As the media community was still reeling from the shock of Julian Manduca sudden demise at the age of 46 last week, another bombshell went off. The sudden death of Alfred Giglio at the age of 47, a photographer with Allied Newspapers, was announced on Monday.
Alfred was an affable and jovial man, and these traits ensured that he was liked by journalists and fellow photographers alike. He will be sorely missed on the beat by all of us.
Michael Testa, The Times’ journalist who was the last to work with Mr Giglio before he passed away, said: “Gillu, as I used to call him, was a trustworthy colleague and a true friend who could not say ‘no’ to anyone. He was a true gentleman.
“I am a senior staff member of Allied Newspapers Ltd, so I remember Giglio as a 14-year-old boy when he started working with the company 34 years ago, only to see him ‘leave’ suddenly before my very eyes on Monday. We had just finished our last assignment together.
“I can’t help not refer to an incident, one of the many we dealt with together in the course of our duties, which Gillu loved to mention every time we narrated our many experiences together.
“Some years ago we were assigned to cover heavy floods, and particularly the situation in Qormi valley where a pig farm was flooded and the farmer had lost all his pigs.
“We went to Qormi but as we approached we found that deep mud prevented us from reaching the farm.
“I quickly pulled a pair of knee-high boots from the boot of my car (they come in handy when I put my boat to sea in winter), wore them and in no time Gillu was riding piggy-back as I trudged on to continue with our work. It is a pity there was no one to take a picture.
“We used to learn from each other’s experiences as he had a good nose for a story worth following.
“We shared the hobby of fishing and moments before he died he told me that I should go fishing off ix-Xghajra ta’ Haz-Zabbar because amateur fishermen were making good catches. He always used to know what was happening, not only in fishing but in anything related to his beloved Valletta.
“Returning to the office after carrying out our last assignment before he collapsed, he also discussed with me whether Malta would be able to organise the Eurovision song contest if a Maltese participant ever won the contest. He said they should bring large barges, tie them together and then to the quay and build the stage on them. That would be very original, he believed. Of course this would be done in Grand Harbour in Valletta, where else.
“I also recall Gillu telling me that morning that a vine he had planted three years ago on the shore under the Mediterranean Conference Centre would produce grapes for the first time in September,” Mr Testa said.
Henry Brincat, sports editor of The Malta Independent, said: “I was terribly shocked when I heard of Alfred Giglio’s sudden death. I don’t think I will be able to forget Alfred, especially because of the time – around 25 years – we spent together working at The Times.
“I have known him since he was a boy of around 13 or 14 when he joined Allied Newspapers Limited where he first worked in the Linotype Department. Later he joined the Mail Room staff before he became a photographer.
“Since those early days, it was obvious that he was a keen football fan, especially of Valletta FC, which I honestly believe was his first love.
“In his spare time, he used to come to my office and always spoke about football. He was always joking – that was his character. In fact, I never recall seeing him with a sad face. That smile on his face was so characteristic of Alfred that it was impossible not to love and respect such a person.
“Moreover, he was always ready to lend a helping hand to whoever was in need, including yours truly. Who knows how many occasions he solved some printing problems for me when I was in difficulty!
“I am sure that Alfred will not be easily forgotten. I firmly believe that he leaves a great void especially in those places he used to frequent, even when he was on duty as a photographer,” Mr Brincat said.
Mario Schiavone, a veteran journalist with Independence Print, said: “I have known Alfred Giglio for almost 20 years. Throughout our careers in journalism we met several times on coverages. He was there when the going for the media people, especially those of Independence Print and Allied Newspapers was tough.
“But Alfred seemed to have no problems when others, including myself would be trembling with fear in dangerous situations. This was not because he was not sensitive to the perils of these situations, but because he was determined to do a good job no matter what and even because he was everyone’s friend.
“Alfred was the jovial type. He would greet you when you were still yards away. To me, and possibly also to others, he reserved the salutation of Hawn Habib instead of my name and surname. And he was a friend indeed.
“Besides the journalism profession, we also shared a hobby – fishing. Alfred was much keener than me on this score. I converted to fishing a bit late in my days and he would advise me on places and methods to use in our shared hobby, whenever time permitted.
“He will be missed by his beloved parents and family, by his colleagues at Allied Newspapers and by the media community in general. I cherish fond memories of this friend and gentleman. God bless his soul,” Mr Schiavone said.