Sobey Wall of Honour
Column
114
Row
22
It's a warm summer's night at the Cottage, and as we sit by the fire, Giovanni Maieron shares with us his story of how he came to live in Canada. He relates his tale with pride and an unexpected softness from this otherwise strong willed retiree.
So we sit under a clear Muskoka night sky with the fire crackling as Giovanni recounts how back home in Venzone, Italy jobs were scarce. Giovanni was the oldest of 6 children and the family lived in the same house his grandfather had lived in, within the walls of an old castle in Venzone. Having limited opportunities available and having completed his military training, Giovanni and his cousin, Mario, ventured off to the land of opportunity - Canada.
He purchased a third class ticket for which he paid 110,000 Lira (approx. $100.00 Cdn.) for a one-way trip aboard the ship "Atlantic" arriving at Pier 21, Halifax, Canada on June 27, 1951. He recalls not being allowed up to the first-class deck occupied by high society lounging around the swimming pool. So he climbed by the outside to the upper deck to watch the "rich" people. The route to Canada took them through Cannes, Barcelona and Lisbon before their destined arrival in Halifax.
In Halifax he boarded an old train to Montreal, but with the high cost of living and low wages he decided to seek out alternatives. He traveled north of Quebec to Labrador where he worked in the construction of roads and the railway.
His group opened roads in the middle of the forest, bringing down trees, rocks and building tunnels and bridges. Subsequently another team would lay down the train tracks which apparently were used for the purpose of mining.The trains were essential in carrying out the materials from the iron mines. The only way out of the site was by plane.
It would take approximately two hours to reach civilization. Otherwise, he lived in the camp by the site. They were provided with food and shelter and his pay was 75 cents per hour to start.
Later on his pay was increased up to $1.25 per hour. The company was C.M.M.K. owned by four partners from Montreal,Quebec and the United States. After so many years, his memory of this time is so vivid and he recalls so much detail that one can only imagine how deeply this journey had affected him. He remembers the bugs too - the great amount of mosquitoes and horseflies, making Muskoka in the spring seem like a breeze!
After three years Giovanni traveled to New Brunswick and Montreal before settling in Toronto. He stayed with a Friulano family as a boarder and it was there that Giovanni met Angela.
Angela Volpatti's family lived in Trieste. She was a young girl during the war when Trieste was occupied by the German Army. In those days Angela's father worked as a Gardener at Castello di Miramare and within a period of three years Angela lost both her parents.
On August 9, 1956 Angela and her aunt, Zia Teresa, arrived in Halifax on the "Vulcania", an Italian line. They came to visit family already living in Toronto and Niagara Falls and although they had two-way tickets, Angela did not return to Italy with Zia Teresa. Instead, a wedding took place on February 23, 1957 at St. Mary of the Angels Church on Dufferin Street in Toronto and so began Giovanni's and Angela's life together.
In 1959 their first child, Robert, was born and in 1965 the twins, Franco and Giovanna.
To support the family Giovanni worked in construction and later as a carpenter. Angela was a housekeeper. They maintained their traditions for making their own tomato sauce, salami and of course, the wine. Giovanni also had the best vegetable garden and it was always a treat to take a walk through it.
Today they are no longer with us. Angela passed away in 1996 and Giovanni in 2003. Their life was simple, yet during their time here they contributed, like many others of that era, to building this country and enriching it by their hard work and ethnic flavour. The Canadian flag is still proudly displayed by the dock at the small Muskoka cottage. Giovanni and Angela's legacy continues with Robert, Franco, Giovanna and of course the grandchildren, Domenic, Daniel, Lucas and Lauren.
Mary J. Maieron
