Prince George refugee Doris (Logisse) Da'Silva was born in Meru, Kenya in East Africa; she was one of nine children of which two died as infants.
Her father worked for the public work services in Meru when she was a baby. From there the family moved to the Rosterman gold mine site where her father worked as a miner.
When that job was done they moved back to Nairobi in Kenya where her father worked as a motor mechanic for the bus service.
Later they moved to Ndula, an East Africa Sisal State, where her father worked on the machines for the East Africa Sisal Company, a company that worked with small-scale farmers in East Africa who raise sisal plants. Sisal is a hard fibre extracted from the leaves of perennial sisal plants that grow in hot and dry areas.
Doris said, "The sisal plant leaves are cut and turned into fibre which is then exported to the United Kingdom where it is used to make a super-strong, high-quality rope. The process provides livelihoods to many farmers in East Africa. The downside of the process is that there are always lots of snakes out in the fields.
"My mother worked in a dress shop in Nairobi where everything was sewn and embroidered and all hand made. We didn't have supermarkets and big retail stores back then so the dress shops made everything by hand. This art has nearly disappeared in the western world."
Doris reflected back and said, "I went to a Catholic school for my primary education. At the age of 12 we moved up-country where there were no schools so I took my Form 1-4 education in the convent. I was a good student and I loved school but for medical reasons I was unable to take part in my Form 4 graduation.
"I spoke Creole until I started school and then it was strictly English. I can speak a little bit of Swahili but most people in Africa speak English. I was always thankful that Africa employed many well-educated teachers from England."
After her schooling Doris moved to Kampala in Uganda and lived with her sister and brother-in-law. She worked for Smith McKenzie as a telephone operator until she found a better job with the Uganda Ford Motors Company.
Doris said, "I learned quickly how to operate their huge switchboard and I loved my new job. I liked all the people and they liked me. My brother-in-law got a job promotion at the Kilembe Copper Mine where he worked and had to move so I had to leave my job and move to Kilembe when they moved. The Corporal gave me a great letter of reference as I sadly left my job.
"There was no work for me at the mine site. There were only labour jobs for the men so I moved back to Ndula in 1958 and married Edwin Da'Silva, a man I knew from my school days. It turned out that he also worked at the Kilembe Copper Mine so I returned as a married woman. We started a family and I became a house mom."
The politics of Africa changed and for political reasons the Da'Silva's applied for refugee status with the Canadian government. In 1972 they were approved and given travel documents to go to either Brazil or Canada to look for work as refugees. Doris and her husband discussed it and they chose Canada.
Doris said, "We were blessed to have this opportunity and I believe it was fate. We had no idea what Canada was about. We were shocked when we saw snow for the first time in our lives. There was so much of it and the cold was something we had never experienced.
"We arrived in Montreal, along with other refugees and we were taken to a camp where we saw doctors and we were given clothing. The winter clothes did nothing for me, or so I thought, because I was still cold. I was so cold that I thought my fingers would fall off. This was all new to me and I had to wonder if this was a faith journey or an exodus for the many hundreds of families that had to leave Uganda.
"They put us on a plane to Vancouver with a connecting flight to Prince George. When we arrived a government official from Canada Manpower took us to the Anco Motel.
"My husband found work at Northwood Sawmills and our children started school at Spruceland. The children loved the snow and did all the shoveling and I was very happy about that.
"We had four children Debra (deceased), Sandra (Henry) Novak, Peter (Joyce) and Alan. I have two grandchildren and 12 step-great grandchildren.
"I can still remember the first time I did the laundry in Canada. We did not have a washing machine so I just washed everything by hand and hung it all out to dry. When I brought the clothes in I was shocked to see that it was all frozen. I can look back at it all now as I grow older and just laugh.
"We had no expectations from the Canadian government or the people and we were humbled and grateful when people showed us a kindness, which was often. We had no furniture and the man at the Bob Donaldson Furniture Store gave us credit so we could buy a bed.
"Louie and Rolande Matte came to see me and offered me a job and I took it.
"I went to school at CNC and earned my Early Childhood Care and Learning Certificate and got a wonderful job at the Day Care Centre. I worked there from 1974-2001 and walked 12 blocks to and from work for many years."
Doris retired in 2001 and because she wanted to give back to Canada and the people of Prince George she did volunteer work for the next seven years. She worked in the sandwich line at the St. Vincent de Paul Society every Tuesday night, took part in the ministries at the female correctional centre at the prison, ministered at the Shepard's Corner and worked with the street people - just to name a few of her many volunteer projects.
She volunteered at her church and was busy all the time and finally decided to retire from her volunteer work because she needed time for herself.
Doris said, "I am still busy but never too busy for my church. I give my time to my church because I feel it is important to welcome people at church just like people welcomed me and my family when we came to Canada.
"We came here with nothing but the tropical clothes on our backs and we realized that we were poor and we were thankful when people helped us. When I look at myself now I thank God for every little thing that I have. I am happy and content with my life, my family, my friends, my church group and last but not least my adopted shelter dogs Zoe and Mitzy.
"God was walking with us on the journey that we had to take. When that door closed another opened. The Spirit was always there to guide me and I will always believe in that."
