Sudbury barber reflects back on career as he gets ready to retire
CBC
After five decades of cutting hair in Sudbury, a barber is getting ready to close up his shop and retire at the end of this year.
Ugo Rocca arrived in Sudbury from Italy in 1971 at the age of 17. Despite his young age, he was already trained to cut hair when he arrived in Canada. He had started as a teen when living in Italy when hanging out at a barber shop, owned by a friend of his father.
"By 12 years old, I was already a full-time barber," he said.
When he arrived in Sudbury in March, he was greeted with "a lot of snow," something he wasn't used to in his home country.
"I couldn't wait to go back to Italy," he said. "But, yes, that's destiny. After a month, it looked like I was in Italy."
He says after getting settled in the community, he's "never looked back." He initially moved to the Gatchell area of the city where he remains.
Gatchell proved to be a special place for Rocca. He said it was in that area where he first met his wife. He said he used to see her walking with her friends when she was a teenager.
"Her father was a big man," he said. "And everyone was scared to ask her to go out."
That didn't stop Rocca though. He asked if he could walk with her, became friends and fell in love.
Over time, his family grew to two daughters and five grandchildren. Rocca said he's been fortunate over the years to have support from many in his family and beyond.
"My clients are my second family," he said. "They put me where I am today."
Rocca said he has a list of long-standing clients, including many from the same families over several generations.
One of those clients is Anthony Toppazini, who has been getting his haircut by Rocca since the mid-70s.
"I'm happy for Ugo to retire after all these years," he said. "I'm going to be a little sad, but after 50 years, there wasn't much hair to cut, anyways."
This First Person column is the experience of Shannon Flaman, who lives in Red Deer, Alta. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.
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