Family

“Both [Rino] and [Pierina] grew up in a time when the war caused challenges and poverty for their families. However, they had many stories from their childhoods—usually using humour to get through the hardships. Their experiences gave them the courage to make their way in a new country. While they both had traditional upbringings, they were both working, hands-on parents. They missed their families dearly, but they also learned that they could ‘never go back’, especially after visiting Italy years afterwards. They never lost their love for the beauty and more sociable lifestyle that they left behind.” – Ornella

            Born a decade apart in 1928 and 1938, respectively, Rino and Pierina both grew up in Veneto, Italy. Within their families, Pierina and Rino lived with linked lives, a term used to describe how the experiences of one family member affect all others in the family throughout their lives.¹ In Italian families, interconnectedness is often a fundamental characteristic.² Of course, having linked lives becomes a more complicated concept once some family members migrate to another country and others stay behind. Both Pierina and Rino experienced family losses early in their life. Pierina’s mother and father passed away within three years of each other, when she was still a teenager. Rino’s older brother, Giuseppe, went missing during WWII. It was revealed, years later, that he had died as a POW in Russia. “Family” portrays Rino and Pierina as they relate to their own families, and offers a look into the oldest of photos and documents within the project.

1. Stassen Berger, Kathleen. Invitation to the Life Span. Worth Publishers, 2009, pp. 415. 

2. Smolicz, Jerzy. “Core Values And Cultural Identity.” Ethnic & Racial Studies, Vol. 4, no.1, 1981, pp.75. 

Binotto family portrait. Rino is pictured third from the left, in the front row. [Approx. 1938, Italy]. Photo provided by: Melissa

Carrer family portrait. Pierina stands in the centre. [Approx. 1950, Italy]. Photo provided by: Melissa

Pierina (second from the left) and her three sisters. [1967, Italy]. Photo provided by: Melissa

Pierina poses with her two brothers. [Date unknown, Guelph, Canada]. Photo provided by: Melissa

Front of postcard written by Rino’s older brother Giuseppe, addressed to their sister. [July 18, 1942, location unknown]. Photocopy provided by: Melissa

5b. Back of postcard written by Rino’s brother Giuseppe, addressed to their sister. [July 18, 1942, location unknown] Photocopy provided by: Melissa

Il Gazettino newspaper article [SP1] detailing the names of the missing soldiers. [1990s, Treviso] Photocopy provided by: Melissa

Il Gazettino continued[SP2] . “Giuseppe Binotto” appears near the bottom of the first column on the left. [1990s, Treviso]. Photocopy provided by: Melissa