The building of St Luke's

On reading the letter In Rememberance Of Sir Paul Boffa (July 16) I thought of adding one other service which this remarkable statesman with foresight had rendered.

To the credit of Dr Boffa, in laison with Lord Strickland and a few others, in 1928 he had emphasised the need to build a large modern hospital for the needs of the Maltese.

In 1930, this materialised, financed mainly by the Maltese government and also aided by a small grant from the Colonial Office. The foundation stone of St Luke's Hospital was laid in 1930.

I am proud to say that my late father, Bertu Mamo, who was a very competent draughtsman, was one of the many employees involved in its building and the hundreds of Maltese tradesmen and workers did a fine job indeed. In 1949, Dr Boffa's government started work on an extensive outpatients block, in which my father was again involved, to expand the medical services.

My late father knew Dr Boffa fairly well. He used to tell us that he was a shining example of the upholding of good values. He cherished the privilege of his friendship for the rest of his life.