Journey of a lifetime to Villers-Bretonneux, France

(posted 25.03.10, updated 20.04.10)

Volcanic ash delays students' return

Matthew Flinders Anglican College students are off on a journey of a lifetime to France, immersing themselves in the country during a three-week tour and also paying their respects to fallen Diggers.

Thirty-one Flinders students are taking part in the tour from March 29 to April 17. The trip will take in Villers-Bretonneux, the scene of a fierce battle during World War 1 where 1200 brave Australian lives were lost.

As part of their studies, each of the visiting students has researched one of the fallen soldiers and written a biography in both French and English.  

The biographies will be left at Villers-Bretonneux. (Read student biographies)

Matthew Flinders Anglican College French Head of Department Jane Boussalem said she had been surprised at the enthusiasm with which the students had tackled the task.

"I was thinking, 'They are young. Do they want to bother with something that happened in the First World War?"' she said.

"They did it with passion. They thought it was really good, what they were doing."

Thanks must go to Mr Tony Dick, who had the idea of taking the students to Villers-Bretonneux during the 2010 French tour, and to the Nambour and Maroochy RSLs for donating money towards the students' trip. Students will lay a wreath at Villers-Bretonneux on behalf of one of the RSLs.

The trip, which will take in sights such as the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Versailles and Notre Dame, will be the second organised by the school. It follows an inaugural tour two years ago.

Ms Boussalem said the trip gave the students the opportunity not only to improve their French language skills but also to absorb some fo the country's history, culture and lifestyle.

The students will go to two schools in France and will be billeted with the French students and their families. The French students will then visit the Sunshine Coast for three weeks in July, staying with their Flinders hosts, attending College and visiting local attractions.

Ms Boussalem said they had already been in contact with host families and would not be meeting strangers. "Everybody's excited to be meeting each other."

Ms Boussalem said she hoped the relationships students formed with their French buddies would be ongoing. "The students who went two years ago finished Year 12 last year and some of them are still in touch with their French buddies," she said.

French-born Ms Boussalem has witnessed a surge in popularity of French since she arrived at the school five years ago.

Year 12 student Chase O'Connell, who has studied French for four-and-a-half years, said he was interested not only in speaking French, but also understanding the French.

"I do enjoy it. It's good to open my mind to other cultures," he said.

"I really enjoy learning about France as much as learning about the language," he said.

Chase, who researched a soldier from Bundaberg for the Villers-Bretonneux visit, said it had been surprising how much information was available on the fallen soldiers, from their physical characteristics, such as height and weight, to the weather conditions and progress of the battle on the day each died.

"It will be good to go to the graves and learn more about them and what happened," he said.

The French tourists will be accompanied by Ms Boussalem and two other Flinders teachers, Ms Wendy Lyons and Mrs Lynn-Maree Harvey.

- story Janine Hill, Sunshine Coast Daily

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Read student biographies

What's happening? - Tour Group 1 

What's happening? - Tour Group 2

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