Pensioner who waves out the cruise liners

Every time a cruise liner sails in or out of the Grand Harbour, a solitary figure appears perched high upon a roof ledge cheerily waving a Maltese flag to welcome or bid the passengers farewell. Charles Cremona, 70, has the timetable of the liners’ activity in hand and like clockwork he appears on the roof of his apartment block overlooking the Lower Barrakka Gardens and Grand Harbour. This amiable practice started two years ago when a close friend of Mr Cremona’s was about to leave Malta for a holiday on board a cruise liner. “I promised I would see her off, so when the cruise liner she was on coursed out of the harbour, I climbed to the roof of the block of apartments I live in and waved a large Maltese flag,” he said, after The Times spotted his unswerving practice and tracked him down. “On her return, I welcomed her back in the same manner and have been doing it ever since. Only heavy rain and compulsory errands prevent me from keeping my regular appointment with the cruise liners,” he added. Over the years, Malta has cultivated a reputation for hospitality and Mr Cremona ensures the island lives up to its trademark reputation by vigorously waving a large Maltese flag each...