Patrice Paquette on how he got involved

Patrice Paquette: When I was in grade 10, I was so very fortunate – you’ll understand why I’m saying that in a moment – to have a teacher named Luc Désormeaux. You may be familiar with his name because he was a member of Domaine Chénier. That teacher and I developed a wonderful friendship, and we’re still close today. Luc was on the board of directors, and he wanted to bring in new members. So he asked me to sit on the board, and that’s how I got started. I was born in Saint-Eustache, as were my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, and some members of my family were very active in politics here. I had an uncle who was mayor, and also one of my grandfathers. So from a young age I’ve always been immersed in everything related to the municipality, the Moulin Légaré, the cultural aspect, the committees. You know, when I was about 10 years old, I took part in a rally, right here at manoir Globensky the night my uncle Jean-Paul Paquette was elected and declared mayor. I was here when I was 10 years old. That’s probably why… at about 16-18 years old, I got involved in various committees. There was a cultural committee, and then the mill. All this was part of our daily lives, the manoir Globensky, the mill, so when Luc Désormeaux… Yes, Luc was there, as well as other people I knew, including Mr. Desjardins, who was the treasurer and lived on the street next to mine. You know, back then people had close ties, very, very close. We were close-knit, and it was easy to find ways to get involved if you wanted to.