Bill Shead was born October 1, 1939; he is the oldest of 7 children. He is a member of Peguis First Nation and is from Selkirk, Manitoba, where he grew up in a very multicultural community doing all the normal things from the time.  That includes going to the community school, which Bill was fortunate to be able to do.  His mother – a survivor of the residential school system – was not so fortunate.  Bill’s father was a veteran of WWII who served in the Navy; in fact, many members of Bill’s family were in the service during WWI, WWII, and the Cold War, with some of them making the ultimate sacrifice. Bill’s first experiences on the water came on the old steamer SS Keenora.  He chose to join the navy in the Cold War era; his first ship in the Royal Canadian Navy was the HMCS Fort Erie, a Prestonian-class frigate. His duties were as a SLJO – a  “ ‘S….y’ Little Jobs Officer” in charge of disposing of confidential and higher class communications in the boiler, as well as being a books officer, a torpedo/anti-aircraft officer, and a navigation and communications officer. Bill went on to command the coastal patrol HMCS Loon, a Bird-class patrol vessel. In 1960 Bill was involved in a special operation to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the RCN.  A totem pole – Hosaqami – was transported from the West Coast to Halifax in HMCS New Waterford, and it spent the winter of 1959-60 in the Canadian Navy’s Gunnery School in HMCS Stadacona. On July 15, 1960, Hosaqami was embarked in HMCS Kootenay for passage to Portsmouth and Whale Island; Bill was one of the members of an indigenous special escort of that gift. A few years later, Bill served aboard HMCS Buckingham , a River-class frigate deployed to a war station during the Cuban Missile Crisis – there he saw the Cold War unfold firsthand.  He recalls the tension of that time – and the fact that he and the other officers and crew were glad that negotiation won the day. Later in the 60s Bill served as the Canadian Liaison Officer aboard the royal yacht Brittania.  In 1974 he went on to serve with the Public Services Commission, after which he was inspired to run for office on several occasions, serving for a time as the Mayor of Selkirk and pursuing his goal of becoming a man of service to his community.  Both in and out of office Bill has advocated for indigenous causes while he has also shared his personal story though organizations like the Memory Project, and we thank them for their role in facilitating this interview that Crestwood students did with Bill via zoom in April 2025.