Date
July 14, 2011
Maker
Columbus Centre
Accession#
ICEA2011.0055.0001
Interview With Noreen Alberico & Linda Rosati
Sisters Linda Rosati and Noreen Alberico describe the experiences of their parents during World War II. Their father, Domenic Gaggi, immigrated to Canada in 1927, and their mother, Yolanda, was born to immigrant parents in Toronto. Domenic Gaggi moved to Sudbury to work in the mines and worked for Inco for 17 years. The couple got married in 1939, the year war broke out. Despite Yolanda being Canadian-born, she was designated an enemy alien during the war and had to report to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Their father, who owned a firearm for hunting, was issued a resident alien weapon permit and was required to wear a tag when hunting. Both were Canadian citizens at the time. Linda Rosati and Noreen Alberico also describe how other Italian Canadians lost their jobs during the war and were discriminated against due to their Italian heritage. Both interviewees describe how, as second-generation Italian-Canadians, they maintain Italian traditions, and express their desire to spread information about this aspect of Canadian history to other Italian Canadians.
In this opening clip Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati introduce themselves and speak about their parents and their early life living in Sudbury.
In this brief clip Noreen Alberico talks about her father’s involvement, if any, with fascism.
Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati speak about how their parents met and their courtship.
Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati talk about the marriage of their parents, Domenic and Yolanda Gaggi. The couple married in 1939 and moved to Copper Cliff where Domenic was working in the mines. The sisters discuss their parents’ impressions of Northern Ontario and the reason they eventually moved to Toronto.
Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati discuss how their parents were affected by Italy’s war declaration. Although their mother was a Canadian citizen born to Italian parents she was designated as an enemy alien and had to report to the RCMP. Their father, on the other hand, was required to wear a resident alien badge while hunting.
Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati discuss the discrimination faced by Italian Candadians during World War II. They retell stories they heard of Italian Canadians losing their employment or having difficulty finding employment due to their Italian surname.
In this clip Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati speak about the discrimination they faced at an early age and how as a result they stopped speaking Italian. The sisters also talk about the differences between the pre-World War II Italian immigrants and those that came after the war.
Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati talk about the importance of maintaining their Italian heritage today.
Both Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati talk about how they met their husbands and the importance of maintaining their Italian heritage.
Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati mention that their mother rarely spoke about her enemy alien designation.
In this closing clip Noreen Alberico and Linda Rosati express their feelings about how the government treated the Italian Canadian community during World War II. They also speak about the importance of remembering this period in history.
