Interview with Karen Orlando & Paul Cozzi

This interview is with cousins Paul Cozzi (born September 11, 1942 in Canada) and Karen Orlando (born June 24, 1954 in Canada). Paul and Karen’s grandparents were Eliseo and Maria Orlando. The Orlandos moved to Canada in 1920, with their seven year old daughter, Lidia (Paul’s mom). Lidia’s two brothers were both born in Toronto ― Italo and Roy (Karen’s dad). Eliseo and Maria worked as tailors in a clothing shop in Toronto. When Italy declared war on Great Britain and France in 1940, Eliseo, Italo, and Roy, were all arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Italo and Roy were arrested at Melbourne Collegiate where they were students at the time. All three were held at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) grounds before being taken to Petawawa. Roy is on record as being the youngest person held at Petawawa. He was 17 at the time of his arrest. The family has a number of pieces of wooden furniture that Eliseo carved during his time at Petawawa. Paul and Karen talk about the importance of learning about their roots. Both, at the time of the video, were in the process of receiving their Italian citizenships.