Alfred Mallia

I have just received the news from my niece Charmaine that Alfred Mallia, former chairman of the Stock Exchange, has passed away. He was a great friend of mine and through him his wife Mary Anne and his children Malcolm, Peter, Anne Marie and Maureen, and his brothers and sisters.

Last week I was doing some spring cleaning and among other things a letter of his surfaced; it had been written on the feast of Christ the King in 1985. As I re-read the letter I could see that here was a man who cared, a man who had an opinion, who loved his family and was dedicated to his job - all the jobs that life presented to him (as it turned out to be) - but who at the same time, as he told me in that letter, "you have to bother with the challenges that life presents to you but not to the extent that you do not enjoy what you can enjoy in life".

Alfred had a deep sense of justice - and like all those who treasure this quality he could at times become a sign of contradiction. But at the same time he treasured a deep sense of fair play and humour. Like all of us, he was not perfect, but he strove to be of service - including to his country - making the most of life while accepting his limitations.

I offer my prayers for him and for his family - but especially for his all time caring wife, Mary Anne; I urge her to accept the moment, and as always be brave, and if she feels a bit lost without him, to imagine if the opposite had happened - how he would have felt.