deborahgowerceramics

These are my first French students.  The boys had a wonderful time making Kangaroos and Koalas.  I had trouble explaining a wombat though 🙂

Merci boys

Debby xxx

This afternoon I ventured into Pheasant Wood.  It is in this place that 250 Australian Soldiers were buried and lay unidentified until 2009. Then an Aussie school teacher decided to do some research and found the grave site.  After much paperwork I imagine, excavation proceeded and then DNA identification has taken place.  One of ladies at Mullumbimby is presently being DNA tested to identified one of the soldiers Albert Paton.  Pheasant Wood is such a peaceful spot.  And indeed on my first day here I saw a pheasant flying into the woods as if to say hello.  In the wood all you can hear are the birds.  All you can see are trees and woodland.  It is hard to imagine the bombing and the mud and the horrors of 100 years ago.

Debby

Bonjour dear friends  Today thanks to the kindness of Jean Pierre I have some photos of me playing with clay.  Jean Pierre has been helping me with materials  More later my friends

Debby

I was up early this morning and probably so was the rest of the village because I managed to set the alarm to the building off not once but twice – Oh dear. I think I have it sorted now. 🙂

Then I was playing with clay. My most favourite thing to do. I also met a wonderful lady named Beatrice who spoke English very well and we had a chat.

Today was a very good day clay wise. The clay is earthernware, quite soft and is easy to work with.  I understand we have booked the kilns to fire my work so I am praying the pieces dry quickly.  It is always an unknown for me when I work with different clay.  Especially since I have specific deadlines for this exhibition.  I am praying to the kiln gods already 🙂

Hoping you all have a creative day today wherever you are

Debby xxx

It was an early start.  I was up at 1:30 am (in the morning) to go Villes Bretonneau for the ANZAC Dawn Service.  What an emotionally stunning service.  I only have the one picture because it was raining and there were 6000 people at the ceremony.   Before dawn the darkness and the rain combined to create a sense of what it must have been like for the Australian Soldiers one hundred years ago.  Cold and wet.  And as the dawn broke to a new day Commemorative Wreaths were laid to honour those who serve/d in all wars.   The Mayor of Fromelles laid a particularly beautiful wreath and after the ceremony I was able to lay a wreath card from Mullumbimby.

While I was there I said a prayer for Joseph Ambrose Sylvester Halcroft – He was the grandfather of a friend of mine from Mullumbimby.  Joseph died in the first world war and  is buried at Villes Bretonneau and his granddaughter Jo wrote a very special message on one of the Australian War Memorial Crosses.

Mid morning I attended a civic reception with the Mayor of Fromelles, Jean Gabriel Masson at the Town Hall in Villers- Bretonneux. This was followed by a Memorial Service and then the Annual ANZAC Day Concert.

Then to the Hamel memorial

and then to Bullecourt.  AT Bullecourt there was one ceremony at the memorial statues in the town.  After that we walked behind the band and the main party, moving to the sound of Waltzing Matilda and Click Go the Shears and some stirring French tunes.  We walked up to the battlefields and the Digger Memorial Statue.  I liked this last ceremony very much – the school children read poems and participated in the ceremony and there was a wonderful community spirit.

Lest We Forget

Debby xxx

A big hello to the scouts from Bayview NSW http://bayviewseascouts.com/index.htm who were at the Pheasant Wood ANZAC ceremony and the students from Perth Australia who participated in the ceremony.

  This hat belonged to the son of a man who was involved with the research/location/excavation of the graves at Fromelles.  The son served with the Australian Army in Afghanistan.

Debby

I spent an inspiring day going to three different services in Fromelles to commemorate ANZAC Day.

First was at the “Don’t Forget Me Cobber” Statute at the Cobbers Memorial.  On 19 July 1916 so many of our soldiers died and were buried in mass graves behind the German lines and not identified for almost 100 years. The 5th Australian Division suffered 5,533 casualties, over 90% of the infantry involved in the attack. The 61st Division suffered 1,547 casualties, some 50% of their attacking strength.  I will talk more on Pheasant Wood graves identification later.

The Second ceremony was at VC Corner. The Mayor of Fromellles Jean-Gabriel Masson gave a moving speech and tribute to the Australian Soldiers who lost their lives fighting to defend the village of Fromelle in the First World War.

Then we moved to the Pheasant Wood Military Cemetery.  At this ceremony there was a burning of Eucalyptus leaves as an emotionally beautiful symbolic gesture to cleanse the past and start anew friendships between all cultures.

If you are in Fromelles be sure to visit the new Pheasant Wood Museum. http://www.musee-bataille-fromelles.fr/?lang=en

Debby

For my first few days I stayed with Monique and Gerard.  They were so kind to me and I felt very much at home.  Monique is the author of her own book on Fromelles and I was inspired by 2 of her pictures for my first pieces I will make in Fromelles.

Monique is also an excellent cook and I tried different breads and cheeses, Hare Casserole and was spoilt with her cooking.

Gerard speaks English very well and was so helpful translating.  He has a good knowledge of Fromelles and took me to see some of the monuments, giving me background on the battle and important aspects of the history of Fromelles.  With this knowledge I can add depth and interpretation to my ceramic pieces.

I also found out they have good beer here in Fromelles.  My favourite is a Belgium Beer called Troll.  and when they serve beer the glasses match.  Gerard even drove me all the way to Belgium to purchase a special glass to take home.

This is the view from my Bedroom

Thank you to Monique and Gerard for making my first days in Fromelles so inspiring and comfortable.

Debby

This is my new studio for the next few weeks. Set in a small village in Northern France I have the unique opportunity to work with local inhabitants and forge new friendships between our two communities. I also met some lovely Aussies the other day who came into visit