Tuhia he tohutoro mō tēnei wāhanga - Johnny Alf (b. Alfredo José da Silva) i whanau i te Mei 19, 1929, i Vila Isabel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Ko te pāpā o Alf, he rangatira hōia, i whawhai i te pakanga ā-iwi o Brazil i te tau 1932, te Constitutionalist Revolution
, ka mate i te pakanga i te raorao o Paraíba. I whakatipuhia ia e tona whaea, ko ia anake, e mahi ana hei kaimahi wahine. I kitea e ia he mahi ki tētahi whānau i Tijuca, he rohe tata ki te pokapū o Rio. Ko te whanau o te whare, me te tino powhiri ki a Johnny me tona whaea, he nui te whakaute ki te puoro me te tautoko i a Alf i a ia e tiimata ana ki te rapu i te momo toi.