PATCHWORK
Society
The Bread and Roses Series
Matrons and Madams
Patchwork Society
The Bread and Roses Series
PATCHWORK
Society
Sharon Johnston
Copyright © Sharon Johnston, 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purpose of review) without the prior permission of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.
All characters in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Publisher: Scott Fraser | Editor: Michael Carroll
Cover designer: Laura Boyle
Cover image: Otto Wilhelm Thome, 1885
Printer: Marquis Book Printing Inc.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: Patchwork society / Sharon Johnston.
Names: Johnston, Sharon, 1943- author.
Description: Series statement: The bread and roses series
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20190231084 | Canadiana (ebook) 20190231092 | ISBN 9781459737051 (softcover) | ISBN 9781459737068 (PDF) | ISBN 9781459737075 (EPUB)
Classification: LCC PS8619.O4875 P38 2020 | DDC C813/.6—dc23
We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Ontario, through the Ontario Book Publishing Tax Credit and Ontario Creates, and the Government of Canada.
Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.
The publisher is not responsible for websites or their content unless they are owned by the publisher.
VISIT US AT
Dundurn
3 Church Street, Suite 500
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5E 1M2
To my five daughters, who have worked for a stronger society
through justice, equality of opportunity, healthcare,
environmental protection, and inclusive education
throughout their professional lives.
CONTENTS
Author’s Note
Cast of Characters
Part One: New Beginnings — Rough Start
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Part Two: Change of Heart
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Part Three: Brief Harmony
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Part Four: Spiralling Down — Forging Ahead
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Acknowledgements
AUTHOR’S NOTE
I grew up in Sault Ste. Marie in Northern Ontario. The Soo, as its citizens call it, is situated on the St. Marys River, which separates two countries and connects Lake Superior with Lake Huron. Bordering on the Canadian Shield, the area has spectacular geography. It is surrounded by many Indigenous reserves of the Ojibwa and Cree Nations. In the 1930s and 1940s, well-educated professionals from Southern Ontario moved to the Soo for the adventurous lifestyle, while entrepreneurs arrived to tap the natural resources. Italians seeking a better life for their families settled near the industries that employed them. Seventy-five Indigenous children lived in a rundown residential school that had been condemned by the fire department for more than a decade. Patchwork Society describes the intersecting lives of these disparate groups.
In this complex social mix, my grandmother, a British-trained nurse, began working as the head nurse of the residential school. I discovered what she did while researching this novel. As an honorary witness at Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, I found this knowledge unsettling. I adored my grandmother.
I remember many happy occasions with Indigenous children. I never asked if they missed their parents or their community. The history I recount in Patchwork Society is taken from many government, medical, and public documents. Personal interviews of those still alive were a treasure trove of information, and I have drawn on my own experiences.
When I was growing up, the Soo was a cosmopolitan place with rich and poor, Indigenous people and white people, living in the same space. The values I learned from the people and situations of my childhood were what allowed me to just be myself, despite living an extraordinary life as the wife of a governor general. The nicest thing any of the thousands of visitors could say when they came to the grand official residence of Rideau Hall was “You’re just like us.”
CAST OF CHARACTERS
DURLING, BARNABY, AND DONNELLY FAMILIES
Clara Ives Durling: Nurse-matron at Shingwauk School in Sault Ste. Marie (the Soo), Ontario, and former superintendent at the Galt Hospital in Lethbridge, Alberta.
William “Billy” Durling: Clara’s late son.
George Durling: Clara’s late husband and Ivy’s father.
Ivy Durling Donnelly: Daughter of Clara and George Durling.
Red Donnelly: Ivy’s husband and son of Ellen and Ed Donnelly.
Alice Donnelly: Ivy’s daughter.
Nora Donnelly: Ivy’s daughter.
Lily Barnaby: Clara’s niece.
Edward Parsons, Sr.: Lily’s first husband.
James Barnaby (called just Barnaby): Lily’s second husband.
Edward “Teddy” Parsons, Jr.: Lily’s son with her first husband, Edward Parsons, Sr.
Jane Barnaby: Lily’s daughter with her second husband, James Barnaby.
Amelia Ives White: Lily’s mother and Clara’s sister.
Robert White: Lily’s father.
Beth White: Lily’s sister.
Ed Donnelly: President of I.J. Donnelly and Sons (later Donnelly Building Materials).
Ellen Donnelly: Wife of Ed Donnelly.
Jean Donnelly Nesbitt: Daughter of Ed and Ellen Donnelly.
Rupert Nesbitt: Fiancé and later husband of Jean Donnelly Nesbitt.
Jack Donnelly: Son of Ed and Ellen Donnelly.
Ian Donnelly: Son of Ed a
nd Ellen Donnelly.
I.J. Donnelly: Father of Ed Donnelly and founder of I.J. Donnelly and Sons.
Geordie Plaxon: Brother of Ellen Donnelly.
Annabel Nurser: Young woman onboard Clara’s ship from England to Canada.
Florence Nurser Sampson: Annabel’s daughter.
Mary Sampson: Florence’s adoptive mother.
Percy Sampson: Florence’s adoptive father.
SHINGWAUK SCHOOL STUDENTS
Lila Martin
William Martin: Lila’s brother.
Abe Martin: Lila’s brother.
Albert Martin: Lila’s grandfather.
Doris Canoe
Aka Round Stone
Jimmy Sagebrush
Denis Plain
Ada Kusugak: Inuit student at Shingwauk and later Clara Durling’s live-in helper.
Dudley Shilling: Shingwauk student who drowned.
Nellie Big Smoke
Chief Big Smoke: Nellie’s father.
Mrs. Big Smoke: Nellie’s mother.
Tina Courtney
Bobby Courtney: Tina’s brother.
Little Feather: Tina’s daughter.
SHINGWAUK SCHOOL STAFF
Reverend Charles Hives: Headmaster.
Jean Hives: Reverend Hives’s wife.
Violette Dumont: Native girl living with the Hiveses.
Dr. Andrew McCaig: Medical officer of health for Northern Ontario and Shingwauk doctor.
Veera Aalto: Laundress.
Noel Thomas: Farm manager.
Beatrice Crossly: Custodian in charge of the senior girls’ dormitory.
Agnes Boniface: Teacher.
Kay Loucks: Teacher.
Mable Morrison: Custodian in charge of the junior boys’ dormitory.
DURLING, BARNABY, AND DONNELLY FAMILIES’ FRIENDS
Sergeant Robert Stuart: Clara’s RCMP friend from Lethbridge, now living in the Soo.
Etta Iverson: Clara and Ivy’s friend in Lethbridge.
Katherine Iverson: Etta’s daughter and friend of Ivy.
Alistair Harwood: Clara’s late friend and former mayor of Lethbridge.
Maggie Stone: Clara’s real-estate agent in the Soo.
Sal D’Agostina: Italian friend of Lily in the Soo.
Gino D’Agostina: Sal’s late husband.
Dominic D’Agostina: Sal’s son.
Irma D’Agostina: Sal’s daughter.
Julio Valenti: Sal’s defence attorney.
K.G. Rossiter: Clara’s Hilltop neighbour in the Soo.
Jessie Rossiter: Wife of K.G. Rossiter.
Anne Rossiter Blake: Daughter of K.G. and Jessie Rossiter.
Tom Blake: Anne’s husband.
Daniel Blake: Anne’s son.
Arnold Clement: Financial officer for Algoma Steel.
Jocelyn Clement: Wife of Arnold Clement.
James Francis: Head of St. Marys Pulp and Paper Mill in the Soo.
Dorothy Francis: Wife of James Francis.
Roberta McCarthy: Clara’s bridge partner at the Rossiters’.
Louis Derrer: Senior engineer at Algoma Steel.
Kathryn Derrer: Wife of Louis Derrer.
Harry Derrer: Son of Louis and Kathryn Derrer.
Audrey Derrer: Daughter of Louis and Kathryn Derrer.
Harriet Burns: Derrers’ cottage neighbour on Gawas Bay.
James Crowder: Owner of Sault Star newspaper.
Adam Crowder: Son of James Crowder and editor of the Sault Star.
Phyllis Crowder: Wife of Adam Crowder.
Grant Howland: Radio broadcaster in the Soo.
Eileen Howland: Wife of Grant Howland.
Beau Greensted: Friend of Red Donnelly.
Betty Kingston Greensted: Wife of Beau Greensted.
Temple Kingston: Brother of Betty Greensted.
George Frederick Kingston: Father of Betty Greensted and dean of the University of Toronto’s Trinity College.
Jeff Wilkes: Friend of Red Donnelly.
Ruth Cohen Wilkes: Wife of Jeff Wilkes.
Nancy Stratichuk: Secretary and mistress of Red Donnelly.
Dr. Chas Greer: Friend of Red and Ivy Donnelly.
Dot Walker Greer: Wife of Dr. Chas Greer.
D.T. Walker: Father of Dot Walker and Soo school inspector.
Dave Brewster: CEO of Algoma Steel.
Patsy Brewster: Wife of Dave Brewster.
Carl Grey: Owner of the Tea and Talk Café in the Soo.
Mildred Grey: Wife of Carl Grey.
Marc Russo: Fellow social worker and friend of Ivy.
Dan MacIntyre: Artist, First World War veteran, and friend of Clara.
Gerda MacIntyre: Wife of Dan MacIntyre.
Dr. Francis Newbury: Late friend of Clara and former doctor at the Galt Hospital in Lethbridge.
Max Laird: Friend of Red Donnelly.
ROYAL VICTORIA HOSPITAL (RVH) AND MONTREAL CHARACTERS
Cecily “Sass” Mitchell: Ivy’s friend at Royal Victoria Hospital (RVH) in Montreal.
Robert Mason: Cecily “Sass” Mitchell’s fiancé and later husband.
Pamela Hobbs: Director of nurses at RVH.
Marta Pelletier: Mailroom manager at RVH.
Monique Seguin: Patient at RVH.
Dr. Pierre Lavoie: Doctor at RVH.
Deirdre MacKay: Patient at RVH.
Hugh Carsley: Montreal friend of Ivy.
MISCELLANEOUS CHARACTERS
Gordon Sims: Department of Indian Affairs agent in Soo area.
Dan Roswell: Chief of police in the Soo.
Bob Glimp: American union organizer in Lethbridge.
Sam McClintock: Clara’s real-estate agent in Lethbridge.
Percy Paris: Dean of St. Luke’s Anglican Church in the Soo.
Francis Clergue: American founder of Algoma Steel.
James Scutter: American businessman.
Philemon Riel: Lighthouse keeper at Corbeil Point near the Soo.
Leila Shell: Neighbour of Clara in the Soo.
Father Maurice: Retired headmaster of Catholic residential school in Spanish, Ontario.
William Plummer: Late Soo civic booster.
Sir James Dunn: President of Algoma Steel.
Marcia Dunn: Third wife of Sir James Dunn.
Henry Hamilton: Member of Parliament for the Soo.
Ivan Slater: Cost estimator at Donnelly Building Materials.
Clem Giovanni: Foreman at Donnelly Building Materials.
Bob Snelling: Employee at Donnelly Building Materials.
Sister Marie Claire: Director-general of female staff at Sault Ste. Marie’s General Hospital.
Anna McCrea: Principal of McFadden Public School in the Soo.
Joe Mancini: Foundry foreman at Algoma Steel in the Soo.
Maud Irving: Red Donnelly’s math teacher.
Fanny Pace: Nora Donnelly’s teacher.
Milton Redman: Clara and Ivy’s Hilltop neighbour.
Marvin Redman: Son of Milton Redman.
Keith Messenger: Pilot who takes Ivy to Wawa, Ontario.
Stan Nahdee: Wawa Cree guide for Ivy in Wawa.
Stella Brownlee: Cree welfare client of Ivy in Wawa.
Cindy Brownlee: Daughter of Stella Brownlee.
Sylvie Brownlee: Granddaughter of Stella Brownlee.
Betty Sanchez: Lethbridge prostitute and friend of Dan MacIntyre.
Reginald Monteith: Bank of Montreal manager in the Soo.
Adam Wright: Lawyer for Ivy.
Russ Thompson: Algoma District regional welfare officer.
Bill Langdon: Magistrate in the Soo.
PART ONE
New Beginnings —
Rough Start
CHAPTER 1
It was Clara Durling’s job as the Shingwauk School nurse to check the heads of incoming children for lice. She had joined the staff in late August 1932, just as Indian agents, or sometimes the police, were hauling Native children into the dilapidated building, some from as far away as Baffin Island. Despite being August, a fire was lit
in the gymnasium to offset the damp interior cold. The room was in such a state from water damage that it served only as the inspection station at the beginning of the year. So much plaster had fallen down that Clara could see the darkened ceiling joists, still wet from a leaked pipe, evidence that the toilets had overflowed into the gymnasium.
William, Lila, and Abe Martin from the nearby Batchewana Reserve were the first to be shoved into the room.
Clara smiled. “Batchewana is an interesting name.” She had moss-green eyes and a wholesome, straightforward English face that, while serious, appeared kind. “What does the word mean?”
William glanced at the nearby custodian, who gripped a large pair of scissors, and remained silent.
“We have all day,” Clara said. “There’s no school until tomorrow.”
“Great Waters,” Lila piped in, afraid Clara might hit her if the question wasn’t answered.
“Thank you for telling me,” Clara said. “I’m a newcomer to Northern Ontario.”
Lila relaxed her small shoulders.
“Stand by the stove,” the custodian barked, as though not approving of idle conversation. She raised her scissors in one hand and pointed with the other to where William should stand for the clipping. “Nits are easier to find in short hair,” she added. It took three snips to remove the long braid that William had tied with deer gut. The custodian tossed the shiny black braid into the fire and then nodded at Lila to come forward.
William shuffled toward Clara and bowed his head.
“Your hair will grow back,” she whispered as she swabbed him gingerly with kerosene.
“Ouch,” Lila uttered when the lady custodian nicked her earlobe.
Clara’s face mirrored little Abe Martin’s woeful look as he reached back to find his ponytail gone. Lila took Abe’s hand and walked him to the door of the gymnasium. Recently, Clara had cut her wiry pepper-grey hair into a short bob for expedience. She missed her long hair, which for most of her adult life she had wound into a chignon each morning to fit it under her nurse’s cap.
The Department of Indian Affairs had decreed that children must receive an education in English despite their diverse cultures and languages. There were few schools on reserves, which meant Native children were sent to residential establishments often hundreds of miles from their homes. Life skills learned in the bush weren’t considered important by the government. Clara had been horrified when she first stepped into her small office to find an official document referring to the children as savages.
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