Martin McDonald writes...
On the passing of Teddie Borg, creator/writer/presenter of TV, radio and print and one of the most memorable larger-than-life international ambassadors for Gozo and Malta.
Teddie Borg was a marvellous maverick. He was smart, hardworking, hard-playing and wore his big heart on his sleeve for all to see. But he was far from being a sentimental soft touch and had no fear of going after what he wanted and believed was right, even if it caused controversy or cut across what others thought he should or should not do.
These strengths are the qualities needed of any ambitious man, be it as TV film-maker for his programme Starboard, newsman, sports commentator, chairman of the Malta Powerboat Federation, member of Rolex Middle Sea Royal Malta Yacht Club organising committees, magnanimous host, entertaining guest, awards compere, loving husband, proud father, doting nannu and every other way he grabbed life and shook it to make a positive difference to other people.
Teddie was a veritable whirlwind of pride when it came to evangelising about his island nation at the heart of the deep blue Mediterranean, never missing an opportunity to promote his beloved Gozo and Malta. As ambassadors go, he was among the best, sincerely leaving an indelible impression and a boatload of reasons in the minds of every person he met to entice them to go and visit Malta.
I first met Teddie because of our joint love of the sea – and racing upon it, with sail and with power. When I arrived in 2003 he was known as ‘Mr Sailing’ but we were about to change that. I had come with the idea to create the Powerboat P1 Malta Grand Prix of the Sea and to promote the country in the same way Monaco uses Formula 1 to create its attractive international mystique. Although I found little in the way of strategic visionary thinking, we invested big anyway and the rest, as they say, is history.
Among the core of believers I did find who immediately sensed the immense scale and power of P1 to put Malta on the aspirational tourism map was Teddie. He became a tireless ambassador for the Malta Grand Prix and the sport in general and he was able to walk the power/sail debating line with aplomb (even helping me find a boat for my first of several Middle Sea Races).
He was extremely proud to be involved with P1 and became Malta’s first ever official UIM Powerboat Federation chairman. Among a great many benefits P1 brought to Malta, perhaps his greatest pride was P1’s creating a five times Maltese world champion racer and putting an unknown Malta boatyard on the global stage to sell increasingly complex and valuable powerboats: Chaudron.
Teddie’s own passionate P1 programme making, and reporting and his national pride in Aaron and Charlie Chiantar’s P1 achievements helped them greatly too and yet still left room for him to become an ever-popular presence among all the P1 racing fraternity at major Grand Prix events from Cowes to Istanbul. He will be missed and saluted in many languages.
Roselle has lost a good man and our thoughts and prayers are with her and his sons Ray and Charles and their families as we bid fair winds and farewell to Teddie. However, she and their family can lean gently upon the lingering breeze of his presence and know, always, that here was a larger-than-life man who truly made a positive difference to the lives of many people – Maltese and foreigners alike.
RIP Ted, happy sailing.