A tribute to Roamer

John Micallef will be remembered and treasured in many different ways. For Katya, Damien and their beautiful family and Monica, he was above all a wonderful and kind family man. John’s brothers and sisters all adored their younger brother. For all the people he grew up with at school, in the army and beyond he was the consummate gentleman, with a true sense of fair play. Others who knew him less closely also appreciated his fine mind and his contributions to both The Times and other publications.

For me though and for all my cousins, we appreciated his being an uncle with a difference. He valued and entertained us all during the many happy Sundays we all spent at my grandparents’ home at Stella Maris Street. For years he had fooled us, at least the female cousins, into believing he was a prince, by dressing in his uniform from Sandhurst and making us bow to him when we entered the family home, a ritual we all relished.

Uncle John was also fond of debating. He loved the exchange of ideas and he thoroughly enjoyed a good argument. But when you nailed him on a point, he would have the grace to laugh out loud, a sure sign he had, finally, been made to concede a point.

In later years I always enjoyed his company as well as appreciated his love and devoted attention to his beautiful sister Eileen whom he cared for till the end with the same devotion he had shown his mother, as did all the family. Eileen loved him greatly and will surely understand as much of any of us the huge sense of loss we all feel.

It is very sad that the youngest of Anthony and Olga Micallef’s large family should have been called so early, but John Micallef, Uncle John, made the most of his life and gave so much to all those he knew, most especially his large family and close circle of very true friends. He will be sorely missed by all.

Marisa Micallef

Friends are few and far between. John Micallef alias Roamer was one of them. I still cannot come to terms with his sudden death. One always hopes to be able to say one’s last farewell. Although John was unwell and told me that it was unlikely that he would make it till the end of the year, I dismissed it as his undue and customary pessimism about such matters

I got to know him over 20 years ago and we immediately struck up a friendship that went from strength to strength as the years rolled by. I admired him for his integrity and his loyalty to his beliefs. These qualities and his consummate command of the English language enabled him to write so effectively, week in and week out, in defence of the traditions that underpinned the institution of marriage, the family and Western democracy. Besides being an outstanding journalist, he was a gentleman and as one of his friends described him, a gentle man. As a committed Catholic, he did not hesitate to defend his values and go against the general drift of an increasingly hostile secular culture which derides anything and everything that relates to religion in general and the Catholic faith in particular. The Church in Malta has lost one of its most prominent advocates in the media.

Visiting his home made one aware of the amazing library of serious literature he had built up over the years. His deep and well informed education was reflected in his writings over the many years he wrote as a columnist in The Sunday Times. We both shared a passion for the long neglected G. K. Chesterton. With his remarkable enthusiasm, John was instrumental in inviting speakers from the G. K. Chesterton Institute of Seton College, New Jersey to come to Malta in May this year for a conference on “Chesterton as a journalist”.

His untimely death robbed us of a wonderful person. May his relatives and close friends be consoled by the awareness that he fought the good fight till the last and is receiving his just reward in the company of the good men he so admired.

Klaus Vella Bardon

We knew John Micallef was in a bad way, but his death still came as a shock – a shock of losing a true friend of many years.

A product of St Edward’s College and the Sandhurst Military Academy, John was an exceptional gentleman who cherished true principles and values which he refused to compromise for the sake of being popular. He was a top columnist, difficult to replace.

In days gone by I worked with him, even during the “difficult years”, and was impressed by his character, his loyalty and his sense of humour. He was true and he was faithful and we shall miss him.

To his family, to his long standing friend, Monica, our sympathy and prayers. May he rest in peace.

John Manduca

May I express my dismay and sadness at the passing away of John Micallef, aka Roamer.

John was a uniquely erudite gentleman, gifted with profound insight into human affairs and an outstanding literary style. His gentle ways and mildness of speech were coupled with an incisive mind that was totally at variance with the superficial viewpoints and fluid morality increasingly favoured today.

His Sunday feature was one of the greatest contributions to this newspaper to appear in decades and it remains to be seen whether a worthy successor will eventually emerge. I offer my sincere condolences to all his family.

Ivan Padovani