John Consiglio writes:

Slowly, but surely – but isn’t that the simple reality of God’s plan for all of us – another of the great Barclays Bank brigade in Malta has left this vale of tears. The news of the demise of our colleague Francis Flynn (Ċikku) is a loss which all of us who worked with him during the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s will surely have received with great sorrow.

In Barclays Bank in Malta, and in other overseas territories where he also trained and served, Francis was considered as a man with all the endowments of the excellent banker: unbounded intelligence, sense of sacrifice, great personality, and all the qualities necessary for the best of top managers.

When Barclays Bank became the first business organisation in Malta to have a formal full-time staff training set-up, which I later ran for some five years, he, together with Tony Curmi, put all his talents to ensure that it would be a success.

Where some would see only problems he was always there with the right, calm, sometimes bemusingly easy solutions and advice. I also fondly remember his support to the bank’s computer implementation team when the first, then “mainframe size” computer was introduced in banks in Malta.  

Francis was also a great supporter of the Malta Centre of the Institute of Bankers. He served as president and on the local council for many years, and always gave his support to all the institute’s activities.

Even into retirement he kept up this support and the former chairmen’s table at the institute’s annual dinner was always a hive of blessed friendship, fun and endless gags.

Thank you dear Ċikku for having given us the pleasure and honour of working with you. To Marthese and his family we extend our sincerest condolences and assure our prayers. 

Banking in Malta has lost another of its past greats.