It was early in 1977, or may be during the autum of 1976, an Englishman, dressed in a raincoat, Mister Scruton-Evans, ancient academic of Caen and professor of French in England, went to the Town Hall in Condé-sur-Noireau and proposed us to twin our town with his.
What a strange idea !
This good English was falling in love of Norman Switzerland and thought it had much in commun with the place where he lived, the Wye Valley ; where England and Walles are separated by the River Wye ; well-known for its salmons.
On the banks of the Wye, there was a town of around 6500 inhabitants name Ross….so Ross-on-Wye desired to be twinning with a town in Basse-Normandie.
So why not with Condé-sur-Noireau !...
There were many debats among the Local Councillors of Condé, those who were in favour of the Twinning and those who were against. Finally, three Tickets offered by Ross-on-Wye, were received at the Town Hall, so that some of them could go there and meet people of Ross.
In the Autumn 1977, three Town Councillors, Mr.Bouclier, Mr.Renou and Mr.Surville were selected for the preliminary contact.
When we heard them spoken about this city of Ross-on-Wye at their return, with so much warmth to their colleagues of the Council, it was decided at the beginning of 1978, of to inform the Citizens of Condé about possibility of such operation : a Town Twinning.
So a meeting was organized at the Town Hall where all the local Firms and local Associations were represented.
Many exchanges of slides, postcards and letters with Ross…
Some among us decided to undertake in this Adventure by creating a Committee of Twinning called : "Comité de Jumelage Condé-sur-Noireau/Ross-on-Wye"
From that day, we did not take long to write the status of the association, and a delegation from Ross were invited to visit Condé in June 1978.
As soon as we met, we discoverded we had much in common, in a word, we got on very well.
This weekend of "Engagements" will be followed in October in the same year, by union between our two towns.
A Charter signed in October, 1978 in Ross-on-Wye and in April, 1979 in Condé-sur-Noireau make us "United Forever" !
So an great human Adventure was born :
A twinning between Condé-sur-Noireau and Ross-on-Wye.
This review was written in four hands by:
Maurice PIARD (Mayor of Condé-sur-Noireau from 1973 till 1994)
And Hubert LAURENT (President of the Committee from 1978 till 2001).
Let us be realistic : without these two Men in the service of our City, nothing would have been possible and we would not surely celebrate the Thirtieth Anniversary of this Union in this year of 2008.
Just a small precision regarding Mr Raymond SCRUTON-EVANS.
Secretary of the Committee of Ross's Twinning in 1978,but also : Professor of modern languages (Frenchman and German),also Graduated of the University of Caen and especially during the Second World War, from 1941 till 1944, he was a prisoner, so he is forever a respectable Veteran.
It is only justice to mention this information, because they explain so many things on his commitment to achieve this Twinning between our two Towns.
During the visit "Engagements" of Ross-on-Wye to Condé-sur-Noireau on June 17th, 1978, it is Mr.Raymond SCRUTON-EVANS, who should be the Ambassador of the Town of Ross-on-Wye.
You should not either forget numerous Mayors of Ross-on-Wye because they are only elected for one year and who also worked in the permanence of this twinning:
1976-78 : J.PENNY, also Chairman of Ross Twinning at his beginning in 1978.
1978-79 : Ken P.RICHES, who signed charter to Ross on October 14th, 1978 and to Condé on April 22nd, 1979
It is also necessary us to name here very different Chairmen and Chairwomen of Ross Twinning :
1978 : J.PENNY, Chairman of Ross Twinning at its beginning, but also Ross Mayor in 1976-78. It is as Chairman of Ross Twinning that it signed Charter on April 22nd, 1979 to Condé.
And they cannot forget either Roy GARDFIELD, who should be the President of the Committee of Ross of 1979 up to his disappearing in June, 1989. Twinning owes to him a lot !
Then Patricia THORNTON (1989-1990), Margaret THOMAS (1990 -92), Juliet ROE (1992-2007)
But you should not either leave in shade the different Managers and Members of the Committee of Twinning who belong each in their way and according to their competences invested in this big Adventure throughout these thirty years.
Therefore, not to forget them, here are their names :
Miss I.BIZE, Miss C.CAHOUR, Mrs E.CARIOU, Mrs O.DUGUE,Mrs C.DUJARDIN(RUBILLON), Miss M.A.HAUCHARD,Mrs F.JACQUELIN, Mrs E.LAURENT, Mrs P.LENQUETTE,Mrs S.LEROY, Mrs D.LOUISE, Miss L.OBILLARD, Miss C.ROBBE,Miss P.ROSIER, Mrs Y.VIVIEN.
