He was a peasant that everyone knew, a face that will have marked the village of Saint-André-le-Gaz, a figure of local life. Roger Gallien, 95, is gone and it is with emotion that those who loved him and recently joined him have come together to pay him a final tribute.
Born in 1927, in the very heart of the country he loved without half measures, Roger’s creed, throughout his life, was commitment. Marked by the shooting in the village on June 8, 1944, where 13 people had lost their lives under the fire of German soldiers, he never stopped testifying against hatred, intolerance and tyranny.
Roger Gallien is soon destined for a career as a teacher, a profession of which he will fervently carry the values throughout his professional career, alongside his wife Jeannette. In addition, this vocation as a teacher will also lead him to move for a period to teach in the city of Roche, from 1950 to 1963.
At the same time, he is throwing himself body and soul into an entirely new adventure, this time political. It could even be said that it was the adventure of his life, the one that will leave an indelible mark on the territory. At 38, Roger Gallien begins his first term as mayor of Saint-André-le-Gaz. The municipality owes him the realization of numerous educational, sporting, cultural and social projects, all aimed at the satisfaction of its inhabitants and the good development of its grown village. A prominent figure known to all, Roger Gallien had an unconditional love for his fellow citizens. He also had a great culture and did not shirk any effort. It is difficult to paint a portrait of this man so full of charisma, whose very appearance inspired a natural respect. A big-hearted builder, officer of the Academic Palms, Roger Gallien will have carried out his mission in the service of the Saint-Andréen for 30 years, until 1995.
Today his signature, as well as his work, remain intact. Proof of this is the unanimous emotion of the whole city at his funeral.
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