When you went to our club 99% chance to find freddie there (he lived near our club) freddie was a man you can reason with ,whether if it was pigeons, the weather, a hard race ,politics you name it, freddie was adverse to anything. I remember when I was president of the club, I could rely on him whenever I was tied up at work or abroad during races, always was there, a true clubman. No one has ever said a bad word about him, he lived for his family, which always came first, and his pigeons. This season he was taking care of Anthony Scerri's [Il-perit] pigeons, as he was terminally ill [he died just a few days before freddie] he had good results and looking forward to every race every weekend. only two days before the tragic accident we were reading the clock dials together ,double checking ourselves, that will be our last meeting on earth. Reflecting today, as I am writing this with freedie still to be buried, I think we take everything for granted, I mean when a man like freddie ,full of life, healthy, used to bring me down with just the pressure of his powerfull hands, you don't think about death, about loosing a friend, a good friend.
We had already lost two of our members,but their's was expected, they were terminally ill, not freddie's ,he had so many dreams to fulfill, so many hopes.
The race before the last ,I went to his home to collect a stray pigeon he thought was mine, and as he came near my car with the bird in his hand, his 4 year old daughter came after him , and she started talking like a grown up , I looked at him and I could see his pride in his eyes as he listened to what she had to say.
In these few moments we talked about the imminent death of il perit, about the fortcoming race of manfredonia[660klms] and how he was preparing the "perit's" birds to it, as he was instructed by the 'perit' to keep racing his pigeons even after he died. How cruel life is. who could tell him that a few days after il perit ,he will join him to eternal rest. who could tell him that he will not basket the birds for manfredonia? who could tell his daugther that her daddy won't be coming home again?
Today we shipped the birds to another race , life goes on, although the sombre atmosphere was felt and everyone was griefing silently in his heart
Ray Sammut
30-04-2005
