I have known him for over 25 years, and I am deeply saddened by his untimely death. It is one of life’s cruel ironies that, not so long ago, we casually came across each other and exchanged a few words.

Now, with his soft-spoken voice and humane smile still impressed in my mind, we are mourning his passing. It seems unfair, but, to the faithful, we are left to remember the profundity of the opening eight verses of Chapter 3 of Ecclesiastes and accept the providence of a sovereign God.

To those who are anchored in the past, magistrates and judges are seen as stern, intimidating, aloof, formal, detached and pedantic authoritarians dispensing justice from a privileged and elevated perch quite unconnected to the real-life experiences of the people whom they are constitutionally and morally committed to serving through the court system.

Such persons would not have recognised the late Magistrate Micallef Trigona, for he was not that kind of magistrate; indeed, he was the antithesis of every component of that outdated and uninformed caricature.

Nicknaming him ‘it-tiger’ did not do justice to his true character. Those of us who knew him will remember him as a thoroughly decent, humane, engaging, courteous, thoughtful and genuine man who served his country and his people for many years as a competent, influential and accomplished jurist.

His life and career will serve as an inspiration to Maltese throughout our country as a real-life example of how, notwithstanding the challenges and vicissitudes of life, we can all achieve our aspirations and positively impact those around us and the development of our nation.

Judicial temperament has been described as reflecting “patience, open-mindedness, courtesy, tact, courage, punctuality, firmness, understanding, compassion, humility and common sense”.

Magistrate Micallef Trigona possessed all these traits as he went about carrying out the functions of his judicial office.

He had a commendable grasp of legal principles across a wide cross-section of the law. He was grounded by an innate sense of fairness and justice which served him well as a judge.

His well-developed understanding of the milieu in which he lived, combined with his experience and working knowledge of the law, were reflected in very sound judicial decisions.

Our system is better off for his public service, and we who knew him can learn from his quiet dignity, his temperate disposition, his passionate commitment to justice, his unfailing fairness, his humanity and his humility in wearing the privilege and power of a judicial office without ever succumbing to pomposity or arrogance.

May he rest in peace. My sincere condolences to Angele and her daughters, Krista and Stephanie.

Mark Said