Chers Amis
For the majority of us I expect that this will be the most memorable
Easter of our lives. Over the past month or so we have seen over a million of the world's
population diagnosed with Covid 19 and over 95,000 Covid-related deaths. The disease has caused mayhem for national economies and wrought havoc in the lives of millions around
the world who must comply
with lockdowns and social distancing. It seems in many respects that Australia has fared
better than many countries and while this is something for which we must be grateful, only continuing vigilance
will see our good fortune
continue. I wish you
all 'bon courage' and hope that you all
stay safe.
The social distancing requirements of both State and Commonwealth Governments have of course made all of our normal social
functions impossible. Regrettably, this includes most of the items we had on our exciting list of proposed new activities
for 2020. However, a unique
exception may well be the holding of French language
discussion groups as it seems that these
could be conducted
on-line via Zoom or some similar video
conferencing facility. Sylvie
Dubrulle is still accepting expressions of interest about this activity so please contact
her or Mike Warren if you would like to participate.
Finally, I would
like to congratulate our new Editor-in-Chief for La Mouette.
Trish Dive has taken over from Clive Roberts
who was our Editor for so many years. It was with great regret that we learned
that Clive is unwell
and unable to continue this work for our Alliance. I would like to thank Clive for all the many hours he has spent
harassing contributors, gathering
articles, editing drafts
and meeting deadlines as Editor of La Mouette
over the years and wish him a speedy recovery. I would also like to thank Trish for her generosity in taking on this serious
task in our organisation. Trish's work will be easier if
she receives regular contributions and reports
from members so please keep her in mind if you think
that you have something to offer.
Robert McCombie
Robert McCombie
