Portuguese Club of Sarnia
| Founding Date: | 1980 |
| Address: | 399 Campbell Street Sarnia, Ontario N7T 2H4 |
| Telephone: | 519-337-9140 |
Related Articles: Portuguese Canadian Club of Sarnia Saved at the Last Minute
Financially stable but with declining interest
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During the 1970s, Sarnia housed a large number of Portuguese immigrants, mainly from the Azorean islands of S. Miguel and Graciosa. The foundation of the Portuguese Club of Sarnia, just like in many other Luso-Canadian communities across the country, began with religious celebrations. In Sarnia, it was the feast of St. Anthony, in 1979, that led to the foundation of the club.
The first event was a major success, as were the others that followed in those first few years. The Portuguese Club of Sarnia was formed 3 years later, in 1982. Funds had been raised in those religious events, which were used to rent a hall on Queen Street. The association remained there until 1989. It was just around this time that divisions began to occur between continentals and Azoreans. As a result, the club lost many of its members and was close to dissolution.
Liberto Ferreira became President during these trying times and took on a project that was bold given the circumstances, but that ended up saving the association. The Club was financially stable. In fact, it had about $40,000 in the bank. In the mid-80s, Liberto Ferreira and his board used the money to purchase a property and, in 1989, sold it for $122,500. The $80,000 profit from the sale was used to purchase the current headquarters for $222,000, an amount that closed on $310,000 after major renovations were completed. In addition to funds from the Club, the community also contributed with donations and loans in the amount of over $70,000. The association paid it all back in the next few years.
The new headquarters helped the community forget some of its troubles and the association began to prosper again.
During times of prosperity, the association had a youth soccer team for about half a decade and a folklore dance group that lasted no more than 3 years.
With an aging population, the Portuguese Club of Sarnia is a financially sound organization in need of involvement from its members. However, with the lack of newcomers into the community and the natural assimilation of second and third generations of Portuguese-Canadians in Sarnia, the association runs the risk to cease to exist for the purposes for which it was created.
| With files from Luso-Ontario Magazine, 2008 |
| If you notice errors or misrepresentations in the article, please e-mail contact@lusocanada.com |
| Help us write History. Contribute your story, memory or experience related to this organization by sending an email to contact@lusocanada.com. |
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Portuguese Canadian Club of Sarnia Saved at the Last Minute
The Portuguese Canadian Club of Sarnia, although officially founded in 1982, began to spring into life during the 1970s when the inaugural Feast of St. Anthony was celebrated here. Four decades later, the community organization was saved at the last minute from becoming the latest casualty on a growing list of Portuguese associations across Canada.
Although the organization struggled with forming a Board and attracting new members before the pandemic, the situation worsened when the restrictions were lifted and life got back to normal. Hall bookings diminished and many older members either became ill or passed away. The youth, for the most part, continued to show disinterest for the organization.
Over the past summer, the Portuguese Canadian Club of Sarnia published a note on its Facebook page announcing its last event and the inevitable closing of its doors:
“It’s with heavy hearts that we announce the closing of The Portuguese Canadian Club of Sarnia. Date to still to be determined, and a decision that did not come lightly. However, that being said we will be having our LAST event October 14th.
[…] We would also like to ask that everyone wear red and green in true Portuguese style! Come join us in saying goodbye to a club that has brought us all so many memories, traditions, and kept our culture alive within our community.Hope to see everyone out to celebrate the ending of an era, as well light up the dance floor one last time. Vamos mais uma vez dançar um balinho!”
This difficult but fated announcement seemed to have sparked the passion within some members of the community who formed a Board to keep the organization operating. On November 21 of this year, the Portuguese Canadian Club of Sarnia retracted the previous announcement and published the following post on its Facebook page: “To the Portuguese Canadian Community of Sarnia and surrounding areas. After a period of uncertainty, we are very excited to announce that the Portuguese Club will remain open under new leadership. On behalf of the new Board of Directors, we want to personally thank the outgoing board for all of the hard work they have put in over the years to keep the doors open. We know it hasn’t been easy, but your efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. The Portuguese Community in Sarnia is a proud one. Our mission is to continue to promote our culture and provide a place where we can gather and inspire our future generations to see our community through the eyes of all those who came before us. We want to honour our history but also look forward to our exciting future. Over the coming weeks and months, the new Board will be announcing our plans and goals as we move forward with the transition. As members of the community, we value your opinion. Please share and forward this message to as many members of the community you can think of. With your support, we can create a Club we can all be proud of. Thank you.”
The Board of Directors is composed as follows:
| President: Reck DaSilva Vice President: Stephanie Cortez Treasurer: Brian Bastos |
| Executive Board Members: |
| Steve De Melo Perry Cortez Paul DaSilva Brandi DaSilva Matt Melo Joseph DaSilva Chynna DaSilva |
The organization’s building was purchased in 1989 and then paid in record time. For more than three decades, thousands of people gathered here to celebrate memorable events that were always filled with camaraderie, great food, and plenty of music. The home of the Portuguese Canadian Club of Sarnia was also a place where many people from diverse backgrounds celebrated religious events and personal milestones. The Club’s headquarters is the sole remaining landmark that celebrates our collective presence in this Southern Ontario locality.
The 2021 Canadian Census reports that Sarnia has a population of 72,000 people, of whom 545 have knowledge of the Portuguese language, 415 consider it their mother tongue and 215 speak it most at home. The Census also reveals that 215 residents of the city were born in Portugal and a total of 865 people who live here declared to be of Portuguese background.
| If you notice errors or misrepresentations in the article, please e-mail contact@lusocanada.com |
| Help us write History. Contribute your story, memory or experience related to this organization by sending an email to contact@lusocanada.com. |