By: CHRIS GRAEME
CANADA’S NATIONAL day of celebration, Canada Day, was marked with a cocktail party hosted by Canadian ambassador Patrick Parisot and his wife, Carmen Altamirano, at the ambassador’s Lapa residence on Friday.
The lunchtime drinks and canapé party at the official residence was also the ambassador’s farewell to Portugal after a four-year tour of duty in Lisbon.
Mr and Mrs Parisot and their two children, Emanuel, 14, and Philipe, 16, are returning to Ottawa in Canada. Before his term in Lisbon, Mr Parisot served in Chile.
Addressing some 150 invited guests, the ambassador and his wife thanked everyone for the warmth and kindness shown to them during their time in Portugal and said they would miss the many friends they had made.
He also promised that he would encourage the family to keep up their Portuguese language.
Among the invited guests were Sydney Olympics judo champion Nuno Delgado, the President of the Portuguese Anti-Cancer League, Manuela Rilvas, and the Medical Director of Roche Portugal, Professor Tavares de Castro who all lent their support or sponsorship to raise money for cancer research through the annual Terry Fox Run which takes place every year in Lisbon in May.
Another guest was the Canadian sculptor and artist Max Streicher, whose blown up sculptures have become a global phenomenon. Streicher’s floating horses can be seen at the Belém Cultural Centre from this month to September.
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