July 2011 Volume 23 Issue 3

Casa de Macau Inc. Australia July 2011 Volume 23 Issue 3 Inside this issue: President’s Report 1-2 The Right Man at the 1-4 Right Time in the Right Place Fable of the porcupine 4 News From Around 5-6 President’s Report Ed Rozario Announcement 6 Dear Members, contro in Macau to re- in September. Based on port. I am told, organizers the enthusiasc response, A bit of nostalgia 7 All the Dia de São João are sll working with the the Commiee is acvely funcons were a huge sponsors to try and make searching for a venue Photos 8 success, thanks to the this happen but have not where we can hold this efforts of the representa- shared any details to funcon. Some members Obituary/Eulogy 9-10 ves in every State. I think date. have provided us with a Brisbane must be the en- few suggesons and we Numbers 10 vy of all of us. Not only We will be holding our are following up on them. did Melissa Fox and her next AGM on Saturday 22 We will advise more when volunteers serve up a deli- October at our Cultural we have firm details. Dia de São João 11 cious lunch of Macaense Centre in Sydenham. For- Some members have al- favourites like Empada, mal noce and Nomina- ready volunteered to help A bit of humour 12 Tacho, Minchi, they also on forms for Commiee cook but more helpers are managed to find a great posions are enclosed needed. If you can con- venue right on the riv- with this newsleer. tribute, please contact er.... I’m sure you will en- Please reserve this date any member of the Com- Special points of interest: joy reading about it in this and try to aend. miee or email news- Page 1-4 - in 1736 the newsleer along with the [email protected] Portuguese Government other accounts from vari- At the Dia de São João banned printing in any of its overseas territo- ous States. funcon in Sydney, we Our dealings with Council ries. floated the idea of hold- on the DA issues connue There is no new infor- ing a “Cha Gordo and Tea to move ahead albeit at a Page 7 - An item by Ni- maon on the Youth En- Dance” event someme (Continued on page 2) na Deacon about games we used to play as kids... Page 11 - Remembering Dia de São João The Right Man at the Right Time in the Right Place Stuart Braga Father Joaquim In the long history of Ma- çalves, who taught at the Editor cau, a few people stand Seminário S. José, (St Jo- Affonço Jorge A. Estorninho out as having made a real seph’s Seminary) in Macau difference to the lives of from 1813 until his death Co-Ordinator Gonçalves others. Chief among them in 1841 at the age of 65. Lizette Viana Akouri was a Lazarist priest, Fr These were extraordinary Joaquim Affonço Gon- (Continued on page 2) Page 2 Casa Down Under Newsletter Volume 23 Issue 3 (Continued from page 1) ing ahead. In May we sub- their arcles and to our mied an applicaon to editor Jorge Estorninho President’s Report Polo Shirts Council for the building for his efforts in pung it snail's pace. We obtained cerficate to proceed with all together. Many thanks. an opinion on the fire this work, however as we We have Casa de Macau safety aspect of the go to print, we have yet to Ed Rozario Polo Shirts Sizes S (limited premises that would receive Council's reply President numbers) M, L, XL, XXL, require only the two win- although we chase them XXXL and Casa de Macau dows on the north side of every ten days. I will con- Badges. The price for the building to be treated. nue to report as this sa- these items is a bargain $7 ea. Which includes This means we will most ga unfolds. Meanwhile, postage. likely meet all Council’s enjoy the rest of the required modificaons Newsleer. If interested in any of the above items contact Mary within the budgeted sum Rigby on menoned in our last As always we are grateful rigbyfamily@ozemail. newsleer and are push- to all the contributors for com.au or phone 02 47333862 The Right Man at the Right Time in the Right Place (Continued from page 1) some dozens of boys world. For the rest of the sixty corresponding what he saw as the ‘craft’ nineteenth century, as a members of the Academia times, and Fr Gonçalves of printing, and gave them result of his work, Portu- Real das Ciências (the was an extraordinary life skills that enabled guese printers dominated Royal Academy of Scienc- teacher. Over a period of them to succeed in a this essential service in- es) in Lisbon. Towards fifteen years, he taught harshly competitive dustry in Hong Kong, the end of his life, on 18 Shanghai, Singapore and November 1840, he was Canton. He was in effect granted the title of the pioneer of technical Cavaleiro da Ordem de N. education in the Far East. S. da Conceição de Vila More than that, he was Viçosa¸ knight of the Or- the leading Portuguese der of Our Lady of Con- scholar in Chinese in this ception of Vila Viçosa. In and any preceding era. He short, he was recognised taught his students how as a world authority in his to print in order to get field of study. How did his scholarly work pub- this remarkable man lished. He did this to such achieve all this? effect that he was the Joaquim Affonço Gon- only Portuguese to be çalves was born in Tojal, admitted to membership Cerva, in the district of of the Asiatic Society of Vila Real on 23 March Bengal, later granted the 1781. He took his vows title Royal Asiatic Society. in 1801, and left for Chi- It was the leading body na in 1812 to carry out interested in sinological the installation of astro- studies. He was honoured nomical equipment at the in Portugal too. In 1840 he was elected one of (Continued on page 3) Page 3 Casa Down Under Newsletter Volume 23 Issue 3 (Continued from page 2) What was to be done? Fr at Macau that produced Sinicum. Macau’s first his- famous Peking Observato- Joaquim Leite, the Superi- many works in support of torian to write in English, ry, set up by the Jesuits in or of St Joseph’s Seminary, their mission, but it was C.A. Montalto de Jesus the 17th century. Howev- had an idea. With dwin- sold in 1620 and sent to paid tribute to his work: it er, he was not permitted dling opportunities availa- Manila. In 1736, the Portu- ‘constituted an unprece- to enter China, and re- ble, even to the sons of guese government banned dented sinological achieve- mained in Macau. Peking’s the elite of Macau, he printing in any of its over- ment among the Portu- loss was Macau’s great adopted a new strategy seas territories, a prohibi- guese after well-nigh three gain. that proved to be highly tion that was strictly en- centuries in China’. 1 In all He came to Macau when forced on Portuguese sub- he published seven books, things were bad and get- jects until 1820. However, and two more major ting worse. Macau In 1736, the British brought a works were almost ready printing press to for publication at the time had endured many the Portuguese government crises, but none Macau in 1815, so of his death. They were a was more se- banned printing in any in 1818, Fr Leite Chinese-Latin dictionary vere than the sought permis- and a version of the New steep decline of its overseas territories, sion to do the Testament in Chinese. that set in with same, to pub- Unfortunately, they re- the rapid a prohibition that lish works in mained unpublished. growth of Brit- support of The boys at St. Joseph’s ish and Ameri- was strictly enforced on Catholic mis- who assisted Fr Gonçalves sions in China. can trade with Portuguese subjects were obviously trained to China during the This permission a very high level of profi- second and third was given, but it ciency, working on books until 1820. decades of the nine- was not until 1826 that in which absolute accuracy teenth century. Increasing the seminary was able to was essential. It is not numbers of foreign ships suc- secure a printing press. hard to see this fine schol- had appeared in Far East- cessful for the boys, and Father Gonçalves then ar with his precise linguis- ern waters, competing for of cardinal importance for swung into action. Since tic standards as a very China’s trade. The the future of the Portu- his arrival more than a demanding task-master wealthy trading concerns guese community decade earlier, he had who would expect the of Britain, the United throughout the Far East. worked hard on a major same standards from his States, and other coun- This was to acquire a dis- project – a Portuguese- pupils that he set for him- tries had greater re- used printing press in Ma- Chinese dictionary, as well self. They could hardly sources than the Portu- cau to train his students several linguistic treatises. have had a better prepara- guese, and this had the as printers. The idea that By 1831, the dictionary tion for high expectations effect of reducing the Portuguese people would had been published in in the commercial work number of Portuguese ever engage in manual both forms: Portuguese to on which some of them vessels engaged in com- work in the Far East was Chinese and Chinese to would be engaged for the merce in the East.

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