From the President

A big “MERCI” to everyone who made our French visitors, Magalie and Rodolphe, feel most welcome at our Alliance Française de la Côte de Saphir. After joining us for a number of functions, they have returned home to Paris, and we look forward to meeting the next of Simon and Brigitte’s visitors in August.

As one of seven participants in last month’s French Conversation for Beginners, I would like to congratulate Robert for a most enjoyable and informative session. The new format proved to be well structured, practical and instructive; thank you Robert, I look forward to the next gathering.

Once again, the Film Night proved popular with about forty members and guests attending; although I hear there was a mixed reaction to the film itself, “Etre et Avoir’. I hope it stimulated lively conversation at the dinner which followed.

Your Committee is endeavouring to provide a variety of events for your entertainment and we thank you wholeheartedly for supporting them. Please see the upcoming offerings further on in this edition.

Gai Jacobs

Chasse aux oeufs de Pâques et de pique-nique français

On Easter Monday 28th March, 14 members and guests gathered at the beautiful Bald Hills property of Alliance Française member Narelle Sheridan for a French pique-nique and Easter Egg Hunt.

The garden and surrounds provided a challenging hunting ground for this group of intrepid chocoholics and Mike Warren had done a great job, placing coloured paddle-pop sticks (in lieu of chocolate eggs, due to possible pilfering from one little dog or other random wildlife) discreetly amongst the rocks, garden beds and branches of trees.

This event proved to be highly competitive with a certain degree of stealth being employed by some egg hunters!

There was a pause for morning tea, after which searching was resumed to find the last of the missing sticks, which were then exchanged for chocolate eggs. Some physical exercise was definitely required after morning tea and/or chocolate egg sampling and so an impromptu game of pétanque was organised on the lawn next to  the house. Playing on grass with its dips and furrows, a totally different playing surface to Mandeni, proved to be quite a challenge and created much entertainment. Due to the small number of boules available everyone played with one boule each, men versus women, with the women proving victorious.

Despite the overcast and cool weather everyone was able to enjoy their self-catered picnics on the lawn while appreciating the lovely garden with roses, lavender and other varied shrubs and trees surrounding the house and colourful birdlife coming to visit.

Our guests for the day, a delightful young French couple from Paris, Magalie and Rodolphe joined in the fun with good humour and often bemused expressions as they tried to come to grips with our local interpretation of a French styled pique-nique!

Sincere thanks go to Narelle Sheridan for so generously agreeing to host this event and also to Mike Warren for organising the Easter eggs and hunt and also the necessary correspondence and publicity.

Julie Welsh

Our Welcome Party for 2016 proved to be another successful gathering on a fine Saturday evening in February, at the beautiful home of Mike and Lilias Warren. A small group of members had spent the afternoon decorating and preparing the house to accommodate thirty four seated guests, à table, creating an ambiance reminiscent of a French Bistro (even the butter for the baguettes was from Normandy!)

Comme d’habitude, each guest was welcomed with a Kir Royale on arrival and it wasn’t long before the place was abuzz with lively conversation. Once again, the food prepared by the guests was delicious and plentiful, and I even heard a few of the men complaining, as they were leaving, about having eaten too much! Mon Dieu! I must agree though, that it was very hard not to be tempted to second and third helpings!

In previous years, it has been the tradition at this function to present the Plaque for the Coupe d’Antibes to the winners of the competition held at the Christmas party. The winners on this occasion were “Les Champions”, (Bénédicte Morrow, Davina Hewes and Mike Warren). Since they had already been presented with the Coupe on the day, Mike and Davina, in Bénédicte’s absence, chose to forgo the official presentation and accepted the Plaque quietly at their table.

Fortunately, Bill Schwenson was on hand to make a wonderful acceptance speech, on behalf of the winners, in perfect pidgin French; we are so fortunate to have someone as accomplished as Bill to step up to the mark at such short notice! As the last place on the current plaque was filled with the inscription of the winners’ names, the committee has decided not to purchase another. Although it has been fun, there is the problem of storage and cost, and it seems that most members are happy to receive the prizes, and be presented with the Coupe on the day.

On behalf of everyone who attended, I want to thank Mike and Lilias for offering their home for this function, and for the great effort they, and their friends, put into making it so “à la française”, and accommodating. Your hospitality is sincerely appreciated, thank you.

On another note, I want to wish Brigitte and Simon, “Bon Voyage”, as they leave us in March to travel overseas for six months; I for one am extremely envious! They are having a couple of French guests stay in their house while they are away, and I am hoping that we will be able to welcome them to some of our functions. I am sure that they would also enjoy the company and conversation of our more fluent French speaking members. Watch this space!

A bientôt

Gai Jacobs

Bonne année et bienvenue à 2016 !!

I sincerely hope that you all had a wonderful time with family and friends over the break. It can be hectic trying to cram a year’s worth of fun into a few weeks, with those we only see at this time of year; but it’s always well worth it!

The new year, for our Alliance, brings with it a change of positions within our Committee. With some sadness, we farewell Margaret Gaunson as Secretary, while at the same time we are very happy to have her remain as a Committee member for the remainder of the year. As we all know, although the President of any group is the ‘front man’, it is the Secretary who really runs the show! Margaret has been the guiding hand of Alliance Française de la Côte de Saphir for more years than she would have liked, but in consideration of the group, has carried on until a new Secretary could be found.
I want to acknowledge here Margaret’s dedication, efficiency, energy, initiative, drive and rigour in her role over the years. We have been most fortunate to have had her expertise to rely upon when dealing with matters regarding insurance, the bureaucracy in Paris, running the AGM correctly, asset keeping and historical record keeping. There are far too many ‘little’ things that she keeps an eye on to mention here, but please know, Margaret, that all you have done over the years is greatly appreciated by the rest of the Committee and indeed the wider membership. Thank you.

So, on that note, we must now welcome our new Secretary, Mike Warren, who has so graciously taken up the charge, and has some rather impressive credentials to bring to the position as well. We thank you, Mike, for taking on this role and affording Margaret the break she truly deserves.

Well, your Alliance Committee is trying to plan a fun-filled 2016 for you, commencing with the Welcome Party on 13 February at Tura Beach. All the details can be found elsewhere in this newsletter, so please reply ASAP.

This year, we are hoping to have two movie events, as they have been so popular, an Easter Egg Hunt and French picnic, Bastille Day get-together, as well as the regular activities of Pétanque and Saturday Conversation mornings. If any of you have some ideas about what you would like us to be doing for you, please contact any one of the Committee members (details in La Mouette) - we are always open to suggestions and eager to hear from you.

Mike Warren has updated the Blog, so if you want to visit http://www.afsaphir.blogspot.com.au/ you will find lots of interesting information about all things French, as well as the main articles from La Mouette. Membership subscriptions are now due, so please send your cheque or EFT payment immediately, in order to enjoy the many functions to be provided in 2016. Tell your friends too, as they say in the classics, “Plus on est de fous, plus on rit!!”

À bientôt. Gai Jacobs
Mme la Présidente

Je Suis Paris, Nous Sommes Unis

In this time of great tragedy and sadness, we stand in solidarity and support with our French neighbours, against the barbaric assault on humanity which has taken place in Paris recently. And, of course, let us not forget those who have suffered such atrocities all over the globe, including Australia. I know many of our members have visited Paris only this year, and it is difficult to comprehend how something so horrific could happen in this beautiful, exciting and vibrant city which is loved by so many. I have no doubt that “liberté, égalité et fraternité” will prevail over this evil, and peace will be the sweetest revenge.

Vive la France!

On the home front now, and as from this issue, we have a new editor of La Mouette. Clive Roberts has taken over the task from Regine Kasper, who has produced the newsletter for the past 8 years. You can read Regine’s story further on in this issue, but on behalf of all members of the Alliance Française de la Côte de Saphir, I want to sincerely thank Regine for her remarkable contribution to the group by ensuring that La Mouette was issued expeditiously each month for our enjoyment. Anyone who has had to undertake such a task will appreciate what an enormous commitment this is; the deadline looms large every single month and cannot be ignored; I think most of us just take it for granted that La Mouette will appear before the start of each month without giving much thought to how it actually gets there! Well, please know, Regine, that your enduring dedication is greatly appreciated. We also thank Clive for stepping into these very large shoes and wish him well in the task ahead. Clive has already had some experience in producing the newsletter and acquitted himself splendidly!

Gai Jacobs
Mme la Présidente

French influence in Morocco

Did you know.... ... that in 1912, French parfumeurs began to mass cultivate the bush Rosa centifolia in Morocco's Vallée des Roses, and today there are hundreds of kilometers of rose hedges and two factories in the valley distilling rose essence? That the Barbary lion is Morocco's national animal?  That the liver, not the heart, is considered to be the symbol of love in Morocco?  That Morocco is the largest processor and exporter of sardines in the world?

Well, if you came to the Moroccan Lunch at the Wharf Restaurant on Sunday, the 11th of October, you would know all of this and more! The eighteen diners were well entertained with good company, good food and good fun by means of the trivia quiz researched and delivered by our own "Michel Lapin".

If you missed that one, don't despair, as there are more opportunities coming up: the first of which is the Christmas picnic and pétanque day at Mandeni on 29 November. Please mark the day in your diary now!

Touch of Red – Starting the Year in French Style

In lieu of starting 2015 with a ‘bang’, our Alliance Française de la Côte de Saphir, started it with the ‘pop’ of champagne corks! (Seems like this is how we start most of our events!!!!!) 

Thanks to the generous hospitality of our hosts, Margaret and Bruce Gaunson, La Fête de Bienvenue, or Welcome Party, was another wonderful evening, celebrated in French style with friends, fabulous food and fine wine. This year, since the day happened to fall on 14 February, it was themed for Valentine’s Day as “A Touch of Red”. Everyone joined the fun by wearing something red, and those, who had no red to wear, brought it bottled! Once again the quality and variety of the dishes, provided by those attending, was remarkable and there were very few crumbs of anything left over.