It was early afternoon on Tuesday 23 December when Benna Zammit, with tears in her eyes, informed me that her beloved brother, Anton Haber, had died. It was news that shocked me because although I knew that Anton was quite sick, I was not expecting this news at this joyous time of the year. But thinking about it, this was surely God’s will to have Anton celebrating his best Christmas in Heaven, with the Blessed Virgin Mary, St John the Baptist and St George Preca, for whom he had a very special devotion.

For those who are familiar with Xewkija, Anton Haber is a very familiar name. Anton was a patriot of his birthplace Xewkija and a great devotee of St John the Baptist, the patron saint of our village. Although he lived in Malta for most of the time, his love for Xewkija grew even stronger after he left his birthplace. As a poet, he wrote a lot of poems about our village.

One can mention the Grajjiet ix-Xewkija u r-Rotunda taghha – a long poem about the history of the village and the history of the Rotunda Church that adorns this village. We can also mention the lyrics of two hymns: L-Innu lil Marija Addolorata (hymn for the feast Our Lady of Sorrows) and L-Innu tal-Martirju ta’ San Gwann Battista (hymn for the feast of the Beheading of St John the Baptist), both of which are also played by the Xewkija band Il-Prekursur during the respective feasts.

On my behalf and on behalf of all the Xewkin, I would like to give our condolences to his wife, Mary, and his children Miriam, Janie, Joseph and all his relatives. We promise that we will never forget Anton in our prayers. His memory and his works will always be in our hearts and in the heart of every person who loves Xewkija. His life is an example for all those who want to know what a real patriot should be like.

Frans Galea

XEWKIJA