Rollande Aylwin was born on the farm in 1934. The land was cleared by her grandfather, who built the first barn in 1912. At the time, the barn housed pig pens, a chicken coop and a sheep pen. Rollande’s father, Gédéon Aylwin, takes over the family farm where he and Marie-Rose Perron start their family. On June 4, 1942, a violent storm sweeps away the barn and leaves only a pile of remains on the ground. With the help of neighbours, the Aylwin family rebuilds the barns in the weeks following the incident. “We managed to get the hay in the barn!” recounts Ms. Aylwin, who helps her parents on the barn by hand milking the cows. The barns have housed 20 to 35 cows. Ms. Aylwin also says that one of her tasks, along with one of her brothers, was to gather the cows in the fields when they arrived from school. Often times, they would climb up on the barn roofs some sixty feet in the air to spot the grazing livestock. They could then decide if it was worth going home for a snack before going out to fetch the herd, which could be at least a mile away. In 1943, a hen house and granary were added to the southern end of the west-side barn.

Love eventually brings Rollande Aylwin away from the agricultural world. As a matter of fact, her husband, Armand Bilodeau, works in the mining sector. However, after spending some time in Abitibi, the couple returns to Nédélec and settles on the farm opposite the family farm, where Mr. Bilodeau builds a house and a small barn. For Rollande, who is starting her own family, having cows is essential, both for the milk they produce and that she can feed her children and for teaching her children about hard work and responsibilities.

In 1973, Rollande has the opportunity to buy back the family farm, which had previously been sold to a neighbour. Ms. Aylwin thus returns to her childhood home. The animals she owns, including six cows, are moved to the twin barns, which will house animals until the early 1990s. No major changes were made to the barns, but regular maintenance work will gradually decline with Mr. Bilodeau’s health.

*These heritage items are private property; please admire them from public roads.