By Kaniehtonkie

On a freezing Thursday evening, the Hogansburg Akwesasne Volunteer Fire Department (HAVFD) – Station 3, honored a long-standing member of their fire department. Station 3 firefighters want to acknowledge the struggles many residential school survivors endured at institutions and long after they returned home. And to honor those that never made it home.

William 'Billy' Sunday was sent to Spanish Residential School on the north shore of Lake Huron and west of Sudbury. It was one of the largest residential schools in Ontario and the only school run by the Jesuits of English Canada. Spanish is close to an eight-hour drive from Akwesasne. Billy was only fourteen years old at the time.

The Spanish schools, administered as one entity, (girls and boys, and later a high school), the St. Peter Claver School for Boys and the St. Joseph's School for Girls opened in 1913. Both schools were officially shut down in 1965.

The purpose of the residential schools was to eliminate all aspects of the child's Indigenous language, culture and traditions. Students had their hair cut short, they were dressed in uniforms, and their days were strictly regimented by timetables. Many worked long hours just to keep the schools operating.

Knowing this, and knowing a fellow firefighter had attended Spanish, they gathered and came up with some ideas. Next, they contacted local artist Joe King. After meeting with King and finalizing a design, Long Graphics from Cornwall completed the design on First Run Engine-93 fire truck – a fully operational fire truck. Long Graphics completed all of the work right within the fire station.

'Billy' vividly remembers his days at Spanish. He said he never heard complaints while he was there but heard many stories of traumatic experiences once he arrived home. He remembers being with Indigenous children from across Ontario.

"We were put on a train and sent away. We couldn't speak our own language there. They treated us ok, but I was fourteen when I was sent away. The local Indian agent encouraged us to go. If your family had the money, you could go home to visit at Christmas time and during the summer. In my four years there, I remember seeing my family once a year at Christmas.

Students were from six-years-old to teens. I knew Inuit, Ojibwe and Cree kids. They treated us ok. Being fourteen years old may have helped."

He went on to say, "I think it was worse at other schools and other areas. Many children were forced to go. I heard awful stories from friends who were abused."

Sunday spoke of the recent compensation given to residential school survivors and how an 'ordinary experience survivor' was given $3000. He said our people don't want to complain and many were too embarrassed by their experiences to talk about it. Others were never compensated for what they went through, and many didn't want to talk about it.

Sunday said, "We are resilient - we take a lot."

Sunday talked about how residential schools destroyed a lot of our people, they were beat up and abused – and eventually saw this as a way of life. They left with no parenting skills, 'they don't know how to be parents themselves.'

"We are more resilient; we still have our language and our ceremonies. I was once told, 'I'm amazed by your people. Of all the wrongs you suffered and you're still able to be joyful and happy.' I often think of it and it's true. The way our people were treated. My sister went there, and she never complained. She had a hard time speaking Mohawk when she returned home but relearned it."

William Sunday and Sturge Lazore standing in front of a memorial of the history behind Station 3.

Sunday stood there in Station 3, proudly sharing the firemen's accomplishments over the years. Proud of the local men who built the firehall, trained and then passed this hard-working ethic on to their sons and daughters.

Then as if to go back Spanish, Sunday said, "I remember taking part in the big march last summer, we're acknowledging those that didn't make it back."