Sir Anthony Mamo was the first President of Malta and previously served as the last Governor-General of the State of Malta before our little rock became a republic on 13^th December 1974. Although never directly involved in politics, he was appointed as Chief Justice of Malta, and was loved by the people. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 99, and Mater Dei’s oncology centre is named in his honour.

Mabel Strickland was one boss lady. She was an Anglo-Maltese journalist, newspaper proprietor, and politician. The daughter of Sir Gerald Strickland (the fourth Prime Minister of Malta), she founded a newspaper group on the island, and in 1935, became editor of The Times of Malta and ‘Il-Berqa’ before taking over as Managing Director of the Group after the death of her father. Told you – boss lady. Strickland died at the ripe old age of 89 and is buried next to her father – her role model.

Mizzi founded the Partito Anti-Riformista in 1880, which later became known as the Partito Nazionale. He was strongly pro-Italian, and opposed British anglicisation efforts in Malta. In the eyes of the Maltese, Mizzi was seen as the leader of the Nationalist Movement in Malta and called ‘Padre della Patria’.

A Maltese politician, Agatha Barbara served as a Labour Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister. She was also the first woman to hold the office of the President of Malta. She also holds the (unofficial) title of the longest-standing woman MP in Maltese political history. Barbara worked as an air raid warden during World War II and supervised a kitchen set up by the British to feed the population. During her political career she became known as a warm defender of economic and social reforms. She stuck to her guns and participated in protests that landed her 43 days of hard labour!

This Gozitan lawyer, who served as an inspector in the police force in his early years, served as deputy Prime Minister in 1971, and in 1976 succeeded Sir Anthony Mamo as the second President of Malta. Buttigieg also delved into writing, being the law reporter and leader writer of The Times of Malta from 1946 to 1948. He also distinguished himself in the field of literature, publishing various collections and taking home a number of awards.

Dun Karm Psaila is the national poet of Malta and wrote the Innu Malti (National Anthem of Malta) in the early 1920s. He has been dubbed as ‘the bard of Malta,’ a fitting name for such a prolific poet! Psaila first only wrote in Italian, but published his first poetry collection in Maltese, Il-Musbieh tal-Muzew, in 1920. He also took on the great feat of compiling a dictionary of English and Maltese in three volumes.

Duminku (more commonly known as Dom) Mintoff, was the leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 1984. The Maltese politician led Malta to become a Republic in 1974, and gain freedom in 1979, as Malta was a British colony. Mintoff was the eighth Prime Minister of Malta and helped create a comprehensive welfare state, nationalised corporations, and improved the general standard of living on the islands. However, his tenure was marred by a stagnant economy and outbreaks of political violence, many of which had a lasting effect on the locals.

Mary Meilak was a Maltese poet. She wrote her first poem when she was 25 years old in 1930. Fifteen years later, she published her first collection of poems. The talented writer also published collections of essays, three novels, two operas, and some operetti. Quite the portfolio!

Sir Temi Zammit was truly a Renaissance man. He was an archaeologist and historian, professor of chemistry, medical doctor, researcher and writer, serving as Rector (1920 – 1926) of the Royal University of Malta and the first Director of the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta. His 1905 discovery of contaminated milk which caused undulant fever, or ‘Malta fever’, eventually earned him a knighthood. The University of Malta’s auditorium in Msida is named in honour of Sir Temi Zammit and is the location of various student events as well as other performances.

Miriam Gauci is a Maltese operatic soprano, and is particularly renowned for her lyric Italian roles. Trained at the prestigious Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi of Milan, the talented soprano has performed in places such as Vienna, Munich, Hamburg, and the United States, and stolen the show in operas such as La bohème, Manon, Carmen, Le nozze di Figaro and Madama Butterfly!