When a woman reaches that magical age of 50, they often become ‘invisible'.
Invisible as consumers, invisible as the ‘eye candy' they were once were considered to be, and very often invisible in terms of the contribution they make to our communities.
'While we are no longer mothers at the school gate, we do often pick up the pieces regarding the care of grandchildren in the school holidays and other such times to allow parents to continue in their careers,” says Rosemary Sloman, also known as Lady Sultana Rose.
'We are not the yummy mummies sipping soy lattes between appointments, however we remain a force to be reckoned with.”
The Red Hat Society is a world-wide group that acknowledges the ‘invisible' women and promotes fun, friendship and fellowship.
In Tauranga there are three registered and affiliated Red Hat Society groups: The Ever-Ready's, The Red Bay Ewes and The Welcoming Babes.
'We make up the vital infrastructure of volunteers, which our communities, our health system and our social agencies would be utterly lost without, even though we are almost invisible,” says Rosemary.
'It is almost 20 years since that first red hat was gifted to a friend on her 50th birthday, to say ‘being 50 could be the start of something magical' and it has gone on to become a visible icon for older women.”
In September 2019, a significant number of Red Hat Society ladies from across New Zealand and Australia will assemble at Tauranga Racecourse for the annual Red Hat Convention.
'Look out Tauranga, these ladies will spend up a storm and our convention team are preparing ourselves to give them the time of their lives, creating memories that will stay with them when they leave our abundant and plentiful region.”
Each group provides a safe environment for women new to the district, or perhaps newly retired, and for those who have no established support systems.
'To be a successful ‘Red Hatter', one must have the energy to commit to having fun, and be willing to support causes within the district to help build on better health and well-being for women.”
The Red Hatter ladies are often invited to help out with local charitable causes and encouraged to add colour to public events such as the annual Christmas Parade, Jazz Festival, Waipuna Hospice concerts, Te Puna Quarry Park Tauranga Rotary Duck Race and assist at FASH.
They also host a Pink breakfast each year and support community initiatives such as the Tarnished Frocks and Divas.