2009 News - Homage to Alain Thomas

On Saturday, February the 21th 2009, the Ouillypontains were invited to join the town council, in order to pay a tribute to Dr. Alain Thomas.
The local population but also those of neighbouring districts responded in large number to this invitation, and a long time well before the published hour, about 150 persons gathered at the "Guinguette" on the bank of the river Orne.

In presence of Mr. Guy Baillard, general councillor, the first homage was paid by Marcel Lecoq, the actual Mayor of the district.
In 1970, Alain Thomas, a young doctor has set himself up at Pont-d'Ouilly in association with Dr. Roger Cornu.

From 1973 he was involved in associative life and he became chairman of festivities committee. Elected as Mayor in 1977, he took upon four successive mandates at the head of our town council and will remain as the man who expent a great deal of energy developing Pont-d'Ouilly.

He is at the origin of many associations: the rural club with the open air base and two gites (La Pautiche and Le Moulin-Neuf), the modernisation of the gendarmery , the housing estates (La Butte, Le Fleurion), the post office in the town hall. Mayor and also doctor, he set up the A.D.M.R. (departemental help in rural estate) and the S.I.A.D. (nursing service at home). In other domain, he was also instigator of "La Guinguette" which is nowadays well known beyond our region.

Therefore, it's in this place that the town council decided to put up a memorial stone, and the riverside path is called now: Promenade du docteur Alain Thomas.
After this first tribute accompanied in music by Daniel Lecoq and Marcel Soinard, everybody was invited to go to the park in order to carry on with this ceremony.

In this place, since 2007, the festivities committee was very keen to thank Alain Thomas by planting a tree in memory. Maryvonne Guibout recalls that during 28 years he was the chairman and since 1973, he gave again a vigorous spirit to our traditional Festival of Pentecost. Thanks to him, it still continues today.

To end this afternoon, everyone was entertained to a "vin d'honneur" in the festivities hall.
Monique Lecoq, chairman of the twinning committee with Chipping Campden recalls that Alain Thomas was also the first chairman in 1977.