The first time I laid eyes on him was last Sunday and he was dead in his coffin.
Yet before that we had been very much in contact and, over the years, had formed a bond (through e-mail) perhaps far better than had we known each other personally.
Aldo had come to Malta from Canada for his sister’s funeral, when he suddenly fell ill and died.
His wife Jean told me, “Aldo left Malta as a newly-qualified physician. In actual fact, he never really left. He always kept in very close contact, not only because of his family here, but because he loved Malta dearly, warts and all.
“When he was in Canada he was less likely to think of the warts.
“He always took a keen interest in the affairs of Malta, reading newspapers on-line, sending letters to the editors and following elections.
“He expressed disdain for some of the local land developments, which he felt detracted from the beauty and spirit of Malta.”
In fact, Aldo was born in Malta in the mid-1930s, in a family directly related to well-known Maltese figures such as Alfredo Vassallo, the famous ophthalmologist who taught Professor Preziosi and Dr Roncali, a Maltese politician of the 19th century who some say was the real founder of the Nationalist Party.
He left for Canada in 1961 and lived in Halifax.
Aldo Manara was a free spirit, as free as could be. His letters to this paper and its sister daily evinced his belief in democracy, rights of man and basic human qualities. He campaigned on behalf of the principles he believed in, not just in Maltese papers but also in newspapers in Canada. Last October, he chastised the Halifax Herald for publishing an almost full front page picture dedicated to the first same-sex marriage in Canada, showing two men kissing, and accused the paper of stoking anti-gay emotions while condemning what he called “media irresponsibility”.
As Jean, again, said: “No one could ever be indifferent to Aldo. Those who loved him (and they were many and varied) loved him a lot. He was devoted to his sisters and their families – sharing all the happy and unhappy moments, if not in person, then by telephone.
“Aldo never expected to die in Malta, but he always wanted to be buried in Malta.”
To many, especially his younger relatives, he was a beacon of hope and inspiration, always leading them to new discoveries, which necessarily come through asking questions. He was young in spirit and related to people far younger than he.
To his wife Jean, his children, sisters, in-laws, relatives and friends, my heartfelt condolences.
The service held at the Our Lady of Damascus Greek Catholic church in Valletta (where his grandfather had been a pillar of the Greek community) was simple, moving and serene. Just like what we all wish Aldo.
Noel Grima