Lusitânia Portuguese Recreation Centre of Ottawa-Hull
| Founding Date: | 1963 |
| Address: | 63 Grenfell Crescent Ottawa, Ontario K2G 0G3 |
| Telephone: | 613-224-9195 |
Related Articles: Sixty years of history
Fourth Oldest in Canada
Audio Version:
Lusitânia Portuguese Recreation Centre of Ottawa-Hull is the third oldest Portuguese community association in Canada and the first in the nation’s capital. Throughout its nearly 60 years of existence, it has experienced glorious days but some difficult times as well. However, it remains strong to serve the Portuguese community in this region.
Founded in 1963, like many other Portuguese associations, Lusitânia PRC began as a soccer team after a few men met on Rideau Street to plan it all out. It entered the Ottawa Soccer League representing the Portuguese community under the name Lusitânia.
In 1964, it rented its first headquarters on Bank Street and then moved to Bronson Street. Soccer remained as the only activity for a few years even though there was a folklore dance group that used the club’s home to practice. Soccer was a way to help the community gather to watch games and socialize at the clubhouse afterwards. This led to the creation of other social and cultural activities as ways to raise funds for the soccer team but also as a form to celebrate our culture.
It wasn’t long until the Portuguese community here began to grow to appreciable numbers, which led to greater involvement and to more opportunities. The Portuguese school was one of the results of this involvement, founded in 1967. The local school board provided the club with a classroom on Saturday mornings. In its heyday, enrollment surpassed 60 students at a time the community was around 12,000 strong.
It was in the late 1960s that a theatre group was also created here. It became a great hit at the association’s events that were always sold out.
However, at the turn of the 1970s, it all began to change due to a couple of occurrences in the community. One was the appearance of a Portuguese church (Senhor Santo Cristo) in Ottawa and then, in 1975, the founding of Amigos Unidos on the other side of the Ottawa River, in Gatineau. This led some members of Lusitânia to leave and join either of those two other organizations.
Nonetheless, these setbacks did not stop Lusitânia’s Board of Directors from purchasing their own property, in 1978, that continues to serve as the club’s headquarters. The building was a warehouse but with some effort and hard work from the community, it was renovated and transformed into the beautiful hall that currently holds weekly events.
Commendable as it was, the purchase of the new headquarters did not result in greater involvement from its members due to the creation of the above two organizations. It did, however, provide it with the opportunity to broaden the association’s list of activities and to solidify its presence in the community. The involvement continued to be substantial and the building was paid off in a few years.
Currently, the association continues to hold a few events every year and rents the hall for other gatherings such as weddings.
| 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. |
******************************************************
Lusitânia PRC Ottawa-Hull – 60 years of history
In the year it celebrates its 60th anniversary, Lusitânia Portuguese Recreation Centre of Ottawa-Hull is still recovering from the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. A group of committed local Luso-Canadians were instrumental in the preservation of the organization during restrictions and lockdowns and, more recently, in the task of returning it to a stable position.
Paula Nascimento, former President and current Vice-President of the association, is one such individual. In a conversation held in April of 2023, she recalled her husband, Paulo Nascimento, leaving Lusitânia in great financial shape at the end of his mandate, just before the pandemic. “Before covid, we did renovations to the club. When my husband finished that year, we had $35,000 in the bank. Then, covid hit and in two years we had no money. I had to lend money to the club so we could pay the bills. During covid, we did take-out, sold meals to try to survive. That’s how we tried to survive. Then we started organizing parties, and doing a lot of rentals. It’s been helping a lot. The club has $2,700 in monthly expenses”, she revealed.
Currently, the organization promotes one monthly event for its members and supporters, each with a different theme, as Nascimento stated: “Before covid, we were doing two events a month. Right now, we are doing one event a month. We have S. João, S. Martinho, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, Baile da Pinha, Mother’s Day and many others. We also have a market centre. People come and rent out tables and they sell stuff. Now that covid is gone, we are trying to bring events back. If we don’t have a party, we rent the hall.”
It was out of a soccer team, called Lusitânia, that the organization was formed in 1963. For decades, it participated in the local leagues, at both adult and youth levels, until it eventually stopped competing due to lack of funds. However, Paula Nascimento informed that there is strong interest from a notable sponsor to help the organization revive the sport. “We want to start with kids or youth. Before 2019, it was adults – young men and old-timers”, she stated.
The Portuguese school, founded in 1967, once thrived in the community and in the classrooms of the local catholic school board. Paula Nascimento was first a student and later a teacher at the school until it permanently ceased to operate in 2013. Currently, Luís de Camões Portuguese School (founded in 1981) is the only organization that teaches the language in Ottawa. However, Paula Nascimento believes that it is possible to restore the Portuguese school at the association and, thus, create more opportunities for local children and youth to learn the language.
The participation of youth in the events promoted by the organization is important to the current administration. The possible return of soccer will undoubtedly help the cause, but there are other plans to create activities that captivate the interest of the younger Luso-Canadians, including the revival of the former youth group. “We did have a youth group, but not anymore. Now we have a lot of youth attending because the young generation has kids. At the last party, we had 13 kids with their parents”, Nascimento stated.
As the population of Portuguese Canadians who reside in Ottawa gradually deviate from its roots, so does participation in the local community events. However, Lusitânia continues to attract a large pool of dedicated individuals who intend to preserve our heritage in the nation’s capital. The organization’s events draw sizeable crowds of participants of all ages, but it is at the administrative level that the strongest commitment is noticed, as Nascimento revealed: “Right now, we have a big group and everybody is vying to stay more than a year. We are thinking of renovating the front of the club this year for the 60th anniversary, have a little facelift. We installed new floors and a new washroom. Now we need the kitchen and the front done. It’s usually people from the board who do it. When we ask for help, people help.”
Currently, Lusitânia has nearly one hundred paying members. Among the benefits are discounts for the rental of the hall. The association charges an annual fee of $84 for one to become a member.
Although Portuguese immigration to the Ottawa region has halted long ago, the organization is continually finding ways to stay afloat. One such example is the relationship it has forged with the growing local Brazilian community, which has made the hall of Lusitânia its home. “We have a lot of Brazilians who come to Lusitânia. Now we are trying to get involved with them and they do their parties here because they don’t have the space like we do. We are trying to work with other associations”, Paula Nascimento commented.
The pioneering Portuguese organization in the nation’s capital maintains a strong diplomatic relationship with the Government of Portugal. It has close ties to the Embassy of Portugal in Ottawa and is regularly invited to sit in advisory committees. Upon the visit of distinguished guests from Portugal, the official receptions are usually conducted at the hall of Lusitânia. The list of illustrious visitors includes former presidents, prime ministers, secretaries of state, and leaders of our autonomous regions.
As the effects of the covid-19 pandemic wane, the current Board of Directors continues to find ways to improve the experience of the members who visit the organization’s headquarters. These new measures include the recent installation of wi-fi, further renovations to the hall and the reintroduction of groups and activities that were once popular here. The return of the Marchas and bingo nights are two such examples. The Board is also exploring the possibility of opening its doors to members every Friday evening.
Lusitânia is the fourth oldest Portuguese community organization in Canada. Over the years, it has contributed to the preservation and promotion of crucial pieces of our heritage in the region, but it has also accumulated physical wealth. Currently, its headquarters sits on a property that is worth around two million dollars. Above all, it has made a lasting impact on the local social landscape and has secured cultural and financial stability for years to come.
| 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. |