Chers tous,
I hope you all had a wonderful festive season and also that
your New Year's resolutions include another year of membership with our
Alliance Française. We ended 2024 on a high note with a particularly successful
Coupe d’Antibes, 22 members in attendance and a hard-fought battle, brilliantly
won by Robert McCombie and Philip Woof, followed by Gabriel Roberts, Ray Coutts-Smith
and Mike Warren by a single point. Well done to all.
The following week, 30 members gathered around 3 tables at
the Sapphire Club to celebrate Christmas and the end of the year in good
spirits. You will find photos of the two events on pages 3 and 4.
No French January would be complete without the Galette des
Rois (King’s Cake), this flaky pastry, filled with frangipane, which comes with
a hidden fève (a small charm) and is accompanied by a golden paper crown. As
you may remember, the lucky person who finds the fève becomes ‘king’ or ‘queen’
for the day. Keen to keep this delightful tradition alive and in order to
create a moment of conviviality, we shared a galette at our Papotage et
Blahblah session on Monday 13 January. Our Queen for the day was Jessica Wyers.
I am writing these few lines from California, where I am
visiting my son, which means that I will not be able to join you for the
Welcome Party, on 8 February 2025, but I am sure that my absence won't affect
the good cheer and conversation of the evening! While I am on the subject of
the Welcome Party, here is an idea for the famous ‘bring a plate’: as you know,
on 2 February the French celebrate La Chandeleur, also known as the Festival of
Candles, a day dedicated to the making and eating of crêpes; crêpes can be
savoury or sweet, so perhaps some of you might decide to bring a plate of
crêpes to the party...
I have just discovered from the French Ambassador's New
Year's speech that 2024 marked 80 years of diplomatic relations between France
and Australia, with the French flag being raised for the first time in Canberra
on 9 November 1944 in what was to become the first French Embassy.
For film lovers, the 36th Alliance Française French Film
Festival returns in 2025. In Canberra, it will be held at the Palace Electric
Cinema from 6 March to 9 April 2025. Take a seat, put on your glasses, grab a
cup or glass of your favourite drink, and embark on a pleasurable read through
our newsletter.
Bonne lecture, Sylvie
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