Interview

1. Could you share more about your early experiences doing voluntary work with street children in Palermo and how that shaped your commitment to social and environmental causes?

So, this voluntary work of Palermo started like, not long ago my sister had gone to do this voluntary work before I’d been there and it was like something automatic that when I was in Sixth Form at St. Aloysious, there was this opportunity of going to Palermo for a month in summer and I took this opportunity. I was like 16/17-year-old young person going to Palermo, it was fun because you meet people and you make friends, most of them are still my friends nowadays and you would be doing something good for yourself and for the community and you build up connections and slowly slowly, I’ve been to Palermo for about 7 summers and then after Palermo, I’ve been to other places. I’ve been to Sarajevo just 9 months after the war finished in the Balkans, I’ve been to Albania, I’ve been to Brazil. So, and I took part in quiet a number of voluntary work organizations even in Malta; in Cospicua and in Zejtun with the nuns of Mother Theresa and with the Jesuits Community in Zejtun.

It shaped me… every experience was different in on its own both locally and even abroad. As I said, you meet lots of people, you start seeing what is the reality in other situations, not just locally but even abroad; what people go through. And these in a way, affect your life in a way. Going and taking part in these voluntary experiences eventually led me to choose the social work course at University and from then on, like I was like, a social worker for 22 years in a children’s home. 

2. You've been actively involved in various social and environmental initiatives, including 22 years of social work with a local institution. Can you tell us about a specific project or initiative that had a significant impact on you?

Like, in Social Work, through the 22 years I was in Social Work, the experiences were… I can’t recall just one. I’ve come across so many different boys and so many different families which all needed help and which all needed our support. It’s good that there were a number of failures… and it’s like we have no control over these children, but there are also a number of successes, and there are also a number of boys who have grown up now and they are adults and we have still very good contact and they keep looking up and they keep contact with us throughout the years, maybe once a year we meet up and then you realize that whatever you did, it left an impact on others. “Positive impact”. Unfortunately, on other children, other young people, wouldn’t have managed to have a good life. It’s like a vicious circle but we are still there even though nowadays, I’m no longer working in that institution, I’m still in contact with many of the young people through Facebook and through these Social Media and giving the support the needed. 

3. The voluntary cleaning of valleys and the mission to collect 10,000 plastic bottles from the Maltese countryside demonstrate a strong environmental commitment. What inspired these initiatives, and what challenges did you face during their implementation?

So, funny enough this thing, first I started like cleaning the valleys around Zebbug. It started during the Covid times. One day I was walking...it was a Friday, and I was walking through the valley and I saw a guy who was with me at St Aloysious. He was accompanying a runner who was running a number of kilometers according to his age, to his birthday. And this, it gave me a… it’s like an inspiration to starting something. Slowly I started, first I started like, cleaning the path I used to walk in every morning and funnily enough the first time I went, I collected about 2 full bags of garbage. And…like… it was a Friday and then I decided to take this initiative of every Friday, doing this for the local communities. Then, eventually after about 2 years of doing this, I changed my target, Throughout the 2 years, there were other friends and people who used to come and help out; at times I was alone and some other times I was with some people who used to accompany me. Then, I was seeing a lot of plastic bottles around and at first, I said I would like to collect 1000 bottles. These 1000 bottles I collected them in about 3 times…3 days, 3 outings so I’ve topped it up to 10,000. Funnily enough, still there were so many bottles at that time, we’re saying about 3/4 years ago, in a matter of … I think 4 months I managed to collect 10,000 bottles and then I used to dispose them where it should. And then, the thing changed and there was this campaign of the BCRS so now you don’t find any plastic bottles around; you only see very few with no label on. But I still have this commitment towards the environment. Like, people like…till this week I was walking the same valley I go walking everyday and I saw this crate.. this carton box full of milk cartons and wine cartons. Someone just left them there, and initially I just took a photo, I couldn’t take them with me, so I took a photo, posted it on Facebook and tagged the Local Councils to be collected. Unfortunately, they are still… they weren’t.

4. Although you're currently taking a break from environmental initiatives, you continue to hike and stay connected to nature. How has this connection influenced your perspective on environmental issues, and do you have plans to resume such initiatives in the future?

So, as I said, I’m still very connected to nature. I love…almost every day I walk for about an hour in the valleys. I love watching sunsets and I trek with a particular group every…almost every week. So yes, I’m still connected to nature and these illegalities and these…the people who harm nature are like…make me…bring me a lot of mixed feelings and I’m very like angry at them. So when I see something which…irregularity or something, I try to point it out to the authorities. I use my Facebook a lot for like to put up photos about the environment and nature so…”to raise awareness”. Yes, I try to raise awareness.

5. Your annual tradition of walking 1km for every year lived on your birthday is a unique way to contribute and raise funds for terminally ill patients. What motivated you to start this tradition, and can you share a memorable experience from one of these walks? our career journey, from the Nautical School in 1976 to becoming a senior pilot today, is quite remarkable. How has your maritime background influenced your passion for kayaking, and how do you balance your demanding role as a pilot with your adventurous pursuits?

So, I started it as I said from this guy who I saw accompanying this birthday guy and that was when I was 45…I was going to be 45. And then, so on my birthday I asked my partner to accompany me for to walk 45km. I’m very used to walking and I decided to collect money and donate it to Hospice who were the first agency I did a placement with when I started social work. In my opinion, they’re a very humble organization; they do a lot of good, their services are all free, so I decided every year since I was 45, now I’m 49. No, 48 I’m sorry. So like for 4 years I did this walk so far. The most memorable experience probably of them all was the one of this year. It was very cold, very rainy, it was very bad weather but still we managed to walk 49km in rain, mud and everything; all the weather conditions like hail, there was some sunny parts, but we kept going. We left about 5 in the morning, we spent about 7 hours walking.