1954, THE MICAELENSE YEAR
Immigrant ship arriving at Pier 21, Halifax.
CBC.ca, Seven Wonders of Canada
José-Louis Jacome, August 24, 2020
Homeland's First Trip Diary - Part 2
On April 4 and 6, 1954, the daily Correio dos Açores published the diary of the first Homeland trip. The article was written by its correspondent João de Oliveira. Here is the second part of his article published on April 6. Oliveira is an emigrant from the community of Relva in São Miguel. He had an agreement with the newspaper to produce several articles covering various aspects of the lives of the thousands of Azoreans who will soon live for Canada. Herewith, I am summarizing the essence of the second part of Oliveira’s article for those who cannot read Portuguese.
Halifax in sight...
The ship is two days away from the Port of Halifax. The passengers are already feeling the cold they were told about. The sky is gray, the ocean is very rough. The waves almost engulf the ship. Few passengers venture onto the outer decks. Discussions are lively around the bars. There are surprises every day.
Today, March 25, the crew distributed to all passengers colourful paper hats. The dining room was all decorate. It had a sort of carnival look. All these little touches make the atmosphere very pleasant. We drank unlimited champagne. To the sound of the orchestra, we danced until the wee hours of the morning.
On the 27, we could already see Canada’s coast line, it was wonderful. We are slowly approaching Halifax. We could now admire the many buildings. There was a lot of activity in the city. We could see thousands of cars on the streets.
The ship entered port at 1 p.m. on March 27.
The arrival of Azorean passengers was scheduled for 6 p.m. We will then take a train to Montreal. We are already on Canadian soil, far from our Portugal.
May God bless us and help us endure the absence of our loved ones.
Customs Room at the Halifax Port.
Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
Farewell at the Salazar Pier, São Miguel, Correio dos Açores, March 24, 1954.
Free and partial translation of the opposite article (parts marked in blue)
Halifax from Citadel Hill, 1950s, Ross Dunn.
About the author
Born in São Miguel and living in Montreal since 1958, I published a book in 2018 about Azorean immigration to Canada in the 1950s. “De uma ilha para outra” was published in Portuguese and French. The book and an exhibition that accompanies it were presented in Montreal, São Miguel, Toronto and Boston. The book is sold in Montreal, Toronto and São Miguel, and through my Website. I continue to publish information and stories relating to the first big wave of Azorean and Portuguese immigration to Canada in the 1950s through my Website jljacome.com and my Facebook page D’une île à l’autre.
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