By Carolyn Webb
Generations of Melburnians have headed to Alliance Francaise to learn French – and in addition to encountering obscure idioms and irregular verbs, sometimes they’ve found l’amour.
Just ask Marie-Louise and Paul Thornton-Smith, who first met in a French class in 1971 when they were 16. They are still together, and remain keen allies of “the Alliance”.
Vive la France: Paul and Marie-Louise Thornton-Smith met at Alliance Francaise de Melbourne as teenagers in 1971.Credit: Chris Hopkins
At first, it was about l’amitié (friendship) and studying together, but slowly, they fell in love.
Their marriage in 1984 was followed by a “tour of France” honeymoon, taking in Paris, Mont St-Michel, Provence and the Alps.
This year, Marie-Louise, a retired secondary school French teacher, will top up her fluency at Alliance Francaise with a C1 advanced conversation class, where students might discuss Victor Hugo’s poems or French current affairs.
She and Paul also attend the Alliance’s exhibitions, talks and film festivals.
Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie, president of the board of Alliance Francaise de Melbourne.Credit: Chris Hopkins
“It’s so lovely, isn’t it?” says Myriam Boisbouvier-Wylie, president of the Alliance Francaise de Melbourne board, of the Thornton-Smiths’ romance.
“They’re not the only ones. I’ve heard of other people who have met through the Alliance.”
Paul and Marie-Louise Thornton-Smith at University of Melbourne in 1986.
The Kew couple this week enjoyed champagne, croissants and a sneak peek of the Alliance’s new Bourke Street digs, the first CBD headquarters in its 135-year history.
This new French hub is part of the former Hoyts cinema centre and includes an outdoor terrace, classrooms, library, digital museum and function spaces.
Alliance sold its former home, the costly-to-maintain Eildon Mansion in St Kilda, for $10.45 million in 2022, and last year purchased the new premises for $6 million.
Boisbouvier-Wylie said the CBD would be more convenient for students due to it proximity to public transport.
Alliance Francaise de Melbourne was founded in 1890 in the St Kilda mansion Oberwyl by French artist and teacher Berthe Mouchette, and has since moved around the inner suburbs.
In 1971, the Alliance was based in a terrace house in Flemington Road, North Melbourne.
Paul and Marie-Louise Thornton-Smith pictured on holidays in Annecy, near France’s border with Switzerland, in 2015.
Marie-Louise and Paul Thornton-Smith were students from Genazzano and Xavier colleges respectively, taking Saturday morning French conversation classes to prepare for their year 12 exams.
Both went on to study French at the University of Melbourne. Marie-Louise taught French and English at Presentation College in Windsor for over 30 years, and was a year 12 French examiner for a decade.
Credit: Matt Golding
“Apart from being the way in which I met Marie-Louise, it’s been pretty important in both our lives, Paul said of the Alliance.
“It gives me entry into another, really interesting and rich culture, and it extends your brain. Your mind has to be nimble to understand and express yourself in another language.”
On their honeymoon, an old French man recounted how he had fought next to Australian soldiers in World War I. Had they not spoken French, Marie-Louise says, “We would just have sat there and looked at each other.”
Alliance Francaise de Melbourne will hold an open day with live music, food and drinks at Level 1, 140 Bourke Street, from noon to 5pm on Saturday, June 21.
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