The Pedro da Silva Prize for Graduate Students

Pedro da Silva, baptized in the church of São Julião, Lisbon, Portugal, left the country around 1673 for the colony of New France. By 1681, he had married and settled in Beauport, close to Quebec City (see also Montmorency Falls), where he worked (amongst other occupations) as a common letter carrier. Known as Pierre da Sylva “dit le Portugais”, he was commissioned on December 23, 1705, as the official “messager” or letter carrier of the Governor-General and the Intendant of New France. He and his wife, Jeanne Greslon (known as La Violette, daughter of Jacques Greslon and Jeanne Vignault), had 14 children, many of whom would go on to raise sizeable families of their own. Pedro da Silva died on August 02, 1717, and was interred at the parish of Notre-Dame de Québec. In 2003, Canada Post issued a stamp (to celebrate the official 50th anniversary of Portuguese immigration to Canada) honouring Pedro da Silva as the First Courier in New France. On June 03, 2009, the Government of Canada passed an act in the House of Commons, bill C-406, to recognize Pedro Da Silva “dit le Portugais”, as Canada's first officially commissioned letter carrier. He was posthumously inducted into the Portuguese Canadian Walk of Fame, in Toronto, on June 08, 2014, under the category of “Builder”.

Pedro da Silva, batizado na igreja de São Julião, Lisboa, Portugal, deixou o país por volta de 1673 para a colónia da Nova França. Em 1681, casou-se e estabeleceu-se em Beauport, perto da cidade de Quebec (ver também Montmorency Falls), onde trabalhou (entre outras ocupações) como carteiro comum. Conhecido como Pierre da Sylva "dit le Portugais", foi contratado a 23 de dezembro de 1705 como "messager" oficial ou carteiro do Governador-Geral e do Intendente da Nova França. Ele e a sua mulher, Jeanne Greslon (conhecida como La Violette, filha de Jacques Greslon e Jeanne Vignault), tiveram 14 filhos, muitos dos quais continuariam a ter famílias numerosas. Pedro da Silva morreu a 02 de agosto de 1717, e foi enterrado na freguesia de Notre-Dame de Québec. Em 2003, o Canada Post emitiu um selo (para celebrar o 50º aniversário da data official da imigração portuguesa para o Canadá) em homenagem a Pedro da Silva como o Primeiro Correio da Nova França. A 03 de junho de 2009, o Governo do Canadá aprovou uma lei na Câmara dos Comuns, projeto de lei C-406, para reconhecer Pedro Da Silva "dit le Portugais", como primeiro carteiro official do Canadá. Foi inscrito postumamente em Portuguese Canadian Walk of Fame em Toronto, a 08 de junho de 2014, na categoria de "Construtor".

Pedro da Silva, baptisé dans l'église de São Julião, à Lisbonne, au Portugal, a quitté le pays vers 1673 pour la colonie de la Nouvelle-France. En 1681, il s'était marié et s'était installé à Beauport, près de la ville de Québec (voir aussi Montmorency Falls), où il (entre autres occupations) transportait du courrier. Connu sous le nom de Pierre da Sylva "dit le Portugais", le 23 décembre 1705 il reçu la commission de messager (facteur officiel d courrier) du gouverneur général et de l'intendant de la Nouvelle-France. Lui et sa femme, Jeanne Greslon (dite La Violette, fille de Jacques Greslon et Jeanne Vignault), ont eu 14 enfants, dont beaucoup allaient ensuite élever leurs propres familles. Pedro da Silva décède le 2 août 1717 et est enterré à la paroisse Notre-Dame de Québec. En 2003, Postes Canada a émis un timbre (célébrant le 50e anniversaire officiel de l'immigration portugaise au Canada), honorant Pedro da Silva du titre de Premier Messager de la Nouvelle-France. Le 3 juin 2009, le gouvernement du Canada a adopté un projet de loi à la Chambre des communes, le projet de loi C-406, reconnaissant Pedro Da Silva "dit le Portugais", comme étant le premier Portugais, le premier facteur officiel au Canada. Il a été intronisé à titre posthume dans la Promenade Luso-Canadienne, à Toronto, le 8 juin, 2014, sous la catégorie «Bâtisseurs».

Graduate students presenting papers at the bi-annual conference of the Lusophone Studies Association (LSA) are eligible for the Pedro da Silva Prize. Graduate students must have a current membership in the LSA. The Prize has a value of $1000 CAD. The Pedro da Silva Prize is awarded every other year to the best graduate student paper presented at the previous LSA conference. Papers competing for the award must follow the style guidelines of our affiliated journal, The Portuguese Studies Review (PSR), including a title page and footnote references in the PSR house style (See https://www.maproom44.com/psr/author_faq.html and https://www.maproom44.com/psr/submissions.html). Manuscripts must be a final draft, as if formally submitted for publication.

Please send your submission as a Word attachment to  lsa@yorku.ca within 30 days following the last conference of the Lusophone Studies Association (LSA). If the selection committee deems a paper is publishable or near publishable, it will be eligible for the prize. Should it win the Pedro da Silva Prize, winners are invited to submit their manuscripts to the Portuguese Studies Review. PSR editors will work closely with the graduate student(s) to facilitate its publication through a double-blind peer review process. The previous year’s prize will be announced at the bi-annual conference. Manuscripts must be unpublished, not under review by another journal, and must have been presented at the bi-annual LSA conference. Co-authored papers will be considered, but all the co-authors must be members of the LSA.

The Branca Amélia Correia Proença Gomes Post-Doctoral Award

It was on October 10, 1964, that a group of about twenty children, between 6 and 15 years old, said “Good morning, Mrs. Gomes!” in Portuguese, at the First Portuguese School, located (at the time) at 244 Augusta Avenue, in Toronto. This was the salutation of the first official Portuguese teacher in Canada, received at the inauguration of the official Portuguese School of the First Portuguese Canadian Club. This teacher was Mrs. Branca Gomes.

Branca Amélia Correia Proença, Gomes by marriage, was born in Portugal, in the town of S. Vicente, in the district of Guarda, on July 10, 1914. She got her degree at Escola do Magistério Primário de Braga, on February 20, 1933. She taught in Portugal for 26 years and was president of Escola da Caniçada do Distrito Escolar de Braga.

In Toronto, where she settled in January 1964, Mrs. Branca Gomes was an elementary school teacher at Alexander Muir School from 1967 to 1979. Among other functions, Mrs. Gomes served as member of the school board at the First Portuguese C.C., in 1972, and also taught Portuguese to adults at Harbord Collegiate Institute in 1980. She then continued on as an elementary school teacher at St. Luke’s Elementary School.

Mrs. Gomes was the recipient of many awards from the Portuguese and Canadian Governments, and from individual politicians, among them Américo Tomás, President of the Portuguese Republic, in 1962, from the City of Toronto also in 1962, and from the First Portuguese C.C. in 1983, to celebrate 50 years of her teaching career.

She began at the First Portuguese School on October 10, 1964. She told us: “In 1950, during the campaign against illiteracy, the government would pay 500 escudos (about $5 CAD) to every teacher who passed ten students, back then, it was a fortune! I received the highest pay”.

Mrs. Branca Gomes taught for a total of 65 years.

(Biography from the Gallery of the Portuguese Pioneers: https://pioneersgallery.ca/pioneer-portrait-the-first-portuguese-teacher-in-canada). For further information, links, photographs, see the ► https://portuguesecanadianwalkoffame.com website.

Foi no dia 10 de outubro de 1964 que um grupo de cerca de vinte crianças, entre os 6 e os 15 anos, disse "Bom dia, Sra. Gomes!" em português, na Primeira Escola Portuguesa, localizada (na altura) na Avenida Augusta, 244, em Toronto. Esta foi a saudação do primeiro professor oficial de português no Canadá, ouvido na inauguração da Escola Oficial portuguesa do Primeiro Clube Português Canadiano. Esta professora era a Sra. Branca Gomes.

Branca Amélia Correia Proença, Gomes por casamento, nasceu em Portugal, na vila de S. Vicente, no distrito da Guarda, a 10 de julho de 1914. Licenciou-se na Escola do Magistério Primário de Braga, a 20 de fevereiro de 1933. Lecionou em Portugal durante 26 anos e foi presidente da Escola da Caniçada do Distrito Escolar de Braga.

Em Toronto, onde se estabeleceu em janeiro de 1964, a Sra. Branca Gomes foi professora do ensino elementar na Escola Alexander Muir de 1967 a 1979. Entre outras funções, Branca Gomes foi membro do conselho escolar do I C.C., em 1972, e também ensinou português a adultos no Instituto Collegiate de Harbord em 1980. Depois, foi professora do ensino elementar na Escola Primária de St. Luke.

Gomes recebeu muitos prémios dos Governos Português e Canadiano, e de políticos individuais, entre eles Américo Tomás, Presidente da República Portuguesa, em 1962, da Cidade de Toronto também em 1962, e do C.C. português, em 1983, para celebrar os 50 anos da sua carreira docente.

Começou a sua carreira na Primeira Escola Portuguesa a 10 de outubro de 1964. Segundo ela: "Em 1950, durante a campanha contra o analfabetismo, o governo pagava 500 escudos (cerca de 5 dólares canadianos) a cada professor que passasse dez alunos, naquela altura, era uma fortuna! Recebi o salário mais alto".

Branca Gomes lecionou durante um total de 65 anos.

(Biografia retirada da Galeria dos Pioneiros Portugueses: https://pioneersgallery.ca/pioneer-portrait-the-first-portuguese-teacher-in-canada). Para obter mais informações veja o portal ► https://portuguesecanadianwalkoffame.com.

Post-doctoral scholars presenting papers at the bi-annual conference of the Lusophone Studies Association (LSA) are eligible for the Branca Amélia Correia Proença Gomes Post-Doctoral Award.

Applicants must have a current membership in the LSA and must be engaged in research that relates directly to the Lusophone world. For the 2023 conference in Toronto, scholars working in Lusophone diasporic topics, and in Canada, will be preferred. The Prize has a value of $1000 CAD. The Branca Amélia Correia Proença Gomes is awarded every other year to the best paper presented at the previous LSA conference by a post-doctoral scholar. Papers competing for the award must follow the style guidelines of our affiliated journal, The Portuguese Studies Review (PSR), including a title page and footnote references in the PSR house style (https://www.maproom44.com/psr/author_faq.html and https://www.maproom44.com/psr/submissions.html). Manuscripts must be a final draft, as if formally submitted for publication

Please send your submission as a Word attachment to lsa@yorku.ca within 30 days following the last conference of the Lusophone Studies Association (LSA). If the selection committee feels that a paper is publishable or near publishable, it will be eligible for the prize. Should it win the Branca Amélia Correia Proença Gomes Post-Doctoral Award, winners are invited to submit their manuscripts to the Portuguese Studies Review. PSR editors will work closely with the winner to facilitate its publication through a double-blind peer review process. The previous year’s prize will be announced at the bi-annual conference. Papers must be unpublished, not under review by another journal, and must have been presented at the bi-annual LSA conference. Co-authored papers will be considered, but all co-authors must be members of the LSA.