The Voice of the Maltese No. 115 by The Voice of the Maltese

The Voice of the Maltese (driven by the voice of its readers )

Issue 115

o on nlliin ne e m ma ag ga az ziin ne e

November 24, 2015

The 2015 Valletta Summit on Migration in session at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta (see report on pages 12, 13)

Valletta Summit raises Maltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international profile

Germanyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chancellor Angela Merkel and Greece Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras enjoy a joke at the Summit Above: Prime Minister Joseph Muscat (left) greets European Council President Donald Tusk

Castille Square at night during the opening ceremony of the Valletta Summit

Destiny makes it two JEC wins for Malta (see page 3)

2 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Europe and multiculturalism R

ecent events have demonstrated to everyone, even those convinced of the essential relevance of multiculturalism, that under conditions of inordinate strain, the system is bound to fail. The basic problem as I see it is not with the concept itself, but with the impossible conditions imposed on it. While it is obvious that multiculturalism has worked in countries like Canada and Australia, it seems to be failing dismally in Europe. It is therefore reasonable to ask under what conditions can one expect the system to work, and more importantly, when it is likely to fail. Historically, vast countries with a great need for manpower necessary to develop their potential wealth have been eager to increase their population, and the quickest and surest way of doing so was to encourage immigration on a large scale. It is obvious that one essential component in this formula was that both host country as well as the immigrants themselves had a lot to gain from this arrangement. The result is that 50 decades later, half the population of countries like Australia were born overseas, or had parents who were born overseas. The fact that they speak 200 languages yet live peacefully together is a triumph of multiculturalism. It is also an acknowledged fact that a sovereign country has the right to protect its borders. Some countries have built walls of barbed wire to keep out those they consider to be invaders. Others, like Australia, have opted for the equally inhuman way of turning back the boats and exiling those caught attempting to enter the country and keeping them in conditions unfit for human beings, while proudly declaring: “We have stopped the boats!” Compared with this, the decision by

ProfsMauriceCauchi some countries like Germany to open their borders and welcome fleeing migrants with open arms would appear to be a great humanitarian act which warms the cockles of one’s heart, a gesture worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize. And yet, this could not last. The gates had to be slammed shut sooner or later. No country, even one desirous of bolstering its manpower, can allow an unchecked flow of hu-

everybody will agree, lies deep within the countries of origin. Western countries have decided that the best way to solve this problem is to bomb targets while they stay out of harm’s way thousands of kilometres high up in the sky. Europe should know better than to expect fighter jets to win wars. They destroy cities, they terrorise populations, they produce millions of refugees trying to flee from the Armageddon they create, but by themselves they do not win wars. The Poles during World War II accepted the responsibility of forming an effective fighting force to liberate their homeland. Would it be too outlandish to suggest that efforts of the Western powers should be directed at organising and training such a force of volunteers out of the hundreds of thousands currently feeling lost and helpless in various camps in Europe and the Middle East? This may not resolve all the problems associated with the current upheavals not experienced since the aftermath of World War II, but may set in motion the beginning of an effort to tackle the problem at source, while at the same time providing some economic as well as the equally important psycho-social support to those currently lost and searching for an identity in Europe.

The current epidemic of disenfranchisement and disaffection felt by young people make them prefer to join a criminal gang like Islamic State, which can offer nothing but blood and almost certain death. manity. The need for border control has become an issue with all countries of Europe, threatening the Schengen concept if not the whole idea of a united Europe. It is obviously ridiculous to talk about multiculturalism in this context. It is impossible to integrate newcomers within society – which is the essence of multiculturalism – when the influx is prohibitively large. This scenario is more likely to confirm the patently absurd right-wing views that racial purity is paramount and that any mixing with people of a different race is likely to be deleterious in the long run. While one cannot but admire the humanitarian approach to mass migrations exhibited by some countries as well as many individuals, there is still a niggling feeling that this approach is merely band-aid in nature and will not solve the problem, which, as

(Professor Maurice Cauchi has written extensively on Maltese migration.)

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Tuesday November 24, 2015

The Voice of the Maltese 3

It’s Malta’s Destiny!

13-year-old makes it two JEC wins in three years It’s Malta’s Destiny, as the 13-year-old Destiny Chuckunyere, daughter of a Nigerian footballer Ndubisi Chukunyere, who made a name for himself playing for Hibernians, was the winner of the 2015 Junior Eurovision Contest (JEC). In the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, she beat the opposition, young singers from 16 other nations to make it two wins in three years for Malta. Destiny follows Gaia Cauchi’s success in 2013 and after last year’s show when Malta organised the event following Gaia’s success, in 2016 Malta once again has the right to organise it on home soil. No wonder Prime Minister Prime Minister Joseph Muscat tweeted: 'You are my Destiny!' With two international summits, the 2015 Valletta Summit on Migration just ended, and the next won to come, the CHOGM Summit on 27-29, November has been good for Malta. It certainly raises its international profile, not only politically but also in the musical sector. Young Destiny’s success managed to unite a country even politically – which is some feat – as the political leaders both expressed the same attitude. Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil tweeted: 'Brava Destiny! You make us all proud!'. Everybody also agrees with what President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca wrote on her Facebook page: 'Well done to our little star Destiny Chukunyere. You made us proud.” She certainly did! Even the Archbishop, Charles Scicluna went on twitter to congratulate Destiny. He tweeted: “What a wonderful voice! God bless! Destiny, who has said in various inter-

views that she is inspired by queen of soul Aretha Franklin, represented Malta with the catchy song Not My Soul, whose lyrics she helped write along with Matt 'Muxu' Mercieca with music composed by Elton Zarb, who were both were behind the 2013 winning entry ‘The Start, impressed with the rendition of the soul. There were no gimmicks. She was alone on the stage, and impressed with her strong voice and confidence; she sang like a pro. She really stole the show with her performance finishing nine points ahead of second-placed Armenia. Destiny won by a won by a 9-point margin. Destiny was awarded a total of 185 points to Armenia's 176. Both had been exchanging top place as the voting unfolded. Crucially, ArDestiny... she couldn’t contain herself with happiness after her win menia awarded 12

A confident Destiny singing her way to victory in the Junior Eurovision Contest on Saturday night at the Arena Armeecin in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia points to Malta, while Malta awarded seven points to Armenia. Malta also received the maximum 12 points from the children's jury, Serbia, Slovenia, Australia, Bulgaria, San Marino, and Albania. Italian journalist Emanuele Lombardini wrote that as had already been expected, eventual, victory, a deserved one, went to Destiny, even after her interpretation on the night. “It was also an important sign for cosmopolitan Europe, seeing that the singer is the daughter of a Nigerian footballer” In the same site dedicated to Eurovision, another wrote: “Ladies and gentlemen, a star is born, I believe that we shall seen her again at the Eurovision, and perhaps, who knows, also in a short while listen to hear in a single on the radio. She has such a beautiful voice.” Another one wrote: “Bravissima Malta. It was my favourite along with Australia. Compliments to Destiny for her marvellous voice.”

4 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Other Instances when shelters did not offer protection n the previous issue in which I wrote about Malta Shelters Itimes during WWI that while they saved thousands of lives at were also a menace, I dealt at length about the tragedy

on March 21, 1942, when two bombs devastated both the entrance and the emergency exit of the shelter in Gafa` Street, Mosta and claimed the lives of 31 people, there were similar tragedies, four in particular, in Kalkara, Hal Far and Luqa. On March 22, 1942: Kalkara was heavily bombed; about 15 persons sought refuge in a store, reinforced by a concrete roof that was used as a shelter, when a the store had a direct hit. When the ARP workers arrived on the spot they thought that all inside were dead under the debris. They had almost given up hope of finding anybody alive, when one of them noticed a leg protruding out of the rubble. It was that of seven-year-old Victor Hili, who later related that when the building collapsed he was wedged between two stones, and luckily a mattress landed on his chest. For a time the boy lost consciousness and when he came through he plucked up enough courage and at hearing voices he started yelling. He went on to say that his mother, two sisters and a younger brother were not so lucky. During the same air raid and in that same street, four members of the Coster family went down their private shelter. As soon as they descended a bomb hit their house.

While the house was a total loss, a gas pipe had burst and the fumes added to the tragedy. There were no survivors. Two days later, on March 24: Hal Far was under a heavy attack and an enormous amount of bombs fell all over the airfield. Two shelter chambers where about 28 servicemen and civilians were seeking refuge were hit. The thick concrete roof slabs collapsed on top of the chambers, trapping all inside. The corpses were retrieved several months later. On April 9: Luqa village fell victim to another deluge of bombs that destroyed many houses and severely damaged the Parish church. In one of the shelters in Pope Innocent Street out of the 32 persons there only nine survived, the other 23 were killed. These are just a few examples of how air raid shelters saved lives, or served as traps. On the positive side; the Maltese rock saved the lives of thousands of people. In many instances the hard rock greatly reduced the effect of the blast and saved people’s lives. If it were not so, due to the great amount of bombs that rained over the Island the whole island of Malta would have been destroyed. On another positive note, nowadays a few of these shelters are being restored and used as tourist attractions, as part of the history of our Island. They are also a source of income to their owners.

The Victory Kitchens

n this series of articles about my personal experience during the war (WWII) years in Mata, today I am focussing on the so-called Victory Kitchens in Malta. Besides the fear and all the implications the war brought about with it, food became a great problem. Convoys laden with food were regularly sent to Malta but the enemy was determined to starve the Maltese in order for us to give up fighting; hence, the enemy did its utmost to destroy convoys on their route to our shores. Many a time they succeeded, and as a result, many food commodities, such as bread, milk, water, and several other items, including kerosene became very scarce and long queues could be seen in streets, as people, many a time under the supervision of a policeman, tried to get their hands on what was on offer. Tickets (or coupons) were issued so that families were able to buy their needs according to the size of the family. As food items became even scarcer, in January 1942 a Communal Feeding Department was set up, and families were urged to register for meals, and at the same time had to forfeit some of their rations. (I will deal with “Ration Cards” in the next issue). In April 1942 pasta, rice and tomato puree was rationed; tinned milk could be bought until stocks lasted. Other food commodities such as sugar, oil, coffee, soap and kerosene became even scarcer. After a time, frozen meat and rice were all exhausted, and on May 5, 1942 the amount of bread allowed to each person went down to 250 grams (qwart- unofs) daily. By January 1942 many families had lost their homes, were evacuated or were living in shelters and had no means to cook their food. Therefore SOUP KITCHENS were intro-

MALTA: Echoes from the past DorisCannataci

duced to provide meals for these families. Later, in order to save fuel and food, VICTORY KITCHENS replaced these soup kitchens. This is how Victory Kitchens originated. The word Victory was a very positive name during those terrible and drastic times. The first Victory Kitchen was opened at Lija on January 3, 1942. After that, other Victory kitchens were opened all over Malta, and by June of that year 42 had been set up. At the time it was difficult to recruit people to work in these kitchens as supervisors, storekeepers, cooks and cleaners. Most males were serving as conscripts, while many women were doing the work normally done by men. These posts were filled mostly by housewives and inexperienced young ladies. To help solve this problem, Archbishop Maurus Caruana asked a number of nuns and religious from various Orders to give a hand, and by July they were in charge of 14 Victory Kitchens. During that month there were 100,000 persons registered to receive food from these kitchens, and as food and kerosene became extremely scarce, by January 1943 the number went up to 175,536.

*Continued on page 5

The Voice of the Maltese 5

Tuesday November 24, 2015

People queuing to get what food they could from the Victory Kitchens

Despite hardship People still found funny side of the V Kitchens *From page 4

The VK weekly menu consisted of: During the blitz Monday and Saturday: Maccaroni with tomato sauce. there were 200 Victory Kitchens in serv- Tuesday: ice. They served one Balbuljata (scrambled eggs and portion of food per tomatoes). person either at midday or in the evening: Wednesday and Friday: Vegetable soup or sardines. one cooked meal a day as a cost of six- Sunday and Thursday: pence (€0.14 cents) Stewed meat or corned beef with every portion. That tomatoes and baked beans was considered to be very expensive compared to salaries, which were very low. In the beginning these kitchens were not that popular; but as nobody could live without food, sooner or later they had to accept situation. The menu of these kitchens was very limited. One could not blame them because with a small amount of food they had to feed thousands of people. They used to cook in huge caldrons and meals largely consisted of backed beans, corned beef, sausages, sardines, vegetable soup (minestra) and meat stew (stuffat), and tomatoes and scrambled eggs (balbuljata). People used to queue outside Victory Kitchens about an hour before the doors were opened. To take food home one had to carry his own container the size of which depended on the number of portions, together with the ticket and enough money to pay for every portion.

Food was far from appetising; the vegetable soup was made up of a few pieces of vegetables swimming in an amount of liquid, while stew was made of tomato juice and a thin slice of mutton; the balbuljata resembled more a soup than solid food – it was very watery. Omelettes were made with eggpowder. On August 10, 1942: three portions for three persons were offered one plate which consisted of a piece of skin with a good layer of fat and a shadow of meat on top, six tablespoonfuls of sauce and five peas. September 1: All mid-day meals supplied from the Victory Kitchens of Valletta and several other districts, had to be thrown away. The meal was composed chiefly of liver in a sort of stew. It was hard and had a bitter taste, which made it unpalatable and uneatable. That was because the gall had not been removed from the liver. A slice of corned beef was served hours later, and in some places it was served the following day. During these hard days, people also found the funny side of these kitchens and in the streets and while waiting in the queue made up songs about Victory Kitchens such as:

FaΩola u sardin, ftit zalza u g˙a©in, tal-Victory Kitchen.

Ûid l-ilma fil-borma biex titma’ liç-çorma, tal-Victory kitchen.

Minestra bla g˙a©in, patata u sardin, tal-Victory Kitchen.

Ftit zalza w spaghetti, ton taΩ-Ωejt jew pulpetti, tal-Victory kitchen.

Original receipts (dated Oct/Nov 1942) issued by the Control Food Dept and signed by managers running the Victory Kitchens to the people buying the food from them.

6 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

few years ago, my band Skorba was presenting a concert about the Neolithic temples of Malta in the Powerhouse Museum in the capital of Queensland, Brisbane. The music pulsed out a musical representation of the Islands themselves, the Temples of Mnajdra, Óa©ar Qim, Skorba, The Hypogeum and Tarxien and the magic of the islet of Filfla, apparently so special to the ancient ones who built these magnificent temples. On the screen to the side of the band beautiful pictures of our homeland and the temples were shown to the audience. The songs were composed and sung in Maltese to an audience who had never heard our language spoken before, let alone immersed in tunes that were both exotic and beautiful. Two rows back in the audience a young guage and see that of the Islands. man sat with tears streaming down Whenever he went to the major his cheeks. I noticed him early in festivals all he managed to see were the concert and wondered if he was performances in the languages of ok or whether he was feeling deeply nations surrounding the Mediterdistressed for some reason. ranean but never Malta. He was a At the end of the concert I got off third generation Maltese/Australian the stage and made my way over to him. He walked up to me and threw and THIS was what he had waited his arms around me and stood there for and hoped to hear. sobbing. He composed himself He told me how happy he was and enough to tell me that he was so how proud he felt to be Maltese and moved to finally be able to hear how proud he was of his heritage. He music about Malta, sung in Maltese finally felt that sense of belonging and to hear the beauty of our lanthat is so important to all of us, espe-

cially when we have that sense that we belong somewhere other than where we are living. On stage, Skorba had given voice to his homeland and his culture and had done so to the hundreds of people sitting with him in the audience. It’s not that Skorba’s music and songs were from the Islands, they were about the Islands and this to him was significant. They were also about him and made him special amongst the audience. He was a product of those Islands and he always felt that deep connection even though he had never been there or directly experienced its grace and hospitality. What this young man experienced as an audience member was precisely what prompted me to start this band.

Skorba: Bringing Malta to Australia through song and visuals

*Continued on page 7

Skorba’s foundation members for the Temples project were Andy Busuttil, John Robinson, Bertie McMahon and Paul Jarman. The Siege project will include Andy, John, Bertie, Llew Kiek and John Napier.

Skorba on the big stage at the National Folk Festival

The Voice of the Maltese 7

Tuesday November 24, 2015 From page 6

On stage giving a voice to the Maltese audience’s homeland and culture

For years I had played ‘multicultural’ music from Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Kurdistan, the Middle East and other parts of Eastern Europe and Asia Minor. While I really loved this music and enjoyed playing and singing it, I always felt that it wasn’t quite ‘me’. It wasn’t reflective of the place from which I came or the culture that was so deeply embedded in me. I needed a vehicle that could be used to carry my homeland from the depths of my heart and soul to audiences in Australia that I thought would respond well to what we, as a band, were doing. What this young man and I had both been experiencing was that yearning for ‘belonging’ that was previously so lacking in our lives. What I did also find about the music we were playing was that it proved, at first, rather disconcerting to the more conservative of the Maltese members of our audiences. This experience was quite distressing for me. They often found the music to be rather alien and very different to the Westernised forms that they were used to. The music that we play cannot depend on Malta’s traditional music. Most of it, except for the various forms of G˙ana, has been lost over the centuries. The approach that Skorba takes is to use musical influences from the countries around the Mediterranean Basin who had kept their traditions intact and that had an impact on the history of our Islands. However, when these audiences realised what it was that we were doing and could see the impact of the show on non-Maltese members of the audience, they quickly realised that we were representing the history and geography of the Islands, their Islands, in a way that left the audience mesmerised and thoroughly impressed with our homeland. Three concerts in particular stick in my mind. One was held in Armidale in country NSW that was commissioned by the Country Women’s Association (CWA) who choose a different country each year to feature in their special ‘cultural events’. This was Malta’s year and Skorba was asked to perform there on the basis of our growing reputation as substantial performers with a great audio-visual presentation about Malta. This concert was also attended by a number of eminent Maltese who made the trip from Sydney also by invitation from the CWA. The concert drew a standing ovation and the Maltese members of the

audience quickly recognised the enormity of the response to our music by the 5-600 CWA delegates. I think it is fair to say that the Maltese contingency were delighted that our music and visual presentation had such a huge impact. Many of the women in the audience came up to me afterwards to tell me that they were planning a trip to Europe but did not realise just how magnificent Malta was and they were now going to include a visit in their travel itinerary. This was often a consequence for members of the many audiences who attended our concerts. The second concert that particularly stuck in my mind was one organised with the help of Maria de Carlo, one

was fair to say that the majority of people in the audience were expecting Celtic and Anglo-based music. The MC introduced the band by talking about Ireland and mispronounced the band’s name. Not a great start one could say. The audience numbered in the vicinity of 1500 – 2,000. The stage was enormous and we were blessed with a screen on each side of the stage for our visual presentations to be displayed. I had written a script for our own announcer and she did a great job introducing our songs. Our welcoming song ‘Mer˙ba’ was played. The audience was stunned into silence and then erupted in applause. We played two more songs, Qalbi Mieg˙ek and Filfla and left the stage to thunderous applause. Skorba had arrived and brought A section of the audience Malta right into the at the CW cconcert heart of the audience and the start of one of this Nation’s greatest festivals. The Maltese language spoken by Maltese immigrants in Australia has often been described as ‘Maltralian’. This is an accurate description of what happens to many introduced cultures in this poly-cultural country. A new form of the of the principals of the Maltese Lanculture emerges that is the original guage School in Horsley Park (a subethnic culture with a particular ‘Ausurb on the Western fringe of Sydney). tralian’ flavour. I’ve recognised this This particular concert was held in in the music of the many nations The Óamrun Club and was always played here. This music cannot be going to be a tough one! accurately described as ‘World’ or Bringing music such as ours to people ‘multi-cultural’ music. It is trans culwhose ears are accustomed to more tural and is generated by bridging Western styles and who may be critical between the source culture and that of what we were doing in our performof this host nation. ances was anxiety provoking for me to Skorba plays trans cultural music say the least. At first it was fair to say that reflects the beauty of Malta and that it appeared my anxieties were shows the Islands in all their glory to probably going to be sustained! the audience. Up to now this glory However, within a very short time has been a reflection of the magnifithe audience (made up of mainly cent temples of Malta. The next will more senior aged Maltese and Gozibe about the Ottoman Siege of Malta tan migrants) was captivated by the in 1565 and is due to be launched tovisuals in particular and then allowed wards the end of next year. themselves to listen to the music and Once again it will be an audio-visongs and thoroughly enjoyed them. sual presentation and it will be a hisThe standing ovation at the end and torical travelogue that takes the multitude of congratulations were a audience on a journey through the huge relief and received with great siege and its immediate aftermath. pleasure by the band members. Many of the photos of the great forts The third concert that was a highlight that I took on my recent trip home for the band was the opening concert will be used in this project. We cerof the 2007 National Folk Festival in tainly hope that you will be able to Canberra, Australia’s capital. I think it participate in this journey with us.

8 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Have your say/Xi trid tghid? Your letters/ L-ittri tag˙kom ... Anton Attard minn Redfern NSW, jikteb:

ixtieq tassew nirringrazzja lil The Voice N tal-artiklu mirqum fl-a˙˙ar ˙ar©a dwar ilveteran ©urnalista u xandar, il-mibki Antoine

The Voice of the Maltese on nlliin ne e m ma ag ga az ziin ne e o

is is a bi-lingual (in English and Maltese) fortnightly online publication specifically targeting all Maltese living abroad with emphasis on the Australian scene. is online magazine is sent via email by request. Subscription is free. Editors: Malta: Joseph Cutajar Australia: Lawrence Dimech: MOM, OAM, JP email address: maltesevoice@gmail.com Letters for publication in The Voice either in Maltese or English should be e-mailed to: maltesevoice@gmail.com.

Now you can also join us on facebook: https://www.facebook. com/groups/thevoiceofthemaltese

Said Pullicino. Kien ˙aqqu dak li nkiteb dwaru g˙ax tassew li fil-qasam tax-xandir ftit kellna xandara tal-kalibru tieg˙u fl-Awstralja. Ftit konna nafu dwar il-karriera tieg˙u g˙ax kif qieg˙ed ji©i meta nitilfu nies b˙al Antoine,

What a contrast! Clayton Bartolo from Adelaide writes: have followed with some pride the recent Valletta Summit on Migration in which Malta hosted leaders of EU and African countries in a two-day discussion on the migrants’ plight, those unfortunates who have to leave their country because of conflicts, and cross the seas at great risk to try and find a better life elsewhere. As a young man I was struck by Malta’s initiative and the compassion shown by the EU countries towards the migrants. What a contrast with the disgusting attitude expressed by former Australian PM Tony Abbott at the Thatcher Lecture meeting in London in which he chastised Europe for its “love your neighbour as yourself” in helping the immigrants. Shame on him!

Grazzi u prosit! Lina Brockdorff tikteb minn Malta:

razzi u Prosit tax-xog˙ol tag˙kom f’The G Voice of the Maltese (Nru. 114). Veru li je˙dilkom ˙afna ˙in biex tipproduçuha, imma

kull minuta hija apprezzata mill-qarrejja kollha kemm ta' Malta u wkoll fl-Awstralja u n˙awi o˙ra fejn hemm jg˙ixu emigranti Malti. Hija pont li jg˙aqqadna ma' ˙utna li hallew dawn ixxtut tant snin ilu. Awguri!

While visiting Malta Stay at: The Diplomat Hotel, 173 Tower Road Sliema

Email: sales@diplomat.com.mt Tel: (00356) 23497000

Tif˙ir mist˙oqq

Fred Fenech u o˙rajn, li kieku mhux g˙al The Voice li tidhol sewwa fid-dettal ta’ ˙ajjithom, il-kontribut tag˙hom lejn il-komunita` Maltija jista’ jintilef. Waqt l-elu©i li jsiru fil-funerali ftit ikun hemm tag˙rif dettaljat dwar kemm ˙admu u stinkaw dawn il-protagonisti g˙all-komunita` Maltija. Dejjem sintendi jkun hemm kliem ta’ apprezzament fir-relazzjonijiet tag˙hom mal-familja, kif g˙andu jkun u kif inhu xieraq.

Tislima lil Charles Abela Mizzi u Antoine Said Pullicino

Dun Philip Calleja jikteb minn Malta: razzi. Kemm baqa’ sabi˙ Sant’An©lu (ritratti fil-pa©na ta’ quddiem tal-˙ar©a Nru. 114) f’g˙ajnejn l-emigranti minn Malta. L-Awstralja ssellem lil Charles Abela Mizzi u Malta ssellem lil Antoine Said Pullicino.

Considerable audience? Catherine Simpson from Balmain NSW, writes: always enjoy reading Maurice Cauchi’s contributions on The Voice. His latest article on Malta’s cultural exchanges with Australia (Issue No. 114) covered the visit of Cosmos Wind Ensemble and the film Simshar. His reference to the Cosmos’ concerts was inappropriate, at least in Sydney. There was no such thing as “a considerable audience turning up” to listen. In fact, you could hardly call those present, an audience, which was indeed a pity.

Biex issemmg˙u le˙inkom f’Malta Enzo Guzman jikteb minn Malta

naqsam mag˙kom esperjenza ©dida XWaqtlitaqt˙loqtil-programm dan l-a˙˙ar !! "BEJN IL-ÓBIEB" li

nipproduçi u nippreΩenta kuljum fuq Radju Malta 93.7fm, bejn is-2.15 u t-3.30pm, (˙in Malti), qed nistieden lil kull min jixtieq jitkellem waqt il-programm biex jikkuntattjani fuq: enzogusman@mail.com. Min ikun irid jitkellem fuq ir-radju jtini nnumru tat-telefon (landline mhux çellulari) u nçempillu jien biex nirrekordja t-telefonata li mbag˙ad inxandar waqt il-programm!! Wie˙ed jista' jg˙addi tislijiet, eççetra lillfamilja u l-˙bieb, u anke jitlob xi diska partikulari. Sintendi dan huwa servizz li l-PBS f’Malta qed joffri lill-Maltin u G˙awdxin li jg˙ixu barra mill-GΩejjer tag˙na, ming˙ajr ˙las !!

The Voice of the Maltese 9

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Emotions galore thanks to Simshar and The Voice

Paul Mercieca from Fairfield, NSW, writes:

he last few weeks have been very emotional for me for a number of reasons. My father, who will soon be 86 is still very active and likes to keep in touch with all around him. On his own insistence, very fortnight immediately I receive The Voice of the Maltese I print for him a copy of the magazine and forward it to him to read. He devours it from front to back page. Recently after all the publicity and write-ups on The Voice and its facebook page about the Maltese film production, Simshar, and in spite of the long drive, I took my dad to Warrawong to watch the movie that is set in the Maltese fishing village of his birthplace, Marsaxlokk. To be honest, and if I am allowed to pass judgement from a guy who watching films is a great hobby, the production is no blockbuster, but quite passable. For my father it was very emotional to watch, and impor-

tantly, to listen to the actors speaking in Maltese. He unashamedly cried almost throughout the film and he has been talking about it ever since. These emotions prevailed with the most recent issue of The Voice of the Maltese magazine, after he read the two very well written contributions, by Doris Cannataci about the shelters in Malta during World War II, and also Andy Busuttil’s article about his experience at visiting Malta for the first time after 51 years. It is great that after the loss of The Maltese Herald we now have such a professional publication to read and be kept updated. Thanks to the team behind it. It is such a pity that it is only fortnightly, however. My dad came to Australia in 1966 and then set in motion arrangements for the whole family to follow and to rebuild our future in this countrycontinent. We never regretted it. He worked hard in various jobs before he eventually found the right

Great response to the Maltese film in the Illawara region George Bartolo from Farmsborough Heights NSW, writes: t is with great satisfaction to note that Ifilmmy personal effort to bring the Maltese Simshar to Wollongong and the Illa-

warra region, and with the help of Anthony Scerri, who made the arrangements with the management of the Gala Cinema of Warrawong, it was a great success. The film was shown November 5-11 and the Maltese of the Illawarra region re-

sponded to the call. As it was screened over a six-day period that included a weekend, it gave the opportunity for every one to visit the Gala cinema and watch the first film of such high quality produced in Malta by the Maltese. From feedback I have received this film was well liked and the Maltese of Wollongong are ready for more. If similar attractions become available I will do my utmost to bring them to the Illawarra Region for the enjoyment of all.

one that helped him and the whole family to establish us. It wasn’t easy for him at first, and I know that he made a lot of sacrifices before the whole family could settle down to living comfortably. He still loves Malta a lot and my only regret is, that his ailing health precludes him from visiting Malta again. The long trip would be too tiring. So, with the knowledge that he is still so fond of Malta I have made arrangements for him to be in constant touch with the island, either on Skype or by watching Maltese TV programmes that are streamed from the island. I know there are a lot of other old Maltese folk around who, like my father still have Malta at heart, and I implore their families to follow my example when it comes to communicating with their homeland. Today, information technology has done wonders and though a flight to Malta takes about 24 hours, keeping in touch with Malta could only be a click away.

Congratulations! Herbert Magri-Overend from Friends of Malta GC (Formerly Association of Maltese Communities of Egypt) writes:

any thanks for the issue of The Voice of M the Maltese No. 114, and congratulations on its production. Without hesitation, I can honestly say that it was the best you have ever produced. The articles on the “Malteseness” of the generations in Australia ex-Malta, complements ours of September 2014 and February 2015 (Nos 104 and 105).

10 The Voice of the Maltese

Perspettiva

Tuesday November 24, 2015 A version of this series in English may be found in the author's blog at: http://ivancauchi.blogs pot.com

kitba ta’

IVAN CAUCHI

Il-KriΩi tar-Refu©jati F

tit tal-jiem ilu, bejn il-˙dax u t-tnax ta' Novembru, saret konferenza fis-Sala tal-Mediterran g˙all-Konferenzi f’Malta, fejn mexejja Ewropej u Afrikani ddiskutew il-kriΩi tar-refu©jati, l-aktar dik ta' Afrikani li jmorru l-Ewropa g˙al ra©unijiet ekonomiçi. B˙al ma nafu, ˙afna, wisq, minn dawn tra©ikament jispiççaw f'qieg˙ ilba˙ar fil-Ba˙ar Mediterran. Il-Konferenza intemmet bilwaqfien ta' fond ta' Ωew© biljun dollaru, bil-˙sieb li jsir Ωvilupp fil-pajjiΩi tat-tluq ˙alli min ikun im˙ajjar jemigra forsi minflok jit˙ajjar ifittex opportunitajiet qrib ta' daru, jiΩdiedu opportunitajiet ta' viΩas temporanji g˙all-edukazzjoni fl-Ewropa, u ssir kooperazzjoni bejn l-Ewropa u l-pajjiΩi tat-tluq.1 Dan kollu Ωgur jie˙u ΩΩmien, u wie˙ed irid jara jekk din l-inizjattiva hijiex biss qatra floçean li hemm bΩonn. Fl-istess waqt, il-migrazzjoni lkbira l-o˙ra lejn il-pajjiΩi talPunent mill-Lvant Nofsani, g˙adha g˙addejja b'ritmu mg˙a©©el, b'nies mill-Iraq u s-Sirja ja˙arbu l-infern li jeΩisti hemmhekk bil-mijiet taleluf. Apparti l-gwerra çivili fejn ˙afna Sirjani jridu je˙ilsu mid-dittatur Assad, l-organizzazzjoni fuq fomm kul˙add hija l-Istat Islamiku. Dan l-a˙˙ar, fi ftit jiem, dan il-grupp wettaq attakki f'Bejrut, ilLibanu, fuq il-grupp Musulman Xijta il-ÓeΩbollah (40 ru˙ mejta), fl-E©ittu fej ©ew mixlija li splo-dew bomba fuq ajruplan Russu li kien qed jie˙u turisti Russi lura lejn pajjiΩhom minn Ωjara f'Sharm el-Sheikh (200), u l-a˙˙ar atroçità l-ammont ta' attakki suwiçida f'Pari©i fi Franza (fejn mietu 130 ru˙). Qed ji©i ssuspettat li wie˙ed minn dawk li attakkaw lin-nies f'Pari©i kien infilsa ru˙u mar-refu©jati li da˙lu l-Ewropa millGreçja ftit tax-xhur ilu. Dan sfortunatament qed iwassal g˙al pressjoni f'diversi pajjiΩi biex jinΩamm minnufih id-d˙ul tar-refu©jati. Dan rajnieh hawnhekk fl-Awstralja, fejn it-talba saret anke minn membru tal-parlament tal-partit fil-gvern,2 fl-Ewropa stess u issa anke fl-Istati Uniti, fejn anke kandidati g˙all-presidenza ta' dak il-pajjiΩ, inkluΩ Donald Trump u Jed Bush, qed isemmg˙u le˙inhom g˙al dan ilpass. Minflok ma jsiru kontrolli iktar stretti fuq min ji©i aççettat b˙ala refu©jat, inwaqqfu lil kul˙add. Jekk grupp ta' sewwieqa jiksru rregolamenti tat-traffiku, inwaqqfu s-sewqan. Lo©ika, le? U minn min qed ja˙arbu r-rrfu©jati? Mhux mill-istess terroristi? It-tra©edja hi li r-refu©jati qed ji©u mpin©ija li huma kollha, jew ˙afna minnhom huma, Musulmani u terroristi. Qed jing˙ad li ma jistg˙ux ikunu çittadini tajba g˙ax g˙alihom Alla ji©i l-ewwel; ma jistg˙ux jag˙mlu ˙bieb mal-Insara u l-Lhud; li l-mexxejja spritwali tag˙hom iridu l-qerda tal-IΩrael u l-Amerika; li (preΩumibbilment ra©el) irid jiΩΩewwe© erba' nisa u jsawwat lill-mara meta ma tobdix; li d-demokrazija u l-Islam ma jistg˙ux jeΩistu flimkien, eçç eçç. Jien m'g˙andix dubju li hemm Musulmani li jemmnu hekk, imma dawn jistg˙u jitqiesu rappreΩentattivi? Il-Klu Klux Klan jirrappreΩentaw lill-Insara? M'hemmx ukoll Insara li jemmnu li l-li©i t'Alla ti©i qabel dik tal-istat?3

Il-Knisja Kattolika ma tg˙idx lil çittadinibiex ma jobdux li©ijiet immorali jew kontra t-tag˙lim tal-evan©elu?4 Jien ng˙id g˙alija f'˙ajti g˙amilt diversi ˙bieb Musulmani, u˙ud fil-qrib. Fl-istess ˙in naf ukoll Insara li lanqas jo˙olmu li jag˙mlu ˙bieb ma' xi Musulman. Dan jirrifletti fuq l-Insara kollha? Nies mejta jew feruti fl-art qrib il-Cafe Bonne Biere wara wie˙ed mill-attakki terroristiçi tat-13 ta’ Novembru li g˙adda f’Pari©i

Abram, il-patrijarka tal-Lhud, Insara u l-Musulmani, mhux Ωew© nisa kellu? G˙adni ma smajt lil ebda saçerdot fil-knisja jikkundannah. U possibbli ma smajniex bl-IndoneΩja u t-Turkija, pajjiΩi b'sistema demokratika fejn is-soçjetà hija predominantement Musulmana? F'˙ajti rajt wisq pre©udizzji, u nies jg˙a©©lu biex jikkundannaw. Jien, f'waqtiet diffiçli b˙al dawk li qed ng˙ixu fihom daΩ-Ωmien, nistaqsi lili nnifsi, kieku Ìesù x'kien jag˙mel? X'attitudni kien jie˙u? Forsi mistoqsija a˙jar, x'g˙amel fi Ωmienu? It-twe©iba malajr ne˙duha mill-Bibbja tal-Insara, u hija sorprendenti. Ìesù xe˙et ˙arstu fuq ˙afna minn dawk il-kategoriji ta' nies imwarrba li kien hemm fis-soçjetà ta' Ωmienu: is-Samaritani, ilprostituti, il-kolletturi tat-taxxi, ir-Rumani, u l-morda (b˙al-lebbruΩi u l-g˙omja, li l-marda tag˙hom kienet titqies xhieda tad-dnub filfamilja), tkellem mag˙hom, ˙abbhom u g˙annaqhom mieg˙u! Lil Samaritan (illum x’aktarx kien ikun Palestinjan Musulman) f'parabbola fa˙˙ru talli g˙en lil wie˙ed imsawwat f'nofs ta' triq; lil prostituta qalilha li ma jikkundannahiex; fuq çenturjun Ruman qal lil ta' madwaru li ma kienx ra fidi akbar minn tieg˙u; lillmorda ne˙˙ielhom il-kawΩa tal-istmerrija li kienet t˙oss g˙alihom is-soçjetà ta' madwarhom, u nistg˙u nibqg˙u sejrin. Il-messa©© hu çar: nift˙u qalbna g˙al min hu ta' rieda tajba, u ma n˙allux il-pre©udizzji jag˙muna. Il-©lieda tag˙na g˙andha tkun mal-minoranza storbjuΩa u qerrieda - it-terroristi li l-Islam jinqdew biss bih, u mhux mal-ma©©oranza kwieta u ©wejda, li lIslam jaraw fih l-istess g˙erq tal-kelma SLIEM. Referenzi 1. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/internationalsummit/2015/11/1112/, retrieved 17/11/2015 2. http://www.abc.net.au/news/20151116/duttonrejectsinternalcallforaustraliatocloseborders/6943552, retrieved 17/11/2015 3. http://www.theocracywatch.org/biblical_law2.htm 4. Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 2242

The Voice of the Maltese 11

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Some of the descendants of the Maltese ANZACs who were honoured by having their names inscribed on the plaque

100th Anniversary of the ANZACs

Maltese from WW1 remembered A

very poignant and moving celebration in memory of the Maltese ANZACs who joined the Australian Imperial Forces and New Zealand Expeditionary Forces of World War One was held recently at the Scouts Hall, Civic Park Pendle Hill NSW. The celebration had initially been planned to be held at the Maltese BiCentennial Monument, but due to inclement weather the organisers, the Maltese RSL sub-branch of NSW, decided instead to hold it indoors. The highlight of the event was the unveiling and blessing of the plaque

bearing 54 names of Maltese heroes who served with the ANZACs during WW1. Fr Noel Bianco MSSP blessed the plaque while Charles Mifsud and Julie Owens, Federal Member for Parramatta, unveiled the plaque. This celebration was very well organised and directed with military precision by the MC, Andrew Magro. The national anthems of Malta, Australian and NZ were sung by Marisa Previtera (Malta), James Cassar (Australia) and Stephanie Osborne (New Zealand). James Cassar provided the musical interlude with songs related to the occasion. Charles Mifsud, the President of the

Julie Owens MP and the President of the RSL Sub-Branch Charles Mifsud after the unveiling of the plaque

Maltese RSL Sub Branch, welcomed the guests and explained the story behind the plaque and the detailed research done to locate and confirm the names. The plaque would eventually become part of the Maltese Bi-Centennial Monument with a replica affixed at the Maltese Resource Centre at Parramatta West. Mark Caruana, Marianne Potts, Andrew Magro and other RSL members carried out the extensive research Six descendants of the ANZAC who were honoured at the celebration spoke emotionally about their connections and expressed deep pride that their ancestorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; names are now formally acknowledged and inscribed on the plaque for their heroic acts. The descendants that attended the unveiling were: Profs Peter Castaldi (on behalf of his dad Peter and also for Anthony Xuereb); Paul and Judy Kelly (on behalf of William Walter Farrugia); Joe Deguana (on behalf of Charles Camilleri); Marianne Potts (on behalf of Alan Azzopardi, grandson of Anthony Azzopardi); Helen Zammit (on behalf of Frank Brown) and Lea Harding (on behalf of Charles Bonavia) The special guests at the ceremony were Julie Owens MP, Dr Hugh McDermott MP, Mark Taylor MP and Clr. Lisa Lake. John Haines and Bryn Miller represented the RSL. The president of the MCC of NSW Emanuel Camilleri, representatives of various associations and The Voice of the Maltese also attended. The President of the RSL Sub Branch was disappointed that no representative of the Malta Government could be present for this historic occasion.

12 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Roundup of News About Malta

CHOGM 2015: Malta hosting representatives of 2.2 bn. people

fter the Valletta Summit on Migration a few days ago, on November 27-29, Malta is hosting another important event, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) for 53 heads of state. It is the second time it is being organised in Malta. The first was in 2005. Throughout history Malta has served as a bridge between North Africa and Europe. Now, as the CHOGM host it is providing a platform for the countries members of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 53 independent states with a combined population of 2.2 billion, to come together to build bridges of cooperation. They represent one fourth of the countries of the UN, therefore CHOGM will bring together a community of countries with the energy and drive to develop fair, resilient and universally acceptable solutions to global problems. The Commonwealth includes some of the world’s largest, smallest, richest and poorest nations. The British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, her son Prince Charles The Prince of Wales, accompanied by The Duchess of Cornwall, will all be attending CHOGM.

Highlights of the visit will include a full ceremonial welcome in St George's Square, Valletta, a reception hosted by The Queen for the people of Malta, as well as the colourful pageantry of the CHOGM opening ceremony and Heads of Government dinner. At the same time, the Royal Family will be celebrating its enduring affection for Malta: its people, its history and its future. As in the Valletta Summit, the island’s facilities will be stretched to the limit as Malta welcomes 5,000 delegates and 1,000 journalists, supported by 500 volunteers in 10 of the chosen venues. As a result of hosting CHOGM, for the next two years Malta will be the Chair of the Commonwealth, and while doing so, is determined to see that following the Malta event, the Commonwealth embarks on a more assertive and more influential course, ensuring the organisation a more beneficial lease of life. The official opening ceremony at the Mediterranean Conference Centre (MCC), is to transmitted globally via www.chogm2015.mt/. The official CHOGM retreat is to be held at Fort St Angelo, in Birgu.

A group photo at the Mediterranean Conference Centre of the participants in the 2015 Valletta Summit on Migration

2015 Valletta Summit recognises that migration is a shared responsibility

he leaders of EU and African countries who met in Malta in a two-day international summit on migration that has helped enhance the political will to solve the migration crisis amid concerns that the Schengen Treaty that allows free movement may fall apart. The Valletta Summit brought together about 63 European and African heads of state and government, as well as representatives of in-

ternational and regional organisations. The biggest summit Malta has ever hosted discussed cooperation in order to tackle the migration crisis and ended with the EU pledging cash in its bid to stem the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean on their way to European countries. It recognised that migration is a shared responsibility of countries of origin, transit and destination.

Malta lauded for a well-organised event The participants and journalists in the summit hosted believed the event was very well organised but it was difficult to forecast if the action plan would eventually succeed. Most leaders agreed that following broad consensus among them, the next step is for the implementation of the plan and to translate words into deeds.

Meanwhile, the foreign Journalists agreed that Fort St Elmo, that served as the Media Centre was possibly the most stunning venue to ever host an EU summit. The stunning weather also helped and some of the officials accompanying the leaders stayed along with journalists to enjoy a short holiday on the island

The summit ended with the political declaration and a 17-page action plan that were unanimously adopted, designed to: 1. Address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement 2. Enhance cooperation on legal migration and mobility 3. Enforce the protection of migrants and asylum seekers 4. Prevent and fight irregular migration, migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings 5. Work more closely to improve cooperation on return, readmission and reintegration Describing the outcome as “an important first step for a two-way relationship” between Europe and Africa, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, added that “ We spoke very clearly. There’sconvergence but also confrontation on some issues.” *Continued on page 13

The Voice of the Maltese 13

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Roundup of News About Malta Two Teenagers arraigned over resident Malta President P MariePaceville incident Preca Louise Coleiro tells UNESCO who visFrance on that injured 74 theitedinvitation of UNESCO that wo teenage boys, aged 17 and 18 were its Tarrested by the Police in order to help celebrated 70th Anniverin the magisterial inquiry of an incident

‘We must promote equality and justice for all’

during the night of Saturday/Sunday in a Paceville night spot during which 74 young people were injured and rushed to hospital when a glass banister at the exit gave way under the pressure of scores of people trying to leave all at once down a staircase after the youths complained of having difficulty breathing following what at the time was thought to be a gas leak. Among the injured, who received treatment - all between the ages of 13 and 25 – were a 13-year-old girl, for head injuries and a 15year-old girl with foot injuries. Others suffered from bruises, lacerations, fractures, as well as head injuries. The 18-year-old youth was charged with allegedly throwing a pepper spray cannister that caused panic as patrons experienced shortness of breath and burning in the lungs. Police investigations and the Magistrate inquiry are ongoing, and in the wake of the incident, the directors of the company that runs the establishment are facing court proceeding. Both the 13 and 15-year-old girls who were critically injured in the incident left the Intensive Care Unit Tuesday. Only four others were still receiving treatment.

sary, told the Leaders’ Forum at the 38th Session of the UNESCO General Conference: “Together we must promote equality and justice for all. Together we must find ways of facilitating and brokering peace. Together we must strive for the wellbeing of our world” During her speech, she also highlighted the major issues that world leaders should be focusing on in order to ensure the wellbeing of our world. These include; food security, gender inequality, access to education and threats to sustainability. The President also pointed out that there must be a renewed commitment to safeguard human dignity and human rights, “not for the privileged few but for each and every one of us, wherever we live and whatever our circumstances”. She went on to say that UNESCO’s role is a critical one and referred to it as a ‘guide and a companion’ in this journey, adding that we need to see this moment in our history as an opportunity for the global community to uncover the root causes of inequality. “We must openly and honestly explore the structural inequalities that perpetuate harmMalta’s Budget 2016 ful cycles of privilege and oppression and in approved by the EC the process damage the lives of countless n its assessment on Malta’s Draft Budgetmillions”. ary Plan, the European Commission has The President also made a heartfelt plea in favour of the achievement of gender equal- confirmed that Malta’s Budget 2016 is comity, and called on those present to do all that pliant with the Growth and Stability Pact, is within their power to eradicate poverty, and believes that Malta’s growth rate of govdiffuse conflict and ensure the equality of all ernment expenditure is in line with the applicable expenditure benchmark. members of the human family.

Malta PM says Schengen rules are outdated, need to change *Continued from page 12 He added that migration shouldn't be seen in isolation but to look at the potential of Africa, and pointed out that Europe is the only group of countries that is doing something tangible, despite its differences. EU members also formally launched an emergency trust fund for Africa with an initial €1.8 billion to combat the poverty and conflicts driving migration to Europe, with 25 EU Member States and two non-EU donors (Norway and Switzerland) announced a total contribution of around €78.2 million. Malta’s share would be €250,000, which per capita is one of the highest contributors among EU member countries. France, the UK and Germany have pledged just €3 million each. European Council president Donald Tusk said that time is running out for Schengen and that the situation is grave because certain EU member states were unilaterally imposing border controls. "What is happening is unprecedented,” he said. He also sounded a warning to migrants by saying that asylum seekers cannot decide where they want to be given asy-

lum inside the EU, and that the plan intends to improve the protection of displaced persons and increase the fight against smugglers. Jean Claude Juncker the President of the European Commission said he was not happy at all with the migrant relocation pace to date. “We are meant to relocate 160,000 and just 130 have been moved between member states”. When it comes to the Schengen agreement, Donald Tusk said that time is running out for it and that the situation is grave because certain EU member states were unilaterally imposing border controls. “Saving Schengen is a race against time. And we're determined to win it. Without effective border control Schengen won’t survive. We must hurry, but without panic,” he said. In this regard, Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said that he believed that the Schengen rules are outdated and need to change. “Safeguarding borders is not building Fortress Europe. We need rules which work for everybody," he said while criticising member states that erect walls. He

pointed out that history has shown that such measures are only short-term solutions. Mario Draghi the president of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi told EU lawmakers that Europe's economy would strengthen if countries invest in efforts to cope with the refugee crisis.

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14 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

It-tielet riΩenja! I lu Ωmien ma jkollna daqshekk riΩenji fil-Parlament Malti – tlieta b’kollox. Ktibt fil-Parlament u mhux mill-Parlament g˙ax tnejn mid-deputati attwalment irriΩenjaw mill-grupp politiku tag˙hom u mhux mill-Parlament. L-a˙˙ar riΩenja kienet ta’ Marlene Farrugia mill-Grupp Parlamentari Laburista. Sintendi din ir-riΩenja ng˙atat prominenza qawwija mil-midja lokali. Attwalment Farrugia kien ilha tikteb artikli li fihom kienet tikritika lill-Gvern. Sa˙ansitra kienet dehret titg˙annaq malKap tal-OppoΩizzjoni meta kienet saret ilprotesta dwar il-bini tal-Universita` Amerikana f’Ωonqor Point, Wied-il G˙ajn. Ir-riΩenja ta’ Farrugia ©abet diversi reazzjonijiet fosthom tal-mexxejja tal-partiti, tal-Prim Ministru u l-Kap tal-OppoΩizzjoni. Tal-ewwel fi tweet kiteb: Joseph Muscat @JosephMuscat_JM I met Marlene Farrugia and accepted her resignation from the Labour Party. I wish her all the best for the future -JM 6:37 PM - 17 Nov 2015

Min-na˙a tieg˙u l-Kap tal-OppoΩizzjoni fi tweet ie˙or iddikjara: Simon Busuttil@SimonBusuttil The ‘Movement’ built by @JosephMuscat_JM has started to crack. People are beginning to see through him.

Interessanti t-tweets taΩ-Ωew© mexxejja politiçi. Tal-ewwel ma da˙˙al l-ebda politika u awgura futur lil Farrugia; tat-tieni bag˙at messa©© g˙al kollox politiku. Attwalment kien hemm min interpreta lmessa©© ta’ Muscat, u dak li qalu xi deputati Laburisti, b˙ala wie˙ed li donnu li bir-riΩenja ta’ Farrugia ma ©ara xejn: G˙al ˙afna deputati, ir-riΩenja ta’ Marlene Farrugia ma tfisser xejn (netnews.com.mt). Min-na˙a l-o˙ra kien hemm min sostna li l-messa©© ta’ Busuttil mhux wisq fattwali g˙ax x’issa ma tantx hemm sinjali li hemm xi membri o˙ra tal-grupp Laburista li wrew differenzi mal-Gvern, g˙alkemm Farrugia qed tg˙id li hemm deputati o˙ra tal-Gvern li ma’ jaqblux mal-mod kif qed jitmexxa lGvern imma jibΩg˙u jitkellmu.

Fi Gwerra?

’issa l-Gvern Malti qag˙ad lura S milli jing˙aqad mal-forzi nternazzjonali li qed jattakkaw il-Forzi talISIS, iΩda kif li l-President FrançiΩ Francois Hollande ddikjara li pajjiΩu jinsab fi gwerra u talab g˙all-g˙ajnuna ta˙t l-Artiklu 42.7 tat-Trattat Ewropew, qed tqum il-mistqosija jekk dan ifissirx li pajjiΩna wkoll jista’ isib ru˙u f'din il-gwerra. Jidher li l-Gvern g˙ad m’g˙andux twe©iba g˙al din il-mistqosija billi sorsi qrib il-Gvern qalu li "L-ewwel

WANTS TO BUY

trid issir it-talba minn Franza. Min hemm wie˙ed jie˙u idea ta' xi jkunu qed jitolbu". L-artiklu msemmi jobbliga lill-istati membri fl-Unjoni Ewropea biex joffru g˙ajnuna u jassistu b'kull mezz possibbli meta stat ikun vittma ta' aggressjoni fuq it-territorju tieg˙u. Aktarx li din hija l-ewwel darba li xi stat membru qed jinvoka dan l-artiklu. Sadanitant l-Alternattiva Demokratika qalet li l-Gvern Malti b˙ala Stat Newtrali ma jista' qatt tag˙ti g˙ajnuna militari. IΩda ma nafx jekk skont ir-regoli li ntrabatna bihom meta d˙ala flUnjoni Ewropeja nistg˙ux ng˙idu le jekk dawn jinsistu li g˙andna nibagatu g˙ajnuna militari.

ORIGINAL MALTESE GEORGE CROSS MEDAL Member of RSL Maltese ExServiceman’s Association wants to buy an original Maltese George Cross medal to to wear with other World War II medals during commemorations such as Anzac Day and Sette Giugno.

Contact Patrick Bartolo: Tel.:02 96319394; Mob.: 0424641543 Email: patrick0403@optusnet.com.au

Approvat Qed ng˙id dan g˙aliex sa˙ansitra anke l-Ba©it tal-Gvern Malti ma setax ji©i attwat li kieku l-Unjoni Ewropeja ma approvatux. Fil-fatt meta l-©img˙a li g˙addiet t˙abbar li l-UE kienet approvat il-Ba©it ta’ Malta kien hemm ˙afna li kkumentaw dwar il-fatt li ninsabu f’sitwazzjoni li Gvern Malti jrid i©ib l-approvazzjoni tal-Unjoni Ewropeja anke biex jonfoq flusu.

Fejn nid˙lu g˙as-soltu kummenti li jag˙mlu l-qarrejja tal-©urnali elettroniçi, filwaqt li kien hemm dawk li fa˙˙ru l-pass ta’ Farrugia, kien hemm g˙add kbir li ma qag˙dux lura jiktbu kummenti iebsa filkonfront ta’ Farrugia li Ωgur ma jirreflettux dak li kiteb il-Prim Ministru. F’poΩizzjoni tassew antipatika huwa propju Ωew© Marlene Farrugia, it-Tabib Godfrey Farrugia. Farrugia mhux biss hu deputat Laburista, iΩda wkoll il-whip tal-Grupp Parlamentari Laburista... li fost kollox irid jara li meta jkun hemm vot fil-Parlament, id-deputati tal-Gvern ikunu fil-Kamra tal-Parlament u jivvutaw favur il-linja tal-Gvern. Tistg˙u ta˙sbu s-sitwazzjoni ta’ Farrugia meta martu attwalment marret kontra dak li kien qed jimbotta hu, u vvutat mal-OppoΩizzjoni. Minkejja l-vot kontra u mal-OppoΩizzjoni, ta’ Marlene, il-Gvern mhux biss Ωamm ilma©©oranza, imma attwalment ©ab ma©©oranza ta’ 10 billi xi deputati Nazzjonalisti ma kienux preΩenti fil-Parlament.

G˙al Malta l-ewwel ti©i s-sigurta` tit jiem wara l-ValF letta Summit, bejn is27 u d-29 tax-xahar Malta se tospita 53 mexxej ta’ pajjiΩ im-sie˙ba fil-Commonwealth g˙al-laqg˙a g˙olja taç-CHOGM, biex hekk ˙afna pajjiΩi se jiffukaw ˙arsithom fuq Malta. Imma minkejja l-importanza tag˙ha, jekk ikun hemm imqar dubji dwar is-sigurta’ il-Prim Ministru Malti Joseph Muscat qal li jkun lest li j˙assarha. Fid-dawl ta’ dak li se˙˙ fi Franza u s-sigurta, waqt li Malta se tospita daqstant mexxejja dinjin, il-Prim Ministru qal li fejn g˙andha x’taqsam Malta, ir-regoli tax-Shengen li b˙alissa huma sospiΩi, se jibqg˙u fis-se˙˙ anke g˙al wara ç-CHOGM. Il-Prim Ministru qal li g˙alkemm Malta taqbel mal-prinçipju tal-movi-

ment ˙ieles fl-Ewropa, imma g˙andhom jinbidlu r-regoli tax-Shengen. Dwar it-theddid tat-terroriΩmu, g˙al dab’o˙ra sa˙aq li l-importanti li nkunu kawti u attenti, iΩda m’ghandniex no˙olqu beΩg˙at g˙alxejn F’Malta se jittie˙du lpassi kollha me˙tie©a biex tkun assigurata ssigurta` f’Malta. Sostna li ç-çerimonji ma jag˙mlux bih u mhux se jpo©©i s-sigurta’ tal-pajjiΩ quddiem iç-çermonja. Fl-a˙˙ar ©img˙a ©ew arrestati fl-Italja b’passaporti foloz xi Sirjani li kienu fi triqithom lejn Malta. Dawn kellhom pasaporti ta’ pajjiΩi Ewropej. Il-PM qal li ma kien hemm xejn li juri li dawn kellhom xi ˙sieb li jwettqu xi attakk, u ça˙ad rapporti li kien hemm xi rabta bejnhom u l-ISIS.

The Voice of the Maltese 15

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Mix-xena tal-˙ajja Maltija 2

“G˙awdex sar mutur ekonomiku tieg˙u nnifsu”

inn kumpanija falluta, bil-˙idma talGvern, il-Gozo Channel dis-sena se tag˙mel qlig˙ ta’ €900,000. Dan t˙abbar mill-Minisru g˙al G˙awdex Anton Refalo waqt wa˙da mil-laqg˙at ta’ ‘Gvern li jisma’ li saret f’G˙awdex. Sa˙aq li l-gΩira G˙awdxija llum g˙andha ekonomja b’sa˙˙iha u kummerç tajjeb, tant li saret “mutur ekonomiku tieg˙u nnifsu”. Issokta li grazzi g˙all-©id li n˙oloq, hemm dak imsejja˙ il-good feel factor’fost l-G˙awdxin. F’aktar a˙barijiet tajbin g˙all-G˙awdxin, waqt li semma r-restawr taç-Çittadella fi pro©ett li jiswa €14-il miljun u li qed jag˙ti valur miΩjud lill-gΩira, qal li l-Gvern qed ifittex li jinvesti f’niçeç li jag˙mlu sens u b’hekk G˙awdex illum sar g˙andu identita`

ekonomika ©dida. Lanqas ma naqas li jsemmi li permezz tal-iskola medika ta’ Barts, f’G˙awdex, se jin˙oloq dak li sejja˙ b˙ala medical hub. Il-Minisru semma wkoll g˙add ta’ inizjattivi li qed iwasslu biex aktar turisti jΩura G˙awdex, fi Ωmien fejn mhux soltu jΩuruh. Fost dawn hemm it-tnaqqis fin-noll tal-vapur g˙al çertu Ωmien u wkoll kif dis-sena fil-Milied il-gΩira se tinbidel f’villa©© tal-Milied.

Bidla Wara 43 sena!

Int qatt uΩajtu mill-©did?

afna drabi j˙e©©una biex kemm jista’ Ó jkun ma na˙lux çerti riΩorsi, imma nirriçiklawhom. IΩda xi ˙a©a li qatt ma smajt

jew bsart li tista’ ti©i riçiklata, hija t-toilet paper. Biss o˙ro© il-g˙a©eb f’Malta jidher li kien hawn persuna, tal-inqas hekk ©ie allegat minn Ωew©ha, li martu tant kienet ossessjonata bil-flus li kienet tuΩa g˙at-toilet paper li mbag˙ad bdiet tnixxfu biex ter©a’ tuΩah. Mhux biss, iΩda sa˙ansitra allega li filg˙axija kienet titfi l-arlo©© biex ma tin˙eliex il-batterija u ma riditx tixg˙el iddawl fid-dar. Imma kemm praspar hux!!

F’dawn l-a˙˙ar snin donnu li l-akkuΩi ta’ ind˙il mill-kleru, u speçjalment l-Isqfijiet fil-politika ma tantx g˙adhom jidhru flistampa, g˙alkemm bit-tpaçpiç isir ˙afna kliem. G˙alhekk tweet xejn komplimentuΩa dwar l-Arçisqof ta’ ex-membru parlamentari nazzjonalista, il-mag˙ruf JPO (Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando) malajr sabet ru˙ha fl-a˙barijiet. Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando VICI KAP GDID TAL-PN? Jidher li l-Arcisqof huwa determinat li jappoggja lill-PN f’kull opportunita` li tinholoq. Issa qieghed sahansitra jikkritika l-Gvern fuq is-sistema taddawl li ntuzat ghal Kastilja-kif ghamlet l-Oppozizzjoni. Jidher li ghandna Arcisqof li jifhem fid-dawl ukoll. Ghandu dritt isemma lehnu, ovvjament. Izda bhala s-suppost raghaj tal-Kattolici kollha Maltin ghandu jaghti l-impressjoni li qieghed ikun partiggjan b’mod persistenti?

ikwit nisimg˙u bil-˙atra ta’ arçiprieti u S kappillani fid-diversi parroççi ta’ Malta u G˙awdex. Donna li da˙let sistema li lKappillani u l-Arçiprieti jinbidlu wara li jag˙mlu çertu snin. Biss jidher li g˙ad hemm fejn kappillani u Arçiprieti li qattg˙u snin mhux ˙aΩin fl-istess parroçça. Bla dubbju fost l-aktar arçiprieti li f’dawn la˙˙ar snin dam imexxi l-istess parroçça kien dak tal-Parroçça tax-Xewkija f’G˙awdex, leqdem parroçça fost l-ir˙ula G˙awdxin. Mons Carmelo Mercieca, kien ir-rag˙aj ta’ dan ir-ra˙al g˙all-43 sena u nbidel biss ftit tal©img˙at ilu wara li ng˙ata ˙atra ©dida fil-

Ma tantx ja˙sibha

Kurja G˙awdxija. Postu ˙adu Mons Daniel Xerri (ritratt fuq) Sintendi tistg˙u ta˙sbu b’liema ˙e©©a xXewkin assistew g˙aç-çerimonja tal-˙atra tal-jikkunsidra li kienu biss dawk li g˙andhom madwar ˙amsin sena jew aktar li kienu assistew g˙al çermonja b˙al din (tal-pussess) fil-Parroçça ddedikata lil San Gwann Battista.

Stedina g˙al LEJLA TA’ TAGÓRIF

Din kienet ir-reazzjoni ta’ JPO wara li lArçisqof waqt li kien qed ikellem lil dawk li ggradwaw waqt il-quddiesa ççelebrata filkonkattidral ta’ San Gwann, il-Belt g˙adda kumment indirett fejn irrefera g˙al dik li qed ti©i meqjusa minn xi w˙ud b˙ala ˙sara fil-faççata tal-Ber©a ta’ Kastilja meta saru xi toqob biex jg˙addu xi wiajers taleletriku. Kumment iebes li fortunatament waqaf hemm billi l-Arçisqof ma g˙amel l-ebda reazzjoni g˙all-kumment.

Tibdiliet fil-Pensjoni, il-Kura talAnzjani u s-Superannuation Kif dawn jistg˙u jaffettwaw lilek??? L-Erbg˙a, 25 ta’ Novembru fis-7.30 p.m.

Our Lady Queen of Peace Church, Dun George Preca Hall, 198 Old Prospect Rd, Greystanes 2145 Mrs Marie Louise Muscat li hija esperta f’dan il-qasam tal-ippjanar finanzjarju tispjega b’mod sempliçi u tkun tista’ twie©eb ukoll g˙all-mistoqsijiet tag˙kom bl-IngliΩ jew bil-Malti. G˙al aktar tag˙if çemplu lil Lawrence Dimech 9631 9295

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www.fiducianfs.com.au Ph. 9231 2133 Marie Louise Muscat is a representative of Fiducian Financial Service Pty Ltd ABN 46 094 765 134 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 231102

16 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

A quick glimpse at Australia

Islamic State is weak; don’t fall for their strategy

n comments that drew widespread praise across social media, Australian writer, academic, lawyer and media presenter Waleed Aly (right) launched an impassioned plea for unity following the Paris terror attacks. He said that divisive actions of hate would serve only to help Islamic State. Egyptian-born Waleed made his comments, on Network Ten's news and current affairs television programme The Project, which he cohosts. He said that IS's aim was to split the world into “two camps ... A global war between Muslims and everyone else”. He urged Australians not to fall for this strategy of divide and conquer. “We are all feeling a million raging emotions right now. I am angry with these terrorists. I am sickened by the violence and I am crushed for the families that have been left behind, but, you know what, I won't be manipulated. We all need to come together,” adding that it is exactly what IS doesn't want. He went on to say: “If you're a Member of Parliament or a has-been member of Parliament preaching hate at a time when what we actually need is more love, you are helping IS. They have told us that... if you are just someone with a Facebook or Twitter account firing off misguided missives of hate, you are helping IS. They have told us that. “I am pretty sure that right now none of us wants to help these bastards. Recent attacks and threats against Muslims would serve to only aid IS's aims,” he said. “They want societies like France and here in Australia to turn on each other. They want countries like ours

They get you even overseas fter the carnage in Paris, the Australian GovA ernment is more intent with passing the controversial bill dealing with dual citizens and terrorists’ acts. Under the bill a person’s citizenship can be revoked if they act with intention of a “political, religious or ideological cause” or of “coercing or influencing by intimidation the government”. Under the criminal code, a person needs to have both these things in mind when he acted to be convicted of a terrorist act. The bill aims to prevent dual nationals who are overseas from returning to Australia by automatically revoking their citizenship once authorities learn they have committed terror offence. The government made 26 changes after it largely limited its scope, based on recommendation from cross-party committee of MPs.

to reject their Muslims and vilify them.” Calling the organisation “weak”, he said, “What we don't know yet is if the attack was planned, ordered or funded by IS's leaders in Syria because the problem is, this is what IS do. They take credit for any act of terrorism on Western soil so they appear bigger and tougher than they actually are.” He went on to say: “IS leaders would be ecstatic to hear that Muslims have been reportedly threatened and attacked in England, America and here in Australia because this evil organisation has it in their heads that if they can make Muslims the enemy of the West, then Muslims in France, England and America and here in Australia will have nowhere to turn but to IS. “That was exactly their strategy in Iraq. And now they want it to go global. It is both dumbfounding in its stupidity and blood-curdling in its barbarity.”

Jobs for the future ccording to the 17th annual report for the A Foundation for Young Australian using data from the ABS revealed that it would take the average Australian five years to find a full time work after years of study. By comparison, it took the average Australian just one year to find full time work after studying in 1986. The future leaders index released, found that out of 5000 young Australians, two in three respondents were concerned about getting a job that had the potential for a career, while more than 50 per cent felt the opportunities in their field weren’t strong. The report found that despite waiting up to five years to get full-time employment, up to 25% of young people did not use the skills they studied for and up to 70 % were studying for potentially automated entry-level jobs that might not exist in future.

More aid to refugees mmigration Minister Peter Dutton has Icrease given strong hits that Australia may inits emergency intake of Syrian refuges after he visited refugee camps in Jordan. He said 4.2 million people left Syria and seven million were internally displaced in the country and “its situation getting worse”. One of the Abbott government’s last acts was to announce that Australia would permanently resettle 12,000 refugees from Syria. Women, children and families from persecuted minorities who were sheltered in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey would take priority. Abbott had also announced $44 million in aid to supply refugees in the Middle East with cash, food, water and blankets.

The Voice of the Maltese 17

Tuesday November 24, 2015

A quick glimpse at Australia

97th Remembrance Day

he Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were in Australia for a national five-day visit. They also visited New Zealand. The first time Prince Charles visited Australia was 50 years ago. It is the royals’ second trip to Australia as a couple and Prince Charles’ 15th visit. On Remembrance Day, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla attended the ceremony at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra. The royal couple planted pin oak trees and placed poppies on the Roll of Honour. The national ceremony included a formal wreath-laying, and students from each state and territory were present, representing the youth of Australia. This year's event focused on the sacrifice of Indigenous soldiers, with Indigenous author and historian Jackie Huggins giving the commemorative address Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, during a Flame of Remembrance in Perth - the first Indigenous person in history to give an address at the ceremony. This year marks the 97th anniversary of came Remembrance Day to commemorate all those who have died the armistice that ended World War I in 1918. in war. In 1997, governor-general Sir William Deane issued a The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month was originally proclamation declaring November 11 to be Remembrance Day, known as Armistice Day; however, after World War II, the day be- urging all Australians to observe one minute's silence.

Maltese celebrity chef altese celebrity chef Shane Delia says that M his show, Shane Delia’s Moorish Spice Journey is now screening in 160 countries. It is

on SBS every Thursday at 8 pm. Shane is the owner and head chef of Maha Restaurant in Melbourne. He has been lighting up Melbourne’s food scene for years. He is also the star of his own TV series, author of Maha Middle Eastern Home Cooking and a charity ambassador. Shane opened his Melbourne restaurant Maha in 2008. The restaurant is influenced by Shane’s Maltese heritage and excientists have said that cooking with vegetable oils releases toxic chem- tensive travels through the Middle East, Iran, North Africa icals linked to cancer and other diseases, so they recommend food to and Turkey. Renowned for its fresh, unrestricted Middle Eastern menu, Maha’s style is truly cutting edge. be fried in olive oil, coconut oil, butter or even lard. Unsurprisingly, The Age Good Food Guide recognised They found that heating up vegetable oils led to the release of high concentrations of chemicals called aldehydes, which have been linked to ill- Maha’s unique style. The restaurant has continually earned One Chef’s Hat annually since 2009. Maha has recently unnesses including disease and dementia. Prof Martin Grootveld said that his research showed “a typical meal of dergone a $1 million renovation; coming of age as the home fish and chips” fried in vegetable oil, contained as much as 100 to 200 of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern hospitality and cuisine. times more toxic aldehydes than the safe daily limit set by the WHO. The success of Shane’s restaurant is a testament to his hardworking, entrepreneurial attitude. In 2012, Restaurant and Catering Australia named MICHELLE ROWLAND MP him Australian Young Achiever of the Year. FEDERAL MEMBER FOR GREENWAY Proudly serving the areas of: Acacia Gardens, Blacktown*, Girraween, he trade union royal commission's top Glenwood, Kellyville Ridge, Kings Langley, lawyer, Jeremy Stoljar has found that Kings Park, Lalor Park, Parklea, Pendle Labor leader Bill Shorten did not engage Hill, Prospect*, Quakers Hill*, Riverstone, in any criminal or unlawful conduct folRouse Hill*, Schofields, Seven Hills, lowing an exhaustive investigation into his Stanhope Gardens, The Ponds, conduct during his years with the AusToongabbie*, Vineyard tralian Workers Union. *Parts of In a statement the commission said, 230 Prospect Hwy, Seven Hills 2147 “There is no submission that Mr. Bill Ph: 9671 4780 Shorten may have engaged in any criminal or unlawful conduct.” Email: Michelle.Rowland.MP@aph.gov.au Reacting to the findings, Mr. Shorten said the political nature of the commission had www.facebook.com/mrowlandmp been exposed in recent months. This comTwitter: @mrowlandmp mission's cost taxpayers $80 million”.

After bacon and red meat now its oils!

Not guilty as charged!

18 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Malta’s HC takes part in commemoration of French terrorism victims I n the wake of the November 13 terror attacks in Paris that took the lives of 129 and left others physically and emotionally injured, three days later, Malta’s High Commissioner to Australia, H.E Charles Muscat, took part along with EU Ambassadors, led by EU Head of Delegation H.E. Mr. Sem Fabrizi, in the commemoration of the French terrorism victims and the minute’s silence observed in front of the lawn of the French Embassy in Canberra. Also present were the Governor General of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Hon. Peter Cosgrove and Mrs. Lynne Cosgrove, other dignitaries and the general public.

Addressing the attendees, French Ambassador, H.E. Mr. Christophe Lecourtier thanked everybody for their show of solidarity in these hard and trying times. Those present for the ceremony then laid wreaths, and afterwards, Mr Charles Muscat, along with the rest of the dignitaries signed the Condolence book that was opened for the occasion. Flags at chanceries and residences of EU Member States were flown at half-mast

Canberra Model CHOGM Communique eanwhile, at a brief ceremony earlier M in the month at the Maltese Chancery student-participants presented

Malta’s High Commissioner to Australia, HE Charles Muscat with the Final Communiqué of the Canberra Model CHOGM 2015 that in turn has been forwarded to the Prime Minister of Malta, Dr Joseph Muscat, who will be leading the Commonwealth Heads of Government during forthcoming CHOGM summit. Canberra Model CHOGM 2015 “Youth Empowerment in the Parliament House” was organised by the Royal Commonwealth Society and the Common Youth way back in August 8 at the Old Parliament House with the participation of 54 students from the Australian National University. The delegates were made to take on the role of one of the Heads of Government or Foreign Ministers of the 53 Commonwealth countries, discussed issues concerning the Commonwealth and formulated recommendations for the summit.

At the presentation, Mr. Kanti Jinna, President, Dr. Hugh Craft, v/President, and Mr. Colin Milner of the Royal Commonwealth Society accompanied the students. The High Commissioner acknowledged with admiration the students’ interest in the Commonwealth and encouraged them to continue working towards a better future for the Commonwealth. Deputy HC Dr. Joseph Pirotta pointed out how important the Commonwealth is in the new world order, where negotiations and discussions are conducted no longer between countries but between blocs (of countries). He encouraged the students to become diplomats for the Commonwealth. Dr. Hugh Craft said that one does not need to be a diplomat only for foreign affairs, but also for any common political, economic and social ideal that promises to be beneficial to a people.

Nishant Rao (left) presenting the communique to Mr Charles Muscat On his part, Mr. Kanti Jinna thanked all the speakers and also congratulated Nishant Rao, Convenor of the Common Youth, and wished him the best on his trip to Malta to participate in the CHOGM Youth Forum.

The 2015 Minister's Awards Ceremony

he Community Languages T Schools of NSW celebrated the 2015 Minister's Awards for Excellence

held at the Sir John Clancy Auditorium University of NSW High Street Kensington. in Student Achievement in CommuThis year a large number of students nity Languages. The ceremony was were nominated for Minister's Award. Their Community Language Schools, altogether representing 36 different language groups, nominated 152 junior students and 114 senior students. About 120 students, their families and guests were invited to attend the presentation. Entertainment for the evening was provided by the ‘Datong Chinese School Incorporated’ who gave an excellent drum performance Caitlyn Lee (left)and Amelia Dimech receiving the called "Happy Award from Associate Professor Ken Cruickshank Drum Beats."

Ten students were honoured by being presented with the Minister's Award for their outstanding achievement in the study of a community language, their contribution to the development of intercultural understanding and involvement in the school and wider community. The efforts of all the other students who were nominated were also acknowledged through the receipt of Highly Commended, Commended or Merit Award. A Highly Commended Award was awarded to Caitlyn Lee for her achievements, while Amelia Dimech was awarded a Merit Award. Both students attend Skola Maltija Sydney. Caitlyn attends classes at Ringrose Public School and Amelia the classes at Rouse Hill Public School. For information on Maltese language classes one should contact the school via email: skolamaltijasydney@yahoo.com.au or visit Facebook book: www.facebook.com/skolamaltijasydney.

Tuesday November 24, 2015

The Voice of the Maltese 9

The future of Australia Hall by VictorBorg

here is considerable concern within the Maltese Australian community in Australia regarding the future of the historic building of Australia Hall located in Pembroke, Malta. This building was constructed to provide a place for entertainment and refreshments for the thousands of ANZACs who were wounded in Gallipoli and taken to Malta for medical treatment and convalescence. Australia Hall was built by the Royal Engineers and took two months to complete. The Governor Field Marshal Lord Methuen officially opened it on January 22, 1916. The Australian Red Cross contributed £2,000 towards its construction cost. Some 58,000 soldiers had been nursed in various hospitals and nearby tented hospitals specially erected to deal with the large influx of wounded soldiers arriving on the island. When the British military facilities in St Andrew’s Barracks were closed down in 1978, Australia Hall became the property of the Maltese government. In 1979 it was granted to the Labour Party on a long lease as compensation for the compulsory acquisition of land that the party owned in Marsa for use by Malta Shipbuilding Corporation. Unfortunately, in December 1998 Australia Hall suffered severe damage when its ceiling of metal trusses and sheeting was gutted by fire. However, its sturdy four external walls still remained standing. Today the building with no roof is in a derelict state, open to the elements and damage by vandalism. In 2010 the Labour Party was taken to court for failure to keep Australia Hall in good condition, as was required under the 1979 contract. These charges were dropped in October 2013, after the Labour Party was The Australian High Commissioner in Malta H.E. Ms Jane Lambert during a visit to Australia Hall

Australia Hall in Pembroke returned to government. On September 1, 2014, the Labour Party sold Australia Hall and some surrounding land to a private company for €582,343, an amount considered grossly below its market value. It was reported that no money changed hands on this deal, and instead, the Labour Party’s pending debts with the company were paid off. While it is not known what the new owners of Australia Hall have in mind for the site, since 1996 the building has been classified by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA) as a Grade 2 building of historic, architectural and contextual value (as it forms part of a larger protected military complex). Thus, development in the area is so far restricted. The history of Australia Hall forms an integral part of Malta’s important role in ANZAC history. It is a fitting reminder of the valuable services provided by many volunteer Maltese nurses and medical practitioners to thousands of Australian and New Zealand servicemen. Their efforts earned Malta the title of “Nurse of the Mediterranean”. We urge Prime Minister Dr Joseph Muscat to commit the Maltese Government to the restoration of Australia Hall to its former glory as a monument to the excellent longstanding relations between Malta and Australia. We commend the Australian High Commissioner H.E. Ms Jane Lambert for her efforts to save Australia Hall and her contacts with the current owners to explore restoration options and ensure that the building is not demolished. We wish her every success and trust that the visit to Malta by Australian Prime Minister Mr. Malcolm Turnbull for the CHOGM meeting in November will provide a timely opportunity for him to raise the matter with his Maltese counterpart. (This article was first published in the MCCV News, October 2015).

VOM ReadeRs please nOte If you are not receiving the Voice of the M al t ese re g u l arl y yo u ar e ki nd l y r eques ted t o let us know. do the s ame if you hav e chang ed your e mai l ad dres s . Keepi ng your add res se s upd ated is ve ry important to us. e -mai l us wi th t he d etails at: malt esevoice@gmail .com

20 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Biex tikteb Malti tajjeb Aktar dwar il-Verb: forom, modi u tempijiet 1. Il-manjieri li bihom jitnissel il-Verb jissej˙u Forom. 2. It-Trilitteri jitqassmu f’G˙axar Forom, l-Ewwel Forma hija Ewlenija u d-disg˙a l-o˙ra huma mnissla. 3. L-ebda Verb ma jie˙u l-Forom kollha u g˙alhekk biex wie˙ed

RiΩultat tat-Ta˙ri©

’hawn ta˙t huwa r-riΩultat tata˙ri© dwar il-Verb li ppubblikajna fl-a˙har ˙ar©a ta’ The Voice. Dakinhar tlabna lill-qarrejja jag˙tu l-Mamma u l-G˙erq ta’ dawn il-kelmiet. Kelma Ng˙allem qbiΩt xeg˙let norbot tefg˙u Ωlaqna lg˙abt tikber smajt fixklet ji©bor naqa’ ˙abbew fra˙t i˙abrek ng˙ajjat refg˙u ˙biet ©rew tlajna sabbart ˙ammi©t farrakt er©ajtu ©rejt kissirna ˙assruhom

Il-Mamma L-G˙erq G˙allem qabeΩ xeg˙el rabat tefa’ Ωelaq lag˙ab kiber sema’ fixkel ©abar waqa’ ˙abb fera˙ ˙abrek g˙ajjat refg˙a ˙eba ©era tela’ sabbar ˙amme© farrak re©a’ ©era kisser ˙assar

G˙-l-m q-b-Ω x-g˙-l r-b-t t-f-g˙ Ω-l-q l-g˙-b k-b-r s-m-g˙ f-x-l ©-b-r w-q-g˙ ˙-b-b f-r-˙ ˙-b-k g˙-j-t r-f-g˙ ˙-b-e ©-e-r t-l-g˙ s-b-r ˙-m-© f-r-k r-© ©-r k-s-r ˙-s-r

Readers can now request a printed copy of The Voice

jifhem a˙jar nie˙du b˙ala mudell il-verb Qatel.

10. STAQTEL. EΩ.: sta˙ba, stag˙©eb, stag˙na.

4. Il-Forom tal-Verb Trilitteru huna dawn:

5. Il-Verb g˙andu wkoll il-Mod jew manjieri u Tempijiet jew Ωmienijiet li fihom issir l-azzjoni.

1. QATEL. EΩ.: ˙adem, laqa’ mexa. 2. QATTEL. EΩ.: ˙addem, laqqa’ mexxa. 3. QATEK/QIETEL. EΩ.: qarar, siefer, qieg˙ed. 4. AQTAL. EΩ.: wera. 5. TQATTEL. EΩ.: tkabbar, tg˙abba, tg˙ammed. 6. TQATEL/QTIETEL. EΩ.: t˙abat, tqieghed, tbierek. 7. NQATEL. EΩ.: nqabad, ntilef, ng˙o©ob. NTQATEL. EΩ.: nt˙aΩel, ntreba˙, ntrefa’ 8. QTATEL. EΩ.: xte˙et, mtela, ltaqa’. 9. QTAL/QTIEL. EΩ.: ˙dar, çkien, qras.

6. Il-Modi tal-Verb huma: a) Indikativ (juri meta jsir l-g˙emil) EΩ.: nikteb, ktibt, se nikteb. b) Imperativ (juri kmand). EΩ.: ikteb, ag˙Ωel, g˙odd. c) So©©untiv (juri xewqa, skop). EΩ.: Ridt li to˙ro© kmieni. d) Kondizzjonali (juri g˙emil ta˙t kondizzjoni). EΩ.: Kieku g˙idtli kont ni©i narak. 7. L-Indikativ juri g˙emil li qieg˙ed ji©ri jew li g˙ad irid ji©ri u dan jissejja˙ Imperfett; jista wkoll juri g˙emil li g˙adda, u dan jissejja˙ Perfett. EΩ.: Niekol (Imperfett); kilt (Perfett). (Aktar fil-˙ar©a li jmiss)

MCCV Survey on the Third Generation of Maltese in Australia T

he Maltese Community Council of Victoria is conducting a survey to obtain a picture of the Third Generation of Maltese in Australia. We are particularly interested in their knowledge about Malta and Maltese culture. This will enable us to determine the degree of culture maintenance among our third generation. Teenage children (aged 10 to 17 years), whose grandparents (or great grandparents) were born in Malta, are invited to fill in the following questionnaire. The survey questionnaire is also available for download from the MCCV website. Completed forms may be returned as a scanned electronic copy or in paper form. BY EMAIL: Scan the completed form and email it to the email address of

Prof Maurice Cauchi mnc25@optusnet.com.au BY POST: Post completed form to: Prof Maurice Cauchi, Maltese Community Centre, 477 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3052 The information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence. Please pass this survey form and request for survey participation on to your children, friends and acquaintances. Survey participants will be eligible to win one of five prizes of $100 each. To be eligible, participants are required to complete the survey form including their name and email or postal address. The winners will be drawn from eligible participants who submit a completed survey form by not later than November 30.

In response to a number of inquiries, The Voice of the Maltese wishes to advice that we can now supply hard copies in colour of our magazine to our readers at a price. So anybody interested in acquiring copies of the magazine can communicate with us personally or by email to: maltesevoice@gmail.com. The magazine can also be delivered by post. As the cost of postage varies one is kindly requested to get in touch with us to work out the details.

The Voice of the Maltese 21

Tuesday November 24, 2015

The Presepju in Kurnell

Joe Deguara and his Presepju

he Presepju (Christmas crib) in Kurnell, the creation of two persons from Mosta, Joe “ilMosti” Deguara, who outlaid the money and Victor Sammut who built it, will once again be on display to the public during the month of December. Joe told The Voice of the Maltese that as in the past years there is already a great deal of interest created, particularly amongst the Maltese wanting to visit this work of art. As in previous years, there is a new addition to the Presepju something new added and this year is no exception. Joe went on to say that after a write-up in The Voice of the Maltese magazine last year, “people came from as far away as Queensland to see it.”

The Presepju that took Victor eight months to finish, is already attracting interest from locals, while others from St George and Sutherland Shrine have already been contacting Joe inquiring as to when this example

of Maltese culture would be on show. The Presepju will be open for public viewing throughout December every Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening and then every evening during the last week leading

to Christmas Day - from 7.00 p.m. till 10.00 p.m. and by appointment for any Group wishing to visit during a time or day that best suits them. Joe can be contacted by phone on: 0408 966 877.

The Xag˙ra Association of NSW Inc. INVITES YOU TO COME & CELEBRATE:

IL-KLABB TAL-ÓAMRUN qed jorganizza CHERRY

PICKING TRIP g˙al Orange is-Sibt 5 ta’ Dicembru. Il-kowç titlaq fis-6.00 a.m. mill-klabb ta’ 100 Jackson Street, Marsden Park. PREZZ: $50 kull persuna li jinkludi Morning Tea f’Bathurst. Tistg˙u tie˙du dinner (t˙allsu g˙alih) mill-ORANGE RSL club. Aktar tag˙rif ming˙and George Zahra - mobile: 0407 434 651

St Helena Maltese Australia SC SATURDAT DECEMBER 19: Xmas function at Melrose Receptions, Tullamarine. For more information: Phone Victor: 0412 99 13 25 or Mary Abdilla: 03 (9370 51 64)

L-a˙barijiet tal-PBS (Malta) G˙alkemm il-PBS ta’ Malta tforni lill-SBS fl-Awstralja bis-servizz tag˙ha, il-qarrejja m˙e©©a li x’˙in iridu jid˙lu fil-website: www.tvm.com.mt u jsegwu l-a˙barijiet ta’ Malta. Din tkun a©©ornata l-˙in kollu bi stejjer li jkunu qed ise˙˙u. Mhux biss, imma min irid isegwi dak li jkun g˙addej, kull filg˙odu ˙in ta' Malta fuq il-website jittellg˙u wkoll l-a˙barijiet tal-jum ta' qabel.

Australia Day at a Dinner Dance on January 23, 2016

Venue: Mandavilla Function Centre1788 The Horsley Drive, Horsley Park Food: 3-Course Meal, beer, wine, soft drinks, tea, coffee, pastizzi; also antipasti plus fruit platters

Entertainment: provided by Joe Apap Contact: Josephine/Ray: 9627 4182, Mob: 0439 974 182 M'Anne Teuma: 9627 4641

FEAST OF SAINT NICHOLAS SUNDAY 6th DECEMBER 2015 Good Shepherd Parish 130-136 Hyatts Road, Plumpton (Opposite Shopping Centre)

3.00pm - Church Service Festa Mass in English. Principal Celebrant: Fr B Sant mssp assisted by: Parish Priest Fr G O’Dempsey and Fr C Borg mssp; Homily in Maltese by Fr B Sant mssp; The MCA Choir under the direction of Marisa Previtera 4.00pm - Procession: Our Lady Queen of Peace Maltese Band will play Religious Marches Food for Sale: BBQ, Pastizzi, Kannoli, Nougat, Kinnie, Soft Drinks & Maltese Foods 5.00pm - Entertainment DJ’s Tony & Paul from Maltese Radio–SWR FM Direct to Malta; OLQP band; Christmas Carols by the MCA Choir; Entertainment for Children too 6.30pm - St Nicholas Festa Committee Raﬄe is Drawn 7.00pm - Santa Claus Arrives Lollies and goodies given to all children 8.30pm Fireworks Display Spectacular Extra Special Fireworks Display by FX Display Co. For further information call: Bill Schembri 0416 261 415 or Joe Fenech 0412 009 957

Sunshine or hail – no problem we have a Big Hall

COME AND BRING YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS WITH YOU

22 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Community News Tune In to Radio and Television

Maltese Radio Programmes MELBOURNE, on 3ZZZ 92.3FM or on www.3zzz.com.au. Mondays 5pm, Fridays 5pm, Saturdays 10am.; Last Wednesday each month at 1pm. MELBOURNE on 98.9 North West FM, each Friday 6.00 - 7.00p.m. Presenter Emmanuel Brincat. MELBOURNE: STEREO 974 (93180930): 97.4FM Wed (Maltese Magazine) & Thursday (Mer˙ba): 6.00pm to 8.00 pm Co-ordinator – Ray Anastasi In SYDNEY, listen to the MCC radio programmes on 2GLF FM 89.3. Saturdays 6 to 8 a.m. Martese Caruana presents Nostalgia Music; Sundays from 10.00 - 11.00 am: Il˙na Maltin. Both available on demand. Follow same procedure as for MCC programmes, except select programe in reference. In BRISBANE listen to the Maltese Program on 4EB on Tuesdays 6.00 -8.15am; Sundays 4.15pm to 5.15pm UNCLE SAM DJ (Maltese Radio) tune in to link: www.unclesamdj.com

Isma’ l-programm tar-radju bil-Malti mill-Kunsill Malti ta’ NSW minn fuq l-istazzjon 2GLF 89.3FM. Jista’ wkoll jinstema’ On Demand minn fuq l-Internet www.893fm.com.au (On Demand >Ethnic >Maltese Council 11am) Il-programm ta’ sieg˙a nhar ta’ Óadd fil11.00 a.m. ikun fih l-a˙˙ar a˙barijiet minn Malta, muΩika, tag˙rif, kultura, avviΩi u su©©etti ta’ interess g˙all-Maltin

Listen to John Borg & Glenn Cassar every Saturday at 1.00 p.m. on RADIO 2RRR 88.5FM or on the Internet - www2rrr.org.au ON DeMAND On SBS Radio Day Time Analogue and Digital Friday: 12:00-13:00 97.7fm SBS Radio 2 Saturday: 14:00-15:00: 97.7fm SBS Radio 2 To tune into digital radio you need a receiver or device with a DAB+ chip. Tuning in is by station name not frequency. Digital radio can also be heard via digital TV. SBS Radio 2 is on Channel 38. The radio programmes can be accessed online (live or catch up) at sbs.com.au/maltese and via mobile phone, using the SBS Radio app. For television news from Malta - SBS 2 TV on Thursdays and Sundays at 8am. Maltese Programmes on TV and Web VIVA MALTA The GDAY MALTAUSSIE SHOW VIVA MALTA on COAST FM 96.3 on TVS is broadcast in Sydney Community Radio in Gosford Central Every Saturday at 2pm. Repeats on NSW. Aired every fortnight from Mondays 5 pm and Tuesdays 7.30 am 6 pm -7 pm (Next is December 7). Presenter: Nathalie Gatt. Watch direct via HYPERLINK: Web streaming on: www.coastfm.org.au. http://ww.tvs.org.au; http://ww.tvs.org.au L-A˙barijiet on SBS TV twice a week nationwide Sunday at 8.00 am on SBS2 (Chan. 32); Thursdays at 8.00 am on SBS2

The SBS MALTESE NEWS

Meetings of Day Care Maltese Groups in NSW Fairfield Active Maltese Seniors Meets on the first Tuesday of the Month from10:00am to 12 noon. The group meets in the Parish Hall, cnr of Stella Street & The Boulevard, Fairfield Heights.

Daceyville Maltese Seniors Meets on the last Wednesday of the month in the Meeting Room One, No. 3 General Bridges Crescent, Daceyville. Note: The Groups also arrange regular Bus Trips Come and join us and make new friends.

Merrylands Social Maltese Seniors Meets every second Friday of the month; Miller Room, Memorial Avenue Merrylands from 10.30am to 12.30 am

Llandillo Maltese Seniors

One good turn de serves another

edication we have lots of; when it comes to time, we find it as when dedicating oneself to a cause, it’s there. A third ingredient needed to produce an online magazine such as The Voice of the Maltese is financial. To offset that, the production team has been seeking sponsors to help us share that burden with us. Some have responded positively by advertising the services they offer to their clients on our publication. More is needed, so we call upon others to follow. In return, our readers are urged to use the services offered by our sponsors.

Saint Nicholas Festa Committee Events in 2016 Sunday March 13 Fete Sunday July 3 Lejla Fil-Buskett Sunday October 16 Fete Sunday December 4 Festa Join us on The Voice of the Maltese facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/g roups/thevoiceofthemaltese Greystanes Maltese Seniors Meets on the second Monday of each month at the George Preca Centre of OLQP Church, 198 Old Prospect Road, Greystanes from 10 am to 12 noon

The Sutherland & St George Maltese Group Ongoing: We meet every First Wednesday of the Month from 10:00am-1:00pm Our Meetings/Get Togethers are interesting, informative & entertaining. Come Join us and make new Friends For more information contact our Coordinator: Charles Mifsud J.P.Phone (02) 9501 5525 – mobile 0421 662 298.

Maltese Seniors Central Coast

Meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Llandillo Community Hall, Seventh Avenue, from 11am to 1 pm.

You need to contact our Welfare Officer for an appointment. For all information and referral matters one should call Censina Cefai: Tel: 02 439 000 12 or 0414 267 652

*(All Groups are Sponsored by The Maltese Community Council of NSW). Please contact the MCC Welfare Officer: Marisa Previtera JP on 0414 863 123. The MCC offices are at 59b Franklin Street (corner with Young St) Parramatta West NSW(next to West Parramatta Primary School)

The Voice of the Maltese 23

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Community News

Presents

The Maltese Language School of NSW

St John Sydney Xewkija Association

The Maltese Language School of NSW invites applications for Maltese language classes at the Alfred Fenech Maltese Resource Centre located at 59b Franklin Street (corner with Young Street) Mays Hill (next to Parramatta West Public School). Both young and adult students may apply. For more information contact Mary Pace-Feraud on 9601 2189

Christmas Dinner 2015

Date: Saturday December 5 Location: Mandaville Events Centre 1788 The Horsley Drive Horsley Park Time: 6.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.

or email: malteselanguageschoolnsw@hotmail.com

Menu: Buffet-style including soft dronks, dessert, tea & coffee

Beer, wine & spirits can be purchased from our licensed bar or BYO Music: Provided by Manuel DJ Cost: $45.00 per guest For ticket sale contact Sam: 0419781568/46841617 Rose: 96285424; Elija: 96226047 Come and support our final fundraiser for 2015 The Maltese Community Council of NSW is conducting a computer class at Maltese Resource Centre 59b Franklin Street, Mays Hill 2145 NSW every Friday between 10.00 am-12.00 For more information contact Em. Camilleri: 0409 744 376

Maltese RSL (sub Branch) calling for SERVICE/EX-SERVICE MEN/WOMEN to join the Maltese RSL sub Branch The Maltese RSL sub-Branch need more Service/Ex-Service members to continue as a sub-Branch. If we don’t have enough Service members we will not be allowed to march on ANZAC Day as a subBranch under our own banners. If you are interested in joining, you can write, call or email Doris Pocock (details below) who will send out the application form to you and the additional information required for joining. Maltese RSL sub Branch PO Box 8280 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 Mobile: 0419 420 915 Email: maltesersl@live.com.au

Tint e re ssa k il-kit ba? Id-direzzjoni ta’ The Voice t˙e©©e© lill-qarrejja li j˙ossu li, jew g˙andhom talent g˙all-kitba, l-aktar bl-Ilsien Malti, imma mhux biss, inkella li ja˙sbu li bi ftit g˙ajnuna jistg˙u jrabbu l-kunfidenza g˙all-kitba, biex jekk u meta iridu, jew jitolbu l-g˙ajnuna tag˙na, inkella sempliçement jibag˙tu x-xog˙ol tag˙hom lil: The Voice of the Maltese biex narawh. Email address: maltesevoice@gmail.com Jekk tkunu tridu wara nippublikaw il-kitbiet tag˙kom.

La Valette Social Centre Christmas Programme

THURSDAY December 24: 11.30 p.m.: Procession with baby Jesus; Carols by La Valette choir under the direction by Mro. Victor Flordia. Mass sermon by Natasha Tatarinoff followed by Midnight Mass. SATURDAY December 26: The Centre opens at 5pm.with normal trading. 8.p.m.Ghana (folk singing). Everyone is welcome. . THURSDAY December 31: New Year’s Eve Dinner Dance. $55 adults, $30 for children. Entertainment by The Falcons. All welcome.. For more information: La Valette: 9622 5847; Frances 0412 320 4320 or Antoinette: 9671 2992

Cherry Picking Weekend Saturday 12 & Sunday 13 December $150/pp twin share, $175 single Saturday December 12 Leave Blacktown Workers Club at 9:15am and travel to Greystanes for the second pick up at 9.30am. We then head to Bathurst and stop for morning tea at about 11am (included). Visit Abercrombie House and later in the day go to a local winery for wine tasting and Lunch (at your own expense). After lunch we check in to the Motel. The evening is your free time. Sunday December 13 Start the morning with Breakfast (included). After breakfast, travel to Raglan Farm for Cherry Picking at 11:30 and pick cherries to our hearts content. We will leave the farm around 1:00pm and go to Bathurst for lunch (at your own expense) and look around the town. 3:00pm: We board the coach and head back home. For bookings call: Maria on 0431 800 720 or Doris on 0419 420 915 email: metd@live.com.au

Trip organised by Maltese Elderly Thanksgiving Day

MALTESE LANGUAGE SCHOOL OF NSW

A Division of the Maltese Community Council of NSW Inc.

Learn Maltese!

Classes are available for students from 6 years to adults at all levels of ability in the Maltese language. We have trained and experienced teachers qualified in language teaching and with Maltese study credentials. Learn the Maltese language, the culture, lifestyle, cuisine, traditions and about the amazing history of the island. Classes at: HORSLEY PARK - SEVEN HILLS - LUDDENHAM For more information and enquiries Call Mary on 9601 2189 Or email: malteselanguageschoolnsw@hotmail.com Supported by the Minister of Education and Training and the NSW Community Languages Schools Programme. Member of the NSW Federation of Community Language Schools of NSW; Member of the Federation of Maltese Language Schools of Australia; Supported by 16 Maltese associations affiliated with the MCC of NSW. The Maltese Language School of NSW is a Not-For-Profit organisation.

24 The Voice of the Maltese

Tuesday November 24, 2015

Sports

After 40 yrs, Malta-born wrestler George calls it a day A ustralia’s oldest active wrestler, Malta-born George ‘The Hitman’ Julio retired from professional competition on November 7, a few months before his 70th birthday, in March when he took part in the final event, a tag-team cage match in front of a loud crowd, presented by New Age Wrestling of which he was one of the founders, in Albion. George teamed up with Lobo vs Mad Dog McRea and Enforcer. George, cheered all the way, won the fight (of course!) For the past 40 years, Mr Julio, who moved to Australia ain 1963 to be a part of the World Championship Wrestling promotion at the infamous Festival Hall in the 60's and 70's, and started wrestling in 1968, has also been training wrestlers at an indoor ring located in his

Sunshine North backyard. Nearly every wrestling had inflicted upon his body. He has suffered a broken collarbone, torn triceps and wrestler in Victoria has gone to his gym. In a studio where the walls are a veritable knee injuries. Around 10 years ago he had a quadruple museum of historic wrestling posters, Julio, who says that wrestling is an art, has imparted heart bypass but eight weeks later was back his wrestling wisdom to hundreds of students. in the ring for a wrestling match. “Wrestling is like this. When you start wresHe estimated that he has taken part in “maybe thousands” of wrestling competitions himself. tling it is like a disease, you get addicted,” he During his colourful career, the Malta-born said. After his retirement he would continue to Julio’s catch cry of ‘You shut up’ became a slogan which fans loved to chant. “I was a train students and spend more time with his heel, a bad boy, I loved to work with the two-year-old grandson. “I would like to thank every wrestler I wrescrowd,” Mr Julio said. “I’m a bad boy in the tled and the people who came to watch me ring but outside that I’m a pussy.” Julio said he decided to retire last year, after wrestle,” he said. the wear and that tear Australia A-League decades of

George ‘The Hitman’ Julio: He says “Wresting is an art”

Malta’s Premier League Football

Besart Berisha brace as Victory stun Sky Blues C hampions Melbouren Victory are trying their best to retain the title and their recent form has shwon they will be making a go of it. Victories over former league leaders Sydney FC and last weekend’s home victory over Central Coast have pushed them to within a point of current leaders Brisbane, and tehy have a game in hand. In the fixture on Day 6 that perhaps more than any other has come to define the A-League, Victory won the 36th edition of the so-called Big Blue, in front of a crowd of 16,000 at the Allianz Stadium. They defeagted Sydney FC 4-2, with four of the goals coming inside the first 28 minutes. Sydney led 1-0 and 2-1 before Kevin Muscat’s Victory team won the clash and with Besart Berisha getting a brace. Melbourne Victory’s success in the game between last season’s grand fi-

Hibs back sharing the lead

efending Champions, Hibernians defeated Balzan 3-2 in last weekend’s top match at the start of the second round of the championship and, also seemed to want reply to those who had written them off after a somewhat disappointing first round. As a result, they are back on top sharing the spot with Valletta who had a comfortable 4-0 win over still pointless St Andrews. Premier League competition returned after the break for the Malta national team’s disappointing 2-0 defeat (a goal in each half) at the hands of Jordan in an international friendly in Istanbul, Turkey.

Hibernians’ victory thanks to three goals from set pieces considerably damaged Balzan’s hopes as due to the defeat they drop four positions, to fifth in the standings that now have a more familiar look about it with four of the most known sides occupying the first four spots. Birkirkara were a disappointment. Nobody expected them to lose two points in a 2-2 draw with Naxxar. They led 20 but conceded two goals while Naxxar were playing with only 10 men. Sliema’s season goes from bad to worse as they were downed 3-2 by Tarxien and

now occupy third from bottom place in the table. RESULTS:

Round 12

Hibernians v Balzan Birkirkara v Naxxar L. Valletta v St. Andrews Tarxien R. v Sliema W. Pembroke v Qormi Floriana v Mosta Standing Valletta Hibernians Birkirkara Floriana Balzan Tarxien R. Mosta Pembroke Sliema W Naxxar L Qormi St Andrews

P 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12

W 8 7 6 6 7 6 5 4 4 2 1 0

D 1 4 5 2 2 4 3 2 2 2 3 0

3-2 2-2 4-0 3-2 0-0 1-0 L 3 1 1 3 3 2 4 6 6 8 8 12

F 23 22 28 19 19 21 17 18 11 11 9 6

A Pts 11 25 14 25 12 23 11 23 12 23 11 22 13 18 22 14 17 14 30 8 18 6 33 0

nalists ended Sydney FC’s unbeaten start to the season. It was just Victory’s second win in their last 13 matches against the Sky Blues in Sydney, dating back to October, 2007. Prior to this game, Sydney FC had conceded only two goals in their five matches. It was also the first time this season they had conceded a second half goal. The champions followed that win with Saturday’s against Central Coast by 2-1 at AAMI Park, while Sydney slipped further down the table and are now fourth, as they could only figure in a scoreless away draw at Petth Glory, Victory’s opponents on Deember 16. The success elevated Victory to within a point of leaders Brisbane Roar who managed four points from their last two games, a home win over Perth Glory and a 1-1 home draw against Melbourne City. Full Results Day 7 Melbourne V. v Central Coast Perth Glory v Sydney FC Brisbane R.v Melbourne C. West. Sydney W v Wellington Ph. Adelaide v Newcastle Jets Day 6 Sydney FC v Melbourne V. Brisbane R. v Perth Glory Melbourne C. v West. Sydney W Newcastle Jets v Central Coast Wellington Ph v Adelaide U.

2-1 0-0 1-1 2-1 0-0 2-4 1-0 0-3 1-1 4-2

Standings in the league ladder Brisbane Melbourne V. West. Sydney Sydney FC Newcastle J. Wellington Melbourne C. Central Coast Perth G. Adelaide

P 7 6 7 7 7 7 7 7 6 7

W 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 0

D 2 1 1 3 2 1 2 2 1 3

L 1 1 2 1 2 3 3 4 4 4

F 12 12 10 8 8 12 13 9 6 6

A Pts 6 14 6 13 7 13 6 12 7 11 13 10 14 8 14 5 8 4 15 3