Formjer Mayor Francis Cauchi awarded Gieh Ghajnsielem

Former Mayor Francis Cauchi was awarded the 21st edition of the ‘Ġieħ Għajnsielem’  for his long service as mayor and his contribution towards the development of the village of Għajnsielem. Mayor Franco Ciangura thanked Francis Cauchi for his years as Mayor of the Local Council adding that the long list of projects held during these 21 years were the result of the dedication and hard work that he gave towards the local community. The award ceremony was held this evening at the Grand Hotel and present for the occasion were all former councillors and administrative secretaries.

Francis was born on the 28th of March, 1950 son of Amabile the politician and Stella nee Said. At a young age he joined the St Joseph Band club as a bandsman and was also part of the Ghajnsielemk FC team during the golden years. He is married to Gracie and has a daughter, Sarah. Following the steps of his father, he contested several parliament elections but later decided to focus his energies into his native village and thus when the Local Government was established in 1993 following the Maltese Parliament’s approval, he contested on behalf of the Nationalist Party and successfully elected with the highest number of votes. For the next 21 years, Francis Cauchi has  been responsible for several capital projects, major road works, twinning and cultural activities.

Francis Cauchi announced his retirement from the Ghajnsielem Local Council in March 2015 during the inauguration of his last project, the embellishment of the Hamri Belvedere and the reconstruction of the Ghajn tal-Hasselin Replica. Comparing photos of Ghajnsielem in 1994 and 2015 is enough to see the difference that Francs Cauchi made to his native village. It was thus a natural decision for the present local council administration to award him the 21^st edition of the ‘Gieh Ghajnsielem,for his love and dedication he gave to Ghajnsielem.