MEMBERS of Airlie's legendary Rough As Guts, Entertainment, Social and Sporting Club (RAGS) are attending a 35-year reunion, next Friday, August 1.

The event is also a celebration of club president Ashley Kennedy's 65th birthday and will be held at the Airlie Beach Hotel, where Mr Kennedy worked as a barman in 1978 and celebrated his 30th birthday in 1979.

It was also in 1979 that Mr Kennedy took over from Pieter Koster as president of RAGS.

With "nothing to do" between Sunday sessions back then, it was Mr Kennedy's job to expand the club's social activities, which ranged from games of cricket, soccer and football, to trips out to Cedar Creek Falls and Earlando's. Fancy Dress was a regular monthly event and club members often wore iron-on RAGS T-shirts, sporting their nicknames, by which they were known.

The club's event schedule expanded over the years, as did the members' antics, and there was even a RAGS house, at the current Blue Bay Estate. Mr Kennedy said here, many a "hungi" was held, resulting in "some of the biggest parties out of our town".

All those who were involved in the good old days of RAGS and the Airlie Beach Hotel, are welcome to join in the reunion, which will take place while the Porters Fireworks set the 2014 Whitsunday Reef Festival off with a bang.

For more information, contact Ashley Kennedy on 0459 903 588.