Stefano Paoli

Alumni Type: Immigrant
Country of Origin: Italy
Port of Entry: Halifax
Date of Arrival: Thursday, November 11, 1954
Age on Arrival: 16

My dad Stefano Paoli at the tender age of 16 left his small town of Vallelonga (CZ) in Calabria Italy to join my grandfather Vincenzo and my uncle Vito Paoli who had already immigrated to Canada.

He commenced his voyage in the company of his 17 year old friend Vincenzo Faga. The two of them departed from Napoli on November 2, 1954 on SS Conte Biancamano which sailed first to Palermo, Sicily before continuing their voyage across the Atlantic and arriving at Pier 21 in Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada on November 11, 1954.

Upon arrival he recalls being directed to a barn type structure where his immigration papers were processed. Shortly after his arrival he boarded a train for Kingston, Ontario to reunite with his dad and brother who were settled there and awaited his arrival. Alone and inexperienced, he arrived with mixed emotions and a strong will to strive in this new land he now calls home.