The discussion centred around Urso's emigration experience, community activities and family life.
Mr. Urso was motivated to emigrate because, though he had a job after graduation, in Genoa, working in a lab
(Instituto of Pharmacologia at the University of Genoa), he felt that it was not possible to get ahead in the Italy of the mid-sixties. Though post-war reconstruction had been successful, the economy was depressed and it was a period of unrest centering around the economy.
He saw a newspaper advertisement that didn't even use the term immigration-it talked simply of
transferire, that is, transfer to another country; within three months he was on a boat and arrived in Halifax at Pier 21 around Labour Day, 1966; his destination, determined by Canadian Immigration was Armstrong,
P.Q. He had no English and scholastic French. He had a great time on the boat; he and other young men (he was 22 years old) partied the whole seven days and he arrived exhausted but excited in Halifax and then went by train to Armstrong, which was a small border town on the Maine border; there it was suggested that he go to
Sherbrooke, the nearest city, and he did; he traveled on an old wooden train; had expected the red carpet but this didn't happen; Immigration gave him contact names and he took a cab to the Maison St. Georges run by priests; he ended up spending the night in a huge dorm and next day realized that he was in a shelter run by Father Beni
Fratelli; this was his first night in Canada and was not what he expected; he then found room and board but could not find a job; Immigration suggested that he try Quebec City; same experience and moved on to Montreal; realized Canadian government couldn't get him a job so he found room and board and a job in a lab at Domo Chemicals.
Lina's experience was different because she emigrated with her family as a young child; her family came from a small rural community in Calabria; Father decided to come to Edmonton in 1952; already had friends there; worked for the railways in camps in northern part of the province; eventually got a job in Edmonton; three years later, he sponsored his wife and four children; "Mother was very brave to come with four children, seven days on the boat. People were very helpful"; then, 4/5 days to Edmonton by train; only memory was of arriving at the train station and being picked up and kissed by a man who she didn't know who was her Father
Remembers close sense of community-other
families helped them (particularly Rago family from the
same home town); he Father Vincenzo Annichiarico came
with Carmen Rago; her Father had a fully-furnished house
for them; older siblings started school in grades below
their age because they did not have any English; she
stayed at home and became her mother's translator;
children had to change their names to fit in-Giovanni
became Joan, Giuseppina became Josephine and, she
Raffaela became Lina; tried had to learn the language
and teach their parents; to this day, they speak English
to their Father [Mother is deceased] and feels that her
Italian became weaker as a result of this decision to
emphasize English
Heritage Community Foundation Presents
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