Interview with Gerald Auger By Hank Leis
The story of Gerald Auger is a tough story to hear. It is even more difficult to tell. There just seem to be no words that can express the horror of the lonely, hopeless life on the street for a child, that could possibly describe the fears, turmoil, and the angst that were part of everyday life. What happened was his personal experience, not for consumption by those who would make his story less by pitying. This is about how he lived and how he survived and became a warrior, accepting his fate as belonging to him, and then taking responsibility for it all-even the childhood years when others his age were protected escape-was no different from many in their surroundings. other young people who could not Auger has never had that sense of endure their life-and so escaped into being safe-not now-not ever. He the unknown rather than remain developed his survival skills at an and live the life that is hell each day.
perfected his routines and learned to speak English.
And then there were those times, when stuff happens-when things from nowhere have agendas and early age by not trusting anyone. His leaving was made simple. There motives that also come from He was born in a tiny village in was no choice. His father kicked nowhere-at least nowhere that can Alberta. His parents were alcoholics- him out. And so at the tender age easily be explained. no different from the others in his of twelve he hitchhiked to the grand He was standing by a bar in community. And his reaction to city of Edmonton, Alberta-where life Edmonton doing his usual bit of was better in the alleys, where rats scurried in the overflow of garbage just hanging around and running cans, and prostitution was rampant. for the working girls. A street cop He adapted well, by making friends approached him and asked him in similar circumstances-fighting what he was doing there-he said he for other’s leftover food, clothes and could tell from the way he spoke struggling to find shelter. Stealing, English there was more to him and drinking, taking and selling drugs he did not belong there. become a way of life- and all this Auger gave him his usual smart-alec while still barely speaking English, reply-but the comment haunted having only communicated in his him. He became preoccupied by native tongue. thoughts of his future. It was then He hitchhiked and hopped trains that he realized society’s perception from town to town. In addition to of all indigenous people as Edmonton he lived on the streets worthless, drunken welfare Indians. of Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Things changed for him or perhaps Winnipeg, and Toronto. He he changed, and his life began to take a different direction.