A Clyde North nurse has become a national finalist to represent Victoria at the 2026 Mrs Galaxy Australia Pageant, using the platform to advocate for mental health and well-being education.
For Clyde North local Shehara Fernando, applying for a pageant was a big step beyond her comfort zone.
The 36-year-old registered mental health nurse had been contemplating pageantry for a few years, frequently finding herself researching it online.
When she came across Galaxy Pageant, she couldn’t help but be drawn to the platform it offers.
“They encourage all the finalists to do community and voluntary services,” Shehara said.
“That is the part that really was the highlight for me because most of the other pageants do not encourage that part. It’s not compulsory.
“With the Australia Galaxy Pageant, it is about being the best version of yourself. It is not about your face. It’s not about having size 2. They don’t look at your body as such. They look at your personality and your character. Are you doing a service to the community?”
A self-described introvert, Shehara signed up to challenge herself.
So far, she has completed more than 40 hours of volunteering with Vision Australia, Salvos Clyde North, Vinnies, and Benetas Clarinda.
When preparing for the selection process, the Clyde North mother realised how much the pageantry had changed.
“The pageant that I grew up with was about beauty. It’s about outer appearance. But now most of the pageants now, that has changed,” she said.
“It is about yourself as a woman. They look at your character. Are you a genuinely good person? And do you do community services, volunteering? Do you help out others?
“With the Galaxy Pageant, it’s about women’s empowerment, showing the world that we are not about just beauty. We have many more qualities than that to offer, actually.”
As a mental health nurse of 16 years, Shehara has chosen mental health and wellbeing education as her platform, with a strong focus on prevention.
“Prevention is the key before it gets worse. To get to prevent, we need to educate people,” she said.
“The other main factor that I’m advocating is for mental health first aid training. We have cardiac first aid. Mental health first aid training is up and rising, but there’s not much awareness still out there.”
Shehara also hopes to promote kindness, something she believes has been eroded in the years following Covid.
“After Covid, I feel like we lost that quality. And even with colleagues, we’re just rude,” she said.
“Everyone’s going through their own struggles, so it doesn’t cost to smile and be kind.”
In late April, Shehara will head to Sydney with the other 12 finalists across the country to compete for the title of Mrs Galaxy.
The winner will go on to represent at the Galaxy International Pageant in the United States.
Australia Galaxy Pageants was founded in 2011 with the single title of Miss Galaxy Australia, and has grown into five divisions over the years, with the introduction of Junior Miss, Teen, Ms, and Mrs.
In the Mrs division, areas of competition include fashionwear, evening gown, swimwear, an interview, and photogenic. Bonus points are awarded for fundraising for the youth mental health charity batyr, Eco Fashion and community and media appearances.
To celebrate the pageant’s 15-year Diamond Anniversary, the 2026 Eco Fashion theme is Denim & Diamonds. Finalists are asked to source their outfits from secondhand shops like Salvos and creatively redesign them using recycled materials.
After publicly announcing her participation, Shehara said she experienced stigma and criticism, particularly from within her own cultural community.
“People I was talking to suddenly started ignoring me,” she said.
“There was this feeling that I had ‘gone bad’ or was doing something wrong.
“I’m not doing anything bad.
“If you want, go to the website, go to my Instagram, go to my Facebook and see I’m not showing my body off. I’m actually doing some community services out there.”
Rather than stepping away, Shehara will continue her journey with purpose. She has planned a Valentine’s Day fundraiser at Fountain Gate in February to support youth mental health charity batyr.
“We do what we can do and just hope that that thinking will change,” she said.
Shehara is fundraising for the youth mental health charity batyr. To support, visit: batyr.com.au/my-fundraising/420/shehara-fernando
