Inspiring selflessness is a value most of us would wish to see much more of at individual, community and national level. It is a value all too often ignored, mocked or brushed aside, often seen by many as a sign of weakness. It stands in stark contrast to the selfish, greedy and dominant value that guides much of Malta and Gozo’s development at present.
It represents what for many is one of the characteristics of the people of these islands which receives little by way of recognition, let alone accolades.
Yet, recently, seven residents of Gozo were presented with awards for selfless and inspiring deeds in their community during the first Pride of Gozo Awards organised by the Rotary Club of Gozo and sponsored by the Ministry for Gozo in association with Times of Malta.
Awards were presented to a 12-year-old who swam the Gozo channel to raise awareness of plastic pollution; a woman with terminal cancer who devoted her final months to helping the relatives of other cancer patients; a tug boat captain who assisted in the rescue of a drifting tanker; a young lawyer voluntarily assisting migrants; a mayor at the forefront of the campaign to protect and conserve the environment; a young student helping her single mother care for her siblings; and a successful entrepreneur.
The awards seek to acknowledge the selfless acts of Gozo residents engaged in helping their communities become better places. For example, volunteer Linda Fryer, aged 70, was acknowledged for setting up fundraising campaigns to help the relatives of fellow Gozitans experiencing cancer at life’s end.
Kenneth Grima, aged 30, a tug master, was handed a special award for his work in the rescue of a tanker adrift in Maltese waters in 2022.
Well-known Qala mayor Paul Buttigieg received the community award for his tireless work to save Ħondoq ir-Rummien from reckless development while lawyer Stanley Portelli was awarded for his voluntary work in assisting migrants who experience injustice.
Rotary Club of Gozo, which created the Pride of Gozo Awards, aims to inject a much needed strand of positivity into the community and to recognise the work of so many unsung heroes who go out of their way to support and serve others.
Yet, the awards initiative goes way beyond that.
It clearly seeks to inspire others at a variety of levels to do likewise. It shines a light on the many, many individuals who inhabit our communities and who offer a glimpse of the thousands of selfless deeds that occur on a daily basis.
The awards also highlight the opportunities open to all to change the dominant story of Malta and Gozo today. They illustrate the capacity of single individuals working within their community to challenge dominant ideas and mores.
The Pride of Gozo initiative also celebrates the quiet and routinely unpublicised energy and vision that can infuse a community. In that sense, the awards offer an alternative selection of role models in contrast to those normally publicised.
The awards offer examples of many ordinary people doing extraordinary things with selflessness, vision and motivation. Rotary itself, in organising the awards, offers a similar example.
The Pride of Gozo Awards are about building belief, capacity, trust and inspiration, values badly needed in Gozo and Malta today. As such, they deserve to grow, prosper and multiply.