“Les Pesqueyroux” is twenty years old.
The original team has only changed very slightly since “Les
Pesqueyroux” was established and most of the members to have
left the association have only done so when moving out the
neighbourhood as was the case for Marion Decoudun, Béatrice
Desmartin and M. Roque. Two others left the committee for
personal reasons: Jacqueline Clément in 1995 and Marie-France
Gouze in 2001. Régine Bouzounie-Doat, however, holds the record
for longevity having been the association’s secretary since the
very beginning.
Presentation of the Fargaudie
Report
Next to the
official flow chart which each yearly general assembly adopts,
is a list of councillors who actively help the association.
Anne-Marie Cocula Vaillières, encountered at the University of
Bordeaux in 1982, was Les Pesqueyroux’s godmother before
becoming, during their 10th general assembly, their honorary
president. Yann Laborie has shared with the association his
inexhaustible supply of knowledge about river transport from as
early as 1984. The architect, Jean Loup Daele joined the group
in 1987 during the exhibition about rural architecture in the
canton. And finally, André Goustat has frequently been called
upon since 1996.
It was, in fact,
in May 1996 that a breach appeared in the canal causing water to
pour into the river near the port of Lanquais. As a result of
the 1964 Tour de France accident, the Port de Couze bridge was
altered and all navigation between Mauzac and St Capraise
stopped. This latest accident risked sounding the death knell
for the canal. Les Pesqueyroux who had been dreaming of creating
« a walk...to the gentle rhythm of a gabare » saw all their
plans in danger of disappearing and so embarked on a long
campaign for the restoration of the canal. Martine Tran, a
member of the local council since the 1995 elections, became a
member of the association and joined the board. Frédéric Gontier,
President since 1987 was voted by the commune onto the Inter
Commune Lalinde Canal Syndicate. The two of them engaged in a
battle for the restoration of the canal no matter what the cost.
The Lanquais Port accident provoked reflection for the
association’s members : protection of the river transport
heritage does not only involve preserving ancient ruins, as
important is an almost militant campaign of information, the
need to convince people and influence local authorities. The
association cannot exist in a purely defensive role, it needs to
be known and to unite with others engaged in the same pursuit.
The trauma of 1996 gave rise to an ambitious project : for the
transport of merchandise to return to the canal. From there on,
the choice of methods and allies can only take place in a
pragmatic fashion.
