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PATRI GWANN FRENDO Patri Gwann Frendo was a Dominican priest and scholar who served as prior and parish priest in Sliema and Gwardamangia for many years. Gwann Frendo was born in Cospicua on the 6th of December 1937. He attended De La Salle College before joining the Dominican Order in 1954 and continued his studies in philosophy and theology at St Thomas Aquinas College, Rabat. In 1962 he graduated with a licentiate in sacred theology from Rome's Pontifical University of St Thomas Angelicum. Two years later he acquired a doctorate in theology and master's degree in sacred liturgy from the Institut Catholique, Paris. Upon completion of his studies, Frendo was appointed lecturer in liturgy at St Thomas Aquinas College, a position he held until 1980 when he became a lecturer of liturgy at the faculty of theology, Tal-Virtu, Rabat until 1988. In 1988 he was appointed professor of liturgy at the faculty of theology, at the University of Malta and in 1990 head of the university's department of pastoral theology. Between 1967 and 1976 he also lectured on pastoral liturgy at INSERM. In the Dominican province he served as prior of the Dominican community at Sliema between 1980 and 1989, parish priest of Jesus of Nazareth parish church in Sliema between 1981 and 1989, prior of the Dominican community of Gwardamanga from 1989 to 1995, and missionary works in Albania after that. Frendo’s theological studies in sacred liturgy resulted in several publications. Between 1977 and 1980 he published more than 200 homilies in the popular series Omeliji Sena A, B u C. With his brother Fr.George Frendo, OP, he co-authored three books: L-Ewkaristija: Is-Sagrament tas-Sagrificcju tal-Kalvarju (1978), Is-Sena Liturgika (1983), and Is-Sagramenti: Laqghat ma’ Kristu (1993). He also published other books on liturgical subjects in Maltese. LELI AZZOPARDI "IL-BUGAZZ" Leli Azzopardi was a traditional folk singer: ghannej. He was born in Tarxien on the 27th of December 1928, the younger of two siblings. His sister, Karmena, died at when she was just 29-years old. He attended public school and later started working as a stone mason until he was drafted into the army during World War II. By this time he had already established himself as a strong ghannej. His clear high-pitched singing, both 'la Bormiliza and in the spirtu pront, earned him a loyal following among ghana enthusiasts. Besides his singing, Azzopardi was known as a guitar accompanist too. He was among the main-stays at the various bars in and around Zabbar, including those of Leli n-Nocc, Fredu tax-Xghajra, Leli t-Tott, and Salvu r-Rugel. He was also among the regulars at Karmni ta’ Wistin, Ic-Coqq and Il-Geremexx in Marsa, Lucy's in Albertown, as well as at Rafel tal-Gass in Hamrun. Outdoor ghana events were also popular with Azzopardi throughout most of his life. Among these events the most memorable include the summer festivities at the seaside Qajjenza, Lapsi, San Girgor and l-Imnarja. At the Imnarja festival in 1962 he won an prize for best spirtu pront. He was best known for his long cadenzas. Traditionally only two verses long, Azzopardi extended his cadenzas to 24 verses, and even longer. He often appeared on ghana broadcasts from Rediffusion Cable Radio, Radio Malta and Television Malta. He emigrated to Melbourne in Australia twice with his family. The first time he introduced ghana among the Maltese community of emigres with fellow singer Leli l-Moni. Between emigration stints, Azzopardi set up shop as a greengrocer but his business never really took off. During his second stay in Australia he was injured in a fall at the slaughterhouse where he worked. On his return to Malta, the office of Prime Minister Dom Min toff arranged for him to receive a disability allowance from Australia. Leli Azzopardi was married to Bernarda, who occasionally sang with him, and together they had eight children: Ganni, Zeppi, Veronika, Karmenu, Salvina, Manweli, Rita and Mario. VINCENT APAP Vincent Apap led Maltese sculpture in entirely new directions with his monumental works. Vincent Apap was born in Valletta on the 13th of November 1909. After attending the Government Central School, he enrolled in evening classes for modeling and drawing, studying under Giuseppe Duca and Robert Caruana Dingli. In 1925 he was one of the first students to attend the newly-established School of Art where lessons in sculpture were delivered by Antonio Micallef. Two years later he won a scholarship to the Bristish Academy in Rome, which was under the direction of Antonio Sciortino. He returned to Malta in 1930 and the following year won the commission for the Fra Diego monument in Hamrun. In April 1934 Apap was appointed assistant modeling teacher at the School of Art and in 1947 he became head of the school. He retired in 1971 but was recalled in 1978. Apap managed to obtain the patronage of British colonial and armed services officials. Lt Governor Sir Henry Luke commissioned a bust of his son, Michael, in 1930. Luke introduced him to Lord Louis Mountbatten, who took an immediate liking to Apap works, becoming one of his principal patrons. Several Apap pieces are still to be found in the private collections of the Mountbatten family. These works include a mezzo bust of Lord Montbatten (1935) now at the Admirality in London; a bust of Countess Edwina Mountbatten (1936); a bust of Princess Elizabeth (1951); a bust of Duke of Edinburgh (1954), a bust of Marquis of Milford Haven at The Admirality, London (1954) the Lord Beaverbrook Monument at Frederiction, Canada (1957); a bust of Prince of Wales aged ten exhibited at Buckingham Palace (1961); 2nd portrait of the Duke of Edinburgh for the Royal Yacht Club (1970), a portraint of Prince of Wales for Buckingham Palace, (1974), and a monument to Lord Louis Mountbatten unveiled by Prince Charles at the Isle of Wight (1982). His bust of Sir Winston Churchill (1953) can be viewed at the Upper Barrakka. His list of public monuments in Malta is outstanding: the Triton Fountain at City Gate, Valletta (1959); the bust of Dr. Enrico Mizzi at St John’s Square, Valletta (1964), Dante Alighieri at Floriana (1965), Mgr. Gonzi at Mdina Cathedral (1971), Sir Paul Boffa at Castile Place in Valletta (1976), and Dr. Gorg Borg Olivier at Castile Place, Valletta (1990). Other public momuments and statues included a bust of Giuseppe Cali at the Society of Arts Valletta (1955), a bust of Joseph Calleja (1959), the statue of St. Joseph at Targa Gap (1965), a titular statue of St Mary at Mosta Church (1947), Mater Admirabilis at Tal-Virtu (1954), and the titular statue of St Augustine in Valletta (1973). He also made a statue of Bishop Pace for St George’s Basilica in Gozo. Two important exhibitions of his work were organized in London. Each of this shows was shared with his brother Willie Apap, the painter. The first one was at the Commonwealth Institute in November 1960 and the other in January 1962 at the Grabowsky Gallery. The last exhibition of his works during his lifetime was organized by the Bank of Valletta at its corporate gallery in Sliema. Apap was awared the OBE (1956), and the Gold Medal by the Commerce (1965). He was nominated Knight of the Order of St John (1963), Cavaliere Ufficiale Repubblica Italiana (1968), and member of the Order of Merit (Malta) in 1993. Censu Apap, as he was known to his friends, was married Maria Bencini in 1941 and they had a son John and two daughters Nella and Manon. SONNY MONTE Sonny Monte was a popular jazz singer and entertainer.
Sonny Monte lost his life in a traffic accident near the Mater Dei Hospital at Tal-Qroqq on his way home on a Sunday evening, after a night enteraining his public at the casino. He was driving through Dun Karm Street in Birkirkara when he suddenly lost control of his Fiat Uno and plunged into a small quarry adjacent to the Birkirkara bypass. Civil Protection Department personnel were called on the spot and managed to take Monte out of his badly-damaged car. He was immediately certified dead. FRANCIS XUEREB Cikku Xeureb was a Floriana and Hibernians left winger during the 1950s and 60s. Xuereb was a product of the Floriana Little Ajax, were the younger category of the legendary Floriana Ajax. He made his debut in senior local football at the age of 17 with Floriana FC in 1949. His fine dribbling on the left wing and crosses to the strikers contributed in no small measures to the Greens’ five league championships in the early 1950s. He won F.A. Trophy and Cassar Cup medals during his days with Floriana and then moved on to play with Vittoriosa Stars in 1955. He stayed there two seasons before joining Hibernians with whom he played until 1963 winning the Cassar Cup, an F.A. Trophy and the club’s first ever league title in 1960-1961. Better known in local football circles as Cikku n-Naghga, he played four times with the national team before retiring in 1964 after moving shortly to play with Hamrun Spartans. His brothers Raymond and George both played with Floriana and the national team. His nephew Aaron Xuereb is presently Hibernians’ defender and his sons Paul and Charles have both served as committee members of Floriana FC. LELI DEBATTISTA Leli Debattista was a character actor. He was born in Floriana on the 1st of February 1928, and made his stage debut at the age of 18 with the Ghaqda tal-Malti. He eventually developed the role of a mischievous boy (tifel imqareb), which he presented often on stage, as well as on the Rediffusion cable radio quiz programme Madwar Malta. Eventually he reprised the role on television. His comic skills were appreciated by his peers, and the Italian newspaper La Sicilia called him "Comico Celebre." In the 1960s he also often played female roles in comical skits and farces. In these roles he rivaled Malta's best known drag performer Nosi Ghirlando from the same era. Still, he also played a number of dramatic roles. The best remembered of these was that of Caifas in the Passion Play at Floriana. Besides acting, Debattista also contributed to the theatre scene as a writer of various farces and comical skits, particularly for his short-lived, but nationally popular theatre company Florians. His last appearance was in the teleserial Villa Sunset broadcast on TVM in 2000-2001. KALCIDON ZAMMIT Dr. Zammit was a member of parliament for the Labour Party in the 1950s. Kalcidon was born in Siggiewi to Anthony Zammit and his wife Rosa Maria nee' Pisani, on the 3rd of October 1919. He attended the primary school in Siggiewi and Haz-Zebbug. Later the attended the Lycuem in Hamrun and the University of Malta where he graduated as a medical doctor in 1946, working closely with Professors Josie Debono and Alfred J.Craig, eventually serving as Disrict Medical Officer between 1964 and 1979. Dr. Zammit was attracted to political life early on in his career. In 1947 he was elected President of the Siggiewi branch of the Labour Party. He was subsequently urged to run for the house of representatives by Labour Party leaders Paul Boffa and Dom Mintoff. He contested the 1950 and 1951 general elections on the 4th district but neither run was successful. His first electoral victories came in 1953 and 1955. During his second term of office he was part of a delegation that visited Northern Ireland as part of Malta's exploration into the possibility of integration within the United Kingdom. In the 1962 election he failed to get re-elected and withdrew from big league politics. He was a well known family doctor, and agricultural cooperative organiser. He remained active in social life thoughout his life. In 1999 he was elected to the Siggiewi local council on the Malta Labour Party ticket for a two year term. Dr. Zammit was married to Carmen nee' Camilleri. WENZU VELLA Wenzu Vella was one of Malta's first Olympic shooters. 1958 makes the first Maltese shooters involvement in an international tournament. The Meditteranean Games in Beirut, Lebanon, that year featured a team led by Major Alfred Briffa, featuring Peppi Grech and Wenzu Vella. Their guns were not appropriate for the sport as they were designed for hunters with the barrels arranged horizontally rather than vertically, leading to their bad placement in the contest. When they moved on to the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome their rifles were “up and over” giving them a better performance. Grech hit 78/100 landing a place as 43rd out of 61 Olympic shooters, while Vella managed 70/100, ending in 56th place. Grech went on to take part in the Olympic games again in 1968 and 1972 but Vella’s appearance in Rome was his only Olympic appearance. GIGI GAUCI Gigi Gauci was a long-time grassroots activist of the General Workers Union and the Malta Labour Party.
His first jobs included shoe repair and joiner’s assistant. At 16 he was employed as a sales-boy by the Colonial Stores in Cospicua but eventually left to do a similar job at the Wembley Stores in Valletta. In 1936 he joined the Dockyard workforce as a labourer, following in his father’s footsteps. It was a position he held throughout World War II and only resigned in April of 1962 to work at the GWU’s Union Press where he was prominent among the team who created the union’s Sunday paper It-Torca and concentrated mainly on the commercial coordination of advertising for the same. His political activism started after the war when he organized the local branch of the Labour Party in Balzan. He remained active within the party throughout his life and on the 19th of April 1988 founded the Ghaqda Veterani Laburisti for senior members of the party and served as its treasurer for many years after that. In his spare time he loved theatrical activities and dancing, and was associtated with Dun Gorg’s MUSEUM in his youth, but on 24th of August 1940 he married Josephine Briffa, whom he met in Lija where both their families were evacuated during the war. Together they had four children: Miriam, Violet, Joe and Nathalie. FR JOE M. CAMILLERI Fr. Joe Camilleri was the parish priest in Luqa. He was born in the St. Sebastian neighbourhood of Qormi on the 18 of August 1948 On the 20th of July 1974 he as ordained into the priesthood and eventually served as vice parish priest at his hometown church of St. Sebastian. During this period he was also a teacher a head master at the Archbishops Seminary. He served as director of the Catolic Institue in Floriana and was active as a religious broadcaster on state radio and television. Fr. Camilleri became the parish priest of St. Andrew's Parish Church in Luqa in March of 1997. During an activity at the parish center on Friday 2nd of May 2003 he was involved in an accident, he experienced a 12-foot fall off the center's theatre stage that eventually led to his demise after 39 days at St. Luke's Hospital Intensive Therapy Unit . LELI ZAMMIT Leli Zammit was another former Floriana FC player who passed away in 2003. Born in Floriana on the 20th of December 1926, Zammit debuted in the football scene for the first time in 1943 Brittania F.C. the now defunct team from his hometown. In 1947 he was signed over to Floriana FC as a second division player. His able tackling and excellent kicking skills soon attracted the attention of his directors and he was made a regular of the first string. In that same season he was picked to play for the M.F.A. several times, and took part in the 1949 International Youth Tournament held in Palermo, Sicily. WALTER ROBERT ZAHRA Walter R. Zahra was active as a trade unionist and is also known a literary figure. Walter Zahra was born in Zejtun on the 15th of December 1915. He studied at the Lyceum until 1931, moving on to join the Dockyard as a leading man of masons, but transferred to the expense account department as a clerk. During World War II he rendered services at Alexandra in Egypt along with several hundred other Dockyard emplyees. He was one of the promoters of the Anglo Maltese League in 1935 and while in Egypt he edited the Maltese literary journal Il-Qawmien Malti. He countributed articles in English and Maltese and helped the Ghaqda ghat-Tixrid ta’ Qari Tajjeb. He returned to Malta at the end of the war and the Lotus Printing Press. At this time he was also involved in dramatic activated and the Boy Scouts Movement. He was elected member of the Ghaqda tal-kittieba tal-Malti. His other interests included trade unionism and architecture. He was appointed committee member and later President of the Civil Service Clerical Association, Admiralty Branch committee, and president of the central council of the Civil Service Clerical Association. At the foundation of the CMTU in 1959, Zahra was elected secretary general. In 1954 he participated in a study course in trade unionism and on social studies by the Catholic Socila Guild of Great Britain. In 1946 he organized the unsuccessful People’s Party. He persisted in politics with the Labour Party and the Malta Workers Party and contested the election of 1950 with the MWP. He was the editor of Lehen il-Haddiem Malti. He also edited the Christian Worker’s Party paper It-Tarka. His many publications about Zejtun include the books A Guide to the Parish Church of St. Caterine, Zejtun (1969), The Old Parish Church of St Catherine at Zejtun (1973), and The Good Friday Procession at Zejtun (1980). He married Giuseppina Caruana on 1st of June 1937 and they had four children. Caruana died in 1969 and on the 19th of September 1975 Zahra married Beatrice Chetcuti. ARTHUR J. LEAVER Arthur Leaver was a freelance sports journalist and chronicler. Arthur was born in Sliema on Christmas Eve 1918 to Frederick Leaver and Maria Concetta nee’ Bonello. He was educated at The Lyceum and joined the Malta Civil Service as a Clerical Asstistant. He remained a civil servant until retired as Administrative Officier III. During his career he served at Office of Prime Minister, the Public Works Deparmet, the Medical and Health Department, the Treasury, and the Ministry of Education, among other government department. As a young man, Leaver began writing about his favourite sport: waterpolo. He was always to be seen at the Sliema pitch supporting his team. Once he established himself as freelance sports journalist he wrote for local as well as British and American papers. For many years he reported for the The Bulletin and later for the Times of Malta. He also appeared on Rediffusion cable radio with Lewis Portelli, and served as the Malta correspondent of the British sports magazine World Sports. He specialized in the editing of official programmes published by various local sports bodies during international tournaments for archery, badminton, judo, shooting and of course waterpolo. He edited several official programmes for the Aquatic Sports Association, serving as the ASA’s PRO between 1987 and 1988. His History of Waterpolo in Malta, which he started writing in 1975 at the request of the ASA to mark its first 50 years, appeared in several issues of the Maltese encyclopedia Civilization, published by P.E.G. in the mid-1980s. Always a keen football lover, he also had a long-term association with the Sliema Wanderers Football Club, editing the club’s annual Blue Review. Arthur Leaver married Josephine Gaffiero on the 12th of August 1951 and together they had two daughters: Catherine and Jennifer. ALPHONSE MELI Fonzu Meli was Deputy Secretary General of the General Workers Union. He was born in Qormi on the 28th of October 1937. He attended primary school in Qormi and the Lyceum before becoming an apprentice at the Dockyard. It was there that he became a political activist within the Labour Party and the General Workers Union. Even as a Shipwright Apprentice he served as shopstewart among his peers and went on to work within the GWU’s Metal (Dockyard) Section until he reached the rank of assistant secretary. In October 1987 he was elected as Secretary of the Chemical and General Workers section within the union, and served as such until 1997. During this time he as also elected Deputy Secretary General (responsible for International Affairs and Education) of the GWU, a position that led him to front several union delegations abroad. Meli was also active in the sports scene. During his youth he played with Qormi United and later served within the club’s administration. In the 19060s he was instrumental in bringing together his St. George’s neighbourhood club with the St. Sebastian area Qormi soccer team, Qormi Youngsters, to form one team now-known as Qormi F.C. Alphonse Meli was married to Carmen, with whom he raised two children Ivan and Natasha. ANTONIA (NELLIE) BARTOLO Nellie Bartolo is best known as the home aide to the Blessed Dun Gorg Preca. She was born on the 6th of May 1915 and started working for Dun Gorg at a young age. After his death, Nellie was the main witness in the lenghty Curia investigation into Dun Gorg's case for sainthood. Her explainations of the life of poverty that the priest chose to live were remarkable, and she was thrilled on the day when Pope John II came to Malta in 2001 to declare her venerated employer blessed. FREDU ABELA "IL-BAMBOCCU" Fredu Abela was one of Malta's most popular and prolific folk singers. He was born in Zabbar on the 6th of May 1945. His uncle Salvu Darmanin “Ir-Rugel” was already active in the ghana scene when Abela was just a little boy. One of the places he appeared with his uncle was on the weekly Ghana show on the Rediffusion cable radio. He also sang during the popular Imnarja festivities, Victory Day celebrations, as well as special programmes produced by Charles Coliero for Television Malta. His most popular work came in the late 1960s and early 1970s when he teamed up with his brother Renald and their fellow Zabbar friend Gorg Azzopardi “Il-Makk” to write, sing and record a number of 45rpm recordings. Their best hit was called Taxi Mary and it is arguably the best selling Maltese single of all times. It was followed by other songs with titles like WorldCup 1970 and Kung Fu Karati. At the time of his death he was working on a new CD. Mario Axiaq and Toni Sant contributed to this page.
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He
was born was born in Floriana in 1948 and lived in Birkirkara for the
last several years of his life. His real name was Saviour Dimech, but
very few people knew that about him. Monte achieved national popularity
through his participation on the popular TV program Sibtijiet Flimkien
in the 1980s. Recently he was one of the resident entertainers at Malta's
Dragonara Casino.
Gigi was born in Senglea on the 30th of May 1911 to Salvu Gauci and Vitor nee’ Muscat. He was one of 5 children the family raised from 12 births. At the age of 4 he started attending school and continued to take private lessons with Headmaster Fenech after finishing the Senglea primary school. As a child he worked during the summers to help support his family.
(Died:9
June 2003) 
At the age of 15 his uncle took him along to Indri Brincat “Il-Pupa” in Qormi to get his guitar tuned up. Indri asked Salvu to sing but he said that he would not sing alone, so young Fredu offered to sing a duet with him. His uncle was so impressed by Fredu’s talent for spirtu pront that he started presenting him with him wherever he went to sing.