Aaron Attard-Hili writes:
The demise of 90-year-old Joseph Camilleri from Xagħra was a strong blow to several spheres of the village’s active life. I managed to interview him at his residence on many themes. Camilleri’s knowledge knew no bounds and his memories remained sharp till the last days of his life on earth.
He was the brother of the deceased Br Louis Camilleri SJ and Br George Camilleri SJ, among seven siblings. His contribution to the promotion of music activity among Gozo bands for decades has left an indelible imprint. Being the nephew of the founder of the present Victory Band of his native Xagħra, Francis Camilleri, who was his godfather at his Holy Confirmation ceremony, as well as his father, Vincent, secretary of the said band for a long time, contributed effortlessly to his decision to find his foothold in the music world.
He even followed in their career footsteps when he enrolled in teaching. He spent a number of years teaching at Birżebbuġa and Paola primary schools. Camilleri intensified his music studies when he obtained his LCM from the UK, a first for a Maltese musician. He directed the Xagħra band for some years and was also one of the founders of the Ite Ad Josef Band of Qala in his late years.
His inclination towards sports was manifestly shown when he set up the Xagħra Young Stars football team in the 1950s and obtained a number of successes in the following years. The Maltese refugees in Gozo during World War II left an everlasting impact on Camilleri’s photographic career. The photographer Paul Cassar of Birkirkara made friends with his father, inviting him to pinpoint people who could go to his home in Xagħra and have their picture taken.
This photographic adventure introduced the young Camilleri to a life of photography. He eventually ended up at Cassar’s Birkirkara studio to learn the art of developing photographs at the behest of Cassar himself. Eventually, Camilleri set up the Xagħra Victory Studio, which was a huge contributor to the photographic documentation of a number of milestone events in Xagħra and the rest of Gozo.
He was always with his camera in hand wherever he went, whether as a visiting teacher of music in different schools or while playing his trumpet during band marches. His photographic career reached its culmination in the filming and photography of the coronation of the Bambina titular statue of Xagħra on September 2, 1973. His presence with camera in hand at a number of private and public functions encouraged people from Xagħra to start loving photography, myself included.
He was awarded the Ġieħ ix-Xagħra award in 2010 by the Xagħra local council for his contribution towards a number of social cultural aspects of Xagħra and beyond. I learned about some of his unknown artistic traits, such as clay modelling and diving.
Surely his eight daughters received a strong upbringing and are endowed with resilient and unflinching characters. Condolences are conveyed to his surviving widow, together with his daughters and their respective families.