Possibly the event of the year, we shall find, is going to be Maurice Mizzi’s celebratory dinner at Dar Rihana, his beautiful country home in Bidnija. This took place recently with 174 guests gathered to wish him well. As can be expected, the organization was impeccable right from the time we parked our cars – my 20 year old Fiat looked quirky next to all those state-of-the-art Mercs and other posh cars, but it held its own. Each car was guided in an orderly fashion to a parking place. At the end of the party, a little more fugged out with the wine, we were shown the way out in an equally orderly manner. I, on the way back, inevitably, took the wrong turning and finished in a cul-de-sac. Still, I always tell myself, you can never get truly lost in Malta. One eventually finds the main road. It’s a bit like life.

Le Tout Malte was at Maurice’s. I found myself sitting at the same table as Joe and Natalie Saliba but with Louis Grech, the attractive and clever Mariella Scerri, the equally attractive and clever Dr Giannella CC and Dr Hyzler who told me his origins are in Qormi where my eldest and her love bought a house and will come to live. Funny, I keep on thinking that all Nats were born and breed on the Sliema Front, in front of Independence Gardens.

Mary Ann Kissaun, forever young and who has a sense of irony, completed our table.

I enjoyed conversing with Natalie Saliba and found her excellent company, full of bons mots and with something to say for herself. She had her first child when she was but 18 but now both their girls have two degrees each and are settled at least workwise. One is a doctor and the other in Marketing and working in the City, by which I mean London. As Destiny would have it, late last year, when my young one had finished her Masters course and had to leave her room in Great Dover street, she found temporary refuge with her friend Sasha who, as it turned out was sharing with Natalie and Joe Saliba’s Vanessa, a medical doctor and then completing her Masters. So our children knew one another before we became acquainted though because of his position and his appearances in the media we all feel that Joe is part of every household.

I told him about my bottle of Champagne which is ready to be popped if Labour win the next election. He said I should still open it even if the Nationalists win adding “We shall win again”, and exhorting me not to quote him on it. I am not one to obey Joe, but we shall see in a year’s time, or thereabouts. While we were speaking a Winston Churchill quote came to mind: ‘Politicians have the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen’. I love that.

Louis Grech, who is doing so well in Brussels and possibly produces more reports than Simon Busuttil, who, I hear is going to contest the general elections in Sliema, commented that a life without a sense of irony is almost unliveable, with which I agree completely.

The food and service for the evening came from Maurice’s Waterfront Hotel – both as you can imagine, were top notch. Bonnie Jeanne Taylor a Texan who specializes in Country music entertained us with a variety of songs. She sings at The Palace Hotel in Gstaad during the winter months but for the rest of the year she is engaged in different cities during the evenings. As we know from his writings, Gstaad is one of Maurice’s favourite skiing places.

Bonnie was ably supported by the pianist George Kauntz an accomplished Canadian musician as well as a music director while the saxophonist was the well-known Walter Vella. They provided the background music, loud enough to be heard but so that we could carry on conversing without too much strain. It should be so everywhere we go. My campaign for music which is less loud is still on.

At one stage of the evening Maurice was handed a microphone and invited to sing by Bonnie. This was a surprise to some but not to others who have heard him sing before. I am told he is sometimes invited to sing a song or two at The Palace Hotel in Gstaad and if he happens to be having a drink at their Waterfront Hotel, it is not that unusual that he sings one or two songs, to the delight of patrons, when the pianist is available.

We loved his choice of songs from Sinatra’s I’ve Got You Under my Skin to Doris Day’s Day by Day; Rod Steward’s The Nearness of You and Adriano Celentano’s Azzurro which was an excellent duet with Bonnie.

I spoke briefly to our last president Prof. Guido de Marco and Mrs de Marco, elegant as always, that day in black with gray pearls and a light pink wrap. Prof. de Marco has lost weight but seems well and always warm and smiling. Of course, he has not retired and when I asked him about that dreaded word he told me: “It is death,” and said I could quote him. I cannot agree more. Well, I think that’s what he said but whatever it was it meant that. You can’t expect me to remember everything. Prof. de Marco still has a role to play, nay many roles and the de Marcos have always played their roles well and with elegance.

I must not fail to mention the entertainment provided by Dr Philip Farrugia Randon and his lovely daughter Philippa. Helen and Philip are close friends of Maurice’s and in his words: “Philip always likes to pull my leg. I am always amazed at how he manages to get to know even my intimate details. He would make a very good detective.” Well, those who have heard Philip perform his entertaining compositions and lyrics can guess that his songs in Maltese, composed for this special occasion, were hilarious and rude but most entertaining

Maurice then, with the utmost simplicity, spoke engagingly about his career. “A long time ago,” he began, “someone told me that as we grow older we will see the past years like a dream. I did not believe them then. Now I do.” Many of us present, those of a certain age, could not but agree. “Seeing all friends and colleagues, makes me go down memory lane.”

Maurice recalled playing the part of Shylock on the stage at St Aloysius College, as a little boy, in a scene from the Merchant of Venice together with Dr Francis Portanier as Portia and Dr Daniel Micallef as the Judge.

“Shylock was none other than the President Emeritus Prof. Dr Guido De Marco who during his term as President of Malta was no Shylock but a generous and an extremely capable President. Merchant was over sixty years ago but it seems like yesterday.”

Mr Justice Dr Franco Depasquale was present and Maurice recalled that as law students they used to study together the intricacies of law in their homes in Birkirkara, fifty two years ago. “That seems like yesterday,” he reiterated.

He recalled Chief Justice Emeritus Professor Dr Jo Jo Mifsud Bonnici discussing some philosophical problem with Mgr Sapiano and the year he spent, as a Legal Procurator, with Dr George De Gaetano: “in his office on top of Dirty Dicks Bar in Strait Street. That was an experience.”

After finishing his course of Legal Procurator at the University of Malta, fifty years ago Maurice told his guests how he got ‘a dramatic shock’ as he started working for the family business where he developed the Domestic Appliances Division of their organisation and “where for three years I had to do most things like opening crates, delivering washing machines, store keeping, selling in our Valletta outlet and also managing.” He movingly spoke of his dear friend, the late Vincent Mercieca, husband of Mona, who, we all remember, had passed away after what should have been a simple operation. Vincent was not only a good friend but also a colleague who relieved Maurice of some of his duties. “The last time I was with him was in Iceland where he knew more about Iceland than I did, even though I was Consul of that country. He dragged me all over Iceland to see the various interesting sites. That seems like yesterday.”

Chev. Mizzi spoke of Philip Incorvaja who was present with his wife Honor and William Shaw who reminded him “of the spell when there was the barter arrangement on the importation of cars for a consortium of car importers. At first none of the car importers wanted to form this company. Later, I persuaded them and from our total investment of Lm52,000, the company Lada Motors under the direction of Willie Shaw and myself as Chairman of the Company made a total profit of 1.2 million. Not a bad return. Again this seems like yesterday.”

Maurice also worked for the Government as either Chairman or Director of parastatal companies such as Chairman of MDC where he was instrumental in building 10 factories. There was his work as Director of Telemalta which is now GO. One of his main jobs was that of Credit Controller and in four years his team managed to reduce the debtors list from 35 million to 9 million, “a decrease of 26 million Maltese Liri and therefore a saving of 1.3 million liri in Interest alone. I set up a system for debt collecting. I hope that it still works. That seems like yesterday.”

He recalled his term as Chairman of Malta Film Studios and as President of Floriana Football Club from 1964-1968. “Together with coach Lolly Borg we launched a young team of ball jugglers like Louis Apap and won every cup possible in Malta. That seems like yesterday.”

As President of the Joint Arab European Chamber during 2002-2003 amongst other achievements and during the last meeting he chaired he proposed that all the European Chambers set up a fund to help poor Palestinian children. “I was happy that my proposal was adopted. That seems like yesterday.”

Chev. Mizzi is still on the board or many companies and has been writing A Greener Shade of Green for The Sunday Times for 15 years, never missing a single month. You can see from his enormous garden, which has become justifiably famous, that the practices what he preaches.

He welcomed “my friends the Wolf pack who are here also incognito.”

Chev. Mizzi thanked those who helped him organize the evening. And last but not least he mentioned his late father Spiro, his mother Genoveffa, his two brothers John and Joe and his nephew Jeffrey “who are no longer with us but who have done so much to build the family company.” At this stage Maurice announced the setting up of The Spiro Mizzi Foundation. “I would like to tell you a story which was in one of Fr Charles Vella’s books. When the late Archbishop Monsignor Gonzi met Mother Theresa, he asked her one important question, ‘When I die, and I go before God, what will he ask me?’ and she answered ‘God will tell you – Did you look after my poor?’ That night Monsignor Gonzi did not sleep.’ I am sleeping well, Maurice continued ‘but would like to keep on sleeping in peace and tranquility. Therefore, in my small way, I am setting up a Foundation to help the poor people in what I think is the poorest region of Malta – the three cities ie. Vittoriosa where my father was born, Senglea where my mother was born and Cospicua where my brother John was born. The Foundation will be called the Spiro Mizzi Foundation. Thus I will be paying tribute to a marvellous man, kind and always willing to help those who were worse off than him, my father Spiro who gave employment and therefore supported thousands of families, particularly during the Great Depression in the 1930s and then again immediately after World War II, when jobs were very hard to find.

“He was also fond of Maltese heroes such as Dun Mikiel Xerri for whom he and his committee collected enough money and finally erected a statue to Dun Mikiel Xerri which is now in front of the Auberge D’Aragon.” The first trustees of the Foundation will be Fr Hillary Tagliaferro, Dr John C. Grech and myself. Apart from my initial contribution, which I hope to augment every year, the Foundation will accept any donations from outside sources.”

And those of us who know of and understand the needs of those living in the three cities agreed that the best part of this fabulous evening was the announcement of the setting up of this Foundation. A more worthy way of commemorating 50 years of success would have been difficult to find, Chev. Mizzi.

Maurice ended his speech: “These fifty years seem like yesterday.”

(Photos of this celebration will appear in First next Sunday by courtesy of Chev Mizzi).