Knysna's own Dané crowned as Miss Garden Route 2022

KNYSNA NEWS – Young Knysnarian Dané Venter outshone some of the Garden Route's brightest this past December, when she was crowned Miss Garden Route 2022 only five months after making her modelling debut.

The grand final of the Mr & Miss Garden Route competition was held at the Dutch Reformed Church in George on 10 December, organised by Mzantsi Pageants.

The event featured 18 finalists, but none were a match for Venter.

A student at ACE Models Knysna & Plettenberg Bay, Venter hopes the title will help her in her modelling career. "The title means a lot; it means that I have a bigger opportunity to help my community and to inspire other girls and show them that we are enough, regardless of our past," she said.

Venter also greatly enjoyed the Miss Garden Route competition. "It was an exciting and empowering journey. From practising to pageant day, I enjoyed it very much," she said. "I decided to enter the pageant to show girls that beauty comes from within and that helping others without wanting something back is very important. To show myself and others that we are more than the bad things that have happened to us."

Director of ACE Models Knysna & Plettenberg Bay, Charmaine Kruger, expressed her pride in Venter. "Dané has come so far in such a short space of time and I couldn't be more proud of her! She has a bright future ahead, so to all I say: watch this space!"

An alumnus of Knysna Primary School and a 2021 matriculant from Knysna High School, Venter (21) had made her modelling debut during the Miss Pearl pageant, held in Knysna during the Knysna Oyster Festival, on 1 July 2022. During this pageant she was crowned Miss Pearl 2nd Princess 2022 as well as Miss Pearl Marketing Queen 2022.

Venter has no plans to slow down. "[The] next step is hopefully bigger things. I want to show South Africa that a girl from our small town can make things happen. Showing other girls/young ladies to dream big and never let anything come in your way," she said.

Miss Garden Route Dané Venter (centre) with her parents Dalena and Martin.