Imagine there was no washing.

It isn’t hard to do.

Nothing to clean or iron, and no dryer too.

Imagine all the people, living in the nude.

Cairns’ only nudist club doesn’t need to imagine, as this year they will gear up, or more precisely gear off, for their 20th anniversary.

And while the birthday suit is something normally reserved for the actual day of birth, this won’t be the case for members of the Barrier Reef Sun Club, who have exposed plans to celebrate by doing what they do best, letting it all hang out.

Nancy and Ian Watters have been members of the club for seven years and have enjoyed every breezy minute of it.

"The club is such a supportive group of people to be around," Nancy said.

"It’s just the same as any group really."

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Ian, who took a break from hosing mould off his driveway – in the nude – to talk to The Cairns Post, said there’s more laughing in the club than other clubs.

"We’re all just a bunch of deviants," he said jokingly.

"There’s always a lot of joking and carrying on."

Nancy and Ian first met when they were just 17 and 18 at a youth group in southern Queensland.

They married when they were 20 and 21 and recently celebrated being by each other’s naked sides for 43 years.

"It’s a great way to spend your life," Nancy said.

"We have a wonderful life. We both paint, do craft and woodwork (nude).

"We’re just the same as everyone else, we just like being nude.

"It’s definitely more comfortable, and it’s a great stress buster.

"We do everything in the nude; mowing, mulching, gardening.

"We always seem to have a lot of laughs and that’s good for your health."

Nancy and Ian have built their house into what they described as their own private little Garden of Eden, where they can live naked without upsetting the public.

"You have to wear clothes in public because it’s the law," Nancy said.

"Our neighbours do know, though."

Fully clothed, Nancy and Ian are as normal as they come, they have had active working lives and they have a loving, supportive family, including two children and two grandchildren.

"Everyone knows we are nudists," Nancy said.

"We don’t hide the fact at all. But we wear clothes when they visit out of respect.

"We are very loveable parents, and grandparents, we just love to run around in the nuddy.

"We’re just nice little old harmless people who like to take their clothes off, that’s all."

When they are not with family or gardening in the nude, Ian and Nancy like hanging out – literally – with their nudist mates.

And there are probably more than you think.

The club currently has 70 members, with members coming and going frequently.

"It’s always a bit of a shock for newcomers, because we are all normal, and I think it’s a
bit boring for them," Ian said.

"Anyone who comes is welcomed.

"I’ve been in a lot of clubs over the years, but I’ve never been welcomed the way you get welcomed into the nudist movement. It’s really a bit of a fraternity and its catching."

Although most members are relatively senior, with the youngest member 35 and the oldest member, Dick, 85 – yes that is his name – the club hopes to get more young people to join.

Club vice president, Lillian Allen, 60, said it was hard to get younger people involved, because a lot of them have children.

"The younger generation think we’re a bunch of old fuddy duddies," she said.

Apart from a slightly skewed demographic, Mrs Allen said the club has attracted a broad variety of people, of all shapes and sizes.

"Once you’ve all taken you’re clothes off, you’re equal," she said.

"It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what clothes you have.

"We all check each other out when we first get there, but after that we are all equal.

"We’ve got a couple of members who’ve had their breasts removed and there are guys with scars, but it’s the friendship and freedom you get that attracts people.

"One of our members died not long ago, and we all turned up to the funeral, and their family were quite surprised we were all normal."

Mrs Allen said nudists are often misunderstood with their lifestyle frowned upon by the general public.

"We’re definitely not into wife swapping or anything like that," she said.

"We have a code of conduct.

"It’s exactly the same as if you join a golf or tennis club.

"You don’t just go and pee in front of anyone and for health reasons you sit on a towel."

Mrs Allen said the well-publicised month-long sex orgy held earlier this year at the White Cockatoo Nudist resort in Port Douglas was a harsh blow to the nudist image.

"I think it really downgraded the movement," she said.

"The nudist community was genuinely disgusted with that.

"It’s not what we are about. We do the right thing.

"We donated to the flood victims, the Victorian bushfire victims, the tsunami victims, and also to the Pink Ribbon Appeal.

"We raise money every time we have an event."

They hold a function the first weekend of every month and they also recently spent the long weekend at a cattle property in Mareeba where they enjoyed cricket, canoeing and tug of war (with rope).

Celebrations for the anniversary will be held at the club house, located on the Tableland, on September 5.

They will include an afternoon of fun and games, a three-course meal, and a birthday cake, with entertainment provided by Bob The Music Man, who will play nude for the occasion.

Anyone interested in joining the nudist club can call Lillian on 4085 0046.

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