Report on the Programme 2024 – 2025
Our series of lectures started in September 2024 at a new location in Godalming, the Oglethorpe Hall in the Wilfrid Noyce Centre. This hall has proved to be more popular with our members because of its central location and well-lit parking facilities. For our lectures we continued using a hybrid system offering members a choice of attending the lecture or linking up on-line via Zoom. Our programme consisted of ten monthly lectures from September to June. As usual, our lecturers offered a wide range of topics. All lectures were well-attended and appreciated by our members.
Christian Michel started off our programme in September with a talk on the subject of “Les Francais et leur Etat”. He drew on the parallels and divergences in the history of state building on both sides of the Channel.
Once again, we were lucky to have Dr Karen Serres as our second lecturer, who gave a talk on “Seurat et la Mer”. Dr Serres’s presentation included a large number of Seurat’s works of art in his very distinctive style, showing various moods of the ocean and activities enjoyed by many along the Normandy coastline.
Peter Prowse entertained us with images and anecdotes of his trip by biycle along “Le Canal du Midi” with a companion. He introduced us to the attractions of the towns along the route and included songs originating from this region which he invited members to join in.
Brigitte Thibaut is one of our lecturers living in France and she gave her talk via Zoom on “Quelques couples français iconiques”. She chose three couples; René et Juliette, Edith et Marcel, Yves et Simone.
Germaine Jones gave a talk on “Symboles et emblèmes de la France”. She explained the origins and history of many fo the distinct emblems of France and continued with the medals given as honours.
Vincent Raymond-Barker gave a talk on “Une visite des gares de Paris”. Vincent evoked an era when the train was the principle means of transport. His presentation took us on a journey visiting well known stations and some that no longer exist.
Brigitte Whiteing visited us in Godalming with a vast collection of images from her recent trip to Madagascar. The photos of the flora and fauna were facinating as were those of the local people going about everyday tasks.
Annie Kean gave a presentation on “ Les comédiens du cinema français”. Her talk centered on Jacques Tati, Pierre Richard, Daniel Auteuil and the members of “ La troupe du Splendid”. Annie included various film extracts which our members enjoyed very much and there was much laughter.
Thierry Viennois concluded our programme by presenting his talk on “Stendhal”. He spoke about one of the most influential french authors, who faced much criticism from his contemporaries, especially in his home town of Grenoble. However, his works are now studied in many countries of the world.
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