Archimede, Dina and John

World War II had finally ended and horizons of hope beckoned beyond the mountains and coastlines of Italy. Having been sponsored by Uncle Agostino (Jack) Butticci, my 27 year old father, Archimede Altorio, left the familiarity of his native Aielli in the Abruzzi Region of Italy, to cross the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Vulcania. Leaving behind his family, wife Dina and newborn son Giovanino, Archie, as he was to be called in Canada, disembarked at Pier 21 on March 31, 1949.

It would be days of train travel across the vast and diverse landscape of Canada before Archie would reach the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. A contractor by trade, he worked at a variety of jobs at first. This gave him the confidence he needed to begin establishing himself in this new land.

On June 14, 1950, 26 year old Dina and 22 months old Giovanino (John) disembarked at Pier 21. Their ship, the Brasil, had left Naples, sailed to Malta and Gibraltar and just off the Grand Banks, in a thick fog, had a near miss with another ship. My mother remembers the cold, North Atlantic weather. She recalls port officials in Halifax as kind and caring people. They did, however, regiment newcomers into lines for trunks, luggage, customs, and immigrant trains. One fond memory is of a nun, at the port of entry, who gave my mother and brother a prayer card of the Virgin Mary. A practicing Roman Catholic, my mother saw this religious token as the needed unspoken language of communication and the comforting sign of welcome into Canada.

Upon arrival in Montreal by train, the faces of family friends gave my mother solice. For a brief few hours the language of home was spoken and experiences shared. Transition to this new land was being verified. Weathered, uncomfortable, old wooden cars of the immigrant trains were so different from the luxurious trains travelling the Montreal to British Columbia route. Embroidered doilies decorated the headrests of the car seats. Soft cushions embraced their passengers to travel in style. Mom had to be reassured twice, that, yes, this was the right train for the final journey to the West. How anxious she was to see her husband and be a family once again. Dina, an only child, missed her mother, father, grandparents, cousins, as well as the village community of San Potito, in Ovindoli, Italy, but was prepared to do whatever was necessary to build a solid future for her family with Archie.

The next year found Archie and Dina building their first home together out of discarded materials from other construction sites. Their youthful spirit, love for one another and hard work, was their wealth. A pregnant Dina helped Archie straighten nails and carry what she could to help build their first Canadian home in Kelowna, British Columbia. Today we recycle and reuse, but Archie and Dina recycled and reused instinctively, out of necessity. Old clothes were sewn into new ones, food that graced the dinner table was all home-made and as the autumn leaves began to change colour everyone made their own wine. The basement cantina held preserves, curing meats, and of course, jars of tomato sauce for the home-made pasta.

I was born in the Spring of 1951. Now John had a little sister to play with. As time passed more Italian relatives joined us in Canada. The family moved to Trail, B.C. and in 1957 came east once again by train to settle in Ontario. Archie created his own construction company and eventually became a proud and active member of the Rotary Club of Port Credit. Dina worked as a homemaker, but also worked as a seamstress and saleswoman for fashionable lady boutiques. John got his degree in Landscape Architecture and opened his own Design Firm. Mara got her Masters Degree of Education and taught for 33 years before retiring.

Archie and Dina lived the immigrant experience at a time when Canada was still a young country. They are two, of thousands, who left the comfort and security of home to risk it all and pave the way for others. They are very proud of their two children, two grandchildren and, to date, two great-grandchildren. They have left a legacy of love and devotion to a country they adopted and a Canada that they called home.

"Con te partiro…………..con te io li rivivro"

Mara Altorio (daughter)