Memories of my years at the College
I owe it all to having learned French at Pymble back in my high school days. I absolutely loved learning French and German.
I am really fortunate to still be in contact with a number of old (figuratively, not literally!) friends from school. It is terrific to have been able to sustain close friendships over such a long period of time.
Year 13 and beyond
I went on to study French and German at university. Loving languages and travel, I applied for and was lucky to be accepted by the Department of Foreign Affairs immediately after graduating from Sydney University.
My first posting was to Paris and it was here that I also met my husband, Henry. I quip that single officers on their first posting tend to meet their significant others, so I describe Henry as my occupational hazard! Luckily, he has a good sense of humour and has been wonderfully supportive of my career, having accompanied me on a number of postings.
What’s next for me?
As I type this, I am looking out at the Eiffel Tower, an absolutely wonderful view, although it is really odd to be in a city like Paris, which is normally teeming with tourists, and find it eerily quiet. I can’t complain though, as Paris is one of my favourite cities and it is a real privilege to have the opportunity to live here, even during a pandemic!
I am currently the Australian Ambassador to France (Ambassadrice d’Australie en France). To be back in Paris, this time as Ambassador rather than a very young Third Secretary, is like coming full circle. We actually now live in the apartment where I met Henry (at a reception hosted by the then Ambassador).
I took up the position here in November last year, just before France went into its second lockdown. So my work, and life, has been more limited than would usually be the case. But it looks like the re-opening is coming at just the right time, with good weather and summer just around the corner.
One side benefit for Henry and me has been having our young adult son, Daniel, stay with us. He was supposed to be studying at university in the US, but of course COVID-19 meant everything went online. Luckily, the time difference between Paris and Boston was much kinder than that with Sydney, so he decamped to be with us.
