Having just read Graham Wood’s letter ‘Malta changes for the worse’ (July 9), I felt compelled to reply.

He visited the islands as a child and viewed Malta through the eyes of a child, not noting the poverty or the poor standard of living of its people!

As to his recollections of the old buses of Malta, he does not mention the fact that, although they may have been colourful, they were also loud, dirty, overcrowded, unsafe and also few and far between.

Such buses would not be allowed in Titchfield whether then or now. Indeed, I suspect he would be the first to complain if they were.

Coming from England, I appreciate the great job the bus drivers do here as I have always found them to be helpful and good spirited in spite of doing a highly stressful job.

As to his comments about Paceville only having one bar in 1962, it only provided employment for one or two people. Malta has moved on since then and the area now provides work for hundreds. True, the locality has a vibrant night life and if that was not what he was looking for a little research would have soon told him that.

The correspondent should stop living in the past, take off his rose-coloured glasses and see things as they are not as they were in 1957.