I spent my first four months at Lejac beginning in September until Christmas when me and my older brother, Andy, were told by our supervisors we were going home early. All the other students were scheduled to leave for the holidays maybe about 5 days before Xmas except me and Andy left a week before them. I guess that was because Mom wanted us home early. At least that was what we were told.
And, also we were going to Fort St. James. I guess Mom and Dad moved to Fort, so that was where we were going instead of McLeod Lake where we really live.
All I remember was riding a bus, the one Brother Poulliot he drives, to Vanderhoof early one morning before Xmas in 1963. I was only seven years old then. I sit near the front and after we leave Lejac, the bus stop all along the way to Vanderhoof picking up all these white kids. I never....I never....okay....they must be....they must students. Too.
And our bus the more it stop, the more full it get. And then....and then....a young white girl maybe almost my age she get on....and there are no more....there are no more seats. And then....and then she sit beside me. And me I just look....I just look out the window. And I never even look around or nothing. Except my window you can hardly even see through it, it’s all frozen and stuff.
Me and Andy got off at the Priests’ residence in Vanderhoof. It was a nice little house and that’s where we stayed until our bus left for Fort St. James that afternoon. And it wasn’t a bus. It was just a van which I guess they use to take passengers from Vanderhoof to Fort St. James. At Fort Mom met us at the bus station downtown and then we had to check her mail at the post office. I never been in a post office before. And I ask Mom what you’re supposed to do. And she say you have to ask for your mail. Oh.
St. Maria Gorretti was a public school at Fort St. James 45 miles north of Vanderhoof, BC in the 1960s. Both Native and non-native students from all over town attended the school. At the end of the day, all students went home after school.
Mom registered me and my sister, Sharon, at St. Maria Gorretti after Xmas and so that’s where I went until Easter. I was top of my class at Indian residential school. At Lejac. But the arithmetic book at Fort was way different. I try and keep up. I even stay in class during lunch hour, and try and figure out their text book, but I didn’t recognize anything. My teacher told me to just start where all the other students were. I never ever did figure out their text book.
First day at St. Maria Gorretti, all the students left for lunch. I just sat in my desk all through the lunch hour. I was so scared to even go outside! After lunch my teacher came in and couldn’t believe I sat at my desk the whole hour. She gave me a snack because I guess I never eat that day. Next day she told me it was okay to go home for lunch. We lived in a small house just below the school and so after that I told Mom my teacher told us we were supposed to go home for lunch. And that’s when she started making me lunch at home each day.
I even used to play with Kevin Austin. He was a boy my age. We lived in that small house below the school and next to the church. Kevin and them lived in a small house on the other side of the church. He was my best friend at Fort. We even used their yard for street hockey. A bunch of us boys including my older brother, Andy, and Kevin his older brother, Stewart. One time we were playing and one of us hit the ball too hard and it went bouncing and then bounced off their window. And Stewart’s sister banged on the window and hollered at us to ‘watch the window’. Stewart hollered back and said it was just an accident!
That was the best time at Fort. When we all got outside with our sticks and played street hockey in Kevin their yard springtime.
Fort was way different than Lejac. I returned to Lejac after Easter, me and Sharon. Sharon she’s my older sister. And I had to catch up all over again. But at least I finish top of my class that year. That was in 1963.
And, also we were going to Fort St. James. I guess Mom and Dad moved to Fort, so that was where we were going instead of McLeod Lake where we really live.
All I remember was riding a bus, the one Brother Poulliot he drives, to Vanderhoof early one morning before Xmas in 1963. I was only seven years old then. I sit near the front and after we leave Lejac, the bus stop all along the way to Vanderhoof picking up all these white kids. I never....I never....okay....they must be....they must students. Too.
And our bus the more it stop, the more full it get. And then....and then....a young white girl maybe almost my age she get on....and there are no more....there are no more seats. And then....and then she sit beside me. And me I just look....I just look out the window. And I never even look around or nothing. Except my window you can hardly even see through it, it’s all frozen and stuff.
Me and Andy got off at the Priests’ residence in Vanderhoof. It was a nice little house and that’s where we stayed until our bus left for Fort St. James that afternoon. And it wasn’t a bus. It was just a van which I guess they use to take passengers from Vanderhoof to Fort St. James. At Fort Mom met us at the bus station downtown and then we had to check her mail at the post office. I never been in a post office before. And I ask Mom what you’re supposed to do. And she say you have to ask for your mail. Oh.
St. Maria Gorretti was a public school at Fort St. James 45 miles north of Vanderhoof, BC in the 1960s. Both Native and non-native students from all over town attended the school. At the end of the day, all students went home after school.
Mom registered me and my sister, Sharon, at St. Maria Gorretti after Xmas and so that’s where I went until Easter. I was top of my class at Indian residential school. At Lejac. But the arithmetic book at Fort was way different. I try and keep up. I even stay in class during lunch hour, and try and figure out their text book, but I didn’t recognize anything. My teacher told me to just start where all the other students were. I never ever did figure out their text book.
First day at St. Maria Gorretti, all the students left for lunch. I just sat in my desk all through the lunch hour. I was so scared to even go outside! After lunch my teacher came in and couldn’t believe I sat at my desk the whole hour. She gave me a snack because I guess I never eat that day. Next day she told me it was okay to go home for lunch. We lived in a small house just below the school and so after that I told Mom my teacher told us we were supposed to go home for lunch. And that’s when she started making me lunch at home each day.
I even used to play with Kevin Austin. He was a boy my age. We lived in that small house below the school and next to the church. Kevin and them lived in a small house on the other side of the church. He was my best friend at Fort. We even used their yard for street hockey. A bunch of us boys including my older brother, Andy, and Kevin his older brother, Stewart. One time we were playing and one of us hit the ball too hard and it went bouncing and then bounced off their window. And Stewart’s sister banged on the window and hollered at us to ‘watch the window’. Stewart hollered back and said it was just an accident!
That was the best time at Fort. When we all got outside with our sticks and played street hockey in Kevin their yard springtime.
Fort was way different than Lejac. I returned to Lejac after Easter, me and Sharon. Sharon she’s my older sister. And I had to catch up all over again. But at least I finish top of my class that year. That was in 1963.
The photo above, courtesy of 'fortstjameschamber.com ' I'm sure is the church on Stuart Lake at Fort St. James. In the 1960s there were houses on the south side of the church and Mom and us lived in a house on the north side of the church, below the school.
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