As a young child and teenager, my mother grew up in the house next to what is Andrew's Bar in St. George's Bay.  Her father, an Army officer, rather bravely, located the family there during the war.  The whole area of Villa Rosa, Moynihan House and the St. George's Barracks were all familiar spots and even after she married, she remained drawn to the place with all the fond memories of fishing, jumping into the warm blue sea, cycling at full speed and dangling her feet from the edge into the water next to Montebello. 

In recent years she could not stand the thought that Cresta Quay was for the exclusive use of the students and indeed, this did not stop her from entering and spending a day there, albeit a lady of her age amongst the youthful students.  Such was the charm and attraction of St. George's Bay.

To anyone who grew up there the place is special.  I myself will not forget the days we spent at the Villa Rosa swimming pool with the loud crickets singing away and the tall trees like nannies watching over us.  The beach was just a small stretch of sand and we sat atop our grandmother's knee on a concrete slab.

There is a wonderful extract from a family memoir entitled "Our name wasn't written" by Dorothy Norry (n'ee Bernon) who lived in Malta as a child between 1936 and 1942 at Moynihan House.  (The extract was published in The Times of 25.9.2002).  Here are some pieces from it:

"The house, Moynihan House, was not far from our old room in the barracks.  There was a plaque on the wall but I cannot recall the inscription. I did sometimes wonder if it were something to do with Lord Moynihan, the royal physician". 

If fact, the building is named after two prominent British men who lived there - Captain Andrew Moynihan, an outstandingly brave soldier, and his son, 1st Baron Sir Berkeley Moynihan, a prominent British surgeon. In 1969, the Moynihan Chirurgical Club mounted a plaque at the house to commemorate them.

The Norrys were able to stay in the Transport Officers' house and the men based in that area were the Pay Corps.  They had left the house after it had been bombed and one or two of them killed. 

She continues - "At the curve of St. George's Bay, nearby, was Villa Rosa and the Pay Corps then used that.  It was set in lovely grounds, and it was here that I first saw glow-worms.  In the evenings we would often wander around these grounds, which also held a private chapel. 

Mike recalls: The Villa Rosa had the most wonderful walled garden.  There were fountains and grottoes, pools with fish and caves with statues, but best of all there were fruit trees. 

My last memory of the villa is following a heavy air raid, when bombs had landed in the St. George's Bay area.

We used to swim across the bay, collecting the fish that had been killed by the exploding bombs in the water."

There are also memories of the NAAFI canteen, air raids and Montebello the boatman.

In 2002 there were plans for new car parks around St. George's Bay and the site of Moynihan house had been considered but rejected.

Recently we have also had to stomach the pillage of Australia Hall.  But as though that were not enough, we now also stand to lose the whole of St. George's Bay, with Dolphin House, Moynihan House and Cresta Quay.

The application covers the demolition of all existing buildings for construction of Parking facilities, Hotels and ancillary facilities, Commercial area, Multi Ownership holiday accommodation, Bungalows, Language School with accommodation and Lagoon, Restoration of the Villa Rosa and upgrading of the facilities including parking facility, kitchen and toilets all below existing site levels within the Villa Rosa Area to address catering facilities/wedding hall at St. George's Bay Hotel and Cresta Quay.

The restoration of Villa Rosa seems to be thrown in as a token whilst all around it is demolished and lost to history and lost to all.  For the sake of building hotels and supposedly, commerce.  How imaginative!  Chuck all the obvious enterprises into the mix and sod the environment and the public.  Set out the tables and chairs, stock up the beds and say hello to the students, situated funnily enough, near the bungalows so we can have another Swieqi/Paceville situation of two opposing entities near each other.

Is it not possible, that one day we can begin to appreciate historic heritage and natural landscape?  Can we ever see a tree and not want to replace it with a concrete column?

Is this part of the fixation that some Maltese housekeepers had in tiling their front gardens so that they would not have to deal with some leaves or soiled shoes on the way in to the house?  And when is enough, enough? 

Figures published by the National Statistics Office show a sharp decrease in the sale of food and beverages from non-restaurant establishments, that is, from supermarkets. 

Of course.  People do not want to make the huge weekly shop loading their trollies anymore.  They don't need it and they are also more conscious of how much they spend.  Retail business is also dodgy at the moment and long term prospects do not encourage more of the same.

If construction of a commercial area is deemed an appropriate investment, do it but please don't do it at the expense of one of the few remaining unbuilt areas left, in the heart of a vastly built up commercial area. 

The same argument is being made about the construction of the three hotels in the Xaghjra area.  If someone wants to invest in this, let them find a place that does not ruin it for others.  Others - Us, the Public.  Those who have their summer house in Xaghjra adore the place.  They know the beauty of it and the amazing sea and summer nights.  It is theirs to enjoy.  A real refuge from the traffic and heat of the nearby towns.  Why should it be taken from them and given to more hotels and more beach lidos with sofas and bars and covered sun beds?

Many people who travel have seen for themselves, the beautiful historic houses kept for tourists to view and enjoy like the lovely gardens of Tivoli with their wonderful fountains and beautiful plants and trees.  Is it possible that we never think to go down this path instead of wanting to demolish and destroy? 

 

Tourists who stayed at St. George's Bay this summer told me that the water was dirty.  That is not surprising considering all the boats moored at the mouth of the bay and the high number of swimmers.  Can we afford to put all our eggs in one basket, destroying the location and bringing in even more tourists onto that tiny bay?  The InterContinental Hotel is also adding two more floors for suites.  Will the infrastructure be able to cope with all that added system?

Let there be a plan that enhances the area and preserves the historic buildings around Villa Rosa, not least, Moynihan house.  Restore these places, especially the gardens and open them to the public.  Some parts of the garden can be opened as beer gardens or a wine terrace.  Tourists can have tours of the Villa Rosa and the grounds.  Organise the access of the grounds relative to the street, in the way Valletta gate was designed to recreate the open and original features.  Empty houses near Andrew's bar can be made into something like the Valletta waterfront on a small scale. Possibly with guest house type of accommodation in the rooms around the house.  Or do we stop at the heritage from the Knights of St John and anything after that is destroyable?

The fact is that these premises and grounds should never have been sold but should have been protected for good of the area,, the public and tourists.  It is time that our Councils are given funds to take such places into Trust, in the way they do in England.  Nowhere in the world, except Malta, would such a rape be allowed to happen. And for the sake of more of the same and nought for the good of the public.

In Dorothy's words:  "I still remember the delights of living there".  My mother would say the same.  And so do we.  Sadly, the construction industry will accomplish what the bombs did not.