Toongabbie Christian College

ROBYN CLUNAS (continued…)

French Trip to New Caledonia Did you know that there is a part of France which is only three hours away from Australia? It is the island of New Caledonia. Even though it is far from France, the people are French citizens, they speak French and they vote in French elections. In 1996, a group of students from Toongabbie Baptist Christian Community School were given the opportunity to visit this fascinating place. In those days everyone in Year 7 studied French. Then in Year 8 students made a choice between French and Commerce. The Year 8 class that year had 30 students but only seven boys took up the challenge to spend a week away from their parents, sightseeing and speaking French. Being their French teacher, Miss Housel (a friend), Andrew Clunas, a former student studying at university and I accompanied the boys. There was great excitement at Mascot airport when the boys said goodbye to their parents. For some it was their first flight. They had to present their passports and look after their own luggage. They pretended they were travelling on their own, as if their teacher just happened to be on the same flight. When they arrived, they couldn’t read some of the signs. They were written in French and all the people were speaking French. They had to remember to say ‘Bonjour’ instead of ‘Hello’ and ‘Merci’ instead of ‘Thank you’. They tried to use French whenever they could remember the words they had learnt. Even the food was different. The boys were able to sample baguettes, various cheeses, different meat dishes and various yummy desserts. Trying to understand the French menus was fun. One day they went into the capital city Noumea. After visiting the market, the boys were given free time to wander and to find their own way back to the hotel. Some became a bit lost but eventually they all arrived safe. The group enjoyed a visit to the aquarium where they saw colourful tropical fish in tanks, tiny sea horses and a variety of local crustaceans. Another morning was spent in a museum, learning about the history of New Caledonia and its peoples. There was also a bus ride into the interior of the island passing through mountains and across rivers where they learnt about the Melanesian people who have lived on the island since before the arrival of the French. They passed through tiny villages and visited a mission settlement where they ate lunch Melanesian style. One glorious day was spent swimming and snorkeling at a nearby island where there was a lighthouse which had been built in France and transported, in sections, to New Caledonia. Because our hotel was right on the beach there were many other opportunities for swimming and water sports. The boys enjoyed their attempts to wind surf. We all cheered when a boy was successful at standing on his board for more than a few seconds. There were French classes each day before they were free to explore and soak up the atmosphere of a foreign place. Soon it was time to return home. Everyone looked down onto a tropical paradise as they flew away. The boys thought this trip was a perfect way to study a language and to see it in action. They came home with some souvenirs, photos and lots of happy memories.

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