History
Welcome to the Gonzales Committee on Cultural Affairs (GCCA) website. The GCCA would like to share its early beginnings and its member's commitment to the longevity of the organization.
In the early 1980's, a group of teachers from a local high school, St. Amant High School, began taking students on summer trips. The first trip was to Mexico, the second trip was to Canada. The trips had a dramatic effect on the students. In an effort to give the students a more tangible experience, John Hebert, a chaperone and husband of one of the teachers, consulted people in State Government for ideas to improve the student travel idea.
John was referred to James Domeangeaux, founder of CODOFIL who suggested twinning Gonzales with a city in France. John discussed the idea with John Berthelot who was at that time a councilman. Berthelot gave his support for the project. The proposal was eventually presented to the city council. The project was approved and launched.
An organization headquartered in Paris, France-Louisiane was contacted. They chose a city roughly the same size as Gonzales. Both cities are near capitols, but are different enough to make the mix interesting. Meylan is situated in the French Alps while Gonzales is located in the Plantation-Bayou country.
The first trip to Meylan was in 1984 led by Mayor John Berthelot accompanied by Councilman, Dalton Marchand and approximatly 20 Ascension Parish residents. John Hebert was the first president; Claude Moussy was president of the Meylan Twinning Committee.