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    Giovanni Paron: Oral History Transcript 

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Raffaele Albi

Mr. and Mrs.
Enrico Butti

Mr. & Mrs.
Domenico Chiarello
(Nella Anselmo)

Gus & Assunta Dotto
(Emilia Raffin)

 Attilio & Stella Gatto

Gus Lavorato

Giovanni Paron

Mr. & Mrs. Sartor

Sam Scrivano

Silvio Tona

Paolo Veltri

  1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Page 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

Ms. M: Carmela Marino
Mr. P: Giovanni Paron
Ms. B: Anna Bruni

Mr. P:

Yeh, but the Japanese they want to buy the mine. Try to want to buy it but then in Prince Rupert when they build the fort there, then they put the railroad, then the mine go.

Ms. M:

So, you own shares in a mine in Prince Rupert.

Mr. P:

Oh yes.

Ms. M:

Still, today.

Mr. P:

Oh yes.

Ms. M:

So, then, what did you do with your family here in Edmonton? What did you do for recreation? When you were not working, what did you do for fun with your family?

Mr. P:

Oh, visiting our friends. Games, I like sports. I go crazy for sports. I play football myself.

Ms. B:

Oh, good.

Mr. P:

I play football in Michel, B.C. when I was young.

Ms. M:

So, you like sports. What else did you do with the family?

Mr. P:

Oh, visit.

Ms. M:

Did you travel with your family?

Mr. P:

Oh yeh. I was in the old country three times.

Ms. M:

Oh, you went to Italy three times with your family.

Mr. P:

Yeh. That time, the wife die the year before. Me and my son we went and I went to see Italy. When we got in Paris, we rent a car there and we drove in Paris, in Belgium, all over the country.

Ms. M:

Did your son like Italy?

Mr. P:

Oh yeh, he like it.

Ms. B:

When you came to Edmonton, the church, Santa Maria Goretti was not there.

Mr. P:

When?

Ms. B:

St. Maria Goretti church was not there.

Mr. P:

There was no church here, just a small little church. So, just take about 50 people but we start, Angelo Biusetto, we get two priests come here. Angelo he knew, he get the two priests, so we start the church. We build that church, it was 40 families when we start and we pay $50.00 each to start building.

Ms. M:

What was the name of the church that you went to? This little church, what was the name of this little church?

Mr. P:

The other church - Oh, I forget now. But, in Cutknife, I forget that name now. I tell you what, at that time Bowen where we build that chruch, burn down. The fire in the farm, in the prairie fire, and we thought it was out and then at twelve o'clock at night the church burn down. They never build no more. They build in Cutknife a church there.

Ms. B:

Did you like Edmonton when you came?

Mr. P:

I tell you, Edmonton is the best town there is in Canada today.

Ms. B:

Why?

Mr. P:

It's healthy and everyone in pretty good shape. We got a poor mayor. Oh, I tell you, there are lot of people, they tell my son to go for mayor. No, no Jimmy, I say. Don't you do that.

Ms. B:

Why?

Mr. P:

He got enough in his head.

Ms. B:

With the shop and everything.

Mr. P:

Sure.

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