For those of us who were not around in 1964, the most common image many have is of Prime Minister Borg Olivier waving the independence document. But what was life behind that photo? What were the Maltese like? Kristina Chetcuti trawls the newspaper archives to find out.

Zebra crossings were still a new concept, hundreds were migrating to Australia, the word ‘gay’ still meant ‘merry’ and most of the time we were constipated and popping laxatives. Welcome to Malta in 1964.

What was life really like for those who flocked to the Independence Arena on the evening of September 21, 1964 to witness history in the making?

Society had still to go through an equality upheaval: this was a time when women were expected to resign upon getting married; school was compulsory up to the age of 14; men and women sat on opposite pews in church, and household chores and cooking were deemed to be the sole task of the “housewife”.

A peak at old, fading newspapers reveals that our food diet was very starchy – possibly due to the fact that bread was the basic staple – and too light in fibre. In the 1960s, canned and packed food, like Knorr-Swiss packet soups and cans of fruit salad were considered a delicacy.

Newspapers of the time were riddled with adverts for laxatives, such as the unfortunately named Bile Beans whose slogan ran: “If you envy those with energy and good health take Bile Beans instead. Bile Beans get rid of poisonous wastes from your bowels, it’s a laxative plus.”

Or, for those fancying a laxative with a difference, there was Brooklax, “a delicious chocolate laxative”, which if “taken at bedtime” can bring “comfortable relief the next morning”.

Or for the really stubborn blockages, there was Boldolaxine “the laxative of the century”.

Other regular, half page adverts in the Times of Malta of 1964 included medicinal advice on how to get rid of piles and “banish haemorrhoids forever”.

Television was still not a common household appliance. People were being encouraged to rent a set

What was the food washed down with? Well, sparkling water seems to have been the in thing. San Pellegrino was all over the place as was Charrier water – made in “the least salted of all French springs”, because “salt is the enemy of the less young”.

Farsons, which had already been around for 36 years, mainly promoted its stout and its Hopleaf “the golden ale for all occasions”, while Marsovin, which was then celebrating its 45th anniversary, recommended Baby Sparkle – a bubbly presumably the forerunner to the Cassar de Malte sparkling wine.

Coca Cola was popular as a treat and as a sign of a prosperous household. The company behind it, George Spiteri Ltd, was pushing for the drink to become more mainstream with a “grand contest” where consumers were urged to redeem gifts found under the bottle caps.

And although tea bags still had to be turned into a commercial venture, good old Lion Tea was already around even on the throes of independence.

“Why do the majority of housewives use Lion Tea?” ran the advert. “Because with Lion Tea you need less tea leaves to make the most delicious cup of tea.” Of course, a teapot was not a husband’s cup of tea at all – only the women, it seems, knew how to make the perfect brew.

What did people do at weekends? If you speak to your aunts and uncles, they will tell you that most stayed at home, or for a dawra (drive) if a member of the family had a car, or went for a passiġiata (walk) up and down Kingsway Street – Malta being made a republic was still 10 years away, and Valletta’s main road still went by its British name.

For the younger ones, the ones whose parents were not strict, or the ones who were happy to go out with chaperones, there were the ‘dances’ – evenings of dancing to the music of live bands.

Buskett Roadhouse organised dinner dances daily, with “special appearances” by Frank Patrick, who was none other than a “Singing Fire Eater”. No one seems to have followed in his footsteps.

Dances at Villa Rosa had Val Valente – then ‘junior’ and his quintet. The popular saxophonist passed away last year.

It was also the time when the weekend breaks were born. It started off with the newly built Comino Hotel. A stay from Saturday to Sunday (you had to be married, of course,) cost £5 per person – the equivalent of today’s €110. Incidentally, to cross from Malta to Gozo there was a hydrofoil service at 3/d (28c) per trip.

Nightlife mostly revolved around servicemen and Strait Street in Valletta was very much alive.

Computers were still undreamt of, but typewriters were the order of the day

Not many advertised in Times of Malta but the few who did, such as ‘Oscar Lucas and his boys’, “cordially invited” visitors to “Valletta’s smartest night spot from 8.30pm to 2am”.

Live entertainment was very prevalent, if anything because home entertainment was still limited. Attending live football matches was very popular – with Ta’ Qali still to be built, the Empire football ground in Gżira and Schreiber in Paola were very much in use.

The big screen was also very popular, and Malta was overflowing with cinemas. In Valletta there was the Embassy, Coliseum, Ambassador and Savoy. In Sliema there was Gaiety, Plaza and Majestic. Ħamrun had Hollywood and Radio City. Then there was also Palladium in Mosta, Orpheum in Gżira; and Rialto in Cospicua.

In September 1964, cinemas were showing The Story of David, The Man who Finally Died, and City Beneath the Sea. But this was the year of the release of Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady and Goldfinger. The Hollywood stars of the time were Sean Connery, Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale.

Television was still not a common household appliance. People were being encouraged to rent a set for £3 monthly – equivalent of today’s €64 from Muscat’s General stores in Kingsway Street.

Household gadgets were still new on the market. Washing machine and refrigerators were becoming more common, with Gala being the market leader.

Up to the beginning of the 1960s there were only 5,000 private telephone lines. Computers were still undreamt of, but typewriters were the order of the day. The yearly Pitman institute results were published in the Times of Malta and the shorthand top prize was won by a certain Emma Bartolo who could type 90 words per minute.

She was probably snapped up into a secretarial post, which she would have had to resign from if she eventually got married. The employment situation on the island was rather dire. The papers of the time, regularly reported Maltese “unmarried young men” leaving to Australia to work in “heavy industries”.

Prior to Independence Day, the Royal Navy ran a campaign to recruit Maltese men “for service worldwide” with “conditions the same as UK recruits”.

As it was, very few could afford holidaying outside Malta. A round trip leaving Malta, to Rome and Paris cost £42 with Mondial. That would roughly be about €950.

Some things were socially and culturally different. Cigarettes were clearly cool. One advert ran: “When you have time to think of the pleasure a cigarette gives you, that’s when you realise that of all cigarettes, only Player’s please so much.”

Also, the word ‘gay’ still meant ‘merry’. “School leavers go Gay” ran a headline in a Times of Malta article, referring to Stella Maris College students who held an end of scholastic year party.

Even the prison sentences were slightly different. On September 16, 1964 acting Magistrate Dr O. Schembri sentenced Carmel Galea of Vittoriosa to 35 days’ imprisonment “with hard labour” after having found him guilty of theft of two batteries from a truck belonging to Joseph Polidano.

Other things are still pretty much the same. Remember Federica Falzon’s success on Ti Lascio una Canzone? Even in 1964 we still got a kick out of singing prodigies. Mary Rose Darmanin, a child singer, 10, from Żabbar, placed third place in Stelle d’Oro – a Rai television festival. And! She was also featured in a Rome Youth newspaper.

What about cost of living?

A daily copy of Times of Malta cost 4/d, the equivalent of today’s 37c. A brand new Ford Anglia Saloon deluxe from Gasan enterprises in Rue d’Argens cost £585, today’s €13,000.

Most people rented houses rather than bought. A large modern furnished flat overlooking the sea along Tower Road set one back £35 a month (about €800). To rent a house in Paola, it set one back £80 a year (about €1,700).

But perhaps, the most telling of all was a campaign run by Times of Malta in September 1964, highlighting the need on educating the public on how to use zebra crossings.

“Motorists driving up Princess Melita Road in Pietà often have to suddenly jam brakes on reaching the top of the incline because pedestrians cross the road at that point,” reads the report.

“To make matters worse the government created zebra crossings without educating the public on how to use them. The cost in the way of shocked nerves and strained engines is not to be underestimated.”

The matter was taken up and discussed in Parliament. One thing is certain, 50 years on this is still a national issue.

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