Kent Driscoll
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Aug 15/05) - Fauna Kingdon's biggest fear heading into the Miss World Canada pageant in Toronto was that she wouldn't have a chance to show her talent. Her worry was unfounded.

Kingdon was asked to sing the national anthem at the opening of the preliminary and final competition, and showed them how they do it at the Joamie school in Iqaluit.

She sang the anthem the way she had been taught in elementary school: first verse in Inuktitut, second verse in French and the third in English.

Competitors auditioned for the chance to sing the anthem, but Kingdon's trilingual rendition gave her the edge.

Kingdon was eliminated after the preliminary round, when the field was cut from 30 to 15 competitors. She did finish in second place in the "Beauty with a purpose" competition, which has contestants raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Kingdon raised close to $3,000 by setting up a table at Northmart and collecting donations. She proudly notes that she was the only person in the top five that didn't come from a major city.

She learned how little her fellow competitors knew about Nunavut, having to repeatedly explain that she didn't just fall from the sky.

"A lot of people thought it was my first time in a city. Some of them didn't even know where Nunavut was. Because I'm aboriginal and from Nunavut people do underestimate me," said Kingdon.

Some of the competitors were good company. Kingdon was roommates with Miss Ottawa and also enjoyed her time with Miss Brampton.

Her advice to future Miss Nunavuts is, "you have to reach out to the community, you need sponsorship and it is short notice."

Kingdon received that support: Canadian North paid part of her trip and DJ Sensations picked up the rest of her tab.