From the President

Chers Amis

As you will all be aware, the Alliance Française de la Côte de Saphir likes to remain at the forefront of technology and innovation and, as President, I wondered for a while if it would be more appropriate for me to just tweet my Christmas item to you rather than have it appear in La Mouette. However, while conceding the considerable economies of thought and writing inherent in tweeting, I thought it better to observe established tradition.

2017 saw a full program of special events for the Alliance and our petanque games continued to provide regular opportunities for our members to meet and enjoy friendly competition, good food and wine in a relaxed atmosphere. Your committee is currently formulating a program for 2018 with some new and exciting events and we would welcome your suggestions and ideas for making next year even better. If you have any good ideas, just send them in an e-mail (or tweet) to me or any of the Committee members.

2017 in the land of the Alliance was calm and comfortable, located as we are in a small regional town of a country on the second last stop to the Antarctic (apologies to our Kiwi brothers and sisters), and our greatest challenges remained small and manageable. The pages of La Mouette have recorded our travels to France and other countries enjoying their food and marvelling at the sights. In 2018, however, the impact of international and national political, economic and security issues could reach even as far as us, possibly making us less adventurous.

Good reason therefore for us all to celebrate the best of French and Australian culture in the company of friends at home in the Alliance. May you all have a happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.

Meilleurs voeux, Rob McCombie