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FOR founding Red Hatters member Eileen Shergold dressing up in her red hat and purple outfit is one of the joys of being part of the colourful group of local ladies.

From the very first day when Florence Slattery created the Red Hat Society in Australia, Mrs Shergold has been there and she's loved every minute of it.

"Florence and I have been in various organisations together," she said.

"I think Florence was absolutely bedazzled by starting one up and what it's turned into - it's been very successful."

The Red Hatters, famous for their colour code of red hats and purple clothes, thrive in dressing up and having fun - a motto that really resonates with Mrs Shergold.

"There's something nice about getting all dressed up," she said.

"Life isn't the way it used to be - if you went out to lunch or dinner you used to put on a hat and gloves and dress up.

"It's good to dress up - nowadays people don't seem to care as much."

Even throughout her long work life, this Red Hatter loved to dress up.

"I've worked all my life and you had to be well dressed when you went to work," she said.

For a lot of the ladies in the Red Hat Society getting dressed up for the bi-monthly luncheon is one of the only times they can doll up and socialise with their friends.

When preparing for a Red Hatters luncheon, Mrs Shergold joked that 'chaos reigned'.

"It certainly takes a while to get ready," she said.

"I've got too many red hats - far too many red hats that I've accumulated over the years."

Behind the colourful outfits and chatty conversation, there lingers a strong sense of sisterhood and love among the Red Hatters.

In her 14 years as a Red Hatter, Mrs Shergold has seen many ladies come and go - all welcomed with open arms into the group.

"Being a country town we've all know each other for a long time," she said.

"Over the years ladies have moved and new ladies have come into the group.

"It's been lovely getting to know a lot of the new girls."

Even the ladies who do move to another town find themselves in a new group of Red Hatters, according to Mrs Shergold.

"If somebody does move to another town the first thing they try and find is the closest Red Hatters group," she said.