nouvelles de notre association - AAFI-AFICS, Geneva - UNOG

EDITORIAL
This summer the Amicale du Soleil will be 10 years old. At such an age an official body runs the risk of
becoming an institution, which may begin celebrating its growing age every 5 or 10 years with formal
summit meetings, concerts, dress-up gala meals, tree planting ceremonies etc., like when the UN turned
50 and when AAFI-AFICS was 60 a few years ago. But not so the Amicale. The principles on the basis of
which Edward Sackstein took the initiative to start this group in 1993 have not changed.
These principles are informality, friendship, solidarity and just having a good time together. Sometimes
they are just a few, and at other times there is a good crowd. They have their favourite ”stamm” in an
indoor corner of the Café du Soleil on Place Petit-Saconnex. They meet there every first and third
Wednesday of each month. Some come in couples, others are single; they are all pensioners and many
are expatriate former UN system staff. As a group they have grown into a small family, which exchanges
news about their health, children, travels, movies they have seen or concerts which they have attended.
They care about each other and they look forward to being together again the next time.
Twice a year there are special events. In early June Ed organizes a pot-luck dinner (buffet canadien) at
his home in Ferney-Voltaire. In December there is an end-of-year lunch, attended by so many participants
that the Café’s upstairs Salle is taken over. This restaurant is one of the most popular lunch places
among the staff of the international organizations who, like their former colleagues of the Amicale,
appreciate the excellent cooking of the café’s chef Lionel.
To Ed and to all of the Amicalists a very happy birthday from AAFI-AFICS and yours sincerely,
Anders Tholle
DATES TO REMEMBER
NEWS OF OUR ASSOCIATION
24 September 2003 First get-together of the 2003-4 Shakespeare Group. ILO Bridge
10h30
Room
9-14 October 2003 Excursion to Northern Italy (see below)
25 November 2003 Winter lunch, ILO Restaurant, Geneva
Every Wednesday
Permanence, Office C.544-1, Palais des Nations
09h30-12h30 +41(0)22 9173330
1 st + 3 rd Wednesday each month The Amicale du Soleil meets at the Café du Soleil, Place du
12h00-14h00
Petit-Saconnex, Geneva, for an informal lunch
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