PETER DARMANIN was born at Tarxien, MALTA, on 6th April , 1942 in a shelter, during the worst month of the Second World War. He is the eldest in a family of eleven children. He received his education at St Aloysius College, and the Dockyard Technical School. After working for some years as a shipwright at the Malta Drydocks, he was awarded a scholarship at the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard in the UK, but he declined the scholarship to study for the priesthood, with the Missionary Society of St. Paul, Rabat, Malta.
He gratuated with distinction in Philosophy and Theology at St Mark’s Philosophical and Theological College, Rabat. He was ordained priest by the late Archbishop of Malta, Mons. Michael Gonzi at St John’s Cathedral in Valletta, Malta, on the 22nd of March, 1969. He travelled far and wide, giving religious retreats in Rome, Paris, London and California. He served for some time, as a Parish Priest at St. Cecilia’s Parish in Brooklyn, New York.
He taught Mathematics at St Paul’s Missionary College, in Rabat (Malta) and as a priest he was responsible for the extension of the building of St. Agatha’s MotherHouse, in Rabat, which incorporates St. Paul’s Missionary College; raised funds and supervised the building of the Depiro Youth Centre in Rabat, and was also responsible, for the building of Stella Maris House, a retreat centre at Zebbug in Gozo, the sister island of Malta.
In April, 1976, he was transferred to Sydney, Australia on leave of absence. He was granted dispensation from the priesthood by His Holiness Pope Paul VI, in September, 1976, and in January, 1977, he became the first Probation and Parole Officer in Australia.
He returned to Malta in 1977 and married Ms Pauline Muscat on the 21 of June, 1977. He returned to Australia with his wife the following month and lived in Chester Hill, NSW.
He was the only Maltese advisor on Ethnic Affairs to the then Labour Premier of New South Wales, Mr Neville Wran. He was also the first Maltese Mediator with the Community Justice Centres of NSW. He served as an official Translator and Interpreter with the Ethnic Affairs Commission of NSW. He was also a Justice of the Peace.
Peter Darmanin was also very much involved in the Maltese Community of NSW. He was President of the Maltese Welfare Group; founder-member and Secretary of the Maltese Group for Anti-Discrimination;
member of the Maltese Community Council of NSW, and founder-member and PRO of St Dominic’s Retirement Village in Blacktown, NSW.
Due to his voluntary work in the Maltese Community of New South Wales, Peter Darmanin was asked to serve as a Member on the Board of Directors of The New South Wales Voluntary Centre, which incorporated more than 800 voluntary associations. A position which he gladly accepted for a number of years.
During His Holiness Pope Paul John II visit in Sydney in November, 1986, Peter Darmanin was officially accredited as the Media Centre Manager of NSW.
Peter Darmanin was the founder and first Chairman of the Partit Nazzjonalista Emigrants’ Secretariat in Australia. He was also the first and only official representative of the PN in Australia. He was the editor of the bi-lingual monthly magazine MALTA, and of IS-SLIEM for the Maltese senior citizens of NSW and Board Member of the weekly Maltese Newspaper The Maltese Cross.
In 1988, Peter returned to Malta with his family to join the Partit Nazzjonalista Information Office. He has been a member of the PN General Council since 1990. He served as the elected Assistant Treasurer of the Party for two years. In 1992, he was elected Assistant Secretary General and in 1998 he was elected Treasurer of The Nationalist Party, a post which he held till he resigned from active politics on 31st. May, 2010.
As President of the Rabat (Malta) PN Sectional Committee, Peter was instrumental in raising the funds to buy the present Club in Main Street, Rabat. At present he is the President of the Victoria PN Sectional Committee in Gozo.
Peter Darmanin is the longest serving officer of the Partit Nazzjonalista Administrative Council, a position held since 1992.
Mr Darmanin served as the one and only Advisor to the Maltese Government on Migrants Affairs (1987-1996). In 1988, Peter Darmanin formed part of a three member Maltese Government Delegation which travelled to Canberra, the Capital City of Australia, to negotiate a Reciprocal Social Security Agreement between Malta and Australia. Whilst in Australia, the Maltese delegation had the opportunity to visit all the States of Australia to meet and dialoge with the Maltese Communities.
He was also, Secretary and Vice-Chairman of the Commission for the Maltese Living Abroad and Executive Director of the Sectretariat for Maltese Living Abroad. He was a prolific writer for more than eleven years and regular contributor to IL-MUMENT, a Maltese Sunday newspaper. He is the author of the best seller: “Imhatra li diga’ nsejt”, containing only 52 of his well read articles in Il-Mument.
The book was sold out in less than fifteen days.
Darmanin is married to Pauline and they have two children, Janice married to Daryl Vassallo and Dr. David Darmanin.
Peter and Pauline are the proud grandparents of Cesca Vassallo.