Rod Vienneau tells this story about being accidentally stranded at a FLQ terrorist training ground in 1970 just prior to the mayhem they spread in October 1970.
He was motoring from Bathurst NB to the Gaspe. He was with his wife and kids, sister and her husband to visit his wife's sister. Here's his account:
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We arrived at Saint Thérèse de Gaspé around midnight, we felt it was to late to wake her sister, so we decided to go looking for a camp ground in Percé.
As we were arriving in the village of Percé, which was only 16 miles from her sister's place, my niece's car broke down.
It was very dark, we noticed a dirt road that runs down towards the ocean. We decided to push the car there off the road, until the morning and find a garage.
I noticed down towards the beach in the moonlight what looked like an old barn, there was a small light on outside, I could make out a man outside, like he was throwing a ball and come back and do the same thing.
My brother in law Lionel and myself decided to go down there to asked where we could find a camping ground, when we arrived where the man was, and it wasn't a ball he was throwing, it was a hunting knife.
I explained what happened to one of our cars and we were looking for a camping ground.
He said, "come inside."
Once inside, we could hardly make out faces. We were in a huge barn, after a few minutes we could see better.
There was a counter with stools like a restaurant. They asked us if we would like a coffee.
The guy who served us coffee was Paul Rose, we were Inside La Maison du Pêcheur, not knowing who they were until hell broke out in Montreal,
As our eyes got used to the inside, I could see on the floor, maybe 30-40 sleeping bags and everyone was doubled up sleeping, so we met Jacques Rose and the others who later were exiled out of the country.
Not knowing who we were talking to, we were questioned by them.
I mentioned that i worked in a mine in Ontario and was taking a short vacation because of a strike and that we were just getting in from New Brunswick
So they could see we were not a threat.
We found a camping ground just on the next lot. I mentioned that me and my brother played music. We had our guitars and if they didn't mind, the next day we would come over and play a tune and sing some songs. The next day went back over to the Maison du Pêcheur and I sang some songs.
I freaked right out when I got back to Montreal and just a few weeks later, the FLQ was attacking, We had sang songs to this bunch.
He was motoring from Bathurst NB to the Gaspe. He was with his wife and kids, sister and her husband to visit his wife's sister. Here's his account:
---
We arrived at Saint Thérèse de Gaspé around midnight, we felt it was to late to wake her sister, so we decided to go looking for a camp ground in Percé.
As we were arriving in the village of Percé, which was only 16 miles from her sister's place, my niece's car broke down.
It was very dark, we noticed a dirt road that runs down towards the ocean. We decided to push the car there off the road, until the morning and find a garage.
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| Rod Vienneau |
My brother in law Lionel and myself decided to go down there to asked where we could find a camping ground, when we arrived where the man was, and it wasn't a ball he was throwing, it was a hunting knife.
I explained what happened to one of our cars and we were looking for a camping ground.
He said, "come inside."
Once inside, we could hardly make out faces. We were in a huge barn, after a few minutes we could see better.
There was a counter with stools like a restaurant. They asked us if we would like a coffee.
The guy who served us coffee was Paul Rose, we were Inside La Maison du Pêcheur, not knowing who they were until hell broke out in Montreal,
 |
| F:LQ terrorists seen herein the Gaspe |
Not knowing who we were talking to, we were questioned by them.
I mentioned that i worked in a mine in Ontario and was taking a short vacation because of a strike and that we were just getting in from New Brunswick
So they could see we were not a threat.
We found a camping ground just on the next lot. I mentioned that me and my brother played music. We had our guitars and if they didn't mind, the next day we would come over and play a tune and sing some songs. The next day went back over to the Maison du Pêcheur and I sang some songs.
I freaked right out when I got back to Montreal and just a few weeks later, the FLQ was attacking, We had sang songs to this bunch.