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Tribute to Dr George Bonello Dupuis
24th January 1928 - 19th February 2010
R.I.P.
On February 19, at Mater Dei Hospital, George Bonello Dupuis, aged 82, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family, comforted by the rites of Holy Church. He leaves to mourn his loss, his wife Iris, his children Etienne and his wife Josette, Solange, Georges and his wife Debbie, his grandchildren Kevin, Fabrice, Shaun, Sophie, Tara, Luc and Matthew, his brother and sisters, Albert, May, Edith, Monica and their respective spouses, his in-laws Winifred and Gino Gauci Maistre, nephews, nieces and numerous friends.
George Bonello Dupuis was the best thing that ever happened to the Maltese community in the UK.
The Maltese Community in the UK unlike Australia and Canada never had much going for it. Scattered and unorganised many a wish was to have some sort of organisation supported by the Maltese authorities to give the community some identity and a sense of belonging. While attempts were made to organise social activities for the community much of this failed and what succeeded was few and far between and not much to shout about in any case.
It was not until 1999; our organisation the Maltese Culture Movement was barely a year old when Dr George Bonello Dupuis was appointed High Commissioner for Malta in the UK. At that time we were organising our first Carnival Dance and so we took the opportunity and invited Dr Dupuis to be our Guest of Honour. He came together with Mrs Bonello Dupuis and so remote was the community from the Maltese authorities that when we announced that we’ve been honoured with the presence of our new Maltese High Commissioner and his wife, some of the children were asking the question ‘is she the Queen?’ This was his very first function in the UK, before he even met with the Queen to give his credentials. What an honour that was for us as a newly formed Maltese Association and what strength that gave the community and us to continue organising with convictions! That was Saturday 13th February 1999.
After that George Bonello Dupuis together with Mrs Bonello Dupuis attended every one of our functions until the day his term ended. There was one time when he was very concerned and said to me ‘Bernard, I don’t know what to do but I have the President coming on the same day that you are having your Imnarja Celebration and I may not be able to attend the mass or even attend at all’. So I said candidly, High Commissioner, that’s not a problem that’s an opportunity. I said why not meet the President and see if he can come and meet with us on such an occasion. We don’t always have an opportunity like this. And to our amazement the next thing was that Professor Guido De marco the President of Malta is on his way to meet the Maltese Community. That was on Saturday 30th June 2001 when Professor De marco together with Dr Borg were on their way to China. That year we also had Enzo Gusman entertaining.
In the year 2000 under his umbrella as a High Commissioner the Maltese associations in the UK came together and formulated the Malta Day-UK Celebrations. On Saturday 8th September 2001 the Maltese Community in the UK for the very first time were proudly and publicly celebrating Malta Day - the Feast of Our Lady of Victories, with procession in the Streets of Westminster, Solemn Mass at Westminster Cathedral, concelebrated by the Vicar General Monsignor Depasquale and other Maltese clergy, a Maltese Fair and Brass Band playing Maltese Marci in the streets.
Dr George Bonello Dupuis was also the prime mover for the George Cross Island Association (GCIA) initiative to erect a monument near All Hallows Church in Tower Place close to the Tower of London commemorating Operation Pedestal – more commonly known to the Maltese as the Santa Maria Convoy. The President of Malta at the time, Dr Edward Fenech Adami inaugurated this on the 15th August 2005. Dr Dupuis was present for the ceremony sadly not in his capacity as High Commissioner as his term had already ended earlier that year. But thanks to his efforts during his term the GCIA and the Community are proud to celebrate annually a part of Malta’s History by laying wreaths at the memorial remembering all those who gave their lives defending the Islands during this episode in the Second World War.
After so many years through Dr George Bonello Dupuis, the Maltese in the UK had found someone to relish their cause. And that does not surprise me as I went on to learn more about this extraordinary man, throughout his career he always championed the cause whatever that was. Everything he did he did it whole-heartedly, with pride and humility, with precedence and compassion. He had great passion for football and that’s not just for Sliema Wonderers of whom he was the President for many years but also for Arsenal, who he strongly supported.
For the small person he was physically, as he often joked about, Dr George Bonello Dupuis made giant leaps that changed many perceptions among Maltese people in the community who might have regarded the position of High Commissioner as someone totally distant from them. With his personal dedication to reach out to the citizens of Malta residing in the United Kingdom he managed to attract people closer to the High Commission and restored their trust towards the Maltese authorities.
On many occasions he opened the Malta House and invited the Maltese to come and commemorate the national days of Malta, with a Bibita, be it Independence Day or Republic Day or anything that was significant to Malta and the Maltese. In the short few years of running the Malta House in London, Dr Dupuis brought together many of the scattered Maltese community in Great Britain and unified the people in a significant patriotic manner that re-generated a sense of belonging to their motherland and became an inspiration to all those who encountered him.
The heartbreaking news of the passing of Dr George Bonello Dupuis has been received with great sorrow. We are left with the memory of a person who contributed largely to progress and economical stability in the Maltese Islands while serving in government, as well as his serious commitment to the welfare of the people while heading the Maltese Diplomatic Mission in London. It has indeed been a great honour to have known Dr George Bonello Dupuis and worked with him and under his auspices in a way that created a legacy which continues to subsist among the people of our community in this country.
May God welcome you George with open arms as you always welcomed us!
I convey our condolences to Mrs Bonello Dupuis and the rest of the Bonello Dupuis family on behalf of the Maltese Community in the UK.
Bernard
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