Carlos Pereira: A True Pioneer
| Name: | Carlos Pereira |
| Place of Birth: | Autoguia da Baleia, Peniche |
| Arrival in Canada: | Pier 21 (Halifax), May of 1953 |
By Paulo Pereira
Author’s note: In 2003, I had the pleasure of conversing with Carlos Pereira about his life, particularly in Canada. Born in Autoguia da Baleia, Peniche, he arrived at Pier 21 in 1953. He is a true pioneer who dedicated his life to family and the community, leaving an enduring legacy for our future generations of Luso Canadians.
Carlos Pereira was born in 1918 in Autoguia da Baleia, Peniche. In Portugal, he worked at the family mill until he left for Canada. His wife, Olinda Pereira, was born in 1919 in that same village. They had four children, all girls.
Carlos Pereira’s grandfather was a very wealthy man who owned several mills and many properties. Before he passed away, he divided most of his estate among his three boys, including many of his larger possessions. He also gave a mill to each of his children. “Today, his estate would be worth a fortune”, Carlos Pereira recounted. The elder of the boys kept the largest mill, but he passed away shortly after. In fact, the family was plagued with several consecutive deaths, including those of the mother and of another son. “My father decided to buy the mills”, Pereira said before recalling that he was forced to learn the trade as a young boy, which afforded him popularity for being a hard worker. “When I was seven years old, I started working and sleeping at the mill”, he reminisced. His father also employed a man who helped with the work. Eventually, Carlos served in the army – as was mandatory in those days – and, after he returned, his father bought his parents’ home and sold one of the mills. Although he came from a wealthy family, he had to work for all the possessions he gathered. He married Olinda and quickly realized that his salary at the mill would not be sufficient to raise a family. As a result, he decided to buy one of the mills from his father and start his own business. “The whole family had a lot of Money, but nobody ever helped me”, he lamented.
Pereira’s wife, Olinda, seating beside him on the couch, confirmed it: “Nobody helped us, but I worked at a tailor’s shop.”
Carlos Pereira did not hesitate when asked what led to emigrate to Canada: “My four daughters. I had four children, mill, and I had just bought a home.” The village’s priest, aware of Carlos’ hardships, suggested that he should go to City Hall and apply to emigrate to Canada. “I was lucky because there were several applicants,” he recalled.
Olinda reiterated her husband’s stroke of luck as he had been one of the last to complete the application.
At the time, not everyone within the family was in favour of the move, as Carlos Pereira related: “My wife did not want me to come. Compared to others…I had bought a mill without a penny to my name and shortly after I spent more on improving it than I had done when I purchased it. A few years later, I bought a home.” Although Olinda insisted that they had a good life in Portugal, Carlos was intent on pursuing the journey to Canada.
On May 13, 1953, he embarked on a ship heading to Halifax. After he arrived in Canada, he began working on a farm near Ottawa. “I milked cows,” he mentioned and then recalled that he had to cut pieces of ice so he could keep the milk fresh. The process was complicated and even dangerous because it was cut by handsaw from the Ottawa River. It was then transported by car. For three long months, he worked at the farm making $75 a month, which was not much even in those days. “I attended the weddings of my boss’ children. I started to think: how am I going to send money to my family?”
When he decided to leave, the farm’s owners were vocal in their disappointment. When they asked him why he was leaving, he replied: “I will find a job in Montreal.”
When he arrived in Montreal, he visited the local Portuguese Consulate to inquire about bringing his family to Canada. “They told me that I would have to be here for at least four years before I could call for my family. A young man by the name of Viola was the one who suggested that I should find work in Montreal.”
In Montreal, he found a job working on the train tracks. He had finally begun to make good money and, once again, proved to be a hard worker. “I worked night and day on those trains. Nobody else did it but me.” He effectively did the job of two men because he was the only one who did not work in pairs.
His superiors loved having Carlos Pereira around because he was a dedicated employee who also had the ability to work with large and heavy hammers. One night, he felt tired and asked one of the supervisors when he could go home. “Don’t you need the money? Then, work,” Pereira recalled the reply. He worked two days and two nights consecutively without sleeping. He was 34 years old at the time. On many occasions, he was treated badly, as he recalled: “One day, it was 60 degrees below zero. We would freeze without even noticing it. We refused to work under those conditions and the boss fired all of us.” He returned to the city, where he quickly found work as a painter.
Eighteen months after arriving in Canada, he had saved enough money to visit his homeland and traveled through France before reuniting with his family. The plan was to stay for five months. “It was the happiest day of my life…I couldn’t stand those days away from my daughters,” he confessed.
When he returned to Canada, he settled in Toronto. A year later, he called for his family. “I had to buy a house because nobody was renting homes large enough for a family with four children. When my wife and my children joined me, I was ready to buy the house,” Pereira recalled. “It was a nice house,” Olinda interjected. The home was located on Lisgar Street.
In Toronto, he worked at a furniture store making beds. Olinda Pereira found a job at a clothing factory working at a sewing machine stitching pockets. According to her, she was capable of doing the work of two people. “Many days, I worked from seven in the morning to nine in the evening. I worked there for seven years and never took holidays,” she recounted.
In 1958, they purchased a farm near Orangeville. The first major outdoor gathering of the Portuguese community in the region took place on the property in 1963. “The madeirenses organized it. In 1974, I sold the farm and opened a supermarket on Augusta,” Carlos recalled. “He didn’t care much for the supermarket. I was the one in charge of the store. Most of my clients were alentejanos,” Olinda added before chuckling at a memory: “In those days, there weren’t many single young girls in the community. Every time my daughters left a party, it practically ended.”
No other member of the family on either Carlos’ or Olinda’s side emigrated to Canada.
Upon the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Portuguese presence in Canada, Maria Franciso Salvador Bruno wrote the following poem dedicated to Olinda and Carlos Pereira:
Note: the following two poems are translations to English from the original, which were written in Portuguese. They are not literal translations, but rather attempts to capture the essence of the originals while maintaining their integrity in the English language.
To Carlos Autoguia:
| To Mr. Carlos Pereira Whom we honour today For being the first Autoguiense Docking at a Canadian Bay |
| On Mary 13, 1953, he embarked Followed by many a brother Who begged the Virgin for guidance Our Lady of Conception, our mother |
| He is the root of this movement That we now call immigration May we live in health and harmony Love, peace and hearts full of passion! |
| We all left our homeland With homesickness, yearning But many have found happiness here And will never be returning |
| Long live the Autoguienses And the immigrants as whole Gratitude to this welcoming country And to our homeland, Portugal! |
Carlos Pereira’s response was as follows:
| It is with great affinity That we come together as one To remember the old days And to have much fun |
| I feel extremely moved And thank both women and men For this time we spent together And I hope to see you all again |
At the time of our conversation, in 2003, Olinda and Carlos Pereira lived in Mississauga, in a large bungalow, for the past 37 years. The walls resembled a museum full of photographic memories of times past. That year, they celebrated 61 years of marriage. They revealed that their secret to a successful relationship was patience and mutual acceptance and their formula for a long and healthy life was based on not being selfish, jealous, or enamored with money. After retirement, Carlos kept busy carving pieces in wood, and Olinda occupied her free time with embroideries, which she often gifted to her grand and great-grandchildren.
We invite you to add to the legacy of Carlos Pereira. If you have a story, a photo, video, document or item that will help us continue to build this legacy page, please contact us