ACFO - Centre C-E Claude - 146 Chevrier TAS Convenience Store - 1001 Montreal Rd Food Basics - 1315 Second East No Frills - Eastcourt Mall 711 MAX - 472 Leitch Drive FreshCo - 525 - 9th East Jean Coutu Pharmacy - 5 - 9th East OLCO - 18267 Cty Rd. 2, Glen Walter Shopper’s Drug Mart - Cornwall Square Lotto Centre - Cornwall Square MacEwen C-Store - Second W. & York Short Line Convenience & Video Store - 1300 Second West A-Z Convenience Store - 340 - 4th West Pop Shoppe - 101 Emma C-Store/MacEwen Gas Bar - 5756 Hwy 138 Mitchell’s Variety - 3034 Pitt Mac’s Convenience Store - 1292 Pitt Desjardins Caisse populaire - 840 Pitt Carl’s Smoke Shop - 272 Pitt Food Basics - 960 Brookdale Benson Centre - 800 - 7th West Giant Tiger - 609 Pitt Mac’s Convenience Store - 439 - 13th West disponible Est aux endroits suivants : at these fine places: Is available
Guiseppe “Joe” Belmonte shows off two different kinds of McIntosh apples. — photo Francis Racine
The man who is one with nature. Continued from page 6 . “We’d throw them onto other big rocks in the water,” he explains. “The shock in the water would stun the fish and we’d pick them up.” The octogenarian also loves the St. Lawrence River, which he calls magical. “I can’t understand why people would want to pollute it,” he expresses. “Mother nature was kind enough to give us such a beautiful river to swim in, fish in and boat in.” An adventure that started elsewhere Although he’s lived in Cornwall for over 50 years, Belmonte’s adventure started hun- dreds of miles away, in Italy. Born on November 4, 1928, he worked on various farms, always surrounded by agriculture and nature. “I used to work in wheat fields,” he ex- plains. “I was also in charge of taking care of turkeys.” He grew up in Accettura amidst a loving family. But even Belmonte’s small village was covered by the shadow of war that loomed over the whole of the European continent. As he finishes his sausage, he tells of how war affected his life. “They used incendiary bombs on towns close to where I lived,” he says. “Thankfully, the war was never really in my village.” Yet, Belmonte witnessed the blunt of the German army when he once made his way back home from a day’s work on a farm. “I was walking home and I came across the Germans,” he explains. “They were all ready and waiting for the Americans. When I ap- proached them, they askedme where I was going. I simply said that I had to go see my mother and they let me through.” The man had to walk through the mech- anized and infantry battalions that had amassed close to his village for two miles. With Europe lying in ruins following the SecondWorldWar, he opted for adventure. “I was young, I was in love and I wanted to see the world.” The then 23-year-old man took advan- tage of a contract that was being offered to potential immigrants. They were welcome
in Canada if they signed up for one year of la- bouring. Following the one year, they would be considered Canadian residents. The day before he was set to leave for Canada, he married his sweetheart, Isabelle Marzano. He then hopped on a ship and arrived in Canada on July 8, 1951. “We landed in Halifax, on Pier 21,” he recalls. “From there, I was sent to Cornwall.” There, he worked for the Lefebvre family farm. “It was hard work but I liked it,” he admits. “But it sure got cold.” Not being used to the sub zero tempera- tures; Joe Belmonte had to rely on an old trick he brought from his home country. “Before I could afford to buy myself winter clothing, I would stick newspaper pages in my clothes. It kept me warm!” When asked what was the biggest chal- lenge he faced when he immigrated to coun- try time zones away, he ponders shortly before answering “the language.” For, even if Belmonte is a gifted intellec- tual, he did not speak one word of English when he set foot on Canadian soil. After his contract was over, he set about bringing his wife to Canada. “She simply loves it here,” he says. “I love it too!” Joe and Isabella Belmonte have been happily married for 65 years. After attending countless night classes at the local St. Lawrence College, Belmonte earned a degree in engineering and worked for the local school boards. “I was in charge of the building maintenance,” he recalls. “I was the one who would oversee the heating in the schools.” But even though he worked countless hours in schools and boiler rooms, theman still couldn’t get enough of nature. At the re- spectable age of 88, He still goes mushroom hunting and fishing. It comes to no surprise that the he and Kaddie also come to the retreat in the dead of winter, to enjoy a hot fire in the middle of nature. “It’s something that relaxes you,” says Kaddie. “It’s my little retreat,” ads Joe Belmonte, smiling while proudly gazing at his green surroundings.
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Le mercredi 5 octobre 2016
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