Rick Elger - My Feller Story
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The night before the Easter vacation, 1964 was the most thrilling night I had at Feller.
The Prefects and Head boys of grade eleven, the seniors, had been all moved to one floor, second main, to allow the next generation, grade ten, to take over the Prefect rooms on each floor. The idea was to give them time to train for their duties next year and to give the boys in grade eleven the free time to study for their matriculation exams.
It was a Wednesday, Sea Cadet night. After the parade Uncle Stevie (Steve May) the Commanding Officer would take his favorites, the officers and petty officers and a few blessed first seamen, to his favorite hang out in St. Jean. He called it "Mothers" although it was probably really called "Chez Ginette". They would be there to consume a late night snack. If you can call ten o'clock late and if you can call a couple of beers a snack.
The boys on second main, charged up because they were the leaders of the school now stripped of their responsibilities, decided to take advantage of Steve's absence to have some fun. One boy's bed was carried down the tube and placed in the middle of the gymnasium. Another boy's bed was lifted up and placed across the top of the stalls in the Second wing bathroom.
I was one of those boys on Second Wing. My roommate Kenny Phelan was in charge of the "Ship's stores" which meant he had a precious key. The "Ships stores" was a storeroom off the gymnasium where we kept uniforms and other sea cadet paraphernalia. We both had girlfriends and we had arranged a tryst that night to take place after Steve had left. After lights out we snuck down to the Ships stores where we met our sweethearts.
While the four of us were groping in the dark on top various piles of itchy wool sea cadet uniforms, Uncle Stevie returned. As was his wont he walked down Second Main to do a room check before turning in. The first room was ours. It was empty. The second room was the guy who was asleep in the gymnasium. Only one person there. The third room belonged to the guy who was asleep over the toilet stalls. The fourth room contained, or should I say didn't contain, someone who had crossed the roof and was at that moment in one of the girls' rooms. Steve had had enough. Even though it was after midnight he strode to the main hall and rang the fire alarm. As everyone came out of their rooms he guided them to the chapel where he would call the roll.