What a century for a life to span; a bridge between the end of the Victorian age and the seemingly endless, second Elizabethan era. In between, the catastrophic Great War that was supposed to be the "war to end all wars" had, as one of its effects, the radicalisation of European social history; in between, the Russian Revolution spawned by Lenin in 1917, the birth of Nazism in Germany and fascism in Italy (and their death), World War II and the introduction of the nuclear age, the ideological division between Western and Eastern Europe - and the Berlin Wall to emphasise the separation, the post-war decolonisation that led Malta to become an independent state in 1964 and a member of the United Nations, the fall of communism, the rebirth of Europe.
What an exciting, event-packed century for Sir Anthony Mamo, who passed away last Thursday at the age of 99, to live through, experience and be formed by.
As flags flew at half mast to honour the death of Malta's first President, an impressive state funeral was held early yesterday afternoon, at St John's, Malta's majestic co-Cathedral. His burial will take place, in a private service, today.
The person to whom the nation paid homage could indeed look back on nearly five-score years.
During this time he saw Malta at its height as a garrison island between 1914 and 1918 and as a fortress island between 1939 and 1945. By this time, he had been a lawyer for nine years and, more to the point, had led a commission to review the entire body of the island's laws - which took six years to complete.
The profession he chose was to lead him through the various stages of its ranks and to the highest appointment in the judiciary. Sir Anthony's valuable service and his contribution to the conduct of that profession earned him not only the respect of his fellow countrymen but of the British government, whose Queen bestowed the OBE on him, a prelude to his being knighted by her when he had reached the age of 50 and was, although he knew it not, half way through his life.
In what were to be the turbulent years of a Labour government between 1971 and 1987, Sir Anthony replaced British Governor Sir Maurice Dorman, whose representation of the Queen was brought to an end by Dom Mintoff not too long after his return to power.
In Sir Anthony the island had its first Maltese Governor-General. He was later to become its first President when Malta became a Republic. It was during his tenure as Governor-General that Malta's first Republican Constitution was drafted.
Of Sir Anthony, the present incumbent of the Presidency, Eddie Fenech Adami, was quoted as saying that "... he was a true Maltese who served his country with dignity, honesty, loyalty and efficiency - few come to approach this standard of service". Praise indeed and the Maltese people will, no doubt, echo these sentiments in their hearts.
Sir Anthony always practised what he preached and this can be summed up in the words he himself used during a rare interview he gave to a group of Form 1 students from St Venera Boys' Junior Lyceum last April. Loyalty, honesty and hard work are the keys to success and these values are forever, not bound to a particular era, Sir Anthony told the schoolchildren.
The Times extends its condolences to his family.