Annuziata (Tina) Carere Magnoli 05/31/2013
Tina born on April 26, 1943 was the youngest of 10 children of Vincenzo Carere and Maria Vittoria Giovanazzo in San Giorgio Morgeto, Reggio Calabria, Italy.
Her Father Vincenzo first came to Canada in the early 1900’s with his first wife, Stella Tedesco and had three children in Guelph Ontario where he worked. On his return to Italy, Stella became ill and died approximately six months after giving birth to her youngest son. With three young children, Vincenzo remarried within eight months and took Maria Vittoria Giovanazzo as his new bride. They had another nine children of which seven survived. Life was harsh and the demands to feed many mouths were challenging but in comparison to other families the Careres’ were relatively comfortable as they owned a grocery store, linens and cantina where people came to drink the vino and socialize.
After Vincenzo became ill and died in 1956 many of the elder children moved away to find work or were marrying to start their own families. Jimmy (Vincenzo) , the eldest son and Francesca, the eldest daughter came back to Canada , as they were already citizens. Shortly after Guiseppe (Peppino) followed . Shortly after, once the step brothers and sister were settled with a home and work, Mario, Giorgio (along with Giuseppe Magnoli , the eventual husband of Annuziata Carere) arrived on the Tuscan III Nea Hellas . Finally in 1959 Gesu, Angela, Tina and Mama Maria Vittoria came to Canada while the other siblings Gemma and Natalina remained with their husbands and young families.
As a young girl Tina went up to grade five (5) and shortly after reaching the age of eleven (11) her Father became fatally ill and passed on. Tina worked in the cantina serving the clients and was always treated with dignity and respect because she was the youngest daughter of Vincenzo Carere. There were no distractions and survival was the name of the game. Tina learned how to sew as her eldest sister Gemma was a top seamstress who was highly regarded in the community and specialized in wedding dresses. Tina assisted and learned her lessons well. There was no T.V or radio, the entertainment at night was saying the Rosary as a family after cooking and eating the meal and preparing for bed at 8:00pm. “La matinata fa la giornata” was the motto they lived by. Too much work to do and not enough time in a given day.
The laundry was done by hand as they carried the clothes on their heads, walking twenty (20) minutes or more to the river. Once there they rinsed and scrubbed everything by hand, they draped the clothes on trees to dry returning home to start the other chores. Later in the day they would return to fold and return home. There was a lot of walking and no other choice of transportation.
Tina also use to do embroidery sewing tassels for 100-500 lira, To put in into perspective it took a week or more and mainly doing the work sporadically when they found free time in the hectic day. The exchange rate at the time was roughly 600 lira/C$1.
The war had ended but the town was heavily fortified with German machinery and bunkers to support their guns and heavy artillery, as the Italians were Allies of the Germans until 1944. At first the Germans were respectful but when the Italians changed their allegiance the Germans become belligerent and disrespectful. But Tina being the youngest did not experience any of the previous hostilities but nonetheless life was still demanding and hard work was the norm.
The decision to leave was simple because there was no future and employment opportunities were non-existent , especially in the agrarian south of Italy. After the death of her Father Vincenzo, Maria Vittoria was getting older and maintaining the stores was becoming more difficult with many of the older siblings gone, the urge to leave became greater and hope faded into a dream. Many of the patrons reneged on their debts that were owed or claimed they were paid to the father who recently passed away. Tina would plead with her brothers in Canada to send for her especially brother George who had left in 1954 to ask if he could sponsor her to come to Canada.
Tina’s dream was finally realized as the remaining siblings were all leaving for Canada. But before they could leave they all had to go to apply for their passports this was a 2-3 week waiting period. Once the passports were approved they had go to Rome which took 12 hours by train and go through a Medical exam including X-Rays, and a thorough health examination. Once they passed they were given a Visa to leave Italy and head for Canada, but first they headed home to Reggio and had to arrange a departure date to leave from the port in Napoli. It took ten (10) hours by train and they would arrive by night as they were able to sleep in the cabin conserving their energy. The excitement and anticipation was an amazing feeling. The cost of the train was approximately 2000lira/person and the cost of the Ship leaving Napoli to Halifax was 250,000 Lira. They carried all their worldly possessions in three ( 3) trunks and carry on suitcases. Canada here we come!
It couldn’t of been a better birthday gift than to depart on the voyage on April 26, 1959. It was Tina’s’ sixteenth (16th) birthday. As they boarded the ship, Guilio Ceasare #14, there were some mixed emotions about leaving the country of origin but the hope to improve ones’ plight was greater and the risk involved. “Your dream must be bigger than your fear”, and fear was not an issue. All the individuals that took the leap of faith were brave in their own way.
The Boat was enjoyable and a luxury in comparison from where they came from. It was the first time Tina was on any Ship and this could have been considered a vacation. Maria Vittoria, Gesu , Angela and Tina, ate to their hearts content, slept and had so much fun, watching movies, dancing, listening to comedy entertainers and partaking in church services. The best part, no one got seasick but others did.
The ship docked in Halifax Harbour on May 8, 1959, and once they landed they were given money to buy bread and food in tin cans (Canned meat like SPAM). Soon after they boarded a train headed to Union Station in downtown Toronto and once they arrived they were met by their two brothers, George and Mario and Sister Francesca. Hugs and kisses for all as the years of separation culminated into an outpouring of emotion.
From Union Station they headed to stay with cousins at 22 Bellview in the downtown Toronto area, near Kensington Market. The house belonged to Angelo and Georgetta Raso, a first cousin. Their quarters consisted of one (1) room with a kitchen, a bathroom shared by eighteen (18) people, all in one house. A second bathroom was eventually built in the basement to provide some relief but not a washroom we would consider to today’s standards. The individuals who lived in the home were brothers George& Mario Carere, Angelo and Elena Ammendolia with their daughter Maria-Angela, Archie and Orellia Rao (brother and sister), the owners of the house Angelo and Georgetta Raso with their daughters Angela and Silvanna, Pasquale and Stella Fazzari daughter of the owners with her husband, Carlo Ammendolia, brother of Georgetta and the new arrivals, Maria Vittoria, Gesu, Angela and Tina Carere. Imagine the tensions but no one would complain as they were all grateful to be in Canada.
Once settled the first thing each one did was apply for a Social Insurance or S.I.N. card so that they could work. Tina’s first job was not glamorous at all. Tina worked off a conveyor belt sorting garbage, taking paper from food, lumber, clothing and redirecting to appropriate bins. The pay was $0.32 cents an hour with no benefits. She worked there for six (6) weeks and lost thirteen (13) pounds in the first three weeks. She went from 105 lbs to weighing only 89lbs. The conditions were horrible as she would vomit everyday not able to hold in any nutrition.
Tina had no choice but to leave and quickly found work in a garment factory making men’s socks. She worked for two (2) months at $0.42 cents per hour, but soon was unemployed as the factory closed and all the employees were laid off. Then out of good fortune and being in the right place at the right time Tina and four (4) other girls (four Italians and one Canadian) were hired to work at Regal Toys owned by a Jewish Entrepreneur. The company exploded in growth and quickly grew to employ approximately 250 employees. Tina was in shipping and receiving earning $0.69 cents per hour. She worked for five (5) years and her top salary was $1.25/hour . The hours were from 7.00am to 8:30pm Monday to Friday and Saturday they would work 7:00am- 1:00pm.
A work day started at 5:30am and it took approximately 1 and ¼ -1/2 hour to commute. The start time was 7:00am and winter commuting of course took a little longer. The work day ended at 8:30pm and once they got home between 9:30 and 10;00pm, she would shower, eat and get to bed so that the routine would start all over again in the morning. At this point they had moved to stay with brother George who bought a house at 2314 Dufferin Street, south of Eglinton. The house was a small two bedroom bungalow occupied by George and Angela with daughter Mary, Mario and Teresa Carere with son Vincenzo, Maria Vittoria, Gesu, Angela and Tina. Maria Vittoria, Angela and Tina shared 1 bed and at night if someone had to go to the bathroom, you had to be flexible and contort your body as to not disturb the others from their sleep.
The work week being long Monday – Friday and the half day Saturday didn’t leave much free time, because right after their shift on Saturday they would shop for groceries and needs for the pending week. They would clean their clothes, prepare their meals. Sunday was no picnic, either. They would sleep until 8am if lucky and go straight to church then come home to make lunch and the rest of the day they would lounge in the backyard or walk around the block, if allowed. For Tina , the dream was not living up to the billing and her brother was over protective but yet she never complained.
Women during that time were not allowed to go out freely, dating was unheard of and a lady could not freely go to the movies without asking for permission or accompanied with a chaperon. Most of the time the women would stay home to clean, cook, sew and wash. Yet again there weren’t many complaints, they did what was considered appropriate.
There were many a man that were eager to ask for Tina’s hand in marriage and with the pressure mounting from the other eligible bachelors, Mr. Giuseppe Valentine Magnoli, the 16 year old that came to Canada in 1954 with her brothers, quickly was enamoured by the presence of Tina. Giuseppe begged his father , Filippo to ask for permission from Maria Vittoria, Tina’s mother, if he could marry her daughter.
Filippo Magnoli presented himself at 2314 Dufferin Street and said to Maria Vittoria that his son Giuseppe really liked Tina and that he also liked her. After all her son George had married his daughter. Maria Vittoria at first said, “I don’t know, let me ask Tina”but before Tina responded ‘yes’, Maria Vittoria was uncommitted because all the other family members were to be notified. This is when Giuseppe got up to speak and stated “I am marrying her not anybody else”. At this point they accepted the proposal but Filippo made something very clear, My son he has no money but only C$500 to his name, as he had just started as a plumber which was not considered a respected trade at the time.
While engaged in August of 1963, Tina went to her first movie with her fiancé and best friend Kathy and Toto Mammolitti. Upon her return to the house she was scolded by her brother George who argued with Giuseppe for not asking for permission. Tina said nothing to her brother and asked for Giuseppe to go home. This was just not allowed.
On November 23, 1963 Tina and Giuseppe were married at St, John Bosco church on Rogers and Dufferin area. The date at first was unacceptable because November is considered ‘the month of the dead and traditionally it was considered taboo to get married during this time. An interesting note was that the day before their marriage. JFK was assassinated in Texas and the hole world was in shock and mourning.
The ceremony was at 9:30am and after they were married they would go to Bloor Studio named Colla for pictures, Then at 12:30pm a luncheon was served for approximately 110 guests. It consisted of an Antipasto, Lasagna, veal with veggies and salad. The cost was $3.50/ plate and the bar had to be supplied by the couple. This is where Giuseppe’s $500 came into play, he bought the booze.
After lunch the wedding party would enjoy the afternoon , take pictures and arrive to the hall yet again for another evening reception catering to approximately 510 guests. The cost per head was $1.50/plate and the meal consisted of a chicken leg with vegetables , pizza and olives. Again the booze was Giuseppe’s responsibility.
The honeymoon was no resort, it was a one night stay at the Inn on the Park located on Leslie and Eglinton. The next day the couple departed with another newly wed couple Toto and Nancy Barberi and who Tina and Guiseppe were Maid of honour and Best Man for their wedding. The friendships were close and meaningful , still strong to this day.
The road trip was a blast, as Tina experienced her first taste of freedom without being confined. She could now go places and do things but under the guide of her husband. They ended up staying in Ozone Park New York , with the cousin of Nancy (Pronesti) Barberi, a Mr. Francesco Tropeano. They developed such an admiration, appreciation and friendship for each other that the Tropeano’s eventually asked the Magnoli’s to become God Parents to their daughter years later. They remain strong friends for life.
After coming back from New York Tina became a Canadian Citizen and they lived for three (3) months at 68 Major Street, the home of Filippo Magnoli. They then found a flat and moved into 11 McKay in the St. Clair and Dufferin area , considered little Italy, the home of Tony and Giuseppina Iacobucci. It was here that their first child Philip Jan Magnoli was born on September 10, 1964. Motherhood suited Tina well and had the support of her Mother Maria Vittoria who assisted many of her siblings with her grandchildren.
In November Tina had bought her first home in November 1965 and moved in on February 5th 1966 . Of course Tina took the lead and went out on her own to look for a property she could raise her family and call home. Giuseppe wasn’t interested and only wanted to rent. Tina who was introduced to a friend of her brother-in-law, who was a Realtor, showed her a two-bedroom bungalow with potential.
Tina left early in the day because the home just came on to the market. The house was small but the land and potential was large to do what ever she had in mind. The purchase price was C$20,900 and the down payment was C$1,600, They had two take out two (2) mortgages the first was with the Bank for C$14,500 at an interest rate of 4.5% and the second was with the an Uncle in New York, The Bronx for a total of $6,000. When they had to renew the Bank mortgage, the interest rate soared to 12%.
Tina continued to work from home as the Regal Toy appreciated her value, and as a result Tina had two more children Franca Muriella Magnoli born Jan 16, 1967 and Maria Victoria Magnoli born three (3) months premature on July 10,1970. Vicky was considered a miracle baby as she was born ten (10) inches long and weighted less than two (2) lbs..
The challenges were difficult but the desire to work toward better things was stronger than ever. Even after giving birth to her second child Franca, Tina contracted tuberculosis (TB) and accepted the hand that life had dealt and persevered without complaints.
Tina was well adapt at budgeting and using money resourcefully. To stretch a dollar she would sew all the clothes from material she would buy or reuse. For feeding the family she would make at least 3-5 meals from the one chicken purchased at the beginning of the week,using every part of the whole bird. The menu was predictable but the money was tight and the sacrifices were large and real. No one was ever left hungry from Tina’s kitchen, there were no luxuries for the children but she provided a safe and loving atmosphere for all to thrive. Her family was her achievement and her biggest reward.
The choice to buy the family home was the best decision she ever made as it became the center of the Universe and a vibrant place to raise a family with loads of children and young families in the neighbourhood.
Canada gave Tina the opportunity to succeed. If one is willing to work, and work hard success will come to all. Assimilating and learning a new language that is not your mother tongue was difficult but manageable. The Canadians slowly started grasping the concept of what the new Immigrants could contribute. Unfortunately, Tina had to bypass an the chance of higher education but her sacrifices along with her husband allowed all three of her children to graduate with University degrees, because she instilled and showed by example the reward of hard work and dedication to live a dream.
Canada will always be considered home for Tina. The struggles, were real but above all the chance to experience a better life was provided and she went with the flow and realized her dream.
Once the mortgage was paid off , in 1973 Tina and Giuseppe took the family back to Italy, to introduce her children to her sisters and their families. Memories will last a life time and the saying that , “blood is thicker than water”” truly brings meaning to family.
Today Tina in Seventy (70) years old and has six grandchildren ranging in age from twenty ( 20) to six (6) years old. Her Family is simply her reward for all the sacrifices made and for what Canada provided in terms of opportunity.
Wriiten By Philip Jan Magnoli-My friends call me Don Filippo – The FX Specialist -www.donfilippo.ca
I think I love you!