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Creation of the
F.A.A.
The association
The French Australian Association of
Queensland Inc. (F.A.A.) is a non religious, non political and non
profitable association and its aim is to bring together people of all
nationalities desirous of promoting mutual understanding and goodwill
between France and her overseas territories and Australia, and
particularly those people resident in Queensland.
This association organises social
functions for the participants to share their appreciation of France,
her language and her institutions.
The article below is from the Westside News June
1974
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History
It was created by a group of friends in 1954
in a restaurant on Wickham Terrace and took at first the name "Cercle
Français" (French Circle).
History will remember the goal of to unite
French armature win makers who bought their wine to the Valley
« in a restaurant whose owner was called Mrs. Vin ».Here are
some of the founders of the French Circle: Ceryl Ray - Palmer - AC Smith - RR Stewart - J Elliot -
G Shaw - CJ Minasi - Lyons - Lorimer - J Flagan - K
Campbell -Brown - R Chambers - D Junner - AS Thomas - René
Stierer.
Today we pay homage to those pioneers. With the number of members quickly
increasing, it officially becomes the "French Australian
Association of Queensland Inc"
in 1957 and a constitution is developed. in 1974 the members are almost 50-50
Australian or French origin.
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Any person who wishes to become a member of
the association needs to fill an application for membership and
pay annual fees ($20 for a family and $15 for a single person.
Calendar year 1st January - 31 December)
These cover the printing and mailing of
the gazette, assurance and other charge, and give the members
the advantage of a reduced price for different functions
organised throughout the year.
There is no restriction of nationality to
become a member of the F.A.A.
Country represented in the F.A.A.
Algeria -Australia - Belgium - Canada -
China - England - France
Germany - Italy - Japan - Korea -
Mauritius - Mexico - New Zealand
New Caledonia - Switzerland - Overseas
Territory
In 2005, the association Had more than 190
members.
The committee
The committee consist of a President, a
Vice-President, a Secretary and a Treasurer as well as other
members who volunteer to help in the organisation of the
activities.
The committee members are elected at the
Assembly General Meeting held at the beginning of each year and
any current member can nominate someone for this election. |
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The committee in 2006
President: René Péan
Vice-President: Michel Leblanc
Secretary:
Simone Péan
Treasurer:
Jacques Rety
Committee members:
Lydia Pinotti
Christiane Castel
Gerard Vory
Alex Rochet - Nicole Leblanc
Sylvie & Christian Hérisson |
The committee for 2007
President:
Franck Hérisson
Vice-President: Michel Leblanc
Secretary:
Odette Schmidt
Treasurer: Gerard Vory
Committee members:
Nicole Leblanc
Sylvie & Christian Hérisson
Jacques Rety
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The committee in 2008
President: Franck Hérisson
Vice-President: Gabriel Echaubard
Secretary: Jill Maguire
Treasurer: Michele Echaubard
Committee members:
Martine Lorentz
Gisèle Sultan
Claudette Faisolle
Hannick Hannequin
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The Gazette
"La Gazette" is the newsletter
of the association and is published on a regular basis to inform about
the events of the association and also to impart information relevant to
the French community.
The name of new members is mentioned,
it contains all the details of the future functions and advise of other
matters (such as expositions, meetings, conferences...) that we find out
from other sources including The General Consulate, the Queensland
Government or other associations. this information is provided at
different levels, as they may be cultural, administrative, social or
even commercial since it is possible to advertise through the "Gazette"
It started in March 1970. Over more
than 36 years its layout has changed indeed, but it remains the
essential link between the association and its members and is also used
for relaying information to and from other associations.
It is always sent to:
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members
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Radio SBS and 4EB-FM. Ass, of QLD
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French Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry Brisbane
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Diversity Matters Multicultural Affairs Queensland
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Collecting Multicultural Australia, Serials Processing Unit.
National Library of Australia. CANBERRA ACT
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Consulate Honorary of Brisbane
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Consulate General of Sydney
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State Library of Queensland "John Oxley Library"
And each single edition is registered
at the State Library of Queensland and the National Library in Canberra
since 2000
Activities
The committee organise a program of
activities each year, with the aim of getting family and friends
together.
Throughout the years, the diverse
functions encompassed bus outing like Toowoomba carnival of flower,
visiting some special location, picnic around Brisbane, theme nights
(fancy dress balls, French cuisine).
Dinner dances are a definite
favourite outing in our association and of course our Bastille Day
Celebration is the most attended one of them all.
Bastille Day Ball
In this case again, years have not
altered this event as this is the most important function of the year,
as well as the most popular since more than 35 years.
On a regular basis, the different
committees had to find bigger rooms to accommodate the demand.
For memory in 2001, more than 210
adults danced on the music of the "Latin Combo" and we had to
turn down a few people, as all tickets were sold very quickly. (as
tickets are numbered for the door prize)
This event is now held at Enoggera Bowl Club Pickering Street
Enoggera. The room being much bigger.
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"This information was edited firstly by Béatrice Jouy-Botte in
2001 and updated in 2007"
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