Now it’s time for Georges Pothier to enjoy his well-deserved retirement after 11 years updating viewers on the show Salut Bonjour alongside Gino Chouinard.
• Also read: Georges Pothier officially says goodbye to the audience
• Also read: Georges Pothier is happy with his decision to retire
Georges had been considering this resignation for several years. We can say that his decision was well thought out. “My wife, Lucie Cousineau, who retired in the summer of 2019 – she was an elementary school teacher – was very keen that I make my decision too. She has endured my odd schedule all these years. And when we talked about my retirement from time to time, she let me talk about it. What I’m about to say may sound cliche, but when we look around we see friends, family members, people who have been ill… I realized that when health fails us, we can’t make it anymore. Even though you may have the best career in the world, sometimes it’s harder to enjoy the good times. I have enjoyed working at Salut Bonjour, it has been a driving force for me over the years and I am very proud of it. But at some point you have to stop. I’m really happy with my decision.
So this Thursday 15th June was our last chance to see Georges on the morning show. When I met him a few weeks ago, in anticipation of this moment, which he awaited with emotion, he clarified: “Obviously, because of my job, I manage to keep a certain distance on the issues I raise, especially when it comes to but the older I get the softer I get… And I know I’ll be moved when the time comes to leave.
Time as a couple Since announcing his retirement, the news anchor has once again witnessed the impact of Salut Bonjour on the general public. “Everyone talks to me about it! Whether it’s in the supermarket or in the workshop, people tell me it’s coming. Here we realize how often Salut Bonjour is watched. It really is like being on the steps of the church in a small village. It’s fun for that.” Georges and “his girlfriend,” as he calls her, are in great shape and have been thinking about what they want for their retirement for a long time.
“When you’re younger and thinking about retirement, the first thing you do is hope that by the time you reach that tipping point you’ll be healthy and financially good… Today my girlfriend and I have a project to buy a small motor. We see some traveling light. It would be fun to enjoy for a few years,” he says. Georges also wants to take the time to travel and fulfill some dreams.
“My girlfriend wants us to go to Portugal this autumn. It’s not a very exotic destination, but it’s a pretty country with a very good reputation. And we eat well! I would like to go to Rome and also to Greece. I haven’t seen that many countries in Europe; it’s never to late. My girlfriend had a big dream: to have a horse. This opportunity miraculously presented itself to me through a friend last fall. She visits her horse three to four times a week. It’s a real passion for her.
Photo: Dominic Gouin / TVA Pub
In addition, Lucie and Georges are celebrating their 36th marriage anniversary this summer. “I met Lucie when I arrived in Montreal to work at Jean-Pierre Coallier’s CFGL radio station. She was a student and at the end of her day she worked a few hours at the station reception. That’s how we met. We eventually lost touch because I worked at CIEL, which was also owned by Jean-Pierre. And when I came back to CFGL a year later, we started dating,” he recalls.
The passion for cars
The couple is happy and gets along wonderfully. And while Lucie made a dream come true by getting a horse, Georges, for his part, is a fan of nautical delights. However, he has another passion. “I have been sailing with a dinghy on Lac Nominingue and Lac des Sables in Sainte-Agathe for several years. But now I might move on… I’m a crazy car lover! That’s something you discover as you get older. I like old cars that I loved when I was 18 or 20, so English roadsters: MGs and Triumphs. I have had several of these cars and one of my dreams is to get one that I like. Eventually I’ll probably sell my boat and boom! I’ll get a 1960s car that looks good: a roadster or an old Alfa Romeo.”
However, Georges has no intention of remaining completely inactive and no longer touching his job because he is retired. “I have a few ideas… There are things I would like to do. I’ve had two careers. I’ve spent twenty years in radio, most of it with CFGL, a little in the mornings but mostly in the afternoons. I then worked at TVA, LCN, Argent and Salut Bonjour for 26 years. In my first life, before I got into the information industry, I was an animator. I must have written hundreds of commercial narrations, plus I’ve worked in the studio and written voice-overs. I’m not an actor, but storytelling is one of the things I enjoy most about this job. But when you’re on the news, you can’t tell more because you can’t monetize your voice to announce something. There I will regain complete freedom. It’s sure the world has changed, but if anything
Opportunities arose to work in the studio or as a narrator, be it for a documentary or an advertisement, or even work on radio, which I miss, I would really like that, he admits. But I don’t want to get involved in a daily thing, especially if I have to get up at 4am! he adds with a laugh. If people contact me I’ll see if it’s interesting. I also have other projects. I worked for the Argent Channel, the financial broadcaster, for several years. I’ve always had an interest in it and business interviews; I’ve already been offered this. We will see. Nothing concrete yet. I’m going to start letting the time pass and soaking up the holidays.
Photo: PAUL DUCHARME / TVA Pub
Retirement will no doubt also allow him to spend more time with his grandchildren. “I have two children, Charles-Antoine and Laurence, and we often babysit my daughter’s children. Adèle will be five years old in July and Henri will be two years old on June 25th. We love her! They’re used to coming home: they’re having fun with grandma and grandpa.”
Significant Encounters
Apparently, in 11 years, Georges had the opportunity to meet many guests on the set of Salut Bonjour. Several have impressed or shaped him. “Michel Côté was always very kind and generous. Also Michel Barrette: always fun to see and chat with. He’s still so nice. When I was at Salut Bonjour weekend, we didn’t know each other. One Sunday morning we decided to call him to talk to him. He had given us a very nice interview and was very nice. There are real good guys and fake good guys; He’s a really nice guy.
Photo courtesy of Salut Bonjour
There were intense and moving moments on set depending on the news and topics discussed; some were funnier too. And Georges has nothing but good things to say about the team captain, who is a master at running the show. “Everyone always speaks well of Gino and it’s deserved. You know him: he is in life as he is on the air. For me that is great quality.
SEBASTIEN ST-JEAN/QMI AGENCY
Of course, when there’s a tragedy, it’s like everyone’s serious and we’re not joking, but in the normal course of life we can go from the news to show business, from the sport to the recipe, and then at some point in the mood between the host and one of his teammates… Only Salut Bonjour can do that!”
funny reminder
Precisely because it’s a matter of mood, Georges lets narrate a funny moment that lived in the air. “Gino is someone who likes to laugh. Sometimes we had unforgettable giggles. The famous interview we had with Dr. Frost is one of those moments. This man, a world leader, was at home speaking to us on Zoom. During the live call he forgot he was on the air… We saw him get up to get his dog out of the office but he was in boxers! Since he didn’t notice, I said to him: “Stay with us, Doctor Frost!” Gino and I were so bent we laughed. Our guest sat down again and continued the interview on very serious medical issues. It felt like a Jerry Lewis movie! It was one of our biggest laughs. If you ask me what I’m thinking about after all these years, it depends on what people tell me, and God knows a lot of them are talking to us because a lot of them are looking at us: So it’s fun, listen Gino too!” And often they add about me: “You, you are funny but serious at the same time.”
Photo: Valerie Blum / Echos Ve
Back to school without him
Does Georges think he will miss his everyday life, his work and his friends in September when everyone will be back at Salut Bonjour? Maybe a little, he tells us, but he’s obviously decided to turn the tide. “Obviously I’ll enjoy seeing them again when we get together, but I’ve made my rounds. So that’s fine.’ However, Georges knows he will certainly have the opportunity to see Gino again. “It’s planned and I hope we keep in touch. It must be that we’re having too much fun together! We may see each other again, we don’t know the future…”
So it’s over, the 2:25 AM alarm clock, getting up and getting ready to go into the studio at TVA. “I had no trouble getting up at the time, but went to bed early, around 8:30 p.m. And I always couldn’t get up that early on the weekends.” I have co-workers who keep this beat for a long time when they change their schedule. I’m glad because that’s not my case.
One thing is clear: now that he’s retired, Georges won’t be bored, even if he’s flirting with another project! “When I was 50 my girlfriend gave me a big surprise party and people got together to buy me a guitar. It was a Godin, a very nice left-handed acoustic guitar, so it was a special order. At family gatherings I would sometimes enjoy playing two or three chords for fun. Lucie thought I would take lessons, but I didn’t. She often told me to sell the guitar because I wasn’t using it, but I told her that eventually it would be used. There, in retirement, one of my projects is to take courses. Do you see the portrait? The little camper, the campfire and always a tanner who wants to play the guitar… Well, that could be me!” he says with a laugh.
• Also read: The Salut Bonjour veteran disembarks
Salut Bonjour airs from 6am to 9:30am on TVA. Mathieu Roy and the summer team will be there on June 20th.