Vive La France - Bastille Day

Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. Bastille Day, 14 July 1789, was one year after the British First Fleeters settled in Australia and Norfolk Island. On Norfolk Island, we are very aware of being surrounded with history.

The French explorers came close to landing on Norfolk Island. When the First Fleeters arrived in Botany Bay in 1788, two French ships, Astrolabe and Boussole [Bousole], also sailed into the Bay, under the command of Comte de La Perouse. The French explorer said they had sailed past Norfolk Island in stormy conditions, and they could not land. He described it as a place fit only for 'Angels and Eagles’.

In France, Bastille Day is formally called La Fête nationale. The National Celebration and commonly Le quatorze juillet (the fourteenth of July). The French National Day commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution with the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, as well as the Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790.

Attached are a couple of stamps and pictures of the French Explorer La Pérouse ships and images of the Bastille French prison attacks.

Enjoy your Bastille Day Celebrations – Friday 14 July. Maybe we can all enjoy watching the Tour de France, eat some delicious croissants from the Hot Krust Bakery and enjoy a nice bottle of French champagne.

Betty Matthews

July 2023