Anne Marie Marais

Humpty Doo sounds like something out of a Dr Zeuss tale but it is a real place where Anne-Marie spent nearly 50 years of her life. Anne-Marie grew up in Paris near the Eiffel Tower and very close to the high culture areas of Montparnasse and Sorbonne. As a French teacher, and with her husband who was a system analyst with IBM, they decided to escape the hustle bustle of downtown Paris and moved to Provence seeking a quieter lifestyle. Two years later, in 1971, they decided to move to Australia. Enter Humpty Doo, a rural centre of 387 people, 40km south east of Darwin - with the closest structure resembling the Eiffel Tower being a ten metre high boxing crocodile; the cobble stones of the Sorbonne replaced by red dust and lots of it. Three years after arriving, Cyclone Tracy struck - they survived by sheltering under the bathroom sink.

 Anne-Marie is a passionate educator and worked in a variety of schools in Darwin mentoring many teachers. ‘Never stop learning’ is her motto; she completed her Doctorate while in her 70s. She and her husband were avid sailors and sailed by themselves from Darwin to France via the Red Sea. They were moored in the Seine when Australia won the America’s Cup in 1983.

Anne-Marie loves the Australian outback beauty and has made many friends. She began playing bridge in Darwin ten years ago and has fallen in love with game - she sees every hand as a new adventure - and an exercise in mindfulness. She has settled in the historical centre of Fremantle near her favourite bookshop, art galleries, library and coffee shops - her new ‘Rive Gauche’.

Say bonjour to Anne-Marie and don’t forget her if you need some French conversation catch-ups. If you play against her, please let me know how she now pronounces ‘..earts’..and ‘..umpty Doo’!

Merci pour le partage Anne-Marie. Hope you continue to enjoy WABC.

 Published in July 2021 Edition of Trumps Plus