THE
ICONIC JINJA GOAN INSTITUTE
BY
ARMAND RODRIGUES
When
Speke discovered the source of the Nile on July 28, 1862, little did he imagine
that a sizeable town would replace the dense bush and elephant grass on the
opposite bank.
In
time, the indomitable Goan reached the inhospitable opposite bank to find
himself in Jinja, which was still in an embryonic stage. Drawbacks were numerous. Most of the Goans
got to Jinja by palanquin carried on the shoulders of porters. The District Commissioner’s clerk – who was
invariably a Goan—had the privilege of being provided by fifty porters to carry
his luggage and belongings.
It
did not take long for a small clutch of Goans to populate Jinja. Goans happen to be a gregarious lot. After their basic needs of food, shelter and
clothing are met they invariably gravitate towards finding a common meeting
place for socializing, reading, and the pursuit of sports. The pioneers lost no
time in getting together to build a one-roomed club-house where they “could
read papers, and thus break the monotony of office work”. The sod was broken on
March 26, 1911, and land tenure was secured by a 25-year lease. Membership was
open to all nationalities.
Records
are somewhat sketchy, but it is known that the first President was Mr.L.C.
Fernandes.
In
1933, spearheaded by Mr.Stephen De Souza (Stan’s father), the adjoining
overgrown bush was cleared and a hockey and cricket pitch set up.
Around
1935, the first Goan School was started as an adjunct to the amenities provided
by the club, with the late Miss Lucy Fernandes (later wife of the late Leo
Gama), as the first teacher.
In
1949, a hall was added to the modest single room which was converted to a
library. As would be expected, a bar was
seen as an essential adjunct and was included in the extensions. Mr.D.C. Vadgama designed and supervised the
construction, free of charge. Several non-Goan businessmen donated funds for
what they saw as a worthwhile cause.
In
1954, Messrs Aniceto Rodrigues and James Lobo were instrumental in floating a
loan to carry our major extensions to the club that were dictated by the
growing membership. Debentures were issued and the response was very
encouraging.
Mr
Vadgama was again responsible for the work which gave the clubhouse a secretary
’s room, a ladies’ cloakroom and a change-room for sportsmen. Not to be
forgotten is the fact that women’s hockey had started in 1951, with the late
Alvita Fernandes (later Furtado) as captain. Of course, ladies’ badminton was
ongoing and the mothers of some of us here today, were the early proponents.
In
1963, Percy DeSouza put his sextant, spirit-level and engineering talents to
good use. He laid out one of the finest
turf pitches of the day, on the ground adjoining the club. Goans interacted
well with all communities.
Of
all the Uganda Goans in Toronto, the Jinja clan stands out as the only one that
has kept the flame burning with the most annual socials. They stay true to
their club motto of “Animo el fine”.
(Acknowledgement:
Salient points gleaned from material provided by Stan DeSouza)
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