Author Profiles:
Steve Borg was born in 1964 and grew up in Plymouth, England and Marsascala, Malta. He took his education at the Archbishop’s Seminary and the University of Malta, where he graduated as a librarian. In 1987 he completed an Olympic Solidarity course in waterpolo coaching, under the aegis of Nicolae Firouiu. He coached and ran the Marsascala waterpolo nursery. To his credit his U/16 team won numerous waterpolo tournaments and national swimming meetings.
His crop of players helped establish his home team as one of the island’s foremost clubs. Several of his players made it to the national Malta waterpolo team. Successfully organised three international waterpolo tournaments won by Heliopolis Cairo, University of Moscow and Dunfermline between 1990 and 1992. A freelance sports journalist, he contributed many articles for foreign and local newspapers between 1986 and 1993. In 1985 he co-authored a publication with Mario Meli and Victor Sammut, entitled It-Team Nazzjonali Malti.
Between 1995 and 2000 he was the PRO of Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna – Malta Heritage Trust, where he actively lobbied and campaigned towards the scheduling and protection of heritage sites and urban village cores in the Maltese Islands. He was also a member of a Planning Authority Board during the period. He was also involved as a logistics supporter and campaigner with Greenpeace Mediterranean between 1996 and 1999 on the Arctic Sunrise, Sirius and Rainbow Warrior.
In 1997 he co-produced a controversial pro-environmental television series on Maltese television called SCAN. In November of the same year His Holiness The Dalai Lama entrusted him with a message to the people of Malta, and encouraged him to make the Maltese people more aware about Tibet and the Tibetan people. He is still committed to the Tibetan cause.
In July 1999 he undertook a course in woodland conservation in Brackloon Woods, County Mayo, Ireland. An avid traveller, he rates West Africa as the best region visited, although his love for his native islands find no equal. In 2000 he co-founded the musical ensemble Etnika, that has managed to resuscitate traditional Maltese instruments and in June 2001 won – with Etnika’s other members – the Malta Music Award for Achievement. Borg managed to identify and make public Edward Jones’ Ancient Maltese Melodies, hitherto unknown to the general public.
On his suggestion Maltapost issued a set of five stamps on old traditional Maltese instruments in August 2001 using Etnika as the unofficial medium. He is Etnika’s archival and field researcher. In February 2003 he co-produced with Adrian Grima, Adrian Mamo and Sina Farrugia, Walter Micallef’s debut album M’Jien Xejn [I am Nothing]. He is also Micallef’s music promoter.
In 2001, together with Etnika co-founder Guzi Gatt, he co-produced and presented 'Gheruqna' [Our Roots] on PBS radio. In 2002 he was the resident historical commentator in Jason Micallef’s popular programme 'Kif Ghadda z-Zmien' [How Time has Passed] on Maltese National Television. He is currently producing and presenting another series, specializing on world music, entitled WorldBeat, also on PBS radio. He is presently working on his first major publication.
Borg is also active with Fondazzjoni Natura [Nature Trust – Malta], to whom he yearly donates hundreds of indigenous and Mediterranean trees – Malta’s national tree, the sandarac gum tree – for eventual planting on his island home. He remains committed to raise environmental awareness in Malta.
Steve Farrugia set up www.my-malta.com in January 2001, carrying it forward from a smaller 'net project entitled 'my-malta-link', which originally intended to provide those people of Maltese origin residing abroad with that vital link to their homeland.
The evolution of 'my-malta.com' into a window overlooking the Maltese Islands in their entirety, created in him a much greater awareness of the nation's culture, history and lifestyle. Melitensia is now his foremost interest.
Born in 1961, Steve received his education at the Archbishop's Seminary in Floriana, subsequently attending evening courses at the Government School of Art in Valletta and the Malta Univ. Services in Marketing Management, amongst other training courses related to his employment in the freight forwarding industry.
Steve and his wife, Pauline, have two children, Stefania and Thomas, and they support Maltese environmental and cultural organizations -- of some of which they are members.
