Miss Gibraltar

Helen Gustafson

Helen was born and raised in Gibraltar, home to the famous Rock apes. At school she enjoyed drama, dancing and was a member of the choir, she went on to attend Liverpool University where she graduated with a BA (Hons) in Business Studies in 2003. Next she embarked on her studies for the Association of Chartered Certified Accounts, the first step to quality as an accountant, her ambition being to obtain a management position within the finance industry. Interests are varied and include: travel, dancing, singing, fashion design, cross-stitching, bird watching, football, aerobics, swimming, bowling, music, reading and the cinema. Helen’s motto is "Life is what you make it"


Where did you grow up? Tell us a little about your home town/city, and family.
I was born and raised in Gibraltar, home to the famous Rock apes. Gibraltar is in the Western Mediterranean on the Southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. On a clear day both Spain and North Africa are visible. The population is approximately 29,000 and the rock has a deep historical background being under British rule for exactly 300 years. This year being the 300th anniversary year of British rule, 1704-2004. The economy is based on tourism, the finance centre, a commercial/naval dockyard and work generated by the British Forces. We also live in a very diverse community with different cultures living happily side-by-side. This fact is quite evident, as you’ll find Churches, Cathedrals, Synagogues and Mosques within close proximity.I come from an ever-growing family. I have a younger brother aged 21 who is currently studying Sociology, Maths and plays the guitar. My dad is a Carpenter who enjoys photography in his spare time. My mum is a Housewife who likes landscape painting and is a great animal lover. This brings us to our pet dog called Duke. He is a pedigree Samoyed bred by my mother. He has won several prizes at the local Kennel Club shows and he is now 13 years old.

What Jobs have you done? What was the most interesting/bizarre?
The jobs I have undertaken have been quite varied. For summer jobs I have worked in shops and restaurants and also at a local telecommunications company. I also worked at a major offshore bank for a whole year, as this was part of my degree course. This was also the most interesting period of work I have done up to the present time, because it involved dealing with a lot of clients directly. At the moment, I work for Fidecs Group Limited as a Trainee Accountant.

What are your career ambitions, how do you plan to realise them?
My career ambition is to ultimately qualify as an accountant and land myself a managerial position within the finance industry. This I hope to achieve through hard work and dedication.

What is the proudest moment of your life? (Not including winning your National Title)
The proudest moment of my life was when I graduated in 2003 at Liverpool University and acquired a BA (Hons) with a 2:1 classification.

What was the funniest/most embarrassing moment of your life?
The most embarrassing moment for me were when I was chatting with friends at the beach. Suddenly, my bikini top sprung off, so I had to dive onto the sand to cover myself up. My friends all fell about laughing when they realised what had happened and how I’d reacted to it as well. So for the rest of that day the incident was the topic of conversation.

What was the funniest/most embarrassing moment of your life?
Before I won the title Miss Gibraltar 2004, I was ordinary Helen and the next minute I was being asked for autographs which was an overwhelming experience. However I have learnt that spending time on community and charity projects are enjoyable and immensely rewarding.

Tell us about an interesting event you have attended, or a person that you have met.
I met the well-known Spanish recording artist Alejandro Sanz. Ever since he released his debut album I have been a big fan of his music. I adore his passionate love songs.

What would you like to do, if you became Miss World 2004?
If I was lucky enough to win Miss World 2004 I would love to bring a little happiness to the less fortunate of this world.

If you had a personal motto what would it be?
Life is what you make it.

Give details of any charitable work undertaken?
Collected money for local charities. Community work i.e. spending time with Mount Alvernia (the local old people ‘s home). Presenting prizes at charitable fund raising events. Taking part in a sun awareness campaign for the local health authority.

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