Sobey Wall of Honour
Column
13
Row
26
(My Husband) Natale Leardi
His recollection of his experience on emigrating follows.
Leaving family and friends at age 17, he and his mother Assunta Leardi left Naples for their one-week journey and landed in Halifax on July 25, 1963, 55 years ago.
He remembers having to wake up each morning of their voyage at 6:00 am to attend Mass with his mother, something he agreed to do in exchange for her giving him 1,000 Lire ($1.50) a day so he could buy coffee, cigarettes, and whatever else that amount would cover of his daily expenses! He also remembers all the good food he ate on the ship, and that he spent his days by the pool as they had great weather the entire voyage.
They left Halifax by train at 4:00 pm for the remainder of their trip to Toronto where they arrived at 10:00 pm the following evening. On the train, he ate an abundance of bacon and eggs by pointing to a picture as he could not speak the English language.
Two days after arriving in Downsview (now North York, Ontario) to join his sisters who were already in Canada, and thanks to his brother-in-law who had found work for him before his arrival, he began work as a welder, and after eight months in Canada was able to purchase his first used car. Life in Canada was very good in the eyes of this teenager! He has always loved living here and never once regretted leaving Italy.
