French 

Bastille Day

On July 14 for Bastille Day, three French exchange students arrived in Melbourne and were welcomed here in St Bede’s College to be part of our school community. They stayed with us and their host-families for a month. They had the fabulous opportunity to immerse themselves in the Australian culture and language.

 

Paul, Pierrick and Yorick are from a Catholic school named Saint Marie Bastide in Bordeaux, where three of our St Bede’s students will be able to spend a month when visiting France next year.

 

 

On July 18, our Year 12 students took them for a guided tour of the city, where they could discover Melbourne’s cultural landmarks such as the National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Centre, the Aboriginal Art exhibition in Federation Square and Melbourne's lanes.

 

De La Salle in Malvern was also part of this programme. On August 1, we all went to Phillip Island and spent two days at our St Bede’s Cypress Lodge.

 

Students went for a stroll along the boardwalks to the blowhole at the Nobbies and on a scenic drive of the island where they could see wallabies hopping around. A delicious dinner was enjoyed by everyone. The next day after an Aussie breakfast, students went for a long walk to the Pinnacles at Cape Woolmai and visited the Koala Conservatory Centre. They had a fantastic time.

 

On their last day at St Bede’s College, our exchange students prepared French crêpes for the class. They returned to France on Saturday August 11. It was sad to see then go but it was an amazing and enriching experience where cultures where shared and friendships were made.

 

Thank you to our host families for being so welcoming and generous and all our St Bede’s College staff involved.