last Thursday Maisie volunteered her services to the Legacy WA Jingle in July luncheon at Government House.
“Legacy is a charity that supports families of people who served in the Air Force, Navy – all the military,” she said.
“It’s important for everyone, but it’s special for me because I have family members who served, including a great great grandfather who stormed the beaches on D Day.”
She and best bud Ashleigh (AKA Mini Miss Charity Australia 2024) earned the honorary title of ‘Legacy princesses’ for their help and inspired dance moves and were officially presented with a medallion by Governor Dawson himself.
“I actually met the governor – it was really fancy,” she said. “On a scale of one to ten, it was like 100.”
The national finals might be six months away, but Maisie is clearly already proactively ticking the social engagement box to earn her crown.
She’s also working just as hard to campaign for her charity of choice – the Australian Koala Foundation.
“Koalas are my favourite animal in the world. And when I found out they might be extinct soon I couldn’t sleep,” she said.
She’s been hard at work recycling bottles and cans, with all proceeds going to saving the koalas. And on August 31, she’ll be hosting a Koala Tea Party fundraiser at Koala Cove Park.
“My goal is $1000, but I’m really wanting to go past that,” she said. More information and tickets can be purchased at: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1256779
She’s also steadily plugging away at her talent for the competition.
“This year I’m doing something unique,” she said. “It’s a three-minute portrait of someone from the audience.” All with running commentary, of course.
With most entrants performing a song or dance number, Maisie is clearly thinking outside the box.
And she’s hoping she’s got what it takes to stand out from the crowd and be crowned Miss Pre-Teen Premier Elite 2025.
She is up against it though, as one of the youngest competitors in the competition. But she’s putting that new-found confidence to work.
“Nothing is impossible … except pigs flying,” she said.
