2009 - 2010
GATHERING AT L'ANSE-SAINT-JEAN (1st and 2nd AUGUST 2009)
Our 18th Gathering at L’Anse-Saint-Jean
Translation: Cécile perron (129)
Having travelled 870 km from my home in Val d’Or, we arrived at a small and charming village, deeply nestled in a beautiful valley. Located in the heart of the majestic Saguenay fjord, L’Anse-Saint-Jean has been classified one of the most beautiful villages of Québec and is the pride of its citizens. This year being the 150th anniversary of the municipality, the entire village is decorated with the flags of the International Nautical Code.
The Perron gathering was held at the Mont-Édouard ski center where we were warmly welcomed by coordinator Yvon, daughter Dominique, Robert and Sonia (respectively president and secretary-treasurer of the organizing committee), and Micheline. Dominique’s son, Samuel, became ship’s boy for the event and asked participants to write their names on paper schooners which were then placed on a huge board. These would be used later during a social game.
The outdoor activities, guided tour of the village and boat tour, started at 9 o’clock on Saturday morning and were repeated in the afternoon. The guides, Mme Vanessa Quintard and M. Gilles Perron, told us all about L’Anse-Saint-Jean. Vanessa was our guide for the morning village tour. She informed us that a Jesuit missionary came to the territory in 1668 to establish relations with the Montagnais; nomadic people who arrived there in the spring to collect the sap from the sugar maple tree and to fish, and left in the fall to follow the caribou. The missionary lived there for one year only; it is said that the rigorous winter was too much for him.
The first true colonisation took place in 1838, brought about by the lumbering companies. In 1859, L’Anse-Saint-Jean became a municipality of 500 people living off the forestry resource until 1880. Later on, many villagers left to seek work at the pulp and paper mill of La Baie. Then, in 1985, the inhabitants of L’Anse-Saint-Jean, whose economy rested entirely on the wood industry, left in great numbers when it was found that forest depletion had reached the point of crisis. However, with the start of Hydro-Québec’s vast hydroelectric project (Manic) many lumbermen became transmission line installers.
The guide added that until 1950, a schooner factory had operated on the site of the present camping ground. The site was strategically placed since all that was needed to launch the schooners was to remove the wooden frame during the spring flood.
We made a stop at the covered bridge and admired works by Saguenay artists, exhibited within the bridge especially for the 150th anniversary. An image of the same bridge was printed on the back of earlier $1,000 banknotes, making the village famous. Some later events would stimulate the tourist industry: the development of the Saguenay National Park, then the twinning in 1984 of L’Anse-Saint-Jean with Florac, a small town located in Lozère in the south of France, and finally the opening of a ski center at Mont-Édouard in 1990. Our guided tour ended with a visit to Anse-à-Tabatière which ranks seventh amongst Canada’s natural attractions, and offers an impressive view on the Saguenay fjord. Then back to the ski station to join the group for lunch.
In the afternoon, we took a boat tour on the fjord as far as the statue of the Virgin Mary at Baie Trinité. The Saguenay fjord is one of the longest and most beautiful in the world. We were in awe at the sight of the sheer cliffs, remnants of the ancient valley carved by the glaciers. The boat operator drew our attention to the face of the rock where time has carved different shapes, here the face of a lynx, there an Indian head. Further on, children and adults were amused to watch a group of seals sunning themselves on the rocky shore. Back from the tour, one of the Péron brothers noticed that he had lost his car keys. Had he left them on the boat? Fortunately his wife had her own set to help out. During the afternoon, we also had the opportunity to use the chair-lift to the top of Mont-Édouard and view the magnificent panorama.
At 17:30, the Perrons attended a mass dedicated to their ancestors at Saint-Jean-Baptiste church. Built in 1890 by master builder Pierre Ouellet of Chicoutimi, the church is worthy of its parishioners’ pride. The façade was built of cut stone brought from Europe while the stone of the region was used for the other walls. This year’s traditional mass was co-officiated by Mgr Jean-Claude Couture and Father Raymond Perron. Several Perron members were active participants; Roger and Aline who served at the alter, Gaby and Manon who read the universal prayers, and Sophie, Yvon’s grand-daughter, who offered the flowers.
That beautiful day ended with a supper of friendship in the presence of M. Pierre Roy, municipal counsellor and representative of Mayor Claude Boucher. First we were served a cocktail, compliment of the mayor’s office, then it was the start of a delightful, musical meal. Accompanied on the keyboard by Mme Esther Thibeault, Mme Monique Jean entertained us with her melodious voice throughout the meal, itself a pleasure to the palate.
In the course of the evening, the Perron Association paid tribute to Father Raymond Perron who was celebrating 50 years of priesthood. Father Toussaint Perron also marked his golden jubilee this year but unfortunately was unable to attend due to illness. The Saturday evening was also the occasion to raffle the sculpture of our coat of arms, a piece of art that many a Perron would love to own. This year’s winner was Mme Louise Perron (860) of Jonquière who was presented with the admired prize by the artist himself, Jean-Claude.
Alas! all good things must come to an end. On the drive back to our condo, we had the pleasant surprise to see a bear and her two cubs crossing the road near the church. We found that quite amusing because a few days prior to the Perron gathering, my sister-in-law, Martine, had had the visit of an enormous bear in her backyard, so we teased her about having the power to attract them.
On Sunday morning, coffee and brioches were served, then Robert, president of the organizing committee, introduced the guest speaker, M. Laurent-Yves Simard, who lectured to us about the first Perron to reside in L’Anse-Saint-Jean. The conference was followed by the annual general meeting during which elections were held. Members welcomed the 2009-2010 board of administration: Gaby, president; Cécile, first vice-president; Normand, secretary; Michel, treasurer; and in alphabetical order administrators George, Manon, Michel and Robert. Second vice-president Rhéal was absent this year.
Between the general meeting and lunch, Yvon drew names for door prizes, one being a beautiful painting by artist Lina Perron (87) of Jonquière, titled Laetiporus sulphureus (sulphur shelf). The image is painted with ink on a film of the type used in X-ray photography. It is the image of a mushroom that is often found on the bark of local spruce trees and balsam-firs, mostly at the site of former wounds. At the beginning, it shows up as a pale yellow blemish, then it grows, forming caps one on top of the other.
What better than a good meal of local dishes to end our gathering: gourganes soup, Saguenay meat pie and a blueberry crumble! My mouth is still watering just thinking of it. There was a rumour that lunch was so good that the other Péron brother, wanting to prolong it perhaps, locked his keys in the trunk of his car…was this done purposely or did he just want to imitate his brother? Finally, a phone call was placed to CAA and the problem was fixed.
Thank you to Yvon and his team for a very successful Perron gathering that participating members and their guests won’t soon forget. As for me, I intend to come back in the winter and try the slopes at Mont-Édouard.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|