Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer
General Manager of the Hilton Kingston hotel, Frank Rosheuvel, chats with some of the Miss Jamaica World contestants. With him are (from left) J'nelle Stephenson, Renée Barrett, Mishka Samuels, Tashana Wright, Lacian Roache and Hertha Beckmann.

Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

It was beauty by poolside on Wednesday night at the Hilton as the contestants in this year's Miss Jamaica World contest met up with queens of the past.

The 15 young ladies vying for the coveted tiara were guests of honour of Frank Rosheuvel, general manager the New Kingston hotel. Other managers and staff and curious hotel guests also came out to meet the ladies.

As the coronation night draws closer, persons were interested to meet the ladies in person, giving them a better idea as to who the contestants were and what made them tick. And the ladies were more than ready to talk, introducing themselves to the guests in attendance. Flashing their pearly white smiles for the cameras, they definitely added something to what otherwise would have been a 'regular' Wednesday.

But the fabulous 15 weren't the only ones grabbing all the headlines. The former Miss Jamaicas, who had their portraits on easels all around the pool area, were more than willing to pass on a few tips and general words of advice to the beauties. Chief among them was the queen who still holds the crown, Terri-Karelle Griffith, as bubbly as ever. Some of them haven't been seen in a while, and guest who remember their moments of glory eagerly recalled the old days with them.

With a lone guitarist strumming soft melodies like Up On The Roof, guests were in a relaxed mood for the evening with no speeches or any other unnecessary rhetoric. But the night didn't end there for the ladies as they were off to Christopher's Jazz Café for some more mingling. And fear not, the only liqueurs being had were not by the ladies so there was no case of 'the giggles.'

Out at the party were: Lloyd Jackson; Stefanie McIntyre; Dr. Adolfo Mena. Among the former Miss Jamaica World winners were Ayisha Richards-McKay accompanied by husband Aldane McKay; a soon-to-give-birth Desiree Depasse; Christine Straw; Alison Barnett; Joan McDonald, as well as the hard-working ladies of Miss Jamaica World, Camille Boland and Melissa Warner.