Introduction Early Years World War I and  Interwar Years World War II and After  Cultural Life Pioneers

by Adriana Albi Davies, Ph.D.

The mine explosions had ended coal mining in Coalhurst but the coming in of Leduc # 1 in 1947 dealt coal mining in Alberta a mortal blow. This resulted in a movement of Italian workers out of the mining communities to cities, such as Lethbridge, Calgary and Edmonton and Vancouver. This is touchingly evident when one looks at the community history of the region: Our Treasured Heritage: A History of Coalhurst and District and sees the few Italian families still resident there in the 1970s and 1980s.

Lethbridge did experience immigration as a result of the post-war wave of immigration that saw large numbers of Italians, both skilled and unskilled workers, leave a depressed Italy for opportunities in the new world. As yet, there is no research or oral histories that have been done with Lethbridge's Italian community. According to John Mazzuca, there were enough Italians to begin an Italian Club in the 1950s. In 1960, the Club was incorporated through the Alberta Societies' Act as the Romulus & Remus Italian Canadian Club. This Club appears to have lapsed but, in the early seventies, the impetus to build a centre created new momentum and the Centre was built in 1976. The membership was 400 persons. The 1977 board of directors was:

• John Mazzuca, President

• Nick Desimoni, Vice President

• Nick Palazzo, Treasurer

• Silvio Mauro, Secretary

• Antimo Altieri, Councillor

• Giulio di Rocco, Councillor

• Pete Fiorino, Councillor

• Joe Mantello, Councilor

• Aldo Meli, Councillor

• Tony Paladino, Councillor

• Fernando Rose, Councillor

• Aldo Vercillo, Councillor

• Mike Vercillo, Councillor.
    

Related Link

• Il Congresso Article (in Italian):  Romulus & Remus Club 25 anni dopo......
  ed e stata "una bella figura"

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