An 88-year-old man from Brisbane is looking for his long lost family in Malta after he recently discovered that his surname is in fact an adaptation of Paris.

With his wife Linda.

Basil John Povis, born in England, knew that his father, who everybody called George Povis, was originally from Malta. Yet, he had great difficulty tracing any of his Maltese family, encountering several dead ends on the way, he told this newspaper.

Then, only a couple of months ago, he found out that his father’s actual name was Giuseppe Paris and not the anglicised George Povis. This means that, probably, someone, somewhere in Malta is also unaware of the large family they have in Australia carrying the surname Povis. If anything, such relatives in Malta would have been looking for a family by the name of Paris and not Povis.

It is not unheard of for Maltese migrants to have changed their names when moving abroad. To mention a high profile one, Giovanni Pace, a bell founder from Cospicua, became known as John Pass in the US, where he helped cast the Liberty Bell, an iconic symbol of American Independence.

“I would like anyone with any leads to get in touch as soon as they can because, for many years, we have only come across dead ends,” Mr Povis, a father of eight, said over the phone while on a road trip with his youngest son, Matthew.

Orphaned as a child, Mr Povis was the only child of George and Mabel-Blanche née Matthews. He discovered his father’s real name when, earlier this year, Reed’s School provided records of his mother’s application to enrol him at the London Orphan School.

For many years, we have only come across dead ends

So far, his family has discovered that Giuseppe was born in Malta in 1893 and died from war wound complications in England in 1934. He was a sailor who served, among other vessels on HMS Agamemnon, Rowan, Vivid, Apollo, Ark Royal, Pembroke, Emperor of India and Ajax. He was awarded the Africa General Service Medal while on HMS Ark Royal off Somaliland in 1920.

Fishing in Australia.

“We now believe he had two brothers who were also in the navy at the time: Maltese shop owner Salvatore and barman Carmelo,” his wife, Linda, told the Times of Malta.

They have also discovered that Giuseppe’s father was Antonio Basil Paris, probably an engineer, and his mother was Teresa Portelli. There were also three sisters, including Rosa Maria and Maria Concetta.

The baptism records of Giuseppe, Rosa and Maria are dated between 1883 and 1894 and, apparently, the family lived in Qormi.

“It’s a search for a long lost Maltese family from many years ago. It would mean the world to Basil and solve a mystery for us if someone, somewhere knows of this family,” Ms Povis added.

On his boat.

Although no photographs of Giuseppe survived the war, Mr Povis recalls that his father had a striking resemblance to the actor Edward G. Robinson.

In an interesting parallel, Mr Povis has always loved the sea and has spent a great part of his life fishing, boating and sailing while his children also share this affinity with the ocean.

Anyone with information that could shed light on Mr Povis’s relatives in Malta can send an e-mail to: linda.povis@gmail.com .

His daughter, Rebecca, is planning a visit to Malta in the coming month and is willing to follow up any leads that could lead them to the family they are looking for.

sarah.carabott@timesofmalta.com