Extract from ‘Il Discorso del Santissimo Sagramento per li Naviganti’ captures the sailors’ vulnerability at sea and their relationship to faith.
On loan from the Archives of the Metropolitan Chapter, Malta.
Our story, the Atlas story, is intimately connected, as is that of our nation, with our maritime history and harbours, without which we would not be a nation state today. This is why we are so pleased to be putting together this celebration in our beautiful capital city – surrounding by our harbours – and in the Malta Chamber building at the heart of our commercial history.
Photograph of Walter Camilleri Sr, Caledonian agent, at his desk in his Valletta office, late 1930s, courtesy of Walter and Patricia Camilleri.
We tell this story through just a few of the narratives, indeed snippets from the great tapestry of accomplishments and regulatory frameworks which have evolved and shaped Malta’s commercial and socio-political history. This history has made possible our Atlas story.
We believe that recording and celebrating our history is important because it helps us draw on the experiences of the past and make better and more informed decisions about the future. As entrepreneurs making mistakes is inevitable and part of risk taking but by understanding our past we can make less of them. Let us hope that as a nation we continue to mature into one that is determined to understand and learn from the past.
Licence to bear an armorial ensign from the Lord Lyon King of Arms for the Caledonian Insurance Company in 1936 during the short reign of Edward VIII. This very same artefact can be observed in Walter Camilleri’s office (photo below), nowadays still extant in the Atlas collection.
Another aspect of the unfolding story of Maltese commerce is our capacity to reinvent ourselves. In the past, we enticed overseas investment with the cost-effectiveness of our labour force. Today, within the European space, we retain many of these investors, some of them manufacturing facilities, because of our capacity to add value in very different ways. Our sophisticated eco-systems support various tech industries and an increasingly significant amount of research and development is being carried out here.
Telephone and ‘Fox’ typewriter, early to mid-20th century, on loan from Keith Camilleri.
– Photo by Lisa Attard
As facilitators of economic development and risk mitigators we are also conscious of our obligations going forward in the face of the serious climate change challenges ahead of us. We are committed to implement and support sustainable practices and assist in the new challenge – the transition to a new economic reality.
A final note of thanks is due to Justine Balzan Demajo and Nikolai Debono who took on a project which was much bigger than anticipated with positivity and enthusiasm. Thanks also to many experienced business people, professionals and other experts who generously gave of their time and experience to educate us on their stories. I would however like to add a special note of thanks to Matthew von Brockdorff himself who has been the inspiration, encouragement and sheer force of will behind us persisting with this project. Robert Micallef too should be mentioned as a fervent and meticulous lover of history, collector and great support on this project. I would also add a note of appreciation for my father Walter Camilleri who cannot be with us today but would have loved to be here and to celebrate with us what Team Atlas has achieved. His vision was the inspiration for much of the success of our merged operations, and he always inspired us to have faith in us achieving so much more together – and we have done.
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