Displaying items by tag: interview

Kia ora koutou, bonjour à tous, hello everyone.

The trip to Wellington and the week spent with our French counterparts was incredible and something that will stick with me for years to come. The whole experience was filled with a plethora of moments that moved me deeply and others that filled me with happiness. It was an honour to take part in it.

I was excited and nervous headed up to Wellington on the plane as I was getting my head around the week’s proceedings. Everything fell into place...

Bonjour tout le monde! Saturday the 17th of March began what will become a memorable and incredibly special journey. All Young Ambassadors for 2018 came from far and near to congregate in Wellington and finally meet, starting the ball rolling on the Following Family Footsteps trip. 

While uncovering the story of my great grandfather, I became fascinated with the detail of the various war records - whether they be the enlistment forms or the day-to-day journals written from the field. Here are some interesting bits and pieces I came across on my travels...

The cover photo shows my great grandfather's original attestation for general service when he would have signed up to go over to Samoa within the first few days of war breaking out. This is the second form he would have...

I’ve known bits and pieces of my great grandfather’s story but yesterday I had the opportunity to sit down with my grandmother and her brother to uncover the full truth. My great-uncle undertook his own research in France a few years ago, following in the footsteps of his father, including the exact spot where he was wounded, according to field reports. He travelled to many of the places which I too will visit in fewer than two weeks’ time! Here is the story of my great-grandfather which I have...

Looking back at 2014, all I can think about is how lucky I have been. I feel so inspired by the generosity that was shown to me by so many amazing people and that took me on the journey of a lifetime. I have developed a great love for remembrance and history and have thoroughly enjoyed participating in French culture, language, and history. The Young Ambassadors tour really made me connect authentically with the spirit of those who served a century ago. Being there, where they were. Where they...

Fresh crêpes, cobbled streets, photo booths and Parisiens smoking with cool refinement. Polished marble floors with a glassy sheen, wrought-iron lattices and metro stations flashing by in lights of dull grey. These are the things I remember about Paris. As soon as the Young Ambassadors touched down on French soil, we entered a place where history and modernity walk alive in the streets.

Our first week of the tour was a whirlwind of tourist attractions and grand military parades along with...

Bonjour a tous!

This is going to be a short little blog just to cover some of the more recent exciting events. As I write this there are only 4 more days until we all jet off to France which is beyond exciting. I cannot believe how quickly it has crept up!

Meeting everyone for the day in Wellington seems like eons ago but it was great to put names to faces and get to know everyone. I can’t wait to be spending a full two weeks with everyone; particularly due to the wonderful opportunities we...

Bonjour tout le monde!

Malheureusement Mai était un mois très occupe pour moi. J’ai eu beaucoup des activités de mon école et à cause de ça j’ai été très retard aven mon blog. Pardon à tous, et j’espère je suis plus de organise pour Juin !

Je veux un moment pour remercier le gentil peuple de ma communauté pour le support et la encouragement ils ont offert. En particulièrement je voudrais remercier La Cloche ; un café français  de Wellington pour leur patronage. Ils ont été très généraux...

Bonjour!

Who is this man?  The dusty kaki coloured shirt framing a tanned face and the blanched periwinkle blue of the sky in behind the camel brown tent all suggest a war. But, which one? Perhaps it doesn’t matter as much as we might think...

This man is novelist, Tim O’Brien, during his service in Vietnam, lasting from 1969-70. I am currently in the midst of reading his most critically acclaimed novel, “The Things They Carried,” which, like this photograph, presents an aspect of...

Salut à tous!

I would like to start off by thanking the Awapuni Rotary and Milson Rotary Clubs from Palmerston North for their very generous donations towards the cost of the Young Ambassadors trip. It is much appreciated, and I look forward to speaking to them about the trip and my project outcomes.

On the 18th of March, the Manawatu Standard published an article about the Young Ambassadors Tour. I have included a picture of the article above. There is an important correction I would like to...