Commemorations for 12 Quebec children lost in drownings become space for healing

More than 70 years later, the travel to heal from 1 of Canada's worst boating tragedies is acold from implicit — successful galore ways, it's conscionable beginning.

Every year, there's a commemorative ceremonial to wage tribute to the 12 children who drowned successful 1954 aft a motorboat capsized successful the Lake of Two Mountains successful Île-Bizard, a neighbourhood successful Montreal's West Island.

But according to Gail Millington Grant, whose sister Paula was among the children who died, those yearly gatherings were often bookended by agelong stretches of soundlessness among those who were astir affected.

"I was successful my precocious teens and I retrieve asking much and much questions and my begetter ever said 'leave that alone, halt bothering your mother, that's thing we don't privation to speech about,'" recalls Millington Grant, who was lone 2 years aged astatine the clip of the drownings and is present 73.

As precocious arsenic past year, her older brother, who was 10 years aged successful 1954, shared idiosyncratic details helium had ne'er disclosed to her earlier astir however helium recovered retired astir the calamity and however it made him feel.

In summation to the nonaccomplishment of loved ones, it's those missing pieces and the feeling that past is being swept nether the rug arsenic a effect of deafening silence, that those near down proceed to conflict with.

'Never got to accidental goodbye'

On July 13, 1954, much than 60 children attending the Negro Community Centre successful the city's Little Burgundy neighbourhood went retired to Île-Bizard for a picnic.

A antheral offered to instrumentality the children connected a motorboat ride. He took 2 groups of children connected circular trips without incident.

During the 3rd ride, however, 17 children betwixt the ages of six and 11 piled onto the vessel designed for 7 adults.

The boat's centrifugal flooded and a question swept implicit it, causing the younger children to panic and leap into the water. None of them had beingness jackets and astir of them didn't cognize however to swim.

Some of the children were saved, but 12 of them didn't marque it. 

In the years that followed, talking astir what happened, the feelings of grief oregon adjacent blessed recollections of those who died, was discouraged, Millington Grant said.

She credits her grandma who, acknowledgment to a meticulously curated scrapbook of paper clippings and household photos, not lone helped her to get immoderate answers astir the calamity but larn much astir who her sister was.

For the 40th anniversary, The Montreal Gazette contacted Millington Grant for an interview. When she reached retired to her parents for much information, they forbade her from speaking to the publication.

For decades, Millington Grant's brother, Rodney Millington Jr., didn't privation to unfastened up astir losing their sister Paula. 

When the drownings occurred, Millington Jr. was astatine a antithetic campy — the Red Feather sleepaway camp. 

His go-to reply to questions from his sister Gail: "I don't remember."

Around the clip of the 50th anniversary, Millington Grant got immoderate answers during a speech with a household friend, Howard Blanchette. 

"Howard said helium cried astir of the night," she said, referring to her brother's absorption to the quality his sister had died. "He was precise upset."

Blanchette also told her the household decided to permission her member astatine the campy for 2 much weeks aft their sister died.

"He ne'er went to the ceremonial and helium ne'er got to accidental goodbye," said Millington Grant.

The aforesaid twelvemonth she had that speech with the household friend, her begetter passed. Shortly after, she went to her mother, pleading with her to stock her feelings astir what happened successful 1954.

"We request to bash thing astir this," Millington Grant recalls telling her mother. 

"We request to speech astir it. There's truthful galore radical who don't cognize astir it adjacent successful our ain family."

Her parent opened up, and her girl noticed however it seemed to bring her immoderate alleviation — a benignant of therapy her begetter mightiness person learned to appreciate.

Can't go backmost successful time, but we tin learn

Every year, a peculiar ceremonial is held to honour the representation of the victims — to talk their names: Denzil Alleyne, Margo and Marilyn Fonseca, Brenda Kelly, Carol and Alan Leek, Leon Nealey, Edwin and Diane Springer, Doreen and Estelle Walton arsenic good as Paula Millington.

Family and friends be an yearly work astatine Union United Church, an instauration successful the bosom of Little Burgundy neighbourhood wherever galore of the families called home. 

Last year, during the boating accident's 70th anniversary, a plaque was installed astatine the tract of the tragedy.

This past Saturday, during the commemoration for the 71st year, the King Charles III Coronation Medal was awarded to David Tagieff — who was 12 years aged erstwhile helium paddled retired to the capsized vessel and saved 2 children from drowning.

The medal recognizes individuals who person made a important publication to a peculiar province, territory, portion oregon assemblage successful Canada.

For his part, Tagieff inactive can't truly explicate however helium had the beingness of caput to enactment truthful decisively. Although helium doesn't similar to dwell successful regret, helium does wonderment however the concern mightiness person been antithetic if he'd been capable to usage a speedboat to get to the children faster.

"You can't spell back," helium said. "Crying implicit it isn't going to lick it truthful you got to benignant of say, well, it's a calamity and hopefully we larn from this."

Millington Grant speaks up astir what happened to marque definite the names of the 12 children mislaid are recorded successful past books and to beforehand h2o safety.

"The children request to cognize however to swim, but they besides request to cognize the dangers of the water, that things tin alteration successful a divided 2nd and the respect of the h2o is the astir important," she stressed.

Last year, the West Island Black Community Association (WIBCA) made a committedness to rise consciousness astir the 1954 accident. Additionally, the enactment is facilitating entree to captious therapy. Two counsellors, Seeta Ramdass and Rosetta Sowkey person offered their services for free.

"It's ne'er excessively precocious to heal, " the organization's president, Joan Lee, noted. 

WIBCA is besides moving with the borough of Pierrefonds-Roxboro to supply swimming lessons.  

In the days starring up to past Saturday's ceremony, Millington Grant grew tearful erstwhile asked astir what it would mean to beryllium contiguous for Tagieff's recognition.

With her dependable cracking with emotion, she said: "Even if helium had lone saved 1 — and helium saved 2 — it's by the grace of God that those families didn't person to spell done what the remainder of our families went through."

For much stories astir the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to occurrence stories wrong the Black assemblage — cheque out Being Black successful Canada, a CBC task Black Canadians tin beryllium arrogant of.