Her name will probably remain in the history books of the Hibiscus Festival, but if one thing Liebling Marlow has gained from it, it is a gutful of confidence.
In 1956, Miss Fiji Pageant Association held under local government and Fiji Airways, crowned Liebling Marlow as the first Miss Fiji.
The 72-year-old has commented on the festival for the past 54 years and was still in a jovial mood to share more on how the festival changed her life.
A resident of Pearce Home in Suva these days, Ms Liebling said the title of Miss Hibiscus or Fiji’s first Miss Hibiscus never really mattered to her.
She said after the festival, she joined her husband Herbert Marlow at the Fiji Visitors Bureau, meeting and greeting tourists who visited Fiji.
From that day she was actively involved in tourism and other Hibiscus festivals with her husband.
“I don’t know if it changed my life but I know that it gave me confidence.
“After the festival, I achieved so much and I became involved not only in tourism but in women’s affairs.”