Not exactly an appropriate salutation to a very dear friend and a brilliant scholar. Neither would via con dios be suitable in this case, seeing both Spanish emphases imply divine intercedence. I will settle with the more casual hasta la vista, on a non-religious note, to this great human being who has rewarded our minuscule nation with a treasure trove of wisdom.
My first ever memorable encounter with Godfrey Wettinger, scholar of medieval Maltese history, occurred in the late sixties when Professor Joseph Aquilina sent me a complimentary copy of the newly published exposé of the now iconic Cantilena, urging me to contribute my then meagre thoughts on this national literary gem. It was this early, nay frail, contribution of mine which sealed a long and treasured friendship between Godfrey and I.
From these distant antipodean shores - whence the famous retort of the renowned Australian historial Geoffrey Blayney "the tyranny of distance" still reverberates - I fair thee well Karissime Gotifride. The supposedly instantaneousness of the ubiquitous internet is not so instant after all!
Alas the depth of my sense of loss at the demise of this dearest of friends mars my momentary desire to provide a fitting appraisal of this man's great worth. Yet I am consoled by my human frailness, knowing that the late Godfrey Wettinger's works speak for themselves; a far finer testimony to the richness ensconced within the works he has bequeathed to the nation he so dearly loved, than any mere verbal trickle I could ever impart.
The last time Godfrey and I met, on the balcony of his St Julian's apartment, was in the summer of 2012. As he and I always did during these unforgotten encounters - we exchanged niceties, we talked, we swapped ideas, and so typical of Godfrey, there was always the subtle snigger over some matter which was irritating him at the time. Ever the boyish gentleman, despite any inner feelings of ire towards those he perceived as his foe, his word marked the final seal.
On this occasion, Godfrey had taken umbrage at two recent writings of mine. He derided me for translating into Maltese Dun Karm's Il Naufragio di San Paolo a Malta (2007). For in my so doing, in his eyes, my action had dubbed me a Paulist, as if I were some kind of apologist for the Maltese Pauline movement. Completely ignoring my more solid reasons for undertaking this work, - these being the Maltese language itself (my application of the oldest possible Maltese vocabulary to render an ancient tale in similar verbal expression) and literature (style, rhythm, semantics and syntax to render the work as near as possible to a classical form of Maltese) - with not a single syllable uttered by me, in defence of Saint Paul's supposed shipwreck on Maltese shores, in Godfrey's eyes I had relented to the establishment's traditionalist populism.
Next in his firing line was my review (2011) of the scholarly work Tristia ex Melitogaudo by Busuttil, Fiorini and Vella. Adding volatile fuel to his already irrational anger over my choice of academic endeavour, this labour was interpreted by Godfrey as an outright denial by me of Muslim Malta. In the said article I had deliberately left the door wide open to theorising by more knowledgeable scholars than I had been able to muster.
Out of my deep respect towards this humane individual - this great scholar I had the privilege to befriend - I took his admonitions in my stride. Godfrey's manifest annoyance with these two literary efforts of mine seemed tragically to betray the brilliance of a bygone luminary.
I chose not to argue his stance for I sensed that the hour was nigh. Now Malta's doyen of Medieval Maltese history has bowed out. We are the fortunate beneficiaries of his unselfish dedication in shining the light on so many obscurities in our historical past. Wettinger's sagacious research into Malta's medieval historicity has left us with a firm basis for present and future scholars. Hence the days of historical myth making are over.
Professor Godfrey Wettinger lives on in his works and in the avenues he opened up for all future scholars who dare to continue unravelling the myths of our people's past. - Long live cerebral toil in our never ending search for the truth in fresher knowledge to the collective benefit of humanity's wisdom!
Roderick (Rigu) Bovingdon