Mario DeMello

Most towns had clubs, or institutes they called them. And they’re based on the British system. And these clubs were like a social gathering spot. So, the British had their own club, the Goan community had their own club, the Indian community had their own club. And in fact, between the Indians, between the Sikhs and the Muslims, they had their own clubs also. And these clubs revolved around not just social activities like dances, but also sports teams. So, they’d have a soccer team or a cricket team, or a field hockey team, you know, the British sports—badminton. So, the club that we belonged to, you could go and play a multitude of sports. They’re very affordable. So, in that hometown, the way kids spent their time was playing sports, right? And it was a community gathering spot. So, after your sports, you all went to the clubhouse and the young kids were there. The adults were there…If was in the clubhouse and I was not behaving, somebody else’s parents would say something to me and I listened. So, it was very much a community.

For the adults, even on a Sunday after Mass—Sunday was more of a sports day. So, after Mass, a lot of them would go and play in a league match. And after the league match, they went back to the clubhouse and had drinks. Everybody gathered there.

Well, so we arrived there, we were processed, you know, put into—this was at the Longue-Pointe army camp in Montreal. And we were processed and given rooms to stay and [they] said, “Look, tomorrow morning you have breakfast and then you’ll meet with counsellors.” So, then the next morning we met with them. Actually, that evening—I think it’s that evening. We actually had a meal, and they actually cooked some Indian food, which is surprising to me. They actually thought about what they were going to feed us—not that it mattered to me, I’d eat everything, you know? But anyway, the next morning we met, they gave us some clothes and I met with somebody, a counsellor that said, “What do you do for a living? What’s your background? Where would you like to go?” My brother at that time lived in Saint John, New Brunswick, and they said, “Where would you like to go?” And I said, “Where can I get a job?” And they said, “Well, how about Halifax? Because your brother’s close by.” I said, “Sure.” And so, they said, “Okay, well, you leave by train,” I think it was that evening or the next evening. And they explained to me that they would cover my fare to Halifax, and I signed a piece of paper saying I’d pay them back for some of the expenses.

It [field Hockey] was everything to me. Because I played it before, back in Uganda. So, playing it here meant I now met fifteen, sixteen, new people. And after the game we’d go to the pub, you know, have a beer, have a steak, or burgers or whatever. And you’d argue about the rules and things like that, so you get to know each other really well. And in fact, the first time I ever had chilli, was once somebody said, “Come out to my place for supper.” And I had chilli, you know, beans and—so now I make that too. So, you build some close friends that way. And then when you travel to the national championships—I’m not sure if it was in Calgary or Vancouver then—we all stayed in a hotel and share rooms. So, you build a strong bond there. So that year, in fall they were electing a new executive and I ran for the executive…

I made it on board. And I been on the board since 1973. I’ve been the president for many, many years and worked in different roles.