Aussie Red Hatters bring friendship and dress-up to Queensland gathering

Aussie Red Hatters had registered 328 women from across Australia for the October Queensland Girlfriends Giggle, a gathering built around friendship and group activities, ABC reported on 18 October. Organiser Michelle Johnsson said the plans included viewing jacaranda trees and dancing at the Goodna Jacaranda Festival in Queensland.

Johnsson, who uses the name Queen Desiderata, called the convention’s theme ‘fun and flowers’. ABC identified it as the 16th convention for Aussie Red Hatters and the sixth coordinated by Johnsson, whose chapter is called the Magnificent Mesmerising M’Ladies.

What the Queensland gathering planned

‘Little old ladies with grey hair, they get overlooked quite a bit,’ Johnsson told ABC. She said the Red Hatters’ approach was that ‘we’re not going to get grey hair and do it quietly.’

How the Ruby Ragers build a social circle

In South Wollongong, the Ruby Ragers have about 50 members and have met since 2012, ABC reported. Members adopt royal-style names and gather monthly in red hats and purple clothing. Deborah Ricketts, the chapter’s queen, described it as a social group focused on enjoyment rather than fundraising.

Irma Facey, known as the Duchess of Bling Bling, told ABC she had spent 12 years finding outfits in opportunity shops for the outings. She said dressing that way alone could feel silly, but doing it with the group brought enjoyment and conversations with people they met.

Founding member Anne Darling told ABC the Australian group adopted the idea of the US Red Hat Society but is not affiliated with it. The US organisation says its first gathering took place on 25 April 1998 and describes its focus as fun, friendship, freedom, fitness and fulfilment. Darling similarly described the Ruby Ragers as a way for women to connect and explore new interests together.