Fr. Bernard Hersey
1907 - 1986
 

Even though, Ghajnsielem F.C. was officially founded in 1936 the glorious history of the Club starts well before that. In 1833, Fort Chambray was converted into a Rest Camp for British Army units. For the Ghajnsielem population, Chambray offered a diversion from the boredom of everyday life, such as it was during the first part of the century. They liked the fresh faces, and befriending the wounded heroes from the Great War. It wasn’t long before the locals themselves understood the game, began taking sides and perhaps started kicking something in imitation of their foreign heroes.

The war was over in 1918 and by the 20’s Chambray’s gates were closed behind the last British soldier and the fort relapsed into its silent, peaceful existence. However, the Englishmen didn’t take everything with them; they left behind some footballs and big heavy boots, and soon Gozitan shouts and exclamations began echoing against the ramparts of Chambray’s ditch.

The Bern Hersey's  Playing Field at 'Tal-Gudja' area

One day in the early 30’s, a Franciscan friar landed at Mgarr, and being a young man in his twenties, he quickly walked up the hill towards St. Anthony’s Convent. Father Bernard Hersey was born in Tigne, Malta, the son of William Henry Hersey and Margaret nee Buttigieg, on October 3rd, 1906. He was baptized at St. Julian’s parish church and entered the Franciscan Minor Order on March 26th, 1922. He became a friar on October 24th 1927 and said his first Mass on July 6th, 1930. Soon after he was transferred to the convent at Ghajnsielem and the village soon felt his impact. He was an energetic man who loved sports, the out-door life and people. He must have been disappointed with the lack of clubs or places where young people could meet and use the time profitably. Soon he was at work and in no time at all gave birth to the Ghajnsielem Sea Scouts, the only scouts of their kind in Gozo (only Sliema had them in Malta). He opened a Club for them at No. 10 Fawwara Street, and this place is important in our Club’s history, because it was there that Ghajnsielem F.C. was formed later on.

The Sea Scouts soon proved tremendously popular with the Ghajnsielem people. At one time the troop reached the number of 75 members under leader Turu Spiteri and frequently made a name for the village during parades in Victoria. It was natural for Father Hersey to opt for the Sea Scouts rather than the Boys Scouts as in other villages, considering the link Ghajnsielem always had with the sea. The members were taught all aspects of life saving and soon many of the village’s youths and children were the proud owners of the all-blue uniform.

One thing Father Hersey was happily surprised to discover was a rudimentary kind of football being played by Ghajnsielem’s youths. Soon the idea was conceived…a football club for Ghajnsielem, and not only for Ghajnsielem but for other places in Gozo as well. At the same time the game in Malta was living through a great boom and a number of Gozitans used to cross over for the great Sliema-Floriana encounters. In Gozo however no attempt had ever been made to organize one single club, let alone an association. So now the ditch at Chambray began drawing Fr. Bernard Hersey and it was here that he met Mr. Carmelo Mallia who used to work as Chief Nurse at Fort Chambray which in the meantime had been converted into a hospital for the mentally ill. As soon as Fr. Hersey and Mr. Carmelo Mallia made each other’s acquaintances they discovered a mutual love for football and interest in the footballing youths of Chambray. From there things moved fast and with Father Hersey organizing things and Mr. Mallia coaching the youths the Club started taking shape.

Being involved in the Scout movement, Father Hersey had a hand in the introduction of the game in Victoria as well and the Victoria Scouts Group formed a team themselves. Together with others he pushed for the realization of a long-harboured dream—a ground fit for competitive play. Around 1934 and 1935 friendly games of a sort were being played in one of Chambray’s ditches, but the site was obviously inadequate for competitions under recognized rules. At last in 1935, the ground at Xewkija was completed and named the Silver Jubilee Ground to mark the festivities then being held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V to the throne.

And so we come to 1936, the year Ghajnsielem Football Club was born. Hersey and Mallia were determined to launch the Club officially that year, but competition was a problem. What was the use of forming a club when no other clubs existed? Groups of youths from different places were banding together to play friendly matches, some of them at Chambray, but no organized teams were yet in evidence. Meanwhile, football was catching on in Victoria through the Scouts, with whom Fr. Hersey had a lot of contact and it was thus that the idea of the first competitive match in Gozo emerged. The Victoria Scouts and the Ghajnsielem team agreed to play a game at the Silver Jubilee Ground for a challenge cup sometime in May of 1936. A Silver cup was soon procured, sponsored by the Prince of Wales Engineering Workshop owned by Mr. Bernard Zammit of Marsa.

Fr. Bernard Hersey spent his last days in Glamorgan, Wales where he died at the age of 79 on the 27th February 1986.