Commemorating 70th anniversary of Cap St-Jacques boating tragedy
Posted July 13, 2024 5:24 pm.
Last Updated July 14, 2024 11:02 am.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the tragic drowning of 12 children from a community centre in Montreal. They died in a boating accident at Cap St-Jacques, near Île-Bizard.
It happened on July 13, 1954 and is still considered one of the deadliest boating accidents in Canadian history.
“You’ll never be forgotten because we were silent for too long, and now through us their voices will be heard,” said Gail Millington Grant at a memorial service Saturday at Bois-de-l’Île-Bizard Nature Park.
The children took part in a summer outing that day in 1954 organized by what was known at the time as the Negro Community Centre in Little Burgundy.
“They came out here to have fun, hot dogs, oranges and a gentleman came with his boat and he offered to give them a ride around here, right around,” explained Grant. “And I believe it was from the goodness of his heart and one boat went out and came back, second trip went out and came back and unfortunately our sister was on the third boat with 17 children, so 16 other children and the weather changed all of a sudden and the children panicked and they couldn’t swim and the boat capsized and they fell in.”
Denzil Alleyne, Margo and Marilyn Fonseca, Brenda Kelly, Carol and Alan Leek, Paula Millington, Leon Nealey, Edwin and Diane Springer, Doreen Walton, and Estelle Walton were the children who died that day in 1954.
Kathy Grant shared the story of Denzil’s mother, who prepared her son’s favourite meal on the day of the tragedy, but he never came back for dinner.
“So for years she kept it in the freezer and then at some point she would take it out and set the table for him as if he was there and then put it back in the freezer. So this went on for a number of years,” Kathy Grant said.
Rodney Millington was 10 years old when his sister Paula passed.
“I miss my sister and I see her all the time,” Millington said. “I see her in the water looking up to me, looking for somebody to save her. And I always wondered what happened, what would I do if I was here? Would I go on the boat or would I say no? Just like everybody else.”
Saturday’s memorial service was part of a series of activities organized to commemorate the 70th anniversary. A service will be held at the Union United Church on Sunday at 10 a.m. to honour the memory of the 12 victims and provide a space for the community to come together.
