The Hon. Dr. John Reginald Garcia Valarino MB, ChB, better known as Reggie Valarino, (9 June 1941 – 13 March 2009) was a Gibraltarian doctor and politician.[1]
[edit] Early Life
Dr. Valarino was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1941 to Federico Garcia Montalvo and Eugenia Valarino. His father was a horse trainer and his mother a housewife and seamstress.
[edit] Medical career
Dr. Valarino graduated as a medical practitioner from the University of Liverpool[2] and had been working in the field since 1967,[3] having started his professional career in Gibraltar at St Bernard's Hospital. Soon after, he opened his own private practice in Gibraltar.[2]
[edit] Political career
Dr. Valarino was first elected to the then House of Assembly (now the Gibraltar Parliament) in the 1976 general election[3] as a member of the Gibraltar Democratic Movement (GDM). He was also a former Minister of the Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights (AACR) through several terms[4] and member of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP)[5], serving a total of almost 20 years as an elected representative of the people of Gibraltar both in Government and in Opposition.[1]
[edit] Later life and death
Dr. Valarino had been a member of a number of public committees. From 1994-1996 he was chairman of the Gibraltar branch of the European Movement. He was regional representative of the British Islands and Mediterranean Region of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and was a past secretary of the British Medical Association (Gibraltar branch). He was also Life President of the Gibraltar Hockey Association.[3]
He died on 13 March 2009, aged 67, after a long illness.[2] Following news of his death, the Gibraltar Parliament observed a minute's silence in his memory on 17 March 2009.[5] A memorial service was held for him at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Crowned on 18 March 2009, which filled to capacity with attendees.[3]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
