October is the month which particularly reminds us of our national poet, Dun Karm, because his birthday and death fall on the 13th and 18th respectively of this month.

Charles Coleiro reminded us of this occasion in our history in his contribution Tribute To Dun Karm (October 18). He particularly mentioned the musico-literary evening held on that day at the National Library in Valletta, organised by the National Festivities Committee and the Akkademja tal-Malti.

I hope it was a grand evening befitting the national poet. However, Coleiro tried to give the impression that this was the first time that such an event took place. Yes, I think it was the first time it was held at the Public Library, a place where the national poet spent a good part of his academic life as assistant librarian. But it was certainly not the first time that such events were held by the National Festivities Committee together with the Akkademja tal-Malti. Coleiro is surely in a position to know better.

Let me just refresh his memory.

Exactly 11 years ago, in October 2002, some years after the national monument to the national poet was erected in Floriana, the then Minister of Education, Louis Galea, suggested that the National Festivities Committee should organise some activity in front of the monument in Floriana.

It was not in the remit of the National Festivities Committee to hold such an event as we, as a committee, were only entrusted with the activities of the five national feasts (March 31, Sette Giugno, September 8, Independence Day and Republic Day) together with Remembrance Day on the second Sunday of November. However, we took the minister’s suggestion with enthusiasm and wrote to all known Maltese literary groups of the day (including Akkademja Tal-Malti) to do something together. The result was a Literary Morning on October 26, 2002, in front of the monument in Floriana with a main speech given by Alfred Massa, president of the Maltese Poets Association.

For five consecutive years, these annual musico-literary activities were held in front of the monument in Floriana, organised by the National Festivities Committee together with all the literary groups and, later, with some financial assistance by the National Council for the Maltese Language.

I still remember the great speeches made on those occasions by Mgr Lawrenz Cachia, President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, George Mifsud-Chircop and by Adrian Grima. All speeches were published and copies can still be obtained from the office of the National Council for Culture and the Arts in Valletta.

It was not the first time that Coleiro himself compered or read some poems on these occasions.

All these facts can also be corroborated by Karmenu Azzopardi, former president of Akkademja tal-Malti and Olvin Vella of the National Council for the Maltese Language.

Subsequently, when Dun Karm Day was established in Malta, we also started the annual “pilgrimage” from Floriana Government Primary School to the national monument in Floriana (which Coleiro graciously mentioned in his letter) with student representatives from all schools – State and private - in Malta. Usually, the President of the Republic and the Minister of Education led this ‘pilgrimage’ and delivered a short speech there followed by the laying of flowers at the foot of the monument.

Also, for several years, the National Festivities Committee gave all the assistance to the headmaster of Dun Karm Psaila Boys Secondary School in Żebbuġ, to organise a short ‘pilgrimage’ from the school either to the monument erected in Sciortino Street in 1971 or to the national poet’s private chapel at the Żebbuġ cemetery.

Yes, I still feel proud that, during my tenure as chairman of the National Festivities Committee, with the Government’s consent and the Opposition’s approval, I strived very hard to establish Dun Karm Day in October and for the National Festivities Committee it was almost a semi-offficial sixth national feast.