Michael Refalo, former PN minister, died on February 3, aged 78.
Michael Refalo, a veteran Nationalist Party politician, was elected to Parliament in every election from 1971 to 1998. He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism upon the PN’s electoral victory in 1987 and was re-appointed to the post in 1992.
In 1995 he joined the Cabinet for the first time when he was appointed Minister for Justice and Culture. After two years in Opposition, he was back at the helm of tourism when he was appointed Minister for Tourism and Culture in 1998. It was during the time that Malta reached its target of attracting one million tourists.
He was not elected an MP in 2003 and was appointed Malta’s High Commissioner to the UK in 2005, a post he held for three years. He was made companion of the National Order of Merit in 2007.
Between 1972 and 1980, he served as editor of the PN Sunday newspaper, Il-Mument.
Joseph Cassar Naudi, veteran former Malta Football Association referee, died on February 17, aged 89.
Joseph Cassar Naudi became a referee in 1945 and was appointed president of the Malta Football Referees Association in 1955, a position he held until 1974. In 1961, he was one of the first three Maltese referees to be given the Fifa badge and the first Maltese referee to officiate at a competitive Uefa game in Panathinaikos. He refereed the FA trophy final five times between 1951 and 1973.
He was awarded the Midalja għal Qadi tar-Repubblika in 1992.
Maria Sciberras, founder of St Luke’s Hospital Detox Centre, died on February 27, aged 75.
Maria Sciberras helped set up the Detox Centre at St Luke’s Hospital and greatly raised public awareness about the drug problem in Malta. A medical doctor, she organised and set up services for drug dependants in Malta and Gozo and working with the Caritas Group she set up extensive drug awareness programmes.
In 1989, she was named Worker of the Year.
Victor Galea Pace, former Nationalist MP, died on March 7, aged 72.
Former Nationalist MP Victor Galea Pace was elected in the Gozo district in the 1996 and 1998 general elections. Prior to his parliamentary career, he served as mayor of Victoria. Considered a man of integrity, he was loyal to his party and took a keen interest in the welfare of his constituents.
Judge Maurice Caruana Curran, brilliant legal mind and founder of Din l-Art Ħelwa, died on March 10, aged 96.
Maurice Caruana Curran was one of Malta’s sharpest legal minds and a pioneer of the national heritage and environmental movement.
Judge Caruana Curran joined the Attorney General’s Office in 1949 and was appointed Deputy Attorney General in 1957 where he led the prosecution in several leading criminal trials. Appointed a judge in 1963, he sat in all the divisions of the courts during his 20-year tenure and served as senior judge in the Constitutional Court and the Court of Appeal. He presided over the trial of Dr Alexander Cachia Zammit, a former Nationalist minister, and his brother Lawrence, both of whom were acquitted.
After the acquittal an unruly mob attacked the judge’s residence in Valletta on November 15, 1972; anti-jury slogans were scribbled on walls and the judge’s family insulted.
Judge Caruana Curran delivered a number of landmark judgments in diverse branches of law and came to be considered as an icon by the Maltese legal community. He had a profound knowledge of criminal law, sharp analytical powers and excellent oratory skills.
He was known for his independent mind and his forthright defence of human rights and was described by former President Ugo Mifsud Bonnici as “a bastion of our liberty”.
During the Dom Mintoff period he was not afraid to stand up to the government and was consequently transfered to other courts in an attempt to silence him.
Judge Caruana Curran was also a fierce campaigner in the field of environmental and heritage conservation and founded Din l-Art Ħelwa, the heritage watchdog, in 1965.
He was the heart and soul of the organisation and till the very end he always fought for the environment. In 2013 he signed the petition against spring hunting.
In 1993, he was made Officer of the Order of Merit of Malta.
Joseph Brockdorff, founder and chair-man of BPC Inter-national Ltd, died on April 8, aged 77.
Joseph Brockdorff, a marketing com-munications pioneer, was the founder and chairman of BPC International Ltd.
Mr Brockdorff was also the founder of the Malta Chapter of the International Advertising Association, the international tripartite body including advertisers, advertising agencies and media companies.
He was also instrumental in setting up the Institute of Maltese Journalists.
Paul Asciak, tenor, died on April 21, aged 92.
Tenor Paul Asciak was credited with having started Joseph Calleja on his singing career. He made his operatic debut as Turiddu in Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana at the Radio City Opera House in Malta in 1946 and then continued his studies in Rome, performing at the Teatro dell’Opera.
In 1951 he won the Concorso per giovani cantanti lirici together with, among others, Franco Corelli and Anita Cerquetti.
He was part of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Company from 1952 to 1954 and guest artist up to 1958.
Asciak performed in the company of many renowned singers, including Maria Callas and Dame Joan Sutherland. He retired from the stage in May 1961.
Vincent Tabone, pioneer in the travel industry, died on April 21, aged 66.
Vincent Tabone spent 36 years in the travel industry mainly as general manager of Sullivan & Sullivan Tourism Services Ltd and later as mana-ging director of V. Tabone Travel Ltd, which he founded. His business included both outgoing and incoming travel, he was also general sales agent for a number of airlines and organised various conferences and incentive groups. Mr Tabone also served on the executive council of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, was a member of the Advisory Board of the then National Tourism Organisation of Malta and chairman of the leisure and tourism section of the Chamber of Commerce.
Antoine Cachia Caruana, former headmaster of St Edward’s College, died on May 13, aged 87.
Antoine Cachia Caruana, an Old Edwardian, spent almost his entire career at St Edward’s College between 1949 and 1975, holding various positions including those of mathematics master, sports master and master of discipline. He was appointed headmaster in 1976 and retired in 1989.
He is remembered for his great passion for St Edward’s and his dedication to the college and to his pupils. He was also honorary life president of the Old Edwardian Association. In December 2000, he was made a member of Malta’s National Order of Merit.
Tony Mizzi, a leading businessman and former director of Alf Mizzi and Sons, died on May 16, aged 86.
Tony Mizzi was instrumental in re-establishing contacts with suppliers and business associates after the joined Alf Mizzi and Sons, the family business, in 1949, a few years after the war ended. Known to be very meticulous in his work, he sourced new products and slowly built up the non-food side of the company to import footwear, textile, hardware and household goods. He was later involved in the setting up of a number of factories and sat on the boards of a number of companies in which Alf Mizzi had a shareholding.
Historian Godfrey Wettinger, died on May 22, aged 85.
Historian Godrey Wettinger discovered Malta’s oldest piece of literature, Il-Kantilena, in September 1966, together with Fr Mikiel Fsadni. Prof. Wettinger was a founding member and past editor of Melita Historica and past president of the Malta Historical Society.
His publications include The Jews of Malta in the late Middle Ages, Slavery in the Maltese Islands, Placenames of the Maltese Islands and The Arabs in Malta.
His major publication was the transcription of the University 11 manuscripts at the National Library, which was published as Acta Juratorum et Consilii Civitatis et Insulae Maltae.
He was made member of the National Order of Merit in 1996.
Maurice de Giorgio, chairman of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, died on May 28, aged 91.
Maurice de Giorgio, considered by many as a ‘timeless gentleman’ dedicated his life to making Malta’s cultural heritage accessible to everyone. He was a founder member and chairman of Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti, was passionate about the country’s cultural sector and meticulous in his work.
Mr de Giorgio brought culture and cultural artefacts to the people by means of exhibitions, publications and conferences and was renowned for his love for precision and eye for detail. Last year Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti published the book A Timeless Gentleman, dedicated to his work.
Mr de Giorgio had been a successful businessman before devoting the last 23 years of his life to the cause of Malta’s rich cultural heritage.
He was awarded the National Order of Merit in 1995.
Frederick Amato Gauci, exemplary civil servant who set up Malta’s diplomatic corps, died on May 29, aged 98.
Frederick Amato-Gauci, considered by many to be ‘the exemplary civil servant’, set up Malta’s diplomatic corps from scratch after independence and devised the country’s social services structure. Highly intelligent and efficient, he was a first class manager and was responsible for modernising Malta’s public administration.
The comprehensive social services and national insurance system enjoyed by Malta today had its origins in the meticulous work Mr Amato Gauci put into place over 60 years ago to organise and develop them from scratch. Later, he was also responsible for advising Maltese State enterprises.
Mr Amato-Gauci was awarded the National Order of Merit in 1992.
Charles Camilleri, former President of Valletta FC, died on August 8, aged 60.
Charles Camilleri was president of Premier League club Valletta FC from 2003 to 2007.
A respected businessman and much loved by the people of Valletta, Mr Camilleri managed to restore stability to the club after many of the team’s established players decided to move on and at a time when the club was facing financial difficulties.
When Mr Camilleri at the helm of the club, Valletta also managed to remain competitive.
Albert Mizzi, leading entrepreneur, died on September 10, aged 87.
Albert Mizzi was one of Malta’s leading entrepreneurs who set up Air Malta, greatly expanded his family business, Alf Mizzi and Sons Ltd, and also made a name for himself in the real estate sector and the tourism industry.In a business career spanning 70 years he was behind many major projects including Santa Maria Estate in Mellieħa, Tigné Point, Manoel Island and the Mellieħa Bay Hotel.
Successive governments and prime ministers regularly sought his advice, not only on Air Malta, of which he was executive chairman for 19 years, but on a whole range of business and economic matters. Mr Mizzi also served as chairman of HSBC Malta for 14 years.
He remained actively involved in his business until the very end. Asked in 2012 as to why he remained so active, Mr Mizzi replied: “Because I love it. I get up in the morning and look forward to going to work. I don’t work for money because I’ve made my money.”
Arthur Podesta, Middle Sea Race veteran, died on October 5, aged 70.
Arthur Podesta was a sailing veteran, a Rolex Middle Sea Race stalwart and a long-standing member of the Royal Malta Yacht Club committee who participated in almost all races the club organised. In July, Mr Podesta was skipper on his First 45 Elusive II BOV for the Ragusa Weekend Regatta, finishing second in Racer Class 1.
Mr Podesta is remembered mostly for his contribution, enthusiasm and ever-present record in the Rolex Middle Sea Race.
He was the only sailor to have competed in all 35 races of the 600-nautical mile Mediterranean Classic, starting from the inaugural offshore way back in 1968.
He won the Rolex MSR trophy on three occasions as crew in 1968 (Josian), 1970 (Tikka) and 1983 (Saudade) and came close to winning the race as skipper in 2008 when placing third overall on board Elusive.
Charles Abela Mizzi, veteran broadcaster, died on November 1, aged 81.
Broadcaster Charles Abela Mizzi will be remembered for his unique voice, his love for the Maltese language and his ability to communicate effectively on radio and television.
He first joined Rediffusion, the national broadcasting station, in 1962 as an announcer and later become deputy head of Xandir Malta.
He was head of programmes in 1980 and continued to work part-time after he retired in the 1990s.
Herbert Gilles, Emeritus Dean and Professor in Tropical Medicine at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, died on October 20, aged 94.
Although not a Maltese citizen, Prof. Herbert Gilles, a world-renowned specialist in tropical diseases, was educated at St Edward’s College and The Royal University of Malta and remained in close touch with his adopted country, of which he was very fond.
For over 20 years he was Dean and Professor of Tropical Medicine at Liverpool University, where he made substantial contributions to the study of hookworm, schistosomiasis and malaria. He wrote150 papers and several books on these subjects and was an adviser to the WHO and to several governments.
Prof. Gilles was also was a founding member of the Department of Public Health at the University of Malta and in 2011 he was appointed Affiliate Professor at the University of Malta.
He was decorated by the Queen in 2005, with the title of Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George.