North East residents celebrate their 80th birthdays and friendship

About 20 80-year-olds and their partners or friends from places like Mount Beauty, Tawonga, Dederang, Kergunyah, Kiewa, Baranduda and Wodonga came together at the Dederang Hotel for lunch on Wednesday.

The 1941-born friends started their birthday catch-ups 20 years ago when they all turned 60, then celebrated again when they all turned 70.

Event organiser and 80-year-old Beverley Simpson said the group decided to get together sooner and celebrate their 75^th birthdays in 2016, after some people died between the 60^th and 70^th catch-ups.

"We decided on 75 because we had a couple of losses, and when we were 75 we thought we'd better make it 80," she said.

"We love it, well we do, we just look forward to it.

"It is good and I think it's nice to remember the ones we've lost."

IN OTHER NEWS:

Mrs Simpson said this year attendees were encouraged to bring a friend if their partner had passed away or couldn't be there.

"There are I think maybe five visitor friends with some who haven't brought a husband or who lost a husband or wife," she said.

"We still want that bond if we do lose somebody.

"We do remark on every birthday is special ,why not make one extra special and these are the ways we look at this is extra special."

Dederang Hotel publican Tom Scott has been watching the group's regular gathering in his 10 years working at the pub.

"It's really wholesome, it pulls at the heartstrings because you sort of know for them it's such a big day and they love it," he said.

"It's really really meaningful and for us we just get to witness it.

"I was just talking to a gentleman before about it and it's not something you see everyday."

Mr Scott said if he and his friends lived to 80 years he hoped they would have a similar get together.

"You see everyone smiling and having fun just enjoying their own company and they're all looking really well and healthy," he said.

"It makes me think I should do something with my mates around the same sort of idea.

"I think everyone should, it sort of makes you feel a little bit young when you're standing next to them all, but in their eyes they're all 20 again."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: