The first memeber of my family to come to Canada was my paternal grandfater, Karsto Mladenoff. He arrived in 1905. He returned to his selo in 1907. His final crossing was in 1911.

On September 7, 1894, in the Macedonian town of Radovish, a son was born to the poor meat-peddler Daffe Antonoff and his wife Gona. They named him Christo and as he was always called Christo Dafeff (Daffe's Christo) that became his name in after years. Christo was a sickly but talented child. At six he started school and was an exceptionally good student, but was forced to stop school because of his health ... Young Christo couldn't take his studies easily, he was too intense. At seven he started to play the flute-. His father couldn't afford a musical instrument, so Christo "borrowed" 15 Turkish coptseta from his father's meagre store and went into partnership with a neighbour's boy, who also put in 15 coptseta, to buy a mandolin. One week, Christo had it, the next his partner. One day his mother sent the boy up to the attic to fetch something. There, among things left in storage by an uncle who had gone to Canada, Christo found a violin! He tuned it. He drew the bow. And, in that dusty attic, his errand forgotten, on his first try Daffe's Christo played a popular Macedonian air. There were no two ways about it. Music was his vocation. Poor as they were, his parents determined to do what they could to help him.

Despite the fact than Baba wasn’t born in Macedonia, culture was maintained by both both parents in several ways.

- Involvement with the Macedonian church

- Virtually all attendance at social gatherings such as picnics, weddings and name day celebration revolved around the Macedonian community

- Sending our Jimmy and Kathryn to Macedonian (Bulgarian) school