interview
by Mike Brufal
Maurice’s father Jose Xiberras, with his Model T Ford which he called El Natilla
Maurice Xiberras:
Maurice, as Minister, entertains Aurelio Montegriffo, member of the Opposition
Political Evolution
Maurice Xiberras was born on the Rock on 14th November 1936, 14 years ahead of this brother Peter. His grandfather had come from Malta to seek a new life in Gibraltar and acquired a gharry, the horsedrawn forerunners of today’s taxis, and in time was able to own race horses. Jose, Maurice’s father, became a gharry driver at the age of 12, and pushed the Services laundry his mother did at home on his bike up to Windmill Hill and was a stable groom. Jose then began riding his father’s horses. As a jockey Jose was above average and rode against Gordon Richards, Charlie Smirke and Steve Donaghue. Amazingly, some of the horses used to pull the gharries, race and were rented out to officers to ride, especially with the Calpe Hunt. Unfortunately Jose had a riding accident and lost his nerve which ended his jockey career. During the war Jose worked in the Old Quarry where he learned about the combustion engine and this set him on his way to acquiring five taxis in wartime Gibraltar. In 1935 Jose married Kitty Reyes who, up until then, was an unqualified teacher, teaching for many years at the Jewish School, one of her star pupils being Joshua Hassan. Many years later the political paths of Joshua Hassan and Maurice were to converge. Although Kitty gave up teaching to devote her time to her husband and children, Gladys and Maurice, she instilled in them the incalculable benefits of education and the attractions of the teaching profession. She succeeded as both became teachers. Kitty and family followed the traditional evacuation route to London where Maurice recalls a horrifying experience during a bombing raid. His mother then left the Government evacuation scheme and moved to Torquay to share a house with the Montegriffo family. Aurelio Montegriffo, many years later, was able to say in Gibraltar’s House of Assembly that he had held Maurice in his arms as a baby! Perhaps it was also fate that sent Maurice to Torquay as many years later one of his greatest political friends in the UK’s House of Commons was Sir Frederic Bennett, MP for Torquay. Maurice was introduced to the delights of reading at play school in London. Eventually the family rejoined the repatriation scheme and
26
returned to the Rock on the SS Stirling Castle. Maurice’s education continued in Gibraltar at the Sacred Heart School under the legendary Victor Scaniglia — a man who walked with a limp, aided by a stick, and with a leather strap stuck into his belt around his ample stomach. Victor was a committed teacher and many of his pupils passed the ‘11 Plus’ and went on to Grammar School at Plata Villa in Witham’s Road. Maurice walked to and from school and used the long walk to conjugate his Latin verbs and revise other essential parts of his homework. By chance his father had a contract to drive the Christian Brothers (the teachers) from their home at Sacred Heart to Plata Villa which led Maurice’s fellow pupils to think he had inside knowledge of what was going to happen at the school. Alas he did not. His father also used to drive the nuns to Chipiona for their holidays where they would go swimming in their long habits.
He just made the deadline and when asked which university he would like to apply for, replied that he had only heard of Oxford and Cambridge
Xiberras had no academic pretensions but was instead besotted with sport — hockey, football, cricket, basketball and athletics. He did minimal homework and rarely prepared for exams. His idea of heaven was to spend his spare time playing football with a tennis ball in a small space between the Naval grounds. His comrades in academic and sporting arms included Eddie Ellul (his future brother-in-law), Pepe Holliday (on occasion), Albert Brookes, Tito Chincotta and Richard Patterson. Maurice’s A levels were taken in 1955 and, by chance, all the bright scientists fared badly. He found himself the pupil at the top of the examination table but thought nothing of the honour and even less about the possible Gibraltar Government scholarship to university. On the final day an application could be made he was playing cricket when Charlie Cavilla came up to him and said “You must rush up to the office in Irish Town and apply”. He just made the deadline and when asked which university he would like to apply for, replied that he had only heard of Oxford and Cambridge. The civil servant advised him to try somewhere else and jocularly asked him what is the capital of Scotland. He replied Edinburgh and that is how he came to be awarded the Gibraltar Government scholarship to read Spanish and Latin at Edinburgh University. This decision revolutionised his life and he became an “intellectual” the day he arrived. He left the Gibraltar Grammar School with the ethos engrained by the Christian Brothers that all their pupils were the intellectual cream of Gibraltar society who must dedicate their lives to improving life in Gibraltar and above all serve the community. Grammar School pupils
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2009