The first pair of rubber boots that I bought must date from 1968… I had a small amount of pocket money : I remember that when looking at the MANUFRANCE catalogue I saw the boots that I coveted… The LE CHAMEAU ST HUBERT…! I then sent my order, but I asked them to send them to my grandmother’s house… in order to avoid any parental reprimands or thought...

       When they arrived I hid them in my canoe hanging in the garage... No one would come there looking for them...

       Problem : on opening the packet, they were not the “Le Chameau”, but if my memory is good they were : Le GUEPARD ! Leather lined, shaped like ST HUBERT… but not the colour... yellow ochre (PICARDIE style). I resolved the problem eventually by making them look older thanks to the passion of my father for hunting carnivores !

       Regularly (sometimes many times a day) I “washed” them in blood which acted as the lure. Like Karl, my father’s friend who was a slaughterer at the abattoir… and every Sunday, went hunting… my boots then became darker and resembled Karl’s Saint Huberts...

       Finally, when I was getting towards 18, I started an active life. There was a stallholder, “Gaby”, who attended the Charolais cattle fairs. He sold only rubber boots and work clothes. I bought my first pair of Saint Hubert from him… like those of my father’s friend J.P. This guy was not interested in his father’s work... I took his place… His father presented me to his customers as “the adopted son of the house”. What an honour ! I was booted and dressed by the company… and the collection of Saint Hubert started… I frequented the abattoirs and the fairs ; I learnt the work : buying, killing, cutting up, selling… deliveries… I did not take off my rubber boots any more.

Yves, The Booted Dealer.