His first brush with death occurred while on the rooftop of a house in Valletta. He saw a German pilot in the cockpit and covered himself with a large piece of wood to protect from the steel debris from bombs.

Meanwhile, he survived another bombing a year later, also in the capital city.

Ganado also enjoyed a somewhat brief stint in politics, being elected as a candidate for PN’s executive committee.

However, this was short lived because he didn’t always agree with George Borg Olivier. In fact, he was kicked out of the committee following a disagreement.

He then joined Democratic Nationalist Party, a new party made up of breakaway PN members, and served as the party’s secretary. This political endeavour was also short-lived.

Ganado quickly discovered cartography, developing a collection of antique maps dating back hundreds of years. He was also recognised for his contribution to cartography by being given the Hellen Wallis Award. He’s the only Maltese person to have received the prestigious title.

In 2008, he eventually gave his map collection to the government in exchange for his family home in Valletta.

Happy birthday, Albert!