Rino Binotto

            In 1928, Rino Binotto was born to a family of ten children in Montebelluna, Veneto, Italy. As the youngest of four brothers, he was supposed to receive a full education but was taken out of school to help with the family farm when his older brothers went to war. Although Rino’s teachers paid a visit to his parents to change their minds because he was academically strong, he remained home. This was the first step in changing his destiny.
            When he was 24, he realized that with his three surviving brothers now back form the war, he would be unlikely to inherit any land. He could also not buy land due to the postwar economic depression. This led him to discover a Canadian company that was recruiting hardworking young men to help develop the Canadian railway. His plan was to work for a few years to earn enough money to be able to come back to Italy and become independent. In 1952, Rino arrived by boat in Halifax with several other young men. First in his family to move to Canada, Rino emigrated with just his suitcase—no savings and no relatives. For a few years, he laid rail in Northern Ontario, and while he loved the natural beauty of the province, he found living on the railway isolating. Too proud to admit defeat and return home, he decided to move to southern Ontario. Ending up in Toronto, Rino worked in construction, but realized the big bustling city was not for him either. That is why he moved to Guelph, a city with a large Italian immigrant population. He started working at the Beardmore leather tannery in Acton, along with a friend of his. On weekends, they would hitchhike to surrounding areas to pick apples. Rino sent the money he earned home to his family so that they could set up a savings account for him. After four years of hard work and sacrifice, he returned home to find that his brothers had borrowed the money to help keep the family farm going. Although this was a shock, Rino continued to have a good relationship with his family. While in Italy, he met Pierina Carrer and they instantly clicked. After a three-month courtship, he proposed and married her in Venegazzu. It was time for a fresh start, so Rino returned to work in Canada. Pierina followed six months later in 1957. Two years later, Ornella, their first child, was born. In 1962, they had their second child, Vania. In Canada, Rino developed lifelong friendships with other immigrants and became a founding member of Guelph’s Italian Canadian Club. While he and his wife had begun to settle in Canada, in 1967, they (along with their two daughters) visited Italy to scope out the job situation. After comparing the economic climates of their hometown and the life they had built in Canada, they decided to permanently reside in Canada. They believed this would lead to greater opportunities for their children. When they returned, they bought their second home and in 1974, had their third child, Melissa. Rino and Pierina would only see their homeland together one more time in the mid 1980’s.

            When Rino was 58, the plant he had worked in for 35 years closed down, causing stress for him. Fortunately, he had an early pension and found a part-time job with a friend doing renovations, which he enjoyed. In his late sixties, he fully retired. At 74, Rino died of a massive heart attack. Over two hundred people attended his funeral, many of whom told his daughters how he was a well-respected figure in the community. While he was alive, Rino broke many stereotypes of the Italian father by sharing parental and household work. He embraced Canadian pastimes by helping his daughters learn to skate—although he didn’t know how to himself. At the same time, he kept Italian traditions alive by keeping his own garden, and making his own wine and salami with friends. Till the end, he remained the rock of the family and always told his girls to keep looking ahead.