“Stay simple, live close to nature and moderate your desires. You can’t have everything.”
César Cornaz is born in Faoug in 1922, on the southern shore of Lake Murten. His father was a machinist in a state-owned quarry and barely earned enough to feed his family of five.
Growing up, César Cornaz nurtures his passion for collecting: stamps, postcards, documents, photos, and films. As a child, he dreams of traveling, while gazing at stamps from Costa Rica. But little César is a very good student. This enables him to take a different path from that reserved for the son of a poor family. He completes a three-year apprenticeship at the Cantonal Bank of Vaud in Avenches. He then works in Zurich, London, Brussel, Milan and Geneva. He has a special memory from his apprenticeship: the day he held the golden bust of Marcus Aurelius in his hands, discovered in 1939 during Roman excavations in Avenches. He witnesses the transfer of this exceptional find from the vault of the Cantonal Bank to the museum in Lausanne, where it was to be presented to the world.
After returning to Switzerland, César Cornaz founds together with a Hungarian chemist a laboratory for antibiotics and later a factory for pharmaceutical products in Meyrin. As sales director, he travelsles all over the world. Through his contact with different religions and cultures, he develops a certain reserve towards politics. Except for women’s right to vote, which he supported.
His wife, a native of Berne whom he met in Zurich, also works her entire life. At the same time, she takes care of the family when César Cornaz is away on business. He sees little of his children. His youngest daughter, born six years after his first two children, benefits more from his presence. Today, he has a close relationship with all his children: his son lives in the neighbouring village and his daughters visit every Thursday.
Later, he sells his shares in the factory and bought himself a stamp shop in Geneva, thus fulfilling his childhood passion. Business is good. In 1985, he is able to afford a plot of land in Vallamand, where he builds a beautiful, open, spacious and bright house, thus living on the other side of Lake Murten, opposite his birthplace.
His advice to young people would be: stay close to nature and be moderate in your desires. You can’t have everything. And although he has been widowed twice, he continues to love life, laughing and singing.
César Cornaz says: ‘I’ve reached the age of 100 without ever dreaming of it; it happened step by step. I haven’t done much for my health. It’s pure luck that I’m still so healthy.’ One thing is certain: he has never been bored. Over the years, he has also made mistakes and been caught up in life, just like everyone else. But he has always come out on top.