Ladies dressed in ravishing red outfits with their prettiest purple fascinators gathered for the Rum City Reds 15th birthday celebrations on Saturday.
At the special occasion, held at the Bundaberg RSL Club, Rum City Reds founder Nancy Wagner was honoured with a life membership, and she recalled the day she decided to start the group.
Nancy said Rum City Reds was a social group that has celebrated strong friendships in the Bundaberg Region since 2005.
Nancy, who is known as the groups Queen Mother, said she decided to form the local Red Hat Society chapter as the stresses of life were getting a little too much and she wanted to meet like-minded women for friendship.
The group soon flourished, and it now has dozens of local members who meet for social gatherings and companionship whenever possible.
“I was inspired to start the group as I had just turned 50 and I picked up a seniors magazine for the fun of it,” Nancy said.
“In that I saw the lovely Red Hatters having a wonderful time at a high tea, and that was 15 years ago.
“The group just took off – I never expected it to turn out this big, and it is wonderful to see how big it’s now grown.
“The society is based on members taking in turn to plan their own functions, only limited by their own imaginations.
“I would just like to thank all of the queens we have had over the years for all the dedication they have put in.”
Current Rum City Reds queen Lynne Meadows said the group met with the aim of cementing friendships across the region.
“We celebrate all the nice F words: friendships, frivolity and fun,” she said.
“Normally we wear red hats and a purple outfit, unless it is your birthday month, then you get to wear the reverse of a purple hat and red outfit.
“Today is reversed as we are all celebrating our 15th birthday.”
Councillor Tanya McLoughlin attend the birthday celebrations and said it was lovely to see so many strong bonds formed within the group.
“It’s important to have these type of friendship groups with the Bundaberg Region, especially during the past few months where many community members have found themselves isolated because of COVID-19 restrictions” she said.
“Looking around the room today, you can see the significant bonds between the ladies, and they all look marvellous dressed in their red outfits and purple fascinators.”
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