History and its place in the archives of PBS

Scepticism, disdain for mediocrity, quick noting of inability to sort the wheat from the chaff, and ability to prioritise... these are some of the luxuries which one often comes to be happily equipped with as one ages on.

Just to quote an example. One sees, and approves, of PBS (Malta's "L-Istazzjon tas-Sena!") using recent archival material to - during prime evening news time for that matter - pay due respect to the popular Pietà tinsmith who unfortunately lost his life in an accident. But then a quick memory jolt kicks in of when I had asked a prominent member of the PBS newsroom to make sure that their archives would - while he was still alive and able to concede it - have a good long interview on tape with the late doyen of Malta's banking, the late and much revered Louis E. Galea.

I offered my services for making the contacts and arrangements, preparing the relevant questions, etc., but the person concerned from PBS came up with a thousand and one of excuses to say that they didn't have the resources or the time to do it. And this was the only gentleman, then still alive, who could speak of the history of banking in this country going as far back as the 1930s and 1940s. In PBS's archives there is today probably next to nothing about the earliest of Malta's bankers... but they do have an interview about a beloved tinsmith who regrettably lost his life in a car accident.

Now there's a sense of history for you...