Did you all really forget your ties or were you rebelling against a school rule? If the latter, I think you got a reasonable punishment. It was designed to show the juniors the dress code applied to all. If the senior do not set a good example things will slide into disorder and chaos.
The one stroke was really a token punishment. You might have expected 6 strokes at my school when I was your age for a defiance that undermined the authority of the school. The main thing was to take the punishment in a dignified and manly fashion without rancor so that your reputation and status were maintained.
Just how severe is the school cane these days? Does it make a lasting mark?
Are your school records adversely affected by the caning? One stroke is hardly a serious matter.