Eearly settlers 1962 - 1963

My uncle Claudio Amorim and wife Francisca de Oliveira with their five children: Claudio André aka Claudinho, Jacinto, Claudete, Reinaldo and Claudia (next to her mother) circa 1964. They were the first members of our family to move out to Rio Pequeno in late 1961.  

Our family hail originally from Ourinhos-SP and Marília-SP. Most of us migrated to São Paulo circa 1960. Mario was the first to settle in S. Paulo; then came Claudio in 1959. Claudio & Francisca with children went to live in Vila Madalena, on Rua Iperó, 11-A while we lived on Rua Simpatia, 42 later 103.

I remember my first visit to Rio Pequeno around 1962 to visit them. We used to take a bus that started off from Rua Paes Leme in Pinheiros. I remember being on the Rio Pequeno bus humming the tune of 'Green leaves of summer' (Folhas verdes de verão) a 1961 hit sung by Wilma Bentivegna. 

It must have been a Saturday afternoon and I would sleep over and return to 'civilization' on the Sunday. They lived on Rua Gaspar Gomes (it had only a Number as street identification then) in a little house my uncle built himself during his spare time working as a nurse at Hospital das Clinicas. This street came off Rua Maria Tereza Nascimento de Azevedo which was a number-street too. 

I used to love when the Rio Pequeno bus crossed the only bridge over Rio Pinheiros. I kept on watching to see what movies were playing at Cine Eldorado on rua Vital Brasil.

1966 on Rua João Moura in Pinheiros where Mario Amorim had bought a house and lived with his wife Edes Garbellini. From left to right: cousin Dulcineia, Grandmother Albina; uncle Mario with his children Luiz Fernando & Regina Celia; cousin Celso (in back); Grandfather Fernando Antonio and finally my aunt Dulce holding her youngest Paulo Cesar. Gabriel must have taken the picture. See that public works were being done on the street. One can see Rua Cardeal Arcoverde in the background. 

Uncle Mario de Amorim (on the right) worked as a Social Worker at Hospital das Clinicas. Mario had migrated to São Paulo circa 1954. By the end of the 50s he had already bought a house on rua João Moura, in Pinheiros and proceeded to bring the rest of his brothers and sisters to settle in Sao Paulo too. 

My father João, Mario's oldest brother managed to bring us to the capital-city in December 1960. We went to live at Vila Madalena, where my dad paid rent to a Portuguese family who had themselves migrated to Brazil in the late 1940s. Then uncle Mario devised a plan: everyone should buy small lots at Rio Pequeno and try to built houses to stop paying rent for the rest of our lives. Claudio was the first member who heeded the call to save money and plan his future. Claudio's family were the first to leave off paying rent at Vila Madalena and build his own house in Rio Pequeno as of early 1962.

Dulcineia, Gabriel, Celso, aunt Dulce and Paulo Cesar plus Celso on the right. There was a time circa 1963, when they too had to move to Rio Pequeno. They lived in a wooden house that had belonged to uncle Claudio Amorim before he built a proper brick house. Dulce worked at Hospital das Clinicas and used to take the infamous 'papa-fila' to get to work too.

Little River (Rio Pequeno) was clean and we used to go down and catch tiny fish with a sieve and put them in fish-bowls. Where Escola Brasil-Japão stands today was a beautiful farm (chácara) which was irrigated from the clean waters of the brook that gave its name to this new settlement. Estrada do Rio Pequeno was the only paved street in the region. Most streets were dusty when dry and muddy when wet.

Busses from Rio Pequeno made their final stop at rua Paes Leme in Pinheiros. There was no direct service between Rio Pequeno and the City. One had to get off in Pinheiros, take another bus and pay another fare to keep going all the way to the centre of the city. 

The infamous Papa-Fila was a giant bus pulled by an FNM truck. It used to service the poor people who lived in Rio Pequeno. It was the only time I've seen such 'monsters' in my life. Its terminal was around what is called 'Cinco Quinas' (Five Corners) today.

ponto inicial do papa-fila que vinha p'ro Rio Pequeno no Anhangabaú.

papa-fila in front of the Lysoform factory... 

Em 1952 havia na encruzilhada com a Av. Vital Brasil, Av. Jockey Club e Av. Francisco Morato uma arvore frondosa conhecida como a Paineira do Butantã. À sua sombra havia uma guarita de fiscalização de tráfego de caminhões pois o  local era a saída para as estradas Raposo Tavares  e Régis Bittencourt [em direção ao Paraná]. A parada era obrigatória para o exame das notas fiscais de mercadorias levadas para outras regiões. depoimento de: walterrossi@uol.com.br

a paineira já no tempo de foto colorida. Subindo à esquerda está a Av. Francisco Morato e dobrando à direita a rua Vital Brasil.

Old Osasco map... one can see that Rio Pequeno (at number 1) was called Sitio Rio Pequeno.

Uncle Mario, my father João and their youngest brother Claudio. Mario insisted that my father should buy a lot in Rio Pequeno and build a house on it. Claudio was the first to move to Rio Pequeno in 1962. It took us another 15 years to finally move here.

Snap-shot taken at Parque da Luz in 1960. Clockwise from Francisca & Claudio, then Claudinho, Claudete, Jacinto & Reinaldo Antonio. I remember the day Claudio & Francisca left Marilia for São Paulo in 1959. They all took the train that left Marilia around 7:00 PM. Francisca carried Reinaldo in her arms. As Reinaldo was born in 18 May 1959, they must have left Marília circa September 1959. This snapshot must have been taken a year later: September 1960. That's pretty accurate I would say. 

This is the house on Rua Gaspar Gomes that Uncle Claudio built in 1962. At first they built a wooden house on the left side of the lot. Then he and his mates would work week-ends and built a brick house that still stands after all these years...