Alfred Camilleri (Vonfred)

Noel Baldacchino writes:
Maltese magician Vonfred has sadly passed away on the night of June 6 at the age of 70.

The young Alfred Camilleri saw the first lights of the stage as an actor with theatrical companies of the 1950s such as 'Stage Commandoes', 'Malta Cocktail Varieties' and 'Radio Musketeers'.

It wasn't long before he played the leading role in many productions.

He found a magic dealer's advert while stumbling across a book of card tricks. He ordered Lm80 of magic at one go!

At the age of 19 he broke into the children's entertainment circuit. His first show took place at the Immaculate Conception hall in his hometown, St Paul's Bay. The unforgettable Vonfred character was born.

Feedback and encouragement from his audiences led him to start cabaret shows in Malta's leading night clubs. His name came into the limelight through his performances in the much followed 'Red Circle Shows'.

Sleight of hand being his forte, he built an act based on manipulation of all sorts, including dove tricks.

In 1965 he won a national talent contest - success was on the horizon and he became a household name.

Impresarios discovered his talent and he was commissioned to appear alongside Rocky Roberts, Rolf Harris and Claudio Villa. Rolf Harris was so impressed by the dove worker's dexterity that he wanted him on his TV spectacle. Having worked on every stage and at every night club on the island, Vonfred wanted to broaden his experience by working overseas. Indeed, he ended up performing in various night spots in the UK and other parts of the continent.

Simplicity was one of the key factors used for his successful dove act.

Vonfred also contributed to Ian Adair's Encyclopedia of Dove Magic.

For more than 15 years he appeared on many major children's TV shows such as Ilgħab u Tgħallem and Wow! During the run of these productions he performed hundreds of different sleight of hand tricks.

In 2007 Vonfred celebrated 50 solid years of performing magic in public. Having released a commemorative DVD with highlights from his career, Vonfred retired from performing due to health reasons.

His legacy will live on through the many students he took under his magic cape.

Vonfred once said: "I have enjoyed performing for all of my audiences as much as they enjoyed watching my magic".