And when we were getting ready to do the move—I'll never forget it—Mom bought us all new clothes. Mom bought us all this bright clothing, overalls and a top. The overalls were either yellow or orange, and the shirts were either yellow or orange. Four of us wore that. I think she bought us new shoes too.

We were getting ready to leave. The time was coming near, and Mom had us packing up stuff. And we had one of those old stoves, you know, the kind you burn wood in. And, of course, all of the pans were black with soot... I mean black: you'd never get it off. But Mom had us all out on the flake scrubbing those pots. And I was thinking, where are we going? to some frigging holy land or something? because everything had to be perfect.

The pots would have to put in a good appearance. The children would have to, too. "Now, when you go to Harbour Breton, you got to behave yourself," Deborah's mother told her.

The day of the move came. The house they would live in had already been moved by barge to Harbour Breton. Older brothers and sisters had gone too. It was their job to get the house ready for the others.

The young children dressed in their bright, new outfits. Their mother warned them to keep their clothes clean. Deborah remembers this as funny. The first part of their journey was in the back of a truck. The second part was in an open boat. At the end of the boat ride, their uncle would be waiting with his car. How could you keep your clothes clean on a trip like that?

Although Deborah was very young at the time, the feelings she had in the boat left a strong memory.

I never felt excited... I felt really sickly. And I was really sad. Looking out over the boat and at the water, and feeling really sad... But I was really frightened, and I didn't quite know why. I think it was just the move. And I think back then people didn't realize that kids could experience stress through leaving, through change. The adults were too busy worrying about their own stuff, I guess.

In Harbour Breton, the brothers and sisters had done their job. The house was ready; the beds were made. But things were strange. There was no porch on the house, only blocks that you had to step up on in order to go in.