As The Times celebrates its 75th anniversary, Progress Press stands poised to move, before the end of this year, to a new, state-of-the-art printing house away from Valletta. It will be its second move; the first was from its little workshop in Strade Reale (now Republic Street) to its St Paul Street building, later called Strickland House.

Although it would be somewhat unnatural not to feel a twinge of nostalgia at the move of the printing side of the business away from Strickland House, changing home may also be regarded as a sign of the times as the two newspapers, the daily and its sister Sunday newspaper, consolidate their position and spawn other information services that have turned the company that publishes them into a multi-platform media organisation.

This is therefore a most exciting time for the Strickland House newspapers – one that the founder, Lord Strickland, and his daughter, Mabel, editor of the two newspapers for 15 years before she decided to go into politics, would have been immensely proud of, had they been alive today, to share with the people who have piloted the firm’s expansion, the editors, and all the staff who work in the organisation. It has been a long way since the time Strickland came out with his first political newspaper, appropriately called Progress, to tune in with the people’s aspirations on the award to Malta of its first self-government Constitution.

Strickland had other newspapers before Progress Press came out with the Times of Malta but it was the daily that opened up new avenues in journalism and which, over time, evolved into a national daily newspaper. In the course of charting the island’s history and, at the same time, taking a leading part in all the debates that helped shape constitutional, social and economic development, both The Times and The Sunday Times earned the approval of those who supported its policies as these developed over time to meet changing circumstances, and the displeasure of those who did not.

Still, whatever the disagreements, the newspapers soldiered on, reflecting life in the country as it moved from one stage to another – from the fears of the war and the devastation it left behind to the tasks to rebuild anew; from the political efforts to win back self-government to the integration proposal; from the rundown of the British services to the urgency to diversify the economy, away from dependence on defence spending. All these, and other significant circumstances and events, led to the greatest historical landmark, independence, and, only six years ago, to Malta becoming a member of the European Union.

All this is now history, but an anniversary should not only serve to go on a trip down memory lane but, also, to take a view of today’s and, possibly, tomorrow’s challenges. Steering the economy on the right course in most turbulent financial times is, of course, a priority, but there are quite a number of other matters that the country has to grapple with as it moves on. Even though the flow of illegal immigration has now been stemmed, the complexity of the problem and the delicate and sensitive issues it has sparked are still very much at the forefront of national discussion.

The issue over whether or not Malta should have a divorce law is now picking up fast, as is that over good governance. Many other subjects keep raising new anxieties. A few that come to mind are the protection of the environment, the sustainability and adequacy of pensions, the cost of living, caring for those on the poverty line, and for the under-privileged. It is a heavy agenda, calling for clear thinking and commitment to tackle the tasks involved. The Times will continue to contribute to the national discussion on these and other matters, as it has been doing uninterruptedly for the past 75 years, and offers a platform for others to join in, irrespective of their political persuasion.