Victoria School

Victoria School

Back home, Australian soldiers (mostly from the State of Victoria), with the help of their government, decide to help the municipality and organize a major fundraising in Australia, including in schools in Victoria .
This money is used to rebuild in 1923 - 27 the school of boys - now called "Victoria School", on the very site of the one destroyed in 1918. Primary school still in activity, it is today the symbol of ties uniting France and Australia.

Souvenir Plaques

On the exterior facade, two plates (one in French and the other in English) refer to it.

Duty of memory

In the courtyard of the school, in addition to an Australian fresco in the Aboriginal style made by the children of the school and inaugurated at Anzac day 2009, is written on the courtyard in green letters on a yellow background the following message :

"DO NOT FORGET AUSTRALIA"
This message, translated as "never forget Australia" expresses the wish of the duty of memory and recognition. It is at the origin of the close ties between the people of Australia and the inhabitants of Villers-Bretonneux.

We find this inscription in French in each class.

Victoria Room



The school is also home to the Victoria Room with wood paneling carved by Australian artist John Grant and students at the Daylesford Technical School, Victoria, representing Australia's fauna and flora and its permanent exhibition of photographs of the State of Victoria offered at the 2003 Anzac Day by Peter A. Hansen, former General Agent for the State of Victoria in London.

Twinning Committee
Villers-Bretonneux / Robinvalle



The Villers-Bretonneux / Robinvalle twinning committee has taken a prominent place in relations with Australia since the official ceremonies between the two cities in 1984 and 1985.

In Australia, the twinning was wanted and built by Alan Wood and his wife.

His position as Minister of the State of Victoria allowed him to realize this first
twinning of a French city with an Australian city. Its action was continued by Pam Pisasale who, until his death in 2012, animated the association by receiving Bretonvillois, and by making discover our city to its nationals.

On the French side, Jean Pierre Coutiez took over Marcel Pillon until 1994, then Yves Taté succeeded him until 2005 to pass the torch to his son Sylvain, current President.

The activity of the committee is inscribed by some 200 Bretonvillois who were called to discover Australia during the trips of 1985, 1993, 1999, 2003,2007,2011, and 2015 (the next is scheduled for 2019) and are nearly 300 Australians who have been received in Bretonvilloises families.

But the most remarkable action of the committee remains the initiative to launch a fundraiser for a school in the state of Victoria, ravaged by fire in 2009.

In 3 months, 14,000 euros were collected and used in part to rebuild the school in Strathewen (Victoria).

This impetus of solidarity, especially in the schools of the city (1 euro per pupil), responded in a symbolic way to that of the schoolchildren of Victoria who, in 1921, poured 2 shilling for the reconstruction of our school.

this action, emphasized in Australia, had a great impact and contributed to strengthening the friendly relations between the two peoples.




Share by: