A tall, blonde librarian from Australia won the Miss World contest, ending a protest-marred pageant in which one contestant left for home.

Penelope Plummer, 18, won first prize of $6,000.  Fees for personal appearances and endorsements could boost her winnings to about $72,000 for a year.

Miss World measures 35-23-35 and weighs 133 pounds.  She works as a librarian, rides a motorcycle and does part-time modeling.

Afterwards, Miss Plummer telephoned her mother in Sydney and said: “I’ve got a cold.  My nose is running, but I still did it.  I feel marvelous.  I can’t believe it.”

Miss United Kingdom, Kathleen Winstanley, got $1,200 for second place and Israel’s green-eyed Mirey Zamir won third place and $600.

The field of 53 contestants was narrowed to 15 for the final selection by a panel of judges which included Reita Faria of India, Miss World of 1966, and Graham Hill, the newly crowned world motor racing champion.

The blonde, blue-eyed Miss Plummer was crowned by last year’s Miss World, Madeline Hartog-Bel of Peru.

Miss Colombia, Beatrice Sierra Gonzalez, finished fourth and Miss Philippines, Cecelia Amabuyok, was fifth. 

The first hint of politics entering the beauty pageant came the day before the finals when Miss Spain, Maria Amparo Rodrigo, 19, withdrew from the contest in a huff, saying she would not compete alongside “that girl” Miss Gibraltar.  She accused Miss Gibraltar of making “political statements” about the territorial status of the rock - a British crown colony coveted by Spain.

Miss Rodrigo, upon arrival in Madrid the next night, told reporters she was happier to hold the Spanish title than the world crown.

“I have behaved, I believe, conscientiously and as a Spaniard,” she said.  Spain does not recognize Gibraltar as a political entity.

Miss Plummer, from Sydney, had tears in her eyes as she accepted the winner’s crown and scepter.

The favorites in the contest had been Miss Winstanley, 22, of Britain, and Israel’s Miss Zamir, an 18-year-old model from Haifa who plans to enter the Israeli army next year.

Miss Philippines, “Pinkey” Amabuyok, also made headlines this week when she told reporters she was a nun and ran away from the convent to become a beauty queen.  The 17-year-old later retracted that story and said she made it up, explaining “I guess my imagination just ran away with me.”

Miss U.S.A. said she was defeated in the Miss World contest because the judges were more interested in Vietnam than her 36-24-36.

Johnny Avery said politics so clouded the competition that contest officials insulted her and her red, white and blue costume.

One even called her a “rapist of little countries,” Miss Avery told United Press International.

“I’ve been treated abominably ever since I got here,” she said, ““just before I was to go on stage, a contest official called me a warmonger.”

“And they ignored the fact Miss South Africa was gorgeous.  Everyone thought she would come up close, but she didn’t even place in the first set of finalists,” she said

1968 November 14
London, England
53 entries

Results
1  Australia  Penelope Plummer
2  United Kingdom  Kathleen Winstanley
3  Israel  Miri Zamir
4  Colombia  Beatriz Sierra Gonzalez
5  Philippines  Arene "Pinkey" Cecilia Amabuyok

Finalists
6  Guyana  Adrienne Harris
7  Nicaragua  Margine Davidson Morales

Semi-finalists
Argentina  Viviana Roldan
Austria  Brigitte Krüger
France  Nelly Gallerne
Germany  Margot Schmalzriedt
Ireland  June MacMahon
Sweden  Gunilla Friden 
Thailand  Pinnarut Tananchai
Yugoslavia  Ivona Puhlera

Remainder
Bahamas  Rose Helena Dauchot
Belgium  Sonja Doumen
Brazil  Angela Carmelia Stecca
Canada  Nancy Wilson
Ceylon  Nilanthie Wijesinghe
Chile  Carmen Smith
Costa Rica  Patricia Diers
Cyprus  Diana Dimitropoulou
Denmark  Yet Schaufuss
Dominican Republic  Ingrid Maria García de Cano
Ecuador  Marcia Virginia Ramos Christiansen
Finland  Leena Sipilä
Ghana  Lovell Rosebud Wordie
Gibraltar  Sandra Sanguinetti
Greece  Lia Malta
Holland  Alida Grootenboer
India  Jane Coelho
Italy  Maria Pia Gianporcaro 
Jamaica  Karlene Waddell
Japan  Ryoko Miyoshi
Kenya  Josephine Moikobu
Korea  Lee Ji-eun (real name: Lee Young-chae)
Liberia  Wilhelmina Nadieh Brownell
Luxembourg  Irene Siedler
Malta  Ursulina "Lina" Grech
Mexico  Ana Maria Magaña
Morocco  Zakia Chamouch
New Zealand  Christine Mary Antunovic
Nigeria  Foluke Ogundipe
Norway  Hedda Lie
Peru  Ana Rosa Berninzon Devéscovi
South Africa  Mitsianna Stander
Switzerland  Jeanette Biffiger
Tunisia  Zohra Boufaden
Turkey  Mine Kurkcuoglu
Uganda  Joy Lehai
U.S.A.  Johnine Leigh Avery
Venezuela  Cherry Nuñez Rodriguez

Did not compete
Iceland  Helga Jonsdóttir
Seychelles  Marie-France Lablache

Withdrew
Spain  Maria Amparo Rodrigo Lorenza