Blind people foundation’s guiding light dies after fall

Six days after a fall at his home, Ron Colombo, the man who spent years trying to bring a ray of light to the life of blind people in Malta, died on Saturday.

Described as a man of integrity, a clever and cultured man, Mr Colombo, the founder of the Malta Guide Dog Foundation, fell on Monday and was rushed to hospital, where he was found to be suffering from a brain haemorrhage.

After a short period of unconsciousness, Mr Colombo remained conscious for a few hours and the last words he uttered to his wife, who he always joked was jealous of the attention he gave to his guide dog, Balto, were: “I love you Maria”.

Mr Colombo set up the foundation seven years ago. Since then, some eight trained guide dogs were recruited in Malta, with another four arriving this year. The non-profit organisation also provides mobility and orientation courses for guide dog trainers.

Mr Colombo always maintained that the dogs were important to keep the blind off the brink of poverty, which happens when their condition strips them of their independence. For this reason, he made it his mission to make guide dog services a possibility on the island.

Although a little guilty that the first guide dog went to him as gift from the Messina school where they were trained, Mr Colombo learnt firsthand how important these animals were.

“With Balto, my life changed from night to day,” Mr Colombo had told The Times shortly after he got the dog in February 2009. In November he hailed an agreement reached between the foundation and the Sovereign Military Order of St John for a donation intended to see the foundation through the next five years.

Unfortunately, he did not live to see this donation being sealed because the Grandmaster, who was meant to sign off it during his trip to Malta earlier this month, had to postpone the visit for health reasons.

Meanwhile, his closest companion Balto, will be living with puppy walker Kenna Murdoch and apparently is doing fine and will be going to Mr Colombo’s memorial service today.

“We will always remember him as the driving force behind the foundation. It was a terribly loss. Ron was a lovely, kind, gentle man,” Ms Murdoch said.