Osoyoos publicly honoured its Portuguese pioneers Sunday with the unveiling of an outdoor mural which recognizes their major contribution to the economic, social and cultural development of the community.

Officials and members of the public and the area’s Portuguese-Canadian community gathered for the ceremony revealing an approximately 10-ft by 8-ft painted tile mural mounted on the front wall of the town’s Sonora Community Centre. In a colourful mix of red, green and blue, it depicts a Portuguese orchard worker picking apples in an Osoyoos orchard. Many Portuguese families immigrated to the region, beginning in 1955, and they became major players in the fruit and agriculture industry.

The mural was created by local ceramic artist Katie Foster and teacher George Mocci. Funding support for the project came from the Town of Osoyoos, the Osoyoos Portuguese Canadian Cultural Society, and Destination Osoyoos through its BC Resort Municipality Initiative fund.

Dignitaries at the unveiling ceremony included: Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells; Osoyoos Portuguese Mural Committee Chair Louisa Carvalho; Destination Osoyoos Chair Derek Noske; Portugal’s Consul-General to Vancouver, Carlos de Sousa Amaro; and authority on the Portuguese in Canada, University of British Columbia Okanagan Prof. Carlos Teixeira.

Wells says, “This recognizes a very valuable part of our history, and that recognition is important to our community today. I was fortunate to grow up here and meet many of these immigrant pioneering Portuguese families. It was a struggle for them – the language and cultural challenges were huge. Most came here as farm labourers and they saved their money to buy their own property, and they have helped to develop our community.”

Carvalho notes that the idea for the public monument came out of the salute to the town’s Portuguese community during Arts & Culture Week in the spring of 2005. “I’m very pleased that this recognition has finally happened. The Portuguese pioneers were brought in as fruit pickers in the Okanagan Valley, and they fell in love with the area and with this community. They deserve so much credit for coming to this country, and they really contributed so much to this area and its economy.”

Destination Osoyoos Acting Chief Executive Officer Glenn Mandziuk notes that the mural is the first of what will be a number of public-art projects which will be supported in Osoyoos by BC Resort Municipality Initiative funding. “It is really appropriate that this is our first public-art project. It’s a great tribute to one of our community’s founding groups – you couldn’t have picked a better part of our community to honour. We’re excited that the Resort Municipality Initiative played a part in this project.”

The Sunday afternoon unveiling ceremony was led off by a performance by Portuguese drummers and dancers, and was followed by a luncheon presented by the Osoyoos Portuguese Canadian Cultural Society.

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FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Glenn Mandziuk, CEO
Destination Osoyoos
Tel: 250-498-7230
Email: glenn@osoyoos.ca

Louisa Carvalho
Osoyoos Portuguese Mural Committee
Tel: 250-495-7698
Email: carva1@telus.net

Chair Stu Wells, Mayor
Town of Osoyoos
Tel: 250-495-5200
Email: swells@osoyoos.ca