Silvio Bonavia
Silvio Bonavia (1852-1886)
1886 Obituary [1]
SILVIO BONAVIA was born on the 30th of March, 1852.
He commenced his career in 1863 as an apprentice in the Royal Engineering Department at Malta, where in 1868 he was appointed Foreman of Works, while so employed attending a four years’ course of lectures in the Malta University.
In August, 1874, he obtained the Government warrant of "Perito," (literally "expert"), a profession by the member of which all works of construction in Malta are designed and executed, and all sorts of surveys and other engineering work carried out. After obtaining his warrant, he applied himself specially to sanitary engineering.
On the 1st of May, 1877, he was appointed one of the advising engineers of the Malta Sanitary Office, and while in that position designed, and for the most part directed, the re-modelling of drainage and other sanitary improvements to more than two thousand dwellings, houses, and other buildings, among which were the Governor’s Palace, Orphan Asylum, Cospicua Market, Government Primary, Infant and Secondary Schools, Monte di Pie& &c.
In October, 1881, he was appointed to give lectures on the Sanitary Building Lam ; on the 10th of May, 1881, he was transferred to the Public Works Department, where he remained until his death, and where, among many other duties, he had charge of the Branch "Roads, Streets, and Bridges.” In this capacity he designed and executed many works, and was engaged in the direction of the lowering and deviation of the present awkward approach to the town of Valletta from the Grand Harbour.
He died on the 9th of May, 1886, after a very short illness. Mr. Bonavia was esteemed one of the ablest, most useful, and most active Surveyors in the Department, and his early death was greatly regretted.
His connection with the Institution was of the shortest, having only been elected an Associate Member on the 1st of December, 1885.