MISS UNIVERSE 1979
friday, july 20, 1979 (in australia)
thursday, july 19, 1979 (in america)
Perth Entertainment Centre, Perth, Australia
75 contestants
PRESENTERS: bob barker & helen o'connell
computer analyst: jayne kennedy
entertainment: donny osmond
Results
1 VENEZUELA Maritza Sayalero Fernández
2 BERMUDA Gina Ann Casandra Swainson (winner World '79)
3 ENGLAND Carolyn Ann Seaward (1st RU World-United Kingdom '79)
4 BRAZIL Martha Jussara da Costa
5 SWEDEN Anette Marie Ekström (2nd RU Scandinavia '80)
Top 12
6 SOUTH AFRICA Veronika Wilson
7 BELIZE Sarita Diana Acosta
8 USA Mary Therese Friel
9 GERMANY Andrea Hontschik (SF World '79 , SF Europe '80)
10 SCOTLAND Lorraine Davidson (International-Britain '80, Europe '80)
11 ARGENTINA Adriana Virginia Alvarez
12 WALES Janet Beverly Hobson (Young International-Britain '80, Europe '80)
Awards
Miss Amity JAPAN
Miss Photogenic ENGLAND
Best National Costume 1) URUGUAY, 2) BRAZIL, 3) SOUTH AFRICA
Remainder
ANTIGUA Elsie Maynard
ARUBA Lugina Liliana Margareta Vilchez
AUSTRALIA Kerrie Dunderdale
AUSTRIA Karin Zorn (6th RU World '79, winner Europe '80) (13th place)
BAHAMAS Lolita Louise Ambrister
BARBADOS Barbara Bradshaw
BELGIUM Christine Linda Bernadette Cailliau (World '79, 1st RU Europe '80)
BOLIVIA Maria Luisa Rendón
BOPHUTHATSWANA Alina Moeketse
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS Eartha Ferdinand
CANADA Heidi Quiring
CHILE María Cecilia Serrano Gildemeister
COLOMBIA Ana Milena Parra Turbay
COSTA RICA Carla Facio Franco
DENMARK Lone Gladys Jörgensen (World '79, Scandinavia '80, Europe '80)
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC Elizabeth García Javier (4th RU Maja '79)
ECUADOR Margarita Plaza
EL SALVADOR Judith Ivette Lopez Lagos (World '79)
FIJI Tanya Whiteside
FINLAND Päivi Maarit Kristiina Uitto (3rd RU Scandinavia '80, Europe '80)
FRANCE Sylvie Hélène Marie Parera (World '79, Europe '80, International '80)
GREECE Katia Koukidou
GUAM Marie Cruz
GUATEMALA Michele Marie Domínguez Santos (World '79)
HOLLAND Eunice Bharatsingh
HONDURAS Gina Marie Weidner Cleaves (World '79)
HONG KONG Olivia Chang Man-Ai
ICELAND Halldora Björk Jonsdóttir (World '75, Scandinavia '79)
INDIA Swaroop Sampat
IRELAND Lorraine Marion O’Conner (World '78, International '79)
ISRAEL Vered Polgar
ITALY Elvira Puglisi
JAPAN Yurika Kuroda
KOREA Jae-hwa Seo
MALAYSIA Irene Wong Sun Ching
MALTA Dian Borg Bartolo
MAURITIUS Maria Chanea Allard (World '79)
MEXICO Blanca María Luisa Díaz Tejeda
NEW ZEALAND Andrea Kake
NORTHERN MARIANAS Barbara Torres
NORWAY Unni Margrethe Öglaend (International '79, Scandinavia '80)
PANAMA Yahel Cecilia Dolande de Gracia
PAPUA NEW GUINEA Molly Misbut
PARAGUAY Patricia Lourdes Lohman Bernie
PERU Jacqueline Brahm Flechelle
PHILIPPINES Criselda Flores Cecilio
PORTUGAL Marta Maria Mendoça de Gouveia
PUERTO RICO Audrey Teresa "Tere" López Fernández
REUNION Isabelle Jacquemart (15th place)
ST. KITTS Cheryl Chaderton
ST. VINCENT June de Nobriga (World '78)
SINGAPORE Elaine Tan Kim Lian
SPAIN Gloria María Valenciano Rijo (4th RU World '78)
SRI LANKA Vidyahari Vanigasooriyar
SURINAM Sergine Lieuw-A-Len
SWITZERLAND Birgit Krahl (Europe '80)
TAHITI Fabienne Tiare Tapare
THAILAND Wongduan Kerd-poom
TRANSKEI Lindiwe Bam
TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Marie Noelle Diaz
TURKEY Füsan Tahire Dermitas
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS Linda Torres
URUGUAY Elizabeth Busti (14th place)
WITHDREW:
NICARAGUA Patricia Guadalupe Pineda Chamorro (withdrew July 13 due to death threats to her family during Nicaragua's civil war)
NO SHOWS:
TURKS & CAICOS Rosemary Forbes
INDONESIA Andi Nana Riwayati Basoamier (expected but never arrived. Pageant was closed doors due to government ban. She was sent to MU80 instead).
YUGOSLAVIA Biljana Pelevic
LESOTHO Pauline Essie Kanedi
CYPRUS Konstantina Christodoulidou
SAMOA Ana Decima Schmidt
GRENADA Ann-Marie Mitchell
DOMINICA Mona-Jo Lewis
ST. LUCIA Sheila Semei
ST. MAARTEN Sueling Williams
GUADELOUPE Joëlle Ursull
LEBANON Jacqueline "Jacky" Riachi
CAYMAN ISLANDS Jennifer Pearl Jackson
CURACAO Jeanine Windt (Miss Curacao pageant was not held and they thought to send the 1978 2nd runner-up but it didn't happen)
REPLACED:
ITALY Alba Antonella Parietti
SWITZERLAND Barbara Mayer
MAURITIUS Marie Francoise Genevieve Chanea
DEBUTS: Bophuthatswana, Fiji, Transkei
WITHDRAWALS: American Samoa, Bonaire, Curaçao, Lebanon, Lesotho, Morocco, New Hebrides, Nicaragua
RETURNS: Antigua, British Virgin Islands, Mauritius, Portugal, St. Kitts
JUDGES:
1- Anne Marie Pohtamo - Miss Universe 1975 from Finland.
2- Don Galloway - American film actor.
3- Lana Cantrell - Australian singer.
4- Yves Corbassiere - French painter and sculptor.
5- Ita Buttrose - Publisher of the Australian Women's Weekly.
6- Robin Moore - American writer.
7- Rossana Podesta - Italian actress.
8- Apasra Hongsakula - Miss Universe 1965 from Thailand.
9- Julio Iglesias - Spanish singer.
10- Constance Towers - Actress and singer.
11- Tony Marvin - American radio & TV personality.