Pioneers
| 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. This page intends to honour all those who came here first, not only the ones who traveled in the Saturnia, but the ones who followed and helped shape our communities. To accomplish this goal, we need everyone’s help. 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! |
Pioneer Profiles
This page is sponsored by:
Official start of Portuguese Immigration
The official start of the Portuguese immigration to Canada is May 13, 1953, when 69 men disembarked at Pier 21, in Halifax, onboard the ship Saturnia. Later that month, seven other men arrived onboard Vulcania and, later, one hundred and three came aboard the Nea Hellas. For the rest of the decade, thousands more arrived in Halifax and spread all over the country, mostly to work on the railway or in the farms.
Fernando Candido, a Portuguese Canadian, conducted extensive research on the group that arrived on the Saturnia. You can read all about it here.
Although 1953 represents the official start of our presence in Canada, a few other Portuguese already called Canada home when that group arrived. In fact, the relationship between both countries goes back centuries – Portuguese fishermen have been fishing off the coast of Newfoundland for over 500 years and, in the process, they left enduring marks in the region. However, very few decided to stay permanently.
The first known Portuguese who resided permanently in Canada is Pedro da Silva, who is considered the first postman in Canada. His story is well documented in various publications. You can learn more about him by clicking on the following link: https://www.tfcg.ca/pedro-dasilva. Bill Moniz, a Portuguese journalist and director who resides in Toronto, published a documentary about Pedro da Silva that you can watch here.
Another famous Portuguese Canadian who resided here before the first wave of immigration from Portugal is José Silva who came to be known as Joey Silva and, more famously, as Portuguese Joe. He was instrumental in shaping the character of British Columbia and, as a tribute to his contribution to the Canada’s most western province, a statue of him was erected at Vancouver’s Stanly Park. Please follow this link to know more about his story: http://shoretoshore.ca/story.php. Bill Moniz also produced a documentary about the story of this remarkable Portuguese Canadian that you can watch here.
Pier 21
For over a decade, the majority of Portuguese who arrived in Canada disembarked at Pier 21, in Halifax. In fact, this was the case with all the Europeans immigrants who had chosen Canada as their destination. As a result of the pier’s significance to the shaping of our country, the Federal Government created the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, a landmark that contains numerous exhibits and stories about many of the newcomers who disembarked there. You can visit their website here: https://pier21.ca/.
The museum contains interesting documents such as lists of those who arrived on specific ships. It also contains profiles on many of the thousands of immigrants who arrived there. One such story is about Antonio Fernandes Moreira, a newcomer who is on the museum’s Sobey Wall of Honour and who entered Canada on April 14, 1955. You can read all about it here.
If you are ever in Halifax, please find time to visit the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 to pay tribute to those who paved the way to our presence in the best country in the world: Canada.
Gallery of the Portuguese Pioneers
The Gallery of the Portuguese Pioneers is located in Toronto, at 960 St. Clair Avenue West. The gallery is a brainchild of Portuguese Canadian entrepreneur Manuel da Costa, who has also founded the Portuguese Walk of Fame, in Toronto. The museum’s website lists Lenita Lopes as its curator.
For those who are unable to visit the museum in person, there is a website where many of the pioneers, including those who arrived on the Saturnia, are profiled. It is the most complete collection of artifacts and stories on the subject in Canada.
To learn more about the museum’s contents and especially about the profile of our pioneers, please visit https://pioneersgallery.ca/
*********************************************************************
Carlos Pereira: A True Pioneer
| Name: | Carlos Pereira |
| Place of Birth: | Autoguia da Baleia, Peniche |
| Arrival in Canada: | Pier 21 (Halifax), May of 1953 |
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.
****************************************************************
Agostinho Martins: A Family and Community Man
| Name: | Agostinho Martins |
| Place of Birth: | Madeira |
| Arrival in Canada: | Pier 21 (Halifax), March of 1957 |
In 2003, I had the opportunity and the honour to converse with Agostinho Martins, a Portuguese Canadian who arrived in Canada in 1957. Beyond his contribution to the development of the Portuguese community in Toronto, he also played a major role in a few of our not-for-profit organizations. He was once part of Portuguese United, an association that is now in the realm of memory. He was also one of the founders of Casa da Madeira and director of the soccer section of First Portuguese. He worked for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) most of his life. In his career, he was bus, streetcar, and subway driver.
Agostinho Martins was born in Madeira in 1938, at a time Salazar ruled Portugal. Those days were not the most conducive to flourishing the human capacity. Consequently, like many others, this madeirense decided to venture onto the high seas in search of a new beginning and better opportunities.
His sister, Conceição Nunes, was the inspiration for Agostinho to move to Canada. “I was 18 years old when I came. In Portugal, at that time, I worked in a kitchenware store and the reason I left was because I had a sister here, who came in 1954”, he said. This was at a time in which conflict between Portugal and India occurred and, as he was under 21 years of age, he ran the risk of being recruited to the army. “I could have been called to fight in India, but after my sister’s sponsorship, I came to Canada”, he explained. Agostinho Martins also recognized the support of his parents who wanted a better future for their son.
Leaving is always the hardest part. With a mixture of sadness and excitement, he began his voyage on February 16, 1957. “I traveled on the ship to the mainland [Portugal] and, on the same day I came ashore, Queen Elizabeth was also disembarking…I saw her”, he recalled with a smile. “Then, I traveled on a ship to New York, and then to Halifax”, he said. The trip between New York and Halifax was slower than anticipated due to bad weather that disrupted the Atlantic waters. “It was a long journey. There were many refugees from Hungary on the ship and there wasn’t much room”, he commented. Agostinho recalled, with nostalgia, that four people slept in the same room in conditions that today would not be acceptable.
Unlike many other pioneers who arrived in Canada without any ties, Martins considered himself fortunate for having been welcomed by people he knew and for getting the support he required to start his journey of adaptation to a new country. “My sister was waiting for me with my brother-in-law and my nephew”, he recalled.
Even though he had been forced to leave family and friends behind, his sense of adventure and curiosity helped him turn that situation into something positive. “I missed my friends, but I made new friends here. I was always confident that all would be alright. I never thought that it was a mistake to immigrate to Canada”, he said.
Upon arriving in Toronto, he was mesmerized. Here, he felt that he would have the opportunities and the freedoms he did not have in Portugal. “We could not compare Canada to our homeland. All that I found here was fascinating. I could instantly tell that I would have a better future here”, he stated. Agostinho Martins began learning English as St. Christopher House, a place where he made many new friends. “Sometimes I would just go there to socialize, but I always ended up learning a bit of English. I did not stay in school for long, but learning English was never difficult for me”, he said.
While living at his sister’s house, he began looking for a job. In those days, life was hard for immigrants because, added to the lack of education, the language was a major barrier to finding a job. “I didn’t work for six weeks, but then I found a job at a restaurant”, he shared. His perseverance and enthusiasm pushed him to want more. As a result, he was eventually hired by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). “Before, I worked at Greycoach for a year but, due to my family responsibilities, I started driving streetcars”, he recalled. His experience as driver and conductor would lead him to operate buses, streetcars, and even subways until he retired at the age of 60. “I met my wife here and, when I got married, we lived together at my in-laws, on Shaw Street. I have four children and six grandchildren – a girl and five boys”, he told us at the time of our conversation, in 2003.
His involvement with community organizations began shortly after he arrived in Toronto. “I am one of the founders of Casa da Madeira and the [Madeira] park. I am member number eight and I was the president twice”, he informed us. His first term was in 1982 and his second in 1994, the year the building that houses the association was purchased. “It was my executive that purchased the building where we are currently located”, he proudly stated. Beyond his terms as president, Agostinho Martins also filled other roles within Casa da Madeira, including President of the General Assembly, in 1971.
His dedication to Casa da Madeira has been a lifelong experience, either as part of the executive or simply as a member. Even before Casa da Madeira was formed, Agostinho Martins had already been part of another community organization called Portuguese United. “I was part of that club in 58 or 59. I was also involved with soccer at First Portuguese. When players from Belenenses came to Toronto, I was one of the directors for the soccer section at First”, he revealed. Although he was involved with soccer, Agostinho was never a member of First Portuguese’s main executive board.
In 2003, at the time of our conversation, Agostinho Martins was Public Relations Officer at Casa da Madeira.
Agostinho Martins had the opportunity to witness the evolution of the Portuguese community in Toronto because he arrived at a time in which it was still trying to organize. “Our community, at the time I arrived, was small. Now, it’s much bigger. We have many clubs, which may be good or bad. However, I see that many young people are involved with the folk-dance groups, which is something I was not expecting”, he confessed.
Although he left his motherland at a very young age, Agostinho Martins never neglected his routes. Beyond playing crucial roles within various community organizations, he was also instrumental in the development of our community. It is to the likes of Agostinho Martins that we owe our presence in this great country!