Portuguese Social Club of Nova Scotia

Founding Date:	2000
Status:	Dissolved (2019)
Location While Active:	Dartmouth

A HISTORY AWAITING TO BE TOLD

Audio Version:

When I arrived in Canada in the distant year of 1991, I quickly became fascinated with the amount of Portuguese who lived and thrived here. Then, I wondered what lay beyond the boundaries of the Greater Toronto Area. Instead of flying south for holidays, I started traveling Canada in search of remnants of our presence here. In 2002, I traveled east. At first, I was excited with the prospect of visiting Pier 21, but then I was surprised with a discovery that startled me even more: a Portuguese community organization.

In those days, the yellow pages were still a thing. Each time I arrived at a different city, I had the habit of stopping at a telephone booth to peruse through it, first looking for organizations under the letter P and then, if unsuccessful, searching unequivocal Portuguese names such as Ramalho or Oliveira. In Dartmouth, across the river from Halifax, I followed my ritual. To my amazement, there it was under P: Portuguese Social Club of Nova Scotia. Pier 21 could wait!

I called the number. No answer. Then, I drove there. It was deserted. Pier 21 became a viable destination again while I bought some time, hoping to find someone at the club upon my return. However, after much wait and a few other telephone calls, I had no success. I left a detailed message and, to ascertain that this visit would not fall into the realms of memory, I also left a detailed note.

I had just arrived back in Toronto when my new Motorola Razr (remember that specimen of technology?) rang. It was the President of the Portuguese Social Club of Nova Scotia – unfortunately, his name escapes me. I felt elated and decided that I needed to immerse myself into the experience of participating in some of the organization’s activities. But I didn’t want to do it alone.

It happened that, at the time, I was the Vice-President for Sports at Associação Migrante de Barcelos, in Toronto. That season, we were having a great run in the Toronto Soccer Association League with Gil Vicente FC and I thought that a trip to Halifax would create an extra incentive to finish the season on top. We put the plan into motion and, some time in September of 2002, we hopped onto a chartered bus on the way to a 23-hour trip that would be extremely tiring if it were not incredibly fun.

We arrived in Halifax on a Friday evening, settled in, and then made our way to the Portuguese Club for a memorable dinner that included the inevitable sardines and floods of wine.

There was a particular moment that has become a recurrent topic of conversation, to this day, for all of us who traveled there. Traditionally, when AM Barcelos visits another organization for the first time, we present it with the Rooster of Barcelos, the symbol of our hometown. It was that time of the evening. I went on stage to thank all the local Board of Directors and everyone else present for the tremendous hospitality and then, in traditional fashion, I presented the President with a giant rooster along with a plaque. He read the plaque to the crowd, which applauded effusively. Then, he handed me a plaque from the Portuguese Social Club and, as he presented it to me, he leaned into my ear and whispered: “It’s blank. I didn’t have time to get it done.” I spoke into the microphone to thank him, but the crowd began to ask that I read it. “Read it”, everyone was shouting. “Read it.” I looked over at the President and announced: “I think that it would be best if the President read it.” He picked up the plaque and mumbled a few improvised words, followed by an even bigger applause. Our entourage could not stop laughing at the episode when I showed them the blank plaque that we brought back on the bus.

That night was epic. So epic, in fact, that next day, we forewent previous plans to have dinner at a famous spot in Halifax to return for another unforgettable night at the club. Before that, we played a game of soccer against a local club. The hangover from the previous night fueled us to a victory in front of a local Portuguese crowd that pushed us on for the entire 90 minutes.

The trip to Halifax remains as one of the fondest memories I have had as a volunteer in our community. I just wish that, in those days, we had the same ability to connect as we do now because I lost track of all the contacts I made there. Email was gaining traction, texting was just starting to gain popularity, and social media was yet to be invented.

As a result, I am now paying for my inability to stay in contact. For the past year or so, I have been trying to get in contact with someone who can provide me with a brief history of the Portuguese Club of Nova Scotia, but I have not found success. Although I was able to speak with a few people, those who were kind enough to give me a few minutes of their time are either living elsewhere or do not know anyone who would be able to help me.

I know that the organization moved from the opulent building where we socialized with the local community for two epic nights to another smaller location. I also know that it ceased operations in 2019. Finally, I recall that the gentleman who presided over the organization at the time of our visit was a professor at one of the universities in Halifax.

I am still hoping that I can connect with someone who can help do the Portuguese Social Club of Nova Scotia justice by helping tell its story and the story of the people who made it thrive for a couple of decades. If you are one of those people or know someone who can help, please contact us at contact@lusocanada.com.

Let’s continue to write history, together!