A letter from the Malta Government Tourist Board, signed by then chairman J.C. Pollacco, greeted British tourist Edward John O’Shea on his first visit to the island in 1963.

Fifty-five years later, Mr O’Shea still keeps this letter and its tattered envelope – which carries a picture of the Grand Harbour and the words ‘Welcome to Malta’ – at his holiday home in St Julian’s and guards it as if it were his most prized possession.

“I fell in love with Malta instantly,” says Mr O’Shea, a former professional wrestler and civil engineer.

Sliema front has changed completely. It’s all because of greedy developers, they shouldn’t let them build eight storeys or higher than that

“I loved the warm weather, the warmth of the people and their friendliness.”

He is married to a Maltese woman, Rose Borg of Rudolph Street, Sliema, who moved to South London, England, together with her extended family in 1957.

That’s where she met her future husband, who lived just two doors away.

At the time, Mr O’Shea was juggling his family business and a wrestling career.

During his early days in the ring, he coached Rose’s identical twins Tony and Ignatius (known as Iggy) Borg and helped them win five national titles between them. The two brothers came to Malta three times while on tours organised by the late Simon Bonello, founder of the Malta Wrestling Federation, and eventually won the title of European tag team champions.

Mr O’Shea as a professional wrestler side head-locking his opponent.

“They were tough kids,” Mr O’Shea remarks.

Mr O’Shea himself, who fought in the middle to light heavyweight category, won various titles during his 16-year stint in the wrestling world. As an amateur, he represented England in Spain, Scotland and Italy, and during his nine-year career as a professional wrestler, he won the titles of national champion of Great Britain, Southern Area Champion, London Champion and West Country Champion. His success was captured in a Times of Malta interview in August 1969.

He and Rose were engaged when they first came to Malta in 1963 and then returned as a married couple six years later. After Mr O’Shea retired from wrestling “partly due to business pressure” in the mid-1970s, the couple bought a townhouse in Luigi Apap Street, Paceville.

Along the years, Mr O’Shea built “strong connections” with the local community and counts former politicians and businessmen among his friends and acquaintances.

He has fond memories of those days, when children would play carefree in his “fantastic street” and he and his wife would spend hours chatting and sipping wine with neighbours outdoors. Most of these friends have since died, while others have moved as their townhouses gave way to multi-storey blocks of apartments.

Mr O’Shea, now 74, admits that he has sadly seen Malta change “for the worse”.

Mr O’Shea as an amateur wrestler at the age of 15.

“Sliema front has changed completely. It’s all because of greedy developers, they shouldn’t let them build eight storeys or higher than that. The attitude of the Maltese has also changed… money does that.

“Money changed Malta for the worst.”

He also mentions “over-immigration” and social problems in Msida, Ħamrun and Paceville, and laments the lack of policemen at night.

Yet, despite these concerns, Mr O’Shea says he still adores his holiday island.

He and his wife, who retired from her job as a chef at a children’s nursery two years ago, visit four times a year and never stay for less than a month. Their son and daughter and their grandchildren also love it here and visit regularly.

Mr O’Shea says he knows every nook and cranny of the islands but his favourite place of all is Xlendi, with its many “great restaurants”. Dingli cliffs, Rabat and Mdina also rank high on his list.

And despite some mobility issues – he has to use a walking stick after suffering multiple injuries during his wrestling days and having an open-heart surgery a couple of years ago – Mr O’Shea does not intend to give up on his yearly holidays.

“I’ll return for as long as I can,” he says with a gleam in his eye.

The Malta Government Tourist Board Letter which Mr O’Shea received on his first visit to Malta. The letter was posted to an address in Cospicua where Mr O’Shea stayed that year with his then fiancée’s family.