It’s windy.

And the windy weather brought a lot of sailboard riders out to Anse Vata Bay, that and the fact it is Saturday – increasing the number of visitors enjoying the area.

My walk today took me past a swimming pool complex at Port Plaisance, where an event was in progress. I deduced this by the number of people lining up to get inside the complex, the number of security guards supervising the area and then, by my path being blocked by cars parked on the footpath, obviously unable to find any suitable parking closer by.

But, those people would not be pleased when they came out from the event, as I spotted two police officers, on bikes, writing tickets for each car that was illegally parked.

By the time I got back, the officers had finished writing the tickets and were waiting to welcome the car owners – I guessed.

Under each car’s windscreen wipers was a ticket.

This one woman was obviously pleading her case, but by the body language of the police officers, I don’t think she got any ‘joy’.

I confessed in an earlier post that I did not know much about New Caledonia before we came here, and while I have read a bit about the French territory, it was this statue, which I spotted this morning that got me reading more about New Caledonia and its part in World War II.

The plaque is commemorating the 80th anniversary of ‘something significant’ that happened on 19 September 1940, involving Charles de Gaulle, in the very early stages of WWII.

This aroused my interest in the history of this territory.

I discovered, that like Australia’s early white colonisation, New Caledonia was used as a penal colony.

In 1853, France annexed the island of New Caledonia. Over the next seven decades, more than 22,000 convicts and political prisoners or deportees were shipped to the island. When it was discovered that New Caledonia contained large deposits of nickel and chrome, French, Japanese, and German mining companies rushed to the island. When the native population proved uncooperative with its imperialist masters, hundreds of laborers (SIC) were imported from the Netherlands East Indies to work the mines. By the start of World War II, almost 60,000 descendants of French convicts and political dissidents, imported laborers (SIC), moneyhungry (SIC) industrialists, and harried civil servants populated New Caledonia, with 10,000 living in the capital city of Nouméa.

Welfare History Network

OK – but what happened in Noumea on 19 September 1940?

Well, this was the day that a leader (Henri Sautot) chosen by Charles de Gaulle (leader of Free France) to govern New Caledonia, landed in Noumea on the Norwegian tanker Norden, accompanied by the Australian cruiser HMAS Adelaide.

Led by French general Charles de Gaulle, Free France was established as a government-in-exile in London in June 1940 after the Fall of France during World Word II.

Wikipedia

Henri Sautot was to take control from then Acting Governor Denis, who had been appointed by the leader of the de facto Vichy French Government.

Word of Sautot’s arrival preceded him, and on September 19, 1940 when Norden and Adelaide reached Nouméa, the New Caledonians marched into the capital and confronted Governor Denis, demanding that he either come over to the side of the Free French or resign. By 3 pm, backed by a wild and enthusiastic crowd, Henri Sautot succeeded Colonel Denis as governor of New Caledonia.

Welfare History Network

This article, Welfare History Network, while quite long, is very well written and contains much more of the part played by New Caledonia in WWII.

We fly back to Brisbane tomorrow, and while we have enjoyed our stay in Noumea, eight days was probably too long. But, the people were wonderful, being able to reacquaint ourselves with some of the French wines we love was fantastic, and practising some French proved there is so much more to learn!!

Our next adventure will be in Australia next month, doing things Mick and I very much enjoy – learning more about wine making. And of course, that means there must be some ‘tasting’ involved.