Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/212250
9 News maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2013 JFK remembered, 50 years since his assassination Call for the provision of Support Worker 2013 ' Promoting an eq ual and incl usive labour marke t. ' months before the shooting, on 9 September, Malta's Prime Minister at the time, George Borg Olivier, had visited Kennedy at the White House and he believed that his meeting would help to increase the President's reputation in Malta. "Borg Olivier was impressed by Kennedy's depth of knowledge about Malta. The visit increased the Maltese population's appreciation towards the American president. The great majority were hoping that the US would help Malta once we attain independence. When he died, we mourned for someone we regarded as a friend," he said. Zahra was not the only one to be shocked by the news of Kennedy's murder. Charles Mizzi, at the time a 22-year old journalist with l-Orizzont, initially thought that the rumour going around was a joke. "I remember I was in Valletta at the time when I heard the news. A person in the street was shouting out that Kennedy had just been shot. I couldn't believe it at first, in fact I thought he was joking!" he recalled. "Many people in Malta were very upset about it," he said. "It was a big, big tragedy and one which left a lasting impact on anyone that remembers it," he said. Mizzi had first heard of Kennedy whilst living and working in the United States, where he stayed until 1959. He quickly became aware that Kennedy was "something different". "I remember this young senator by the name of John Kennedy coming through the political ranks. There seemed to be something different about him, he wasn't your average politician – he had a certain charisma about him," he said. "When he became President, and up until his death, I remember being struck by how many people in Malta liked him," he said, adding his belief that the fact that Kennedy was the first Catholic President of the United States helped in this regard. "The Maltese were always going to take to that." Karmenu Micallef, a colleague of Mizzi's at the L-Orizzont, agreed that this was probably one of the reasons why the Maltese liked the American president. "The Maltese took a liking to him in a way that they hadn't with any other US President until then, and probably since then too. Historically, we're not a people overly concerned about foreign political leaders, unless the person in question has a direct influence on Malta. But because Kennedy, the most influential leader in the world, was Catholic and was open about his beliefs, the Maltese felt they could relate to the man." Part of Micallef's job at the time was to work on the newspaper's front page and he said that the next day's front page had already been decided upon but had to be scrapped because of the Kennedy assassination. He said that Malta's admiration for Kennedy showed when, only a few months after the assassination, a campaign was launched to honour the late President by building a garden in his name. The garden was co-funded by American citizens living in Malta and the US government and it was to become the Kennedy Grove we all know today. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death, a new movie 'Parkland' has been made. The movie, named after the hospital where Kennedy was pronounced dead, focuses on the immediate aftermath of the shooting, from the eyes of the doctors and nurses who were unable to save the President's life. tattardmontalto@mediatoday.com.mt a contract f or servi ce b asis. The Project Leader ESF 3.113 Employment Support for Persons with Disabilities Call for the provision of Study Support Workers Employment and Training Corporation E S F 3. 113 E mployment S u pport f or Person w ith D isab ilities Operational Programme II – Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life Investing in your future