The magnificent hall housing the majestic medieval polyptych featuring St Paul and other fine paintings at the Mdina Cathedral Museum made a very appropriate setting last Friday week for a colloquium dedicated to a great lover and promoter of culture, the late Lino Bugeja.

A panel of four distinguished speakers paid tribute to Mr Bugeja, who died on January 10, a month short of his 87th birthday. He was a familiar name to readers of this newspaper as the author of a steady stream of features on Maltese history, sport and the environment.

Bugeja’s beloved St Lawrence church in Vittoriosa.Bugeja’s beloved St Lawrence church in Vittoriosa.

The occasion – preceded by a Mass for his repose at the Cathedral – also marked the publication of a 32-page index to Mr Bugeja’s last book, A Maltese Odyssey.

Before introducing the speakers, Graham Fairclough, chairman of the museum’s co-ordinating committee, described Mr Bugeja as a tireless fund-raiser for the museum, and as a man of many seasons.

The first speaker, President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, said he first met Lino Bugeja 65 years ago when they both played football in a ground lying between Vittoriosa and Cospicua. He said Lino, who was by far the better player, was keen on all sports, especially athletics, and always tried to improve his performance.

After recounting a couple of humorous anecdotes, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said Lino found his true profession when he became a teacher; in Cottonera he soon became known as the teacher whose students invariably passed the highly competitive Lyceum entrance examination, thus making it to what then was arguably Malta’s top secondary school.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said Lino had a passionate desire to share the knowledge he had acquired, especially about the rich cultural heritage of Cottonera, and in particular Vittoriosa and his beloved St Lawrence church. When he retired from teaching he started writing books and newspaper articles on his favourite subjects, making a formidable contribution to cultural journalism, which is so necessary. Indeed, Lino won various Press awards and other prizes for his cultural features. He was determined to make knowledge accessible to all.

Lino’s enthusiasm for the Ramblers’ Association united his love of sport with that for history and the environment, Dr Mifsud Bonnici concluded.

Mgr John Azzopardi, former museum curator and now head of its archives, recalled that 20 years ago he had encouraged Lino Bugeja to publish his numerous newspaper features in book form and offered to undertake this work for him.

Lino had a passionate desire to share the knowledge he had acquired, especially about the rich cultural heritage of Cottonera, and in particular Vittoriosa and his beloved St Lawrence church

A year ago, shortly after his book Vittoriosa: An Ancient City of Culture, sponsored by the Central Bank, was published, Lino told Mgr Azzopardi that he was now looking for a sponsor to publish his newspaper articles in book form. Two members of the museum’s management committee – Gerald Montanaro Gauci and Alex Vella offered to sponsor the book.

Lino was delighted at this and said he would reproduce all of its 99 pictures in colour at his own expense. However, he had no time to compile an index. The book was published in time for the Malta Book Fair, a few weeks before Lino passed away. Now, the book was ‘complete’, since the museum’s archives section had compiled the 32-page index which was being given out with the book separately.

Mgr Azzopardi paid tribute to Lino Bugeja as an educationalist: he followed university courses in Edinburgh and London, became a headmaster and later became a part-time lecturer at the University of Malta, a lecturer at the Institute of Tourism Studies and a visiting lecturer at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece (for some years Lino was secretary-general of the Malta Olympic Committee).

Mgr Azzopardi said Lino loved the Cathedral Museum and not less the Wignacourt Museum in Rabat, whose events he promoted assiduously. He also co-edited the two-volume Birgu: A Maltese Maritime City, published in 1993, and the 2002 Festschrift dedicated to Mgr Azzopardi, Melitensium Amor.

Mgr Azzopardi expressed his gratitude to Lino Bugeja for his constant support and announced that as a gesture of appreciation for the sponsorship of his last book by the Friends of the Cathedral Museum, Lino had decided to donate 200 copies of his book to the Cathedral.

Fr Hilary Tagliaferro, the well-known sports personality whom Mr Bugeja had helped to set up the Educational Sports Centre in 1972, said that on one occasion he was shocked to hear a local politician assert that “sport was not culture”.  Yet Lino Bugeja personified sport as a culture: his life and behaviour as an athlete, football coach, PE teacher and journalist proved how false that assertion was.

Fr Hilary recalled that when he was coach for Hibernians FC, Lino had helped him by undertaking his players’ physical preparation. On one occasion, when Hibs were scheduled to play against Manchester United, Fr Hilary wanted to get his players to train on the only grass pitch in Malta at the time, namely the one at the  Marsa Club, which then belonged to the British Services. His request was flatly refused, but with Lino’s help and his intervention with the British High Commissioner at the time, he eventually got his way.

His last book, A Maltese Odyssey.His last book, A Maltese Odyssey.

Fr Hilary then recounted an amusing anecdote regarding one of his players who went missing when Hibs went to London on their way to Manchester to play away. This caused some panic in the Hibs ranks, but the player eventually turned up – in Manchester, and in time for the match. Lino was of great support: he had given excellent training to the players for both matches.

Fr Hilary said that even in old age he and Lino continued to meet, often discussing football. He was a great friend, he added, saying that Lino had great faith and belief in the value of sport.

The last speaker was Alex Vella, who said he got to know Lino Bugeja through the Friends of the Cathedral Museum, of which both were members. He had supported Lino’s initiative to set up the Ramblers’ Association in 2005, when in his 70s, because he realised that the pleasure of walking was being taken away through the erosion of the countryside. Mr Vella became its secretary, eventually succeeding Lino as president.

Mr Vella described Lino as a true gentleman, a man with a big heart who constantly strove to promote sport and physical exercise and appreciation of our heritage. He firmly believed that the countryside and its cultural heritage was there to be accessible to all.

Lino never lost heart, not even when he was sued for libel regarding access to a particular site. In 2008, in fact, he started a petition to Parliament to uphold the right of access to the countryside, and lobbied successfully for the passage of the Public Domain Act to give greater protection to the islands’ rural and historicsal heritage.

Mr Vella said that although saddened by his departure, the Ramblers’ Association continued to be inspired by Lino Bugeja’s legacy.

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