Red Hatters put their birthday hats on

By Lua Ikenasio

Jun 20, 2025

The Echuca Murray Border Belles Red Hatters’ birthday celebrations were in full swing. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

The Echuca Murray Border Belles Red Hatters donned their best red and purple outfits at noon on Wednesday to celebrate their one-year anniversary in style.

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They marked the major milestone with a celebratory lunch at the Echuca Workers Club with a few guests from the Kyabram Red Hatters chapter.

The members and guests all received a handmade brooch made by fellow member Sue Hawkins and a gift bag donated by Blue Illusions.

Echuca members Maz Smedley and Pam Kervin had a great time at the lunch. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

A raffle was also held with prizes donated from local fashion store, Taking Shape.

The Echuca Queen Jan Childs said she was overjoyed by the success of the group over the past year.

“It feels amazing. And I owe it all to the ladies who are in the group,” she said.

“We started out 12 months ago... I had called a meeting for information purposes.

“There were nine ladies who turned up, but not all of them decided to join because they said it wasn’t quite what they were looking for. We’re not an organisation, we’re a disorganisation.”

Echuca Queen Jan Childs gave a speech at the lunch, thanking all the members. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

Mrs Childs has been a Red Hatter for 16 years and when she moved to Echuca, she wanted to bring ‘Red Hatting’ to the local community.

The very first meeting was held 12 months ago at a local cafe and was an opportunity for potential members to learn about the history of the group.

Of the nine ladies who attended, six signed up and have been part of the group since.

Over the past 12 months, the Echuca group has recruited an additional eight members and has five honorary members from the Kyabram Red Hatters who support all of their events.

Kyabram Queen Marlene Kerwin holding a cheese board gifted to her by Jan Childs. Photo by JORDAN TOWNROW

They have met twice a month in the past year to enjoy lunches at local restaurants, attend events and to celebrate festive holidays such as Halloween and Christmas.

Mrs Childs said she had enjoyed being able to make real connections with and between the women in their first year of ‘hatting’.

“The beauty of it is, these ladies did not know each other 12 months ago,” she said.

“Some of them are recently bereaved, and they were looking for company.

“That has been a real blessing in this group, that we have been able to offer friendship where there was none.

“The most memorable thing for me, is every fortnight when I see them, they've all got a smile on their faces and anything that may have been troubling them (becomes) non-existent.”

To learn more about the Echuca Murray Border Belles Red Hatters and to get involved, contact Jan Childs on 0419 509 040.