Dutch Courier
August 2012
PAGE 19
Belgian News
182ND BELGIAN NATIONAL DAY
A lunch of magnificence
by Georges Bernard
The Belgian National Day lunch was a great success with than 100 people attending at the Carnegie Hall (Abel Tasman Club) on Sunday July 22. Tinneke the great chef served tomate crevette, eel in green herb sauce, Belgian beef stew (beer casserole), tomato soup with bollekes, fi let american, vol au vent with chicken and mushroom, Belgian fries and lots of vegetables. The desserts were also great tial to make a bit of room for the wonderful cake decorated with the Belgian flag. Yum! Plenty of Belgian and Dutch beer was consumed, and an exit gift of a bottle of Palm and a Palm glass was a great surprise. The raffle was huge with many prizes donated from many companies and individuals, with lots of happy winners. Events included children’s entertainment, trivia, viewing the magnificent Minerva cars, and more eating . . . especially those
meet and talk Netherlands, English and French, and in my case Antwerpse, a great day was held by all. A lot of smiling faces, and a very relaxing atmosphere was enjoyed by all guests. The club is now organizing its famous Mussel Festival in October, more information can be ob-
carry information about the event. The Mussel event was a huge success last year with ninety attendees at the Carnegie Hall, it is expected that many members of the Dutch community will join this year, as the event’s reputation will attract all those who love mussels. We are all hoping that Tinneke will make her great dish witlof with ham and cheese . . . . The new younger committee comprising of Sagrys Aelbregt, President, Dirk Dhondt, Vice President, Jan Moens Secretary and Pascale Bicque Membership/ Treasurer will continue to deliver great events, for they are youthful and full of energy. The Abel Tasman club’s facilities are excellent and the atmosphere has provided a great venue for many events, with the Grand Connection, the Belgian Ambassador’s speech night, and
the Belgian National Day event. All of these events have brought many to the club, and it is benefitting both communities.
Tour de France a la Belge
Day 2 of the Tour de France was the 207.7 km ride from Vise (near Liege) to Tournai in the Province Hainaut, a Belgian town near the French border. The atmosphere was joyful and party like, with cafés and restaurants spilling onto the square, lots of music, beer flowing, meals served and lots of waffles and icecream. The music and party atmosphere built up around the big screen in the center of the pretty town as the race approached. Before the riders hit Tournai they would have travelled through such delights as Namur, Nivelles, Brainele-Comte, Mazy and Ath. Once the bulk of the riders arrived they flowed like a flash, making it virtually impossible to identify individual riders. The whole day was a great experience with lots of people from all over the world cheering the riders. The Tour de France is truly an exciting event and a great experience . . . Georges Bernard
with icecream and chocolate, pralines, cake and waffels. Here was so much food it was hard to fit it all in. However it was essen-
Van Nunen chocolates Afternoon visitors swelled the numbers to more than 135 people. One could see old friends
tained from the club’s website www.belgianclubvictoria.org.au No doubt the Facebook site Belgians in Melbourne will also
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