Our Pioneers – We Owe it to Them
The adventure undertaken by our pioneers did not start the moment they waved farewell to their families, neither the instant they boarded a boat filled with strangers nor the day they arrived at their destination. It is a blurred point that encompasses all those occurrences, for some took a while to simply arrive…even if they were already here.
Those 69 men who disembarked the Saturnia on that fateful May 13, 1953, had chosen Canada in an attempt to improve the lives of their families. In the process, little did they know that they would be helping the rest of the Portuguese who arrived after them.
There is no story without a beginning, and ours starts with them. It is because of their courage and sacrifice that we were all able to immigrate to Canada and integrate rapidly, regardless of our status in the country and even our origin. As long we spoke and understood Portuguese, we became part of the community.
We owe them our presence here.
Our Pioneers page continues to grow. We have added the stories of two men who arrived in Canada in the 1950s and who have made an impact on our community. Carlos Pereira, born in Peniche, was responsible for purchasing the farm where the first large gathering of Portuguese immigrants occurred in the Toronto Area, in 1963. Agostinho Martins, born in Madeira, was a founder of Casa da Madeira of Toronto and played important roles in other pioneering organizations such as Portuguese United and First Portuguese. Others will soon follow.
We need your help to collect and record our history. If you know the story of someone who arrived in Canada in the 1950s or early 60s, please contact us. On the other hand, if you know someone who arrived later but helped shape a specific community, we would love to know as well.
Let’s write history together!
Photo on main page credited Museums Victoria on Unsplash
The Glory of Terceira in Toronto
The Luso-Canadian Ice Hockey Team that Became Portugal’s Inaugural Opponent
PORTUGUESE IN CANADA
About The Author
Paulo Pereira
Paulo Pereira has worked in community media for over 20 years. He started as a reporter for Sol Portugues. Later, he became Editor of Team Desportivo, Director of Flash News, Director of Jornal da Aliança, Director of Luso-Ontario Magazine, and Editor at Correio da Manha Canada's newspaper. Paulo Pereira is also a co-founder of Associacao Migrante de Barcelos where he volunteered for many years as Secretary and Sporting Director. He also volunteered for Casa do Benfica de Toronto for close to a decade as member of the Board in roles such as Public Relations Director and Vice-President for Sports and Culture. Currently, he is the President of Project First Nations, a not-for-profit organization. In November of 2023, he was elected as a member of the Portuguese Community Council, representing the District of Toronto, which includes Ontario, Manitoba and Nunavut.