Lest We Forget… 22 Good News Stories From Malta You May Have Missed In 2019
It’s fair to say that 2019 will go down in Malta’s history books for the political happenings that shook the nation towards the end of the year. However, with a new year (and new decade) to look forward to, it’s worth noting that it’s not all doom and gloom.
Looking back, these are some of the news put a smile on our faces throughout 2019.
1. Giorgia Borg, an 11-year-old Maltese girl, aced her Britain’s Got Talent audition, with Simon Cowell describing her confidence as “staggering”.
2. Malta finally legalised cremation and there was very little controversy over it.
3. Francesca Rausi, a 4-year-old model with Down’s Syndrome, won a number of modelling awards and even got to walk the catwalk with one of Australia’s top models.
4. Two waiters saved a man from drowning in Sliema and were awarded medals of bravery and courage by their local council.
5. Several band clubs voluntarily stopped using plastic balloons in their village feasts. Malta later announced it will completely ban single-use plastics by 2022
6. The FridaysForFuture movement against climate change was officially launched in Malta.
7. Nicole Sciberras, 18, became the first Maltese player to sign for Juventus.
8. Adrian Zammit became a social media celebrity, wooing Malta with his frank commentary on life.
9. Teenage cancer survivor Sara Marston penned a powerful message about her battle against the deadly illness and the love for life she felt after winning it.
10. Neil Agius managed to swim around the entire length of Gozo in just over ten hours to raise awareness on plastic pollution.
11. Shaun Farrugia, a 23-year old producer, signed a publishing deal with the famous British DJ Sigala.
12. A vision of Malta’s buses for the future, which hark back to their traditional colours, was launched.
13. A group of teenagers successfully galvanised people to protest against the uprooting of trees as part of a road project.
14. Frans Attard fulfilled his lifelong dream of skydiving at the age of 77.
15. Mousababa, a Senegalese flower merchant, showed Malta what integration is all about.
16. PN councillor Jeremy Cardona and PL council candidate Joslyn Saliba showed how tribal politics shouldn’t get in the way of love.
17. Fr Kevin Schembri said being gay cannot be bad because God created people with all our variations.
18. A law was proposed to end the automatic jailing of people who grow cannabis for personal use.
19. Europe’s first solar-powered seabin was installed at Spinola Bay.
20. A plan to connect several coastal Maltese towns, from Mellie?a to Marsaxlokk, by public ferry was announced.
21. Queen Elizabeth’s former Malta home of Villa Guardamangia was purchased by the state and will be converted into a museum
22. And several new direct flights were launched from Malta, including to Georgia and Jordan.
Happy New Year everyone!
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