Written by Nino Campitelli
I grew up with the family of Uncle Tony and Zia Amelia (Fred, John, Bruno, Mary and Vira parents). We lived next door to them because Uncle Tony and my father Emilio were brothers. So when I arrived in Canada Fred was already 1 (one ) year old. We played many games together and since he was the youngest of John and myself he would always get the shortest end of the stick, but we had fun. Our parents bought a horse to do farm work and it would always be an argument who was going to ride him.
In the winter time we would go across Kennedy Rd. into Rutherford's farm and scrape the snow of the ice so we could do some pleasure skating and play shinny hockey. After we were frozen to the point of not feeling our feet anymore we would go into the house get a severe talking to from our parents and then get our feet soaked in warm water. The sting and hurt would make us cry but Fred would sniff and a tear would fall but he would not let out a peep.
After our playing in the summertime and skating in the winter time we eventually get into trouble and me alone against John and Fred it would always be my fault therefore I would get the licking, but we grew up as brothers and not 1st cousins. My father's family and Uncle Toni's family to this day have always been very close.
In the summer time my father with Uncle Toni would get together and give me and Fred a bald head, we would ask why the bald head? The answer we would get was, "when your hair grows back in it would strengthen the hair roots so you will not be bald like us" ( my father and Uncle Toni were bald). Well when Fred and I got to be in our early 20s we got bald. You explain this.
Fred and I were always in competition, my wife would have a child and Margret would have one, he finally got one up on me because my wife got a miscarriage and Margret did not so Fred ended up with five children and I four. This went on for the grandchildren as well, but that wasn't enough it went on with the great grand children too but I had to give up something went missing.
When our children were small my family with Fred and his family would go on picnics, Port Dalhousie Beach, Provincial Park in Lake Simcoe, Woodland Park and so on, Later Fred and I went on various vacations, Trinidad, Mexico. We ran races,he would win a bottle of Cognac one year I would win the next. He had short legs but could he motor.
Fred and I invested in properties and mortgages, he showed me how to fight in court , we fought the city, the Town of Ajax, the Environment Government and developers, some we won and some we lost, but fight we did. I am going to miss him a lot.
Nino Campitelli