Salvu Grima was a man of many skills and interests. He had a passion for his masonry trade, loved village feasts and fireworks, enjoyed hunting and spent his free time fishing – a hobby that cost him his life – three days after his 71st birthday. 

“My father was very much loved. He was a kind man and he was extremely hardworking. He was a builder by profession and had a passion for masonry. When we’d be driving, he’d stop the car and point out a building that was well-built. He also loved hunting and fishing. We still have fish in the fridge which he caught but didn’t get to clean yet,” said his daughter, Victianne Schembri.

Mr Grima, known as il-Palaw, passed away while fishing in Ċirkewwa on Sunday. He and his wife Josephine had three daughters – Victianne, Natasha Grima and Maria Galea – as well as five grandchildren.

He liked fishing in Ċirkewwa, Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq and Comino and usually went with his friend, said Ms Schembri.

“On Sunday morning he picked up his friend at 4.30am and they went to Ċirkewwa. From what we were told, at about 9am, my father decided to change the line. When he stood up, he fell into the sea. He struggled to remain afloat. 

“His friend, who can’t swim, gave him the fishing rod to hold on to but he didn’t manage. He then managed to pull him up from the belt. My father was still alive. His friend offered him coffee but he said that he was having difficulty breathing. He died in his friend’s arms,” she said.

She went on to add that the family had been telling him to slow down. 

“He was hard-headed,” she chuckled, adding: “I have to talk about his negative traits also. 

“He was very disorganised and was always misplacing things at home. But when it came to work, he was always careful. Oh, and he loved Maltese food, like aljotta [fish soup],” she recalled.

“He was not the type of person who liked kisses and hugs. But he really loved his family,” she said, adding that her father turned 71 on June 20 and attended the Holy Communion of his two grandchildren the day before he died.

The irony of it all is that he had a passion for fireworks and fishing. And fireworks are much more dangerous

Helen Cassar has fond memories of Mr Grima. He was a very close friend of her late father – government explosives expert Costantino Mifsud who died in 1981 when his privately-owned fireworks factory blew up. 

Apart from sharing a passion for pyrotechnics and the feast of St Helen, the two men were friends. 

“Salvu was a very reserved man with a big heart and a passion for the feast of St Helen, just like my dad. I still remember the sweet look on his face. I couldn’t believe it when I heard what happened,” Ms Cassar said. 

She remembers Mr Grima since she was a little girl. Both families would spend the day at the beach together the day after St Helen’s feast. The families even went on holiday together. 

“My father used to like taking us on holiday abroad, in countries where they made fireworks,” she recalled, adding: “Salvu was also the person my father would call whenever something at home needed fixing.

“I’ll never forget how Salvu and his family were always there for us after my father died.

“The irony of it all is that he had a passion for fireworks and fishing. And fireworks are much more dangerous. But he died doing what should be a safe, relaxing hobby,” she said. 

“The thing about fireworks enthusiasts is that people ask you: how do you let him do it? It’s what really makes them happy.”

The St Helen Band Club and the St Helen Fireworks Factory extended their condolences to the family in separate Facebook posts in which they both recalled the days when Salvu helped out with the fireworks for the village feast.

Claudio Sant, president of the fireworks factory, said Salvu had not been so involved in fireworks over the past years. However, he loved to help out with organising events and attending them. 

The funeral will be held on Thursday at 8.30am at St Helen’s Basilica in Birkirkara.

Salvu Grima had a passion for fireworks and the feast of St Helen.