The night I was informed of Justin’s untimely death left me speechless, but to be honest I sat and recalled all the memorable moments I shared with him both as a friend and as a colleague. Although in shock, it triggered a film-like sequence to my experiences with Justin. He stood out as the calmest and the jolliest within a team of hard-working journalists, producers, editors and cameramen at Net TV.
Pressures were extreme, as the years between 2001 and 2004 were characterised by long working hours given the build-up to a referendum campaign and a general election. By the year 2003, all of us at Net TV became an enviable team, and Justin was proud to be part of it.
The very long hours at work drew us all closer to each other. Every single one of us felt part of a family. We went beyond the definition of a team, we had a bond with each other, and we were all driven by an ideal.
It wasn’t the politics, but the love we had to do things and to do them right.
Behind a computer, patiently inputting images and putting them together, Justin was the one many of us journalists wanted to work with. Whatever the problem, Justin would sort it out.
With his typical calm attitude, not to mention also the great smile he always brought to work, Justin simply was the man to rely on.
It came to me as no surprise that when the news broke out that Justin had passed away, all of us who were part of that formidable team were all in contact with each other, many of us after so much time. In a few words, Justin actually brought the team together again.
The team at Net TV was popular, but Justin never sought the limelight. He did his job with pride and did it well.
I was his witness on his wedding day in October 2003 and I cannot forget his excitement when just up to 12 hours before the ceremony, we exchanged SMSs. I was in New York, he was at home seeing to his last visitors. “Are you sure you will make it?” I promised him I will be there on time, and I did… I got to Malta just an hour before the wedding and made it to the church on time! That night, Justin and Isabel consolidated their dream.
His long-time friend Gianni Zammit broke the tradition of sober weddings, and made Justin’s one of the most “rock-based” weddings which Justin really wanted. As his father Walter always said, “Justin is like me, why not break the rules?”
Sarah, his precious jewel, was the consolidation of his purpose for life. On one of his internet profiles he wrote, that the best news he ever received was the announcement that “she has 10 fingers and 10 toes” – at 32, Justin was a proud father, inseparable from his wife and daughter.
Justin formed part of a close-knit family. He was gifted with a fair mix of his father’s flair for life and his mother’s gentleness. He was proud to have them support him in all he did.
When most of us went on to pursue different paths in 2004, Justin chose his way, and he continued on radio at 8.97 Bay. But he went a step further to pursue his dream, that of having his own radio station, Vibe FM. Together with Gianni Zammit and Terry Farrugia he made it and eight months on Vibe FM is not only established on the market, but is ranked among the top radio stations on the island.
Music played on even after his death, and this is what he surely would have wanted. Music was in him, it was part of his life. 2009 was a dream come true for Justin, but also the end of the road for him amongst us mortals.
While we miss him, we celebrate his life, his achievements, his examples and his unforgettable smile. Farewell Justin, may you rest in peace, for you have and will always be part of that team that made a nation proud!
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