Australian Embassy
France
Embassy address: 4, rue Jean Rey 75724 Paris Cedex 15 - Telephone : 01 40 59 33 00 - Fax : 01 40 59 33 10

REMARKS BY 

His Excellency M. David Ritchie

Opening of the exhibition
‘Souvenirs Australiens 1916 – 1918’


Monday 21 April 2008
Australian Embassy, Paris



Minister,
Distinguished guests,
Mesdames et Messieurs,

It is a great honour to welcome you this evening to the Australian Embassy for the opening of the exhibition ‘Souvenirs Australiens 1916 – 1918’ which marks the beginning of the Australian commemorations of the 90th anniversary of the last year of the Great War. As you may know, an important battle took place on 25 April 1918 – a date that already resonated deeply for Australians and New Zealanders as Anzac Day. We hope to see many of you later in the week for the commemorations at Villers-Bretonneux on 25 and 26 April.

A travers cette exposition, nous voyons à quel point la relation historique entre l’Australie et la France, forgée sur les champs de bataille ensanglantés du nord de la France, est solide. Depuis mon arrivée en France, où j’ai pris mes fonctions il y a à peine trois semaines, je me suis rendu à deux reprises dans la Somme. J’ai été fortement frappé par l’accueil chaleureux et les profondes racines historiques de l’amitié entre nos deux nations. Les photographies qui nous entourent illustrent cette amitié, entre des soldats australiens ordinaires et les habitants de villes et de villages du nord de la France.

Ninety-two years after the arrival of the Australian divisions in France, it is my honour to introduce the Minister who represents them as veterans – as well as all Australian servicemen and women from the many theatres of war where Australia has fought for the values cherished by both our countries: ‘Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité / Freedom, Equality, Mateship’. I would like to thank sincerely the Minister and his staff at the Australian War Memorial for bringing together this remarkable and moving exhibition.

Je laisse maintenant la parole à Monsieur Alain Griffin, Ministre australien des Anciens combattants.

Minister,

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