PETER BONELLO is probably better known as the mayor of St Julian’s. Few people, especially the young, will know that he was a keen waterpolo enthusiast and player in his younger days. He began playing waterpolo as a ball retriever behind the post during the senior string’s training sessions. Later, Bonello helped San Giljan to success and finished his excellent career as a national team player where he served for about 13 years under various coaches including Franz Frendo, Leonard Falzon and Carm Borg. He also tasted notable success when he became club president in 1994, leading it to more titles and knock-out wins at the Tal-Qroqq Pool. Here he tells his story to Henry Brincat

Interviewing Peter Bonello made me feel very nostalgic, as the two of us recalled the great old days of the game of waterpolo, when it was still played in the open sea, then in the club pools at Valletta, Neptunes, Birzebbuga and Marsascala, and finally at the Tal-Qroqq Pool.

Bonello told me that he had always been attracted to swimming. “As a young boy, I used to jump off the window of our house, straight into the sea and go catching octopus, almost every day. I was so keen on swimming that I used to sleep in my swimming trunks.

“In the evenings I regularly used to watch the waterpolo team training, acting as a ball retriever behind one of the goalposts. I used to enjoy myself. One day, when they were playing a match, there was a vacant position and they asked me to join in. That’s when I started playing for the Balluta team.

“I remember it was very difficult in those days. We used to be trained by the founder of the club, the great Guzi Tanti, a very dedicated man who took great care of us all. Conditions were primitive. We trained in the open sea, encountering problems such as the presence of jellyfish, apart from having to stop training some days when the sea was very rough in gregale winds.

“We had no floodlighting and there was no summer time, obliging us to stop training early as it was totally dark by around 6.30pm. I still remember I used to stay there, waiting for goalkeeper Charlie Mock to rush to the pitch from work, to go between the posts and shoot some six shots at him in goal before it was totally dark!

“Sometimes, lectures were held on the rocks. There were no showers and we used to throw water over each other instead. But those were the days! Despite all the obstacles, we enjoyed it and we put everything into it. Even after training and matches, it was like a family affair. We used to meet at the club with our families and socialise together. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen today,” he said.

He said he agrees that players are paid to play today. “They make a lot of sacrifices throughout the year. They are like professionals and they cannot have a part-time job,” he said, adding that, in his time, most of the players played for the fun of it and nothing else.

Bonello made his debut in the senior San Giljan side in 1964 in a match against Sirens at the Neptunes Pitch when he was still only 18. “I remember I used to play for the seniors and the Under 18 side during that first season,” he said.

Peter said he still remembers the days when matches at Sliema and St Julian’s used to attract thousands of fans, including hundreds in their boats, coming from various places, especially Valletta, to watch. “They used to stay around three sides of the pitch with the Police motor launch close by to keep order in case of any incidents,” he said.

Asked to give an assessment of what has happened over the last 40 years, Bonello said: “There has been a tremendous improvement and I attribute all this to the construction of the fresh water pool at Tal-Qroqq. Nowadays, training is held daily, all year round, not just in the summer months, and the game is played in a freshwater pool.

“No wonder we have bridged the gap with the foreigners, if one compares the results when we used to play in the sea to those being played today, with Malta managing a bronze medal just a few years ago.

“In my time, we used to have those international tournaments in the club pools. They also used to attract large crowds and some good teams as well. We used to do well and it was really satisfying to have played against some of the best players in European waterpolo at that time. I still remember a match against France at the Valletta Pitch. It was important for both teams as we needed just a draw to clinch third place and they needed a win to finish third themselves. They were leading 3-2 with just a few seconds to go, but then we equalised,” he said.

Bonello also said that the arrival of foreign players helped in no small measure to upgrade the standards of some local players. “When I became club president, and embarked on a team-strengthening programme – the club had gone through 25 years without winning anything – I used to go abroad with Norman Vella and Louis Tabone, spying on some players who would help to strengthen our team. During my tenure, we brought over players of the calibre of Milanovic, Ludvardi and Simenc. No wonder our level improved considerably.

“But it was also thanks to the arrival of some of the best local talent that we could challenge seriously for the honours. These included the Dowling brothers, Dirk and Kurt, as well as Aldo Scerri,” he added.

Bonello also said that as a player and an administrator, he remembers three different generations of players. “I played in the great team of the 1960s which included players like Anglu Tonna, Charlie Mock, Freddie Griscti and all the others. Then I also played alongside players like Colin Falzon, Freddie and Norman Vella.

“When I became president, we had the era of the Giordano brothers, Sandro Cosby and the foreigners. I must also say that San Giljan ASC were the first to bring over coach Sergio Afric who, after several years, is still in Malta where he has coached Neptunes, Sirens and Sliema, apart from San Giljan,” he pointed out.

Asked to recall his best match, he promptly replied: “It was a match against Sliema which ended in a 2-2 draw. Included in the Sliema side was Charlie Turner, who had scored six goals against Neptunes. I played a blinder on him and subdued him almost completely, allowing him just one goal. I received a good press after that match. It was the greatest ever satisfaction I have had in the game. Turner was probably one of the best foreign players to grace Maltese waterpolo over the years.”

Asked to mention a disappointing moment, Bonello quickly referred to the day when he was told he had a heart problem. “You can imagine how I felt on being told the news. I was about to get married and it was like a huge stab in the back. I was flown to Italy where, after some tests, it was ascertained that I had no problem of any kind. The news then turned into an enormous relief, and from then on I continued my career without further interruptions,” he said.

During his career in the game, Bonello also had successful spells as coach of the club when it played in the second division as well as the women’s team. “We won the second division title three times, but we preferred to stay in that division instead of being promoted to be demoralised by the big guns of the game. When I was women’s team coach, we had tough competition from Sirens with whom we shared most of the successes,” he added.

At the end of our chat, Bonello said that he was very pleased to see his son Clyde also playing the game. “He started out with Neptunes, but is now a San Giljan player. I hope he will be able to follow in my footsteps. And if I had to start all over again, there is no doubt I would still choose waterpolo as my favourite sport,” he said.

Peter Bonello – a profile

Date of birth: 7 April 1946

Education: Stella Maris College.

Work career: He started work in the Sales Department of Mizzi Brothers. Later he worked at the ports, where he is still employed today as the legal representative of Cargo Handling Co. Ltd. He is also a court expert, often appointed by judges and magistrates on various cases. He has been a St Julian’s councillor since the first council election in 1994 and has been the mayor since 1996, being re-elected again just a few weeks ago.

Sporting career: He used to play football at Stella Maris College, but never played for any club. He turned his attention to the game of waterpolo because he had always liked swimming. He began playing with Balluta WPC, then he had a one-year spell at Sliema, where he helped them win the league. The following season he returned to Balluta, later known as San Giljan – the name they still use today. He was a member of the national team for 13 years, playing alongside such stalwarts as Freddie Griscti, George Borg, Charlie Mock and David Martin. He also represented Malta in the Mediterranean Games in Algiers and Tunis.

Administrative career: His first post was as a committee member of San Giljan ASC while he was still a player. He became club president in 1994 and, together with the hard-working members of the committee, led the club through five successful seasons with some notable successes – including league (summer and winter titles) and knock-out wins. He had several stints as a coach to the team which won the second division title three times, as well as to the San Giljan women’s team. For a number of years, he was also the club’s representative on the ASA Council.

Peter Bonello is married to Eileen. They have three children: Christa, who is married to Alex Galea (they have a daughter, Carla, who is almost six months old), Clyde and Edel.