Rotarians from Eastbourne 'wiped the floor' with their French competitors by winning all the 'Jeux sans Frontiers'  games bar one, the 'Tug of War' game. Guy Tetelan was particularly proficient in the Pea game. Not even the darts could save us from complete domination this year. We have already started training for the return match next year.

BULLETIN SPECIAL

VISITE EASTBOURNE SOVEREIGN RENCONTRE SPORTIVE

from our French correspondent's literal translation: It all began Saturday morning with a departure in the Shuttle with 10:40, Bexhill direction to Judith and Lawrence WHARTON.

Are present in the vehicle of Bernard LETURGIE, Genevieve, Guy TETELAIN and Corine, Yves BEAL and Jeanne, in the vehicle of Claude MARCELET, Stephan RAULT and Faustine, Catherine CARRON, Hubert LARUE and Claudine.

It' S the D Day. After a few kilometers and three round points, Bernard decides to follow his instinct, we decide to follow the GPS. We thus take the traditional road while passing under a beautiful sun by RYE, HASTINGS and arrive at BEXHILL at Lawrence which had hoisted the flags of our two nations. More than one hour later, arrive Bernard followed by Mike, leaving us time to taste the “PIMMS”.

We share then a very good meal prepared by our friends with chicken, Ham leg, salad of pastes, potatoes, crudenesses, followed English cakes and cheeses. The whole supervised by Judith, Victoria, Caroline and one of her friends. We benefit from it to discuss with our English friends before taking a tea to prepare the games.

These start by “The Memory Game” where Lawrence presents 27 heteroclite objects to us which a traveller takes, we find 26, our friends 25 of them, allowing us to gain the first point.

We continue with the game of the “assembly of deckchair”, where Hubert and Corine represent us, but we are beaten on the wire by our English friends who equalize.

Several games like the table tennis are connected, the throw of rings, the darts, and a play of straw and balls, very amusing of which the goal consists in catching by aspiring, balls with a straw to put them in glass, and Guy is distinguished particularly.

We lead to the score, but Lawrence takes us along on the beach to carry out two chains of 12 members with for goal to transmit two bags most quickly, without dropping them and our team carries it again, consolidating a little more our victory. The trophy will thus remain in Ardres for one year.

We are then divided between the families of reception before a meal of official reception envisaged with the golf club which is beside at Lawrence: “Paul HARRIS evening, with the Dinner of the games without Frontiers”.

With the menu:

 smoked salmon and shrimps

 loin of lamb and its vegetable set

 pudding summer

President John VOICE speaks for a speech where he asks me to introduce the members of our club.

Speech of John VOICE:

“Thank you very much president Stephan, warm welcome with all our French visitors, we are always very glad to re-examine you, thank you very much to make the voyage under the sleeve to be present with us this week end. I know that you were disappointed that we could not visit you last year to find the trophy but the dates were a problem especially because the year was even charged because one of our members become governor of elected district and although another member of our club is an assistant of governor this year, we do not intend to repeat you our lack of engagement. We continue to honour and appreciate the friendship between our two clubs. ”

Corine connects then by explaining why the guests of our club are very happy to be present this evening. President Stephan then makes are speech, after having recovered the microphone that Corine had kept, speech that Mike had translated for me in after midday, carried out initially in English, then in French.

Then president John VOICE gives two PHF to Ken Durrant and Arthur Basford.

We finish the evening by a concert of BARNABY, and we are put at contribution to sing. To finish in the black with “The night song”. Which beautiful gala evening, fray of emotions (PHF) and entertainment (balloons and songs). We set out again among our hosts towards 23:30 (English hour).

For Faustine, Guy, Corine and your president, ballade on the beach in the search of shell, before having at 10 a.m. an English typical breakfast (beans in tomato sauce, black roll, bacon, sausages, mushrooms and potatoes. Departure at 11 a.m. to Elizabeth and Derek MORLEY, within an idyllic framework. An old hangar with transformed boat, a room giving seen on the sea, a pebble beach with multiple shells, and an impressive sun, whereas it rained all during the night. I fell under the charm.

We proceed to a new handset: “Wine tasting”, and the French wine gains the votes. Photo session on the beach with the handing-over of the trophy. After a new aperitif dinatoire, we proceed to the speeches of good-byes, and once again, two different options of road between Bernard and Claude, who arrives second for a few minutes. We take the shuttle envisaged, us allowing to be per hour to go to vote.

If I then to add some words, we passed all superb a week end, even Faustine, which if she did not include/understand large thing wishes to return in two years. Thank you to Bernard for his excellent work, and a super thanks with Lawrence, Judith, Caroline and Victoria for their superb reception, with the club of Eastbourne Sovereign, its president John VOICE and the whole of its members, and in Elizabeth and Derek MORLEY.
Thus finishes my international year, in time that president, but not in time that Rotarien.