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    Gus Lavorato:  Oral History Transcript Summary

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Gus & Assunta Dotto
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 Attilio & Stella Gatto

Gus Lavorato

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Louie Protti

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Silvio Tona

Paolo Veltri

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A summary of the oral history transcript of Gus Lavorato in which he discusses his father's journey to Canada, as well as his own life growing up in Canada.

Father/Mother :

  • Father (Giuseppe) born in 1884, in the province of Cosenza, and came to Canada in 1898 at the age of 14. Mom (Theresa) was born in 1888 and came over in 1919.
     
  • Father had not been trained in any trade or occupation.
     
  • Father arrived in Montreal, Quebec, and found work in Hull as a waterboy for a construction crew building a bridge. He then worked his way west through the United States on the railway.
     
  • He arrived in Edmonton in 1905. He worked on the railway in Edmonton for one dollar a day, and also gave dance lessons to people to supplement his income.
     
  • He eventually became a foreman for the railroad, and worked at it until his retirement in 1948.
     
  • Very few Italians in the area during this time. 
     
  • His favorite thing about Canada was the amount of food available.
     
  • First house was on Norwood Blvd. and 93 street near the Vinton Centre.
  • Mother worked as a cook, and liked to knit. Mother was the one who ran the house, and his dad was quiet by nature.

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