Grand dame of feminist issues dies

Mary Jane Spiteri, co-founder of the National Council of Women, died yesterday aged 86, leaving to mourn her loss many of the people she inspired throughout her life.

Ms Spiteri was a member of various government boards and also sat on the Commission for the Advancement of Women.

She helped set up the welfare division of the Social Services Department and became a family welfare officer and eventually a principal welfare officer. She was vice-president of the Malta Catholic Action and a member of the Emigrants' Commission.

But mainly she will be remembered for helping set up the National Council in of Women 1964.

Education Minister Dolores Cristina, who was mentored b Ms Spiteri, was emotional when she heard the news and said she only met Ms Spiteri the day before.

"She looked so well yesterday. She was egging me on to write an article, as she always did. She pushed me so much throughout my life. She started a quiet revolution for women in Malta and managed to bring about lots of change through Parliament," Ms Cristina said adding that this was a great loss to Malta.

She called Ms Spiteri the grand dame of feminist issues and said she was her friend and mentor for many years. Doreen Micallef, president of the National Council for Women, said Ms Spiteri was a go-getter who kept active even in old age - a "techno-gran" who was computer literate and, despite old age, kept fighting for the improvement of the world around her.

Rosa Micallef Judge, another friend of Ms Spiteri's, said she was a "battleaxe" who worked very hard and was a dedicated teacher always willing to help.

Ms Spiteri was born on September 21, 1922 in Detroit, Michigan and obtained her teacher's diploma in 1948 at the University of Leeds. She followed a course in social studies and another for probation officers. She became a primary school teacher and subsequently a headmistress at schools in Luqa and Marsa.

In 1992, she was made a member of the National Order of Merit and in 2002 was named honorary president of the National Council of Women for her continuous contribution throughout the 38 years of its existence.

The funeral Mass will be held at the Naxxar parish church tomorrow at 8.45 a.m.