Women's group vows they're 'not going to get grey hair and do it quietly'

To join any of the 370 Aussie Red Hatter chapters across Australia you must be a woman over 50 with a flair for dressing up, have an instinct for fun, and a royal name.

Anne Darling, aka Lady Darling Buds of May, is a founding member of South Wollongong's Ruby Ragers, an offshoot of the internationally renowned Red Hat Society.

The society started in the US in 1998 and quickly spread to more than 30 countries, as thousands of women across the globe celebrated a social club prioritising fun and friendship.

"We are a worldwide group of ladies, and it's purely a social group that connects, supports and encourages women in their pursuit of fun, friendship, freedom, fulfilment and fitness," Ms Darling said.

"When you're younger you compete with each other but that doesn't happen in this group.

"We're happy to share, discover and explore new interests constantly."

Aussie Red Hatters

The Queensland Girlfriends Giggle 2026 is the 16th convention for Aussie Red Hatters and the sixth one coordinated by Michelle Johnsson, aka Queen Desiderata from Brisbane Western Suburbs.

With 328 ladies registered from across Australia, the theme for October's event is fun and flowers, said Ms Johnsson, whose chapter is the wonderfully alliterative Magnificent Mesmerising M'Ladies.

Conventions organised by Ms Johnsson have taken place across the state, with this year's meet spotlighting Brisbane's Goodna Jacaranda Festival.

"On Friday we've got boats cruising to see the jacaranda trees in bloom, then on Saturday we're going to the Goodna Jacaranda Festival to do a flash mob dance to the hokey pokey," Ms Johnsson said.

The 75-year-old convenor said the goal was, as always, to "have a lot of fun".

"We've got an op-shop subgroup, a reading group, a coffee group and we've got really strong card players, and of course we've got a dance troupe who have been dancing for 18 years together now and we just have fun," she said.

"Two-thirds of my ladies are single, so it's their social life."

Women just want to have fun

The Ruby Ragers, a group of 50 ladies, held their first meeting in 2012 and a website, Aussie Hatting, lists nationwide chapters, events and notices.

"The Red Hat Society started in America in 1998 and the Australian group have the same name, but we aren't affiliated with them," Ms Darling said.

A poem written in 1961 by English poet Jenny Joseph, titled Warning, inspired the society.

"It was after the war years and she was tired of having to scrimp and save and she said when she got older she's going to do things she could never do, and would never have been allowed to do, like wear clothes that didn't match, hence the red hat and the purple clothes," Ms Darling said.

"An America woman saw the poem in England, thought it would be a good joke to send to her friend and bought her a red hat and a purple outfit."

And that is where it started, a simple poem reflecting on the theme of aging.

The Ruby Ragers

Whilst being a member of the society requires one to have a royal name, having an alter ego also helps says Deborah Ricketts, Queen of South Wollongong's Ruby Ragers.

"I think wearing this outfit gives you the confidence to go beyond what you would normally do yourself," she said.

"In my normal dress I wear plain jeans and T-shirts but come to Red Hats and I've got bling galore.

"It's purely a social group, we don't raise money or anything special other than have fun."

For the past 12 years, Irma Facey, Duchess of Bling Bling, has rummaged through opportunity shops for purple clothes and red hats to wear at the monthly outings.

"On my own I feel quite silly but with the whole group we just love it and we get so many comments, so many questions, people come up and say, 'Oh, you all look beautiful,'" she said.

"So, we're out there alright, it's just little girls dress-ups, but we're not little girls anymore," she said.