Tribute to Mario

Frans Ghirxi, the editor of the popular daily L-Orizzont, pays tribute to Mario Azzoppardi - a UnionPrint employee for the last 26 years who has died aged 45. In the past, Mario was editor of Antenna magazine and a Hamrun local councillor. From L-Orizzont:

Bhal kull haddiem iehor fil-qasam tal-pubblikazzjonijiet tal-Union Press, partikolarment dawk konnessi b’mod dirett mal-gurnal l-orizzont, kont ili ninnota li Mario kien sejjer lura fejn jirrigwarda sahhtu. Il-bidla fih ta’ dawn l-ahhar gimghat, fejn minn bniedem li jara x’se jivvinta x’jaghmel ghal wahda fejn kemm kemm ilahhaq ma’ dak ferm inqas min-“normal” tieghu, kienet bhal xemgha li ftit ftit kienet waslet lejn tmiemha. Madankollu, minkejja l-istennija ta’ l-ahbar, aktar u aktar wara li l-gurnata ta’ qabel kont informat minn huh Raymond li Mario kien jinsab fl-ITU u li “ma nahsibx li jsebbah”, xorta wahda l-bierah inhsadt x’hin ghal habta tas-7.30 ta’ fil-ghodu gejt informat li Mario miet.

Ma tistax ma tinhasadx, ghax xorta tibqa’ tittama li siehbek se jirnexxielu jehlisha b’wicc il-gid, anke jekk tkun taf kemm dan kien difficli. Daqstant iehor se jkun difficli ghalina mil-lum ’il quddiem li naccettaw li Mario m’ghadux maghna, li Mario mhux gej ghax-xoghol, li ma’ Mario mhux se niccajtaw aktar fuq baned, marci, futbol u mitt hag’ohra...

L-ahhar tislima lil Mario - minn Owen Galea