Bizarre officiality

Viewing the pictures, from the media, I am inclined to treat a recent local incident with a sense of humour rather than the bizarre drama that has been raised at the highest level of Maltese statehood.

One photo shows a wrecked phone kiosk in Valletta after a delivery truck recently accidently reversed on it.

The booths were originally designed by Giles Gilbert Scott in 1935 to commemorate the silver jubilee of the coronation of King George V. They used to be installed on the streets of the UK, Bermuda, Gibraltar and Malta.

The wrecked phone kiosk in Valletta

Following the wreckage in Valletta, an opposition MP raised concern and the minister in charge of culture informed the nation that “the structure will be put together again and restored under the supervision of the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage”.

The other photo shows the Red Telephone Box Graveyard, in Carlton Miniott, a small village in North Yorkshire, England. “As technology advanced and mobile phones became more widespread, these public telephone boxes became obsolete and were eventually removed from the city streets,” states a Facebook post.

The Red Telephone Box Graveyard in a small village in North Yorkshire, England.

Would it not be cheaper to import an extra booth from this English cemetery?

After the accident, Times of Malta reported that red phone boxes in Malta were given Grade 2 protection in 2001 and the government had announced plans in 2018 to restore 11 of them in Valletta.

Reflection: while the colonial power itself responded to technological advancement and relegated these red phone boxes, still carrying the royal crown, to the graveyard, in Malta, 60 years after Independence, we are protecting the archaic British icons. I would concur to leaving a couple of them in Valletta as a memento of the past but, may I ask, do we need 11?

Charles Xuereb – Sliema

St Michael’s College anniversary reunion

A group photo, of the second year and first year student-teachers of the 1962-1964 course at St Michael's College of Education, together De La Salle Brothers and lecturers, and Governor of Malta Sir Maurice Henry Dorman. Photo taken May 1963

Sixty years ago, this June, a group of 60 completed the two-year course (1962-1964) in St Michael’s Teacher Training College, run by the De La Salle Brothers, at Ta’ Ġiorni.

It was an intensive course with many personal exciting and edifying experiences, which helped build responsible, dedicated, and proficient teachers.

I was one of them.

Most of us fulfilled their career in different primary schools in Malta and in Gozo. There were those who moved on and retired as masters, teaching in secondary schools and the Lyceum and some who were appointed high up, in the education department, because of their integrity and experience. 

Two became professors at the University of Malta. Five of us emigrated and practised teaching in other countries. And some – 16 – during their teaching years, sadly, passed away.

Presently, two of my colleagues are planning a 60th anniversary reunion; the event would start with the celebration of holy mass as thanksgiving and, at the same time, as an offering for the repose of those departed.

The organisers have contact details of almost all of those who could meet for this event. However, we miss the contact details of Calleja, Cauchi, Testa, Schembri, Darmanin and Fsadni.

Through Times of Malta, I would like to kindly ask these gentlemen to contact me by an e-mail at joe.zammit-ciantar@um.edu.mt, please. We need their e-mail, home addresses and telephone numbers. We would like to inform all, possibly.

Joe Zammit Ciantar – Santa Luċija