Author: Nicholas Zahra

When considering that KRM and the restoration of Ir-Razzett Tal-Qasam were born out of crisis
which was the threat of a golf course swallowing up not just Tal-Qasam, but the entire Majjistral
Park, the final outcome was a happy one. The period was during the late noughties yet the
outcome was the creation of KRM and the assignment of Tal-Qasam by means of a 5 year
management agreement which at the time was the only legal means to assign government land
without requiring parliamentary approval. This type of agreement proved ineffective in the long
run yet it was the seed from which all this started and we are grateful! Thank you George
Pullicino!

When Aaron Farrugia became Minister for the Environment, he continued from where his
predecessor Jose Herrera left off. It was his direct intervention which lead to the Guardianship
Agreement being signed between the Malta Government and our foundation: Fondazzjoni Rurali
Manikata. As is always the case, legal formalities are much harder to achieve than the actual
project itself, especially obtaining planning permission and appropriate title. Once again, the
support of key individuals is crucial to obtaining results. Thank you Aaron Farrugia!

During Ms Schembri’s appointment as Parliamentary Secretary for Planning and Simplification
of bureaucracy, Ms Schembri took a direct interest in our cause and was instrumental to get our
planning permission over the finish line. At the time, and unlike today, as KRM, our track record
on restoration of property was zero so convincing the authorities that we would be true to our
word and deliver what we promised was always an uphill battle. In this Ms Schembri believed in
us and was instrumental in us achieve another milestone and obtaining planning permission.
Thank you Deborah Schembri!

During his tenor as Minister for the Environment, Jose Herrera took a personal interest in our
project and worked hard on legislation for the assignment of public land to NGO’s under
Guardianship. These initiatives always significant amounts of time, requiring legislation to first
be drafted, then presented to Parliament, not once but twice, before finally becoming law.
Sometimes we remember the magnitude of the obstacles we had to overcome to get this far
and wonder to ourselves how we made it! Thank you Jose’ Herrera!

Samuel has lead the planning side of the restoration project since its inception. The early days
were not easy and the Planning Authority required a lot of convincing before they finally went
ahead and issued the perit. In fact, that took a full six years of convincing. But Samuel has
always believed in our ability to deliver and has provided us his time and expertise and stands
by our side throughout our incredible journey. Thank you Perit!

Ismael has been donating his spare time to us for several years now. Nicholas and he are inseparable, working together without fail every Saturday. He is a master-finisher and an eye for detail and true love for what he is doing. Both he and Nicholas ponder how it is their duty to make the Knights- Tal-Qasam’s original builders – happy with their work. Thank you Ismael!!

Paolo has lived in Malta for two decades and more recently moved to Manikata. An electrician
by trade, he delighted us when he approached us to volunteer his spare time. Thanks to him,
we completed all the lighting along the drive last Summer. That isn’t the end of it as Paolo
continues to donate his time and expertise to our restoration effort. Thank you Paolo!

This father and son team are a pair of characters like only those you can read about in books.
Loud, tough as nails, and accompanied by a small pack of dogs everyday, they carry out the
toughest building jobs that require massive power and skill. Even though Pawlu was born in the
early 50’s he still thinks he’s 20 years old, working like 99% of 20 year olds wouldn’t manage
today. Thank you Pawlu and Robert!

GP Borg is officially our appointed building contractor for the project. Although they only
undertake large jobs, they were early believers in us and provide us with valuable skills,
support and materials. As a rule we avoid using concrete however there are certain instances
where it simply is the most appropriate solution, cases in point being the rather steep inclination
at the end of the drive and the storm water channel running along the flatter part of the drive.
GP Borg has a skilled concreter team lead by the very competent Ismael from Somalia. Thank
you GP Borg!