His many friends were shocked when, at the end of January, they heard that Ron had collapsed at his home in Sliema and was taken to Mater Dei hospital. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff and the constant, loving care of his wife Maria, who kept vigil at his bedside, Ron did not regain consciousness and he died on 5 February.

Born in 1938, Ron’s life was beset with set backs that could have overwhelmed a lesser man. He was born with congenital glaucoma which culminated in virtual blindness in his sixties. Ron’s mother died tragically in an air raid on Sliema when Ron was a baby. He is remembered by his school contemporaries at St Edward’s College in the fifties, as an unusually intelligent boy whose poor eye-sight precluded him from participation in sport but did not deter him from reaching high academic standards, eventually qualifying in electrical engineering at London University. He went on to achieve considerable success in a career in his chosen field with an international company where, by all accounts he was highly thought of.

Yet another grievous blow was the tragic loss of Ron’s son in his early twenties in a road accident; a blow which left Ron with a sense of bereavement that stayed with him all his life. It is a mark of his strength of character that Ron overcame the tragedies in his life and retained a positive attitude till the end. His energy and determination led him to successfully pioneer the Malta Guide Dogs Foundation with the loyal help of his wife Maria. Ron charmed his way through bureaucracy and opposition. He was given generous help from organisations abroad such as the Scuola Guida Helen Keller in Messina and the European Guide Dogs Federation, as well as more distant organisations such as in Zagreb and Slovenia. In all these places Ron is remembered with great affection.

My friendship with Ron started early in 2008 when, having discovered that Ron was the key man in a newly formed Guide Dogs Association, I volunteered my services and was told that I was welcome to fill the vacant post of Secretary to the Board. This led to the forging of a firm friendship with a man whose qualities I came to respect and admire

The successful establishment of what is now known as the Malta Guide Dog Foundation is largely due to Ron’s efforts and will remain a lasting memorial to a man whose constant guiding light and aim in life was to help others.

Ron will be sorely missed by his many friends at the bridge club and by the blind community. He is deeply mourned by Maria, his wife, his daughter Tina, his brother Denis, and sister Ariadne and her husband John Dorey.

Michael Calascione