Moving into small country town again was difficult and I knew how difficult it was going to be to make friends as you get older. Also I needed to get a job. Which I did and I met lots of people, but that is not what my story is about. I hope you will all forgive me for any mistakes as I am not the journalist in the family both my son and my brother write for large papers.
I had all sorts of ideas what to do, work for a charity or do any sort of charity work. Then my partner and I went out to lunch in Ipswich and I saw this lady all dressed in purple with a large red hat on. So as I am a friendly sort of woman I spoke to her and asked what sort of club she belonged to. She told me she was part of the Red Hat Society and told me how to get on line and find out all about them I said thanks and did not give it to much more thought. Then one day, walking down the street after shopping with my hands absolutely full, three young men nearly walked into me and I then realised that I had become one of the “Invisible Women”. I thought that it I was never not noticed when I was young as I was lucky enough to be pretty and was always noticed.
I got online that night and looked up the Red Hat Society and thought but I wasn’t sure I could do it alone. So I rang up my friend and asked her if she would help me get it started. She was great! Looking back on it now it was not her thing but she said she would help as we could make new friends and start a new club for the town. Back online I got and joined up before I chickened out… I did not realise I had to call the Chapter something, or my self something.When I was running my hotels (that is a story for another time) I was called the Duchess so very quickly I put down the Country Duchess.
Now I had to get clothes and a hat and I am thinking oh my goodness what have I done… Me walking down the street in a hat! My friend and I went around to all of the different ladies we knew asking them to join us. We wanted to start on Melbourne Cup Day so we got two ladies and a couple of maybes.
We woke up very excited that cup day and a bit scared as we didn’t know many people in town and had booked a table for eight. So off we went all dressed up and the two other ladies came but no one else. We were a bit disappointed but now getting ladies out of their comfort zone was going to be hard work. It still is! We had so many wonderful comments from women who attended the event… I didn’t really think of it in a larger context… I just wanted to go out to lunch and met new people!
I felt after the day that I had started something wonderful, I just had to find out more about it as I am sure there is so many other ladies of my age younger and older who would feel like dressing up once or twice a month. As a very popular sitcom show used to say, we would talk about nothing. But no kids or husbands (that was the easy bit) talk or grandkids.
Now we had a beginning it was time to meet other groups…
Sparkles, brilliants, sequins, crystals. Shimmering eye make-up jewels on our faces. These are just a few things that make a Red Hat Lady stand out in a crowd. Other things like that awesome hat and dazzling jewellery add the finishing touches to a group of women that are truly amazing!
Why are they amazing? They are because they refuse to allow anyone to tell them to stay at home, to act their age, to be dowdy and dreary, to engage in only charitable activities or baby-siting. Every woman (there are a lot of us!) in the world who puts on the regalia and sallies forth to have fun, deserves high praise indeed!
Are you a member of the Red Hat society? What chapter are you in? What do you love about being apart of the group?
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