|
 This
is a story of destiny and how it effected a whole
large family.
Like many people Toni Pullicino always dreamt of one
day having a family, as he loved the fact that a
nice family to come to, after a hard day's work, is
the best thing to come to. Only the love for his
young bride Ġużeppa nee Mifsud, was greater to his
għana.
Just about when Toni and Josephine (Ġużeppa) were
married, the times in tiny Malta were really tough.
Housing was very difficult to obtain, and if you
did, to have water or electricity was even more
difficult to have, if not impossible. But love
conquers all, Toni was not afraid of hard work, and
the fact that he and Ġużeppa wished to have many
children (as was customary in those days) made him
even more resolute to work hard to start a family.
Hardest to obtain apart from water, electricity and
housing was WORK, and if you did, it paid so bad
that two jobs and side dealing were the order of the
day. If you got a hen or a rabbit you tried to make
some profit and then buy cheaper food. You went
"without", just to see the children eat, sent to
school and clothe them. This was the life many
people lived in the days Toni "It-Tullier" was a
young man.
Joe, the first child, was born soon after the
marriage, then the second and the third etc, as was
the way in those days. The religion also encouraged
young families, and both Josephine and Toni were
good Catholics.
They lived not far from the "Għajn tal-ħasselin" a
place where women washed their clothes in the only
running water source in the region, but they were
still happy, as all the women gathered there to wash
the clothes and sing Maltese folk songs. Their
husbands after all were also singers of "għana".
Msida was then the cradle of the whole "għana"
movement. In those days għana was everywhere, the
"tea shops" like "Ta' Pawlu", "Tal-Fusa" and the
famous "Ta-Leli Tal-Bajd" etc, were full of folk
singers, it was like the whole village was an "għana
haven".
 Ġużeppa's
day was hectic, full of very hard work, the only joy
would have been if she could cook something nice for
her Toni and the children, after the hard days
carrying water on her shoulders, scrubbing the stone
floors. And after all this, you had to be a magician
to make ends meet and then still find what to cook
for a family which practically had you child in hand
and one on the way, plus there were no washing
machines, fridges, or cookers then. Nowadays women
do not seem to remember the hardship endured then.
Toni worked on the docks. In those days you had to
be a cut above the rest to make it at work, as your
boss could sooner sack you then explain how the work
had to be carried out. You had to know your work
fast, you had to be obedient, "yes sir I'll do that
sir, ok sir " and fly off the seat of your patched
pants, you had to..
The above describes the days when "It-Tullier"
was a young father living with his family in what
amounts to a small three roomed farm house. How hard
it must have been to see your children not having
any toys to play with, fruit or ice cream for
desert, soft drinks and many other things that now
we take for granted. It must have been harder for
young Ġużeppa not knowing were the next meal is
coming from, to feed so many mouths. The pay was
spent the next day it was brought home. Relatives
and friends used to be the only solace that made you
go on. And then there was "għana" the source
of your inspiration, your dreams, your expression,
somewhat similar to the blacks of the cotton fields,
singing in the heat of day while they work to keep
their mind off the heat, of the pain, and of the
fact that you are poor. Your heart sings out deep
sounds of true passion, and as you sing your words
of pain they drive you to think there is a better
life somewhere, and you spend your day at work, in a
a fantasy of dreams and hopes of a better tomorrow.
Because of all of this, the best għannejja
used to gather at the many tea shops. The best met
the best and as they tried each other in spirtu
pront, or other forms of għana, they become
better and better. Their voices reached new octaves,
news sounds and new heights. One of these people was
Toni "It-Tullier". He was kind, he had many
friends, he had a voice like not many others. His
gift was that he could sing with the outmost passion
which made you feel his pain, his joy, and his true
feelings. He was, what you heard is what you got.
In his village he was loved for his għana and
for his spirit. He would help everybody and would
give you the shirt off his back if he could.
16th April 1966
 Msida
was solemn on the day "It-Tullier" took his
two eldest sons to the Grand Harbour in Valletta. He
promised Ġużeppa that he would see her in Australia
when he settled down and got himself and his sons a
job, when he would once again fill his arms with his
children, and his heart with the love of the whole
family, but for now it was goodbye.
The journey was long. The "Achille Lauro",
the ship that was to take them to Australia took
some weeks to reach their new home. This was time
wasted, as in this time Toni could have worked
enough to get a home rented and hear the screams of
his eight other children and their laughs. Yes they
still laughed. The Pullicino family was one of the
tightest knit families on God's earth.
Toni's family and Ġużeppa never left his thoughts,
he would sing to himself to give himself courage and
dream that one day he will have a home in the "lucky
country", the land of milk and honey, the land
of plenty.
When he arrived his first priority was to get a job,
a house, and yes, when all this was done to look up
his friends from the għana family, the ones who did
the same thing as he was doing some time before him.
In those days to get to emigrate was like a lottery.
Toni never went to għana until his entire family was
once again with him. When the rest of the family
arrived after many weeks, you can imagine the sheer
joy, it was their best ever day, they were together
again, now life should be good, the children's
voices, their laughter, and new found happiness
drove him to work hard, to give them what they
needed, and then what they wanted maybe as well.
Oh what joy this was, living in a country where you
work hard just the same but you could buy
everything, good food, clothes, fruits and even some
luxuries. With ten children, even if you earned good
money you needed to be careful. Toni was in heaven,
he works, he comes home spends time with the
children and three or four times a week meets with
his friends to sing. To sing the għana he so longed
for. This was his escape, his only outside passion,
his window to his soul.
 His
children went to school, some wanted to learn and
they become very successful, some wanted to still
live the Malta way, loving horses, għana, and all
things Maltese. Some adopted both cultures, but
Ġużeppa, was the happiest, she could now buy all
that she needed. She could give them meat, even
everyday, or what ever they liked. The days of the
water in buckets, and fire for light in the house,
and cramped living conditions were over, thank God.
Toni and his two eldest children Joe and Charlie
went to work at Bostik, the firm that loved
the Pullicino's as family. They would get to work on
time, they would do their share, they would bring
joy to the factory floor, and always there to help
any one who needed. Ġużeppa was as happy working in
the kitchen. The floors had colourful patterns
unlike the floor she had in Malta. She pressed a
button, and the fire lit up a huge oven where she
could cook a large dish (army size) of her delicious
dishes. The kids came home from school or work and
it was Toni's joy to see them all eat together, and
to let them even pinch food from his plate.
Then it was on to għana. "It-Tullier"
was happy and he sang like he never sang before. His
fatti were now a rare treasure. His spirtu
pront always above the belt, and kind, his la
Bormliża sounds were the best you will ever
hear, and yes even his makkjetta were a treat
for the ear. He was an all-rounder, which is why he
became famous in the għana field. Even today
after many years, his name is still alive. As the
older generation passes on to the great "tea shop"
in the sky to meet with our beloved Toni "It-Tullier",
it is worth remembering his name and to listen to
his extraordinary voice, the voice that sang what
the heart felt.
Toni Pullicino died at the age of 41, on the 17th
April 1968. |
