STATUTORY DECLARATION

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PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA )

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In the matter of John Furlong and Immaculata School

I, I Beverly Mary Abraham (West) of412 Centre St, Lake Babine First Nation, Burns Lake, British
Columbia HEREBY MAKE OATH AND SAY AS FOLLOWS, that:
1.
I was born on April 9 1958 at Burns Lake Hospital and I attended Immaculata Elementary
School from approximately 1963 to 1971.
2.
I remember John Furlong. The fIrst thing I remember about him is coming to our school in
1969, I believe. I was eleven at the time. At that time was our PE teacher. He worked us to the
bone. His attitude was very bad. "You good for nothin' Indians-come on, come on. If you don't
do this you're going to be good for nothing."
3.
We had to do 30 rounds ofthe fIeld. We had to run up Boer Mountain, several kilometers.
He would salute the white kids only when they got to the top. Ifwe didn't go fast enough he would
take us to the gym and make us do push-ups. He would stand over us. If we didn't complete it he
would take his big foot and slam us down on the floor. It really hurt our chests. A couple of times
he grabbed us on the front of the chest, "Do you have it? Do you have it?!" he asked the girls.
Young girls started drinking. Friends started drinking at age 12. I do believe it is because of his
abuse.
4.
He would say to me, "You're my favorite princess" and then he would grab me by the
breast. We were the ones who always were at the end of the 30 rounds. He would say, "Beverley
you stay behind and you girls get back to your class." He would caress my face and say, "You're
my prodigy. You're my favorite out of all the girls. He'd put his hands on my cheek and then put
his hands down to my breasts."
5.
At the time I thought he was to be a good man. I thought he was using training to do good.
He said, "You Indians have to learn to do good." When I could fInally go Sister Marcelle used to
strap me after that because I was late. I would say, "Mr. Furlong made me stay." She would say
"Why?" I lied and said, "To do push-ups because I didn't fInish them." I lied and did not tell her
the truth. He did that for a few years. "You're my favorite." I asked "Why?" He said, "Look how
cute you are." At that time I did not even know what sexual abuse was. One time I remember when
Margaret Cook his girlfriend came in. I do believe she caught him caressing me. John pretended to
give me a real big slap-"Get back to your class!"

6.
I drank a lot of after that. I turned to alcohoL He really degraded our name and our
inner-self No wonder they called us drunks. 'Why did we drink so hard?
7.
Every time I started phys ed I was honestly always afraid. He stood by the change room
door. Sister Marcelle would say, "Okay girls, come on." We were just afraid to go. He used to grab
some of the butts. I can't count the amount oftimes he did that to me. Ifwe didn't do what he said
he'd grab us by the shoulders. "Do you understand me?!" He smacked us in the back and in the
front.
8.
I also remember walking home with my sister and her hands were so blistered because John
Furlong beat her. I had to wait for her to walk home because we missed the bus because he called
her to the foyer of the schooL I snuck back in to the school to wait for her and all of a sudden
through the window I could see what he was doing. She was kneeling there while he strapped her
hand. He made her kneel in front of him. I was crying looking through the window. She wouldn't
let him make her cry and he made her hands all red and blistered.
9.
She told our mom and dad and next day they spoke with the priest Father Silke, but nothing
was done. In those times parents were very Catholic. They did talk to Father Silke about it. But it's
just bad when we're walking home, when something so overwhelming like that, you want to
forget, you want to leave it, put it behind you.

SWORN TO BEFORE ME at
Burns Lake, British Columbia
this ~da
ay,2012

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Beverly Mary Abraham

STATUTORY DECLARATION - PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

In the matter of John Furlong and Immaculata School

STATUTORY DECLARATION
PROVINCE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Warren Chapman
Barrister & Solicitor
343 Highway 16
Box 258
Burns Lake, B.C.
VOJ lEO

Tel: (250) 692 - 3339

Fax: (250) 692 - 3342
wc/5609