Karen Roylance (Williams, YG 1973) recently discovered just how small our world can be when she and her partner purchased a Chateau in France sight unseen in June last year:
We came to France to inspect our purchase in August 2017 and were very happy with it. We had never visited the village prior to our purchase but happened to be there during the annual fete. We brought tickets for the communal dinner and the locals made us very welcome, sitting us beside some English speakers. Whilst talking with them they mentioned there was another Aussie renovating, and living, in a big house in the village. The next day we went and met her before returning to Melbourne to organise our permanent move in November 2017.
We are really enjoying our new life here and have kept in contact with the other Aussie in the village. She shares my passion for horses and we have been riding together and socialise frequently.
When I received your invitation to the 45 Year Reunion and was reading down the list of girls you had lost contact with from YG 1973, one name sprang out at me! It was the name of my Aussie friend in France. I texted her to see if she had ever gone to Tintern and you guessed it… the name on the list was hers!
My mother Mrs Marjorie Williams taught at Tintern at the same time I was there and she has also come to France to stay. It turns out my friend was taught by my mum and in her form… so we have since had many chinwags and moments of reminiscing about our school days.
So here we are in a small country village in South West France – two Tinternites both living in Chateau’s 1 km apart!
Above: Karen Roylance (Centre) and Marjorie Williams (R)
Pictured below: Karen’s home (L) and her friend’s home (R)
