The National Archives of Gozo, celebrated its 22nd anniversary yesterday with two donations of historical documents. The first, Guljana Masini, by Franco Masini which marks the 39th anniversary since his father’s death. This collection has all the births and deaths in Gozo between 1554 and 1930, including details of Gozitans who had emigrated
The second donation was made by Victor Vella-Muskat’s daughters Patricia, Roberta and Astrid, who donated documents belonging to their father on the Gozo Civic Council. Mr Vella Muskat, passed away in December 2009 and had been the Civic Council and Secretary for many years.
The Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who presided over the ceremony, said that the documentation in the archives, which houses more than 14,000 volumes, is invaluable and donations of this kind are a wonderful contribution to Gozo’s national history.
During 2010, 303 researchers visited the archives, 37 per cent more than the previous year, making use of 11 per cent of the documentation available.
The Prime Minister, also spoke about the fifty years since the first Gozitan council, which was first set up in 1910. He said that the “council’s role had dissipated, but its work was crucial for Gozo’s development and was being carried on today by the island’s local councils.”