THE NATIONAL ORDER OF MERIT
HONORARY OFFICER
JOHN JOSEPH AQUILINA U.O.M.
(in absentia)
Born in Malta and emigrating to Australia in 1956 with his parents, John Aquilina graduated from Sydney University and worked as a High School teacher of History and English for nearly 10 years before becoming a Member of Parliament.
He started his political activity in 1970 when he joined the Australian Labour Party at the age of 20. He served his party in Local Government between 1977 and 1983, and at 27 occupied the seat of Mayor of the Alderman Blacktown City Council between 1977 and 1981.
Elected to the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales in November 1981, Aquilina has served on a number of Committees in various positions. Between 2003 and 2007 he was elected Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly. He has also been appointed Minister on various occasions. In 1995, as Minister for Education and Training, the Maltese language was given recognition and is now taught for the Higher School Certificate. He was also Shadow Minister for Education and Training between 1988 and 1995. He is currently Leader of the House in the Legislative Assembly and Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier.
Aquilina is a success story of a person born in Malta who never forgot his roots. He has championed the causes of Maltese migrants including that of extending Dual Citizenship, which ironically he could not benefit from being a member of the NSW parliament.
HONORARY OFFICER
SHAUN WALLIS U.O.M.
Instrumental in the negotiations between the Government of Malta and the HSBC Group during the sale of the Mid-Med bank. Wallis made his mark on the Maltese scene because of his deep interest in Malta’s heritage and environment. He set up two funds for assisting Malta’s different needs in both these spheres. Through his initiative HSBC Malta were the first promoters of the 34U as well as investors in the EcoSkola project. He also facilitated the participation of Malta in the Project Climate Change organized by HSBC worldwide.
Wallis supported Malta despite a harsh international competition in attracting the setting up of an international Call Centre for HSBC. This resulted in the creation of 500 new jobs. He was also instrumental in the setting up of the Gozo Service Centre, creating much needed employment in the sister island.
During his tenure in Malta as HSBC’s Chief Executive Officer, the bank achieved record profits for its shareholders, however during his tenure he also imbued the bank with a sense of corporate social responsibility. Has been with the HSBC Group for over 30 years and served in Asia, the Middle East and in Europe. Following his stint in Malta, Wallis was appointed Chief Executive HSBC Bank in Brazil and is now posted in Hong Kong as Global Head of Business Management
MEMBER
MARIE THERESE CAMILLERI PODESTA` M.O.M.
Graduated in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Malta in 1969. Appointed research assistant at the University of Malta in 1971, graduated M.Phil in 1975 and completed her Ph.D. at Guy’s Hospital, London in 1979. Was the first female to be appointed full time professor, and remained the only female professor for over 20 years.
Has headed the department of Anatomy several times and has also been acting head of the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry in the past.Is also an ex ufficio member of the Faculty Board of Medicine and Surgery and that of Dental Surgery and is chairperson of the Faculty Admissions Committee. Has collaborated with the Department of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Malta and with the Department of Pathology to carry out in-vitro testing on human cancer cell lines. Internationally, collaborations are ongoing with the Department of Bio-organic Pharmacy of Pisa and Nottingham University, U.K.
As President of the Gender Issues Committee at the University, Camilleri Podesta` strives to lessen the inequality between sexes on campus and interests herself in other local issues such as domestic violence. Is also a member of the University Research Ethics Committee and of the ACCESS–Disability Support Committee. Appointed by the Maltese Law courts to carry out medico-legal post-mortem examinations. She is also a member of the Council of Health.
MEMBER
MIRIAM CAUCHI M.O.M.
From a young age Miriam Cauchi used to sing at every available opportunity and sang in schools, choirs, church activities, musicals and local festivals. Her roots do not include any particular musical background and it was her sheer determination, and her inner spirit, that led her to reach a very high standard in her musical profession.
Miriam Cauchi is a firmly established Maltese soprano, making a name for herself both in Malta and overseas. Graduating with full honours from the Sofia State Music Academy in 1997, she furthered her studies in Milan and attended master classes in Barcelona. She is the recipient of the Gheorghi Slatev Cherkin Competition and the Bulgarian XIV National Competition Svetoslav Obretenov. Possessing a rich, clear and velvety voice that enables her to tackle a wide range of repertoire from Italian bel canto opera, oratorio, to lieder and contemporary works, Cauchi has performed extensively in Malta, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, Bulgaria, and America.
Miriam Cauchi is also very much in demand for recitals with pianoforte and chamber ensembles. She is a major ambassador of Maltese vocal music having recorded important compositions by Maltese composers, such as Abos, Camilleri, Isouard, Vassallo, Vella and Zerafa.
MEMBER
JOHANN DE BONO M.O.M.
(in absentia)
Born and raised in Malta, graduated from Glasgow University in 1989 in Medicine and Surgery. Completed his Ph.D. and M.Sc. at the Beatson Institute of Cancer Research in Glasgow in 1997.
de Bono joined The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust in 2003 as a Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology. As well as research, he is involved in training and supervising Ph.D. and M.D. (Res) research students and treating patients with castration resistant prostate cancer.
Johann de Bono has received many awards during his career, holds editorial roles at peer-reviewed journals and is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (London) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. He is the UK European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) representative and currently sits on the ESMO Board of Directors as well as the NCRI Prostate Cancer Clinical Studies Group. Has been involved in developing more than 100 potential new drugs over the past decade, several of which are now available to patients. His current research is to create new molecular targeted therapies to improve treatment for prostate cancer patients.
MEMBER
CHARLES MAGRO M.O.M.
Born in Birżebbuġa, Magro’s career has been intertwined between teaching, writing poetry and union activity. In 1961 started his educational career as a teacher at primary and secondary levels and also served as a librarian and as a guidance teacher. Taught also at the Institute of Tourism Studies, the Circolo Dante Alighieri and the Police Academy.
Magro was also involved in trade unionism, and in 1995 was appointed Secretary General of the Confederation of Malta Trade Unions. Magro was also a council member of the Malta Union of Teachers for 14 years.
Magro’s publications include books, articles in various papers, apart from having a number of his poems published in various anthologies. Magro also wrote an Oratorio dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel and the official hymn of Fgura.
After his retirement from the public service, Magro has kept an active life, as secretary of the Ghaqda Poeti Maltin, member of the Akkademja tal-Malti and of the Ghaqda tal-Malti (Università). Has long been Chairman of the Fgura Parish Council and is the International Secretary of the Malta Catholic Action.
MEMBER
VICTOR MUSCAT M.O.M.
Born in Valletta in 1939 he studied at the Lyceum and the Royal University of Malta graduating as a Medical Doctor in 1964.
He was one of the first persons in Malta to have specialised in the then emerging field of Oncology by furthering his studies at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London in 1970, and has been practising as a specialist in oncology in the Maltese islands for the last 40 years. Muscat has been closely supporting cancer patients during all these years, even working past his retirement. His role at Sir Paul Boffa Hospital is to diagnose the type of cancer from which the patient is suffering and prescribe the treatment best suited to combat the disease. Through periodicals, journals and conferences he strives to keep abreast of developments in the treatment of cancer. In addition he was actively involved in awareness campaigns on all media, and has been giving continuous support and assistance to the Malta Hospice Movement.
Testimony to the work carried out by Muscat, with the assistance of the staff in the Radiotherapy department at Boffa Hospital, are the numerous patients who over the years have been either cured or had their life prolonged as a result of treatment given. His humane qualitites with his patients and their families were a hallmark of his practice and in recognition of his service in the treatment of cancer in Malta, he was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists in 2002 a very rare achievement since this is only normally awarded through examinations.
MEMBER
FRANCIS J VASSALLO M.O.M
Shortly after traineeship with the Sciclunas Bank, Vassallo moved to Milan where he joined the Chase Manhattan Bank. Later on he moved to New York where he taught Credit Analysis with the bank there. Vassallo read economics at the University of Malta from where he graduated in 1970.
Appointed assistant general manager of Chase Manhattan in the Dominican Republic in 1975, but later returned to New York working on the financing of precious and non-precious metals. Was also responsible for the bank’s commodities in South America.
Transferred to London in 1979 and in 1983 appointed the marketing manager of the bank’s Geneve-based private banking arm. Following further high ranking appointments in Luxembourg and Spain, in 1991 he was appointed general manager of the Chase Manhattan Private Bank in Switzerland with responsibility for Southern Europe. In 1993, after 23 years, Vassallo returned to Malta where he was appointed as Governor of the Central Bank of Malta as well as a director on the board of the Malta Financial Services Centre.
Currently Vassallo is working in private local banking in a private capacity.
MIDALJA GĦALL-QLUBIJA
JAMES MUSCAT M.R.Q.
Bravery is generally associated with a heroic act or a courageous act such as saving someone from drowning or from being engulfed in flames. Normally the person performing an act of altruism acts on the spur of the moment without reflecting on the danger.
An act of bravery however can also involve a very conscious planned out action and a difficult decision to make such as when a person consciously donates one of is organs with a view to saving another person’s life.
This is what happened in this case. Muscat came to know that a person needed a kidney transplant to stay alive, and although the person was not someone who is next of kin, Muscat volunteered to donate one of his kidneys. This act has so far been the first and sole transplant donation by a donor, during his lifetime, to another who is not related to the donor. There are other donors in Malta but normally donations during one’s lifetime are restricted to close family members.
Muscat today is the Vice President of the Transplant Support Group and works unceasingly to foster a culture of organ donation by taking part in meetings and TV and radio programmes with a view to spreading the groups’ message and to encourage other persons to become donors.
MIDALJA GĦALL-QADI TAR-REPUBBLIKA
MARTIN BORG M.R.Q.
For several years Borg was the provincial of the Order of De La Salle Brothers in Malta. Under his term of office the three colleges, De La Salle College, Stella Maris College and St Benild were refurbished with the most modern teaching facilities.
During the 1980’s Borg was involved in the negotiations regarding the future of Church Schools and also in the setting up of the Parents Teachers Associations in Church Schools and was also one of the founders of the Federation of the Parent Teachers Association.
Bro Martin as he is popularly known can also be considered as a pioneer in the issue of education for children with special needs. Under his leadership the Lasallian colleges became more inclusive as they opened their doors to children with special needs. He was appointed President of the Eden Foundation between 2006 and 2008.
For a number of years he was the chairman of the Maltese Council of FISEC (International Sports Federation for Catholic Schools).
Bro Martin was also the chairman of the De La Salle Brothers Publications, instigating the publication of the ‘Malta Year Book’ and the revision of Maltese grammar books such as ‘Grammatika Maltija’ and ‘Ilsien Pajjiżi’.
In 2008 he was instrumental in organising the Maltese group of athletes who participated in the Paralympics held in Beijing, China.
MIDALJA GĦALL-QADI TAR-REPUBBLIKA
GAETANO BUTTIGIEG M.R.Q.
An economist by profession, Gaetano Buttigieg is synonymous with the Cooperatives Movement in Malta. Having worked for some time with cooperatives in Finland, Buttigieg has strived since 1975 to organize the Koperattiva Produtturi tal-Ħalib on sound footings and ameliorate the quality of life of its members.