Rose Sciberras, trailblazer in Maltese broadcasting, dies at 71

Rose Sciberras, one of Malta’s first female  broadcasting  journalists and its first female DJ, died at 71 on Sunday, due to heart failure. 

She leaves behind a legacy as a pioneer in local media, having broken new ground for women in Maltese broadcasting and journalism.

Born in Santa Venera and raised in Gżira, Sciberras - who at the time went by her maiden name Rose Apap - made history in the 1970s when she became the first woman to join Malta’s national public broadcasting newsroom, at just 21 years old. She began her career with Rediffusion, Malta’s public service broadcaster at the time.

“She was very feisty. She refused to take no for an answer and whatever she put her mind to, she did it to perfection,” her son, lawyer Andrew Sciberras, told Times of Malta.

Veteran journalist Norman Hamilton, who worked with her in the 1970s, also paid tribute.

“She was a great colleague and was equally a great wife and mother to Philip and their children,” he said. “A whole generation is out there that will never forget her work as a journalist.”

Her son Alex Sciberras, also a lawyer as well as president of the Labour Party, recalled her unwavering determination from an early age.

“She always had a passion for politics and current affairs,” he said. He recalled her recounting how even as a young girl, she would keenly listen to foreign news broadcasts and rush to share what she learnt with the adults in her life.

That passion drove her to pursue higher education, despite resistance.

“Her first fight was with [her father] for her to go to University,” Alex said. “We need to remember that it wasn’t a time women would do that, but she was adamant to go, and no one could stop her.”

L-Orizzont's feature in 1977 on Sciberras. Photo: Andrew Sciberras

Sciberras went on to study English and History at the University of Malta, where she also emerged as a student activist, serving as secretary general of the students’ council – now known as KSU.

“She was always an activist in her own way. It made sense to her,” said Alex.

That activist spirit stayed with her for life, with a particular focus on issues related to domestic violence – a cause her sons say was influenced by her daughter, lawyer and activist Lara Dimitrijevic.

“She made me the independent woman I am today,” said her daughter.

One of Sciberras’s most enduring contributions to public broadcasting was the long-running programme Malta u lil hinn minnha, which remains on air on PBS to this day. It was on that programme that she met her future husband – the late judge, politician and author Philip Sciberras.

“My dad was married to his profession, but mum made sure we ate together most nights,” said Andrew. “She was the rock of our family.”

Sciberras decided to step back from journalism to raise her family, though she remained a central and dynamic figure at home. Her children fondly recalled her elaborate Christmas and Easter gatherings, and the “amazing meals” she would prepare.

Alex noted she was far more than a homemaker.

“She was the handyman of the house. There was nothing she wouldn’t try – whether that be painting, plastering, or so on.”

Rose with her three children Lara, Andrew and Alex Photo: Alex Sciberras

Later in life, she returned to university to study law and became a legal procurator, joining her husband and children in the legal profession.

Sciberras’s children thanked Dr Caroline Jane Magri and her team, the Cardiac Ward staff at Mater Dei, Hospice Malta, Daniel Calleja, and the staff of Regal Pharmacy, Msida, for their care and support.

Her funeral will be held on Wednesday at 2pm at the Parish Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Gżira.

Instead of flowers, donations to Hospice Malta are appreciated.