Victorian Queens

There is no set date for the Queen’s Council / Queenathon – They are held whenever the host chooses to run it!  But they are held annually.

• A vote was held at the 2016 Queenathon, where the majority decided that the 3rd or 4th weekend in May each year would the most suitable date.  The reason being that the start and end of the year are busy times and a lot of people go away in June/July.
• A vote was held at the 2018 Queenathon, where it was suggested that it would be beneficial for them to be hosted on a week day rather than a weekend – as the cost will usually be lower for all involved for midweek bookings.
• This was again discussed at the 2024 Queenathon where the majority agreed that it should be at a time and place of the hosts choosing. This includes time of year,
  time of the week, type of event (just Queens or including events for all Red Hatters). It was felt that the winter months (May-August) may be avoided due to a lot of ladies traveling.

The plan has been to try and alternate each year between a Melbourne area and a more Regional area.  As we have chapters all over Victoria, but more concentrated in the more metro areas, this approach was seen to be a good way to have the event in locations that share the travel distances a bit more evenly between our metro and regional chapters so that the regional ladies aren’t always being forced to travel all the way into Melbourne.

However this will depend on where the Queen who offers to host the next event resides, (eg if we do not have a regional Queen volunteer to host one year, then we may have 2 or more years in a row in Melbourne)

For those needing to stay overnight, making sure there is accommodation close to the venue would be welcomed, as would a venue within easy distance to public transport.
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Generally they are open to Queens, Vice Queens, Former Queens, Future Queens, Acting/Deputy Queens. Basically any Hatter that has an interest in the running of chapters.

So that Queens feel comfortable discussing all issues relating to running a chapter, and to keep the numbers at the event smaller, regular chapter members are not able to attend the event.  However someone who is interested in creating their own chapter (a potential “Future Queen”), is welcome to attend, as are former Queens (“Queen Mothers”) and if a Queen wishes to send a deputy in her place, that would be allowed.
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It’s not possible for everyone to attend every Queenathon.  For this reason we aim to make a summary available after each event, so that those who were not able to attend, can see what was discussed and any suggestions/ideas given. Most hosts also ask for an agenda beforehand, so you would be able to send in questions/topics to be discussed.

If a Queen can’t attend we encourage the Vice Queen to attend.  You may also send a trusted representative from your chapter if no Queen or Vice Queen is able to attend.
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Your Hatting colours – there is no other dresscode.  Some Queens like to have fun and dress up in their Royal attire with crowns and cloaks, but this is just like any other Red Hatting event where some ladies like their bling and accessories and others prefer to dress more casually.  If you look at photos from past Queenathons you will see that as with any event there is a wide range of attire.  You shouldn’t feel out of place no matter what you choose to wear.  it is completely up to you.
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Unless a particular Queenathon has a limited number of seats, there is no restriction on how many people attend, so long as they are of a Queen/ViceQueen type status.  Typically a Queen and Vice Queen from a chapter attend, sometimes only the Queen.  If a chapter has more than one Vice Queen (or Queen), they are likely to be welcome too.

However general chapter members are not allowed to attend a Queenathon, in part to keep numbers low.  If there are too many people then it makes discussions more difficult, so keeping the event smaller is important.
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Topics for discussion are raised, these may be things like how to get more members in, how to address a problem within a chapter or asking for new ideas for outings/games. Queens then discuss these topics and can make notes.  There will usually be a group photo, raffles/door prizes and a meal.  As each Queenathon is run by a different Queen, the way the event is run may be different each year.

As a bit of fun, a special welcome or little gift is often given out to a “virgin” Queen – one who has not previously attended a Queen’s Council.
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All Queens/ViceQueens are encouraged to attend, but it is not compulsory. As with any event, it is often disheartening if attendance is low, and having many Queens attend a Queenathon gives more knowledge and experiences to the group which can be very beneficial.  With the locations alternating there may be some locations that are a long distance away and you may be unable to attend.  We also realise some people are busy, have other commitments and get sick.
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Depending on where in Victoria you are, some years the Queenathon may be quite a distance from you.  It is impossible to always have them located conveniently for all members, so the idea to alternate regional/metro helps to avoid the same Queens traveling long distances to attend.  Some hosting Queens may arrange billeting accommodation to help those who need to stay overnight.  If you cannot attend one year due to the distance, hopefully the location for the following year will be closer to you.
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To make sure that Hatting stays fun and exciting.  Sharing of knowledge and providing a space where Queens can get help from others who may have experienced a similar issue.  While there may be some Queens who feel they don’t need to learn anything new, they could impart knowledge onto newer Queens who would greatly benefit from having more experienced Queens to talk to.  We always have new Queens joining us, and it’s important for them to have a place they can discuss chapter issues and learn new things.
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This is a very contentious issue, and it is best to handle this topic with the same spirit of friendship and fun that Hatting is about.

Some Hatters feel that anyone participating in a Hatting event should be properly registered with the Red Hat Society. Others feel that (for many reasons), registration should be up to the individual Hatter and should not be mandatory for attending any Australian Hatting event.

Over the years there have been several discussions on this, and ultimately the consensus is that event hosts are free to impose whatever restrictions on events as they deem necessary.

However it is worth noting that the majority of chapters (and Hatters) in Australia are not registered with the Red Hat Society, many who had been registered have dropped their memberships over the years for various reasons.

Restricting an event (particularly a Queenathon) to only registered members would severely limit the number of attendees and ultimately serve no benefit. The sharing of ideas, networking and support is important, regardless of whether or not the individuals hold a membership card.
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Costs should be kept reasonable to make sure more ladies can attend. For this reason it has been suggested that they are held as a lunchtime, midweek stand-alone event – even if they are part of a larger event, that the Queen’s Council have a separate booking to allow ladies to attend just that part if they cannot afford to attend the rest of the event.

A suggestion was made that it would be helpful if the cost could be kept at a fairly consistent amount, so that there wouldn’t be very elaborate expensive Queen’s
Councils some years that limit who can attend. No actual amount was discussed as being an ideal cost, as venue costs and other expenses will vary, but as a guide, a goal would be to keep costs at around $30-$50 per Queen.

As this is more of a meeting than a lavish affair, costs can be lowered if the meals are kept simple, guests are asked to bring their own notepad and pen to avoid having to provide these, and if gifts are kept minimal.

Search places like ebay for cheap items (often in bulk pricing) to help get the most value for money if you are buying small trinkets or prizes.

Decorations and other such items could be kept and given to the next host, to prevent unnecessary purchasing of items that could be shared and reused.

There were 6 tablerunners and a photography background, along with pens, notepads and bomboniere boxes passed on from the Wantirna Queen’s Council – but there current whereabouts are unknown.

Any additional unused money left over from the event could be donated to charity or passed on to the next host. When this was discussed at a Queen’s Council event, it was suggested that the hosting group decides which charity to donate to.
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When this has been discussed, opinions are varied.

Some feel it needs to be a stand alone event – having it the only thing planned for the event, to help keep the time commitment and cost low. As a result, some Queenathons have been a lunch event only with nothing additional.

Some feel that it needs to be part of a larger event, to make the travel more worthwhile for those who would need to find accommodation in the area to attend. As a result, some Queenathons have been part of a larger 2 day event where there has been a lunch/dinner open to all Hatters and then the Queenathon for Queen’s only.

Points to consider (that have been raised during discussions on this topic).

• Queen’s Council would need to be charged separately to the other components of the event, so that Queens can choose to only attend the Queen’s Council if they wish or cannot afford the rest of the event.
• An alternate activity (or activity ideas given) could be scheduled for the chapter members who accompany their Queen to the overall event but are unable to attend the Council
  event – as they may not know the area to know what to do with themselves while their Queens are off at the Queenathon
• Any alternative event however shouldn’t be too exciting that would discourage attendance of the Queen’s Council.
• Alternative activity ideas for husbands/partners could also be given, as some members are driven to events by their husbands.

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As this has been brought up a few times, I’ll explain the hosting situation for transparency. The 2 domains are registered through “Godaddy”, which is a US based company (with an Australian office). WordPress mapping cost is in US dollars, as they are a US company. It has been asked before if we can change to an Australia host (as some Hatters would prefer the money go to an Aussie host), and while I understand why this would seem to be a good idea, it would likely cost more to do so because GoDaddy is highly reputable with good pricing.  (I also use them for my other unrelated websites, so keeping them all with the one company is MUCH easier for me)

Red Hats Vic uses a free WordPress site, with “mapping” to link the redhatsvictoria.com domain name to it – which is why it displays advertisements (I cannot control them, they come from WordPress because it’s a free site.  When I created the site there, the ads were small and infrequent, but now they have become obnoxious). Aussie Hatting is on server space I pay for personally, because I host other unrelated websites as well.  I do not include that in the costs because it doesn’t cost me extra to have it there (This is why there are no ads on that site, because it’s on paid webhosting).  The reason RHV uses the free wordpress site is because I set that website up before I got my paid hosting, and I’ve kept it on the free site so that it could be passed on to someone else in the future if needed (not that I anticipate that happening for a long time yet).