Dordogne Ladies Club International
This is the story of the Founder and first President of the DLCI Jennifer de Chabaneix. We are sharing Jennifer's story which has been written by a past president Kathy John after conversations with Jennifer's family. As we celebrate the 35 years of the DLCI in 2021, we hope you will enjoy reading about Jennifer's life. Her drive and enthusiasm has enriched so many of our lives and that spirit of friendship and support still continues today in the way Jennifer envisioned it.
Jennifer Weeks was born in January 1934 at Nuwara Eliya, near Trincomalee in Ceylon, where her father owned and ran a tea plantation. She was an only child and by all accounts had a happy childhood.
Her early adult life was not without sadness, however. She went to boarding school in Scotland when she was 17 and then spent a brief period of time in Lagos, Nigeria. By the time she was 21 she was living in Sierra Leone, where she renovated houses for expat workers and had already been married and divorced. She had also lost her best friend, Valerie, in a terrible plane crash.
In 1955, still only 21, she was married again, to Jean-Pierre de Chabaneix who was working at the time for Philips Electrical in Sierra Leone. They soon left Africa and moved to Saint Paix near Paris where her husband worked for Texaco.
Jennifer had four children and her husband wanted the children’s first language to be French. So, apart from giving some English lessons and occasional supply teaching, Jennifer spoke far more French than English. She told me that she joined a club in Paris for English ladies so that she didn’t forget how to speak her own language!
The marriage broke up in 1978 and Jennifer moved to the Dordogne with their youngest son Jérôme (now an estate agent in Lalinde), leaving the other children in Paris with their father.
She founded the Dordogne Ladies Club in 1986, after she heard of an English lady who wanted someone to talk to in her own language whilst she was ill in hospital. Jennifer felt sure there was a need for support and friendship amongst the English community in France and was delighted that her idea for a club became truly international.
Jennifer took up her former occupation and began renovating houses in Périgord, establishing a career as an estate agent. In fact, one of the first houses she sold was to Anne Scanlan and they remained friends ever since. Through this work, she met her partner, David, an English theatre director and together they renovated an abandoned house in Pressignac, where they lived for many years.
Jennifer was very sporty – she particularly enjoyed golf and tennis – and was a popular, charismatic and glamorous social figure. She had a gift for getting people to talk about themselves and hence had many friends. However, she was a very private person and did not give much away about herself – especially her age! Her son and granddaughter describe her as a woman ‘before her time’ who was independent and forward thinking.
(The photo of Jennifer dates from around 1952 and shows her ready to attend her first dance).
The other is a typical tea plantation in the area where Jennifer grew up.
The Club Statutes
1. NAME
The DORDOGNE LADIES CLUB INTERNATIONAL
hereafter referred to as the DLCI
2. AIMS
i) To promote international friendships through social gatherings, lectures, excursions, sponsoring and other promotions and all other lawful activities.
ii) To assist social organisations or charities, financially or otherwise.
3. MEMBERSHIP
Open to women of any nationality. They must possess enough fluency in the English language to enable them to participate in the Association’s meetings and activities.
A full copy of the Statutes is held by the Secretary.
Membership of the Dordogne Ladies Club International is open to ladies of any nationality who have sufficient knowledge of the English language. The cost of membership is 25 euros per year. An annual general meeting (AGM) is held each year in which key decisions are made and ratified by the members. All members are welcome to attend. Those who do so will have the opportunity to vote on key changes and oversee the actions which the committee have performed on their behalf.
Prior to the AGM members are invited to renew their membership of the club and to nominate and vote on the charities which the club will support with charitable donations.
The Charities currently supported by the DLCI
The DLCI was established primarily to enable its members to form friendships and to raise money to support local charities. In the last five years the Club has donated over 20,000 euros to local charities in three categories, Adult Charity, Children's Charity and Animal Charity. Following the AGM in September 2020 it has been agreed by the membership to make a further small charitable donation annually in the name of our founder Jennifer De Chabaneix. These are the charities chosen by members through voting process to receive a charitable award in 2023. If you look at their websites of the charities you can see the great work each of them performs and learn more about them. The awards will be made in due course.
Adult Charity - Unis vers contre cancer
Childrens Charity - L'Hopital de Jour pour Enfants de Bergerac
Animal Charity - SPA Bergerac
Nominations have been made by the members for the 2023 charities.
Founder and First President
Jennifer’s original idea, in 1986, to form a club for English speaking ladies, of any nationality, primarily to get together for friendship and support, has been a resounding success. The DLCI have raised funds for charities every year (far too many to mention all) with the leadership of enthusiastic presidents, teams of hardworking committee members and the on-going exceptional support of the DLCI members.
Over the years a variety of events, in addition to the monthly lunches, have taken place. These have included outings, mini breaks, coffee mornings, demonstrations, talks, both summer and Christmas fairs, dog shows, group walks, cricket matches, tennis tournaments, car rallies, vide greniers, picnics, cinema evenings, and ‘once upon a time’ an infamous Pantomime! Numerous local charities have benefited from the incredible amount of money the club has raised.