Even if the showers followed the showers at the end of the morning on July 14, there was a certain heat near the stele which recalls that thirty-two families of harkis lived there from 1962 to 1965.
The exile of the harkis in Aveyron
On the anniversary of the mother’s death, the Hamaddache family had chosen Nouzet for their reunion day. It is there that the parents, Abdelkader and Chérifa, lived, with their three eldest, the first period of their exile in France.
At noon, in a pouring rain, Miloud Hamaddache, the eldest son, welcomed all the participants, congratulating themselves on being able, despite the rain, to organize this family reunion. He greeted the mayor, Pierre Pantanella and Raymond Fabrègues, deputy and resident of Nouzet, the Lecouls family and Bernard Rainairo, of the Amicale des harkis de l’Aveyron, who facilitated this meeting.
Raymond Fabrègues expressed his pleasure in welcoming the family and friends of Miloud Hamaddache, recalling the links which unite the Harki community and the commune of Saint-Rome-de-Cernon.
Hélène Lecouls, associating her brother Jacques with her, remembered this family who had lived in the forestry camp and their meeting had allowed them to better know the history of Nouzet and its camp, she said how they had immediately adhered to the project of this reunion day. She concluded by recalling the memory of her father, General Pierre Lecouls, who, having served in Algeria, had a deep respect for the harkis.
Bernard Rainairo recalled this painful page in history and these men who, overnight, had to make the choice to leave their land for a country they had served but did not know. He also spoke of the conditions in which they had been received in France. Respectfully, when the rain had stopped, the children decorated the stele with flowers. Before everyone returned to their homes, a round table was organized. Those who were children in 1962 shared their memories and feelings about this time.
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