The Easter parade came early this year when members of a local charity donned one-of-a-kind bonnets for a special hat parade.

The hat parade was to mark the Altrusa Club of Bermuda's 50th anniversary and the 83rd birthday of the International Altrusa Club.

Established in 1917 in Nashville, Tennessee, the Altrusa Club is an international volunteer service organisation of business and professional leaders dedicated to improving their communities through personal service.

Saturday's anniversary luncheon, held at the Harmony Club in Paget, featured dozens of Altrusans sporting regal and exotic headgear, many of which were homemade.

"We get some really exotic creations,'' said local Altrusan Marion Cumming.

"You never know what will show up! "We have prizes for the biggest, smallest, most original, most beautiful and the most celebratory hat.'' Mrs. Cumming said the event was a chance for members to get together, let their hair down and have some good, old-fashioned fun.

"In spite of all of the hard work we do, we know how to have fun and laugh,'' she said.

"We're a very warm and friendly club. Basically, we know how to do good work and have fun.'' For years the Altrusa Club of Bermuda has been quietly performing random acts of kindness both on Island and abroad.

"We fold the Christmas seals for TB, Cancer and Health and sell them at the Post Office,'' said Mrs. Cumming. "We support the Extended Care Unit at the hospital, host teas at seniors' homes, help out with various tag days and give gifts to St. Brendan's. We also have three foster children overseas.

"We like to do hands-on service and assist people that need help.'' And their good deeds do not go unnoticed. Visiting American Altrusan Sandy LaBonte said the heavy workload undertaken by the local club was well-known by their US counterparts.

"Bermuda is one of the most active clubs,'' she pointed out.

As governor of District One, the governing body of the Altrusa Club of Bermuda, Mrs. LaBonte made a four-day visit to the Island to help mark the local club's half-century milestone.

" I'm here for the anniversary luncheon,'' she said. "I will speak at the luncheon and give them some news on what's going on in our district. There are a total of 21 clubs in District One.'' However, Mrs. LaBonte's whirlwind visit was not just a social one as plenty of hard work was accomplished for an upcoming conference.

"I'm also here to plan the annual Spring Conference for our district,'' she revealed. "It will be held in Bermuda next March and we're expecting about 100 members to attend, most of them will be American.'' Altrusa International Inc. Bermuda is a member of District One which includes the New England states and the province of Quebec, Canada. The local club was chartered in 1941.

The Bermudian club functions independently of the district and international bodies, although it does follow their guidelines. The club chooses its own projects, has its own board of directors and meets on a regular basis.

Every local Altrusan belongs to one or more committees and actively participates in all service projects. According to Mrs. Cumming this helps to create a special camaraderie among members.

Altrusa International has 15 districts worldwide, each with its own governing body and own annual conferences. In total there are more than 500 clubs which come together every two years at the International Convention.

The 15,000-strong membership spans the four-corners of the world and is active in such countries as Russia, Korea, South America and New Zealand.