From Doug Jones

It wasn't just a countdown to midnight, garnished with some colourful party hats, screeching whistles, busting poppers and ceiling-hugging helium balloons. And a band playing long-lost oldies with no rhyme and not enough reason. Not by a long chalk!

The Bellbirds have ushered in New Years in excess of forty something. They have not only done better by the year, but they have also leapt a notch or two event after event. Importantly, the Bellbirds have made a habit of it - a good habit, may I remind you, that brings a lot of gratification to hundreds of their guests, friends and supporters year in and year out.

No better an example of this than the way they planned and executed their New Year's Eve ball to welcome the fresh decade 2010, for their 180 revellers who have come to place their trust in the Bellbirds way of giving all of one hundred per cent and nothing less.

What's more, this time the Bellbirds exceeded everybody's expectations.

After the formalities of entry to the Three Star Ballroom of the Ridges Hotel in Rosehill were done with (and let me assure you, the Rydges' staff were the best of the hospitably best on the night) guests walked in to a cosy romantic ambience of glitter and glamour without being overawed off their feet. The decor was something else – inviting, simple and classic. The silvery twigs upright and embedded in granular sand in long glass jars forecast the ongoing drought-stricken Sydney summers, soon to be calmed and subdued by the soothing white of table cloths and the typical NYE colours and hues.

The three-course dinner was gormandisingly great. Hats off to the Chef (Sorry, no pun intended). Mr Johnnie Walker kept walking on across each table as did good reds and whites to the delectation of all those connoisseurs of the fine stuff.

The inevitable door prize and raffle draw came as a finale. An absolute success - the raffle draw I mean. Word got round that Bellbirds Secretary Hyacinth Jones was in a generous frame of mind and made the major prize, a hamper worth much more than the cost of two tickets to attend the ball. Golly gosh! At a lazy dollar a raffle ticket anyone would have enjoyed a flutter. One happy lady won the big hamper while seven others had to be content with the minor consolations -by no means trivial items either

And the band, what can anyone say except: “Brother, didn't you dish out some!” To Gehan Gunasekera, Darrel de Silva, maestro Randy Peries, Deva Wickramasinge and the lady vocalist Melanie -who took the breath out of many a male at my table - a thousand salaams. You guys kept the ‘floor' show going like there was no tomorrow.

Much of the kudos for this great night must go to President Jill Foenander whose gentle persuasion and encouragement somehow brings out the acme of achievement in her committee made up of the most dedicated and creative people.

Jill always publicly thanks all those who support the Bellbirds Club. She's made a habit of this. There is no doubt that with Jill at the helm, the Bellbirds habit of excelling previous performances will continue to be the good habit we will look forward to with lots of anticipation.

Click here to view an album of photos submitted by Doug Jones