Evangelista Ignácio de Oliveira - The Giant Magnet, by Petrônio Lorena

It seems ages since I posted anything. However, on Thursday and Friday, at CCAA I was involved in the making of a documentary film, about the inventor Evangelista Ignácio de Oliveira, called, "O gigantesco ímã" (The Giant Magnet), by Petrônio Lorena and crew who are based in Rio de Janeiro. It was a fascinating experience to be involved. The film has taken two years to make. When finished it will be widely circulated.

PROJETO VIVER - Serra Talhada (The Living Project)

Dear family and friends,

Hoping all is well with you and your family and that you have a lovely Christmas.

‘PROJETO VIVER - Serra Talhada’ is organised by a marvellous lady called Ivaneide who devotes her spare time to help others.



For me, Ivaneide is like the Mother Teresa of Serra Talhada. She has recruited about 50 colleagues and friends to carry out this work which is supported by her employer TUPAN (like 'B & Q' - a large DIY shop).

Recently, I was invited to see them working with 20 poor elderly residents who live in the Ana Ribeiro home in Serra Talhada.

Please look at Sara's flogao: http://www.flogao.com.br/richardmcgill where I have posted a photo taken by 'Projeto Viver'. As you can see this child in the photo has no bed (and probably has had little food).

You can see the rest at: http://projetoviverserratalhada.blogspot.com/showing the team handing out goodies to the poor children, to help them smile, on the night of 28 November 2007.

Between now and Christmas, Ivaneide and her team will knock on doors in the better-off areas of the town to ask for donations of basic foods which will be distributed shortly after. To avoid unfair distribution, the team visits the poor family and gives them a special code number. The representative from the family needs to quote this code to get the food parcel from the distribution point.

One of Ivaneide's good friends who works in local government donates all of her salary to 'Projeto Viver' as well as devoting all of her spare time to help them practically. Her charity work comes first and she often leaves her desk in the middle of work to help others whenever they need her. She just says, "There are plenty others here who can finish my work in the office - I'm needed elsewhere". Thankfully this way of working has become accepted by her bosses because of the type of person she is and in recognition of the good work she does.

Another friend of Ivaneide’s is wheelchair-bound but she is always at the centre, where the work is, usually in the kitchen organising. Although a lot of people are needy some others really do knuckle down to help too.



Is all this necessary in Serra Talhada, December 2007. Yes, I'm afraid it is. Enough said!! This is the charity I have chosen to become involved in as it is totally run by faithful volunteers who really want to make a difference.

Perhaps you could recruit some support for them by passing on the URL of this Blog: http://familymcgill-ourlifeinbrasil.blogspot.com to friends and colleagues??

In this way, hopefully, the quality of life can be improved for the poorest people here in Serra Talhada and district. If you want to know more, or help in any way email: projetoviverserratalhada@oi.com.br

Have a Happy Christmas.
God Bless. Love from us all,
Richard, Ivonete and Sara XXX

The eclipse, a genealogy lesson, one wedding and four baptisms!

At the weekend we went to a wedding and baptism in Pelo Sinal. Travelling north from Serra Talhada into the hills we drove past the Instituto de Pesquisas Agronômicas (IPA) (1) experimental agricultural station, which has strong research links with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (2).

Beyond there, driving was more difficult. It was a tortuous experience, even with our 4x4 truck. During the rainy season the sandy dirt-track is flooded with water and it becomes deeply scarred with mini-gorges and rivulets. As the dirt-track ascends into the hills it gets very rocky and treacherous.

Rocky road at Sitio Serragem (with bull) - view from the truck

We arrived ninety minutes later at Ivonete’s Dad’s farm Sitio Serragem (Sawdust farm). Normally this journey takes only half that time.

To get to Pelo Sinal you have to pass through Extrema - a Pernambucana ‘one horse town’. It is a very small village, of 60 or so inhabitants, with a row of eight to ten one-storey houses set on each of the three sides of a square and an oversized church lording over all on the fourth side. Most of Extrema lies within Pernambuco but the most northerly row of houses straddles the Paraiba border.

Extrema, Pernambuco - showing the church and houses on the North side

Extrema - showing part of the street on the South side of the church

A couple of kilometres farther on is Pelo Sinal. These hill villages definitely create a time-warp. You are immediately set apart in time from the rest of the world. Two tired cowboys on two tired horses drive tired cattle into the square – no it’s not an illusion! That's the reality of this Sertấonese ‘two horse town’!

Meeting, greeting and some pre-wedding drinks

After a few drinks of Pitu and a meal with close family, we move on to one of the six bars in Pelo Sinal, four of which are next door to each other! Pitu, a sugar-cane spirit costs less than 70 pence a litre and a lager-type beer costs 50p or less for a 660 ml bottle! Teachers whisky is a little dearer at less than £6 a litre.

People are very welcoming and curious as to why the Scotsman has ended up in their midst!! They are eager to shake hands and exchange a few words. “Fala Ingles por favor.” (“Speak English please.”). “One – two – three - four - ......” Children gather round in curiosity to look at and prod the white-headed stranger who is either an 'alma' (ghost) or who is descended from another planet of another solar system. We have been to Pelo Sinal many times before but we have never spent more than an hour or two visiting close family. Hence the interest.

Then, the excitement in the centre of the square! “Come, look at the moon. It’s an eclipse!” (in Portuguese). I understood ‘look’, ’moon’, and ‘eclipse’ and went. It was an amazing sight. The southern sky was clear and only started to become hazy during the final stages. Great excitement. Boa amizade! (Good friendship). In one instance native differences melted into insignificance. We were united into the greater family of mankind.

Time passed and we ‘blethered’ (a Scots word for ‘talked’) at length. I discovered that most, if not all' of the people who live here, and in Extrema, are related to each other. To explain, Ivonete’s grandfather Joaquim Dino married again after Ivonete’s grandmother died. Ivonete reckons there are a lot more than 230 people in the living family tree.

So that was a gentle introduction for what was to follow on Sunday. The church wedding of Ivonete's cousin Monica and Deda, who had previously married in a registry office, and the baptism of their three year old son Francimagno. Monica was also godmother to two of the other three babies being baptised.

Deda and Monica's wedding


Monica, Francimagno, Deda, Ivonete and Richard

To be part of this extended family is a rich experience. Perhaps I’ll write more about them later. Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with a photo taken at Extrema recently.

Only one person in the photo, the lady in the top left, is not a family member.

This could be an excellent place for genealogical research – any bidders? Contact me by email (3) if you are interested and I'll do my best to help.

(1) Instituto de Pesquisas Agronômicas (IPA): http://www.ipa.br/

(2) Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - Plantas do Nordeste (PNE): http://www.rbgkew.org.uk/scihort/tropamerica/pne.htm

(3) Cut and paste our email address: rismcgill@oi.com.br