Malta: New lease of life for Qormi WWII shelter

From the Malta Independent Online: New lease of life for Qormi WWII shelter
An underground network of rooms dug out during World War II as air raid shelters, hidden beneath the winding roads of Qormi for the past 60 years or so, were yesterday opened for public appreciation by Fondazzjoni Ulied Qormi and Kumitat Festi Esterni San Gorg Martri Qormi.

George Debono ta’ Minka, an 85-year-old man, was a young boy when the shelter was still in use to offer protection from the air raids. He told this newspaper how his father used to abandon the work in their farm to seek shelter for his family in the shelter.

“Before the shelters were dug out, people used to think that they would be safe if they stayed under the arches of their basements but they were very wrong, because many lost their lives because the basement ceilings collapsed after the bombings,” he said.

Yesterday, he laughed watching people go up and down the shelter stairs smiling. “We didn’t use to smile back when we sought shelter in these rooms,” he told The Malta Independent.

“We spent many days surviving on a small ration of bread which was given to us at 7am. In the evening, the victory kitchens gave out a portion of soup made from who knows what,” he recalled.

Yesterday’s occasion will not be a unique one, as the two NGOs plan on opening the shelter regularly thanks to a guardianship deed signed with the Lands Department and the Superintendence of Culture Heritage. Thanks to this deed the curatorship of the shelter was passed on to the two NGOs.

The shelter comprises around 20 rooms and has five exits, some of them lead to residences along Qormi’s main street which begins near the church dedicated to St George in the main square and winds to the outskirts of Cittá Pinto.

Labour MP and FUQ’s president Marie Louise Coleiro said the foundation is very proud to be working on appreciating Qormi’s heritage.

“These shelters offered some sense of security to Qormi’s residents during the war. Qormi contributed to welcoming people who were evacuated from the harbour region during the war. We had refugees from various localities,” she said.

These shelters will be a showcase of our town and country’s history, she added, FUQ and the feast committee will work on rendering it accessible to offer a unique attraction to tourists attracted to our locality.

Parliamentary Secretary Clyde Pulí described the shelters as a symbol of the community’s commitment to protect its heritage and its evolving identity.

Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi said he was very happy to be celebrating Qormi’s community’s sense of belonging. He added that the guardianship deed is possible thanks to the Cultural Heritage Law.

“We are trusting NGOs with unique gems that belong to one and all. In the coming days we will trust more NGOs with more heritage sites. It is thanks to these NGOs that the rest of the Maltese people can become aware of what we are so proud of,” Dr Azzopardi added.

The shelters are a reminder of difficult wartimes but also a memorial to the Maltese people’s genius. In times when modern technology was not available, he said, the shelters are also a symbol of unity and the sense of ‘family’ which characterised older times but which are still valid and should be rekindled today.

Qormi mayor Jesmond Aquilina thanked the NGOs for entering such a high-level commitment and welcomed the NGOs initiative to offer tourists and locals an alternative attraction.

In a few days time the feast committee will be organising the Qormi Wine Festival celebrating the town’s old wine making tradition. The shelter will be open for viewing during the festival being held on 2 and 3 September.