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Professor Francis Cachia has just been recognised for the sterling work he carried out over two decades, in Germany. Today he shares some of his memories of those times with Miriam Dunn

He has enjoyed a lifetime connection with Germany and now, this week, Professor Francis Cachia was recognised for the years of hard work he carried out there and the important contribution he made with the Germans towards forging better links with Malta.

Asked how he felt about being awarded the prestigious ‘Bundesverdienstkreuz', Prof. Cachia says he feels "pleased and proud", although he admits, with a smile, that he had been "tipped off" that the award was coming his way.

And Prof. Cachia has certainly gained an extensive knowledge of both the German language and the country, having spent, in all, some 20 years over there, even getting to witness the fall of the Berlin wall.

So what sort of experience was that, I ask him.

"It was very exciting and very moving," he answers. "I remember Graff Lambsdorff, who was the finance minister at the time and was renowned for being a very tough man and a Bismark, and he just broke down in tears. That was the reaction everywhere."

Prof. Cachia, who worked in Germany first as a teacher and then entered the diplomatic service, recalls how Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami made an official visit to Germany at that time.

"In fact, he was the first head of government of a foreign country to visit the Berlin Wall after it came down," he adds.

Prof. Cachia explains that since he was press officer at the time, he accompanied the Prime Minister to Berlin, where they witnessed the traditional East German cars, the ‘Trabi' coming across the border in droves.

"I thought to myself how wonderful it would be if Dr Fenech Adami, as Prime Minister of Malta, were to welcome some East German citizens across the border, so I put the idea to him and he agreed," he recounts. "It was truly a moment in history that I feel privileged to have experienced."

Prof. Cachia can still vividly recall the changes that took place following reunification.

"Soon after the fall of the wall, the German ministry for foreign affairs organised a tour for the cultural secretaries and we went to the birthplace of Bach and Weimar, which we couldn't get to that easily before, since there were many restrictions," he says.

He points out that the visit was a stark contrast to his previous trip across the border years earlier, when he had attended the Berlin film festival.

"I went for just one day to East Germany and I admit that at the time I found it scary," he admits. "I went to the theatre there and it was the first time I have ever walked out. There were lots of people in uniform and they were making lots of political jokes about the West. The whole play took the form of a political attack, and I wasn't at all comfortable. In the end I left since people were staring at me because I wasn't clapping."

He points out that once the wall was down, it was possible to see the difference between East and West Germany.

"The roads were in a shambles in East Germany, even worse than Malta!" he jokes.

"Telecommunications were a problem too. But the fascinating fact was the effort they had made to preserve their classical culture, especially in Weimar. They really nurtured that."

Prof. Cachia admits, with a smile, that he went through a phase when telecommunications became very important to him and was even swallowing up most of his wages.

"It was when I met my wife, Lilian," he explains. "I met her in Germany when she was on holiday, although she is Maltese, and it was a bit of a whirlwind romance. Once she went back and until we could get married, we had to stay in touch by phone and since she insisted that I phone her every day, it was quite costly!"

Prof. Cachia remembers how once he couldn't get through and, fearing in a fit of panic that his fiancée might break off the engagement, he decided to send her a telegram.

"I even thought that it might not get sent since the girl behind the counter decided that my telegram's destination – Sliema – didn't exist in her book!" he recalls. "She told me that she couldn't guarantee its delivery. Luckily it got there and for all I know, that saved my engagement!"

Prof. Cachia, who was teaching both English and Latin to German students, admits that life in Germany was daunting for Lilian at first, since she didn't speak the language, but is proud that she soon began picking it up.

"She also had to acclimatise," he laughs. "She joined me over there in Kerpen, close to Cologne, straight after we married at Christmas, which was obviously the coldest time of the year. I remember that it was snowing, and she challenged me to a snowball fight. She took off her glove and put her hand in the snow, never realising just how cold it was!"

It was 1992 when Prof. Cachia eventually retired and returned to live in Malta. He has, however, retained his links with Germany, still counting many of the ambassadors as good friends, visiting colleagues when the opportunity arises and writing about the towns in which he lived.

Asked whether he believes the German language is given the importance it merits in Malta, Prof. Cachia admits that this has taken some time, especially bearing in mind the importance of the German market to tourism.

"I know that courses are up and running now, but it has been quite a slow process because very few people at the top speak German," he says. "Be it tourism or the diplomatic service, language is so important. I have witnessed blunders made because people thought they could speak a foreign language more proficiently than they really could. And even when translators are there, the meaning can get lost. Language, after all, is about communication."

And what are his views on CNI's infamous recent attack on Germany where EU membership is concerned?

"I don't want to get caught up in political arguments, but I think the most important thing is to put the past in the past, where it belongs," he replies. "We've had wars with everybody, after all."

He cites as an example his friendship with French Ambassador, Didier Destremau, who is well known for being outspoken.