Getting a free minute to interview this woman was a bit tricky.  Between her pre-production meetings for an exciting upcoming adventure tv show, photo shoots and all that stuff, we were able to get a quick little chat in the for former Miss Australia Caroline Pemberton, after her evening boxing class.  She’s all about getting out there and going hard, she is inspired by her brother who holds the record for youngest Aussie to climb a very high mountain and she has gathered her two best mates to go on the journey of a lifetime.  To top it off, Cosmo has nominated her for their 2012 Fun Fearless Female award, a competition that continues to find nominees from our very beaches.

TATS | So what is all this Fun Fearless Female competition all about?

CAROLINE | It is a longstanding competition that Cosmopolitan Magazine have been running, and it basically honors women that are doing great things in their industry.  I think there are 12 categories, writer, entrepreneur, fashion designer, sports women and more, and I was nominated in the Role Model category, which is pretty exciting because I always really loved the name of the competition, looking at really incredibly women stepping into their own. When I was nominated I was really thrilled and really honored because I was up there against the likes of Jessica Watson, and A grade celebrities and huge names so I was pretty chuffed that I got in there.

TATS | How did you feel when you found out that you were in the category of Role Model?

CAROLINE | What a category to be nominated in. I think that’s pretty cool.  When you go out there and work in this industry, I aim to inspire.  I have had so many role models in my life and so many people that have inspired me so to see that rub off and to be able to turn around and do the same for others is incredible.

TATS |Who is your biggest role model?

CAROLINE | I wish I could say it was a woman, but my biggest role model is my brother Rex.  He was the youngest Australian ever to climb Mt Everest, he was 21 at the time.  I always had admiration looking up to my big brother.  He taught me from a young age, to get a ream and just go for it.  Everyone, except for my family would say, you’re crazy, you’re too young.

I think one of the things he instilled in me, was he didn’t know how to make all these dreams happen, he just started.  He just had a goal in mind and didn’t care about people carrying on that he was mad!

He taught me the  power of having big dreams, and that no dream is really too big, juts come up with something that you love and you’re passionate about and just go for it.  But he doesn’t look so crash hot in a dress, so he wouldn’t really go for this award.

Also, for me as a professional, I am totally enamored by David Attenborough because he has got pure passion for what he does.

My mother was also a big role model for me.  In such a subtle way.  She really allowed us in the most supportive way to pursue what we wanted to do.

TATS | Living in manly for the last 6 years, how do you feel that has contributed to your current lifestyle?

CAROLINE | OH!  I left for a little while in those six years and felt like I was in a concrete jungle, I had to get back here.   We have so many incredible elements here, for me it is the ultimate place.  I have been lucky enough to travel around the world, and I honestly believe that we don’t have the best of one thing, we have the best of everything, you just can not beat it.

TATS | Last year we had another young woman from The Northern beaches, Laura Enever, in the top three finalist for sports woman.  One of her friends, Stephanie Gilmore ended up snagging the tittles, which can’t be that bad when two mates are both in the running for such a cool award.   But all in all it is kind of nice to have The Beaches female breed represented again in the competition this year.

CAROLINE | Definitely!  We are fun and fearless and adventurous.  Northern beaches Girls embody the competition.  We are lucky enough to live in such and incredible place, and it shows in the caliber of woman that come from this area.  They are just incredible.

TATS | This nomination couldn’t really come at a better time, as you are about to take off to New Zealand to hoot a pilot for an exciting new show you are launching.  How does that fit in with your nomination as Fun Fearless Female?

CAROLINE | Miss Adventure is about three beautiful, down to earth Aussie girls seeking out the world’s most exhilarating travel.  It’s about pushing boundaries, and it’s about that fact that we are ordinary girls going hard, and pushing ourselves and being a team.  And I think the whole purpose of the show, is to not only have a great time and explore our planet, but to inspire others to explore our planet. We often forget that there are so many great experiences out there to be ad and if you have enough motivation and inspiration to grab life by the horns you can do anything.  Especially with women, we have this pressure to be everything, to be a career women, a mom, and it is important to women who often get categorised as not being strong enough, to stand up and say hold on a minute, we can go as hard as the boys.  We can really achieve in a world of adventure, and we can do things that people may not expect us to be able to do.

Make sure to get onto COSMO'S FUN FEARLESS FEMALE to vote for Miss Caroline and represent the rad 'female breed' that the beaches has to offer .

Interview by Tatianna K Alpert

Local Focus is lovingly produced in collaboration with Little Hobo Project