Issue 84 online magazine
(driven by the voice driven by the voice of its readersof its readers)
September 16, 2014
The Voice of the Malteseonline magazine
Malta: 50 Years ofIndependenceMalta: 50 Years ofIndependence
Dr Borg Olivier waving theIndependence documentson Septemebr 21, 1964
Independence is normally seen as a moment of great rejoic-ing by those about to embark on it. Sadly, in Malta, the pas-sage to statehood was one riven with bitter disagreements
which, fifty years after the day,still reverberate today.These disagreementswere not about inde-pendence. With theexception of thesmall parties bothLabour and theNationalist Partywere committedto independ-ence.
Indeed, thiscommi tmenthad been for-mally enteredinto on the De-cember 30,1957 in Par-liament whenboth sidesvoted unani-mously infavour ofwhat be-
came known as the‘Break with Britain Resolution’, a resolution proposed by Dom Mintoff as Prime Minister
and seconded by George Borg Olivier as Leader of the Opposition. Consequently, the disagreementsthat prevailed in Malta in September 1964 were ideological and partisan. (Turn topage 2)
2 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
It is worth exploring, albeit verybriefly, the genesis of those disagree-ments. Both parties knew that inde-
pendence was a massive challenge giventhat Malta had no real economy and de-pended almost entirely on British militaryexpenditure. Initially opposed to inde-pendence Britain harped on this fact con-stantly telling the Maltese that if theyopted for independence Britain wouldsever all ties with the island leaving themto their fate. This was not quite true, forBritain and NATO still believed inMalta’s strategic usefulness. But thisseemed to worry the PN which, althoughlooking to make Malta a sovereign state,wanted as far as possible to retain closeties with Britain. Consequently the PN favoured member-
ship of the Commonwealth and the reten-tion of Queen Elizabeth as Queen ofMalta. Labour, by contrast, believed thatwhether Malta stayed or opted out of theCommonwealth should be decided afterindependence in order that Malta mayhave the chance to explore other alterna-tives, such as possible membership of theCommon Market.
However, they were totally opposed tothe idea of a monarchy and wanted Maltato become a republic with a Maltese oc-cupying the office of Head of State.Mintoff also believed that a British Gov-ernor-General would be a source of con-stant British interference in Malteseaffairs. He wanted a clean slate and thatis why, ironically, he was accused ofwanting “full” independence fromBritain.
Neither of the two leaders believed thatMalta could do away with Britain’s andNATO’s military spending in Malta at astroke. Both knew that until tourism andindustry were properly established Maltawould continue to depend on the incomegenerated from the bases. Borg Olivierwas also ideologically committed tokeeping Malta within the Western sphereand believed that the presence of the mil-itary bases would guarantee Malta’s se-curity.
Mintoff harboured no such ideologicalcommitment. He wanted independencefirst and negotiations on a future financialpackage for use of the bases later. He be-lieved this would strengthen Malta’s handin subsequent negotiations with Britainand NATO.
On this point Mintoff may have been abit naïve as it was unthinkable for Britainto grant Malta independence before theinterests of the Alliance had been se-cured. So not surprisingly Britain wasquite ready to negotiate with a PN gov-ernment than a Labour government led by
Mintoff. Unfortunately, the Financial and De-
fence Treaties negotiated by Borg Olivierfell far short of what Malta needed tosteer itself away from economic depend-ence on Britain and Labour not only re-mained strongly opposed to them but wasdetermined to re-negotiate, as it did in1971, the entire arrangement.But angry as Labour was on such issues
its anger was much greater over other po-litical issues. Labour had made it clearthat it wanted a Constitution that laiddown boundaries between Church andState in Malta. Labour believed that in anindependent Malta the Church should beprecluded from interfering in governmentpolicy and of imposing religious sanc-tions when governments refused to toe itsline. Labour had not forgotten how theChurch had opposed its social and eco-nomic legislation when in government.
In 1961 the Church had interdictedLabour because of its stand on this issue.During this time its supporters were sub-jected to grave indignities, its politicalmeetings disrupted, sometimes violently,and its voice on the media suppressed.
The PN rubbed salt into the wound atevery opportunity. Significantly it refusedto introduce into Malta’s independenceconstitution provisions which would pro-hibit corrupt practices during elections orreferenda. And it enraged Labour evenmore by constantly stating that its draftConstitution was not a liberal one but onesubservient to the authority of theChurch. It rejected Labour’s argumentthat by refusing to prohibit corrupt prac-
tices it was undermining humanrights.
It even resisted British attemptsto remedy the situation on thisscore and in return secretly con-ceded Britain the right to stationnuclear weapons in Malta. It was anentirely partisan act that was boundto undermine national unity at sucha crucial moment for Malta. But itactually did worse for it included inthe draft Independence Constitutiontwo clauses which placed bothChurch and government above thehuman rights provisions in theConstitution when the actions ofboth were deemed to be in defenceof the Catholic faith.
But these two clauses appalledeven the British government andthey were struck out by DowningStreet from the Constitutiongranted Malta in September 1964.Between 1962 and 1964 these is-sues had provided the backdrop fortwo particularly bitter campaigns:the 1962 general elections and the1964 Independence Constitutionreferendum. Mintoff never forgot and never for-
gave. When Labour was returned to powerin 1971 he immediately sought to pursuemost of the proposals that Labour hadcampaigned for in the run-up to independ-ence. But one measure can only be putdown to partisan pig-headedness: he re-moved 21 September 1964 from the statusof Malta’s National Day. His stated rea-sons for doing this were rather weak buthis worst move was to watch idly asLabour supporters disrupted attempts bythe Nationalist Party to celebrate the event.
In 1979 Freedom Day was installed asMalta’s National Day. In 1987 the twosides finally agreed on five national daysthat somehow re-instituted IndependenceDay as a national day. When the Nation-alists returned to power in 1987 theyraised the status of Independence Dayand downgraded that of the others. Independence Day remained essentially
a National celebration and Freedom Daythat of Labour. Consequently, for fiftyyears Malta has continued in its disagree-ments. Given Malta’s history it would bevery difficult for the Maltese to agree onone national day. But under the newLabour government a glimmer of hopefor reconciliation exists. Prime MinisterJoseph Muscat has not only spared no ef-fort to celebrate the 50th Anniversary ofMalta’s Independence in great style, buthe has sought agreement with the PN toensure that the celebrations will be seenas a truly national event.
It is hoped, therefore, that this anniver-sary will usher in a new and sustained at-tempt at reconciliation.
Fifty years of IndependenceFifty years of Independence
On the night of Independence Day, 21st Sep-tember 1964: then Prime Minister Dr GeorgeBorg Olivier addressing the crowd in thepresence of Prince Philip, Duke of Edin-burgh, who was representing the Queen
Prof. Godfrey Pirotta
*from page 1
Il-pittur u fotografu CharlesSchembri, ˙alla wara mewtu wirt
xi ftit differenti. Fost il-˙afnaxog˙olijiet ohra tieg˙u ˙alla bhalatifkira, ˙dax-il pittura ta’ persuniprominenti fil-komunita’. F’okkaΩjoni zg˙ira iΩda emozzjonali
li organizza l-Maltese CommunityCouncil ta’ NSW fiç-Çentru tieg˙uf’Mays Hill, l-armla tal-pittur,Marie, fil-preΩenza tat-tifla Nikky u˙u Charles, Joseph, kif ukoll tan-neputi tag˙hom Connor,saret preΩentazzjoni tal-pitturi li kienu mmuntatifi kwadri, lil dawk il-per-suna©©i li kienu preΩenti.
Il-President tal-MCC,Lawrence Dimech ta ˙ajrlil dawk li attendew ufisser sewwa l-˙ajja ta’Charles Joseph Schem-bri, imwieled Óal Lija fl-1941. Hu qal li Charleswasal l-Awstralja fl-1949u attenda l-PatricianBros fi Blacktown fejn l-ewwel intenzjonijiettieg˙u kien li jsir qassis. IΩda
f’Awissu 1964spiçça biex iΩΩew-we© lil Marie.
Charles makienx biss pitturu fotografu ma-g˙ruf iΩda kienjibni mudelli ta’bçejjeç tal-ba˙aru kif jg˙id il-
Malti, kien jo˙loq b’idejh dak lijaraw g˙ajnejh.Huwa pin©awkoll g˙add ta’
bandalori g˙all-g˙aqdiet Maltin fl-Awstralja.
Fl-1990 Charles beda jie˙u sehemattiv fil-komunita` Maltija, kemmmal-G˙aqda Kulturali Maltija uanke mal-Maltese Welfare u l-MCC.Il-˙olma tieg˙u kienet li xi darbajinfeta˙ muΩew Malti tal-arti iΩdasa˙˙tu marret lura afna u miet fis-16 ta’ Novembru tas-sena l-o˙ra.
L-okkaΩjoni tal-g˙otja tat-tpin©-ijiet tieg˙u kienet tifkira xierqa tax-xog˙ol ta’ Charles Schembri g˙axb’hekk ikun jista’ jibqa’ miftakar.
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 3
PreΩentazzjoni ta’ pitturi ta’ tifkiratal-artist Malti Charles Schembri
L-armla tal-pittur Charles Schmebri, Marie tip-preΩenta portraits li pitter Ωew©ha lil Charles Mif-sud (fuq) u (xellug) lil Fr. Leonard Testa fil-preΩenzatal-president tal-MCC, Lawrence Dimech
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Il-familja ta’ Charles Schembri fil-jum tal-preΩentazzjoni. Mix-xellug:Connor, Nikky, Marie u Joseph
Il-mibki iΩda qatt minsi,Charles Schembri
The Blue Mountains and TheHills (formerly the BaulkhamHills shire) have more than dou-bled the number of Malta-bornfrom 1971 to date, whileHawkesbury shire has nowthree times the number it had in1971.
One may ask:Which LGAs inWestern Sydneyare experiencing adecline in theirMalta-born popu-lation? Have aclose look at TableB (right)
The 2011 Census contained the question: What is the person’s ancestry? Provide up to two ancestries only.
Talble C (right) shows that in some LGAs, thenumber of Maltese by descent is sometimes sixtimes more than the Malta-born, as is the case in theHawkesbury shire (Richmond & Windsor), fivetimes more in the Hills shire and eight times morethan the Malta-born in the Blue Mts.These statistical data help in determining where the
Malta-born are on the increase or in decline, as wellas giving an indication of the numerical size of thesecond and subsequent generation of Australia-Mal-tese. The Census is taken early in the month of Au-gust and does not include those who happen to beholidaying in Malta at that time.
According to the 1971-2011 census inAustralia, when it comes to the Malta-born population in Western and outer
Sydney, Penrith City has seen the biggestgrowth (1,027) in Malta-born population inthe last forty years up till 2011. That is theconclusion one reaches after analysing the fig-ures indicated in the government census.
Outer Western Sydney, i.e. further west ofBlacktown, is seeing a growth in the numberof its Malta-born population. If one includes the number of Australia-born
Maltese, who in the 2011 Census stated thatthey are of Maltese descent, this would bringthe total of Maltese by descent to six times thenumber of Malta-born (6,890).The table below shows the number of Malta-
born residents in Western Sydney and theirnumerical distribution by local governmentareas (LGA) for a 40 year-period i.e. 1971-2011. It lists only those who, at the time of the five
Censuses, stated their birthplace to be Malta;it does not include Maltese-born in countriesother than Malta, nor born in Australia of Mal-tese parentage (i.e. second and subsequentgeneration Australian-Maltese). The following two MALTA-BORN tables (A
& B) show the local government areas wherethe Malta-born population has declined orgrown from 1971-2011.
4 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
Census 1971-2011
Penrith City with biggest growth in Malta-born population in last 40 yrs
Mark Caruana
WESTERN SYDNEY
Blue Mountains
The Hills
Hawkesbury
Penrith
1971
29
269
105
311
1981
58
462
240
1,026
1991
72
372
348
1,557
2001
77
507
413
1,447
2011
76
526
425
1,338
Growth
+ 47
+ 257
+ 320
+ 1,027
WESTERN SYDNEY
Holroyd
Blacktown
Fairfield
Parramatta
Auburn
1971
3,501
3,865
2,223
630
338
1981
3,206
4,263
2,290
898
271
1991
2,617
3,907
2,155
729
193
2001
1,898
3,545
1,582
439
122
2011
1,443
2,616
1,182
365
104
Decline
- 2,058
- 1,376
-1,041
-265
-234
WESTERN SYDNEY
Blacktown
Penrith
Holroyd
Fairfield
The Hills
Hawkesbury
Parramatta
Blue Mountains
Auburn
TOTAL
2011 Malta-born
2,616
1,338
1,443
1,182
526
425
365
76
104
8,074
Maltese Ancestry
8,624
6,890
3,246
3,180
2,796
2,593
1,280
628
230
29,467
Total Maltese
11,240
8,228
4,689
4,362
3,322
3,018
1,645
704
334
37,542
Table A
Table B
Table C
Hawkesbury shire population triples
Maltese Ancestry
In this first article in the series, local historian Mark Caruana looks at West-ern Sydney and their numerical distribution by LGA for a 40-year period.
In the next issue, MarkCaruana, a regular con-tributor to ‘The Voice ofthe Maltese’ will givethe Census data onMaltese in the CentralCoast and the Illawar-ra-South Coast.
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 5
After an introduction about Malta’shistory and its economic potentialPrime Minister, Dr Joseph Muscat
told a Global Citizenship Seminar in NewYork where he was showcasing Malta’s In-dividual Investor Programme, IIP, “Maltawants your talent, not your money: Yournetworks, not your accounts. This is becausewe are about the future, not the past.”
He went on to say that Malta believes thatthe concept of citizenship is fast evolvingand wants to be at the forefront of this inno-vation. “We want to enhance our competi-tiveness by increasing our talent pool andour global network,” Dr Muscat said.
By way of an introduction, he said it is in-novation that drives investment and createswealth. “Too often reduced to only a matterof technology, innovation does not translateinto economic progress unless it is itselfdriven by a culture of innovative adaptationto changing circumstances, by a mindset thatdoes not shy away from reinventing oneself,by a can-do and an up-and-go attitude, bylooking outward and forward rather than in-ward and backward.”
He said that Malta, with7,000 years of history and300 days of sunshine everyyear, is a melting pot ofcivilisations, in the centre ofthe Mediterranean, addingthat it is home to the Mega-lithic Temples, a UNESCOWorld Heritage site, that are older thanEgypt's pyramids, and in the words of one oftone of the world’s leading archaeologistsColin Renfrew, “the oldest free-standingmonuments in the world”.
He also talked about Malta’s strategicvalue, and that it had been pursued and ruledby the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans,Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Swabians,Angevins, Aragonese, Castillians, theKnights of St John, French and the British,who ruled for 164 years until 50 years agoalmost to the day when, on 21st September1964, Malta became an independent nation.
He pointed out that all these peoples haveleft their imprint on our mindset andlifestyle, and that the Maltese enjoy anAnglo-Saxon work ethic and a Mediter-ranean lifestyle.
He explained the country’s strategic loca-tion in the centre of the Mediterranean, ex-actly midway between Europe and Africa,and at the meeting point between the Easternand Western basins of this historic sea,meaning that Malta has always been muchmore important than its small size wouldlead one to believe.Dr Muscat said that with Independence, half
a century ago, the Maltese people confirmedtheir determination that ultimately a sustain-able future laid elsewhere. “Taking a boldand innovative leap forward, we set out to de-velop tourism and to transform Malta into animportant export industrial platform for effi-ciency-seeking multinationals. It worked
well beyond all expectations.”He added that over the last six
quarters results have shown thatthere is an increased appetite byforeign direct investors to operatefrom Malta in areas as diverse aslife sciences, aviation services, in-ternational logistics, regionaltelecommunications, educationand training.
He said Malta is investing in theconstant upgrading of its infra-structure, itself another opportu-nity for investors, and proactivelytargeting the right sort of investors,and working hard to upgrade itstourism product and is aiminghigh. This, he added, provides forexciting opportunities for the rightsort of international players.He also mentioned Malta’s finan-
cial services and that it has quicklybecome a top, reputable jurisdictionin Europe and beyond, and that wealso ventured into legislating in rel-
atively new areas, namely remote gaming,where we are now the most advanced juris-diction, and a global role model, with one ofthe most sophisticated digital networks in Eu-rope.Dr. Muscat said the government is now using
a more innovative approach in other areas,such as logistics, in order to transform Maltain the foremost logistics hub in the Mediter-ranean, joining Asia to Africa as part of whatis being termed as the new green silk road.
He explained that all along Malta has con-sistently emphasised its three main strengths,namely:1. The high quality of our human capital,
which provides for exceptional quality,adaptability and value-for-money.2. Malta’s geo-strategic position. Very few
countries can actually enjoy being in practi-cally two continents at once. Malta is one ofthem. It is a unique strength that does notcome without challenges. But that is whereMalta’s aptitude for innovative solutionscomes into play.3. Malta’s legislative agility. He said that countries are ending up imitat-
ing each other when it comes to programmesand initiatives. So what is so particular aboutMalta? He added hat what is so particularabout Malta is the short legislative distancebetween investors and policymakers.
“Those who take decisions are accessibleand ready to listen, and the system is smalland nimble enough to be flexible around theconcerns of investors, especially those who
might be considered as just numbers in othercountries”.
In Malta’s half a century as members ofthe United Nations Malta has made two no-table contributions, that is, the introductionof the concept of the sea as a common her-itage of mankind, which eventually led to theLaw of the Sea, and it being the first countryto identify climate change as a major globalchallenge,” he said.
It is within this context that Malta has de-cided to move forward with a brave approachto citizenship. It believes that the concept ofcitizenship is fast evolving and we want to beat the forefront of this innovation.“That is why we came out with the ground-
breaking Individual Investor Programme, theonly Citizenship by Investment programmesanctioned by the European Commission.”
Saying that what Malta is after was notmoney but talent as it wants to enhance itscompetitiveness by increasing our talent pooland our global network, he pointd out that itdoes not mean that Malta does not have tal-ent, he said. Then he listed the great and thegood of the nation, from John Pace – who castAmerica’s Liberty Bell; former Nasdaq chair-man John Zarb; ‘lateral thinking’ creator Ed-ward de Bono, Johann de Bono of Britain'sInstitute of Cancer Research; from tenorJoseph Calleja, currently headlining at theMetropolitan here in New York, to ArvidPardo, remembered at the United Nations asthe father of the Law of the Sea.“This is so much talent. But put simply, we
want more. He also said that Malta “wantsyour networks, not your accounts. This isbecause we are about the future, not the past.“Those who apply, endure the tight due dili-
gence and scrutiny, and get selected to jointhe exclusive and limited pool of Maltese cit-izens, will be part of our future.”
He expalined that the IIP is a unique inter-national success. “That is why we are invit-ing you to be part of it.”
‘We want your talent, not your money’ - Malta PM tells New York Seminar
Throughout its long history,Malta has managed to reinventits economy, its success, and itsown self by always being innova-tive in its outlook.
Dr Joseph Muscat
Some of the readers may have heard of thenewly formed group, Maltese-Aus-
tralians’ Youth Committee (NSW), other-wise known as MAYC and its members’efforts to get to a convention in Valletta thatcalls for all Maltese that live abroad to meetin Malta next April.
I am very fortunate to be part of this com-mittee. Never have I met a group of people myage that are just as passionate and in love withMalta as me. In July of this year, we held ourvery first event. It also served as our officiallaunch for MAYC with success! All themoney raised at this event and future eventswill go towards aiding the group to attend theconvention to represent the young-er Maltese-
Australian generations of Australia.We are all very excited to be able to take
with us the issues we face today - Maltesetraditions, culture and the language is with-ering away in Australia - put them to keypowerful people in Malta, and hopefully tobring something back from the conventionto make better in our place we call home.
We have started writing up our paper topresent at the convention, addressing threekey important points:1. What the reciprocal benefits of dual citi-zenship and promoting these to Maltese-Australian youth; 2. How to establish networks between Aus-tralian and Maltese educational institutions,
promoting study and exchange partnershipsbetween universities, and highlighting the op-portunity of Australian-Maltese High SchoolStudents to study Maltese language for theirHigher School Certificate in Australia; 3. Establishing partnerships between theMaltese and Australian Governments to pro-mote Maltese culture in Australia, includingcreative arts and sports festivals featuringMaltese and Maltese-Australian artists, andpromoting tourism for Australian-Maltese tovisit Malta.We feel that the above points are a start-off
point in keeping some form of interest withinour already established community, engag-ing the younger generations in keeping thatlink with our ancestral land.We are taking part in this convention to rep-
resent YOU, therefore we need YOUR opin-ions and thoughts with how YOU think wecan move forward in our Maltese commu-nity in Australia. We welcome any suggestions that you feel
should be put forward at the Convention forMaltese Living Abroad 2015. email us on [email protected]
Lastly, on behalf of all of MAYC, I wouldlike to thank each and every one of you thathas shown support to us so far. The largeamount of support gives us reassurance in thatthe passion we feel is also felt by the whole ofthe younger Maltese-Australian generationsliving in Australia.For future events and updates on MAYC fol-low them on Facebook:www.facebook.com/maycnsw
Charmaine on behalf of MAYC(a sub committee of the La Valette Social Centre)
6 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
Doris Meilak, the eight-time grand cham-pion of the Holroyd City Garden Awardsis now one of the judges for this annualcompetition. She made an appeal to thehorticulturally-inclined Holroyd residentsto get their hands dirty and enter this com-petition.
Grandmother of two, Doris is probablythe greenest thumb in the suburb ofGreystanes NSW.With the return of spring, now one of the
judges of Holroyd Garden Awards is re-minding fellow horticulturally inclinedHolroyd residents to ready their gardens.‘‘Make it look pretty, give it a really goodclean up,’’ she said. ‘‘Preparation is al-ways the key. If you do a little bit everyother day, it will not be like work.’’
Doris, a well known garden expert wasborn at St Paul’s Bay in Malta and mi-grated to Australia with her husband Salvuin 1974. They have lived in Greystanesever since.
Featured once again in the Parramatta
Sun she said, ‘‘you forget theworld exists; it’s the best ther-apy. It’s nice for people to lookand admire your front gar-den.’’
She said that another high-light is when her two grand-daughters ‘‘run wild’’ in hergarden and pick broad beans toeat, ‘‘straight from the bush’’.
‘‘They love the garden,’’ shesaid. ‘‘When they come tovisit, they just grab little con-tainers and go around and pickwhat they’d like to eat or smell.There’s nothing wrong withchildren getting their hands abit dirty in the soil, it’s all partof growing up.’’Nominations for the Holroyd
Garden Awards close on Sep-tember 26 at 5pm and judgingwill take place the week begin-ning September 29.
A challenge from a Maltese garden expert
MAYC: Engaging the younger generations inkeeping link with our ancestral land, Malta
On August 31 in St Francis Xavier’scathedral, in the diocese of Wollon-
gong a mass was held to commemorate the100th anniversary of World Migrant andRefu-gee Sunday. The main celebrant wasBishop Peter Ingham along with a numberof ethnic chaplains. The Maltese also took part in this annual
celebration as one of the ethnic groups inthe diocese.
Before Mass, a procession of flags washeld. Malta’s flagwas carried by Law-rence Scerri, whileLucy Bonanno ac-companied the flagby carrying a plac-ard with the Maltasign. During mass choirs
from the Dutch, Fil-ipino, Tongan, Spa-nish and Syro-Mal-abar Indian commu-nities sung hymns intheir respective lan-guages. IndigenousAustralians werealso represented.They gave a wel-come to each coun-try.
One of the prayers of the faithful wasread in Maltese by Mr Louis Parnis, thepresident of the Illawarra Maltese club(George Cross Falcons).
In his homely Bishop Ingham spokeabout the current government policies to-ward refugees that, he said, are hurtingthem. He said, “Refugees are not beingtreated with dignity as a child of God.” He went on to say that current policies do
not give Australians any honour asrefugees and asylum seekers are sent toplaces like Manus Island or other deten-tion centres on remote islands.
He added that many migrants, amongthem the Maltese came to Australia postWWII. They were welcomed, so too thosewho arrived in the mid-1970s and early1980s from Vietnam as a result of the warthere. They have now contributed im-mensely to this nation.Following Mass everyone was invited to
attend the multicultural displays, foodsampling and dances by various ethnicgroups at the St Mary Star of the SeaCatholic College in Wollongong. TheMaltese community had a display createdby Lucy and Frances. The Maltese community thanks Lucy the
organiser for the Maltese group and allthose who attended the celebrations,'Many cultures One in Christ'.
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 7
Il-Premju Kulturali 2014mog˙ti lill-attur Joe Borg
Jum il-Vitorja ji©i mfakkar fi NSW mill-G˙aqda Kulturali Maltija. Imma mhux
biss jiççelebraw din il-festa nazzjonali iΩdawkoll jag˙tu l-Premju Kulturali li dis-senakien it-23 darba. Il-premju ng˙ata lill-atturJoe M. Borg.
Is-serata li saret fil-George Mephan Hallf’Tooongabbie nfet˙et mill-president tal-g˙aqda Charles N. Mifsud, li anke g˙amelapolo©ija min˙abba li Fr Claude Borg likellu jircievi g˙otja speçjali ma setax jat-tendi minhabba mard.Wara, Rita Kassas qrat id-diskors annwali
u tat tifsira dettaljata tal-festa ta’ MariaBambina u l-art Maltija. Il-kor ta˙t id-di-rezzjoni ta’ Marisa Previtera kanta g˙addta’ innijiet g˙all-okaΩjoni li qajjmu sens pa-triottizmu f’dawk prezenti.Il-qofol tal-lejla kien il-Premju Kulturali li
dis-sena mar g˙and Joseph M. Borg, il-mag˙ruf attur/kummidjant mal-kumpanijateatrali “Iç-Çittadini”.
Joe twieled il-Mosta fl-1941. HuwamiΩΩewwe© lil Dolores u g˙andhom tlettitfal u ˙ames neputijiet. Huwa ng˙aqadmaç-Çittadini fl- 1985 u ˙adem fuq il-palkfl-Awstralja mal-aqwa atturi Malti li ©ew l-Awstralja. Fil-˙ajja privata tieg˙u Joe kienmedjatur mal-Community Justice CentreNSW. Tax-xog˙ol tieg˙u ©ie mog˙ti “mer-itorious service award”.Il-President tal-Maltese Community Coun-
cil ta’ NSW, Lawrence Dimech g˙alaq il-lejla billi fa˙˙ar lil Joe u qal li dan kien unurmist˙oqq. Fisser ukoll li l-komunita`Maltija fi NSW g˙ada ferm attiva anke jekkhawn min qieg˙ed ipin©ijna li tinsab“agu-nija”.
Malta participates in ‘Many Cultures One in Christ’ Mass in Wollongong
Organisations wishing to publish notices ornews intended for the Maltese communityin Australia in The Voice of the Maltese, areadvised to stick to the magazine’s deadlineand submit material at least a week prior topublication.
Lawrence Scerri andLucy Bonanno at theWollongong activity
L-attur Joe Borghekk kif ©ie ono-rat bil-PremjuKulturali 2014
Have your say/Xi trid tghid?8 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
Your letters/ L-ittri tag˙kom ...
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Letters for publication in The Voice ei-ther in Maltese or English should bee-mailed to: [email protected].
Augustine J Borg from Cecil Hills writes:
A few questions to Professor MauriceCauchi, who “is ashamed to be Australian”.1. For all too obvious reasons, mainly its lo-cation far away from the western world anda comparatively small population, it is fool-ish to think that Australia can defend herselfsuccessfully. What foreign power then, canAustralia turn to in time of need?2. Having found the peaceful life theyyearned for here in Australia, why do chil-dren of displaced persons and refugees, oftenborn here, return to their homelands and joinin sectarian wars?3. What cataclysmic event caused the lastIce-age and what phenomenon broughtabout the subsequent thawing out of theworld?4. Granted, China is our biggest customer forfuel and raw materials, but hasn’t her gushingexports created mayhem in developed coun-tries and rendered millions of people joblessas factories and businesses closed down?
I have a lot more but these will suffice. Inissue No. 83, page 3, Professor Cauchi laidout a whole litany of instances where the
policy makers of this country have erred.He wrote, and I quote. “For all these rea-
sons many Australians are currently in astate of shock, wondering where this countryof ‘milk and honey’ is actually heading”.
I, for one, am as well, and have to ask -where is all this pandering to the opinion ofa few leading us? Why all this chest beatingas if we’re always in the wrong?
The haste to offer explanations for our ac-tions, or lack thereof is often embarrassing.Why the feeling that we are fighting a losingbattle, when in fact, we’re already sitting ina winner’s chair?Criticism, genuine criticism that is, and not
carping, is always good, but knowledgeablesuggestions for improvement are a whole lotbetter.
Few questions to Prof. Cauchi
Right to criticise shabbytreatment of refugees
Alan Cadman from Dural NSW writes:
Thank you for keeping me informed. I find the ‘Maltese Voice’ online wonderful reading.I must draw a line at the comments made by Professor Maurice Cauchi. Most Maltese
friends of Australia would understand the freedoms of this country and even the most bi-ased Labor supporter would recognise that much of his article is not factual. What a shame.
Ex-Liberal MP replies to Prof. Cauchi’s article
Victor Camilleri, Ballarat, Melbourne,writes:
I would never go as far as to say that I amashamed of being Australia as Prof Mau-rice had the guts to say. But at the sametime I agree with most of what he said inhis article about the way the Australiangovernment is dealing with the asylumseekers. I don’t have an opinion about hisother issues.I will always be grateful to Australia, my
adopted country that welcomed me wayback in the 50s. However, I must also saythat before it became a country “of milkand honey” for me, as the Prof describedit, it gave me a hard time. It wasn’t easy tosettle in this vast continent.
Most probably I would find thousandswho would agree with me that before theMaltese who came to Australia in thosedays managed to establish themselves theyhad to suffer hardships. In those days youhad to be strong to survive, as you had tofend for yourself. Besides, I must also say that when we set
foot on this land, we were helping thiscountry to build itself. So we were alsodoing this great country a favour and the
then leaders in the government should alsohave been grateful to us as much as wewere grateful to them.It was so hard in the beginning that most
of us (Maltese) would have returned to ourcountry of origin, our beloved Malta butfor the ‘penalty’ of having to pay back tothe government the expenses for sponsor-ing us to leave.
But we persevered and I must say thatlater in life, I so fell in love with Australiathat I would never leave and I will neverregret taking the plunge.
I am now also Australian and like mostof us who have settled here, for as muchas we love it, we should also never beafraid to criticise its leaders. Thereforewhen I discussed Prof Cauchi’s articlewith friends who found it hard to believehis point of view, I stuck to my argumentthat firstly, he had all the right to say whathe did. Secondly his arguments are basedon facts.Everybody has a right to live and it is un-
fair of Australia to send these asylum seek-ers who are trying to create a future backto misery. Its shabby treatment of thesepeople is inhuman.
Let us give them a chance. Australia is abig country and by accepting these poorpeople it could in the end find out that theytoo have something offer. What Australianeeds are people who are prepared towork. If these displaced people are willingto work, give them a chance.
It is most interesting that while we asAustralians send these people back, on theother hand we advertise for others to comeand work in this country.
In fact I was very surprised to find outthat in November the Victorian Govern-ment will be presenting information aboutliving and working in Melbourne and Vic-toria in two cities in Germany as a part ofa series of immigration seminars beingheld by Melbourne Migration Interna-tional in Germany.
They will also cover skills currently indemand and employment opportunities.So is this discrimination?
P. Brincat from Bondi JunctionNSW writes:
Israel used precision targeting toavoid collateral damage and we all knowwhat happened to the poor civilians inGaza. Now Obama & Abbott are sayingthey will use the same precision targetingin the north of Iraq. We all remember theMiddle East wars of 2008-09 and 2010.
Recently during the 50-day-war in Gaza
more than 2100 Palestinians were killed,including 500 children, at least 11,000 peo-ple were injured, more than 17,000 homeshave been destroyed or badly damaged andmore than a quarter of Gaza’s population–at least 475,000 people are living in makeshifts UN shelters.
Israel Defence Forces also sus-tained losses: 64 soldiers died,while six Israeli civilians includinga four-year-old were killed. Life
for thousands in the south of Israel near theGaza border was thrown into chaos be-cause of rocket fire from the Palestinians. And Barack Obama, the British, Australia
and others want us to go to North Iraq anddefend those helpless Christians. Someholy wars are more important than others.
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 9
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The Holy wars
It-Teatru Rjal u dak ta’ bla saqafTreatment of refugees in Malta and Australia
Back to Iraq!
Mario Griscti jikteb minn Malta
G˙eΩieΩ Joe u Lawrence
NiΩΩikom ˙ajr minn qalbi ta’ The Voiceof the Maltese Nru.83 li jekk ng˙id-
ilkom li huwa nteressanti nkun qed intennidak li di©a’ qalu u kitbu eluf kbar ta’ qar-rejja o˙rajn. G˙aldaqstant li nixtieq ng˙id-ilkom li huwa l-gost tieg˙i naqrah daqs-kemm çertament li hu s-sodisfazzjontag˙kom li tikkompilawh u tibag˙tuh.
Óajr minn qalb i ta ’ ‘The Voice ’
Charles N. Mifsud...from Burraneer NSW
Friends, I have just watched a delayedsegment of ‘L-AHBARIJIET’, which I
had missed when it was shown on SBS. Itreported how another 275 refugees (theyare from Palestine, Iraq and Syria and aremainly women and children) had been res-
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cued and brought into Malta, which I sup-pose could have saved them from drown-ing or even a worse fate.
Now I know that because of its size andlimited resources Malta has a huge prob-lem with taking in refugees. I genuinelyhope that Malta and the European Unionwould soon find a solution to the problem.
At the same time I feel very proud thatunlike our Liberal Government, the Mal-tese Government practises some trueChristian virtues, i.e. charity and love,gives them shelter, feeds them, clothethem and when necessary offer them hos-pital treatment. In short, it treats them ashuman beings.
Perhaps just as importantly, no Maltesegovernment, Nationalist or Labour has de-monised these refugees and incited thepopulace to hate them, unlike past or pres-ent Liberal governments, before they evenset foot on Terra Australis. God bless Malta. Kburi li jien iben Malta
Óanina.
Theresa Pulis minn Marsden Park, NSW tik-teb:
Jiena persuna avvanzata, imma ma nif-takarx it-teatru rjal tal-belt tag˙na l-
Maltin, fil-belt Valletta, iΩda niftakar li kontnisma’ lil-missieri jifta˙ar bis-sbu˙ijatieg˙u u sintendi rajt ˙afna ritratti ta’ kifkien.Fil-faççata ta’ quddiem tal-a˙˙ar edizzjoni
ta’ ‘The Voice’ stajt ninduna x’diΩastru˙are© bih dak il-famuΩ Renzo Piano. Jewforsi mhux dan il-perit li ja˙ti g˙ax warakollox il-periti jimxu fuq li jg˙idulhom? Irrid inkun naf ta’ min kienet l-ideja, mhux
biss tat-teatru bla saqaf iΩda wkoll fil-fehmatieg˙i, tal-porkerija li ˙allewna biha. Minkien, l-eks Prim Ministru Gonzi, l-eks Min-istru Austin Gatt, min? Min se jghidilna?
Tajjeb li min approva dan id-disins skan-daluΩ naghmlulu statwa u barmil bit-tadambiex kull meta ng˙addu minn quddiem danid-diΩastru nuruh x’na˙sbu mill-idejatieg˙u/tag˙hom.
LB Gatt from Newport Victoria writes:
Evil is evil, but who is the more evil? AlQaeda who left us reeling under their spellwhen they shot down the Twin Towers onSept 11? Our supreme leader Tony Abbotis now telling us that the Islamic State ismore evil. It is just amazing what they say to justify
another war. We had George W Bush,Tony Blair and John Howard, now comesTony Abbott.
If our PM was so worried about brutalregimes how come he keeps refusingrefugees to Australia threatened by ex-tremist militants?
Ftit ftit, qeg˙dinnersqu lejn gwerrao˙ra, u mill-©did
fil-Lvant Nofsani. Invo-luti f'din l-istorja huwal-Istat Islamiku, lijokkupa art li sa ftit ilukienet tag˙mel partimis-Sirja u mill-Iraq, u(s'issa) l-pajjiΩi tas-soltutal-Punent, kif ukoll l-Awstralja.
Dwar l-iStat Islamiku(SI) u l-Kalifat di©à tkel-limna fil-˙ar©a numru79 ta' The Voice. Minndakinhar, il-qtug˙ tal-irjus, it-theddid kontrapajjiΩi speçifiçi b˙all-Is-tati Uniti, ir-Renju Unitu anke r-Russja1 mawaqafx, konverΩjonijietsfurzati, swat, stupru u amputazzjonijiet2, ma waqfux.
L-SI g˙andu twemmin Salafi. Dan huwa moviment li jemmenli l-Islam awtentiku huwa dak ibbaΩat fuq it-tag˙lim tal-ewwel©enerazzjonijiet (is-salaf) ta' wara Mawmettu, u jqisu li miniΩomm interpretazzjonijiet differenti b˙ala bla fidi (infidel) jewapostata (wie˙ed li ça˙ad il-fidi).
L-SI jemmen ukoll li fil-©lieda qaddisa (il-©i˙ad), anke qabelma ti©©ieled kontra pajjiΩi mhux Musulmani, trid tippurifika lis-soçjetà Musulmana nnifisha. G˙alhekk b˙alissa qed ti©©ieled fis-Sirja kontra l-gvern Sirjan li huwa Alawit (li ˙are© mix-Xiti) uanke kontra l-gruppi l-o˙ra li qed ji©©ieldu lill-gvern Sirjan, u fl-Iraq ti©©ieled kontra l-Gvern predominantement Xita u l-partijietKurdi tat-tramuntana tal-Iraq.Il-filosofija tal-SI ma tippermettix g˙ixien fil-paçi jew ko-eΩis-
tenza bejn nies u popli ta' twemmin u kulturi differenti. Jewtaççetta li tikkonverti u tg˙ix skont il-li©i Islamika (ix-Xarija),jew tista' tmur tindifen. Mhemmx kompromessi.Id-diskors mhux dwar in©ustizzji li jeΩistu fid-dinja, fuq it-tqas-
sim tar-riΩorsi naturali li jiffavorixxu l-pajjiΩi g˙onja jew il-kumpanniji multinazzjonali, fuq l-okkupazzjoni in©usta tal-artPalestinjana mill-IΩrael eçç. Fil-fatt, jien lanqas nara li tista' issir diskussjoni. G˙all-biçça l-
kbira tal-popolazzjoni dinjija li ma t˙addimx it-twemmin tal-SI,jekk wie˙ed huwa sod fit-twemmin tieg˙u, diskursata ma' xi ˙addminn SI nistenna li malajr issir ta' ˙ajja jew mewt, jekk mhuxillum, g˙ada.
Fid-dinja Musulmana, hemm taqliba s˙i˙a, g˙ax hemm ˙afnaawtoritajiet Musulmani li ma jaqblu xejn ma' SI, b˙all-Mufti tal-E©ittu li qal li dawn l-estremisti mhux qed jinterpretaw tajjeb l-Islam3, jew il-Kunsill tal-Imami tal-Awstralja li qalu lil-estremisti qed juΩaw l-Islam biex jg˙attu a©ir kriminali u atroçi-tajiet4.B˙alissa hemm stennija li l-President Obama tal-Istati Uniti jfit-
tex li pajjiΩu jmexxi reazzjoni adegwata g˙all-SI. Di©a` qednaraw diversi azzjonijiet mill-forza tal-ajru fl-Iraq. Il-pajjiΩi tan-NATO wkoll indikaw li lesti jipparteçipaw f'azzjonijiet militari5,u l-Awstralja g˙amlitha çara li lesta tag˙ti l-appo©© tag˙ha6.Anke l-Papa Fran©isk indika hemm bΩonn li tittie˙ed azzjoni7.Jien nistqarr li n˙obb il-paçi, imma miniex paçifist. Il-paçifiΩmu
huwa l-oppoΩizzjoni g˙al kull gwerra u l-vjolenza, ‘paçi’ akkostta' kollox. Jien nara li ma jistax ikun hemm paçi ming˙ajr ©us-
tizzja, u ma jistax ikunhemm paçi meta bnie-dem jhedded l-eΩis-tenza ta' ie˙or.Madankollu wisq nib-
Ωa meta nara ©irja in-eΩorabbli lejn gwerra.L-Awstralja di©à idde-çidiet li lesta tipprovdiajruplani tal-gwerrajekk mitluba8. Nirri-konoxxi li l-gverng˙andu jkun jista' jie˙udawn id-deçiΩjonijietmalajr jekk hemmbΩonn, imma d-deç-iΩjoni tal-Gvern ta'Koalizzjoni, li qabelmag˙ha l-Partit Labu-rista, li ma ssirx dis-kussjoni fil-parlament9,hija arroganti g˙all-
a˙˙ar. In-nies xebg˙u jkunu nvoluti fi gwerer barra minn darhom, li
jridu j˙allsu g˙alihom b'somom enormi ta' flus u b'˙ajjet uliedna.Na˙seb li huwa ra©onevoli ˙afna li l-gvern jisma l-˙sieb tal-poplumir-rappreΩentanti tieg˙u fil-Parlament, fuq ˙a©a li aktarx ikollhadaqshekk impatt fit-tul fuqu.
G˙alfejn g˙andha deçiΩjoni b˙al din tittie˙ed ming˙ajr mal-poplu jkun involut, u sempliçement ji©i infurmat?
Apparti hekk, nara problema ikbar. Il-pajjiΩi li s'issa l-iktar liwrew ˙erqa g˙al azzjoni militari huma l-pajjiΩi tal-Punent. Jiennara riskju kbir li nid˙lu f'kunflitt li ji©i interpretat minn SI lihuwa bejn il-Musulmani u l-Insara, g˙ax dan bla dubju j˙ajjar lilMusulmani o˙ra, anke jekk illum moderati, li jmorru jiddefendulill-Islam.
Irid ikun hemm rappreΩentazzjoni wiesg˙a ˙afna, globali, g˙aldin il-©lieda kontra l-estremiΩmu.Lanqas mhu biΩΩejjed li jissie˙bu pajjiΩi predominantement Xiti
b˙all-Iraq (li di©a` qed jie˙u sehem), g˙ax din ukoll taqa f'narra-tiva ta’ ©lieda ta' Musulmani Sunni kontra dawk Xiti. Irid ikunhemm pajjiΩi Sunni, u o˙rajn ta' kultura u twemmin ie˙or minnmadwar id-dinja.Din mhix, u lanqas ma trid ti©i mpin©ija b˙ala gwerra tal-Krist-
janeΩmu kontra l-Islam. Trid tkun çara li din hija ©lieda kontra l-umanità.
Notes
PerspettivaA version of this series inEnglish may be found inthe author's blog at: http://perspective-ivancauchi.blogspot.com.au
kitba ta’
IVAN
CAUCHI
10 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
(1)http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/09/06/islamic state -militants want to fight putin 2/, retrieved8/9/2014(2)http://rt.com/news/183172 syria isis crimes -humanity/, retrieved 8/9/2014(3)http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle east/2014/08/24/Islamic authority Extremists -no Islamic State .html, retrieved 8/9/2014(4)http://www.anic.org.au/wp -content/uploads/2014/08/ANIC -CONDEMNS THE ACTIONS PORTRAYED IN-THE PHOTO OF A 7 YEAR OLD.pdf, re-trieved 8/9/2014(5)http://news.yahoo.com/obama says key -allies ready join u action 184811257.html, re-
trieved 8/9/2014(6)http://news.yahoo.com/obama says key -allies ready join u action 184811257.html, re-trieved 8/9/2014(7)http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/08/13/pope francis signals support for iraq military -action to protect-christians from brutal islamic jihadists/, re-trieved 8/9/2014(8)http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/03/australia considering general request -military action iraq, retrieved 8/9/2014(9)http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/01/greens fail to force debate on australian -military involvement in-iraq, retrieved8/9/2014
Il-Gwerra li jmiss?Militanti Islamiçi tal-SI
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 11
Il-KarkariΩi f’Melbourne jiççelebrawil-Festa ta’ Santa LienaIs-St. Helena Maltese Australian Social Club
Inc. ta’ Melbourne iççelebraw il-festa ta’Santa Liena tul tlett ijiem, bejn il-Ìimgha 22
u l-Óadd 24 ta’ Awwissu bil-funzjonijiet reli©juΩijsiru fil-Croatian Catholic Church ta’Fitzgerald Road, Ardeer.
Fl-ewwel jum saret il-quddiesa iççele-brata minn Fr Edwin Agius, Rettur f’-Parkville, tas-Soçjeta` Missjunarja ta’ SanPawl bis-sehem tal-Wyndham MalteseChoir ta˙t id-direzzjoni ta’ Kathleen Borg,u b’Joe Galea minn Sydney jkanta l-AveMaria.
Wara l-Quddiesa kul˙add ©ie mistiedenfis-sala tal-knisja g˙al kunçert varjat umarçi brijjuΩi mill-Maltese United BrassBand.Is-Sibt, l-g˙aqda organizzat il-Ballu kbir
tal-Festa – wie˙ed mill-aktar ballijietpopolari fost il-komunita` ta’ Melbourne -fis-sala tal-Melrose Reception and Con-vention Centre, Tullamarine li g˙alih at-tendew madwar 700 ru˙ bejn membri u˙bieb. Wara tkanta l-Innu Malti u dak Aw-straljan. InΩammet koll minuta silenzub’rispett g˙al Charlie Zammit “IΩ-Ωiffa” limiet ftit ilu u li kien se jkun l-MC tal-lejla.Fost dawk preΩenti kien hemm il-Konslu
Ìenerali ta’ Malta fil-Victoria, is-Sur Vic-tor Grech u s-Sinjura tieg˙u, Patricia, Vic-tor Borg, il-V/President tal-Kunsill Maltita’ Victoria u Andrew Elsbury MLC likienu fost dawk li hadu gost bil-muΩika ip-
provduta mill-banda Vibe. Kien hemmfloor show mill-kantant Malti minn Syd-ney, Joe Galea u wirja ta’ Ωfin Hip Hopminn Michael Rossi, ta’ 15-il sena, li tawirja ta’ Hip Hop Solo Dance. Indaqquwkoll marçi mill-Maltese United BrassBand.
Il-qofol taç-çelebrazzjonijiet intla˙aq il-Óadd f’jum il-festa l-istess Knisja fejn ©ietikkonçebrata quddiesa minn Fr EdwinAgius, mg˙ejjun minn Fr EmmanuelAdami, Fr Denis Carabott, u Fr DominicDegiorgio.
Wara saret il-purçisjoni bl-istatwa ta’Santa Liena madwar il-Knisja akkumpan-jata miΩ-Ωew© baned Maltin, il-MelitaBand Inc. u l-Maltese Own Band Philhar-monic Society Inc. Minbarra g˙add kbirta’ nies, wara l-istatwa mxew ukoll g˙addta’ g˙aqdiet Maltin bl-istandardi tag˙hom. Wara l-funzjonijiet religjuΩi, kul˙add ©ie
mistieden fis-sala tal-istess Knisja g˙alprogramm varjat im˙ejji mill-G˙aqda.Hawnhekk indaqqu g˙add ta’ programmimuΩikali mill-baned preΩenti li akkumpan-jaw il-vara li ©iet imdawra madwar is-sala.Fil-briju ˙adu sehem ukoll, id-DJ Do-minic, u g˙al 90 minuta bla waqfien, il-kantant Joe Galea.
Wie˙ed ta’ min ifa˙˙ar il-˙idmatal-president tal-g˙aqda u l-kumitat˙abrieki tieg˙u, kif ukoll tal-fun-datur u l-president onorarju tag˙ha,is-Sur Reno Grima li kien ukollpreΩenti u b˙al dejjem ta wkoll l-g˙ajnuna tieg˙u g˙all-organizzaz-zjoni ta’ din il-festa li anke gibdetlejha coaches minn Sydney, Ade-laide u Moe
- Paul Vella
FUQ: il-kumitat tal-g˙aqda, filwaqt li (xellug) it-tfal li ˙adusehem fil-festa, u (ta˙t) il-brijju minn g˙add ta’ Ωg˙aΩag˙ waqtl-iffeste©©jar tal-festa ta’ Santa Liena. (Ritratti: Anthony Borg)
Amid the festivities commemoratingone of Malta’s National Days, 8th
September, the annual Victory Day boatraces organised as part of the celebra-tions, always a great attraction, were heldat the Grand Harbour. Once again rivalrywas very keen with Marsa clinching theday’s honours by winning both shields.
Crowds of people of all ages throngedto Lascaris wharf and to the oppositeshores at Cottonera to witness the keenly-contested event, but the happiest with theresult were the Marsa supporters as theirrowing club made it a memorable occa-sion by winning the coveted Shield for an11th time.
Marsa won six of the races and placedsecond in three of the remaining four racesfor a total of 76 points, followed by Bor-
mla on 48, Senglea 40 and Birżebbuġa 8.Marsa in fact made it an even more
memorable success as they achieved thedouble following a dominant show in theCategory ‘B’ races.
Malta’s success story in thetourism sector this year is on-
going and figures just out indicatethat in August, Malta InternationalAirport, MIA, welcomed a total of551,179 passengers, which is equiv-alent to a 100,000 more people thanthe entire population of MaltaMIA hosted 8.6 per cent more pas-
sengers in August than it did duringthe corresponding month last year,making this the busiest month ever.While expressing his pleasure in an-
nouncing these record-breaking fig-ures, MIA chairman, CEO MarkusKlaushofer said that, “the airport hasshown signs of steady growth duringthe first half of 2014 and enjoyed anincredibly busy summer.” This growth was the result of an un-
precedented increase in the numberof aircraft seats being taken up, re-
sulting in a seat load factor of 86.5per cent. The seat capacity increasedby 6.6 per cent, while flight move-ments also rose by 5.1 per cent.Mr Klaushofer said that August’s
success was due to marked growthin some of the airport’s major mar-kets namely the UK, France, Ger-many and Italy.
Italy was the market that saw thehighest growth in passenger traffic,an increase of 16.5 per cent.
Traffic from Germany and Francegrew by 10.4 per cent and 9.1 percent respectively, followed by theUK, which grew by 8.7 per cent.In the first eight months of the year,
between January and August, MaltaInternational Airport hosted morethan 2.9 million passengers markingan 8 per cent increase over the samemonths last year.
The government has ap-pointed an inquiry board to
be chaired by Judge EmeritusPhilip Sciberras to investigatestructural weaknesses at the ac-cident and emergency buildingof Malta’s state hospital, MaterDei (pictured above) followingreports that some concrete col-umns used in the emergencyward are of inferior quality.
Tests have shown that con-crete structures at the emer-gency department were so
weak in certain areas theycould not sustain the weight oftwo planned medical wards.
The board is being set up aspart of the government’s workto establish procedures takenduring building of Mater DeiHospital. It will establish anadequate timeline of facts andevaluate civil and criminal lia-bilities. A group of experts willbe brought in where required.Work on the Mater Dei hospi-
tal project had started in 1993.It was completed 14 years later,in 2007, at a cost of €600 mil-lion
In a statement, the HealthMinistry said a forensic auditon the existing structure wouldbe carried out and the policewere asked to investigate.The government will be re-
questing that political, techni-cal and commercial respon-sibilities are shouldered bythose involved in the matter.
By law, a construction com-pany was liable for any struc-tural defects for up to 15 yearsand, therefore, one could arguethat this period had expired.
The visit to Malta of Kate, the Duchess of Cam-bridge, who is due to fly to Malta on Septem-
ber 20 for her first solo visit is in doubt after theRoyal family announced she and her husbandPrince William are expecting their second child.
She is due to attend the 50th Anniversary celebra-tions of Independence adn meet President Marie-
Louise Coleiro Precaand Prime MinisterJoseph Muscat and It has also been learnt
that the Duchess is suf-fering from acutemorning sickness, asshe did with her firstpregnancy, and is be-ing treated by doctorsat her apartments in Kensington Palace.
She and her husband have already cancelled anumber of forthcoming engagements. If her visitis cancelled she could be replaced by Prince Harry.
12 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
Roundup of News About Malta
In August MIA hosts 100,000more passengers than wholepopulation of Maltese islands
Government to investigateMater Dei structural issues
Apart from the national festivities organisedby the government to commemorate the 50th
Anniversary of Independence, the NationalistParty, under whose administration Malta attainedIndependence on September 21, 1964, is cele-brating the milestone with a number of activities,mostly on the Granaries in Floriana, betweenSeptember 16 and 19.
The party said that their celebrations are beingheld earlier than usual in a sense of national unitysince the importance of the day was now beingrecognised by the whole country.Political debates will be held every evening be-
tween September 16 and 18 on the Granaries,while NP leader Dr Busuttil will address a massmeeting on September 19.
Other activities will include children’s zones,musical entertainment, a number of sport eventsand talks on a healthy lifestyle. Then on Septem-ber 21, a reception will be held at IndependenceGardens in Sliema.
This will be one of the most important eventsthis year in the Maltese calendar that has beenfull of important anniversaries (see also page 2)
NP Independence celebrations
Duchess of Cambridge’s visit in doubt
Marsa win 8th September Regatta
The presentation of the Shield by Par-liamentary Secreratary for Youths andSport, Chris Agius (right)
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 13
Roundup of News About Malta
At a meeting with the EuropeanHome Affairs Commissioner
Cecilia Malmström during her visitto Malta to discuss issues relatingto irregular migration, DeputyPrime Minister Mr Louis Grech un-derlined the need to extend the Eu-ropean Common Asylum Policy toinclude mutual recognition of asy-lum decisions by Member States.Mr Grech remarked that Commis-
sioner Malmström appreciatedMalta’s call for concrete solidarity,and intra-EU relocation of mi-grants, as a country on the border ofthe EU facing the problem of illegalimmigration.
On her part, Commissioner Malm-ström agreed that the problem of ir-regular migration was not simplyone for the frontline states or one ofaccepting, or not, burden-sharing.She said the EU needs to put it on theforefront of a holistic EU policy thatencompasses all aspects of migrationand could meet the challenges as they evolved. Irregular migration goes beyond EU solidar-
ity. Concrete action is paramount to show thatthe EU is not passive. In this context, MrGrech insisted that it was imperative that mi-gration be given maximum importance in thenew Commission. He said the EU could notavoid addressing this important and ever-more-urgent question. He added that Maltawould also see to it that migration is on theagenda during its Presidency of the EU Coun-cil.
Commissioner Malmström also met the
Prime Minister and discussed with him thecurrent proposal to move to Frontex+, whetherin addition to or as a merged operation with theItalian Mare Nostrum. Mr Grech said that,though Malta agreed in principle with this ini-tiative, it would await a resolution of the remitand details of the operation before it would de-cide on this initiative. During her visit the Ms Malmström also visited
President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and toldher: “I come here as a friend of your country.”
Ms Coleiro Preca said the government wascommitted to "put things in the right place"when dealing with the migration phenomenon,
particularly the welfare of people who endup in Malta.
The family, political leaders, friends andmembers of the judiciary were all pres-ent unveiling on Friday of the monu-ment dedicated to former PresidentGuido de Marco outside the Law Courtsin Valletta.The bronze monument, the brainchild
of Alfred and Aaron Camilleri Cauchi,depicts Prof. de Marco with an out-stretched hand, which former EuropeanCourt of Human Rights judge GiovanniBonello, who delivered a keynotespeech said, seemed to invite people toshake hands.
The unveiling ceremony started withProf. de Marco's own voice reading anexcerpt from his own book dealing withwhat it meant to be Maltese.
Then his daughters, Giannella andFiorella read excerpts of his last parlia-mentary speech and the inauguralspeech when he was appointed Presi-dent in 1999.
In a short note, Prof. De Marco's sonMario and NP deputy leader, said his fa-ther said his father was influenced bythe people he mixed with on a dailybasis, including those who did not agreewith him politically.In another glowing accolade at the un-
veiling of a statue, Prime Minister DrJoseph Muscat described Dr de Marcoas "one of the greatest statesmen Maltaever had",
Prof. de Marco had a 33-year parlia-mentary career that started in 1966 andcame to an end in 1999 when he was ap-pointed President.
Monument dedicated toProf. Guido de Marco
unveiled in Valletta
The EU must rise to the challenge of Migration,The EU must rise to the challenge of Migration,Deputy PM tells EU CommissionerDeputy PM tells EU Commissioner
Deputy Prime MinisterMr Louis Grech withEU Commissioner Ce-cilia Malmström
Prof. Gudio de Marco’s children,Mario, Giannella and Fiorella (left),and Prime Ministr Joseph Muscat atthe unveiling of the monumentMalta’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr George
Vella, last week attended a high-level Confer-ence entitled "Invest Tunisia - Start-up Democracy"held in the Tunisian capital, Tunis with the partici-pation of the Prime Ministers of Tunisia, France, Al-geria and Morocco, as well as the EU Commissionerfor the Internal Market and Services, MichelBarnier.The conference focussed on the latest developments
in the political and economic transition as well as thestrategic vision, policy choices and future reforms inTunisia, and enabled participants to better understandTunisia's roadmap towards democratic governanceand the building of a prosperous society based on therespect of human dignity and social justice.
In his intervention Minister Vella acknowledgedthe achievements registered by Tunisia and appealedthat it is now up to the Tunisian people to take own-ership of reforms. He further stated that the forth-coming legislative elections next month wouldconsolidate the democratic process in Tunisia. Minister Vella also underlined the need that all seg-
ments of Tunisian society are given equal and fair ac-cess to the decision-making process, and stressed therelevance of the EU-Tunisian Association Councilthat met last April.
Malta’s FA Ministerin Tunisia Conference
14 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
“State of the Art”Wara li g˙al dawn l-a˙˙ar snin
fta˙arna kemm fla˙na kemmg˙andna Sptar “state of the art”, jidherli fuq kollox dak li ta˙bi l-qoxra ta’ barramhux daqshekk tajjeb u sabi˙ daqs kemmjidher .
Dan sar mag˙ruf g˙ax il-Gvern ippjanali jibni Ωew© swali fuq fejn illum hemml-emer©enza fl-Isptar Mater Dei. IΩdameta saru t-testijiet me˙tie©a nstab liminkejja li ilha biss ftit snin li nbniet, il-
binja preΩenti, ma tifla˙x g˙al sularie˙or... anzi çertu kolonni kellhomjissa˙˙u biex il-binja preΩenti tkun sigura.
U malli ˙ar©et din l-a˙bar m’hemmxg˙alfejn ng˙idu x’kummenti saru. Kienhemm min ipprova jben©ila xi ftit ujo˙ro© bi skuΩa li meta saret dik il-binjama kien hemm l-ebda ˙sieb li fuqha jitlasular ie˙or.
IΩda malar kien hemm min wie©eb lig˙andna binijiet li ilhom snin twal mib-
nija, u li Ωgur ma kienux intenzjonati lijsir bini fuqhom, iΩda xorta wa˙da f’-dawn l-a˙˙ar snin Ωdiedu sulari fuqhomming˙ajr ebda diffikulta`.Sadanitant il-Gvern ˙abbar li ˙atar bord
ta’ inkjesta biex janalizza l-liabilitieskriminali u çivili li rriΩultaw minn dak li©ara. Imbag˙ad, skont il-Prim Ministru,kul˙add irid i˙allas ta’ g˙emilu. Nisperali ji©ri hekk.
(ara wkoll pa©na 12
Tmut wa˙da mit-tewminMaltin tal-Playboy
G˙al darb’o˙ra, f’dawn l-a˙˙ar jiem l-Australia Hall re©g˙et kienet fl-
a˙barijiet. Did-darba g˙ax sa fl-a˙˙aril-Partit Laburista bieg˙ din il-propjeta`lil ditta privata.
G˙all-ewwel il-media lokali ˙ar©ettg˙id li din inbieg˙et g˙al €10 miljumEwro... u sintendi, il-media nazzjonalistau l-kummentaturi tas-soltu Allajaf kemmqalu li l-Partit Laburista kien se jsir “sin-jur minn fuq propjeta’ li ˙ataf ta˙t idejhmeta kien fil-Gvern” (˙alliha li din il-propjeta’, flimkien ma’ o˙ra fil-lokal,kienet ©iet akkwistata mill-PartitLaburista b˙ala tpartit mal-kwartieri likellu fil-Marsa u li kienet ittie˙det mill-Malta Shipbuilding Co, u li l-PL jg˙id likummerçjalment kienet i©©ib aktar flus).IΩda wara ftit jiem in˙ar©et l-a˙bar li
fuq kollox is-somma kienet ferm il-bog˙od minn dak li kien ©ie mxandar –ji©ifieri €582,343.
Allura din id-darba l-g˙ajta kienet li l-Partit Laburista kien qed jiddikjara libieg˙ din il-propjeta` b’somma hekkmiΩera biex jevadi t-taxxa... g˙ax sin-tendi t-taxxa ti©i kkalkulta fuq il-prezztal-bejg˙.Imma jidher li hawnhekk, il-Partit Naz-
zjonalisti, u dawk kollha li rra©unawb˙alu, ˙adu falza stikka. Malajr, malajril-Partit Laburista fakkar lill-PN li l-par-titi politiçi ma j˙allsux taxxa fuq il-bejg˙ta’ propjeta` u allura inbieg˙et kemm in-bieg˙et l-Australia Hall - il-PartitLaburista ma kien se jevadi l-ebda taxxa- g˙ax fil-fatt ma kienx hemmx taxxax’tit˙allas.Issa li fl-a˙˙ar, wara daqshekk snin, l-
Australia Hall inxtrat nittamaw li s-sidien©odda jirrestawraw dan il-bini u jag˙mluuΩu xieraq mill-post li tant i©ib tifkiriet,l-aktar u l-aktar lill-kommunita` Awstral-jana.
Ftit huma dawk li forsi g˙adhom jiftakruil-polemika li kienet qamet fl-1970
f’Malta meta Ωew© tfajliet Maltin dehrug˙arwenin fir-rivista Amerikana Playboy.Kienu l-ewwel Maltin (u safejn naf jien l-uniçi) li dehru fil-Playboy f’ritratti b˙aldawk, kemm fuq il-faççata ta’ quddiem kifukoll f’tan nofs, presti©ju li ftit mudelli in-ternazzjonali rnexxilhom jil˙qu.
It-tewmin Maltin Madeleine u MaryCollinson minn Tas-Sliema kienu ˙adufama wkoll meta ˙admu diversi films, iΩdal-aktar wie˙ed li qajjem furur kien dak tal-kumpanija IngliΩa Hammer, “Twins ofEvil”. Fih it-tewmin kellhom diversi xenita’ nudiΩmu.
Il-popolarità tag˙hom kompliet tikbermeta kienu mistiedna speçjali fuq pro-gramm ta’ spettaklu tat-televiΩjoni Ame-rikan li kellu miljuni ta’ segwaçi, immexximinn John Carson.
It-tajba li dak iΩ-Ωmien il-Maltin li kienirnexxielhom jaraw ir-ritratti ta’ din il-koppja kienu tassew ftit billi l-Playboy
kien ipprojbit fil-gΩejjer Maltin, u dawk likien irnexxielhom jakkwistawh, g˙amludan bil-kuntrabandu.
Il-karriera tag˙hom fid-dinja tal-ispet-taklu kienet kemmxejn qasira. Óadmug˙add ta’ dawk imsej˙a B Movies bejn s-snin 1969 sa 1971 u deheru f’diversi rekla-mar ta’ ditti internazzjonali.
It-tewmin Collinson baqg˙u Maltin uspiss kienu jΩuru l-ommhom Mary f’Tas-Sliema. Il-©irien jiftakruhom b˙ala tfajliet˙elwin iΩda d˙ulin u li kienu jkellmu lilkul˙add.
Meta l-popolarità tag˙hom fix-xena in-ternazzjonali bdiet tmajna, huma qabdutriqat differenti. Madeleine iΩΩew©et bdotIngliΩ tal-RAF u Mary iΩΩew©et konti Tal-jan. Madeleine kellha tlett itfal u g˙al sninil-familja g˙exet f’Malta sakemm aktartard isseparat minn Ωew©ha.L-istorja ta’ dawn it-tewmin tfaççat mill-
©did billi Madeleine, li g˙al dawn l-a˙˙arsnin kienet tg˙ix f’Malta, ˙allietna fl-eta’ta’ 62 sena,
L-Australia Hallmill-©did
fl-a˙barijiet
L-a˙wa Madeleine uMary Collinson metadehru fil-Playboy2
Sadanittant, l-a©enzija tar-
rating Fitchikkonfermat li r-rata ta’ tk-abbir ekonomi-ku f’Maltakien ferm a˙jar mill-medjatal-pajjiΩi fiΩ-Ωona tal-Ewro u ikklassifikat lilMalta b˙ala ‘A’ stabbli.L-a©enzija qalet li fl-2013
l-ekonomija Maltija kibretbi 2.9 fil-mija, a˙jar minntal-2011 (1.1%) u og˙lamill-medja tal-Ewrozoneta’ 0.4 ta˙t iΩ-Ωer. Fl-ewwel nofs tas-sena, il-
prodott gross nazzjonali(GDP) kiber bi 3.5%, l-aktar min˙abba d-domanda
ta’ prodotti domestiçi u l-fatt tar-ro˙s tat-tariffi tal-elettriku u l-kndizzjonijiettas-suq tax-xoghol.
L-a©enzija Fitch, li tip-provdi servizz ta’ ratingslill-investituri, qalet liMalta g˙andha g˙axiΩΩomm ir-rating ta’ ‘A’g˙al g˙add ta’ ra©unijiet,fosthom it-tkabbir ekon-miku li jisboq dak taΩ-ÛonaEwro, it-tis˙i˙ irre©istratfil-finanzi tal-Gvern uΩieda ta’ ˙addiema fis-suqtax-xog˙ol imsa˙˙a bis-sehem tan-nisa li ja˙dmu.
Filwaqt li g˙ada g˙addejja d-diskus-sjoni dwar il-kriΩi fit-tmexxija tal-
Knisja f’Malta, f’intervista’ li talill-Maltatoday (31.08.14) Father ColinApap, qassis u ©urnalist mag˙ruf, qal:Gozo and Malta should no longer haveseparate dioceses
Attwalment Fr Colin kien qed jesprimi
xi ˙a©a li kien ilha ting˙ad minn diversinies, iΩda li ˙add donnu ma kellu l-kura©© li jg˙idha u jiktibha fil-mediamin˙abba r-reazzjoni li wie˙ed kien jis-tenna min-na˙a tal-G˙awdxin.
IΩda fil-fatt ˙lief g˙al xi ftit kummentili jag˙mlu s-soltu l-qarrejja fuq il-gazzettijew fuq facebook, ma kien hemm l-ebda,
kif jg˙id l-IngliΩi ,“outcry.” li ˙afna forsistennewU l-istorja donnu ma ng˙atatx dik l-im-
portanza li wie˙ed kien jistenna...G˙alkemm sintendi ma nafux jekk at-twalment fil-bibien mag˙luqa tal-KurjaMaltija u dik Vatikana dan is-su©©eri-ment hux qed ji©i diskuss
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 15
Mix-xena tal-˙ajja Maltija 2
Wie˙ed ma jistax jemmenfejn jaslu çertu nies meta
ma jaççettawx telfa anke f’xi˙a©a li hija purament sportiva.
Qed ng˙id dan g˙ax fost il-krudiltajiet li ©ew irrapurtatifuq l-annimali dan l-a˙˙ar,kien hemm dik ta’ sid li po©©at-tiben ta˙t iΩ-Ωiemel tieg˙u utah in-nar min˙abba li fit-ti©ri-jiet kien qed jo˙ro© tellief.B’xorti tajba Ω-Ωiemel ©ie sal-
vat.
Ula semmejna l-kriΩi li g˙addejjaminnha b˙alissa il-Knisja Maltija,
g˙adha kif ˙ar©et l-a˙bar fil-Malta Inde-pendent, (06.09.14), li jekk hi minnha,tkompli turi kemm inbidlu Ω-Ωminijietanke fejn tid˙ol it-tmexxija tal-Knisja.
Rari, jekk mhux qatt ma nstema’li xi˙add fiΩ-Ωminijiet img˙oddija... u mhux˙afna snin ilu tafux, li l-Isqof ja˙tar arçi-priet jew kapillan u l-kleru tal-lokal majaççettax in-nomina u l-Isqof jasal biex jir-tira din in-nomina.
Hekk se˙˙ fil-paroçça ta’ ÓaΩ-Ωabbar(dejjem skond il-gazzetta). Wara ˙afnati©bid jidher li l-Arçisqof innomina lil FrRay Toledo biex ikun l-Arçipriet il-©didta’ dan il-lokal, iΩda wara li l-kleru ta’ÓaΩ-Ωabbar o©©ezzjona g˙all-˙atra, din©iet irtirata.U dejjem, jekk dak li ntqal hu minnu, jid-
her li wa˙da mir-ra©unijiet li saru dawn il-protesti kien g˙ax meta Fr Toledo,kienin˙atar Kapillan f’San Ìiljan, kien spiççaminn hemm wara li kellu xi diffikultajietmal-baned tal-lokal.
Allura n-nies issa qed tag˙mel, kifng˙idu, one plus one u jistaqsu jekka˙niex qed noqorbu lejn dak iΩ-Ωmien li l-˙atra g˙at-tmexxija tal-paroççi se tispiççanfluwenzata mill-kaΩini tal-baned, il-ku-mitati tal-festi, eçç, eçç.Mhux ta’ b’xejn li dan l-a˙˙ar, ta˙t ir-ras:
Knisja fi triq ta’ estinzjoni, Patri MarkMontebello f’it-Torça (07.09.14) kiteb:
“Il-Knisja Kattolika f’Malta u G˙awdextinsab fi Ωmien straordinarju ming˙ajrpreçedenti. Qatt qabel fl-istorja twilatag˙ha ma sabet lilha nnifisha f’qag˙dab˙al tal-lum. Qabel, il-Knisja dejjem il-taqg˙et ma’ sfidi qawwija li ©ew ‘minnbarra’; mill-kulturi soçjali li sabet mad-warha; sfidi li ng˙ataw diversi ismijiet,b˙al moderniΩmu, kommuniΩmu, fem-miniΩmu, sekulariΩmu, konsumiΩmu, uo˙rajn.
“IΩda llum, l-akbar sfida li g˙andha l-Knisja mhijiex ‘minn barra’, iΩda ‘minn©ewwa’. Qatt qabel ma dan ©ara........ Dinhija sfida serja. Tant, li hemm fin-nofs l-istess eΩistenza tal-Knisja f’pajjiΩna. IΩdahija serja, fuq kollox, g˙ax din l-isfidamhix kif se ‘ni©©ieldu’ forza barranija uostili. Hija sfida li titlob konverΩjoni in-terna. Din aktar diffiçli minn kull ©liedao˙ra ‘barranija’ li tista’ tag˙mel il-Knisja.
Malta u G˙awdex Djoçesi wa˙da?
Jidher li l-ekonomija Maltija qabdet rotta soda tant lil-Eurostat g˙ad kif irrappurtat li l-ekonomija Maltija
kellha l-og˙la rata ta’ tkabbir fl-Unjoni Ewropea,b’zieda ta’ 1.3% fit-tieni kwart ta’ din is-sena fuq il-kwart ta’ qabel. Nisperaw li nibqg˙u sejrin hekk.
Malta Bl-Og˙la Rata ta’ Tkabbir Ekonomiku
While visiting Malta Stay at: While visiting Malta Stay at: The Diplomat Hotel, 173 Tower Road SliemaThe Diplomat Hotel, 173 Tower Road Sliema
Email:Email: [email protected] Tel: (00356) [email protected] Tel: (00356) 23497000
Ta’ ÓaΩ-Ûabbar irrifjutaw
Ma titwemminx!!
Çertifikat minn ‘Fitch’
L-Isqof ta’ G˙awdex, MonsMario Grech ˙are© bi propostaori©inali dwar l-immigranti irre-golari. Issu©©erixxa li kull par-roçça g˙andha taddotta xifamilja mill-Iraq fejn b˙alissaqed ikun hemm persekuzzjonis˙i˙a tal-Insara.Anke jekk s-su©©eriment jidherli ntlaqa’ tajjeb, imma xortawa˙da ©ibed ukoll çerta kritika.
Naddottaw
Ri©lejn iΩ-Ωiemel wara li l-˙ruq
Attorney-General SenatorGeorge Brandis stresses
that evil extremists are prey-ing upon Muslims them-selves. The Senator said it was
important to remember thatMuslims were among thevictims of radical groupssuch as the Islamic State.“They are being preyed
upon by evil people who re-cruited their young men tofight in foreign wars. Weare here to protect the Is-lamic community fromthose predators.” The AG is consulting with
Islamic groups before hepresents his counter terror-ism proposals that includecontroversial measures such
as no-go-zones that wouldforce travellers to designateareas to explain why theywere there or face possibleprosecution. After his debacle with the
way he handled his anti-dis-crimination law changes,Senator George Brandis(right) is not very popularwith the ethnic communities.
The Australian people had been seduced.For months they have been soften to ac-
cept another war involvement. The Gov-ernment and the Opposition have learnedlittle from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.When the US calls we rush in, it mattersvery little what Government we have inCanberra. At first we were dropping foodand water now we are dropping weapons.
The PM and the Chief of the DefenceForces, Air Chief Marshall Mark Binskinconfirmed that Australia would deliver lightinfantry weapons and ammunitions as partof a US-led effort to bolster the KurdishPeshmerga forces who are battling IslamicState fighters.In powerful statements to Parliament both
the PM and Bill Shorten took a commonposition declaring that Australia and its al-lies and partners could not stand by while
innocent people were slaughtered Tony Abbott said, “While we understand-
ably shrink from reaching out to these con-flicts, the truth is that these conflicts reachout to us”. Bill Shorten said that what wasbeing carried out by the Islamic State is“genocide”. The new coalition of the willing this time
being called join international partners in-cludes as well. Britain, Canada, France,Germany, Denmark, Albania, and Italy.Australia will also get involved in the con-
flict between Russia and Ukraine, one ofthe world’s most fraught internationalcrises. Australian Defence Forces person-nel will train and advice Ukrainian military.Did you know that the decision to approve
military deployment falls to the executivegovernment that is the Prime Minister andcabinet and not the Parliament.
A quick glimpse at AustraliaA quick glimpse at Australia
16 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
We are once again at war
George Brandis says evil extremists preying upon Muslims
Speaking at the National Museumin Canberra, Tony Abbott who
celebrated his first anniversary inthe job has upset the aboriginal peo-ple. The Prime Minister made acomment that the arrival of the firstFleet was the defining moment inAustralia’s history. The chairman of the Prime Minis-
ter’s Indigenous Advisory Council,Warren Mundine, has told ABCRadio that white settlement “was adisastrous defining moment for in-digenous people”. The head of the Stolen Generation
Council for NSW, Matilda House,said, “I can’t fathom how a ship ora boat sailed into Sydney Harbourcan overtake the 60,000 years be-fore.”
The PM said: “it was the momentthis continent became part of themodern world. It determined ourlanguage, our law and our funda-mental values.
“Yes, it did dispossess and for along time marginalise indigenouspeople. As Noel Person frequentlyreminds us, modern Australia has animportant indigenous and multicul-tural character.”
Air Marshal Mark Binskin (third left) with other top Australian top defence officials,Air Marshal Geoff Brown and Vice Admiral Ray Griggs (on his right), and Rear Ad-miral Tim Barrett and Lieutenant General David Morrison.
A defining moment?
The Royal Commission into Insti-tutional Responses to Child SexualAbuse that was initiated by theGillard Government has been ex-tended for another two years by theCoalition. The reporting date is nowset for December 15, 2017, whichis after the next Federal election.
The Royal Commission will nowcost half a billion dollars but ac-cording to the Attorney-GeneralGeorge Brandis the “outlay was jus-tified”. “There are more to belearned, there is more that needs tobe learned” the AG told Parliament.
Outlay justified
The latest of six previous in-quiries into Home Insulation
Scheme has cost the present gov-ernment $20 million. The Scheme rushed by the Rudd governmentduring the global recession to create immediate work and stimulate theeconomy by insulating 2.2 million homes was not properly designedand implemented.
Four young people lost their lives; there were Matthew Fuller fromQueensland, Ruben Barnes, Mitchell Sweeney and Marcus Wilsonfrom NSW.A Royal Commission report into the former Rudd Government’s $2.8
billion, home insulation program (HIP) found a litany of failings aris-ing from a dysfunc-tional culture in theformer administra-tion.
The PM said thefindings of thescathing report byCommissioner IanHanger QC, were“grave and its recom-mendations are de-tailed”. Much of thereport is critical of thepublic service’s han-dling of the scheme.
A quick glimpse at AustraliaA quick glimpse at Australia
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 17
Future to Nathan Rees
MICHELLE ROWLAND MPFEDERAL MEMBER
FOR GREENWAY
Proudly serving the areas of:
Acacia Gardens, Blacktown*, Girraween,Glenwood, Kellyville Ridge, Kings Langley,
Kings Park, Lalor Park, Parklea, PendleHill, Prospect*, Quakers Hill*, Riverstone,
Rouse Hill*, Schofields, Seven Hills,Stanhope Gardens, The Ponds,
Toongabbie*, Vineyard*Parts of
230 Prospect Hwy, Seven Hills 2147Ph: 9671 4780
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @mrowlandmp
www.facebook.com/mrowlandmp
You can have access The Voice ofthe Maltese online anytime by log-ging to:http://www.maltesewelfare.com.auand click on The Voice
Former Premier of NSW and memberfor Toongabbie, the Hon Nathan
Rees will take up a new role as advocatefor public education following his deci-sion to quite state politics. He will be-come the chief executive of thenon-profit Public Education Foundationas from next month. Hon Nathan Rees is a very good friend
of the Maltese community and was theonly Parliamentarian to be present at thefuneral of Alfred Fenech at the StMary’s Cathedral.
The Member for Toongabbie resignedfrom the shadow cabinet earlier thisyear, announcing he would retire frompolitics and not contest the 2015 StateElection.
The foundation has already raised andinvested $1.5 million to help more than100 students. The foundation also sup-ports public school principals to under-take leadership courses at HarvardUniversity.
Mr. Rees, who raised the school leav-ing age from 15 to 17 years while pre-mier, described joining the PublicEducation Foundation as a natural stepfor his life beyond politics.
The mining tax is ditchedHome InsulationThe Abbott gov-
ernment has fi-nally delivered akey election prom-ise and repealedthe mining tax. Todo so, the govern-ment reached acompromise withthe Palmer UnitedParty to delay theabolition of theSchoolkids Bonus, the low-income superannuation contributionand the income support bonus until after the next election.
Keeping these measures will cost the budget $6.5 billion. Whatit means for us; Super increase paused at 9.5 per cent until 2020-21.
It will not increase to 12 percent until at least July 1, 2025. Thelow-income contribution for those earning under $37,000 kept until2017-18. The income support bonus retained until December 31,2016. The Schoolkids Bonus to be kept until December 31, 2016.After this a means test of $100,000 will apply.
Mr. Abbott told ABC that the change to super was not a brokenpromise or an “adverse” change but simply a “somewhat longer”pause than the two-year pause promised before the election.The father of superannuation, former Prime Minister Paul Keating
launched a blistering attack on the Abbott government labelling itsdeal with the Palmer United Party“wilful sabotage of the nationaluniversal savings scheme”.
Mr. Keating said the Govern-ment’s decision to spike superan-nuation at 9.5 percent has little todo with the budget balance thisyear, or in the early out years, andeverything to do with, cheap ide-ology”.
He called the pause a brokenpromise that would have “cata-strophic consequences” on retire-ment savings.
Scheme
Admiral Chris Barriewas chief of staff of theAustralian DefenceForces between 1998and 2002 and preparedand oversaw theHoward government’sOperation Relex. The Admiral slam-med
the federal govern-ment’s asylum policiesand said they were amess that reflects badlyon all of us. He described detention
centres as “jails”. “Aus-
tralians are doing theirutmost to extinguishhope, the most powerfulof human emotions”.Admiral Barrie waslaunching a book by in-ternational law academ-ics, Jane McAdam andFiona Chong, Whyseeking asylum is legaland Australia’s policiesare not. The book as-serts that Australianpolicies towards asylumseekers are illegal underinternational law.
Asylum seeker policies a mess
Young Kayla Jo Piscopo from CecilHills has continued to enhance her
singing career by qualifying for the finalround of the Sydney Eisteddfod JuniorContemporary Singer of the Year title (12-15 yrs) at the Petersham RSL Club that hasbeen won by a singer from Strathfield,Gemma Nha.
Kayla Jo, who will celebrate her 15thbirthday next month, gave an excellentrendition of the two songs she chose tosing in front of the judges, Celine Dion’s‘I drove all night’ because, she says, itshowcases her voice, and ‘Stay’ by Ri-hanna because it is an artist who really in-spires her.
Having progressed into the final yearsince the competition was first introducedinto the Sydney Eisteddfod programme in2011; Kayla Jo is no stranger to the event.She said: “I can’t really explain that feel-ing when you’re out on stage performingbut it’s a great feeling.”
“Good or bad, I take the judges’ com-ments and try to improve every year.”
Kayla, who also has her own website,where she has many recorded songs andperformances: http://www.kaylajooffi-cial.com/apps/auth/login?why=pw&try=1&wp=1&next=home (Once you are on thesite you just need to register with youremail. This will give you access to thesite).
Kayla Jo’s voice has a voice that is con-tinually gaining power and commandingpeople's attention for her ability to take onthe largest power ballads. She has hadvocal lessons since she was nine and con-tinues to perfect her craft everyday.
For her, singing isn't just a passion, butalso a way of life. She continually entersEisteddfods and Talent Quests all overSydney to gain as much experience in the
music industry as possible. She has often been referred to by
industry professionals as beingable to sing anything and every-thing; she's a diverse vocalist andenjoys Pop and R&B the most,and would love to pursue herdream of becoming a recordingartist. She is also very passionateabout her life long love of work-ing with animals.
Despite her young age she alsoin good demand for her talent andearlier this year she not only per-formed as an invited guest at Bar10 in Sydney in the ‘PizzutoFashion Parade’, but also did aphoto shoot and modelled clothesfor Pizzuto Fashion designer whois also Maltese.
Four years ago, in 2010, KaylaJo's Cover of Alicia Keyes' "Em-pire State of Mind" was aired ona local Community TV station,and later on that same year shewas interviewed live on a localradio station after receiving theJudge's Choice Award at the War-ringah Mall Talent Quest GrandFinal. She followed this up by finishing
runner up at Bonnyrigg's Got Tal-ent, third at Stockland's Got talent, andthen won both the Wizard of Oz TalentQuest and the Bass Hill Idol Talent Quest.The following year she placed third at the
Cronulla Pop Stars had five consecutivewins by taking Bonnyrigg's Got Talent,Merryland's Got Talent, Relay Idol Hors-ley Park, Stockland's Got Talent andCabramatta Idol. In 2012, Kayla Jo, who for three years was
an active member of the Catholic School'sPerformingArts VocalEnsemble,performedin one ofCASPA’sb i g g e s tevents atthe Enter-t a i n m e n tCentre ofS y d n e y ,Tell Me aStory, andwas selec-ted as oneof its back-ing vocal-ists for 20songs onthe album.That wayShe alsomanaged to
gain valuable experience in the field ofrecording.
Last year Kayla Jo auditioned for theSoul Symphony Youth Troupe and wassuccessful in getting the finale song, "Di-amonds" by Rihanna. This was followedby extensive rehearsals in preparation forthe upcoming show under the guidance ofErana Clark (previous vocal coach forAustralian Idol). She gained valuable ex-perience from this event and to date hasbeen the highlight of her vocal journey.
In addition, in 2013, Kayla Jo also en-tered a talent quest online organised byRadio Station 2GB prior to the premiereof Australia's Got Talent. She was chosenby Alan Jones as one of the top five tal-ents. It earned her VIP passes to Aus-tralia's Got Talent. Later she entered theMounties Got Talent and made it to GrandFinal status where she was given a SpecialEncouragement Award. Her prize included a private session with
Cossima Devito and Benny Robertson,two of Australia's very talented and suc-cessful vocal artists, at the RobertsonBrothers Recording Studio.
The year was successfully topped offwith a third place finish at the Junior En-tertainers Awards at Penrith Panthers, asecond Place for Cabramatta Idol and firstwith a three-song set at Petersham RSLClub.
18 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
Maltese-Australian 15-year-oldgirl sings her way to the top
Animal loverKayla Jo Piscopo
Kayla Jo Piscopo performing at theEisteddfod Junior Singer of the Year
Dan l-a˙˙ar, il-poeta Malti, Dr Adrian Grima, ©ie mistieden jaqra l-poeΩiji tieg˙u f’Federation Square, Melbourne, ˙dejn il-bini tal-
SBS, waqt sessjoni o˙ra mag˙rufa b˙ala Poetry@fedsquare li ssir kulltielet Sibt tax-xahar. Din id-darba l-attivita` saret fl-Atrium, jew a˙jar il-post li ˙afna jafuh
b˙ala l-Bubble. Din l-inizjattiva ilha g˙addejja mill-2006 u llum tit-mexxa mill-poeta Grieg Dimitris Troaditis.
Fil-qari tieg˙u ta' ftit aktar minn nofs sieg˙a, Adrian Grima qaraxog˙lijiet tieg˙u bil-Malti u traduzzjonijiet g˙all-IngliΩ, fosthom mill-a˙˙ar ktieb tieg˙u li ˙are© f'Derry l-Irlandata' Fuq, fl-2013, bl-isem ta' Xufftejk Spje-gati / Deciphered Lips.
Adrian tant intlaqa’ tajjeb li wara li kienhemm waqfien ta’ nofs sieg˙a, re©a’ ©iemistieden biex jaqra aktar poeΩiji minntieg˙u. Huwa kien akkumpanjat minnNick Tsiavos fuq il-kuntrabaxx. Kien interessanti wie˙ed jilma˙ fost dawk
preΩenti g˙add kbir ta’ membri tal-GruppLetteratura Maltija tal-Victoria. Min at-tenda seta’ wkoll jiltaqa’ g˙al darb’o˙ramal-familja ta’ Adrian, martu Natalie,uliedu Samuel u Raphael, u ommu,Doreen.
- Paul Vella
Community NewsCommunity News
The Maltese Language Schoolof NSW invites applications for
Maltese language classes atthe Alfred Fenech Maltese Re-
source 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 contactMary Pace-Feraud on 9601 2189
or email:[email protected]
THE MALTESE CULTURAL ASSOCIA-
TION OF NSW INCYoung Talent in Concert at Wenty Leagues Club
Sunday November 23 at 2.00 pm - Featuring the very talented
(All performers are Australian Maltese)
Tickets $15 Adults; Children under/15 $10.
For bookings contact:
Jim Borg 9636 7767 / 0418825591
Natasha Vella & James Cassar
Ikun hemm wkoll
Kummiedja mic-Cittadini Sydney show on Sunday October 26 at 2.00 pm
at Wentworthville Leagues Club
Contact: Monica 9896 0712 or 0414 859386; Doris 9636 2295
Book early
. .
iIc-Cittadini presents direct from Malta
Eleanor Cassar together with
Joe Galea
FIERA TAL-FNIEK
‘Fiera Maltija’
Il-Óadd 19 ta’ Ottubrufil-Good Shepherd Hall
130-136 Hyatts Road, Plumptonmis-1.30 p.m.
Divertiment, Kant u daqq
mill-popolari Joe Xuereb u Tony Fenech
Nibdew bil-Wirja tal-karozzi mid-9.00 a.m. san-12.20 p.m.
G˙all-Fiera se jkollna:Fniek, inbid, whisky, birra u affari-
jiet o˙ra b˙al hams u fruit trays
Mill-Kçina ssibu ikel Maltib˙al ˙obΩ biΩ-Ωejt, pastizzi, biskut-
tini, ˙obΩ bil-bigilla, ikel u xorb
D˙ul u parking b’xejnG˙al aktar tag˙rif çemplu lilBill Schembri: 0416 261 415
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 19
The Maltese Language School of NSW
Adrian Grima jaqra poeΩijitieg˙u f’Federation Square
Dr AdrianGrima (xellug)jaqra l-poeΩijiakkumpanjatmid-daqq tal-kuntrabaxx ta’Nick Tsiavos
20 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
Community NewsCommunity News
Meetings of Day CareMaltese Groups in NSW
Fairfield Active Maltese Seniors
Meets on the first Tuesday of the Monthfrom10:00am to 12 noon. The group meets in the Parish Hall, cnr
of Stella Street & The Boulevard, Fair-field Heights.
Daceyville Maltese SeniorsMeets on the last Wednesday of the
month in the Meeting Room One, No. 3General Bridges Crescent, Daceyville.Note: The Groups also arrange regular Bus TripsCome and join us and make new friends..
Thursday: 12:00-13:00 SBS Radio 3Friday: 12:00-13:00 97.7fm SBS Radio 2Saturday: 14:00-15:00: 97.7fm SBS Radio 2To tune into digital radio you need re-
ceiver or device with a DAB+ chip.Tuning in is by station name not fre-
quency. Digital radio can also be heardon digital TV. SBS Radio 2 is on Chan-nel 38 and SBS.Radio 3 is on Channel 39. Analogue is
the present FMwavelength. Digitalradio can also be accessed by a smartphone and/or by going online at HY-PERLINK:http://www.sbs.com.au, www.sbs.com.au
Tune In to Radioand Television
Maltese Programmes on TV and Web
The GDAY MALTAUSSIE SHOW on TVS is broadcast in Sydney.Every Saturday at 2pm; Repeats on Mondays 5 pm and Tues-days 7.30 amWatch direct via HYPERLINK:http://ww.tvs.org.au; http://ww.tvs.org.au
On SBS Radio - Day Time Analogue DigitalTuesday: 12:00-13:00 SBS Radio 3
Maltese Radio ProgrammesIn MELBOURNE, on 3ZZZ 92.3FM or onwww.3zzz.com.au. Mondays 5pm, Fridays5pm, Saturdays 10am.; Last Wednesdayeach month at 1pm.
In MELBOURNE on 98.9 North West FM,each Friday 6.00 - 7.00p.m. Presenter Em-manuel Brincat.
In SYDNEY, listen to the MCC radio pro-gramme Sunday at 11am 2GLF FM 89.3, oron demand: www.893fm.com.au
In BRISBANE listen to the Maltese Pro-gram on 4EB on Tuesdays 6.00 -8.15am;Sundays 4.15pm to 5.15pm
UNCLE SAM DJ (Maltese Radio) tune into link: www.unclesamdj.com
The PBS MALTESE NEWS L-A˙barijiet on SBS TV twice a week nationwide Sunday at8.00 am on SBS2 (Chan. 32); Thursdays at 8.05 am on SBS2
*(All Groups are Sponsored by The Maltese Community Council of NSW). Please con-tact the MCC Welfare Officer: Marisa Previtera JP on 0414 863 123. The MCC officesare at 59b Franklin Street Mays Hill NSW (next to West Parramatta Primary School)
Merrylands Social Maltese SeniorsMeets every second Friday of the
month; Miller Room, Memorial AvenueMerrylands from 10.30am to 12.30 am
Llandillo Maltese SeniorsMeets on the first Wednesday of the
month at the Llandilo Community Hall,Seventh Avenue, from 11am to 1pm.
Greystanes Maltese SeniorsMeets on the second Monday of the
month n the George Preca Centre of
OLQP Church, 198 Old Prospect Road,Greystanes from 10 am to 12 noon
The Sutherland & St GeorgeMaltese Group
Ongoing: We meet every First Wednesdayof the Month from 10:00am-1:00pm
Our Meetings/Get Togethers are inter-esting, informative & entertaining. Come Join us and make new Friends
For more information contact our Coor-dinator: Charles Mifsud J.P.Phone (02)9501 5525 – mobile 0421 662 298
VIVA MALTAVIVA MALTA on Central Coast
Radio: August: September Thursday11th and 25th from 6 pm -7 pm on
COAST FM 96.3 Community Radio inGosford NSW
Presenter: Nathalie Gatt. Web streaming is also available on:
www.coastfm.org.au.
G˙ana fil-La Valette Centre
Il-La Valette Social Centre se jorganizza lejla ta’ Ghanafiç-çentru fis-26 ta’ Ottubruli ©ej minn Saver u s˙abu. Il-˙in ikun fit-8.00 pm u d-
d˙ul se jkun bla ˙las. Kul˙add huwa mistieden
biex jattendi.
Maltese Guild of SA Inc.Maltese Cultural Centre 6, Jeanes St.
Beverley SA 5009 Maltese Guild of South Australia Incwould like to announce that their
Annual General Meeting 2014 is to beheld on Sunday, Sept 21 at 2.00pm.
(Members are reminded to attend this important meeting)
Sausage Sizzler from 12 Noon, Tea and Coffee will be available.
President: Joe BriffaEmail: [email protected]: www.malteseguild.webs.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/joe.briffa.7
Celebrates mass at St Francis of Assisi Chapel, Blacktown
Mass for the Elderly who meet weekly for respite at La Valette Social Centre
Mass at St John The Evangelist – Riverstone
Celebrates Vigil Mass at St Francis of Assisi Blacktown
Guest of Honour ay Annual tal-Vitorja Dinner Dance, Balmoral FunctionCentre, 49 Balmoral Str, Blacktown
Celebrates Mass at St Francis of Assisi BlacktownConcelebrates @ Horsley Park Festa – Our Lady of Victories
Outing to Blue Mountains & Jeenolan Caves. Bus will be organised
Celebrates Mass at St Francis of Assisi Blacktown
Celebrates Mass for the Elderly who meet weekly for respite at LVSC
Celebrates Thanksgiving Mass at St John The Evangelist Riverstone
Celebrates mass at Holy Family Parish, Luddenham
Concelebrates at Our Lady Queen of Peace Church - Festa Greystanes
Wed. Sept 17
Thu. Sept 18
Fri. Sept 19
Sat. Sept 20
Sun. Sept 21
Tue. Sept 23
Wed. Sept 24
Thur. Sept 25
Fri. Sept 26
Sat. Sept 27
Sun. Sept 28
6:30pm
10.15am
7.30 pm
4.45/6.15pm
7:15 pm
7.00 am5.00 pm
7:00am
6.30 pm
10.15 am
7.30 p.m.
6.00 p.m.
4.00 pm
Contacts: Ray/Josephine Bigeni: 9627 4182 or 0439 974 182 M'Anne Teuma: 9627 4641 Sept 17-28 programme in next issue
Xaghra Assoc of NSW Inc - Fr Joseph Curmi’s NSW Programme Sept 5-16
Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 21
FRIENDS OF PROVIDENCE HOUSE NSW(Formed in November 2011)
Founder /Coordinator: Jim BorgStructure: Secretary: Marisa Previtera;
Treasurer: Rita KassasOfficial Bank Account: Commonwealth Bank of Australia:
BSB: 062 416 A/C 10199448Aim of Association: Raising funds for Id-Dar tal-Providenza, Malta
Money raised so far: 2012/2013 - $ 2,500 and 2013/2014 -$35,000.
Method of fund raising: Functions, tours, donations, raffles, sponsors.Percentage of funds raised donated to Id-Dar tal-Providenza, Malta – 100%Future fund raising: Donations direct to the official bank account,
sponsorships, tours, functions and raffles.The Friends of Providence House NSW is the official
Ambassador of Id-Dar tal-Providenza, Malta in AustraliaContact details: Jim Borg, Co-ordinatorPhone: (02) 9636 7767 (Mb) 0418 825 591
Email: [email protected]
Proudly supported by:
Community NewsCommunity News
Notice to Former members of ...
Malta Society of New Zealand We now have a Facebook page that we invite you to
join. It is: Mainly-Maltese-in-Auckland.We can be found online at:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mainly-Maltese-in-Auckland/ 396193070527203?ref=hl.
It is open to all have an interest in the Maltese culture.
Computer Class for the ElderlyThe Maltese Community Council of NSW
is conducting a computer class at the
Maltese Resource Centre59b Franklin Street, Mays Hill 2145 NSW
every Friday between 10.00 a.m. and 12.00
For more information contact Emanuel Camilleri: 0409 744 376
Follow The Voice ofthe Maltese online
magazine every fortnight.
Now we also have ourour facebook page.
So join us. Go to:https://www.face-
book.com/groups/thevoiceofthemaltese
Organisations that have Community Ac-tivities for publication in The Voice, areadvised to stick to the magazine’s dead-line and latest policy regarding advertis-ing, and submit material at least a weekprior to publication.
Please Note:
THE MALTESE GUILD OF
SOUTH AUSTRALIA INC.
January 26th Monday Australia Day Luncheon February 8th Sunday Bus Trip AWAY”February 17th Tuesday Ashes Mass at Maltese Cultural Centre February 28th Saturday Maltese Cultural Centre 38th Anniversary
Dinner DanceMarch 9th Monday Adelaide Cup Luncheon April 6st Monday Easter Monday Luncheon June 8th Monday Queens Birthday Luncheon July 19th Sunday Bus Trip August 11th Tuesday Celebrating Mass St. Mary August 16th Sunday Feast of St. Mary September 12th Saturday Malta National Day Dinner Dance September 15th Tuesday Festa Tad-Duluri Mass September 27th Sunday Annual General Meeting October 5th Monday Labour Day Luncheon November 3rd Tuesday Melbourne Cup Luncheon November 13, 14, 15 &16th Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon 4 Days Bus Trip, Place of Tour (To Be Notified)November 17th Tuesday Mass for the Diseased Members December 19th Saturday Members Xmas Party December 31st Thursday New Year’s Eve Dinner Dance
Please Note! The Maltese Cultural Centre will open every Tuesday From10am till 3pm of every week, starting on January 13 to December 19, 2015Date of Events are subject to be altered if needed to be changed.
MondaySundayTuesdaySaturday
MondayMondayMondaySundayTuesdaySundaySaturdayTuesdaySundayMondayTuesdayFri, Sat, Sun, MonTuesdaySaturdayThursday
Australia Day LuncheonBus Trip AWAY”Ashes Mass at Maltese Cultural Centre Maltese Cultural Centre 38th Anniver-sary Dinner DanceAdelaide Cup Luncheon Easter Monday Luncheon Queens Birthday Luncheon Bus Trip Celebrating Mass St. MaryFeast of St. MaryMalta National Day Dinner DanceFesta Tad-Duluri Mass Annual General Meeting Labour Day Luncheon Melbourne Cup Luncheon 4 Days Bus Trip, Place of Tour (To Be Notified)Mass for the Diseased MembersMembers Xmas PartyNew Year’s Eve Dinner Dance
Maltese Cultural Centre 6, Jeanes Street Beverley S A 5009
Phone Tuesday’s only: 8243 0868. AH: 8254 6988/0421 791 327
Email: [email protected]: www.malteseguild.webs.com
Socials, Meals, Multicultural Events, Bus Trip ExcursionsFor the Aged are partly supported by Functions Calendar for the year of 2015.
Supported by
22 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
Division of the Maltese Community Council of NSW Inc. PO Box5332, Greystanes LPO, NSW 2145
Classes are held at:
HORSLEY PARK
Horsley Park Public School
1759 The Horsley Drive, Horsely Park
SEVEN HILLS
The Meadows Public Sch.
Fuller Street, Seven Hills
SCHOFIELDS - Terra Sancta College. Hambeldon Rd, SchofieldsFor more information and all enquiries
call Mary Pace Feroud on (02)9601 2189
Learn Maltese!Learn the Maltese language, the culture, lifestyle, cuisine,
traditions and about the amazing history of this magnificentMediterranean island.
Our trained and experienced teachers are qualified in language teaching and have Maltese study credentials.
Classes available for students from 6 yrs to adults at all levelsof ability in the Maltese language.
Maltese Elderly Thanksgiving Day21st Anniversary Luncheon
on Wednesday October 8
Venue: St Stephen Serbian OrthodoxChurch Hall Corner of Woodstock Ave
& Hyatts Rd Plumpton Between 9:00am - Finish 3:00pm
Starting with morning tea, followed by MassAspecial lunch and dessert will be served
live entertainment provided by well-known Maltese entertainers
Cost: Frail person(s) free ;Carer $25; Senior $45 Call one of the committee below to reserve your seat. Doris Pocock 0419 420 915; Lina Magro 9629 4046
Our Elderly are forever grateful for this very special day
Caring for our Maltese Elderly
. .Friends of Birzebbugaare organising a get-together on November 15, at
6.30 p.m. at Merrylands RSLMilitary Road Merrylands NSW with buffet and entertainment
For tickets contact: Emanuel Camilleri: 029822 0228. Mob: 0409 744 376
Come along. It will be a fun night
The Voice of the Maltese online can be accessed anytime by logging to:
http://www.maltesewelfare.com.auand clicking on: The Voice sign.
ST HELENA MALTESE-AUSTRALIAN S.C. INC.
Remaining activities for 2014SEPTEMBER:Saturday 20B Y O Get-together at the Maltese Centre in ParkvilleOCTOBER: Saturday 18Concert: Direct from Malta: Eleanor Cassar.The Cittadini will also perform a sketch. DJ in atten-dance: TonySaturday 25Get-together at Maltese Centre in ParkvilleNOVEMBER: Saturday 15BYP Get-together at Errington Hall, St AlbansDJ : starlight Johnny; 2 DOOR prizes of $50 eachDECEMBER: Saturday 20Christmas function at Melrose Tullamarine with DJ Do-minic in attendanceWe also do weekend trips to Tocumwal & Barham 2014For more information one should phone Victor Bartolo:
93798387 - Mobile: 0412 991 325; Joe Borg: 93044414& Joe Busuttil: 93118968; Mary Abdilla: 93705164 &Mary Bartolo, Mobile: 0417 549 724
G˙alkemm il-PBS ta’ Malta tfornilill-SBS fl-Awstralja bis-servizztag˙ha, il-qarrejja huma m˙e©©abiex meta u x’˙in iridu jid˙lu fil-website www.tvm.com.mt minnfejn ikunu jistg˙u jsegwu l-a˙bar-ijiet ta’ Malta. Din il-website tkuna©©ornata l-˙in kollu bi stejjer lijkunu qed ise˙˙u.Mhux hekk biss, imma dawk lij˙obbu jsegwu dak li jkun g˙ad-dej, kull filg˙odu in ta' Malta fuqil-website jittellg˙u l-a˙barijiettal-jum ta' qabel.
L-a˙barijiet tal-PBS (Malta)ST HELENA MALTESE/AUSTRALIAN S.C.INCPRESENTS a GET TOGETHER CONCERT
DIRECT FROM MALTA: ELEANOR CASSAR
Also CITTADINI FROM SYDNEYDATE: SATURDAY 18TH OCTOBER; VENUE: ERRINGTON HALL, ST ALBANS
TIME: 6.00 PM TILL 11.30PM. MUSIC provided by D J TONY COST: $20 PER PERSON
B Y O - Food and drinks can be bought at the Hall at very reasonable prices.Also
Come and see ELEANOR CASSAR and the sensational RENATOOn Sunday, October 19 in Concert at: MELROSE RECEPTIONS, TULLAMARINE
(Includes two-course meal for only $45)
For BOOKINGS phone VICTOR on 0412 99 13 25 or JOE BUSUTTIL: 9311 89 68
Community NewsCommunity NewsOrganisations wishing to publish notices or news intended for the Maltese com-munity in Australia in The Voice of the Maltese online magazine, are advised tostick to the magazine’s deadline and submit material at least a week prior topublication. Also please try to be brief so we could accommodate most requests
Community activitiesfor ‘publication’
Malta kicked off its EURO 2016 GroupH qualifiers in Zagreb by losing to two
second half goals to Croatia at the StadionMaksimir. Despite dominating both posses-sion and territory the hosts were strugglingto craft the chances against a side that wasdown to 10 men after half an hour whenSteve Borg was red carded after stupidly re-
taliating to a Mario Mandžukic foul.Malta coach Ghedin then tried to
strengthen the defence by pulling outMifsud to replace him with another de-fender, Steve Bezzina. The move paid offas despite the Croats’ incessant attacksMalta kept a clean scoresheet for thewhole of the first half.It was a completely different story after
the restart, as from the first attack, in lessthan a minute Croatia’s initiative paid offwhen Luka Modric celebrated his 29thbirthday by scoring with a low shot fromoutside the penalty area. Andrej Kramaric secured the points with
the second goal on 81 minutes. Maltahad prepared for the clash with a friendlyfive days earlier against Slovakia and lostto an Adam Nemec 43rd minute goal.
Under 21s pointless
Meanwhile, Malta’s Under 21 sideended its commitments in the UEFA
U/21 championship pointless after losing0-3 to Turkey at the National Stadium.
Spor tsSpor ts 11Tuesday September 16, 2014 The Voice of the Maltese 23
Modrić paves way for Croatiawin over a 10-man Malta side
Andrej Kramaric (right) celebrates scoringthe second goalwith Nikica Jelavic
Hard work and training key to her success 10-year-old BMXer Taya Pace 7th in world
A10-year-old Maltese-Australianjunior BMX rider, Taya Pace
(left), was recently featured in Camp-belltown’s Macarthur Chronicle news-paper for her amazing achievements inthe sport. She is not only the current 10year girls’ Australian champion andreigning NSW champion, but recentlyalso competed in the 7th World Cham-pionships in The Netherlands whereshe finished a seventh, indeed a re-spectable position and a great feat.Thanks to her success, the Campbell-
town girl, who following her successin Rotterdam is now ranked seventh inthe world, was recently named asMacarthur Chronicle’s rebel JuniorSports Star nominee this week.
Titling the report under ‘TalentedBMXer is fearless and full of ambitionfor her sport,’ the Chronicle wrote:The Ruse racer has high ambitions inthe sport after watching her two broth-ers give it a crack.She said she does not only like to win
the two state titles again in October,but would also like to improve on herworld number seven ranking.
Taya is also eagerly looking forwardto the Olympics and next year wants tomake the Mighty 11s Test team to goto New Zealand.
Taya was quoted saying she doesn’tlet the danger of the sport bother hereither. “My worst injury so far is a bro-ken collar bone,” she said.
Commenting on how she has man-aged to reach this far, she said that hardwork and training was the key to hersuccess but she also loved the socialaspect of the sport.
“I just love it. We go away a lot andthere are always lots of friends around.I’ve gone to New Zealand and TheNetherlands to race, which was fun.”
Victoria I Division: Sept. 20: Sunshine GC vKingstone Sept. 28: Bendigo v Sunshine GC
Forthcoming matches
Northcote C v Green GullyGreen Gully v Pascoe V
VICTORIA: Division ISunshine GC v SpringvaleBulleen v Sunshine GC
0-12-3
3-2
National Premier LeagueFootball results from Victoria
Day 4 Hibernians VallettaJP Da Silva, L. Dos Santos (H); R.Kooh Sona (V)Balzan v Birkirkara O. Guerrero JP Misud Triganza2 (Bz); E. Morais 2 (Bk)
Mosta v Naxxar L.D.M. Bueno (M); Terence Vella (N)
Sliema W. QormiFloriana v PietaM. Piciollo 2, A. Samb (F); R. Xavier (P)
Tarxien v Ûebbu© W. Silva, A. Rodriqus, T. Caruana (T)); C. Monti 2, M.
Britto (Z)
2-1
3-2
1-1
0-03-1
3-3
Malta Premier League Results Hibernians won the top match against Valletta 2-1 to top the league standings with maximumpoints; Balzan registered a surprise win by 3-2over Birkirkara to share second place with Mosta.
(played Monday)
Spor tsSpor ts 2224 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday September 16, 2014
Franco Consentino who has won theCoach of the Year award, only tookcontrol as the head coach of Parra-
matta FC this season in the Supa IGA NPLMens’ 2. What an initiation! His team wonthe Premiership by a clear seven points andan epic 17-game unbeaten streak as well asthe Club Championship. We shall have towait a few more weeks to see if he can alsobring home the Championship.
Franco came from Marconi and for twoseasons he was assistant to Lee Sterry. AtParramatta he found a good crop of youngplayers but had to strengthen the squadwith experience players like Patrick Gattand Matthew Clows.
“As the head coach, I have built aroundthese players but the youngsters showedhunger and eagerness right through. Re-sults speak for themselves,” Franco toldThe Voice of the Maltese’.Football NSW should not have any diffi-
culties in accepting Parramatta FC backinto the Premier Division One.“We, as Parramatta Melita Eagles are one
of the founders of the federation in thisstate, a club reeked with history and tradi-tion, and they should find no issues withour application for promotion. We have
won it, it is our right”.As for next season the head coach intends
to keep his core of youngsters but will beseeking some others with Premier Leagueexperience. “We are not afraid of the chal-lenge, we will be more than competitive.”
You cannot be successful unless thecoach and his staff have the full support ofthe club and this was forthcoming at everylevel. Franco Concertino insisted to thankhis assistant Paul Cassey, Stephen andGeorge Ellul, and the club supporters.SUPA IGA National Premier League NSW
Mens’ 1 is the top tier league of men’s foot-ball in NSW. The Mens’ 2 competition con-sists of 12 teams competing in a round-robinstructure. Each side plays each other twice;upon completion a Premier is crowned.
By the end of the season the top five com-pete in the Championship Series that consistsof six games, whereby the five teams com-peting are whittled down to just two. The teams are seeded upon their entry into
the Championship Series according to theirfinal position on the ladder. The final twoteams compete in the Grand Final, where a
National Premier League NSW Mens’ 2Champion is decided.
Meanwhile, Parramatta have also wonthe Fair Play Award, whil Luke TurnbullWas named Goalkeeper of the Year andDamien Smith the best in the U/21
‘We will be more than competitive’Parramatta FC head coach says
Parramatta FC are through to the GrandFinal of the NSW Mens’ 2 and a second
meeting with Macarthur Rams on Septem-ber 21 at Blacktown’s Lily Football Centre.After losing their first semi againstMacarthur by 2-1, Parramatta completelyrecovered to beat Northern Tigers 2-0 inthe preliminary final on Sunday to standthe chance to win the Championship.Parramatta had disappointedly missed the
first chance to make it to the Grand Finalby losing 2-1 to Macarthur Rams. Theysorely missed their captain, Patrick Gattand in his absence they had to reshuffletheir defence. Patrick, who had to fly toFrance to be present for the birth of hisdaughter was back in the side on Sunday.
Parramatta FC Newly-promoted. Back row: Domenic Trimboli, George Strogylos, Blake Brooker, Suad Ameti, John Tsironis, Wondi Jajaw.Middle row: Stephen Ellul (manager), Cossie (coach), Mat Clowes, Daniel Gullo, Frank Martey, Joshua Symons, Jess Casey, Shayne Ardle, PaulCasey (ass. Coach), George Ellul (ass. Manager). Front row: Andre Schroeder, Lord Darkoh, Justin Biega, Robert Tribbia, Luke Turnbull, DanielRezo and Joshua Jung. Inset team captain Patrick Gatt who was unavoidably absent when the photo was taken.
Parramatta Through to Final