This is probably one of the Columns that hurt most when I put pen to paper.  On the other hand it was most likely even one of the quickest to write.

I will not beat around the bush, it is indeed a sad story I will be sharing with you,  an account that is becoming increasingly customary unfortunately.

Last Saturday during my radio show Ghandi xi Nghid on Radju Malta I interviewed Josephine and Pippo Boni the parents of deceased Johanna, a 27 year old biker who was squashed under the weight of a Ready-Mix-Left-Hand-Drive-Truck in Naxxar, 15 months ago  (as a side note, Josephine and Pippo say that the company involved did not even send a bouquet of flowers for her funeral Mass - must be part of the smart strategy recommended by the Company's lawyers, ma jmurx they admit xi guilt madoff!) 

The irony of it all is that we shouldn't be remembering Johanna because she was squeezed under the weight of a double wheeler.  Instead we should be talking about her plans for the future, about the love she had for this Country and her country of origin (Sicily), about the people she loved and loved her - in other words about her future and how she would be hopping from one experience to another like a butterfly as she pursues her dreams.  However, destiny, stupidity, ignorance, lack of attention or a bit of everything thought otherwise - and Johanna is no more with her family, friends and loved ones.  She is just a memory.

Her exquisite parents Josephine and Pippo talked about their lovely girl as if she was sitting on their lap.  They described her in picturesque detail.  For them, since her passing away, nothing has been the same again. 

Josephine looks tired and drained and yet her glittering eyes radiate anger as she is determined to get to the bottom of what happened on that terrible day.   Josephine was and still is the main bread winner.  Carrying on her shoulder a family, trying to keep the unit together and, at the same time, calling out for justice.   

Pippo, her husband is weary, fatigued and worn out. He is indeed a beautiful soul, a normal regular father intent only to make his family happy. Pippo, has lost all the joie de vivre, his work and is somehow trying to recuperate from this trauma now that his 'baby' is gone.

Francesco, Johanna's brother, doesn't want to come to Malta any more.  He cannot face the pain knowing the tragic end of his sister. 

It has been a grim 15 agonising months that has taken its toll on all the immediate family. 

What pains the family is that what happened on that cold January day remains a mystery.  The inquiry, like so many others that happen in this country, doesn't seem to have seen the light of day. 

With so much pain in their voices they say that the truck was on the road within a couple of weeks and yet it took Josephine almost 8 months to get Johanna's back-pack and personal belongings and alleges that some of her stuff, like her mobile, where stolen and were never returned. 

Pippo says that his girl should never have died.  Not only was she smart and intelligent, beautiful and passionate about life but also a careful rider. 

They want answers, which they have a right to.  Listen, they've lost a daughter! It's bad enough coping with a mammoth loss, not understanding what happened is too big a weight to shoulder.

Another fault in the system is the way news was broken to the family and the zero support they got from the Police and social services. A lot has been said about the need for crises teams and professionals trained in bereavement, yet this seems to be a long shot. 

There are too many Johannas, too many people burying their children.  We are so getting used to people dying on our roads.  We are in this World to have a fair go at life, to see through our dreams, our aspirations.  The life of our riders, pedestrians and drivers needs to be taken seriously. 

Where is the public outcry? 

Josephine ends the interview stating that she can't wait to be with her daughter once again. 

We shouldn't be speaking about death when mentioning a 27-year-old, but about life.

And now, all we and her family is left with is the sea shells that Johanna so loved collecting from her favourite beach. 

By Dr Andrew Azzopardi

Dean, Faculty for Social Wellbeing,

University of Malta

&

Broadcaster - Ghandi xi Nghid 

W: www.andrewazzopardi.org

T: @Azzopardi70