SOME dinner guests in Dederang this week thought 1941 was a pretty good year.
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For that is when 21 of the 36-strong group were born, with Wednesday’s function being the third time they have celebrated this connection.
One of the organisers, Kergunyah’s Beverley Simpson said the occasion evolved 15 years ago after two or three friends got talking.
“I think women especially are good talkers,” she said with a laugh.
“We called ourselves the 1941 models and that was just because we were born that year and it was decided why not go out for a meal?
“It was nothing to do with the school, it was just people over the years worked out who was who.”
The original 2001 dinner at Wodonga’s Blazing Stump Hotel attracted 18 “1941 models” as well as 12 partners.
The night proved so successful participants immediately decided another event should be held when they turned 70.
Ten years later, 43 people met at the Dederang Hotel, chosen as a more convenient location overall.
The next celebration at the same venue came around more quickly.
“We said after we were 70, ‘Let’s do it sooner than 80’, so we just settled on 75,” Mrs Simpson said.
People travelled from Yackandandah, Wodonga, Tawonga, Baranduda, Tangambalanga and beyond for the latest event, held as usual between Christmas and New Year.
“We were pretty sure by then everybody would have had their birthday,” Mrs Simpson said.
Robert Reid acted as MC and his wife Thelma provided some piano accordion music during the evening.
Deciding who cuts the birthday cake is difficult among that many candidates, so numbers are drawn, with Roly Howard winning the honour this time.
“We sing to us, ourselves, or us, or you, but we do have Happy Birthday because we do need to do that,” Mrs Simpson said.
She and fellow organiser Barbara Wallace were thrilled by the night’s success.
“Nobody really wanted to go home,” she said.
“They were just so happy sitting around, talking.”
Although not all are close friends, many of the group members have a farming background and share common interests.
“We’ve all been country people,” Mrs Simpson said.
“You’ve always had members of the community, with sport, so you do cross paths quite a bit.
“They catch up through the fire brigade or Red Cross or the CWA, just because of being all locals.
“There seems to be plenty to talk about when we’re together.”
