Darrel Nadeau says his experiences growing up in La Broquerie will help him in his new role as the Executive Director of the Festival du Voyageur.

Nadeau says Monday was his first day on the job. He notes he is thrilled to be a part of a festival that plays such a large role in Manitoba culture and community adding his upbringing helped prepare him for this new job.

"We were a very traditional family in terms of getting together, in terms of celebrating, in creating that family atmosphere and the joie de vivre that is really part of the culture of the Festival Du Voyageur. I would say that growing up in a small town, holding on to these French traditions and speaking French among each other is really key for me in terms of bringing that to the festival."

Richard Turenne is the Projects Officer for the La Broquerie Community Development Corporation. He says Darrel Nadeau getting the job of executive director brings a certain sense of pride to the community of La Broquerie.

"La Broquerie is well known for trying to keep its French heritage and culture alive through activities like the St. Jean Baptiste Days that we hold in June and we have a Catholic parish that we are trying to conserve and preserve and keep the traditions alive so to have this strong tie to Festival du Voyageur is obviously a good thing for us."

Nadeau says he has a background in business with a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Manitoba and is looking forward to putting that to good use in the non-profit sector.

"I worked for the federal government for a few years and then I moved to working in the charitable sector and using those business skills in a non-profit environment motivates me a lot because it has a larger meaning than just pursuing profit in business interest but it does still allow me to use those business skills which are vitally important in the non-profit sector."

Nadeau says he will learn a lot between now and the 2018 Festival du Voyageur, then use that new knowledge to start planning the 2019 festival which will be their 50th anniversary.