The Gibraltar Magazine, April 2010 by Rock Publishing Ltd

dining guide • business & finance • sport & leisure • property • history • community

ibraltar magazine the

April 2010 Vol. 15 No. 06 FREE

Exploring Wealth Calling All Young People

Could it be Magic? Gibraltar & the Space Race Taking Part in Ambrose’s Art ...and much more

Overview Easy access. Effortless overview. A high degree of security. Any time and anywhere. Through the Netbank you have access to your money, your documents and your investments at all times. In JBPB Netbank you have all the information you need to manage your day-to-day financial affairs and your investments.

All it takes is internet access – wherever you are. This is as flexible as it gets. Read more at jyskebank.gi/netbanking – or contact an adviser.

JYSKE BANK (GIBRALTAR) LTD. • Private Banking 76, Main Street • P.O. Box 143 • Gibraltar Tel. +350 606 33322 • Fax +350 200 76782 info@jyskebank.gi • www.jyskebank.gi

Jyske Bank (Gibraltar) Ltd. is licensed by the Financial Services Commission, Licence No. FSC 001 00B. Services and products are not available to everybody, for instance not to residents of the US.

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features 14 16

Gibraltar’s Space Race €

26 32 36 42

The Flip Side of the Charity Coin

Joelle Baglietto: GSLY calling all young people Does Gibraltar Tick Your Boxes? Could it be Magic? Louis Ghio: a man of many facets

business & finance 8 9 20 22 24 28

Business & Finance Guide Collecting Stamps for Easter John Gonzalez: exploring wealth € Yacht Registration & Ownership Putting a Stop to Tax Evasion Going Underground

leisure & lifestyle 30 38 44 52 54 65 69

1 People, 1 Planet, 10 Songs Behind the Scenes with GADA € I Would Walk 900 Miles Gerard Teuma: just living on air Quest for the Perfect Gibraltar Gibraltar’s Zombies What’s on this month

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

46 48 49 50

46-51

Taking Part in Ambrose’s Art € Property Directory Wall Space: alternative portraits Cultural Influences

health & medical 58 60 62

58-63

Can you Handle the Booze? Claiming Immunity Health & Fitness Guide

food & drink

73-85

73 Wine Tasting at 55 74 Recipes 78 The Best at Verdi Verdi 80 Wine Column 81-84 Restaurant & Bar Guide 85 Events dining guide • business & finance • sport & leisure • property • history • community

what’s inside?

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gibraltar the

magazine April 2010 Vol. 15 No. 06 FREE

history & heritage 34 40 70

regulars 64 86

Could it be Magic? Gibraltar & the Space Race Taking Part in Ambrose’s Art

Puzzle Page Around Town

information 66-67 90

City Centre Map Gibraltar Information

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Exploring Wealth Calling All Young People

The Road to Ridicule Gibraltar Hulk & Titanic Bright Man & Gibraltar Cross

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Cover: Gibraltar’s birds - the European Bee-eater, a regular visitor in Spring

Vol. 15 No. 06 April 2010

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APrIL APRIL 2010

finance

by Ian le Breton

Collecting Stamps for Easter The doorbell rang at the Gibraltar home of the Rock family. Testily, Mr Rock went to answer the unwelcome call. As he approached the front door he could make out a strange figure standing outside. It was only a couple of months ago that Santa Claus had landed himself on the family. He had been spouting all sorts of rubbish about euros (he called them euro for some reason) and other nonsense. Surely he wasn’t back this early? Who had ever heard of Santa Claus in April anyway? Through the glass door, Mr Rock couldn’t help noticing something odd about the uninvited guest. He or she (or it?) appeared to be a little on the short side, with two rather odd shapes protruding from the head. And what was going on with those teeth? More than a little curious, Mr Rock opened the door. “What’s up Rock?” said the Easter Bunny in a pseudo American cartoon accent. He was quite proud of that one but Mr Rock failed to see the funny side. “What do you want Easter Bunny?” he said, worrying that he might be asked to put his hand in his pocket once again. The Easter Bunny started to explain. He said that the Rock family were going to be given gifts this Easter but that chocolate eggs were out. At this, Mr Rock called the rest of the family for a doorstep conference. Readers may recall meeting the family just before Christmas (The Gibraltar Magazine, December 2009). A right crowd they are too. “What’s this about no chocolate eggs?” grumbled No 2 son. “Easter is all about chocolate eggs — and a four day holiday”. The Easter Bunny explained that the problem with chocolate was that it was very expensive.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

It was made in Europe and all the ingredients were bought in euro. Then the completed eggs were shipped into Gibraltar and sold in pounds at the very low exchange rate. Plus, he added, the local dentists were up in arms and wanted Gibraltarians to stop eating so much chocolate because it did nothing for people’s teeth. The doctors agreed, saying that it makes you fat into the bargain. “Eat fruit instead” was their new

“

Stamps are an asset class. These could be valuable one day. Perhaps we should all consider taking up stamp collecting now interest rates are so low

”

mantra. Doctors conveniently forget that there is a lot of sugar in fruit too. So this year, it appeared that the Easter Bunny was giving away something different. He started to open his leather carrying pouch and pulled out a series of small packs — presentation packs as it turned out. Each one contained a different set of Gibraltar stamps. “There,” said the Easter Bunny. “Your Easter present this year: something colourful, interesting, and an investment for the future too. And better for you than chocolate eggs. Goodbye!” With that he was gone, hopping down the road leaving the rather bemused Rocks holding their Easter gifts. They all sat down and No 1 son spoke. “Stamps are an asset class father. These could be valuable one day. Perhaps we should all consider taking up stamp collecting now that interest rates are so low. It’s called philately you know.” Mr Rock senior wasn’t terribly impressed. As far as he could remember Phil Ately was a guy who worked at the dockyard. Or was it Customs? His No 1 son was always coming up with nonsense about money these days — ever

business & finance since he had started reading the finance column in The Gibraltar Magazine regularly. He stopped day dreaming and listened to what his son was saying. Apparently there had been an upsurge of interest in stamp collecting in recent years, he was saying. It was one of those pastimes that everyone seemed to do years ago but which had rather gone into decline in the 1980s. The advent of the computer game, and home entertainment of every variety, had somehow made sticking stamps into an album rather, well, passé. But times change and in many countries all over the world, investing in stamps and indeed other forms of postal history had become big business again. Certainly the over production of spurious stamp sets to commemorate seemingly meaningless anniversaries and events had “spoiled” the hobby for millions. But for many serious investors looking to diversify their holdings, a well chosen portfolio of quality philatelic material was not to be dismissed lightly. No 1 son carried on. He had the whole family interested by now. “How come you know so much about stamps?” said his mother, the indomitable Mrs Rock. “You’ve never saved stamps in your life.” “It’s called collecting stamps Mother, not saving,” No 1 son riposted. Of course Mrs Rock was getting herself in a muddle now as she had only ever bought Christmas savings stamps at Morrison’s. She started listening too. After a long discussion, the whole family decided that perhaps, after all, the Easter Bunny had been right. They vowed to start a stamp collection for the baby Rock due shortly. They agreed to start slowly by collecting Gibraltar stamps and build from there. They would encourage family members to contribute and build a really good collection for the little tot that one

day, who knows, might be worth good money. So are the Rocks wise? Are stamps a suitable thing to consider collecting? Glendon Martinez of the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau certainly thinks so. As he pointed out to me recently, stamps are easy to store, not difficult to send to collectors anywhere in the world and over the years can gain in value. In the philatelic world, there is something to suit everyone be they novice collectors just starting out or serious investors who consider stamps to be an asset class of their own. Brand new Gibraltar stamp sets cost just a couple of pounds but those famous Cape of Good Hope triangular treasures cost hundreds of thousands. And there is an almost limitless choice of everything in between. So in these days of low interest rates, wobbly share prices and shaky housing markets, investing in stamps can be another option. They are certainly worth a look but, as always, anyone doing so should do their own research and be-

Brand new Gibraltar stamp sets cost just a couple of pounds but those famous Cape of Good Hope triangular treasures cost hundreds of thousands

ware that the value of stamps (as with anything else) can fall as well as rise. As with art and similar assets such as wine, collecting stamps for serious investment purposes is not for everyone. For the vast majority of people, stamp collecting will be a hobby rather than an investment play. But even as a hobby, I encourage people to have a think about it. As a late 40-something-year-old, I discovered my childhood collection still intact a couple of years ago and was surprised how quickly I became interested once again. In my case my love of world geography started with the first stamps given to me when I was a kid. We are extremely lucky in Gibraltar to have attractive stamps issued every year. Bought as individual sets, or in the annual presentation packs, they make for excellent gifts – and wonderful ambassadors for Gibraltar. In fact Gibraltar stamps are exported to thousands of collectors in over 80 countries worldwide. Chat to Glendon Martinez or pop into the Post Office’s philatelic shop in Main Street (it’s on your right as you go in). You may surprise yourself. And, to please the local dentists, remember that stamps are better for you than chocolate. Happy collecting — and from me, the Rocks and the Bunny have a good Easter!

Pensions & benefits take first step towards computerisation The first of this month sees the introduction of the modernised pensions and benefits administration system, making it more user friendly and less bureaucratic. The cumbersome order books that have been traditionally been used to receive payment are no longer in use and beneficiaries are being issued with a personal cash account card which enables the department to access individual account details more efficiently on presentation and proof of identity. Those using the new system will be able to withdraw from their personal cash account from the offices at the Department of Social Security and in the North and South District Post Offices. The system means users will simply sign a withdrawal slip issued by the cashier and they will be issued a copy. The system provides periodic statements of account which include full details of ben-

efits paid into an individual account, cash withdrawn and any balance remaining in credit as well as giving advanced notification of any increases to benefit payments. The system aims to improve the way benefits are received in Gibraltar and paves the way for a fully computerised system to come into operation in the future. Personal Cash Account Cards have been available for collection from the Department of Social Security at 14 Governor’s Parade since Wednesday 24th March 2010. n Further information, including a leaflet explaining these changes, may be obtained from the Department of Social Security, telephone 20075716 and on the Government website at www.gibraltar.gov.gi

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

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updates

Agile Marine expands services to Marine Industry Agile Marine now provides an independent compass adjusting service for vessels calling into Gibraltar, awaiting orders or transiting the Strait. In this age of sophisticated electronic navigation systems, including GPS, vessels still rely on their magnetic compass as a trustworthy source of vessel navigation. Many ships are required to check, adjust and receive a Compass deviation card on an annual basis. Agile is working closely with the local Shipping Agents to provide this required service to their customers. Agile has now begun providing local representation for shipowners and their officers and crews to obtain a Gibraltar Certificate of Endorsement (COE). Vessels flying the Gibraltar flag require COE’s for personnel sailing aboard these vessels. Agile, which is located in Gibraltar, is perfectly positioned to assist shipowners and crews seeking this required certification. You can learn more about Agile

Marine, and all of their services by visiting their website at www.agilemarine.com. n

SRG Announces Ambitious Expansion Plans Select Consulting launched its new Gibraltar-based division, Select Recruitment (Gibraltar) or SRG, last year to offer specialist recruitment solutions to the Online Gaming, IT, Accounting, Finance and Legal sectors. In the intervening period SRG has gone from strength to strength, building a large portfolio of clients within Gibraltar and other jurisdictions including Malta, UK, Dublin and the Isle of Man and an extensive network of highly qualified job seekers. Angelique Pearson, SRG’s dynamic Managing Director, is pleased with progress to date which has seen SRG move into new, larger offices in the heart of Gibraltar’s Online Gaming community. The company has also doubled the size of their highlyrated team of industry experienced consultants, and signed preferred supplier agreements with many leading European Online Gaming

companies. It has also expanded into new Online Gaming territories across Europe. Moving forwards, Angelique believes there is still much to achieve. Operating to a steady yet ambitious growth plan her short-term objectives include continued growth of SRG’s dedicated Executive Search & Selection Service; developing SRG’s new office in Malta; and major back office software systems upgrade to

The company has doubled the size of their highlyrated team of industry experienced consultants, and signed preferred supplier agreements with many leading Online Gaming companies 12

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

updates Angelique Pearson, SRG’s dynamic Managing Director

facilitate next generation interactive website, scheduled Spring 2010. The company also plans to further develop SRG’s end-to-end staffing solutions for the European Online Gaming industry For more information on the spe-

cialist recruitment services SRG can offer, please request an e-brochure from info@srgibraltar.com. Alternatively, if you are a jobseeker and would like to view the live vacancy list or register online, please visit www.srgibraltar.com n

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retailers, traders, NGOs and agencies with a green message to participate in its Environment Trade Fair on Saturday 5th June 2010 at Casemates Square. For more information on how you can participate please call 200 50294.

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Arianespace satellite launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Gibraltar has been involved in the launch of three satellites so far by owners who are licensed through the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority.

Gibraltar’s

space race Terminology like ‘The Outer Space Act’ or ‘Teleport Facility Licence’ appears to be more in line with a Star Trek film than reality. Furthermore, to find these terms are not only applicable in Gibraltar, but actually in use on a daily basis by a small selection of the Gibraltar population, might surprise you. But, believe it or not, it is true and Peter Hyde, who heads the Satellite Division of the GRA shed some light on Gibraltar’s role in the race for space.

The Gibraltar Government first started promoting the Rock for licensing of satellites back in 1995 after recognising the potential of reducing the red tape and massive costs incurred by applying through, say, America for example. But it’s not as simple as just signing on the dotted line, paying a couple of hundred thousand pounds for your satellite and shooting it 36,000 kilometers into space. There’s actually a massive responsibility placed on countries which wish to be involved in this fast moving and extremely expensive business. Peter Hyde has been involved in Gibraltar’s participation in the space industry since 1996, and with a degree in Communications Engineering (his thesis was actually based on developing filters for Satellite Communications) he’s possibly one of the most qualified people we could have talked to on the Rock to understand exactly what is going on. “The launching of satellites, or any other bodies into space, is the responsibility of the country

rather than a company or individual decision,” Peter enlightened us. “And the UK extended the Outer Space Act to Gibraltar in 1996. From there, the work is the responsibility of my department at the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. “What this means in practice is that companies who wish to use the benefits that Gibraltar offers in terms of speed, less red-tape and, to a large degree, costs will also find themselves

“

We’ve successfully launched two satellites for S.E.S., probably the second larges satellite company in the world

”

working with the UK Administration.” Although the process from registering to launching a satellite takes around seven years in total, there’s so much to coordinate, that it really is a race against time to meet the deadlines. “We have to look at each project individually,” explained Peter, “and at present I have over 30 applications on my desk which are all at different stages. SES, probably the second largest satellite company in the world with 41 satellites in orbit at present, has successfully launched three satellites into orbital locations registered through Gibraltar. “Our job here is to liaise and regulate each project, in particular to make sure there is going to be no interference with signals from other satellites and to gain permission from each country which will be affected. “All countries have to comply with the rules and regulations set out by the International Telecommunication Union, and periodic meetings are arranged with countries such as Russia and

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

technology the USA. However, satellite operators are now targeting areas of expected high growth such as Asia and the Middle East, but coordinating with these countries can be more challenging. If they say ‘no’ at the end of the day, it’s back to the drawing board to work out a new satellite position or to change the signal’s footprint so it doesn’t affect any region which either doesn’t want it or where it may cause interference.” Depending on the type of service to be provided there is seven to eight years in which to coordinate each application and the last three years during which the satellite is being built are the most hectic. “If you think of the amount of new technology which goes in to a satellite, the three year period is quite a challenge to meet,” he enthused. “And over that period, the satellite’s footprint or the technology can change and so design changes are constantly being made during the construction. Once in space there’s no provisions for repair either, so they will have several back-up systems in place, as well as enough fuel to give them a life span of around 15 years.” But is there a demand for satellites? Peter thinks so. “Rather than a growing industry, I’d rather say it is quite volatile. With the digital era and high definition TV, there’s a big demand for the latest technology to be up there. Many of the existing communications satellites just don’t have the technology on board, so there is a present need for more satellites to cover broadcasting areas. “In fact, in the USA it is a legal requirement that if you broadcast a number of channels in high definition, you are obliged to provide exactly the same service right across the country. Because of the size, and not forgetting that Hawaii and Alaska come under this law, several satellites are needed to cover the obligation. “An example of another side to the business is merging of satellite companies or the taking over of satellites from companies which have gone bankrupt. SES have just recently acquired a satellite through an auction process and it is on track to become the fourth satellite registered through Gibraltar. “The difference in registering under these circumstances are minimal from our perspective, apart from that the satellite is already launched. The company which owns the satellite will want to move it to a new ‘slot’ or position in space and we still need to go through the processes of checking for frequency interference depending on the use the satellite will have and liaising with all the countries affected.”

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

Peter Hyde, who heads the Satellite Division of the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority

While Peter had now shed light on the Outer Space Act and its implementation locally, we were still intrigued by the Teleport Facility Licence advertised on the GRA website. “It does sound like science fiction,” Peter laughed, “but it’s actually quite simple. At present we have issued two licences here in Gibraltar both to SES who control one of their satellites directly through an 11 meter dish near Lathbury Barracks. All this licence means is that they have permission to send information to and receive information from this satellite using the set of frequencies agreed in the licence to communicate with and to control the satellite. “All satellites will require to be periodically

“

With the digital era and high definition TV, there’s a big demand for the latest technology to be up there

”

re-orientated slightly to keep them on the geostationary orbit. There is also the need to be able to switch signals on and off if they do start to interfere with a signal from another satellite. “Having said that, in all these years I’ve never had a complaint of interference, and that’s what the painstaking seven years preparation work for each satellite is all about, to make sure it doesn’t.” With the UK actively involved in finding its niche in the space race coupled with the competitive registration service offered through Gibraltar, it looks like a business with a future. “Well, SES now have a solid base on the Rock and actually control around eight different satellites through their local control centre,” Peter explained. “They are one of the largest companies in the industry and although they have bases all over the world, it does look like they are here to stay. “Apart from that we have plenty of applications in process, and although some of them may not materialise for various reasons, I think it is safe to say that this could be an expanding business for Gibraltar and adds to our prestige internationally in a way which is both exciting and interesting.” n

Joelle Baglietto:

Calling All Young People Chaired by 23-year old Joelle Baglietto, the GSLY has ambitious plans to make young opinions count and to tailor modern Gibraltar to a fast-evolving society.

With an adroit move bound to refresh its membership, the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party has recently re-launched its Youth chapter as the freestanding association for 15 to 30-year olds, voicing the next generation’s concerns with a bearing on internal party policies. You may remember Joelle from her European Union adventure, when she went to Strasbourg and Brussels as part of the active citizen programme organised by the Youth Service, to question top MEP’s about issues affecting the European youth, and the follow-up Rock Solid conference at the Retreat Centre attended by delegates from all over the UK exchanging ideas about their local communities. She has come a long way since the days she volunteered for that mission she had to prepare for by overcoming stage fright when required to speak in public, and mastering her... table manners, as she was expected to dine with the top brass! Now she is an all-around young lady able to enthuse the masses at

the GSLY monthly meetings with her passionate speeches and to put across the most cutting-edge proposal with poise and determination. Socialist at heart (“I believe middle classes are the engine of any economy,” she says), involved since her early teens with the Plater Youth Club, and about to graduate in Politics, soft-spoken go-getter Joelle grew up in the Moorish Castle Estate where she’s now hailed as the heroine recruiting her hardcore nucleus of supporters, sympathisers and helping hands for the grandiose projects she has laid on the table since the GSLY’s

inception in early 2010. The 15-strong GSLY committee is a platform to liaise young people with the party’s senior executives: however, Joelle doesn’t just manage her ‘information and complaints counter’, but has active plans to engage youngsters in the running and improving of their country, make them more politically aware with the assurance their vote counts indeed, and give them a sense of belonging and the confidence that politicians don’t just act according to their own fancy from the height of their ivory towers, but do put in practice the grassroots’ wishes and commands.

Joelle grew up in the Moorish Castle Estate where she’s now hailed as the heroine recruiting her hardcore nucleus of supporters, sympathisers and helping hands for the grandiose projects she has laid on the table

And so the GSLY is embarking in the mammoth project of community mapping, so successful in other countries with unexpected feedback and flashy new ideas to adapt the territory around their needs and not vice versa. Youngsters will be asked to survey the current urban morphology and highlight the presence or lack of recreational facilities in every given district, assessing active ones, earmarking areas with unexploited potential, and inputting their personal vision of a more user-friendly city. “You know how creative young people are: le encuentran la quinta pata al gato!” Joelle colourfully expresses her faith in the GSLY members’ ingenuity, endorsing the outcome of her forthcoming exercise, which she is positive will put across magnificent designs to make the most of Gibraltar’s every little corner. The hot topics the youth worries about from their early teens are of course housing and job security — and all related issues

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

profile

by Elena Scialtiel like unmarried or homosexual couples’ rights, vocational careers, homecoming graduates’ insertion in local professions by branching off, specialising or re-qualifying, since many overseas students feel frustrated upon their return to Gibraltar, when they find themselves unemployed or trapped in a deadend job which has nothing to do with their degree. She believes in the local youth which she describes as “a good bunch”. They don’t approach her just to criticise, Joelle vouches. They are ready to offer their elbow grease and work together towards the amelioration of their community, in order to feel it truly theirs. Politics in fact isn’t just for today, but young people, particularly women, are eager to peer into the distant future and weave with their own hands their legacy to their children. With so much to tackle in domestic matters, the GSLY leaves international affairs to the ‘big

boys’, yet watches closely any history-in-the-making process, to be ready to take over one day: even if youngsters have been accused of ‘selling out’ to Spanish lifestyle, for they often go across the border seeking the nightlife little Gibraltar cannot flaunt, they are proud to be British, and ready to promote an amicable relationship with Spain without giving in an inch of their independence, after what their parents endured in the ’70s and ’80s to safeguard their Gibraltarian identity. Joelle is glad to see that under the umbrella of ‘Gibraltarian’, the GSLY ranks are filling fast with supporters from all social and religious backgrounds who want their voice heard, exercising their voting rights and duties. Providing a direct hotline with the young man (and woman) in the street, Joelle can be contacted on gslpyouth@googlemail.com or leaving a message at the GSLP headquarters in Watergardens. n

With so much to tackle in domestic matters, the GSLY leaves international affairs to the ‘big boys’, yet watches closely any history-in-the-making process, to be ready to take over one day

Joelle Baglietto

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

business update

Protected Cell: 2nd Edition published The 2nd Edition of Protected Cell Companies: a guide to their implementation and use co-authored by Nigel Feetham (pictured) and Professor Grant Jones will be available shortly.

Nigel Feetham, partner at Hassans International Law Firm, said “I have spent the last few months working on this 2nd Edition and I am extremely pleased with the book. I hope all professionals in this industry (local and international) will reap the benefit of this work and that the book will contribute to the existing prestige of Gibraltar as a financial services centre.” The 1st Edition was published in February 2008 and became the first book ever released on the subject of Protected Cell Companies. The 2nd Edition continues to be a valuable resource for practitioners who work with this important new business form. The Protected Cell Companies Act was first introduced in Guernsey in 1997 and other jurisdictions have followed this path. This gave rise to the 1st Edition which contained the legal analysis essential to further use and development. The book provides comprehensive guidance on such complex issues as insolvency, veil-piercing, tax, and accounting. As lawyers and business people have come to understand the PCC, its uses have spread from its origins in captive insurance companies to providing a bankruptcy remote vehicle for special purpose vehicles, credit derivatives, and open-end investment companies. The authors show that PCCs are now widely used by insurers, insurance brokers, banks, investment and fund managers and international tax planning advisers. They also describe the use of PCCs and related devices not only in their originating jurisdictions but in the EU, the US and around the world. The book has received external praise from leading UK insolvency QC Gabriel Moss who

APRIL 2010 DOA

05 Apr 14 Apr 15 Apr 16 Apr 18 Apr 20 Apr 21 Apr 22 Apr 23 Apr 24 Apr 25 Apr 27 Apr 28 Apr 30 Apr

Vessel

ETA ETD Pass Capacity From To Louis Majesty 0730 1100 International 1462 Alicante Tangier Oceana 0800 1330 British 1950 Cartagena S’thampton Le Diamant 0800 2230 French 214 Cadiz Malaga Funchal 0800 1430 International 439 Malaga Lisbon Marco Polo 0730 1230 British 850 Cadiz Tangier Oceana 0900 1400 British 1950 S’thampton Cartagena Adriana III 1530 1930 French 300 Disney Magic 0600 1800 American 2400 Ventura 1300 1830 British 3100 Civitavecchia S’thampton Ponta Delgada Cartagena Azamara Journey 0800 1500 American 700 Crystal Serenity 0800 1300 American 1080 Barcelona Lisbon Seabourn Legend 1300 1800 American 212 Cadiz Malaga Azura 1230 1800 British 3076 Korcula S’thampton Empress 1300 1900 Spanish 1600 Thomson Destiny 0800 1600 British 1595 Funchal Cartagena Ruby Princess 0800 1700 American 3100 Funchal Cagliari Saga Pearl II 0700 1400 British 500 Spirit of Adventure 0800 1700 British 420 Motril Malaga Total Number of Vessels calling this month = 21 Approximate Number of Passengers calling in this month = 26,890

Total Number of Vessels calling May 2010 = 25 Approximate Number of Passengers calling in May 2010 = 39,644 Total Number of Vessels calling June 2010 = 18 Approximate Number of Passengers calling in June 2010 = 40,448 Total Number of Vessels calling July 2010 = 15 Approximate Number of Passengers calling in July 2010 = 31,913

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

business update states “This new work is a thorough and much needed review and analysis of all aspects of a complex subject by knowledgeable authors. It is an essential reference for anyone dealing with a PCC.” The new edition contains substantial additions but with the same practical emphasis of the original work. The Foreword for the 2nd Edition is from Professor Larry E. Ribstein, University of Illinois College of Law, a leading US academic, who writes: “This book, particularly in its new edition, is both a valuable tool for the practitioner and important grist for the academic. It is certainly rare in combining these features and should enjoy great success.” www.spiramus.com/protected_cell_companies.htm

Ex Commanding Ofﬁcer Joins Bland Group The Chairman of the Bland Group, James Gaggero, announced last month that Lt Col (Retd) John Perez MBE has joined the 200 year old Gibraltarian business. “I am delighted to welcome John Perez onto the Board of Bland, which I believe is a clear demonstration of the Bland Group’s policy to invest in people of the highest quality”. Mr Gaggero went on to explain that John Perez

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

will with immediate effect assume the role of Chief Executive and be responsible for the Bland Group’s interests in Gibraltar, Spain and Morocco. He said he hoped John’s outstanding leadership skills would enable him to play a key part in developing the potential of the group’s people and businesses in the region. For his part John Perez stated “It is a privilege and challenge to take up this important role in what is a historic year for the Bland Group. I am very proud to be part of a family business that has been centred in Gibraltar since 1810 and remains fully committed in increasing its investment in the region.”

finance

by Brian McCann

John Gonzalez is a relaxed and friendly man who has been involved with trusts in Gibraltar since 2001, firstly with Sovereign Trust and now with Fiduciary at Portland House for the last three years. John told me that Fiduciary is one of the largest trust companies on the Rock, having been founded in 1982 by Isolas, the legal partnership which itself dates back to 1892; Fiduciary works closely with Isolas although they are separate entities.

photo by John J Wood

John Gonzalez

Exploring Wealth “I would like to see Gibraltar exploring double taxation agreements,” says John Gonzalez of Fiduciary Management Ltd.

Well qualified, 44 year old John has a BA in Business Studies; is an associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, a certified Associate Tax Technician and a Trust and Estate Practitioner. “Nowadays, my work has become wider and more varied than just trusts and company administration, although they are still important parts of the service we provide,” said John. “But I now have to consider the whole spectrum of tax planning, although we do not give tax advice “per se” — and every customer is different; they have different circumstances and require different approaches.” He summed up his work as mostly being to ensure the correct administration of trusts, and advising on matters connected to them. There are legal administrative issues to be observed and he sets up structures for new clients. “That includes problem-solving from every possible angle,” he emphasised, adding “I’m not purely a tax adviser but that is part of the job.” I asked John how many clients he sees each week, on average. “There is no real average,” he told me. “It fluctuates; there are many enquiries from our website and a lot of phone calls. It’s very busy at the moment, but it does vary. For instance, it was very quiet before Christmas but since the New Year there has been a lot of enquiries. There is still plenty of business out there.” Fiduciary’s clients come from all over the world, which John perceives as being good because although Gibraltar is small it does seem to be very well known internationally. He added that UK still remains the traditional market for Fiduciary’s customers, but just about every other country is represented on their client base. The one big fear in consulting with experts such as John, and indeed any of the Fiduciary professionals, is that a chat about what you’re looking for could be followed by a big bill, especially if you decide not to proceed further — and will there be future shocks if you do proceed? Not a bit of it: “There is no charge for consultation at all, which covers whatever amount of time is needed to get the full pic-

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ďŹ nance ture,â&#x20AC;? John stressed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From then on there is a transparent fee agreement which is available to each customer so that they always know exactly where they stand. There are absolutely no surprises in the billing. People come to see us, and if we can set up a company or a trust for them, then the full fee structure is explained to them before we proceed.â&#x20AC;? Describing himself as happily unmarried, John likes walking in Gibraltar, and reading anything. He is currently enjoying Adam Smithâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wealth of Nations, and says â&#x20AC;&#x153;Adam Smith is the bedrock of modern economics; heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the equivalent of Darwin â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an observer who has put everything together. He thinks out of the box â&#x20AC;&#x201D; after analysing what the box is â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in order to show how economics work. He is a truly amazing man.â&#x20AC;? I asked John about Gibraltarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future, and he was conďŹ dent that there was plenty of business available for ethical professionals who offer an efďŹ cient service. He would, however, like to see Gibraltar exploring double taxation agreements, whereby one country recognises that tax paid in another country, with which it has an agreement, should not be charged again by the other country, and vice versa.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;These agreements are negotiable, so they should be negotiated to be as favourable as possible to Gibraltar. This can then generate an income stream by our exploiting the tax planning approach, especially bearing in mind the 10% corporate tax rate which comes into full effect here next January.â&#x20AC;? He went on to explain, â&#x20AC;&#x153;With double taxation agreements, if you have an investment in say, the USA, at the moment there is a hefty withholding tax imposed; but if there is a double taxation agreement in force then there is no withholding tax.â&#x20AC;? I asked if Gibraltar was big enough to negotiate these sorts of agreements with the rest of the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think Gibraltar is big enough; but we need to explore. We neednâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take on the world â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if we just get some countries it would be good, and it would certainly attract a lot of business.â&#x20AC;? â&#x2013; John Gonzalez can be reached by phone on + 350 20076651, fax +350 20042599; email john. gonzalez@ďŹ duciarygroup.com; or you could have an initial look at www.ďŹ duciarygroup.com. The postal address is Fiduciary; Portland House; Glacis Road; PO 475; Gibraltar.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Adam Smith is the bedrock of modern economics; heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the equivalent of Darwin â&#x20AC;&#x201D; an observer who has put everything together. He thinks out of the box â&#x20AC;&#x201D; after analysing what the box is â&#x20AC;&#x201D; in order to show how economics workâ&#x20AC;?

Malcolm returns in style The winner of the Royal Gibraltar Regimentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Exercise Rock Warrior is Private Malcolm Head of I Company. Always a tough exercise, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rock Warrior was made even tougher by the terrible weather during the 48 hour endurance test. Private Head and 23 others now go on to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pre-Junior NCOsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cadre. Having originally joined the Regiment in 1996 Malcolm transferred to the Royal Military Police in 2003 and was posted to Colchester. After just a few months he left the Army to get a job in the Honda plant in Wiltshire. There he trained as an engineer and everything was going well for Malcolm and his new wife who he had met whilst in UK. But Malcolm missed the Army life and, last year, he re-applied and returned to Gibraltar in January of this year.

! "# $ % & % ' # ( # ) * ++ , -.. , / % ' $ # * $ 0 # (1 0 # # 1 / 1 * 2% ' + , / 1 # 1 + * $ 1 * 3/ % . # * # , . . # * * 2% ' 2 / * (1 ( 0 4 , 5 % 6 $ * %, 1 7 / ## 8 7

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ APRIL 2010

maritime services

Yacht Registration & Ownership by Marvina Debono of Fiduciary Marine

Gibraltar is a territory outside the EU customs union, yet in close proximity to Spain, France and Portugal. It is a British port of registry and therefore combines the advantages of British yacht registry with non EU ownership and registration. Fiduciary Marine Services Limited specialises in the registration of yachts and through its close association with Isolas 1892 is able to offer legal services such as advising on the purchase of your vessel, assistance on registration of mortgages, legal opinions on transactions, yacht chartering agreements and crew employment contracts The Red Ensign is an internationally recognised flag of choice and is not seen as a flag of convenience. Gibraltar is a Category 1 Red Ensign Group Register and therefore yachts, and ships for that matter, registered in Gibraltar benefit from all the advantages this brings with it. British yachts, wherever situated in the world, may seek assistance from any of the many British Embassies and Consulates throughout the world. Today we are spoilt for choice. Often the de-

cision on which yacht, or should I say style of yacht, is defined by your own background and whether you have been competing in dinghies as a youngster and therefore have a preference

The Red Ensign is an internationally recognised flag of choice and is not seen as a flag of convenience. Gibraltar is a Category 1 Red Ensign Group Register

to sail, or are new to the scene and prefer the sometimes easier choice of motor. Added to this the fact that it is also possible to choose a hybrid where motor and sail come together in harmony can make deciding very interesting. On registration British law applies to the yacht and the registration procedure provides evidence of ownership of the yacht thus making the transfer of ownership straightforward. The register contains all the necessary details concerning yachts and requires all legal mortgages to be registered there. Therefore, by merely inspecting this public register, it can be ascertained whether a yacht is free from a mortgage or not. This provides two main advantages:i) Title can be easily inspected offering the buyer security as to title as well as enabling the seller to dispose of his yacht more easily and speedily; ii) As the register is open to inspection, it is easier and quicker to obtain mortgages by producing a transcript of register to the potential mortgagees showing that the vessel is free from encumbrances. Likewise, there are a number of Flags to choose from although, on occasion, it may just be a simple matter of where the vessel will be berthed or perhaps the fact that you are a member of a particular Yacht Club. If, however you wish to consider the various options available to you then the Red Ensign has to be one which, pardon the pun, flies high on your list. So having decided which yacht and where you wish to register leaves one final decision to be made: How should I own my yacht? There are many ways in which this can be done, however the two more common choices are individually being an EU national or via a company. Obviously the value of the yacht plays an important part in this decision as smaller costal pleasure craft do not usually choose the corporate structure as there are no real benefits against the cost, which can be kept to a reasonable amount, of maintaining a company. For the larger vessel corporate ownership offers substantial benefits. These include the simplification of the future sale of the vessel as it is achieved by the transfer of shares of the company rather than the transfer of ownership at the registry. Where the company is established in a suitable jurisdiction, as an example Gibraltar, the transfer of shares is by way of a transfer form signed by the shareholders on receipt of payment. The ownership of the vessel remains the same as far as the Registry is concerned, hence a simplified, efficient and cost effective way of transferring the vessel. In addition corporate ownership offers limited liability. This is a very distinct advantage of corporate ownership as it provides the shareholders with the protection they need against any potential future claims. Where the yacht is of a particular size and value limited liability is a very real benefit and particularly so when the yacht is made available for charter purposes. Finally, there may be tax and VAT benefits to corporate ownership, however, these can only be determined on a case by case basis with proper professional advice. In the meantime may we wish you â&#x20AC;&#x153;full sails and happy trailsâ&#x20AC;?. For further information please contact Fiduciary Marine on +350 200 76651 or by e-mail at marine@ fiduciarygroup.com

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ APRIL 2010

technology

by Angela Smart, Smart Tax Consultancy To ensure people pay their taxes and comply with the tax legislation, governments have to create a climate of compliance. Governments have to encourage the attitude that tax evasion is not a socially acceptable activity and it is an activity which will land the citizen indulging in it in trouble. Climate of compliance For there to be a climate of compliance it is necessary that tax legislation is seen to consist of three components 1. Tax must be fair. 2. Tax must be certain. 3. Tax must be clear and easy to follow.

Putting a Stop to Tax Evasion Only the government has the right to decide what tax is payable. It communicates its decision in the legislation it makes. If the legislation does not tax a particular form of income then either through tax planning, sheltering or avoiding, it is legitimate for any citizen to take advantage of the failure of the tax act to tax that income. On the other hand if the income is clearly taxable in the taxes act there can be no defence for a citizen who does not pay tax on that income. Reduction of tax bills must always be done legally. 24

Fair If a fair system of taxation is imposed properly less effort is needed to make the payment of tax a norm in society and thus more socially acceptable. Tax legislation must be seen to be fair. It should not impose taxes on one group of individuals or companies and not another. Where a system is seen to be unfair tax evasion becomes socially acceptable as people believe that the taxes imposed are not fair. A prime example of this was in the late 1980s when the UK Conservative government decided to introduce the Poll Tax in Scotland and not the rest of the UK. This resulted in mass demonstrations and many law-abiding citizens who had always paid their taxes refused to pay this tax. The UK government is still trying to collect unpaid tax from this period. Tax legislation should be written in order to ensure that there is no discrimination between groups or sectors of the public and that the burden of payment is spread in a fair manner. Tax Legislation should be written to include consequences for non- compliance. If it is seen that there are no consequences for non-payment of tax, those who pay their taxes will feel the system is unfair and this may encourage them to evade tax. On the other side of the coin, if the penalties for tax evasion are too high then individuals who have evaded tax and wish to come clean will be discouraged from doing so (this is especially the case in China where the penalty until recently was death). Penalties should be set at a level to punish tax evaders but also at a level to ensure that the door is open for them to come forward. I am certain that the majority of readers would not feel that the death penalty was a fair penalty for tax evasion. Over taxation: A tax system which imposes high tax rates will inevitably be seen as unfair and will encourage people to evade tax. In the late 1960s the higher rate of tax in the tax legislation meant certain higher rate tax-payers actually paid 103% tax. With a tax rate at this level it became socially acceptable to evade tax as the majority of individuals, regardless of their wealth, believed that it was not fair to pay more in tax than you actually received. The level of taxation has to be seen to be fair and tax legislation is generally written to ensure that income is taxed on a progressive basis. This generally means that lower levels of income are taxed at a lower tax rate and as income rises the

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ APRIL 2010

tax wise tax rate also rises. Certainty The tax legislation must provide a degree of certainty in that it must state clearly what income is taxable and at what rate it should be taxed. Certainty has always been reinforced by the attitude of the courts, in that taxation is only be imposed by clear words of statute. This was such a kingpin of interpretation of law that it was known as “Trite” law. That is to say it was so obvious that a lawyer did not need to quote precedent case law to the court. However this seems to have weakened over the last few years, not only in the UK courts, but also by implication in the Privy Council whose judgments apply directly rather than indirectly in Gibraltar. The courts are starting to adopt the EU notion of looking at what the law intended to say rather than what it actually does say. This raises the possibility that the taxpayer cannot rely on the clarity of the law and thus gives HMRC the ability to unfairly change goal posts when it suits them. The Gibraltar Tax Act has the virtue of being extremely short, however this brought with it the difficulty of being unclear at times. This leads to inconsistency in interpretation and understanding of the law, which gives neither clarity nor confidence to the taxpayer. It also results in a situation where there was always a suspicion that the more wealthy sections of Gibraltar were able to use the law (quite legally) to reduce their tax liabilities, thus causing unfairness in the system.

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The tax legislation and the practice of the tax collector must also provide certainty that they will enforce the legislation evenly. Be able to collect the correct amount from all and catch those who try to cheat the rest. Tax legislation which does not have the clarity and certainty to allow the tax administration to operate successfully makes tax avoidance easy and encourages tax evasion. Understandable (clear and easy to follow) This is not easy to achieve and the UK government has been trying for the past few years at great cost to try to dumb down their extremely complicated tax legislation. The result of this is longer legislation, however it is beneficial in that not many tax advisors need to take sleeping tablets anymore in order to get to sleep, the first page usually does the job. As time has gone by it has become more and more difficult for the man in the street to comply with the legislation without specialist advice in the UK. This is at a time when penalties for

The courts are starting to adopt the EU notion of looking at what the law intended to say rather than what it actually does say

making mistakes have become more expensive and the ordinary man in the street who does not use a specialist may find himself faced with large penalties for simply making a mistake through lack of understanding of the legislation. The same needs to apply in Gibraltar. The brevity of the Income Tax Act leaves many areas open to doubt and the taxpayer with no certainty as to whether he is doing right or wrong. As an example: in the Gibraltar Tax Act the taxation of benefits in kind is dealt with in half a sentence — “profits and gains of employment include... benefits in kind.” The same concept covers over 50 pages in the UK Tax Acts. The UK version is certainly more clear (and tedious). Gibraltar Tax Legislation Gibraltar is in the fortunate position that it is in the process of reconstructing its tax legislation. Let us hope that those who are reconstructing it have considered the factors necessary to create a fair, certain and understandable tax system which will result in a climate of compliance to everybody’s benefit. n

If you have any queries regarding the above contact Angela Smart a t S m a r t Ta x Consultancy: + 350 58008575

the 1st-4th Gibraltar Scout Group, Lathan’s chosen charity for his FLIP project

the flip side

of the charity coin

Fund raising events come and go and we’re always willing to lend a hand and dig deep into our pockets to support the many worthy causes on the Rock and internationally. But has it ever occurred to you the time and effort which goes into preparing each event by dedicated volunteers? A selection of sixth-formers from Bayside and Westside have been finding out first hand as they participate in FLIP (Future Leaders in Philanthropy), an initiative by The Bonita Trust and Credit Suisse. We spoke to Lathan Norton, one of the students who was selected for the project to find out what it’s all about. At 17, Lathan is finishing his A Levels this year and has already been offered places at four university to study physics and maths. In all likelihood he’ll be in Nottingham next year studying for a career in research which he hopes to see through to an MSc and PhD, although he’ll be studying for a PGCE with a view to teaching too. “I think it’s wise to aim high but to also have a plan B and C just in case,” he told us. “And I can see myself back in Gibraltar after completing my studies teaching sciences as a realistic option too.” Apart from studying hard for his future, Lathan has always been involved in the 1st-4th Gibraltar Scout Group, his chosen charity for the FLIP project. “After looking through the over 200 charities registered in Gibraltar, I realised many are already well supported and there are several causes which tend to be more in

the background, even though they provide an excellent service to the community,” Lathan explained his choice. “The scouts provides a great platform for children of all ages to be involved in many different types of activities and to learn, as well as giving the youth alternatives to roaming the streets in a very positive way. There’s a lot of work put in by the volunteer leaders who also need to go through training in the UK. “The 1st-4th scout group held a hugely successful recruitment cam-

“

paign a few months ago and the membership has suddenly swelled from 70 to nearly 200 young people now, meaning more leaders and they’ve also been given new premises at Ince’s Hall which need to be properly equipped. Other projects which they need support for is a mini-van to take groups on trips to Spain and there’s a large trip to Switzerland being organised for later this year too.” So how does FLIP work? “In the first year of sixth form, we were all given the opportunity to apply to be involved in FLIP,” he

It has been a real eye-opener in to the amount of work you need to put in to what seems like quite a simple event

”

explained. “This was followed by an interview selection process and 20 students were chosen from the two comprehensives. This year it is 12 boys and 8 girls each involved in a different charity. “The project is divided into three parts. First an essay looking at a local charity and making a comparison with one similar in the UK. This is followed by a fund raising project for the charity you have chosen, which is what I’m working on now. The last part is then to write another essay covering everything you have learned throughout the project.” It was interesting to find that although the fund-raising is the major part of the project, Lathan and the other students have been doing a lot of work and learning behind the scenes. “As a project, I would recommend most sixth formers to look at being involved when they have the chance,” Lathan continued, “but

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

projects there is a lot of work involved so you need to feel you have the time to commit before you make the decision to apply. “In organising the fundraising event, I’ve come across many situations which I didn’t expect to at my age. Learning to work in a team and in particular, because this is a venture with the scouts, adhering to their guidelines on organising events has meant working closely with the scout leaders and also with other authorities. “What we have planned is a 24 hour sponsored hike around the Rock, with teams working in relays. We need to make sure children are always accompanied by an adult and I’ve had to liaise with the police to be able to use Casemates Square as the initial rally point as well as going through the route we’ll be hiking with them so they can coordinate traffic where necessary too. “It has been a real eye-opener into the amount of work you need to put in to what seems like quite a simple event.” Apart from the 24 hour hike, parents and all comers are welcome to join them on the first leg, which will end at their new premises just past the John Mackintosh Hall at the top of Main Street. There, Lathan and a team of scouts will hold an open day with stalls and bouncy castle as well as food and refreshments.

“The projects has meant bringing in many other people to help in manning stalls, the bouncy castle, accompanying the children as they hike and I couldn’t have done this on my own, so it has really become a team effort from the scouts and leaders who have been extremely supportive and positive about the event,” Lathan acknowledged with thanks. “Without their support this wouldn’t be able to happen. Apart from the volunteer work involved, many people have been contacting different companies for support and we’re already near the £3,000 mark in funds raised ourselves, which Bonita Trust, as part of the FLIP project, will be matching with the same amount again. We have other companies who have already pledged funds and the youth involved haven’t handed in their sponsor forms yet, so it’s still early days. Hopefully we’re on target to raise around £8,000.” n The sponsored hike in aid of the 1st4th Gibraltar Scout Group will meet at Casemates at 9.30am on 17th April, and their mini fun day will be open through to 4pm at Inces Hall. If you’d like more information or would like to be involved, you can contact Lathan by email on lathan_norton@hotmail.com or call him on 54005801.

Lathan Norton has been fitting in his charity work for FLIP around his busy A Level studies GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

going

Eisenhower who, in his capacity of Allied Commander-in-Chief, arrived on the Rock to take command from the specially built sanctuary of the communications centre during the planning phase of Operation Torch. The operation culminated in the successful Allied thrust across French North Africa and the surrender of Italy in 1943. The rest, as they say, is history. In this day and age of modern warfare and the reduced role of the military in Gibraltar though, it would be fair to assume the facilities have fallen into disrepair, water leaking through will have damaged much of the structure and what was once a bomb-proof (indeed, nuclear proof) all-singing, all-dancing communications and data centre is just another dank, dark hole somewhere below your feet as you walk up past the Rock Hotel. Wrong. We took a stroll, with Charlie Yeo, the Chairman of Vault Technology Services and Alan Dickinson the company’s Director of Operations, from the Dockyard entrance of Admiralty Tunnel to find out what really going on in there. For anyone who has walked tunnels in Gibraltar, Admiralty Tunnel is not much different to the rest, although it is true that as you stand in the sunlight just outside the western entrance you can see the gleam of Mediterranean light which we were assured is around a kilometre away and, although the straight road through seems quite flat, it actually inclines upwards to 19 metres higher where it breaks out behind the Both Worlds apartments at Sandy Bay. A short walk took us past grotty metal doors code-named Delta, Charlie and similar, making you wonder what secrets might once have been housed behind, but it became quite obvious that something was still going on from the sound of generators chugging away somewhere behind the solid walls — oh, and the golf buggy should have been a dead give-away. Alan stopped at one of the heavy metal doors, with its chipped green paint and slowly rusting hinges — a consequence of the constant drips from the limestone walls and ceiling. Through this was another, similar door, but this time equipped with a more sophisticated locking device. Alan touched his finger to a pad, and once the laser had determined it was really him, we entered to be suddenly confronted by one of the biggest contrasts you’ll ever see in the space of taking three steps forwards. Gleaming high security turnstyles which auThe interior of the Rock has been used by humans for around 600 tomatically clock the amount of visitors in and out complete with more biometric access systhousand years, beginning with the Neanderthals whose remains tems — fingerprint recognition to most of us have been discovered at five different sites including Gorham’s and — and at this point we found we’d been tracked the 500 metre length of the tunnel by the inVanguard Caves, through to the mythological tunnel used by the ternal CCTV system. The carpeted floors, dust monkeys to arrive in Gibraltar from Morocco. However, it wasn’t until free environment and a surprisingly clean air (which you can only appreciate after leaving a the 17th century that Sergeant Henry Ince had the brainwave to musty tunnel) were almost a culture shock from blast his way through the limestone to create what is today forms an the prelude to the visit to Vault. Possibly one of the most secure and modern data centres in the incredible array of tunnel systems which have given an interesting world. lease of life to the Gibraltar’s insides. Alan gave us the guided tour and explained how they took over the premises around 18 In Ince’s day all was brute force, but come the From a military strategist’s point of view, the months ago in the summer of 2008. second world war, tunnelling techniques and command centre was one of the safest places on “Most areas were in a very poor state of remilitary whims and requirements became more earth, with state-of-the-art (for the 1940s) fresh pair, and all the rooms and passageways were refined. Admiralty Tunnel, the only tunnel to air systems, generators, lighting and of course extremely damp,” Alan explained. “The only cross the Rock from east to west, was blasted to areas to house the MOD’s top secret and vital part that had really been preserved was the include a high-tech communications and com- communications data and equipment. Eisenhower Room, which was his office durmand centre covering 3,000m2 roughly half way 5th November 1942 marks the day the Ameri- ing the six weeks he was on the Rock. The room along its length, protected by over 400 feet of cans effectively took over the Rock. Not literally, is still preserved exactly as it was then and the solid rock in all directions. of course, but in the form of General Dwight D. only addition we’ve made is in a little electrical

underground

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

the vault

Operations Room

Eisenhower Room

work and the carpet, which he didn’t have the luxury of.” The vault, because that is exactly what it is, is actually a building structure within a complex, based on two huge adjoining corridors with the building being constructed within the blasted out area of limestone. A tapered roof guides the water to the sides where it is collected in drainage gutters along the floor whilst the cool rock and water which filters through all year round have become unwitting counterparts in the highly efficient cooling system of the data centre facilities which, apart from the difference in technology and the fact that the venture is now commercial rather than military, now serves the same function it was originally built for nearly a century ago. “We actually have full use of the 3,000m2 which is divided into different rooms fitted out as needed for individual client needs,” Alan continued. “But our clients aren’t the general man on the street at present. Companies which are interested in keeping their back-up data with us are those that have vast amounts of data, the loss of which would be crippling or they are required by various regulations to hold data for several years. “Think banks, betting companies and the like. For them to lose the information they have would be a disaster to the business, and in some cases, just a minute of down-time can cost them millions. Our systems are designed to fulfil all the requirements established internationally to protect their data, and the only requirement we can’t meet is having bars on the windows — we don’t have any.” So what guarantees do Vault offer, apart from

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

that you could drop a bomb on them and they wouldn’t notice? Alan again threw some light on the set-up: “Many data centres have a large room with

“

the only requirement we can’t meet is having bars on the windows — we don’t have any

”

individual cages which hold the racks. A technician may be working on one rack, whilst another client may be working on theirs alongside each other. We give each client the privacy of their own room, each with its own individual security system. To ensure power, a typical setup would have two UPS within the room which would keep their systems running for half an hour if our whole power supply failed, but that is highly unlikely. “We are fed by two separate links from the generating station, so if one has a problem, the other cuts in. After that we have three back-up generators and over 13,000 gallons of fuel on site to keep them running for weeks if necessary. Each room has two individual links to the generating system, and if you combine that with the emergency UPS systems in the rooms themselves, there would have to be an incredible chain of events for everything to break down. “Basically, Gibraltar could be in total darkness for several days and our clients’ servers would still be running. That is also partially from the efficiency in our system. In a building, about 60% of power just goes into the cooling system. Because we use the area between the building and the rock to cool down the hot air which is extracted, we use just 10% of our power to cool. At full capacity, Vault can house a staff of up to 260 people in perfect safety, and although there’s only one way in, there are actually another five emergency exits for quick evacuation — a situation which seems highly unlikely to us. It would be easier to imagine it the other way around, where it may be the perfect place to evacuate people to in times of need. n

1 People 1 Planet 10 Songs

After his success with Danae last year, David Bentata, the local personality with more facets than a gemstone, is back with more poetry in music — music courtesy of the Valerga brothers, Denis the composer and Henry on vocals, accompanied by the angelical voice of Michelle Tewkesbury. One People – One Planet is a collection of 10 songs: ballads with powerful lyrics and upbeat floor fillers — musica marchosa, as David describes it. OK, the title is not the most original, but you must forgive this nostalgic ’60s’ boy trying to revive some flower power with that good old, but evergreen, tagline. Hope, disenchantment, materialism, spirituality, life, death, war, peace: these are some of the themes businessman turned lifestyle guru David wants to bring to the fore. Emotions we prefer not to talk about and we find it easier just to sweep under the carpet. So it’s a good job someone says it’s time we paid attention and acted fast to stop the fratricide: “We have but one future so let’s join hands and plan it!” — clever rhyme indeed for ‘planet’... Sombre tones in the skulking of death throughout some tracks, from grieving mothers laying their war victim children to rest, to

soldiers falling without a cry in enemy fire (“was it worth the sacrifice?”), down to the bitter Benito, written at a dying friend’s bedside: “What are we? Living manure?” Has David lost his faith in the Almighty then? He hasn’t, but most people seem to have, in his view. At least those who turn to

‘Possessed’ is about how we become slaves to our possessions’ safekeeping. When we eventually have to leave them behind, it is for others to inherit and squander what we stacked

internet search engines for the right answer to just about everything. Yet, where is the God Google when you really need help? “Once passed the plasma screen, there’s nobody there”. Alas, too preoccupied with technology, we’ve lost sight of real life interaction and we just hide behind “tapping keyboards and counting bytes”. So much so that even “Cupid and Saint Valentine are on the dole, for sliding mouse and cursor have taken on their role.” And those who are not sacrificed to frenetic cybernetic idols, waste their life idolising consumerism: Possessed is about how we become slaves to our possessions’ safekeeping. When we eventually have to leave them behind, it is for others to inherit and squander what we stacked, but not made the most of, in our lifetime. Sometimes possessions dictate acrimonious divorces which “breed only losers, except for the wigs and gowns”: who are the real Divorc-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

the arts

by Elena Scialtiel

ing Clowns in this vaudeville? But hey, don’t despair! Love can be eternal even in David’s cynical world! Check out the devoted lover who went to jail for a woman, Doin’ Time “behind the cold bars of your indifference”. And then, there’s ambition. The positive kind that is driving David’s graphic designer son Gideon to try and break into Toronto’s music business. In a strongly encouraging song, Ambition is “not a pet you keep by your side, ambition is a hunger that eats you from inside”. Jolly good advice in No More Mr. Nice Guy: “turning the other cheek only gives them a fresh target”. Is this a survival kit downloaded from the god Google’s bible? David returns to religion thanks to a nearmiss plane crash, avoided at the last-minute in an aborted landing at Gibraltar airport. The lucky escape fuelled Between Man and God, a poem whose most thought-provoking line is: “It’s Man-made Laws that Men enforce that keep man away from God”. But was it really their time for those young soldiers, paying the price of the stubborn hatred of their politicians? “Why are our leaders so cruelly hypocritical?” David asks in the first ever song he wrote, Soldier Soldier, not published until now, when anti-war songs are so fashionable in their hope of going beyond sprinkling salt on wounds and being actually taken into serious consideration by those teaching young soldiers to “despise all flags and all frontiers”.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

This isn’t just any pacifist song. It features a shiver of anarchism where it preaches to “teach them [our children] that faith in politicians will bring only sorrow”. Consistent with his call for a united planet (“My country’s the World, my flag is the sky; my bed’s the Earth where one day I’ll lie”), David has subscribed to Al Gore’s environmentalist plea to save it, designing a concept piece sterling silver pendant featuring the spinning globe and the One People One Planet motto to raise awareness on our most precious earthly possession. The album will be launched soon. In the meantime, exhorted by his mum, Madeira evacuee during WWII, David is fundraising to help the Portuguese island recover from the devastations of last February’s floods. You may contribute with a donation either to Beau Jangles or to a Barclays’ account and David will send the One People – One Planet single in MP3 version to your e-mail. n

In a strongly encouraging song, ‘Ambition’ is “not a pet you keep by your side, ambition is a hunger that eats you from inside”

One Planet, One People Pendant Alongside the poetry in music David Bentata has designed a concept piece sterling silver pendant featuring the spinning globe and the One People One Planet motto which can be purchased from the Beau Jangles shop at 123 Main Street (opposite the Post Office) — a lovely gift for men or women. n

Does Gibraltar Tick Your Boxes

a personal view by Paul de Beresford

For all of known time, man has had an element of choice in where he settled. In the distant past, a tribe might chose not to fight an opposing group who sought its land, by simply up and leaving and moving further on to pastures new. This explains how every bit of northern Europe eventually became occupied by peoples who originated far away. Gibraltar has been occupied by a whole variety of nationalities over the past 300 years, and for different reasons. Economic opportunities were probably the biggest pull, just as one could describe the main reason for emigration to Canada and New Zealand being that not too dissimilar from the much maligned economic migrants of today, who abuse asylum provisions to find a better life. The prairies of Canada were not populated with those from the affluent villages of Surrey, but more from those who could not thrive in the over-crowded homes in Scotland, Ireland and the north of England. With, firstly the status of a British Subject, Citizen of the United Kingdom & Colonies, then British Dependent Territories Citizen (now British Overseas Citizen) with the right to British Citizen status added, or use of the status of European Union national or the additional rights in Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland (which, strangely, greatly exceed those enjoyed in the Crown Dependencies of

Jersey and Guernsey, whose population are also British Citizens, albeit with superior rights to the British from Surrey!), Gibraltarians can now choose where to live with more ease than ever before. America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will always attract those tempted by opportunity, better and cheaper housing, more

The prairies of Canada were not populated with those from the affluent villages of Surrey, but more from those who could not thrive in the over-crowded homes in Scotland, Ireland and the north of England

space, a feeling of adventure and newness in more classless surroundings. The British Isles will continue to provide the easiest option for many, particularly following on from its introduction to them by attending university there. But what should be considered before deciding to settle elsewhere? Most Gibraltarians are oblivious to just how easy life is here and, consequently, how difficult it is elsewhere. Of course, I am comparing Gibraltar with similarly highly developed economies, and not simple rural or other remoter economies where life can also be relaxing. So what I am saying is that Gibraltar is as relaxing as those very places where there just are not the same economic opportunities, decent housing and high-paid clean non-strenuous jobs in suits. Ten minutes in traffic queues stresses people out here! The post-post War generations have had it so easy here they probably would not be able to cope with life’s strains just to enjoy a modest standard of living, or have the intense energy

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010 2010 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JANUARY

opinion needed to overcome the extreme stresses of any attempt to live in the fast lane in a real career. Gibraltar may well be a fully self-governing territory with all the trappings of a full-sized country, but its pace, quality standards and professionalism is much more comparable to a provincial town, and not any metropolitan conurbation. But this is exactly its advantage. Here is a reminder of just some of Gibraltar’s forgotten advantages: 1. Absence of very high council tax. 2. Lower social insurance for the average and higher paid 3. More leisure time as a result of less stress and commuting time expended 4. No VAT on such things as electricity bills, plumbers, estate agents’ fees, fish and chips and even ice cream on the beach! 5. Free car parking. 6. A higher proportion of public-sector jobs and with full civil service rights. 7. No television licences or road taxes for private cars. 8. Very reasonable charges for the use of Government sports and leisure facilities. 9. A visible police force who do actually investigate any (rare) burglary and not provide you with just an automated call centre service or spend time recording the crime without any left over to deal with it — just to provide a reference number for having reported it, so you can claim against your insurance company (which, of course, YOU eventually pay for yourself, if you think about it). But the UK may suit people who are content

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

with a modest lifestyle who have the time and inclination to understand all the benefits that can be claimed, and who can live with a conscience that those living with low paid jobs, working manually for long hours with distant housing, are actually still paying tax towards their upkeep. Let us hope the do-gooders from the UK trade union movement (and some nutty academics) who breeze in and out of Gibraltar on occasions and pontificate on the absence of free entry to the entire non-EU population and their families with publically-funded housing given to them ahead of Gibraltarians, can continue to be ignored without interference from outside. The only outsiders welcome here should be workers filling gaps in the labour or professional market, those with innovation to offer in business and the super-rich are welcome to pay tax here instead of elsewhere (preferably more and more). n

Gibraltarians can now choose where to live with more ease than ever before. America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand will always attract those tempted by opportunity, better and cheaper housing, more space, a feeling of adventure and newness

Queen’s Scout Award

Last month, at a ceremony held at the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned as part of the Scout Association’s Founder’s Day celebrations, he was presented with the prestigious Queen’s Scout Award, the highest achievable award for young members of the Scout Movement. Matthew, 18, a member of the 3rd Europa Scout Group, joined Scouts at the age of six. Among the activities he undertook to achieve the Award were a year’s voluntary service at Mount Alvernia Residence for the Elderly and a grueling expedition in northern Spain. Matthew Dignam has been working in the Gibraltar Alameda Gardens as a trainee under the Gibraltar Government Training Scheme since the end of last year. Congratulations go to Matthew on this achievement. n

history file

by Dave Wood

Hew Whitefoord Dalrymple portrait by and published by Charles Turner, after John Jackson mezzotint, published 24 January 1831 (1829)

Sir Hew Whiteford Dalrymple

road to ridicule It seemed a good idea at the time. Eight fatal words; each harmless enough alone, but merciless in combination. When was appointed Acting Governor of Gibraltar in November 1806, he commanded a decent amount of respect and was well spoken of among his peers. Less than two years later he was universally condemned as an idiot unfit to water the King’s vegetable patch, and the road to ridicule, like the road to Hell, was paved with the very best of intentions. Before getting to the sorry faux pas that blighted his life and ruined his career, the conventional thing would be to sketch in a few biographical details, but in Dalrymple’s case these are diffi-

cult to come by. It is as if the man became so great an embarrassment that nobody really wanted to talk about him, and everyone who was offered the chance to become his official biographer

cried off with writer’s cramp. The few available facts are of a kind familiar to readers of this column. When reading of the lives of Gibraltar’s 18th and 19th century governors, they may be forgiven the occasional feeling of déjà vu. Dalrymple was born on 3rd December 1750 in Ayr, Scotland. The lad was obviously born to be a soldier. He was commissioned into the 31st Regiment of Foot in 1763, and by the time he was a mere 16, an age when many of his contemporaries were just beginning to discover girls and getting used to the discomfort of long trousers, he was already a lieutenant. Precocious he may have been (though not outrageously so by the standards of the time), but there must have been something faintly ridiculous in his character from the outset, because somewhere along the line he picked up the nickname “Dowager” that stayed with him for the rest of his life. Why “Dowager”? The dictionary definition is “a widow with a title or property derived from her late husband”, although by extension the word is often used to describe any dignified elderly woman. Had Dalrymple died with his reputation intact, there is little doubt that the derivation of his nickname, or at least speculation thereof, would have come down to us in a dozen memoirs. As it is, we are left to wonder, although to call a man, particularly a military man, by a name generally associated with an old woman can hardly have been complimentary. In 1767 he decided to catch up on his education, and took a year out from his army duties to become a student at Edinburgh University. After that, a mist falls over his life and activities until he pops up again a quarter of a century later, fighting with the Guards Brigade in Flanders in 1793. So far nothing particularly remarkable, so the fact he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey in 1796 must be considered the granting of a humdrum post in recognition of a humdrum career. The job, after all, was not an onerous one. Occasionally he was called on to wear his ceremonial sword and doff his ceremonial hat to a passing parade, but there was little danger of riots or a bullet from a crazed assassin. Although a lazy life in the Channel Islands’ sunshine must have been very pleasant, it was probably a relief in 1802 when he was shifted kind-of sideways and made General Officer Commanding Northern District. Dalrymple took a look at his maps and consoled himself with the observation, geographically at least, he was moving upwards. As noted, in November 1806, he became Acting Governor of Gibraltar, representing the Duke of Kent who was so unpopular that it would have been madness for him to set foot in the place. He was in his mid-50s, and though his CV was a little short on drama, there was nothing about him to provoke scorn, and ladies still found him handsome in his uniform. Sadly, Fate was lurking in the wings, preparing to put the boot in. A Wellington boot, as it happens. Napoleon was on the rampage. The Peninsular War was in full swing. The French Army was knocking the stuffing out of the Portuguese. The entente cordiale was at its lowest ebb. No-one was buying champagne. Enter stage left Sir Arthur Wellesley, still a GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

history file few years shy of becoming Duke of Wellington. Commanding a joint British/Portuguese force he confronted the French, who were led by Jean-Andoche Junot. It all came to a head with an almighty, and in other circumstances, disgraceful mêlée on 21st August 1808 close to the sleepy little village of Vimeiro. The French were heavily defeated, but they had started it, and they should have known better than to attack the British when the kettle was on. So that was that. France’s attempt to annex Portugal was thwarted, and Junot’s troops were in hopeless disarray. If he’d had his way, Wellesley might have lined up all the survivors, poked them in the eye with his baton, and forced them to dance round the maypole wearing silly hats and pink slippers. Or just possibly, he may have had them all shot. But at his moment of triumph, the initiative was snatched from him by the mandarins in Whitehall. First choice to replace the battle-hardened general to dictate terms to the defeated French was Sir Harry Burrard, an old soldier well past his sell-by date known to his men, not particularly affectionately, as “Betty”. His spell in charge of the British troops was brief. It lasted a single day, but it was long enough for him to issue an order instructing Wellesley to stop harassing the French. They had been humiliated, and the least we could do was act like British gentlemen and stop rubbing it in. Negotiations for the formal French surrender were convened in the Portuguese town of Cintra. The French were represented by General Francois Kellerman, and the British by Burrard, and the new team captain, hurriedly raised from his comfortable Gibraltar bed, Sir Hew Dalrymple. Things started reasonably well. With the most disapproving scowl he could muster, Dalrymple told Kellerman that his chaps had caused a most frightful nuisance, and they really must abandon their Portuguese fortresses and jolly well clear off. Kellerman shrugged and said whatever is French for, “OK, guv, it’s a fair cop”. But after that, things rapidly became surreal. Alas, we are unable to hear General Kellerman in action, but he must have been a supremely masterful negotiator with a wonderful accent and honeyed voice. In no time he was dancing rings around his older adversaries like a balletic cat toying with a stuffed mouse. As we read the long list of concessions made to him by the British delegation, it is easy to lose sight of the fact he was bargaining on behalf of

would be such a cad as to answer such boundless generosity with a slap in the face? The Convention of Cintra was signed on 30th August 1808, though not by Wellesley. He had signed the preliminary cease fire under both orders and protest, but was outraged at the stupidity and weakness of Dalrymple and Burrard, and said so. “You ‘ave driven ze bargain most ‘ard, messieurs, but c’est la vie”, said Kellerman before stepping outside and laughing his head off. Dalrymple and Burrard apologised for being so harsh, but said it had to be done. They hoped it would teach him and that Corsican rogue a lesson. They may have been pleased with their work, but in that they were alone. The British troops in Portugal thought their masters had gone mad, and wondered what it had all been about, as they stepped aside to let the French pass with their booty and board the Royal Navy ships for the journey home. In London, the government swiftly recalled General Francois Dalrymple, Burrard and Wellesley and instituted Kellerman an official inquiry into their ludicrous behaviour. Wellesley, rightly, was quickly exonerated. He had been appalled by the terms of the treaty, but as a soldier under orders had no choice but to reluctantly accept them. There was no such mitigation in the cases of “Dowager” Dalrymple and “Betty” Burrard. In Dalrymple’s case there was more. Britain was also at war with Russia. A Russian squadron was trapped by the Royal Navy in Lisbon, but the French troops were waiting impatiently for a lift home. Dalrymple allowed the Russians to leave Lisbon unharmed, and even to call in at Portsmouth to buy souvenirs on their way back to Moscow. As we would say today, you couldn’t make it up. the losers. Yes, Kellerman would do as he was Although Dalrymple and Burrard had clearly asked, and order his men to leave Portugal made an embarrassing mess of the Convenimmediately, but there were around 26,000 of tion of Cintra, the British Government could them and they were tired and a long way from hardly lose more face by publicly admitting home. Could the Royal Navy see its way clear it. Predictably, they too were “cleared” at the to giving them a lift? inquiry, though not as readily as Wellesley. Sir Dalrymple and Burrard agreed. Not only the John Moore’s condemnation of Dalrymple was men, but their weapons, personal belongings, blunt. He called him, “confused and incapable and any plunder they had managed to accumu- beyond any man I ever saw head an army,” and, late during their rampage. And since it would “a very foolish man.” be disgracefully bad form to ask their French Unsurprisingly, like Burrard, he never reguests not to show ingratitude by returning to turned to active service, or Gibraltar. The man the peninsula and starting another fight as soon he had replaced as acting governor, Sir James as they got home, no such stipulation was made. Drummond, was brought back for an encore, It was clearly unnecessary, since no-one, surely, and the world rolled on. n

Dalrymple allowed the Russians to leave Lisbon unharmed, and even to call in at Portsmouth to buy souvenirs on their way back to Moscow. As we would say today, you couldn’t make it up

Irish Town Antiques Antiques & Collectables Irish Town Gibraltar Tel: 200 70411

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

by Richard Cartwright

Jamie Zammitt

could it be Magic 36

photo by Shaun Zammitt

It’s difficult to believe ‘magic’ is real — call it slight of hand, being distracted or supersonic speed! The fact remains it does seem real and no manner of head scratching gets you any closer to sussing out the trick. So, is magic, magic? “It’s much of the above. Very clever tricks thought out and put together by some excellent magicians’ magicians who spend a great deal of their time working these things out,” says one of Gibraltar’s top practitioners of magic, 23 year old Jamie Zammitt. Jamie explains that, unfortunately, there is a certain amount of stigma attached to magic. “There are those who claim it verges on the paranormal or power magic. This is the way it’s perceived by some. Magic is conjuring up tricks and within that, the power of deception and taking audiences through different experiences.” Jamie feels magic needs to be updated in people’s minds and is keen to write a book on the subject. It goes without saying that practice, practice and more practice is the key. Tricks need to be perfected if the performance is going to be any good. “These days I practice about five hours a week but when I started I’d spend more time. For the first few years I would try my card tricks out on family and friends first and it wasn’t until I’d been doing that for four years that I went on to perform to larger crowds. I wanted to be sure I was ready.” Most children are interested in magic at a very young age but Jamie took a keener interest and started to read about it. “I was 11 or 12 years old and would go to the library and pop into bookshops to find out all I could on the subject. The internet was not in full flow then but I’d watch TV and became really inspired. I went to Granada to see David Copperfield and that was it. Then there was Paul Daniels who’s also great and Juan Tamaritz who has become a great friend and is very well respected.” There’s a lot of psychology involved in magic and Jamie says Juan Tamaritz uses it to get your guard down. “Yes, he’ll make you laugh and catch you unawares. He uses it a lot and before you know it he’s got you going.” Jamie has spent a lot of time studying professionals and has great admiration for those who invent the illusions. “There are magicians’ magicians that I talk about. There are great teachers like, Jeff Macbride, Lance Burton and others I admire like, Gregory Wilson.” Jamie, who has participated in Commonwealth Games swimming competitions in Melbourne (twice), reached the semi finals in Manchester and holds national records in swimming, is also a pianist and is always on the go thinking about new ways of presenting magic

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

talent to a public. “I’ve been thinking about combining the magic act with piano playing and in that way bring something fresh and different to the performance,” he says. Although Jamie is in fulltime IT work, his bosses are very supportive and allow him to take time off when he needs it. It’s therefore not unusual to find Jamie working up the Costa del Sol or Costa de la Luz at weddings, parties, corporate functions and more. Well placed agents see to it that plenty of work comes his way. Locally, it’s pretty much the same but because many of the events Jamie plays at are children’s parties, it may be felt he should perform for the love of it. “Well, it’s like performing at charitable events which are sometimes plentiful here too, it’s expected of you to take part if asked and local performers are asked quite often. The fact of the matter is, in my case for example, magic is expensive and you need to buy the rights of the trick you’re performing, not to mention the equipment involved, so we must charge a fee.” Jamie says the ‘floating table trick’ can set you back £1,000 and other conjuring tricks are much more expensive. “It is an expensive business and unethical not to pay copyright fees, so you see, it’s not always easy to say ‘yes’ to every show. “Professionally the one I would like to tackle is making something large disappear like a helicopter for instance. That can set you back £50,000!” At the moment though Jamie’s act incorpo-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

rates close-up magic with cards, coins, notes, ropes or even pulling a string out of his eye! He’s had plenty professional experience in the field working for GALA, the gaming casinos, here and in the UK. “I’ve also worked in Dubai, Paris and Spain. All of those shows were for small groups and my first performance on stage, to a larger group, was in a magic show at John Mackintosh Hall a couple of months ago.” That’s where Jamie performed his excellent ‘shooting cards’ trick which very few magicians execute. “But the big business is in trade shows. That’s where the money is and the circuit I’d like to get into. I’m also keen to start teaching magic in schools — magic with a purpose — like integrating the message within the trick and discouraging things like bullying etc. Teach the skills and

“

Professionally the one I would like to tackle is making something large disappear like a helicopter for instance. That can set you back £50,000!

”

offer goodie bags to the school children.” There is a Gibraltar Magic Circle, formed after Jamie put an advert in the local press and fellow magician-cum-illusionist Levi Attias met with him. Lately however, the ‘circle’ is less tight and is going through a dormant phase of sorts that may need a little magic of its own to revive! It was felt any performances taken on by members of the circle would have to include all members or none at all. On the face of it, that seems unreasonable but there is a desire to get the Circle back on its feet again, so differences should be sorted out soon. Jamie Zammitt is a true ‘magical enthusiast’, and believes in doing things the right way — the professional way. Never wanting to miss an opportunity to put in a little practice, he tried a tick on me. He asked for my last £5 note and I wondered where it would end up or if I’d have to borrow 50p to get some Sellotape to rebuild my fiver, which he’d probably rip to pieces! Yes, we went through the usual ritual, he had me blow nervously into his hand and he too blew into his hand and Wow! To my great surprise he produced a £20 note out of my very creased fiver. Lucky me! I was amazed and truly bowled over, but not for long... The trick was only completed when the lower denomination note was returned. He gave me back my fiver and I had to be content with that. I was nevertheless impressed by this magician’s power of deception… It was, after all, just magic! n Visit www.jamiezammitt.com to see video of Jamie in action.

theatre

The cast of Holiday Snap which will be staged at Ince’s Hall from 25th - 27th May

Behind the Scenes

with Claudia Schiel

One of Gibraltar’s hard working team of theatrical entertainers, is GADA, and the association is currently rehearsing and putting together, one of their hilarious comedies. The dedication and energetic approach this group applies to all their plays, makes a guaranteed evening of enjoyment for their faithful audience. From 25th-27th May, nightly performances of Holiday Snap will be staged at the Ince’s Hall. Due to the auditorium’s limited number of seats, if you want to make sure you get a ticket buy it well in advance, so you don’t miss out on a very entertaining and funny play. Producer Howard Danino has once again chosen a script that includes mistaken identities and a hilarious selection of characters. The Michael Pertwee and John Chapman play, Holiday Snap,

comes to life in a timeshare villa in Portugal. The villa is mistakenly double booked, which undoubtedly gives rise to all kinds of unforeseen scenarios, as the manager is unaware of the mistake. The plot is entwined with the unsuspecting guests, who each mistake the others as the servants of the villa, a storyline which will ‘’serve’’ a great deal of humour. Confusion hangs in the air and the chaos it

A Breath of Spring... Having missed out in 2009 due to a last minute illness the Trafalgar Theatre Group are determined to have an entry into this year’s Royal Navy Theatre Association’s Drama Festival. This year they are performing A Breath of Spring written by Peter Coke. Set in London during the late 1950s the play is a comedy about a landlady, Dame Beatrice

creates will have the audience doubled in their seats with laughter. The cast is once again very well selected by Howard, and will not disappoint the audience. Familiar faces like Mario Prescott (Commander Chitto) and Trevor Norton (Sir Piers) — veterans to the stage, and powerful actors. Nadine Gonzalez (Mary) and Michelle Holland (Cilia) who are both becoming more and more charming and daring in their performances (if you saw

by Frankie Hatton

who houses a collection of ‘guests’, but the real head of the household is Lily, her maid. To repay Dame Beatrice for giving her a job despite her criminal past, Lily presents her with a mink cape filched from the flat next door. The Brigadier, one of the guests deploys his ‘troops’ (the rest of the guests) to return the fur. Indeed, the whole campaign is so invigorating that they are all determined to retain this excitement in their lives by forming a syndicate to steal furs and give their profits to Dame Beatrice’s favourite worthy causes.

The cast is made up of Dave Cunningham as the Brigadier, Lily played by Harriet Seed, Nan – Eleri Surrey, Bee – Margaret Seed, Alice – Isabella Valenzuela, Hattie – Noelle Hoth and the Police Inspector – Jason (Hegs) Hegarty. The play will be performed at Ince’s Theatre on Wednesday 21st, Thursday 22nd and Friday 23rd April. The Royal Navy Adjudicator will assess the play on the Friday. Break a leg, one and all. Tickets from the theatre box office or call 20050355 for more information.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

theatre

This group of actors will be giving their very best to have you rolling on the floor laughing Michelle in Bedfull of Foreigners I rest my case). Hannas Hannsch (Henry) and Steve Lawrance (Leslie) are also working hard and slipping into their roles with much ease. Dominique Martinez Lopez (Eve) and Janine Pons Busto (Catherine) complete the cast, and what a completion. Two performers that can only be looked forward to in a comedy like this. This group of actors will be giving their very best to have you rolling on the floor laughing. Don’t worry, Howard will get out his broom and sweep the floor before hand. If you missed GADA’s last play Bedfull of Foreigners. I strongly advise you not to miss this one, as it promises to be just as entertaining if not more so. So far both the Producer and the casts have never let the audience down. In the last few months Ince’s Hall has been host to a great variety of shows, with some of Gibraltar’s best performers putting together some excellent work. With so much talent in such a small place, Gibraltar should be proud. Continued support for our enthusiastic and hard working entertainers is essential. n For more details contact Howard on 200 42237 e-mail gibdrama@yahoo.co.uk

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

history file

Gibraltar hulk held clue to Titanic mystery by Reg Reynolds

The Iroquois, which may have been in the area when the Titanic sank 10th April, 1912

To the sailors aboard the ships in the harbour she was just, a bunker, a floating fuel tank. For two decades she bobbed sullenly at the Gibraltar quayside, a rusting hulk her engines permanently silenced. But the former Standard Oil tanker Iroquois had a more interesting history than most former merchantmen, including a possible answer to one of the mysteries surrounding the sinking of the Titanic. The Iroquois had once been the leader of a pair of ships in an experiment that was unique in modern maritime history. In an effort to economise Standard Oil decided to have two tankers connected by a tow line. The 10,000ton steamer Iroquois would tow the larger six-masted ‘barge’ Navahoe thus delivering double the amount of cargo for less cost. Nicknamed the ‘Horse and Cart’, Iroquois and Navahoe, proved a successful combination for many years hauling oil between European and American ports from the 1910s into the 1930s. Although normally pulled by the Iroquois the Navahoe was capable of sailing on her own. In his book Coolie Ships and Oil Sailers, Basil Lubbock writes of one such incident: “Once during a heavy westerly gale in 44 ½º N. 37º W., the Iroquois broke down, and the Navahoe, with fore, mizzen and spanker set, only just managed to clear the steamer with her, helm hard down. Both ships slipped ends of the hawser and it was not until 40 hours later

that the Navahoe was picked up again by her mate.” Lubbock also tells of the involvement of the Iroquois and Navahoe in the sinking of the Titanic. The Iroquois and Navahoe sailed from New York on the same day, 10th April, 1912, that the Titanic departed Southampton. The next day the Navahoe received a wireless that the German oil tanker Deutschland was in distress having run out of fuel trying to make her way through a massive ice field. Lubbock wrote: “The Iroquois and her charge immediately made all speed towards the spot and prepared hawsers in order to hang the Deutschland on behind the Navahoe. They sighted

her on Sunday the 14th but, they were just too late for a nice salvage job by about an hour, for when they came on the scene the Leyland liner Asian was just picking her up.” Shortly before midnight on the same day the Titanic was in the same ice field when she struck that infamous iceberg and began to sink. Lubbock continued: “Now it was the custom of the Navahoe’s operator to spend from 11.30pm to 2am at the wireless receiver, as that was the slack time for general messages and press telegrams, but on this passage the operator had had a row with the ‘Old Man’ and refused to do this news collecting, which he was

The Iroquois and Navahoe sailed from New York on the same day, 10th April, 1912, that the Titanic departed Southampton

accustomed to put on the cabin table in the morning in the shape of a newspaper.” The ‘Old Man’ was Captain Sidney Smith who, when mate of the Cutty Sark, beat a crewman to death. He spent eight years in prison for the murder but upon his release he re-took his ticket and certificates and over time worked his way up until he gained command of the Navahoe. The Titanic took nearly three hours to sink and Lubbock a veteran sailor and author of dozens of books about sailing and the sea believed (he died in 1944), that the Iroquois could have reached the Titanic in time to effect a rescue. “If the Titanic’s SOS* [see author ’s note] signal had been picked up by the ‘Horse and Cart’ the Iroquois could have cast off the Navahoe and by going her full speed, which was 17 knots, might possibly have been on scene ahead of the Carpathia. It is possible therefore, that a slight exhibition of bad temper between two men may have inadvertently cost a number of lives.” (Carpathia

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

history file was first on the scene and rescued 705 people.) And I believe, based on eyewitness testimony, that the Horse and Cart may have been a lot closer to the Titanic than first thought. Several of the Titanic crew working feverishly to release lifeboats swore under oath that they saw ship’s lights ‘passing’ in the distance. Descriptions of the ships and the lights varied but I believe the unusual configuration of the ‘Horse and Cart’ offers the explanation. When questioned during official hearings Joseph Boxhall, Titanic’s fourth officer stated: “…my attention until I left the ship was mostly taken up with firing off distress rockets and trying to signal a steamer that was almost ahead of us.” Another witness, Colonel Archibald Gracie told the hearing he and other passengers also saw the lights of a steamer. “I pointed toward the bow, and there were distinctly seen these lights… and that is what we all thought the light of some steamer.” Harold Lowe, the fifth officer, also thought he saw a steamer but he believed it was stationery. “As I was putting over the starboard emergency boat somebody mentioned something about a ship on the port bow. I glanced in that direction and saw a steamer… when I had got those boats together I still saw these lights in the same position.” Other survivors reported seeing variously a “schooner”, a “cod banker” and a “sailing vessel” and seeing “three or four masts definitely not two masts.” The night the Titanic sank the ocean was perfectly calm and

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the night sky clear so one would imagine that the various sightings were reasonably accurate. But because the versions varied from survivor to survivor the hearing declared the sightings must have been of the steamer Californian which was stopped nearby; her captain deeming it too dangerous to pass through the ice field in the dark. Senator William Alden Smith, head of the Titanic enquiry refused to consider that another ship or ships were involved and stated that the Californian must have been a great deal closer to the Titanic than the 17 to 19 miles her captain claimed. But it would seem likely to me that the real answer is the ‘Horse and Cart’. The two-masted steamer Iroquois pulling the sixmasted sailing ship Navahoe would explain why some survivors saw a steamer while others saw a sailing ship and it would explain why Lowe thought the ship he saw hadn’t moved. He could have seen the Iroquois first and then when he looked again saw the Navahoe. If the Iroquois and Navahoe had passed so close to the Titanic without doing anything to help the passengers escaping from the giant liner, I can’t imagine Captain Smith or any of his crew would ever admit to it. Who would with 1,517 lives on their conscience? The Iroquois and Navahoe continued to haul various combustibles into the 1930s before being separated with the Iroquois transformed into a bunker at Gibraltar and the Navahoe suffering the same fate in the West Indies. n * Author’s note: Actually CQD ‘All stations: distress’ was the call sign at the time.

It is possible therefore, that a slight exhibition of bad temper between two men may have inadvertently cost a number of lives

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The six masted Navahoe barge on tow by the Iroquois GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

People

Louis Ghio Pongilioni:

a man of

many facets Louis Ghio Pongilioni is a man of many parts — police officer, private detective, fitness fanatic, multi talented sportsman, Gibraltar’s ball room dancing champion 1961, Mr I.P.A. 1965, Mr Gibraltar 1965, Gibraltar director of the Gibraltar Group 1968-71, creator of the National Liberation Front and businessman. Louis is married to Lola Navarro and they have two daughters, one a banker, the other a personal secretary and two sons, one a priest specialising in Canon Law now working in the Vatican, the other living abroad. Louis spent much of his early life across the border and vividly remembers when his father rushed to take his family into the safety of Gibraltar at the start of the Spanish Civil War. Mr Ghio senior was a senior official in a Free Mason lodge in La Linea and was tipped off by a mason friend that the Franco forces were about to enter La Linea and kill all free masons. Alas the friend was not so fortunate and a few days later was shot dead. The Falange went to the Ghio house, shot open the door with a burst of machine gun fire, stole everything of value and the effects which could not be carried away were broken and thrown into the street. Shortly afterwards came the evacuation of the civilian population of Gibraltar and Louis, his mother and three sisters found themselves, along with many other Gibraltarians, evacuated to Casablanca and, following the capitulation by France, moved back to the Rock and then on to Crystal Palace in south east London. The Crystal Palace, a cast-iron and glass building, was built to house the Great Exhibition of 1851 originally in Hyde Park and after six months moved to Penge Common on top of Sydenham Hill. On 30th November 1936 the Palace was destroyed by fire leaving just the two water towers. The powers that be eventually realised the two towers were being used as a navi-

gational aid by the Germans whose pilots would drop bombs nearby. A decision was taken to move the Gibraltarians to Russell Square and demolish the two towers. After a few months the authorities decided the centre of London was equally dangerous for the evacuees and moved them to Ballymena in Northern Ireland. Surprisingly young Gibraltarian males did not find it difficult to obtain jobs in wartime London. All that was required was a visit to the local Labour Exchange and more often than not a job would be offered. As the Royal Air Force was suffering heavy casualties a scheme was introduced through the Labour Exchanges to encourage young men to volunteer to join the RAF after which they would be sent to Canada for six months training. This appealed to the 16 year old Louis who, having added two years to his age, duly volunteered. His patriotic action was to be thwarted by his father (by now a prominent member of the AACR) who went to London to sort out difficulties within the committee looking after the interests of the evacuees. When he found out Louis had volunteered and would shortly be departing for Canada leaving his mother and three sisters on their own, he forced him to withdraw from the scheme.

When at 16 he had volunteered to join the RAF and train for 6 months with the hope of becoming a fighter pilot who were much in demand because of heavy losses. Louis added two years on to his age.

Louis was told that in the absence of his father he was in charge of the family. Louis knew that if he did not comply his father would tell the Exchange he was under age. The man who allocated the jobs thought him a coward and refused to give him another job. He told him at the top of his voice that the only job for him was as a conscientious objector working in the Welsh coal mines as a Bevin boy. Eventually Louis moved to another Labour Exchange where he found employment. The Ghio family was among the first families to be repatriated to the Rock from Northern Ireland and so in 1944 Louis found himself called up for National Service in the second intake of the Gibraltar Defence Force. When he joined he had a fractured arm which was in plaster for most of the six months. In those days it needed more than a broken

The Falange went to the Ghio house, shot open the door with a burst of machine gun fire, stole everything of value and the effects which could not be carried away were broken and thrown into the street

limb to avoid serving with the colours. It did mean, however, he was unable to participate in most of the exercises and activities except to do drill. The fact he could not swing one arm did not excuse him from the countless hours of square bashing. He remembers coming under the influence of Captain Charlie Norton, Captain Pop Gareze, Lt Bob Peliza and Quartermaster Pepe Fabre; this quintet went on to introduce discipline and a code of conduct to huge numbers of Gibraltarians until National Service was eventually abolished. After National Service there was another dispute with his father who had secured him a job at his office in the Naval Stores Office in the Royal Naval Dockyard — at the time a highly prized job. It was Louis’s intention, however, to join the Gibraltar Police and his father’s wishes were disregarded— unheard of at the time on the Rock. He joined the Police where he enjoyed a distinguished 23 year career as a detective and from time to time was seconded to Special Branch. He studied at Scotland Yard and the Hendon Detective College. Occasionally the Services Police would call for his expertise

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people

by Mike Brufal to solve difficult crimes committed on MOD locations such as visiting Royal Naval ships. He served under many Commissioners of Police and has fond memories of Dudley Gowing, Arthur Abraham and Luke Hannon. In 1965 he was voted Mr International Police Association (IPA) and then won the first Mr Gibraltar competition, sponsored by the casino. He had always been a keep fit fanatic and trained almost every day after joining the police force. In his early days as a police officer on the beat he often had to intervene in street fights on and off duty (the latter to aid his uniformed colleagues). He was never a body builder in the accepted sense of using weights, a special diet and much use of the gym. He built up his strength by doing 500 press ups a day. On a few days a year he would increase this to 1000 press ups to raise money for charity. This gave him the fine physique that won the Mr Gibraltar competition. One of the judges, an American swimmer who had swum the English Channel twice, said how impressed he was by the strength of his legs. He asked how this was achieved and was amazed to be told no aids were used, it was all down to a regime of press ups and squats. After winning the Mr Gibraltar competition he met Michael Mifsud who some months later invited him to become the “Gibraltar Group” director on the Rock. This was an honorific position which involved considerable work in arranging the Gibraltar end of the highly successful Gibraltar Group charter flights. His main task was to sell the tickets for the Gibraltar leg and ensure the smooth running of the group’s activities such as organising dances and other social activities. At the time there was a virtual BEA monopoly of the air link with the UK so there was considerable opposition to charter flights. These were always oversubscribed but from time to time there were Gibraltarians who, having paid the £10 deposit, found themselves unable to settle the balance. Some of the stories were so heart rendering that Michael and Louis used to pay the balance themselves so the Gibraltarians were able to take the flight. Eventually the price monopoly was broken, fares came down dramatically, interest in the Gibraltar Group waned and by the early 1970s it was wound up. Louis is filled with praise for the work undertaken by Michael Mifsud in setting up the Gibraltar Group. The charter flights were his

Louis with his wife and son, Father Victor Ghio, at the Hilton Hotel in Rome

One morning he woke up and found an anonymous message had been slipped under his door. It told him to leave Nairobi immediately or he would be killed idea, he financed them with his money, he gave them the use of his Oxford Street office free of charge, took all the commercial risks involved in such a perilous commercial enterprise and ploughed back any profits into the Group. Michael’s prime aim was to enable the not so well off Gibraltarians in London and Gibraltar to fly to and from the Rock during the early years of the Franco blockade. Retiring from the Police Force in 1991 Louis joined the casino where he worked in reception, the gaming room and eventually was appointed a director. From time to time he would engage in some

Wedding day

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

private detective work for Mr Heymann, the casino’s chief executive. One such commission was to locate a husband who had left his wife for a young female and had disappeared without making any financial provision for her. The case had been handled without success by a well known English agency. Louis solved the case and the wife was given the correct whereabouts of her husband. The agency was so impressed that he was offered the position of being its man on the Costa del Sol. This he refused as he was working for the casino. Mr Heymann also sent him on secondment to a casino in Nairobi,

A pose by Louis Ghio during the Mr Gibraltar show in 1965 which he won to become the first Mr Gibraltar

Kenya and the brief was to try to sort out why money was being lost. He was there for three months and quickly became unpopular with the general manager and all the staff who were Koreans. He soon discovered they were all part of the Korean mafia hence the reduction in the casino’s profits. One morning he woke up and found an anonymous message had been slipped under his door. It told him to leave Nairobi immediately or he would be killed. The proprietor ordered him to leave on the next plane enabling him to return to Gibraltar intact. After his second retirement, this time from the casino, the late Pepe Holliday invited him to work for Sakata as sales manager for the Iberian Peninsula. This was accepted but after cogitation Louis executed a u-turn and refused the job. Pepe, never a businessman to take “no” for an answer, offered him instead the same position responsible for England working out of an office in Grand Buildings, Trafalgar Square, London. He accepted on condition he would only stay for a couple of months. Louis flirted briefly with politics. On one occasion he decided to press upon the Government the necessity to persuade the Ministry of Defence to release land and buildings which were superfluous to the requirements of the Services. The National Liberation Front was a one man pressure group. He used to sneak out at night and paint the letters NFL on any MOD building he thought should be handed over to Government. Use was made of the classified advertisement columns of the Gibraltar Chronicle by running a campaign for three months. No support was received from the Gibraltar Government; instead he was taken to court for defacing MOD property and fined £30. His campaign was eventually successful and today he is known as the de facto father of Queensway Quay. Today Louis maintains a close interest in everything that goes on in Gibraltar. He thinks that Gibraltar has been blessed with two exceptional Chief Ministers — Joe Bossano and Peter Caruana. In the past he supported an Andorra type solution to the Gibraltar problem. His favourite recollection of Peter Caruana is when Peter trounced Peter Hain during a television debate between the two politicians. His blood still boils whenever he thinks of Jack Straw and Peter Hain — never again will Gibraltar be subjected to such a political campaign devised by Tony Blair and Emyr Jones Parry. n

charity

by Sonia Golt

Guitar Virtuoso

William Gomez MBE (1939-2000)

Gibraltar’s guitar virtuoso William Gomez died from cancer in the year 2000 after a short illness A child prodigy, he began playing guitar at just nine years of age and took lessons every single day. His love for the guitar showed not only in technique but with the feeling and emotions that stirred everybody in the audience even as early as his first recital at the age of 12. By the 1960s he was rated in the top 5 in the world of classical guitar. William spent many months in Madrid studying with Narciso Yepes who said he had never seen anyone with the talent of this young boy from Gibraltar! Later William formed a group with other talented musicians locally called Vibrations and together they toured Britain and accompanied Michael Ball and Shirley Bassey performing in many well known venues in UK including the Royal Festival Hall in London, and they released two albums. As a music teacher in Gibraltar, William shared his talent and techniques with many of the younger generation. All this, plus his production work with the Miss Gibraltar pageants, helped to earn him an MBE for his services to music and the community (1990). William was married twice, and has two sons and daughter. Shortly before he died William composed an arrangement of the Ave Maria which has received much acclaim locally and abroad. n

William Gomez MBE

Robert Gomez and family on the first Walk for William in 2007

Robert Gomez:

I would walk 900 miles This month Robert Gomez will, for the second time since his brother William’s untimely death in 2000, walk in his memory in aid of charity. The challenge of the walk is bigger this time around though, not only because of the greater distance (1,500km) but also because Robert has not fully recovered from injuries sustained during a fall. “At the moment the contingency plan for the walk is that we will load my rucksack onto a buggy, which Ana Maria, my wife, will pull along. I haven’t told her yet!” he laughs. The actual walk starts in Gibraltar and covers the approximately 1,500km (over 900 miles) to Finisterre in north west Spain. “We will be starting our walk on 17th April and hope to reach Finisterre sometime in June, hopefully in time for my 65th birthday. We have set aside 70 days in which to complete this challenge which will entail walking an average of 13 miles a day.” Robert will raise funds for the Sam Beare Hospice in Weybridge which looks after terminally ill people and has a very good outreach programme where they help and advise patients and their families at home. “Due largely to the recession and a consequent drop in funding, the hospice needs our urgent support,” says Robert. In Gibraltar, Research into Childhood Cancer, which supports research at Great Ormond Street

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Hospital in London, is the chosen charity. “This was set up in 1989 by one of my best friends Anthony Sacarello and his wife Margaret, following the death of one of their sons, Philip, aged nine, from Neuroblastoma, a deadly form of childhood cancer. Sadly, Anthony passed away himself last year also from cancer, so our fund raising this year has added poignancy.” How did the idea of doing this walk first come about? “I was looking for some way to mark the 10th anniversary of William’s death, but not in a sad way. In 2007 I walked the whole of the Thames Path (some 213 miles) in his memory. This seemed to fire the imagination of the public not only in Gibraltar but also in the UK. I then thought maybe I could do another walk but this time make it a longer, more demanding one. “For a number of years my wife Ana Maria and I have been toying with the idea of walking along one of the pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostela. As we explored this a bit further we came to the conclusion we just had to start in Gibraltar, walk to Seville and from there take the Via de La Plata Pilgrim Way to Santiago. And then we thought ‘Why stop in Santiago — we might as well walk to Finisterre on the Galician

At the moment the contingency plan for the walk is that we will load my rucksack onto a buggy, which Ana Maria, my wife, will pull along. I haven’t told her yet!

”

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charity coast’. In the old days Finisterre was known as the end of the world. Once you’ve reached the end of the world what do you do? Well... you might just as well walk up a bit further to Muxía... and so it goes on!” Apart from raising funds for charities what else do you hope to achieve? “I wish I could say something profound like ‘I am hoping to find myself’. The truth is far simpler than that. I am 64. At the end of the walk I will be 65. Many people think that once you’ve reached 60 it’s downhill all the way. I aim to prove them wrong,” he explained. “Bar any major illness or injury, I believe that so long as you maintain a reasonable level of fitness there is not much you cannot do. Things may take you a bit longer, your bones may ache a bit more but if there’s a will there’s a way. “A few months ago I had the honour of meeting Frank Gardner, the BBC Security Correspondent. He was ambushed in Saudi Arabia and shot five times a few years ago, becoming paralyzed from the waist down. While other people would be bemoaning their fate, Frank has carried on with his life and it is a joy to see him reporting from the front line in Afghanistan, in his wheelchair! He is a living embodiment of my motto ‘if you can dream it you can live it’.” So is this what is helping you to do the walk after your recent injuries? “Well, for a start since I haven’t been shot five times I must go on! Earlier this year, I took a nasty fall and cracked a rib, tore some ligaments in my shoulder and damaged my left collar bone. A physiotherapist at the Weybridge Hospital, Claire den Hartog, has been ‘mending’ me and together with the help and advice I am receiving from my old friend and sports physio John Harris, I should be 100% again soon,” he says, adding that “Whenever I go to see Claire I have to go past the main entrance to the Weybridge Hospice, one of the charities that I am raising funds for in the UK and it puts everything into perspective for me.” How did you manage to persuade your wife, Ana Maria to walk with you? “Good question! Frankly, I don’t think she needed much persuading. She has been walking with me for a number of years now both in the UK, where she did most of the North Downs Way (153 miles) with me and also in various walks and other adventures in Chile, Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. When I suggested to her we could do this 900 mile walk together I guess that she just took it in her stride (no pun intended!). “Ana Maria has always been a great athlete and is generally fitter than me. Back in her 20s she represented Argentina at basketball. When we lived in Madrid she played at European Cup level for CREFF, one of the top Spanish basketball teams and so she has a good pedigree in sport. She then took up tennis which she played regularly until she broke a bone in her right hand in a bad car crash we both suffered in 2003. “I am hoping that walking together for such a long time won’t put too much of a strain on our marriage. The day before we set out on our walk we will be celebrating our 36th wedding anniversary! “Now, following my unfortunate fall, I think she feels she has to come and look after me and make sure I don’t get into any more mischief!

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

Robert on a visit to the hospice which will benefit from his walk which starts in Gibraltar this month

She did also, of course, walk with me some of the way on the last Walk for William in 2007, where she handled a lot of my logistical support.” Tell us a little bit about the Walk for William in 2007? “I learned a lot of lessons during that walk, the main one being that you have to pay a lot of attention to having the right equipment. Last time I just put on a pair of walking boots and off I went. I finally figured out the shoes were too tight and consequently I developed very bad blisters which almost put paid to my attempt to walk the Thames Path. “This time around we are much better prepared. We have gone to a lot of trouble researching the right equipment and making sure we limit its weight so we carry not more than 10% of our own body weight, the recommended maximum for a long distance walk. We have spent hours trying out things like socks, rucksacks, sleeping bags even down to what’s the best shampoo to use!” The 2007 walk raised £11,500 of which £6,500 was raised in Gibraltar for RICC. The walk also brought together family members, friends and even strangers in a quite moving way. “It was almost as if the whole of Gibraltar was

“

I learned a lot of lessons during that walk, the main one being that you have to pay a lot of attention to having the right equipment

”

either donating to the walk or following it on my blog or following the very regular updates by the local press and television. In the UK the press in Surrey reported it widely. “This time around we have the added attraction of William’s Ave Maria, as sung in the Christmas in Vienna concert by Elina Garanča under the baton of our very own Maestro Karel Mark Chichon. You can watch a video recording of this which I have posted on my blog. It is amazing to think at the time of this interview this video has already been seen by over 68,000 people on YouTube. Quite an achievement!” What do your children think of what you’re trying to achieve? “They think we’re mad, but they also believe it will be an amazing adventure for us. Although they may be too shy to say it, I think they’re also a little bit proud of us! I think if they were not tied to their jobs they would come and join us for the whole of our journey. As it is we are hoping they will come and walk with us even if only for a few days. Both James and Celine and their respective partners Kate and Alan have been very supportive as have the rest of our family and friends.” Is there anything you want to say to the people of Gibraltar? “William was very proud to be Gibraltarian, as I am. He felt very strongly that music forms an essential and vital part of the foundations of any society. I have been delighted to see the current Government seems to agree with this sentiment, ensuring Gibraltar enjoys annually a fair number of musical events. Long may it continue. If by doing this walk I can focus attention on William and his music and the important part music plays in our daily lives, then any pain Ana Maria and I endure during our long walk will have been worth it.” n To find out more about William, the walk, or to donate visit: www.justgiving.com/walkforwilliam2010

Wall Space

Take part in Ambrose’s art

by Elena Scialtiel

Genius beyond genres may be the tagline for Ambrose Avellano’s exhibition Nostalgia 1966-2010, which opens on 12th April at Casemates Galleries. 46

11 years after his last solo exhibition in Gibraltar, and a few after his commissioned portraits of Chief Ministers and Town Mayors, this true artiste is back with a personal exhibition straight from the heart, to give the Gibraltar public an overview of his half century long activity, and to showcase his innovative visual artwork. Contemporary art is not only about pictures hanging on a wall, he says, or bronze or marble sculptures on a plinth, and artists must be open to international currents and respond to them. And with the back-up of technology, fine arts can stretch or break the boundaries, to experiment and expand into multimedia, to express the creative mind in motion. Thus six short videos come into the picture — serious and humorous, political and social, to put across messages that ‘stills’ may not deliver as effectively. Although it shouldn’t be the attitude of the savvy gallery visitor (who will always take time to analyse and appreciate any artwork) paintings and sculptures are too often glanced at, and passed over without thorough inspection, when the first impression is not appealing enough. On the contrary, videos engage the art consumer in intellectual and emotional effort, because they make you curious to watch it until the end, even if the beginning doesn’t meet your expectations. Ambrose’s little directorial exploits include Tender Toes, Missing Touches and Bits and Pieces where actors perform thoughtprovoking storylines. Interactive to its purest, one artwork will be ‘built up’ by the visitors, and won’t exist if they don’t engage actively in the creative process from opening night to closing day. Ambrose will take photos of the final artefact and analyse the data collected while observing visitors interacting with, and contributing to, his challenge. He wants his artwork to be an extension of life, not something frozen in time and space which you stand before in awe or disinterest. Af-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

Wall Space ter all, artists don’t produce in isolation — their muses are real life and real people who are active participants before the work is done. Ambrose brings to Gibraltar something we’re not too familiar with— installations. It suffices to titillate your curiosity with the promise of viewing his immaculate Mary’s Wash Day. For those still loyal to traditional art, Ambrose is displaying a series of beautiful photographs and digital images — virtual painting, compositions made by computer only and then printed on glossy paper or canvas. Since he cannot destroy his babies at the end of a run, they are open editions, and this guarantees they are affordable for anyone wanting an Avellano in their collection. Exploring new visual art doesn’t mean Ambrose is snubbing brushes and palette: he just goes where his fancy takes him, and can paint an old armchair in oils as equally well as he can come up with the idea of setting up sweet-scented pot-pourri in the exhibition hall, to stimulate the visitors’ senses with attractive fragrances and disturbing music in contrast. Space isn’t merely the container, but part of the adventure any work of art is. With the main purpose of illustrating Ambrose’s rocketing career from the tender age of 15, Nostalgia features a lifetime of accomplish-

ments, from timid sketches to outrageously ‘there’ 3D stuff. Some work was unfortunately destroyed, but its memory is perpetuated in prints exhibited alongside salvaged portions from the large canvases he used to store rolled up, and their thick paint cracked when unrolled years later. However some significant details from these pictures remain unscathed, like for instance a child pointing his finger and the head of a dying horse. Ambrose isn’t the kind of artist who goes out to set his easel au grand air. He instead paints the pictures formed in his mind through emotions stirred by his experiences. This philosophy sublimates in the seascapes he describes as truly ‘his’, because they spring from his own imagination, while he leaves to photography the responsibility to capture them factually. So, why do we bother spending time and money on producing and appreciating art, when we have the technology to reproduce reality in a snapshot? Because objects fix the light on film dot by dot, while for art (and his artistic photography) the subjective input is paramount — that’s why we call it ‘subject matters’, with reference to the individual who can tell extraordinary beauty apart. n

Exploring new visual art doesn’t mean Ambrose is snubbing brushes and palette: he just goes where his fancy takes him

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

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GibCargo Ltd Unit 3 North Mole Industrial Park Tel: 200 70787 Email: tom@gibcargo.com

Eurolinx 21&22 Victoria House, 26 Main St Tel: 200 40240 Ibex Insurance The Tower, Marina Bay Tel: 200 44628

marine services

property services

TARIK

39-41 City Mill Lane, Gibraltar Tel: 200 78105 Fax: 200 42510

Full Bunkering & Yacht Refuelling Service Spain: 15/5a Virgen del Carmen Algeciras (Cadiz), Spain Tel/Fax: 34 56 630418 After Hrs: Gib 200 70982

• General Surfacing • Building • Building Renovations • Demolition • Painting & Decorating • Roadworks • Civil Engineering • Asphalt/Aggregate supplier • Comprehensive Plant Holding For prompt & competitively priced tenders contact AMCO P.O. Box 382 Tel: 200 40840 Fax: 200 40841

waste management Curtain Makers Home Interiors Fabrics Bedding Bring your own fabric or choose from our range The Fashion House Ltd 85 Governor’s Street. Tel: 200 52938 E-mail: thefashionhouse@gibtelecom.net Fax: 200 52988

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Gibraltar: Tel: (350) 200 72836 Fax: (350) 200 72861 Cables: TARIK GIB TLX: 2343 TRATAR

Environment and Waste Management Service E.W.M.S. Governor’s Cottage Europa Advance Road Gibraltar Tel: 200 44220 Fax: 200 44221 E-mail: ewmsgib@gibtelecom.net

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE •• APRIL 20102010 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MARCH

Wall Space

alternative portraits Portraits are possibly the best way to give a personal touch to any room and make it your own. You can go for the traditional or modern, commission a painting or photograph, or if you’re the creative type just DIY it. Most of us will have a digital camera and probably a hard drive or two brimming with photos and snaps we’ve taken over the years. Maybe it’s time for a spring clean and a browse through the family snaps to ﬁnd those little gems which will update our photo frames, or that can be blown up to ﬁll a blank space on the wall. If your snaps are just that and you can’t see them as a masterpiece on your wall, consider commissioning either a painting or photo session — there’s plenty of talent here in Gibraltar and artists and photographers will be more than willing to give you a hand to bring your ideas to life whilst offering advice on what is going to work best for what you are looking for. After eight years of baby photos, why not update them with recent shots of your child. Children are great for portraits, but don’t rule out looking through pictures of them doing sport or just messing around and playing. Or consider making a collage of how they’ve grown up using images of them at different ages showing how they’ve changed. Once you have your images, it’s just a question of how to display or hang them. Again, the choices are endless. Colour or black and white, canvas or foam board mounting is great for larger images, and if you really can’t decide, a digital photo-frame will keep those hundreds of images rotating for years to come. ■

Holly Byers Photographed by Leo Hayes

the traditional touch Even in a modern home, a traditional portrait will always add a touch of class. Oils, watercolour, pastel or acrylic are favourites, although pen and ink is also an interesting option. Again, local talent isn’t hard to find. This portrait of Tabitha Brufal is the first joint work by Peter Parody and Christian Hook, Gibraltar’s leading portraitists. Tabitha, in 1989, was elected the first female President of the Cambridge University Athletics Club. She was a member of the Cambridge University female quartet that broke the 4 x 100 metres hurdles record at Iffley Road, Oxford that same year: a record that still stands. ■

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

Peter Parody and Christian Hook at the unveiling of the portrait together with their parents

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nfluences I home interiors

cultural

The top interior designers do it all the time, so why shouldn’t you? We’re talking about taking snippets of ideas from different cultures and blending them together into the look you want for your home and it can be as subtle or exotic as you wish.

There’s a wealth of cultural influence in Gibraltar already, with Indian shops selling all types of fabrics, Moroccan leathers and ornaments easily on hand, and you can even find a touch of the deeper South African influence if you know where to look. Buddhas, lighting, cushions — you name it, there are ideas galore as you walk down Main Street and the side streets off town. Moroccan styles already have a wide mix of influence, from the Arab, Spanish, French and Moorish you’ll come across very colourful and striking ideas to bring your home to life. Moroccan colours are very much taken from the land they live and you’ll see many of the colours in Moroccan homes which are reflections of the wide range of spices available from the Kasbahs, whilst walls are usually earth colours with a rustic finish. Patterns are very much a part of Indian design, and you’ll find them reproduced throughout most of the range of products you can find. From carpets and fabrics through to intricate designs

When you’re looking for inspiration, don’t just stick to what has already been done, look at the culture as a whole and pick out colours, fabrics and accessories which fit into a more global picture

inlayed in wood or metal, you can easily create a magical feel with some subtle additions. Relaxed and informal is what you’re looking to achieve, with careful and clever use of fabrics to complement the overall look, and although it isn’t all created from the accessories, these can really help to give you the authentic look with ornate silvers, figurines and imagery all add to the overall concept. The two most obvious influences present in Gibraltar are the British colonial and southern European. That’s not to say just Spanish. Many of the older buildings and the old town skyline is reminiscent of a hillside town buried somewhere in Italy, and there’s much to be gleaned from the Portuguese influence too. Although with interiors, much of the decor may seem similar, there are plenty of subtle changes in colour and style, and a quick look at the different cultures opens the door to a thousand variations and ideas which can easily be mixed and matched. It’s all very well to go straigh to the shops in search of ideas, but the best designs also come from originality. This can be found within the culture itself. Remember the comment on Moroccan spices? When you’re looking for inspiration, don’t just stick to what has already been done, look at the culture as a whole and pick out colours, fabrics and accessories which fit into a more global picture. A look at the way people dress and what they wear, the wealth of architecture within each country, their food and indeed their habits can provide the core ideas around which to structure the design of your home.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

home interiors Sunken baths and low tables are significant in Moroccan and Arab culture, as are ornate arches which can complement a minimalist style to walls and floors. Arches are not just Arabic though, take a look at the typical Indian arch and the way their patterns blend easily with paisley designs — you’ll find there’s much here based around a simple elephant motif which shows how a simple idea can be used through different types of furniture and furnishings. Remember you are creating your own look and feel to your home, so you don’t need to feel restricted to any particular culture. Picking out elements from different countries which blend together can create a more than satisfying environment, not to mention the wealth of information you’ll pick up as you research the topics. Don’t be scared to experiment, but be careful not to go over the top. Collect cut-out images and spread them on a table, laying them alongside each other to see what effect colours and textures will have together. Once you’re satisfied, leave them for a day or so before looking again. If you’ve heavily researched, you will often find you are overloaded with ideas and taking a break from the exercise will help to bring everything back into focus. Your second look at your ideas will help to filter out any ideas which were good, but may interrupt the overall feel. You’ll want to live with this look, so make sure you’re happy to look at it every day. If you have any doubts, you might find taking your ideas to a specialist interior designer will help you to focus more clearly, and there are several here in Gibraltar who will be more than willing to help set you on the path to perfecting a cultural balance in your home. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

Gerard

Teuma

There’s a song from a well known musical that says “I’ve grown accustomed to your face,” and this is what happens to many television presenters, especially in Gibraltar, and although we may not know them personally we feel we do. Gerard Teuma is one such face, even though his work on television is part-time and he is dedicated to Radio Gibraltar, where his voice is so distinctive we have also grown accustomed to listening to it for the past 25 years! Gerard says he wasn’t very academic in his younger days, which resulted in him not doing that well at school. However, he had a single goal in life... to work in radio, and this encouraged him after he’d left school to focus on his studies and achieve the qualifications he needed for the job he wanted so much. “My family were very involved with Gibraltar’s biggest toy shop at the time, the Teuma Music Store on Main Street, and I remember how my dad, on specific occasions, wanted to take me there to choose a toy, but boy did I argue that I’d much rather go across the road to the Red House which sold microphones — much more appealing to me. By the time I was 16 or 17, I was always pottering around at the BFBS radio station. I practically lived there until I managed to be accepted as a freelance presenter on Radio Gibraltar to host the chart show on Sunday afternoons, cringingly called the GBC Fun Forty.” 25 years have gone by since then and Gerard has many precious moments from his long career in TV and radio but his most notable moments relate to his involvement in significant Gibraltar events such as anchoring broadcasts for several General Elections, the 2002 Referendum and Gibraltar’s first participation in European Elections in 2004. “Also, reporting from places I would have never dreamed of ever visiting, such as 10 Downing Street, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Chequers (the Prime Minister’s country residence), as well as meeting and interviewing a raft of celebrities and dignitaries over the years,” he adds. Those who stand out are Margaret Thatcher, former hostage Terry Waite, George Benson and Bob Geldof. “My involvement with the GBC Open Day, of which I am now a Trustee, has also been quite special to me. I was instrumental in reviving the flagging event back in 1988 and then encouraging its growth to become Gibraltar’s biggest annual fund-raiser, which has over the past 21 years raised around £2,000,000 for local charities. That is very precious to me.” Gerard’s first outing as a television presenter came in 1986, when together with Richard Cartwright, he co-presented a music-based youth magazine called Music Street. Shortly after that he became quiz master for the youth panel game, Brain Box, for three seasons. At around

just living on air

Radio or television? That was the question… but after reading this interview it becomes clear that the love of Gerard Teuma’s life is Radio Gibraltar.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

profile

interviewed by Sonia Golt the same time, he became an anchor presenter for Newswatch, or GBC News, as it was then, which gave him a taste for news, in which he later became heavily involved. “Change has mainly been due to a more professional approach... and the advancement of technology. There are better quality cameras and graphics nowadays compared to what was available in the mid ’80s, resulting in a much improved picture for the viewer. However, GBC’s very limited resources have prevented any major move forward in respect of television, which does its best with the human and technical resources at its disposal.” Over the years Gerard has progressed from young radio presenter to the General Manager at GBC (even if only temporarily and on a roster). His career began in 1984, when freelanced as a radio presenter at weekends and on the weekday late night shift. He was offered a full-time post in 1986, and became the host of the weekday Afternoon Show. In 1987 he was moved to the much sought after Breakfast Show, where he stayed as either presenter and/or news producer till 1996. By that time and after 12 years on the radio, he wanted to develop his career, and seized an opportunity to move into TV news as a Senior Broadcast Journalist. Gerard spent nine rewarding years there, and had many opportunities to meet people and visit places normally closed to the public. He describes it as a very stressful but rewarding job. Then, in 2005 Richard Cartwright retired as GBC’s Head of Radio and Gerard could not resist the opportunity to return to his first love, radio. “During the past five years, myself and the Radio Gibraltar team have made a huge effort in bringing the station up to the same standard as any worthwhile radio station in a major country. We have not shied away from making Radio Gibraltar sound a little younger; of introducing a very strict music policy; of ensuring that presenters have a professional approach in-keeping with their individual styles; and of increasing our interaction with listeners, who are now rewarded with big prizes through very frequent competitions.” And it’s all paid off, as the vast majority of the feedback they receive is positive. Apart from that, Gerard is very involved as a senior manager in the running of GBC as a whole, and as the post of General Manager has been vacant for the past two years, he also periodically acts as the Corporation’s head.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

The Government is currently reviewing local broadcasting, to determine what GBC should do to improve. “I am not privy to the contents of the Review Document that has already been prepared for the Chief Minister by a UK consultant, and everyone at Broadcasting House is very eager to learn what’s in store for the future,” Gerard explains. “I am convinced, however, that given the huge amount of competition in both the radio and television worlds, GBC’s key to survival is its localness.” He feels that, provided with the necessary resources, which are vital to any development, GBC television should focus heavily on entertaining the public with a Gibraltarian slant to its locally-produced shows, while continuing to produce reliable and impartial local news programmes. “Our programmes should also bear in mind the fact that a very big Gibraltarian community lives in the Campo area, so the daily lives of these people, who are also an integral part of our audience, should also be reflected.” He thinks there will always be a need to pad out the schedule with imported films and documentaries, but the focus should be predominantly local. And, regarding radio?

“

By the time I was 16 or 17, I was always pottering around at the BFBS radio station. I practically lived there until I managed to be accepted as a freelance presenter on Radio Gibraltar

”

“I think we have developed the station as far as possible already, and to offer a wider choice of programmes, what we really should aim for is a second radio channel, so we can provide a mainly music based entertainment channel on one, and a more informative approach on the other, which would also be the home for a greater variety of specialist music programmes. “We are already also providing a reasonable online service, but this has the potential to develop greatly. I believe the internet offers a huge opportunity for expansion... to become a fully-fledged broadcasting strand as much as radio or television is now.” Gerard, who has been married to Rosana for 22 years, says “She really is a pillar of strength in my life... I rely on her 100% for her advice and support in all of the decisions I have to take regarding my career and personal issues.” (Rosana is a successful businesswoman who, together with her brother and sister, runs Valmar Pharmacy and Valmar Clinic). They have three children – the eldest, Philip, is expected to graduate from the University of Nottingham this year with a degree in Pharmacy; Cecile, 19, is at Southampton Solent University reading Psychology and Criminology; and Julian, 9, “keeps us on our toes!”. Having such a busy job — there really is no such thing as 9 to 5 in broadcasting — as well as family commitments, leaves very little time for much else. But Gerard does have a keen interest in country music and presents Radio Gibraltar’s weekly country music show, My Country. Gerard’s involvement in his work means his hobby ends up being research for his show! And if he hadn’t been in broadcasting? What career would Gerard have chosen? “I would have probably drifted into the travel industry. I am particularly interested in cruise ships, and sometimes embarrassingly know some odd facts about them, or tell which one it is from miles away. It’s a growing industry, and I am glad Gibraltar has embraced cruising in the way it has, as I get to see many of the new ships on our doorstep, which is great.” And with that, Gerard sails away into the next decade with microphone in hand broadcasting to us all. n By the time we are at press the announcement of who will be appointed as the next GBC General Manager might have been made. Rumours say it could be Alan King, ex Sky News reader, even if only for a year... we shall see.

The Gibraltar: a perfect cross between an espresso and macchiato

San Francisco, home of Gibraltar coffee

quest for the perfect

Gibraltar We’re quite lucky in this part of the world with the variety of coffee shops which actually know how to make a decent coffee. I’m not the fussy type myself, but London airports really take the biscuit. I remember asking once for a double espresso in the departure lounge and the waiter asked me if I knew what one was. “Of course I do, I’ve just asked for one!” was my surprised reply. He reluctantly squirted a double ration of nearly hot water into what would have been a small, dishwater-quality black coffee and proceeded to charge me double money. It suddenly clicked — he had half-heartedly been trying to ask me if I knew how much it was

going to cost. And no, he didn’t have a clue what a double espresso was, or what it was worth either for that matter. So what does a man (or woman) have to do to get a decent coffee abroad? London, you might try the coffee shop in Baker Street Tube Station, but I was really surprised to hear that across the pond in San Francisco there’s a coffee which the Americans are really ranting about. It’s called the ‘Gibraltar’.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

gibraltar abroad The invention of this seemingly perfect coffee is credited to Steve Ford who did a few shifts at Cafe Grumpy, owned by Gibraltarian Caroline Bell, before moving on to Blue Bottle. The rumours spread and copycat Gibraltars were springing up all over the States. Even though Blue Bottle didn’t actually have it on their menu (it was already at press when the discovery was made), insiders knew what to ask for and the Gibraltar gathered a cult following as an insider’s drink. This all happened a couple of years ago, and if you believe everything you read, you may find it today on cafe menus (or not, just ask) in discerning locales across America and even in London — but probably not the airport departure lounge.

According to those in the know, there’s no real recipe, but there are some ritual rules to making the perfect Gibraltar. Much rests in the glass. 130ml heavy beveled ‘Gibraltar’ glass manufactured by Libbey seems to be the preferred, although some establishments are a little more generous with 170ml. It’s always a double with whole milk or soy, and it is never decaf or low fat. American Baristas describe it as a cross between an espresso and a macchiato or possibly a short Latte. If you’re going to the States, you’re bound to stop off for coffee somewhere along the road, and just for a touch of nostalgia, why not see if Gibraltar is on the menu. Oh, and if the barista at the departure lounge asks you if you know what it is — we’ll, up to you how you handle that one. n

you may find it today on cafe menus (or not, just ask) in discerning locales across America and even in London — but probably not the airport departure lounge

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

facts and tips The second most traded commodity on earth after oil, coffee has been exploited as a resource the world over for eleven centuries, and is currently the most widely consumed beverage in the world. Originally thought to have been discovered by Ethiopians who noticed the stimulating effect the coffee berries had on their goats who were eating them. It wasn’t until 1906, however that an Englishman living in Guatemala, invented instant coffee. Three years later he was able to put his products on the market. Coffee was introduced to the Americas around 1600, and one interesting recipe which crops up is Cowboy Coffee which was brewed in the wild west. Apparently coffee beans were put in a clean sock and dipped in a pot of water, brought to the boil over the camp fire and then poured into their tin mugs for consumption. But back to this century. Expresso does not exist, espresso is the correct term, and

cafes in Italy will shun you for using the former. Espresso Macchiato is what we know here as Cortado, a cup of espresso with just a dash of foamed milk. Espresso Latte is what is known locally as Manchado — steamed milk with a dash of coffee, the opposite. On a final note, if you’re leaving a tip, the expression actually dates back to the old London coffeehouses. Conspicuously placed brass boxes etched with the inscription, ‘To Insure Promptness’ encouraged customers to pay for efficient service. The resulting acronym, TIP, has since become a byword. n

update

Nimrod’s Last Visit A Nimrod MR2 from 42 (Reserve) Squadron, RAF Kinloss, made its final visit to the Rock in March prior to the 11 MR2 aircraft being taken out of service. The ‘Mighty Hunter’ has been an antisubmarine and maritime reconnaissance asset for the full 40 years of its life and, as Gibraltar was a key operating base throughout many of those years, it was felt inappropriate to retire the Nimrod without paying a final visit to the Rock. In addition to the Nimrod’s role as a surveillance and reconnaissance platform, an MR2 is always on 24/7 support to the Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre, which is also based at Kinloss. The aircraft routinely operated over the sea down to 200 feet. It can fly for around nine hours without the need to refuel.

The Rock Diamonds (left to right) back row – Emma Marshall, Gabriella Chipol, Olivia Morrice, Tim Turner, Dillon Erhardt, Tara O’Reilly, Caitlin Davidson: front row – Loretta Larner, Isabella Hill, Joanna Soiza, Kellyanne Davies, Bobbie Pope, Hannah Caras Altas

After many rehearsals, practice and hard work from all concerned the Rock Diamonds, 11 girls and one boy, along with coaches Jenni and Mike, travelled to Hertegenbos in Holland to take part in a synchronised ice skating competition in March. They did magnificently and looked radiant with their red and gold outfits. Six nations took part in this competition — Holland, France, Belgium, Great Britain, Russia and Gibraltar. Well done to all involved

Nimrods were invaluable during the Falklands conflict in 1982 and they have provided a continual presence in the Middle East since 2001. Until 2009, almost 60% of the aircraft’s tasks were conducted on operations and, due to the varied nature of these tasks, much of the crews’ year was spent at a high state of readiness. Although this will be the last visit to Gibraltar by the Nimrod MR2, its successor, Nimrod MRA4 is due to enter service in 2012 when perhaps a new ‘Mighty Hunter’ will be stalking the Strait again. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

fashion

54 City Mill Lane Tel/Fax: 200 45966 Email: sandra4stichdesign@yahoo.com

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shopping & gifts

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shopping & gifts

Wines · Spirits · Tobacconist Groceries · Indian Spices OPEN 7 DAYS · LATE HOURS 10 Bell Lane · Tel: 200 77337

Sacha’s DUTY FREE WINES, SPIRITS & TOBACCO open 7 days 79 Main Street

Archive editions of The Gibraltar Magazine now available online at www.thegibraltarmagazine.com visit us online

84 Irish Town Tel: 200 71238

hair & beauty

Renaissance

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Don House Arcade Tel: 20077311

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Tel: 200 73786

solid, silver dolphin charm £14

the silver shop horse barrack lane, gibraltar

GIBRALTAR 2010 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE • • MARCH APRIL 2010

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events

can you handle the booze? a guide for teenagers If you do decide to drink then here are some useful pieces of advice: Don’t let other people decide what you should drink. It’s your body – you make the decision. Don’t push anyone else into drinking. “Everyone drinks” just isn’t true. Don’t be stupid and take risks when you’ve had a drink. Who wants to be pregnant, involved in a road traffic accident or in a fight? Don’t drink to drown your sorrows – booze will only make you feel worse. Be aware of what you are drinking and the alcohol content. For every alcoholic drink alternate with a soft drink or glass of water – alcohol dehydrates you. Be aware that your body is smaller than adults and therefore is more sensitive to alcohol. You don’t need to get wasted to have a good time. Don’t drink and drive – be responsible and sensible – if you drink leave the car and get a taxi or walk.

You’re at a party, you’re nervous, will the girl or boy you fancy, feel the same about you? Will the boy or girl of your dreams think you are the armpit of the world or the best thing since sliced bread? You need to relax. What’s the answer? Have a drink? Well… maybe. Having a drink can make you feel more relaxed but it also makes you more likely to do stupid things. There is a difference between being at ease and drinking so much you take risks you’ll regret later or make a complete fool of yourself… Stop and think about it. The drink which you thought made you look and act really cool may have just pushed you into being a drooling mess; your alcohol-inspired dancing has just proved that you have no sense of rhythm or co-ordination; and being sick all over your best friend’s new coat has not made you the dancing queen or king of suave and sophistication, probably the most unpopular person on the globe. See what I’m saying? So what is proper and safe? Can you have a good time, a drink and not be the total fool? The answer is “Yes”. Read on and I will tell you about alcohol and how to stay cool at the same time, and how to help others respect your choices. Don’t forget that one choice might be not to have a drink at all — and that’s okay too. So how does alcohol affect your body? Let’s be brutally honest, alcohol affects all the parts of the body it comes into contact with, that is, your stomach, gut, brain and especially your liver. Your liver is the clean-up machine of your

body. It gets rid of the alcohol after it’s been around in your bloodstream. The liver gets rid of about 1 unit of alcohol every hour, which means that getting rid of a pint of beer could take two hours. Even if you drink alcohol fast, it still means that your liver can only remove it at a constant rate. That is why the only remedy for a hangover is time. The more booze in your bloodstream the more effect it has. Here life is tough for girls. You’re meant to have more body fat than blokes, alcohol can’t dissolve in fat, so for the same amount of booze you will be more affected. Women might feel the same effect as men after drinking a third less. So what’s a safe amount? For many years, the advice on sensible drinking has been for men to drink no more than 21 units, and women no more than 14 units, a week. It is now medically known that staying dry all week will not compensate for bingeing at weekends. For adults, the maximum is three units a day for women and four units for men. You should certainly drink less than this because your liver is still developing and you don’t want to damage it by carelessness. Remember these are maximum figures! Men consistently drinking four units a day and

Don’t forget that one choice might be not to have a drink at all – and that’s OK too GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

health

by Jason Easter, Health Promotion Officer women consistently drinking three units a day are still in danger of progressive health risk. What on earth are units? A small glass of wine (9% ABV) is equal to 1 unit. A 25 ml pub measure of spirit (40% ABV) is also 1 unit whilst half a pint of ordinary strength lager/beer/cider (3.5% ABV) is 1 unit too. ABV stands for the percentage of Alcohol By Volume. Obviously, in a bar you cannot guarantee the strength or volume of the drink. But by and large, barmen are not inclined to excessive generosity! However, drinks you pour yourself are bigger than pub measures, so keep that in mind. If you really want to know how much alcohol you are drinking you can work it out yourself. Look for the ABV % number on the bottle or can, multiply it by the number of litres you drink (250 cl = 0.25 litre). Easy! An example is: Cider at 7.5% in a 330ml bottle would work out at 7.5 x 330 = 2,475 divide by 1,000 and it’s about 2½ units: the same as a very large double whisky. Surprised? At a bar you will probably be given 9% wine and will get not more than 175ml (0.175 litres) in a glass. This is equal to (9 x 0.125) = 1.1 units. But in your own home, you may drink an 11% wine and pour yourself about 250ml in one glass. Check it out! This is equal to 2.75 units. For a woman, this is already close to the limit. Surprised again!

Most alcopops have 1.3 to 1.5 units in a bottle, so 3 bottles will exceed anyone’s limit. Some alcopops are even stronger. So what’s the right amount for you? There are no 100% hard facts because everyone reacts to alcohol in different ways. You should certainly try to stay within the recommended unit range per week and refrain from those Saturday night binges and getting drunk. Remember – you can’t save your units up for the weekend it doesn’t work like that. So what if you have too much? Many people who have too much to drink behave in a way that gets them into trouble. It could be a fight or trouble with the police, it could be unsafe sex, or they might make themselves ill and get into trouble with their parents. You will also not look your best if you have had too much booze – your breath with stink, your cheeks flushed and you’ll eyes will be blood shot. Not a pretty sight, is it? You need to take charge, and the best advice is not to drink alcohol; you don’t need alcohol to have a great time. If your friends call you a loser then (A) they are not good friends and (B) they are the losers! Use your common-sense and do what you think is best. n If you would like more information on the subject such as how to cut down or further advice, please check the Health Promotion Group website: www. health.gov.gi

Remember, you can’t save your units up for the weekend — it doesn’t work like that

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

teenage drinking

THE FACTS!

“My boyfriend won’t stop talking when he’s drunk. He says things like; ‘Don’t you love me any more?’ I don’t know what to say, I’m embarrassed. He doesn’t even understand a word I’m saying, he’s totally wasted, I don’t like seeing him like that.” Fact: When you drink so much alcohol, you are not only wasted at the time – you might be the day after too. Not a responsible thing to do especially if you have spmething important to do. Why? Because no matter how fast you drink, your body can only get rid of alcohol at a slow and constant rate. “Last night, a friend of mine drank a whole bottle of Tequila. He wasn’t very well afterwards. He drank it on the beach,his older brother bought it for him.” Fact: A large amount of people aged 15 and under in the UK are taken to hospital with alcohol poisoning each year. Many need intensive care and a few even die. “When girls get drunk they go all giggly and boys think that they have to beat someone up to be all macho. It’s more worrying that some people might have unprotected sex when they are drunk.” Fact: UK surveys reveal that 1 in 4 boys and 1 in 5 girls lose their virginity or have a one night stand they regret when drunk. Do you really want to risk pregnancy or catching something because you were too drunk to be careful? “When people go to parties they like to take the alcopops, you know, like hooch and the breezers, and cider, nothing much stronger than that.” Fact: Some ciders, alcopops and lagers have as much alcohol in a bottle or can as a double whisky. Don’t believe me? Well, a 330 ml bottle of 7.5% cider has more alcohol than a standard double whisky.

health

The Immune System: How It Works by Dr Shehzada Javied Malik, Consultant Paediatrician

claiming immunity The definition of the immune system, which comes from the Latin word immunis, meaning “exempt”, is “a body’s system (made up of many organs and cells) that protects the body from infection, disease and foreign substances by producing an immune response.” Scientists first began to examine the workings of the immune system (immunology) in the late 18th century when Edward Jenner introduced and studied the smallpox vaccine. However, evidence that our ancestors had some insight into the concept of immunity and disease can be traced back thousands of years, even as far back as early writings by primitive man. For instance the four thousand year old Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, which tells of the exploits of a Mesopotamian hero, refers to pestilence and disease, whilst more recent writings from the dynasties of ancient Egypt also talk of disease. The old Testament is likewise filled with references to pestilences that God wrought upon those who “crossed” him. Salute the Troops The immune system is like an army on the front lines against disease. Our immune system consists of proteins, special cells and tissues and protects us from germs that cause illness. Through the series of events called the immune response, these special cells and proteins react to microorganisms attacking the body, warding off infection. The immune system is constantly working to keep our bodies free from disease. Despite these barriers some pathogenic microbes still gain access to tissues within the body. Thankfully, if this happens, there are other innate defenders waiting to welcome them. These include systems that can chemically recognise

Like we depend on oxygen to live and breathe; we need a strong immune system to ensure we can sustain that life and protect it from microbiological invasion.

microbes as foreign and either kill them directly or label them for subsequent elimination by specialised cells such as phagocytes, neutrophils or natural killer cells. Start with the Freebies Everyone is born with basic immunities that we receive from our genes called innate immunities. This is why we don’t share certain disease with animals like distemper. We also get protection from our skin and mucus membranes, like the ones in our nasal passages that attack germs before they get inside our bodies. The immune system can defend against infections arising from the environment, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites, as well as disease from internal sources such as tumours and cancers. When your body encounters a germ, its ﬁrst line of defense is the immune system which recognises and responds to foreign invaders. The immune system has its own circulatory system, called the lymphatic system’ as well as many specialised organs and cells, including white blood cells, which work as a team

The immune system is like an army on the front lines against disease. Our immune system consists of proteins, special cells and tissues and protects us from germs that cause illness

to keep you healthy. Although innate immunity is highly effective in its infection-preventing role, some pathogens have evolved mechanisms to circumvent these defences so the body has a second, more powerful, line of defence in place. This is adaptive (or acquired) immunity and it is unique to vertebrates. The system is antigen speciﬁc meaning it develops a long lasting immunity to a particular pathogen by producing tailor made antibodies and lymphocytes (T cells) that can recognise the invader. The immune system in children and the elderly The human body is particularly vulnerable to germs in the very young and very old. An infant is born with an innate immune system but has not yet developed an acquired immune system. Breast fed infants are better protected because they receive antibodies. A child’s immune system is not fully developed until the age of 14, making children very susceptible to infection and illness. Infants and small children are also less tolerant of C climate changes and at higher risk of colds and inﬂuenza. However, getting colds, coughs and sore throats often does not mean your child has a weak immune system. Viral infections are a result of the close contact children have with other infected children and the fact that their immune systems are still developing. The immune system response also decreases with age, which can leave the elderly more vulnerable to illnesses such as pneumonia. Cold climates; poor hygiene, poor nutrition and lack of exercise also worsen the immune system of elderly people. ■

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

health

Tips to boost your immune system... Specific lifestyle changes can reduce the risk of infection by strengthening the body’s immunity keeping immunity intact, especially during cold and flu seasons can be challenging. Exercise moderately Moderate exercise is best for boosting immune function, says National Library of Medicine and National institute of Health. Intense, vigorous exercise can actually increase the risk of getting infection from the effect of stress hormones a decreased circulation of white blood cells that fight bacteria.

inflammation in the body and hardens the walls of arteries as does smoking. Spice it up Turmeric contains the ingredient curcumin which helps the body ward off viral infections. n

Control anxiety Anxiety can leave us vulnerable to disease and illness. Exercise can help control Anxiety.

Did you know?

Sleep well Even moderate sleep disturbances can weaken the immune system. A good night’s sleep is necessary to repair your body’s defences so you’re ready to fight infection.

Vitamin A strengthens resistance to invaders crossing the skin and mucus membranes of the lungs and gut. It is also required to form germ-fighting cells such as lymphocytes. B-complex Vitamins are needed for cell growth. Vitamins C and E have anti-oxidant properties that help to enhance the immune system against viruses, especially in the elderly. Studies show that Vitamin E may also help to decrease flu symptoms and the duration of illness. Minerals are also necessary for all body processes including immunity. The mineral zinc plays a very important role in immunity. Foods rich in zinc include whole grains, bran, seafood, oysters and poultry.

Laugh Laughter strengthens immunity and decreases the chances of getting an infection. Laughter lowers stress levels in turn controlling anxiety. The long-term benefit of laughter for helping us fight infection comes from the release of neuropeptides that regulate immunity. Stimulate immune system with nutrition Eating a balanced diet that can provide the body with vitamins and minerals needed to keep

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

immunity strong and help fight infection. Too many carbohydrates and too much sugar in your diet spike blood glucose levels, stressing your immune system. Wash your hands Viruses and bacteria are commonly spread by touching. Regular hand washing is one of the most important infection control measures. Stop smoking Decrease unhealthy, fatty foods and stop smoking. Excess fat in your diet causes

health& fitness Bell Pharmacy

McTimoney Chiropractor

Your Family Chemists

Gentle holistic treatment for all back or muscular problems and sports injuries Gillian Schirmer MA, DC, MMCA Clinic (Claudia’s), 1st Floor, 58 Main Street Tel: 200 41733 or after hours: 200

Here to help you by answering all your pharmaceutical questions Consult us at 27 Bell Lane Tel: 200 77289 Fax: 200 42989

STEINER CHIROPRACTIC CLINICS

Chiropractic Health Clinic

Dr Carsten Rudolf Steiner BSc DC

Dr Steven J. Crump B.Sc, DC, MCC Open: Mon - Fri 9.30am - 6.30pm

Member of the British Chiropractic Association

Back to better health with Chiropractic for headaches, dizziness, neck and lower back pain, sciatica, osteoathritis and sports injuries. College Clinic, Regal Hse. Tel: 200 77777

health & medical directory CHEMISTS Bell Pharmacy 27 Bell Lane Tel: 200 77289 Fax: 200 42989

PASSANO OPTICIANS LTD

Louis’ Pharmacy Unit F12, International Commercial Centre, Casemates. Tel: 200 44797

British Registered Optometrists

Chiropodists

38 Main St Tel: 200 76544 Fax: 200 76541 Email: passano@sapphirenet.gi

John W Miles BSc (Podiatry), MChS College Clinic, Regal House Tel: 200 77777

ChiropraCtors Dr Steven J. Crump BSc, DC, MCC ICC F5C 1st Flr, Casemates. Tel: 200 44226 Gillian Schirmer MA, DC, MMCA McTimoney Chiropractor, Clinic (Claudia’s), 1st Flr, 58 Main St Tel: 200 41733 After hours: 200 40026

Treatment of Back Pain, Neck Pain, Headaches, Limb Pain & Sports Injuries Tel: 200 44226

Dr Carsten Rudolf Steiner BSc, DC Steiner Chiropractic Clinics, College Clinic, Regal Hse Tel: 200 77777

ICC Suite F5C 1st Floor, Casemates, Gibraltar Member of British Chiropractic Association

The Health Store

DentAL SURGEONS

5 City Mill Lane, Gibraltar. Tel: 20073765

Daniel N. Borge BDS MSc MFDS RCS(Eng) Borge Dental/Medical Centre 7-9 Cornwall’s Lane Tel: 200 75790

Suppliers of Glucosamine, Ginkgo Biloba and all vitamins. Body Building Products (Creatine etc)

Keith J Vinnicombe

Open: 9am - 1pm & 3pm - 6pm

BDS (Wales) LDS RCS (Eng) MFGDP (UK)

Unit F5B ICC, 2a Main Street Tel/Fax: 200 40747 Emergency: 200 78756

For all your Pharmaceutical needs

ORTHODONTISTS Dr Hasse Lundgaard DDS Borge Dental & Medical Centre 7-9 Cornwall’s Lane Tel/Fax: 200 75790

Louis’ Pharmacy Open: 9 - 7 Monday - Friday, Saturday 10 -1.30pm, Closed Sundays Unit F12, International Commercial Centre, Casemates. Tel: 200 44797

Physicians Dr Norbert V Borge FRCP (London) 7-9 Cornwall’s Lane Tel/Fax: 200 75790

JOHN W. MILES

Health Stores

BSc (Podiatry), M.Ch.S

The Health Store 5 City Mill Lane. Tel: 200 73765

STATE REGISTERED CHIROPODIST

Opticians / Optometrists

Treatment of all Foot Problems

Gache & Co Limited 266 Main Street. Tel: 200 75757

• Ingrown Toe-nails including Surgical Removal

L. M. Passano Optometrist 38 Main Street. Tel: 200 76544

• Biomechanical Analysis for Insoles / Orthotics including Children

PERSONAL TRAINERS

• Wart (Verruca) Clinic

Simon Coldwell Complete Fitness Unit G3, Eliott Hotel Tel: 200 51113

• Diabetics

Tel: 200 77777

College Clinic, Regal House, Queensway TEL: 54029587 FOR HOME VISITS

Need somebody to talk to?

7 days a week 6-10pm

Isabella Jimenez BSc (hons) 3/8 Turnbull’s Lane Tel: 54002226 email: jimenez.isabella@gmail.com

Primary Care Centre 2nd Flr International Commercial Centre Weekend & Public Holiday Opening Hours (use Irish Town entrance) Saturday: 9am - 11am, 5pm - 6pm Sunday & Public Holidays : 10am - 11am, 5pm - 6pm GP Clinics: 8am - 5.20pm

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SPECIALISTS Specialist Medical Centre Unit F7 ICC Casemates Square Tel: 200 49999 Fax: 200 49999 Email: info@smg.gi www.smg.gi

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

health

Calling All

“Bosom Buddies” The “Bosom Buddies” Fashion Show was created in 2006 by roping in a group of women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer to take to the catwalk. This year is their 5th Anniversary and they are hoping to have as many survivors on the catwalk as possible. The show will take place on 4th June at 9.30 at the Alameda Theatre. Relief, Research, and Support are three important factors for cancer patients, and the Bosom Buddies all help by participating in the show which donates all the proceeds to the three charities: Cancer Relief, Cancer Research and Breast Cancer Support Gibraltar.

58 Main Street, 1st Floor. Tel: 200 74040 All women who have suffered from Breast Cancer are invited to participate as the group believes everyone must be united in the cause. If you’re interested in taking part, the Bosom Buddies can be contacted on 56449000 or by email to songolt@

hotmail.com And for those of you who would like to attend the show, tickets will be on sale for £15 and £20 as from mid-April, at Heart’s Boutique and the Nature Shop. So book early to avoid disappointment and come along to support the cause. ■

GHA Nurses present new treatment at Conference Two of GHA’s senior and experienced nurses were invited to present a new leading edge treatment, which they have been using in St Bernard’s Hospital, at a Nursing Conference in La Linea last month. Sister Gizelle Tosso and Staff Nurse Luis Perez, from the GHA’s Critical Care Unit, presented a workshop at a chronic wound and pressure sore management conference, at the Palacio de Congresso. They described their experiences of using a vacuum assisted wound healing machine, called the “Vac Therapy Wound Manager”. The conference organisers were eager to hear about this machine which provides a simple but effective method of promoting wound healing by removing excess ﬂuid,

promoting blood ﬂow and reducing in the community. the amount of bacteria in patients’ Sister Tosso and Staff Nurse wounds. A portable version of the Perez have been very pleased with technology is also available for use the treatment results and are of the view that this machine has proven to be of great beneﬁt to patients. Minister for Health & Civil Protection, Yvette Del Agua said “The GHA is very proud that SR Tosso and SN Perez were asked to share their knowledge and expertise with colleagues in much larger organisations”. The conference was also attended by other nurses from the GHA. ■

Regular Clinics Claudia Schiel Health/Beauty Therapist Auriculo Medicine for Stop Smoking Dermatological Peels Non Surgical Lifting Specialising in all kinds of skin problems Holistic Therapies for various conditions - Reflexology - Medicinal Pedicures - Hair Extensions Gillian Schirmer MA DC UK McTimoney Chiropractor Gentle and Effective Chiropractic Treatment for all Muscular and Joint Pains, especially Sports Injuries, Pregnancy. Headaches, and Migraines. Suitable for all ages. Alison Prior Health/Beauty Therapist - Facials - Waxing - Massages - Slimming Treatments NEW! Skin Tag & Thread Vein Removal Hollywood & Brazilian Waxing Lymphatic Drainage Sports Injuries - Cervical Problems Collagen Implants Botox Injections - Sclerotherapy (Thread Vein Treatment) New Clinics FAKE BAKE NEW in Gibraltar - revolutionary fake tanning system Exclusive Agents Laser Clinic Permanent Hair Removal, Pigmentation and anti-aging Health / Weight Loss Unique personalised nutrition programme Ultra Sound NEW fat removing technique

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

puzzle page

SUDOKU Win a lunch for two at

by Alan Gravett 2

The Cannon Bar

14 15

25 26

Send completed suduko to: The Cannon Bar, 27 Cannon Lane, Gibraltar. One entry per person. Closing date: 23rd April 2010 Last month’s winner: Kay Eggleton, Cannon Lane

Across 1) Country of south east Africa, former Portuguese colony (10) 6) Competition involving answering questions (4) 10) It is used in making bread, pastry etc.(5) 11) Refuse to budge (5,4) 12) Guyanan river; type of brown sugar (8) 13) Spanish title for a female saint (5) 15) Second or subsequent edition of a book etc. (7) 17) Hair above the optical organ (7) 19) First name of Lady Hamilton’s lover (7) 21) Poland’s longest river (7) 22) Pith helmet (5) 24) On a slant (8) 27) Plucking with the fingers when playing the violin (9) 28) Nautical word meaning stop (5) 29) Thin; old British film director (4) 30) Go carefully (4,4,2)

Down 1) Annoy (4) 2) Person who tends animals (3,6) 3) Fictional detective; code system (5) 4) Moment (7) 5) Not knowing (7) One entry per person. Closing date: 23rd April 2010 7) Marriage; workers’ alliance (5) Winner notified in next issue 8) Native of Harare for example (10) of The Gibraltar Magazine. 9) Alternative name for Ulysses (8) Last month’s winner: 14) Of a typical specimen (10) Charles Fa 16) Brave (8) Royal Sovereign House 18) They help you reach your destination (5,4) 20) Japanese prefecture comprising hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands (7) LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS: Across: Bridesmaid, Balsa, Obliged, Imitate, Ditto, Anglos, Assisi, Dhoti, 21) 19’s flagship at Trafalgar (7) Borough, Gestapo, Third, Seismology. Down: Rolling, Diana, Stones, 23) Italian dish (5) Alludes, Digit, Admonished, Brigandage, Origami, Inuring, Abloom, 25) Mature insect (5) Oasis, Ratel 26) Printing term meaning “don’t change it” (4)

Send completed crossword to: The Clipper, Irish Town, Gibraltar.

FIRST PRIZE: Lunch for 2 at The Clipper

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

music scene

by Frankie Hatton

Gibraltar’s Zombies I’ve liked the music of Adrian Pisarello for some time, so I felt fortunate to be able to catch up with him recently on my radio show and talk music, particularly his new project as The Return of the Punk Zombies. It has been a long old wait for his and the band’s latest offering, but the first album was released on 31st March 2010. The members of the band — Adrian Pisarello (lead vocals & electric guitar), Charlie Moore (drums & sound engineer for recording), Guy Palmer (bass guitar) and Nick Richardson (lead guitar) — have all experienced various roles in groups such as Area 52 and Melon Diesel and, of course, there’s been Adrian’s own career as both a solo artist, songwriter and member of the EC Band. I asked Adrian what he’d been up to over the past few years and the reason behind the band? “The Return of the Punk Zombies was a recording project that I and Charlie Moore decided to put together on 24th December 2004. In the middle of extreme partying and carol singing we managed to agree on putting our heads together to produce a Punk, Heavy, Dirty Rock & Roll album to satisfy our own musical cravings. Surprisingly enough all of this was remembered the next day and the project went ahead,” he explains. “Having said that, both Charlie and I have other groups, projects and work so things did not actually materialised until much later. We won the Rock on the Rock’s Battle of the Bands on 9th September 2008 and since then we have been rehearsing and recruiting musicians for the band. “Although a relatively new band, many different musicians have played for the Zombies. We can now say we have finally found the right musicians for the band. It has been with this line up that we have played a number of exciting gigs locally and a brilliant gig on 30th January 2010 at the Scala Club, London, supporting Breed 77 and Ted Maul.” What about the album, I asked, can you tell me about it and the influences on it? “Most of the song writing (music and lyrics) has been done by myself except for a couple of songs where Charlie wrote the music and I the lyrics. We started to write the album in 2004/05 and you can find influences of such bands as the Clash, Sex Pistols, the Ramones, the Pogues, AC/DC, Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Sublime, The Dead Kennedys, Sham 69, SLF, Iggy Pop, Nirvana and a few more. “This is our first album under the banner

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

of The Return of the Punk Zombies though if you compare it to previous work done by the members of the band it’s quite different. Charlie has recorded practically every style there is but nothing like this. My last work was a sort of Flamenco/Latin Rock fusion. Guy having played with Area 52 and Melon Diesel brought that influence to the band and as if there wasn’t enough in the mix Nick used to play in Mystic Mountain, a local Reggae band. So it’s very different to anything we’ve done before.”

“

In the middle of extreme partying and carol singing we managed to agree on putting our heads together to produce a Punk, Heavy, Dirty Rock & Roll album

”

You have been off the scene for a while, so what plans do you have now the album is out? “It’s been about four years since Charlie and I released anything. Guy did one with Area 52 last year. At the moment we have no distribution deal or dealings with any record label, everything is being done by ourselves. We will sell the album locally and just take it from there. We gigged at Rock on the Rock on 31st March to mark the launch of our album which is entitled The Ultimate Love Collection (the title has nothing to do with the music found on the album). As for the future we plan to gig in Spain and UK when we can get it organised. “We are not trying to make it big in the business but we do want to express ourselves as musicians which you can only really do live on stage. We certainly hope people enjoy the album and if you want to buy it or talk to us about it feel free to contact us.” So keep an eye out for the Return of the Punk Zombies around Gibraltar this spring. n

That Nail Place

GACHE & CO LTD EST. 1830

Nail Extensions DIGITAL VIDEO CAMERA DIGITAL CAMERA - MOBILE PHONES - GPS - PDA ACCESSORIES

No. 4 Watergardens - Block 1, PO Box 882 Tel/Fax: +350 200 78600

Gel - Acrylic - Fibreglass

Airbrushing Nail Art Body Jewellery

Unit F22A 1st Floor, ICC. Tel: 200 73211

• Giftware • Jewellery • Sports Trophies • Awards & Engravers

266 Main St, Gibraltar Tel: 200 75757

Gibraltar Taxi Association

GUIDED ROCK TOURS 19 Waterport Wharf Main Office Tel: 20070052 Fax: 20076986 Radio service: 20070027

open12 noon till late Unit 2 B The Tower Marina BayTel: 46668

Sacha’s

DUTY FREE WINES, SPIRITS & TOBACCO open 7 days 79 Main Street

E7 C6

Artists’ Corner

Oil & Watercolours, hand-painted silks, decoupage, jewellery, prints & framing

Kiosk No. 2 5 Waterport Wharf Tel: 200 47587www.gibraltararts.com

THE TASTY BITE 59A Irish Town Tel: 200 78220 Fax: 200 74321

Quality Kitchen Ware Gibraltar’s Best Stocked Cook Shop K5

The Takeway with a difference. Homecooking . our speciality . Open Monday

M5 to Saturday

46 Irish Town Tel: 200 75188 Fax: 200 72653

the silver shop

for beautiful silver jewellery & gifts 2 locations in gibraltar 222 main street • horse barrack lane

BUDDIES pasta casa

Come and enjoy real Italian meals in Gibraltar’s leading pasta house

184 Main Street Tel: 200 72133 open: from 8am (10am on Sun)

15 Cannon Lane Tel: 200 40627 for reservations

Accountants Durante Carboni Jardim..............X3 ESV Hassan & Co........................ I4 Business/Financial Services AI Couriers (DHL)......................K3 Almanac......................................O2 Barclays...................................... M4 EFPG........................................... E0 GibraltarAssetManagement....... M5 Hassans............................................ Jyske Bank.................................. L4 Masbro Insurance........................N4 Norwich & Peterborough............Q5 Phoenix Solutions........................ J4 Sovereign Trust...........................N4 STM Fidecs.................................H7 Business Services Call Centre..................................V4 Global Business Centre................S3 Waste Management......................a6 Business Supplies Beacon Press...............................N6 Glasshouse..................................N5 Image Graphics...........................N3 Stitch Design................................P3

Motoring & Car Sales A. M. Capurro & Sons Ltd ........ N6 Computers & Cableing BSG...............................................I4 Image Graphics........................... N3 Newton Systems.........................M5 PC Clinic..................................... U3 Food & Drink Al Baraka.................................... X7 Amin’s The Office....................... K5 All Sports Bar ............................ N3 Birdie Cafe Restaurant................ D7 Brunos......................................... B3 The Boatyard................................Z6 Buddies Pasta Casa..................... Q4 Cafe Rojo.................................... K5 Café Solo..................................... G3 Casa Pepe.....................................Z6 El Patio........................................ H2 Final Whistle............................... N3 Fresh .......................................... G4 Garcia’s Take-Away.................... C1 Get Joost...............................H4, S4 Get Stuffed.................................. A3 House of Sacarello.......................L5 Just-a-Nibble.................................I4

Just Desserts...................................I4 Khans............................................C8 London Bar...................................R2 Lord Nelson................................. H2 Marrakesh Restaurant...................R3 Mumtaz........................................ N2 El Patio......................................... H2 Picadilly Gardens.......................... b4 Pickwicks Bar...............................R3 Pig and Whistle Bar..................... D7 Pusser’s Landing . ........................C5 Roy’s Cod Plaice.......................... H4 Royal Calpe.................................. Q5 Saccone & Speed...........................J4 Sai Darbar.................................... Q2 Smiths Fish and Chips................. V4 Solo Express................................ H4 Star Bar........................................ K5 The Three Roses.......................... Q2 Trafalgar Sports Bar.......................a3 Verdi Verdi................................... N3 Waterfront.................................... Y7 Funeral Services Codali Funeral Services............... U3 Hair & Beauty Salons Classic Cuts..................................M3

J4• Sandwiches • Soups • Baguettes/ Ciabatta • Desserts/ • Take-away • Deliveries Homemade Italian Ice-cream • Eat in (outside!) • Business Lunches Mon - Fri 10-6, Sat 10 - 4, Closed Sundays • Parties/ 24 Main St Tel: 20043840 Fax: 42390 Kids Parties

Irish Town Antiques

Extend-it Plus............................... N2 Joya’s Gents Hairdressers............ N2 Renaissance Beauty.......................J4 Roots.............................................T4 Short Cut........................................I6

McTimoney chiropractor.............L4 John Miles - Chiropodist..............K7 Specialist Medical Clinic.............. I4 Sport-On - Sports Therapy...........K3 Steiner Chiropractor.....................K7

Jewellery Sales/Repair Antonio Jewellers...........................J4 Beau Jangels.................................M4 Jewellery Repairs..........................L4 Matthew’s Jewellery......................I3

Pet Services / Supplies Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic..........H4

Leisure Complete Fitness.......................... R3 Dolphin Safari.............................. A3 Legal Services Budhrani Lawyers........................ K4 Charles Gomez............................. U4 Isolas.............................................E4 Triay & Triay............................... K5 Medical / Health Bell Pharmacy.............................. N3 Claudia’s Clinic............................ K4 Dr. Crump, Steven, Chiropractor I4 Health Food Store........................ O4 Louis Pharmacy........................... H4

Property Sales / Estate Agents BFA..............................................D3 Bray Property...............................B3 Property World.............................. I4 Solomon Levy . ...........................U3 General Services Anything Goes............................. P2 Art Gallery...................................R4 Balban (electrician)......................H2 Balloqui . ..................................... P4 LP Borge......................................X3 Denville Designs.........................M3 Fashion House Interiors............... P2 Greenarc.......................................X5 Larbi upholstery...........................R3 Queensway Quay Laundrette.......X7 Seekers.........................................L3 Space Interiors.............................. I3

Shopping — General Arcade Keys.................................J5 Carol’s Books...............................I4 Don House Arcade.......................J5 Flair............................................ N4 Gallery Mosaic...........................M5 Home Centre................................J4 Pure Lighting...............................I6 Terry’s........................................M5 Sakata.........................................M4 Shopping — Fashion/Clothing Esprit.......................................... D4 Aftershock.................................. D4 Recruitment Corporate Resources....................J4 ERS..............................................I4 Just Recruitment..........................L4 RecruitGibraltar......................... O6 Quad Consultancy...................... U3 Transport / Marine Services Autoelectrical............................. C7 Gib Cargo................................... B8 Shell Bunkering......................... H6 Tarik Oil..................................... C8

SMITH’S

U4 FISH & CHIPS HADDOCK W4 PLAICE • COD FRESH FRIED IN CRISPY BATTER

295 MAIN ST Tel: 200 74254

178 Main Street · Gibraltar · Telephone 200 48480

Queen’s Hotel Gibraltar

Irish Town Tel: 200 70411

• Excellent Prices • Centrally Located • Easy Access • Parking • Bar • Restaurant

Tel: (+350) 20074000 Fax: 20040030

pets&accessories Protect Your Dog Against Fatal Summer Diseases Heartworm, Leishmaniosis, Tickborne Diseases Phone Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic for details 200 77334 Emergency: 8977

www.medgolf.gi medgolf@gibraltar.gi Tel: 200 79575 Fax: 200 44307

hobbies&pastimes

GACHE & CO LTD HORTICULTURAL CONTRACTORS Tel: 200 43134 Fax: 200 50648 Convent Gardens, Convent Garden Ramp

photography

EST. 1830

leisure & tuition lessons&tuition

• Giftware • Jewellery • Sports Trophies • Awards & Engravers 266 Main St, Gibraltar Tel: 200 75757

travel&hotels

Queen’s Hotel Gibraltar Excellent Prices • Centrally Located • Easy Access • Parking • Bar • Restaurant

Tel: (+350) 20074000 Fax: 20040030

newsagents/books leisure&sport

Sun Daily Mail Star Express Mirror Available Daily on the Rock Every Morning from

L. SACARELLO 96 Main St Tel: 200 78723 Fax: 200 78723 Booksellers, Newsagents & Stationers

Gibraltar Connections by Reg Reynolds

60 riveting true stories of people and events connected to the world’s most famous Rock.

The Flowers of Gibraltar by Leslie Linares, Arthur Harper and John Cortes

Book on sale at Gibraltar Book Shops

68 68

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2009

events

What’s On This Month at Ocean Village. For info Tel: 200 40048 Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association display of classic car vehicles at the Boat Show, Ocean Village. For info Tel: 00 350 74657 Email: howard@ gibraltar.gi Saturday 10th April 25thAnniversary GibraltarAir Training Corps Parade at Casemates Square 11am. For info Tel: 20055083

Sunday 4th April Easter Sunday Fun Day at Ocean Village-Leisure Island. Bouncy castles, face painting, market stalls and more. 1pm Happy the Bunny will be along the promenade for hugs & picture opportunities. 2pm Decorate your boiled egg competition. 2.30pm Bring your own egg hunting basket to hunt for those eggs around Ocean Village. Gold eggs found are the winners. 3pm Fancy dress competition. For further information contact Lindsey Carter at Aftershock-Ocean Village or email: afershockgib@hotmail.com Wednesday 7th April The Environment Safety Group “Cop to Cap Challenge” (Travelling from Copenhagen to Cape Town). The ESG will be hosting the arrival of a completely green energy-powered car. The vehicle together with an exhibition will be on display on the day. Casemates Square 11am to 4pm. For further information Tel: 200 43156 Thursday 8th to Sunday 11th April Gibraltar International Boat Show

Tuesday 13th to Friday 16th April Santos Productions show “Disney Magic” at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre 7.30pm. Tickets: £10 from The Nature Shop, Casemates Square. For info Tel: 58008448

Grand Casemates Square, Mon to Fri 12-7pm / Sat 10-am-1pm. For info Tel: 20052126 Saturday 17th April Charity Walk - In aid of Cancer Research Walk to the Top of the Rock. £5.00 registration at Casemates Square. Start time: 11am. For info contact MH Bland, Cloister Building, Market Lane Tel: 20079478 Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society outing – Rio Genal woodland birds and flowers meet 8am at Spanish side of the frontier. For info contact Keith Bensusan Tel: 54001111 Email: kbensusan@ gonhs.org Gibraltar Botanic Garden Tour meet George Don Gates (at the south end of Grand Parade) 10.30am. No fee but donations welcome. For info Tel: 20072639 Email: alameda@wildlife. gib.gi Wednesday 21st April Gun Salute, HM The Queen’s Birthday at The Tower (Berth 41) 12noon. For info Tel: 20055083 Wednesday 21st to Saturday 24th April Trafalgar Theatre Group “Breath of Spring” at Ince’s Hall Theatre 7.30 pm. Tickets: £8.

Tuesday 13th April to Saturday 1st May Art Exhibition by Ambrose Avellano at Fine Arts Gallery, Units 13B & 14B

Parade, Craft & Collectors’ Fair 10am - 2pm.

Saturday 24th April Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society, The Upper Rock, Gibraltar Biodiversity (includes fortification & built heritage) meet Jews Gate 8am. For info John Balestrino Tel: 56099000 Email: jeb@gonhs.org St Andrew’s Church, Governor’s

Wednesday 28th & Thursday 29th April Gibraltar Horticultural Society Annual Flower Show Exhibition, John Mackintosh Hall, Wed 4-8pm/Thurs 10am-prize giving 6pm. Entrance free Thursday 29th April The Philharmonic Society - Sergey Krylow (violin) & The European Sinfonietta Orchestra programme Vivaldi Four Seasons at The Convent Ballroom 8pm. Tickets £20 available from the House of Sacarello, IrishTown; The Silver Shop, 275 Main Street. For info Tel: 20072134 Tuesday 11th May Gibraltar National Dance Organisation auditions to select Gibraltar National Dance Team 2010. Closing date 30th April

The Party Begins at 40...

Two birthday girls who celebrated their 40th birthdays recently were Tyrina Hernandez who got all her girl friends together for a fun night out at Latinos in Casemates Square (above) and Sunita Bautista whose girl friends all wore Indian outfits in her honour for a really fun event. Happy birthday to Tyrina and Sunita!

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • April 2010

history files

by Reg Reynolds

the Bright Man & a Gibraltar Cross John Bright was a tolerant man for the 19th Century but his remarks about a purchase made in Gibraltar would not go down well in these more enlightened times. On 28th August, 1835 he wrote in his diary: “Gibraltar, Bought a carpet bag for 131/, a scent bottle, and a cross made of the Rock stone. In the last purchase was considerably jewed. Entered the King’s Arms Hotel, where our party were, and had a very excellent dinner along with Captain Tudor: vermicelli soup, red mullet, mutton and beef steaks, etc. Afterwards went through the market place where I bought a straw hat for 2/6 and an abundance of grapes, etc. to bring aboard. Came on board at half past six, and immediately stripped and bathed out of the Crescent’s boat.” The Crescent was the ship on which Bright was sailing in a tour of the Mediterranean and the Near East. At the time he was a young man of 26 and yet to make his mark in the world but this ‘grand tour’ would provide him with valuable experience which would later serve him well when he was a Member of Parliament.

of their shrewdness in commercial matters. The Moors from Barbary are fine powerful men, and the countenances of the Spaniards convince one that they only require a good government and diminution of the number of their sleek priesthood to render them one of the finest nations in the world.” In his diary Bright also relates an interesting meeting with a ship’s captain who had once been captured by pirates: “There were many vessels in the Bay. The Smyrna, an English brig, a trader, was here (Capt. Cornish), and several others. Capt. Cornish was attacked by a pirate some years ago, his ship taken, himself and men forced below, everything valuable taken out of her, and then scuttled. The carpenter, however, contrived to get upon deck and opened a passage for the rest, and they happily escaped in the boat. The pirate was afterwards taken, and some five or six of the men hanged and gibbeted* at Gibraltar.” John Bright was born in Rochdale in 1811, the son (one of eleven children) of a wealthy cotton-mill owner. He was educated at Quaker schools in Lancashire and Yorkshire and in his late teens became a partner in his father’s business. He developed an interest in politics with a passionate commitment to political and religious equality. Following the grand tour which saw him visit Lisbon, Malta, Smyrna, Alexandria, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Rhodes, Cyprus and Marseilles, he returned to work at the family mill and became involved in politics. Through his speeches Bright attacked the privileged position of the landed aristocracy and argued that their selfishness was causing the working class a great deal of suffering. He appealed to the working class and the middle class to join together to fight for free trade and cheaper food. In 1843 Bright was elected to the House of Commons as the Liberal representative for Durham. In Parliament he campaigned for repeal of the Corn Laws (duties on cheaper imported grains) and for universal suffrage and secret ballots. When the Corn Laws were repealed Bright was lauded as a national hero. But when he vociferously opposed Britain’s entry into the Crimean War he was abused by the press and fell into disfavour with the majority of the public who supported the War. Bright was totally opposed to slavery and a supporter of Abraham Lincoln, but he was shocked when the American Civil War broke out and he argued against Britain sending troops to support the Northern Army. When the British fleet attacked Egypt in 1882 Bright, already opposed to Liberal foreign policy, resigned from the Cabinet. He remained an MP, however, until his death aged 77 on 27th March, 1889. That cross made of Gibraltar stone must be worth considerably more today. n

Bright’s overall impression of Gibraltar was favourable. “I am decidedly pleased with Gibraltar. As a town it combines the lightness and elegance of the continental with more than the cleanliness of English cities.” Although a peace-loving Quaker, Bright was a man of his times and so stereotypes did not escape his diary. Of the people of Gibraltar he wrote: “…whilst the strange mixture of its population, being composed of all countries, gives a liveliness and a novelty to the scene which is highly pleasing. The Jews are particularly *Gibbeted: hung for public viewing on an upright remarkable, and the sharpness of their features post with a crosspiece, forming a T-shaped agrees well with the idea generally entertained structure.

“The pirate was afterwards taken, and some five or six of the men hanged and gibbeted* at Gibraltar” GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

community

2010

Museum Lecture Series and 80th Anniversary

The Gibraltar Museum celebrates its 80th Anniversary this year. As part of its activities for the year, its lecture series will focus on: (a) events around 1930, the year the museum opened; (b) events during the past 80 years; and (c) talks based around the museum’s collections and its work. The inaugural lecture was given by Mr Richard Garcia on 15th March. All lectures are open to the public and are free of charge. The remaining programme is: 21st April Dr Jennifer Ballantine – The Calpe Hunt, the Governor and the Gibraltar Museum 11th May Dr Geraldine Finlayson – The way we Wear; Cloth, Clothes and the Red Cloak 16th June Dr Darren Fa – Collections and Connections 21st September Dr Sam Benady – Gibraltar: Medicine in the 1930s 28th September Dr Kim Brown – Historical Events represented in the Gibraltar Museum: the last 80 years 12th October Mr Dennis Beiso – From the Second Republic to Cordoba: 80 years of Relations between Gibraltar, Britain and Spain 9th November Mr Carl Viagas – Gibraltar’s Architecture: the last 80 years 7th December Prof. Clive Finlayson – The Heritage Crusades: have we got it horribly wrong?

St Andrew’s Church Craft & Collectors Fair Saturday 24th April 10am-2pm There will be a variety of stalls selling all sorts of things including hand-crafted items, antiques, jewellery, silver, ceramics, antique prints, stamps, coins, books, silk goods ad bric-a-brac. As usual there will a wide choice of delicious home-made refreshments available in the tea room. All profts to St Andrew’s Church Restoration Fund. ■

Where in the World

Well, our Gibraltar Magazines certainly seem to have been on their travels recently and have been spotted in some pretty far ﬂung places. The one above reached Port Elizabeth, South Africa (the South-East tip of the African continent) along with reader Mark Bridge, MD of Europa Trust Company Ltd. Thanks for sending that one in Mark... And left is a little girl from the AKIN school of English in Peraliya, Southern Province, Sri Lanka who is brushing up on her English with a bit of help from The Gibraltar Magazine. Sandy Leavy sent this one in as she has just arrived back in Gibraltar after a very successful and busy visit to the school. Thanks to the appeal AKIN put out last month they were able to also hand out seven laptops, one scanner and a printer. Well done to all who contributed. Keep those piccies coming folks... ■

Manufacturers & Suppliers of HIGH PRESSURE HOSES AND ACCESSORIES Visit us at 43 Harbours Deck, New Harbours, Gibraltar Call us on 200 50337 email: shop@jjhire.com or see our website: www.jjhire.com

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

community update

Gibraltar’s Marathon Men (& Women) As with most great ideas, the London Marathon probably started in a pub. The Dyset Arms near Richmond Park set the scene for two athletes, John Disley and Chris Brasher, back in 1978 as they talked about the New York Marathon with fellow runners who often popped in for a pint of bitter. Urged on by the enthusastic tales of other runners who had completed the marathon, the two decided to give it a go and entered the competition in 1979. On their return Brasher wrote an article for the Observer entitled The World’s Most Human Race, which told how over 11,000 people from 40 countries “laughed, cheered and suffered” along with over a million spectators. There was a UK marathon at the time, but held in the countryside where it was watched by few. The idea of a marathon in the capital came to fruition from a lunch held by Donald Trelford, editor of the Observer at the time. Brasher and Disley were invited to meet the different authorities needed to make the race happen. And happen it did. 1981 saw the first marathon through the centre of London, passing the major tourist sites which kept the tourist board happy. The carefully designed course which closed off 26 miles of London streets was approved by the police, and a fortutitious sponsorship from Gillette (who had just dropped their sponsorship of cricket’s Gillette Cup) put the show on the road with backing for at least the following three years. But the real growth of the London marathon has been in the money raised for charity. In fact, in 2008 the event broke its own Guinness record when a total of £46.7 million was raised for hundreds of charitable causes — that is just about £1.8 million per mile! From a local perspective, Gibraltar has seen runners regularly participating in the race, and 2010 is no different. Local runners who

will be cheered on by the crowds on 25th April include John Hunter of O’Reillys who will be raising money for MENCAP, Glendon Martinez of the Philatelic Bureau who will be running for Whizz Kids Charity whose aims are to assist children with sever mobility issues, Matthew Byrne for Multiple Sclerosis, Tommy Cornelio (Snr) is joining in to raise funds for Pre-Clampsia, Tommy Cornelio (Jnr) is participating for Multiple Sclerosis and John Wood of Ocean Village will be pacing himself for his chosen charity while Daniel Romero, Yaro Borge, Evelyn Phillips, Aaron Smith and Karl Moody — all of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment will be raising

Crowds and participants in last year’s London Marathon

money for St. John’s Ambulance. John’s as the charity is the Patron of Although they are running as indi- the Regiment. viduals rather than representing the The Gibraltar Magazine wishes Regiment, they have close ties to St them all success on the 25th! n

netting the championship The Gibraltar Under 17 Netball Squad came home recently holding the champions trophy of Netball Europe Division 2 which took place in Belfast in March.

Gibraltar’s Under 17 Netball Team in Belfast

It seems in the last few months Gibraltar has exceeded in bringing international awareness to what can be achieved by a relatively small community and the Netball Championship is another important feather in the cap. Congratulations must go to the whole team, captained by Janice Moreno: Lucia Zammitt, Amy Valverde Benatar, Zaynia Reyes, Holly Greig, Noelle Laguea, Maddie Cruz, Sophie Mansfield, Louise Rodriguez, Megan Martinez and Harriett Currie. “All the girls have shown great commitment to their training,” Moira Gomez, of the Gibraltar Netball Association told us. “And they have had to balance this with GCSE, AS and A2 studies. They are true ambassadors of Gibraltar and the association is really proud of this great achievement.” n

MO Productions festival of success The 8th Gibraltar Stage Dance Festival, organised by M.O. Productions was held last month at the John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. Over 220 dancers from Gibraltar, Italy and Spain took part at this year’s event. Nicola Dewar won the £500 bursary award, Joelle Davis won best female dancer whilst Michael Jouffray took the prize for best male dancer and Zuleika Green took the prize for best choreographer. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

social scene

Wine at 55 An Anglo Hispano wine tasting took place recently at Fifty-Five on Main Street. Over 21 wines were available for sampling.

top tasty treats at the London Bar

Pillie and Lorraine offer a warm welcome and some top class traditional pub dishes

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • April 2010

Pillie has been working hard to give the London Bar a much needed face-lift. The new open plan kitchen is now open and you can watch while the staff prepare your favourite pub lunches before your eyes in the re-styled family orientated restaurant and bar. Specialising in traditional pub grub with just a touch of local and

Mediterranean influence, the London Bar has been transformed into a cosy corner of Governor’s Parade and is perfect for a quick bite with the family or business lunch. So call in for a warm welcome by the friendly team and Pillie’s tasty dishes to curb your appetite. You can book in advance on 200 77172. n

recipes

by chef Scott Casey

so remember you can always add more but can’t take any out... To assemble remove the tuna from the fridge. Slice into nice thin medallions and fan out on a plate. Add a nice dollop of the hot pea puree and drizzle with the Indonesian soy sauce. A wonderful easy light lunch and very impressive flavour combination. Ketchup manis is a wonderful alternative to the salty soy sauces you usually get. It is salt reduced and sweetened soy which goes well with any kind of oriental dish you prepare. n

Beer and Polenta Battered John Dory Fillets with Chilli and Garlic Aioli

omething special

With spring now in full swing, Scott Casey has come up with some light fish dishes with a touch of spice, together with a dessert with a rather original flavour. These are three dishes you can’t go wrong with.

Spice rubbed Tuna loin, wasabi pea and mint puree, Indonesian soy dressing For the spice rub:

1 tbs black sesame seeds 1 tbs white sesame seeds 1 tbs ground coriander Half cup finely chopped fresh coriander

1 tbs ground cumin Zest of 1 lime Zest of 1 lemon 1 tsp ground ginger Half tsp smoked paprika Half tsp sea salt Half tsp ground black pepper

For the pea puree

500g frozen baby peas 2 tbs salted butter Sea salt (to taste) Ground white pepper (to taste) 1 tube wasabi (to taste) 3 tbs mint sauce 1 bottle of Indonesian soy sauce (ketchup manis) available from Carrefour 500g of the freshest tuna loin available, preferably darkest red in colour and sashimi export grade

Method In a bowl mix together all the spice rub ingredients. Once this is completed we want to chop the tuna loin into pieces preferably 2 centimetres thick and 8 centimetres in length. Roll the tuna in the spice mix gently squeezing the mixture into the tuna to give a nice even coating all over. Set aside and put a medium sized non stick pan on to heat. On a clean

bench roll out some cling film and repeat this until it is 3 layers thick. Add a nice splash of vegetable oil to the pan and heat just until it begins to smoke a wee bit. When you get to this stage remove pan from the heat. Add the tuna then return to heat. We want to sear the tuna on all sides for about 30 seconds. It will smoke a little but we want this as you are toasting the spices and rub mix to bring out all the flavours. Once you have seared the tuna on all spice covered sides remove and place on top of the cling film. While hot wrap this tightly so that all the lovely flavours can kind of steam whilst cooling. Put straight into fridge as it will continue to cook once wrapped. For the pea puree bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil. Once boiling add your baby peas (normal peas are ok but the baby ones seem to puree better). Cook for about 9 minutes from frozen then strain. Add straight to a food processer/ blender and crank it up. Add your cold salted butter, salt, pepper and the mint sauce. Check your seasoning to your desired level and start to add your wasabi paste to the desired heat you enjoy. BE CAREFUL as wasabi can be pretty full on

For the batter

1 bottle of beer (preferably Corona) Half cup of polenta Plain flour 1 tbs tumeric Half glass of white wine 2 nice size John Dory fillets (if you can’t get a hold of John Dory, any other white fish fillets will do the trick. Panga fillets come up awesome and are a cheaper option)

For the chilli and garlic aioli

8 tbs mayonnaise (Hellmans does the trick but if you like experimenting use a homemade mayonnaise) 1 tbs of garlic puree (more if you love garlic like me) 1 finely chopped de-seeded medium size red chilli 1 tsp Sambel Olek — Thai chilli paste (available from Ramsons in Watergardens) 1 litre vegetable oil or sunflower oil for frying Extra plain flour to coat the fish fillets

Method First we want to make the batter. In a bowl add the plain flour, polenta and turmeric. Make a well in the centre and add the white wine. Begin to whisk adding the beer slowly. We want a consistency of the batter coating the back of a spoon but if you like a thick batter just add less beer. For the aioli simply add all ingrediants to a bowl and mix together well adding more or less chilli and garlic to your desired taste. Add the vegetable oil to a pot and heat gently on the hob. We are looking for about 180-190º Celsius (if you don’t have a thermometer add a little of the batter to the oil and it should drop then float to the top pretty much straight away.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

recipes Coat the fish fillets in seasoned flour (flour with salt and pepper) lightly and add to the batter. Coat completely in batter and take across to the oil. Carefully lower half of the fillets into the oil, first moving back and foward for 10 seconds. This will stop the fish from sink-

ing to the bottom. Fry for approx 3 and a half minutes or until golden brown and floating to the top of the oil. Remove from oil and place on absorbent paper. Serve with a nice crisp garden salad or chips and a generous dollop of the mayo. n

Full HD sports coverage Rosewater scented pannacotta with ginger roasted rhubarb and burnt orange caramel For the pannacotta

750ml pouring cream (UHT is fine but preferably fresh) 250ml full cream milk 100g caster sugar 100ml rosewater (available from Ramsons) 1 sachet of powdered gelatine (35 grams) or 3.25 sheets

For the rhubarb

4 stalks rhubarb (the darker in colour the better) 1 cup caster sugar 1 jar stem ginger in syrup 50ml grenadine

For the caramel

500 ml orange juice 200g caster sugar 200 ml cold water

Method The day before you want to use: In a clean pot add the milk, cream, sugar and rosewater and bring to the boil on the hob. When this begins to boil add the gelatine whisking for 1 minute until the gelatine has dissolved completely. Remove from the stove and check your flavouring. It may need a little more sugar or maybe a little more rosewater depending on how sweet

toothed you are. Pour this mix into a measuring jug and pour into pannacotta moulds (available from BIA in Irish Town). Set in the fridge overnight. Trim the rhubarb, give it a wash and cut into 3cm chunks. Place in a roasting dish and toss in sugar and grenadine. Pour over all the stem ginger syrup and finely chop 4 pieces. Roast for approx 5 mins at 180º. It needs to be just tender to touch, so may take a little longer, just keep an eye on it. Immediately remove as it will continue to cook as it cools. Now add the sugar to a clean pot and water. Bring to the boil and rapid boil for approx 8-10 mins until it begins to caramelise and becomes a light brown colour. Carefully launch the orange juice into the caramel and whisk until the mix combines. Simmer until thick and the mix covers the back of a spoon. Set aside in the fridge until needed. To serve remove the pannacotta from the mould and place on a plate. Spoon some of the rhubarb beside and a little of the juice. Drizzle with the burnt orange caramel and dust with a good whack of icing sugar. n

Irish Breakfast from 7am (Sunday 9am) Soups

All soups are served with a

Freshly cut Sandwiches,

crusty roll. Rolls & Tortilla Wraps Leek & Potato Soup ......................£4.50 Pub Club Classic ..........................£4.75 Chef’s Soup of the Day ................£4.50 Irish Fillet Steak Roll ....................£5.50 Fish Chowder (Traditional Irish creamy fish Chicken Caesar Wrap ..................£6.20 soup) ................................................£4.50 Chicken Roll or Sandwich ............£4.75 Appetizers Tuna & Salad Roll or Sandwich (V)..£4.50 Irish Crispy Skins ..........................£4.90 Pizza Extra toppings - 50p Prawns Pil Pil ................................£5.25 Traditional Margherita ..................£7.00 Prawn Cocktail ..............................£5.25 Hawaiian ........................................£7.95 Nelson’s Nachos ............................£5.20 Three Cheese ................................£8.00 Molly’s Mussels..............................£6.20 Deluxe ............................................£8.00 O’Reilly’s Bruschetta ....................£4.25 Vegetarian ......................................£7.50 Spicy Chicken Wings ....................£4.95

Salads O’Reilly’s Salad ..............................£5.50 Classic Tuna, Prawn or Feta Cheese Salad ..............................................£7.00 Chicken Caesar Salad ..................£7.25 Cajun Chicken................................£7.25

Jackets A freshly baked jacket potato served with a salad garnish. Baked Beans & Irish Cheddar Cheese............................................£5.50 Chilli Con Carne & Irish Cheddar Cheese............................................£5.50 Tuna Mayonnaise ..........................£5.50 Prawn Mary Rose ..........................£6.25 Chicken, Bacon Bits & Mayo........£6.25 Bolognaise Sauce & Irish Cheddar Cheese............................................£5.50

Main Meals Beef & Guinness Ale Pie ..............£7.00 Chicken & Potato Pie ....................£6.95 Cottage Pie ....................................£7.50 Fish & Chips ..................................£7.00 Atlantic Salmon..............................£8.75 Molly’s Mussels..............................£7.50 Traditional Irish Breakfast ............£6.50 Kildare Chicken (Chef's Special) ..£8.50 Drunken Swine ..............................£9.00 Gaelic Sirloin 10 oz Steak ..........£12.50 Farmhouse Vegetable Bake..........£6.75 Prime Irish Fillet Steak ................£16.50 Crab Cake Dinner ..........................£8.50 Chilli Con Carne ............................£6.75 Spaghetti Bolognaise ....................£6.75 Bangers and champ ......................£6.75 Rock Burger ..................................£8.50 O’Reilly’s Burger ............................£7.50 Vegetarian Burger..........................£7.50

Boxty Dishes A homemade potato pancake cooked on the griddle and wrapped around a variety of delicious fillings. Boxty comes from the Gaelic word “bactasi” which refers to the traditional cooking of potatoes over an open fire, which still takes place in Ireland. Ploughman’s Boxty........................£6.75 Chicken & Coriander Boxty ..........£8.00

Homemade Desserts

Rustic Rhubarb Tart ......................£4.25 Apple Pie ........................................£4.25 Baileys Cheesecake ......................£4.25 Chocolate Brownies ......................£4.25

Ice Cream Sundaes Monkey in the Middle....................£4.75 Knicker Knocker Nelson ..............£4.75 Fudge Factor..................................£4.75 Sugar Daddy ..................................£4.75

Choose a Scoop Choose from coffee, banana, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, mint-choc-chip or Smartie ice cream. 1 scoop ..........................................£1.00 2 scoops ........................................£1.80 3 scoops ........................................£2.40 Milkshakes ....................................£3.00 (also available to take-away) Just choose your flavour, coffee, banana, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, mint-chocchip, or Smartie ice cream. Diabetic Ice Cream........................£2.10 Vanilla & Chocolate - 100% sugar free.

, Special Coffee s

Traditional Irish Coffee ................£3.75 Bushmills Coffee............................£3.75 Maria’s Coffee ................................£3.75 Nutty Irish Coffee ..........................£3.75 Keoke Coffee ................................£3.75 Calypso Coffee ..............................£3.75

Side Orders Homemade Chips ..........................£2.00 Homemade Chips with Cheese....£2.25 Garlic Bread ..................................£1.90 Garlic Bread with Cheese ............£2.15 Olives ..............................................£2.00 Champ (homemade mash made with potatoes, spring onion & chives) ......£3.00 Homemade & especially for under 12's

Kids Menu Chilli and Rice ................................£4.00 Fish and Chips ..............................£4.00 Sausage and Chips........................£4.00 Chicken Nuggets and Chips ........£4.00

Find out about all our entertainment, click onto

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

food & drink

Party Time at Cafe Solo

Pictured right (top and bottom) are Pie, Fiona and Nicola celebrating their birthdays in a joint celebration at Cafe Solo with all their girl friends, and below it’s Agnes who gathered her friends around her for a birthday treat at this popular restaurant which serves stylish Mediterranean cuisine on Casemates Square. Thanks to Max and Valonia of Cafe Solo for sending these pics in.

Günther’s German

by Chef Günther of the Carpenter’s Arms

grated apple cake

Delicious served hot with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream Ingredients 5 apples (Gala Royal are best) 4 eggs 250g margarine or butter 200g sugar 200g flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 packets vanilla sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon grated almonds ground cinnamon to decorate Beat the 4 eggs in a mixing bowl and add the baking powder, sugar, vanilla sugar and grated almonds. When fully mixed together, add the butter and flour and mix again before adding the lemon juice. After a quick stir, pour into a 40 by 35cm tray about 1cm deep and put to one side. Peel and grate the apples and arrange on top of the mixture evenly and shake a little cinamon on top to decorate.

Place in a hot oven at 180ºC for 35 minutes. Cool, cut into squares and serve with fresh cream, ice-cream or custard — bon apetit! If you don’t have the time or whim to make this for yourself, you can always call in at The Carpenter’s Arms, 297 Main Street and sample Gunther’s own fresh baked apple cake — he makes a new batch each day! n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

food & drink

13 Years of Mediterranean Cuisine — now in your office! Now in its 13th year, Casa Pepe first opened its doors on Queensway Quay on Valentine’s Day back in 1997.

Ya e rd M Lou ah ng ar e C aja as a Pe pe

on 14

W at

fro

The restaurant’s traditional Mediterranean dishes have always been a popular favourite with locals and visitors, and as a result, Pepe has recently diversified to offer ready made Mediterranean meals for offices and businesses. With an incredible choice of over 60 dishes and salads, the initiative is a great idea as the meals come pre-packed ready to just drop in to the microwave for an instant Casa Pepe special at your place of work or even at home. You can find out more by giving Pepe a call on 200 46967 or emailing him at casa.pepe.gib@gmail.com If you haven’t visited Casa Pepe yet, you’re missing a treat. You can view the restaurant online at http://gibtour.com/casapepe n

Queensway Quay Marina

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

recipes

ns reope il pr 11th A 2010

Idan Greenberg of Verdi Verdi

The very best at Verdi Verdi

“Our customers now expect something special; that’s what makes it fun — fun for them and fun me,” said Idan of Verdi Verdi

“Today it’s fresh mackerel, next week fresh tuna; but the variety applies equally to all the ingredients; I can buy whatever is the best that’s available in Gibraltar”, he added. If you haven’t been to Verdi Verdi, in Cornwall’s Lane, then it’s a worthwhile experience because of the food as well as the ambience and the superb Italian coffee which Idan considers his speciality; although it became clear to me that everything there is a speciality and that the customers loved it all. Idan was born and grew up in Israel until he was 10, then his family moved to Liverpool. He studied physics at Manchester University, including a year in Lyon, France; and after graduating with a masters’ degree he worked at Vodafone in Newbury, Berkshire, as a network engineer. So, I had to ask, how did he come to be in Gibraltar and running a popular coffee house with delightful snacks? I say ‘snacks’ though I heard one happy customer exclaim, “But this is a meal, not a snack!” Idan met his Gibraltarian wife Ruth at Manchester University, and eventually she wanted to return to her home and family, and Israeliraised Idan was also missing a sunny climate,

so that answers why he is here. And going into catering with such panache, rather than joining a computer or gaming company? He laughed (he is a very cheery person): “I didn’t choose catering, catering choose me!” then explained that his mother had always been a semi-professional cook, and his Egyptian grandmother is a very good cook (Idan still calls her up for advice on some Egyptian recipes). “Cooking has always been in the family,” he told me. “I started cooking for myself and then friends at university, and found I really loved doing it… and so it developed.” And the name Verdi Verdi? “My surname is

“

As well as the satisfaction of introducing my food and coffee concepts to appreciative local people, there is the added pleasure from getting to know several generations of families as each one recommends me to their relatives

”

Greenberg, which means ‘green mountain’, just as iceberg means ‘ice mountain’. That translates into ‘monteverde’ in Spanish, but we thought that might cause some confusion with the same local surname. But we liked the verde part, especially as spelt by the composer Verdi, then we found saying it twice had a nice rhythm: so Verdi Verdi it became.” Well, I did ask. Verdi Verdi opened here last August — or was unleashed here, as Idan put it — and immediately caught on with all sections of the local community; the food is all kosher but it shouldn’t be thought of as a kosher restaurant — if I hadn’t told you, you would never have noticed. It’s also vegetarian, or, more accurately, meat-free; but there are eggs, cheese and fish according to season. Scrambled eggs on toast doesn’t strike people as being a vegetarian dish, for example, and the way Idan prepares it makes it a dish to remember. The full menu can be seen at verdiverdi.com, which will give you the flavour of the food and the easily digested prices. There is a lot, but here are some indications of what’s available: the 9 to 11.30 breakfasts go from homemade muffins with a choice of fillings for £1.80 up

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

food & drink

by Brian McCann to a smoked salmon or mushroom omelette at £7.50 and £6.50 respectively; or you could go for a simple mushroom melt for £4.50 – grilled mushrooms and melted cheese in a freshly made crêpe; or the herby scrambled eggs, made with fresh herbs, served on toast and infused with olive oils and homemade tomato sauce for only £4.95. That’s the one the customer exclaimed out loud about. And then there is the coffee, Idan’s pride and joy, personally sourced from Naples, Italy, which is so good that people started asking him to package it so they could take it home — which he does, of course. It has also attracted interest from other caterers. “We take extra care in preparing the coffee so as to bring the customer a perfect cup every time,” Idan emphasised as he dashed back into the small but immaculately spotless kitchen to prepare a mix for some crêpes that had just been ordered. Coffee goes from £1 for a single espresso, to £1.20 for a regular americano, up to a luxurious latte macchiato with added caramel for £2.50. The hot chocolates are £2.00 and £2.50 and are made with real Swiss chocolate, not powder, whilst there is a wide choice of teas from £1.50. There are lots more in the way of scrumptious snacks, wraps, sandwiches, Middle Eastern hummus dishes and desserts; so much that you really need to visit the website or look in at Verdi Verdi and have a drink while you study the mouthwatering menu. According to one very satisfied customer, they also serve the best and lightest homemade pizzas she has ever tasted

— like every dish on the menu they are made from scratch using only fresh ingredients. The quality has also attracted corporate clients who can phone for sandwiches, snacks, lunch or even private evening bookings for entertaining clients. “As well as the satisfaction of introducing my food and coffee concepts to appreciative local people,” said Idan as I was leaving, “there is the added pleasure from getting to know several generations of families as each one recommends me to their relatives.”

Verdi Verdi is at 44 Cornwall’s Lane, opposite the Cornwall’s Centre; it’s where Simon’s restaurant used to be, although it has been so brightly modernised that it’s hard to believe it’s the same place. Idan mentioned that the changes had been designed by local architect Ruth Massias of WSRM Architects — the same Ruth that he had met at Manchester University. Open from 9am to 10pm, Monday to Friday, the phone number for takeaway orders or enquiries is 200 60733; email info@verdiverdi.com, and that website, once again, is www.verdiverdi.com.

Modern

Relaxed

Dining

Open: 10am - late Closed Sundays + Saturday lunch

Open for morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

Irish Town Tel: 200 51738 to reserve

wine column

Tasteful tasting Cranberry juice has the same colour as a light red wine. Take an empty bottle of red, fill it with cranberry juice and serve it to your guests as red wine on April Fool’s Day. This is not the most original piece of folly but it does confuse people and their reactions can be interesting. Does a (polite) guest in your house point out that your ‘wine’ is not the real thing? Does the guest drink it all up as fast as possible and suggest a new bottle should be opened? The etiquette of wine tasting and drinking has become more complicated than it need be. When playing a card game such as bridge or poker the essential point is to know what the cards are worth and whether or not you have a chance of winning with them. The etiquette that you should place them on your right, after shuffling them, serves a useful purpose in the context of the whole game (you can work out who the next dealer is) but is not central. My beloved mother once refused to speak to me for a week after I omitted to say: “Thank you, partner”, as she laid down her hand. Given that she had encouraged me to bid for a completely unmakeable six no trumps, I had no reason to thank her, but the breach of etiquette was, in her eyes, a far worse sin than her appalling bidding.

I recently had lunch with friends in a posh hotel. The sommelier came with the wine list and my friend entered into a long conversation with him about whether a particular white would be ready and whether a particular red might be a little past its sell-by date. This went on for some time and since I would be paying for half

Much rolling of the glass, sniffing and finally what I can only describe as considerable snorting and gurgling took place

of whatever was ordered I thought I might be consulted. But not so. A bottle of white arrived. A smidgeon was poured into my friend’s glass. Much rolling of the glass, sniffing and finally what I can only describe as considerable snorting and gurgling took place. It seemed to go on for a very long time — much as in the same way you go to a Wagner opera starting at 6.00 pm and after about three hours you look at your watch and discover it is only 6.15 pm. The bottle was eventually given a sort of qualified approval — it might ‘open up’. I was poured a glass and scrutinised closely as I tasted it. It seemed fine to me; nothing special but OK. Consultations then took place, with the sommelier hovering in the background, as to whether it would ‘open up’ or not. After further snorting and gurgling, it was generally agreed (by which I mean that I was told to agree) that the wine would remain ‘shut’, it would be taken away and a different one should be ordered. What a performance! Was the sommelier sniggering behind his sleeve at the pretentiousness of my friend? I could see no sign of it, but then we were in a posh hotel where the waiter is paid enough to ensure that the customer is always right. Did my friend know what he was talking about? He certainly thought he did (and was delighted when everyone agreed with him). But somewhere I had a nagging doubt that we were more concerned with the correct way of picking up tricks than with winning the game. Forgetting etiquette and April folly, how should one approach a bottle? Look, sniff, sip, roll briefly round the tongue, swallow and wait for the aftertaste. Rather like the Grecian Urn, which is a thing of beauty and a joy forever, that is all ye know and all ye need to know. Look. If it is the colour you ordered and not muddy in appearance then you have made a good start. Sniff. A wine glass is designed to give you the bouquet towards the top. Roll it around in the glass (not really required, but it looks good) and sniff from the top. There is no need to stick your nose half way down the glass and take a prolonged inhalation. As long as it gives off a whiff of fermented grapes you are still doing well. Sip and roll round the tongue. Taste buds are on top of the mouth as well as on the tongue so you need to get full value. Don’t snort and snuffle; give it a couple of whirls and then: Swallow. The moment of truth. The look may be fine, the sniff may have warned you that this is not a vintage claret, the roll may have told you that it has a certain tang… The swallow tells you what you have got. With luck it will not be vinegar or taste like mouldy bread. Aftertaste. This is the warm feeling in the throat and the remains of the swallow. Once again, avoid vinegar and mouldy bread. This whole process should not take longer than 20 seconds — and goes down to one second if you see that it is the wrong colour. The process does not require what may seem like hours of detailed discussion. If you have vinegar or mouldy bread then you should send it back. If it tastes like wine, even if not quite so blushful a Hippocrene as you were hoping for, then you have got what you ordered. If it tastes like cranberry juice, check whether it is 1st April. Trust your own taste buds and don’t make a performance of the ceremony of the tasting. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

Traditional Pub Serving Traditional Pub Fare, Bass Beers, Wines & Spirits

VISIT US AND STEP BACK IN HISTORY

Casemates Square Tel: 200 72987

Full menu served inside or on our terrace including British Fish & Chips, Jackets, Salads, Burritos, Homemade Pizzas, our special Fresh Local Mussels and much more. Visit us and buy yourself a souvenir, T-shirts, beer glasses, lighters etc Live music every evening, join our Jam Sessions on Wednesday or Sunday. GLMS Music Venue of the Year. Ofﬁcial Home to Gibraltar Rugby Club Free WiFi

restaurant bar guide &

• Pizza • Pasta • Salads • Fresh Juices • Cappuccino • Ice Creams

NOW OFFERING DAILY SPECIALS

10 Casemates www.lordnelson.gi Tel: 200 50009

turn to pages 82-85 for full restaurant and bar listings

Grand Casemates Sq Tel: 20044449

Get Stuffed!

Marina Bay Tel: 200 42006

57 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: 200 70652

184 Main Street Tel: 200 72133 open: from 8am (10am on Sun)

Take-Away, Sandwiches & Hot Food Different Special EveryDay salads, quiches, pastas, pies, mufﬁns, all home made Open 8am-6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat

Indian Cuisine to Eat In or Take Away Unit 1.0.02 Grnd Flr, Block 1 Eurotowers Tel: 200 73711

Wembley Bar

To advertise in this section call

200 77748

10 South Barrack Ramp. Tel: 200 78004

email: gibmag@gibraltar.gi

• Hot & cold bar snacks • Function room

Award winning breakfasts from 7.30am Great meals & snacks all day Evening Steak House menu Med Golf Clubhouse Tottenham Hotspur HQ Parliament Lane Tel: 200 75924

BUDDIES pasta casa

Come and enjoy real Italian meals in Gibraltar’s leading pasta house 15 Cannon Lane Tel: 200 40627 for reservations

now also in Casemates

Just A Nibble Licensed Cafeteria Let the ‘A’ Team serve you up a snack or a meal. Daily Specials • Varied Menu

Open from 9am First Floor ICC, Main Street THE PLACE TO MEET

Wines, Spirits, Tobacco, Beers & Soft Drinks Distributors Est. 1839

35 Devil’s Tower Road, Gibraltar. Telephone: (350) 200 74600 Telefax: (350) 200 77031 e-mail: mail@sacspeed.gi A Member of The Saccone & Speed (Gibraltar) Group of Companies GIBRALTAR 2010 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE •• JANUARY APRIL 2010

81 81

restaurants 14 on the Quay Unit 14, Queensway Quay. Tel: 200 43731 Open for lunch, afternoon tea, cocktails and dinner, 14 on the Quay offers a relaxed atmosphere inside and al fresco dining for every occasion. The international menu changes on a monthly basis to offer a wide variety of choice each time you visit and you can wind up your evening with a refreshing cocktail as you watch one of the marina’s spectacular sunsets. Open: 12 midday - late every day, Sundays 12 midday - 4pm Brunos The Boardwalk, Marina Bay. Tel: 216 25555 A modern marina-side restaurant which offers a selection of classical, contemporary and local dishes. Choose from a variety of starters such as baked goat’s cheese or smoked mackerel pâté before your main dish with choices of meat, fish or vegetarian options. Alternatively you can go for the favourites which include home-made burgers or pizzas through to steamed mussels or chicken Caesar salad to name a few. Bruno’s other offering is their tapas selection where you can choose any three dishes served with homemade crostini for just £6.50. If you have any special dietary requirements, just ask the staff and they’ll be happy to accommodate you wherever possible. Open: 10am until late (kitchen until 11pm) l Café Solo Grand Casemates Square. Tel: 200 44449 Modern Italian eatery set in the lively Casemates square. Everything from chicory and crispy pancetta salad with walnuts, pears and blue cheese dressing, or king prawn, mozzarella and mango salad to pastas(eg: linguine with serrano ham, king prawns and rocket; smoked salmon and crayfish ravioli with saffron and spinach cream) to salads (eg: Vesuvio spicy beef, cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers and red onions; and Romana chorizo, black pudding, egg and pancetta) and pizzas (eg: Quatto Stagioni topped with mozzarella, ham, chicken, pepperoni and mushroom) and specialities such as salmon fishcakes, beef medallions and duck. Good daily specials menu on blackboard. No smoking inside. Free WiFi. l Cafe Rojo 54 Irish Town. Tel: 200 51738 Sleek modern comfort in this relaxing little restaurant. Red comfy arm chairs in separate area for a relaxing drink or coffee. Brunch menu (10am-12pm) includes ciabatta, granary, foccacia sandwiches with fillings such as pear and blue cheese, smoked bacon and brie, cheese and honey roast ham, delicious desserts (chocolate mousse in a must). Lunch 12 - 3pm and dinner 7-10pm includes Roast Pumpkin, Mushroom, & Spinach Curry; Marinated Tuna Steak & Sesame Crust; Roasted Lamb Shoulder; pasta dishes such as Langoustine, Lime & Coconut; Pear, Walnut & Blue Cheese; and Creamy Mixed Seafood; and salads such as Warm Goats’ Cheese, Fresh Spinach & Chargrilled Aubergine; and Roast Duck, Chorizo & Pancetta Salad.

fillet of seabass, baked Dorada or host, Gary, suggests the prime Argentinean steak. Desserts include apple crumble or Wild Berry Eton Mess amongst others. Open: Monday to Friday 12 midday to 11pm, Saturdays 7pm to 11pm The Mexican Grill and Bar Unit 2B The Tower, Marina Bay Tel: 200 46668 The Mexican Grill and Bar serves all the favourite Mexican dishes from Nachos, Quesadillas and Chimichangas (rolled flour tortilla with spicy chicken, chilli beef or vegetables, deep fried, served with Mexican rice and salad and guacamole, salsa or sour cream), to Burritos (like Chimichangas but oven baked), El Gringos Chilli con Carne, or Cheese Holy Mole Enchiladas. Don’t forget Big Eat Homemade Burgers (5 to choose from) and from the grill barbecue Open: from 10am. Closed all day Sundays, and combos, steaks and chicken. Salads and sides Saturday lunch. to order. Decorated is warm Mexican colours with comfortable seating in the no-smoking, Casa Pepe air-conditioned interior or outside on the patio, 18 Queensway Quay Marina. great for a fun night out. Available for private Tel/Fax: 200 46967 bookings and children’s parties. Email: casa.pepe.gib@gmail.com Open: lunch and dinner 12 noon to late Situated right on the water front at Queensway Quay, Casa Pepe has a comprehensive a la carte Maharaja Indian Restaurants menu which includes dishes such as melon & Tuckey’s Lane. Tel: 200 75233 Serrano ham, stuffed piquillo peppers and filled Queensway Quay Marina. Tel: 200 50733 mushrooms to start, followed by a choice of sal- With two restaurants, one in the town centre and ads, rice and noodles and fish, poultry and meat another on the quayside of Queensway Quay, the dishes which include King Prawns Macarena Maharaja restaurants have been a well known (cooked with fresh ginger, tomatoes, mangos and name in Gibraltar for nearly 40 years. Whilst bananas served with basmati rice, fried bread each restaurant offers a slightly different menu, and bananas), Medallions of monkfish cooked you’ll find traditional Indian cooking in these with white wine and lobster sauce, duck breast recently refurbished restaurants with plenty of Armanac-style (with Cognac, mushrooms and choice to cater to your taste. The Maharaja offers pine nuts), Medallions of pork loin cooked with vegetarian, seafood and meat dishes throughout Serrano ham and dry Jerez sherry, and fillet steak its range of starters and main dishes, and don’t be Malagueña cooked in creamy garlic mushrooms scared to ask them to spice up the dishes just to and sweet sherry sauce topped with prawns. your liking. The extensive wine list covers reds, Wide range of tapas/raciones also available. roses, whites as well as cava and champagne for Open: Monday to Saturday 11am till late. that special night out. And if you’re planning a night in, you can use their take-away service. Nunos Italian Restaurant and Terrace Open: Maharaja Tuckey’s Lane: Monday 10amCaleta Hotel, Catalan Bay 4pm, Tues - Sun 10am-4pm & 7pm-midnight For a reservations Tel: 200 76501 Maharaja Queensway Quay: Tues - Sun 12-4pm E-mail reservations@caletahotel.gi & 7pm-Midnight Overlooking the Mediterranean from Catalan Bay, Nunos’ Spanish chef with Three Star Michel- Savannah Lounge lin experience offers a variety of Italian cuisine. 27 Heart Island, Ocean Village The restaurant has now moved from its location Tel: 200 66666 www.savanna.gi on the lower floors and can now be found at the Aimed at Gibraltar’s dining and night-life scene, reception level of the hotel. A quick peak at the Savannah has been created with fun and style in menu reveals the chef’s celebrated Salmorejo mind. Offering contemporary European cuisine is on the menu, as are his baby squid burgers a wide selection of drinks, cool decor and good (Insalata di Calamari). From the main dishes you music. The venue hosts regular events with can choose from a variety of fresh fish and meat invited DJs and shows from abroad. dishes. Or you could go for the house speciality Open: Sunday-Thurs midday-midnight, Friday of fresh, home-made pasta where you can choose and Saturday midday-5am. from a wide range of options. Open: Monday to Saturday 19.30 to 22.30 and lunchtimes for The Waterfront group bookings. Queensway Quay Marina Tel: 200 45666 The Waterfront is a very popular restaurant The Boat Yard Restaurant & Cocktail Bar located right on the quayside at Queensway Queensway Quay. Tel: 200 50540 Quay Marina. There are different areas for eatStylish chill-out lounge and restaurant on the ing and drinking, including the restaurant and quayside at Queensway Quay. Enjoy a pre-din- bar, a large covered terrace with chandeliers and ner drink or stay on a while after trying their an open quayside terrace. There is an extensive fresh selection from their daily menus which menu to cater for all tastes including meat, fish include slow roast rack of lamb, line caught and vegetarian dishes, along with salads and

l = full menus online at www.thegibraltarmagazine.com 82

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

oriental food. The specials menu is changed daily and includes starters of lobster and prawn cocktail, fresh soup which is made daily and served with crusty bread, or Alaskan crab salad. The specials menu also tempts you with dishes such as Coca Cola marinated lamb shank served with oven roasted garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes, and the ever popular in-house aged steaks that can be served with a variety of sauces, or fresh Dorada, sea bass and salmon. For those who enjoy the sweeter things in life there is proper homemade banoffee or apple pie, cheese cakes and strudels. Open: 7 days a week from 9am to late. The Water Margin 5 Ocean Village Promenade, Tel: 200 73668 Gibraltar’s premier Chinese restaurant serving freshly cooked traditional Chinese dishes in the beautiful Ocean Village marina. Check out the outstanding aromatic crispy duck, the special duck slow cooked with honey and chilli or the freshly caught seabass delicately steamed with ginger and spring onion, popular with families looking for a relaxing night dining. No microwave oven or flavour enhancer (MSG) used in this establishment. Home delivery service. Open: 7 days a week, evening from 6pm, lunch from 12:30pm

informaleating Amin's The Office 30 Parliament Lane. Tel: 200 40932 Sit down, informal and friendly restaurant. Amin is well known in Gibraltar for his Moroccan, Spanish and international cuisine. Open early for breakfast at 7am right through the day. Try the Moroccan soups, couscous, lamb tagines and kebabs. Open: 7.00am to midnight. Buddies Pasta Casa 15 Cannon Lane. Tel: 200 40627 Italian specials in pleasant ambience. Large selection of starters from garlic bread to calamari. Main courses include spinach caneloni, spaghetti alla carbonara, fusilli al salmone, and peppered steak to name a few. Tasty desserts and variety of wines. Open: Monday - Thursday 11am - 5pm, Friday 11am-3pm and 7pm-11pm, Sat 11am-4.30pm

Munchies Cafe 24 Main Street. Tel: 200 43840 Fax: 200 42390 A great sandwich bar/cafe offering an unusual range of sandwiches on white or granary bread, plus salads, baguettes, soups, desserts, homemade ice-cream and hot/cold drinks. Business lunches, parties and kids parties also catered for (for party and office platters phone or fax order by 5.30pm day before - minium orders for delivery £12). Open: Mon - Fri 8.30-7, Sat 9 - 4, Closed Sun. Picadilly Gardens Rosia Road. Tel: 200 75758 Relaxed bar restaurant with cosy garden terrace just across the road from the cable car. English breakfast, churros, tapas, hamburgers, fresh fish, prawns, squid, clams and a variety of meat dishes. Eat in or take away. Menu of the day only £6. Open: early to late. Just A Nibble 1st Flr ICC Tel: 200 78052 Full licensed cafe serving English breakfast, vast range of toasties, rolls, and snacks. Meals include, Bob’s famous chicken curry/chilli con carne, and a great new range of pies (from Bob’s chicken and leek to steak and kidney plus a whole range of tasty alternatives) plus all the old favourites; jacket spuds, burgers, hot dogs, fish and chips, and daily specials. Ideal meeting place. Open: Monday - Saturday from 9am. Just Desserts 1st Floor ICC. Tel: 200 48014 Bright and airy, recently redecorated cafe on the first floor of the ICC. All home-made food including daily specials, vegetarian options and desserts. Eat in or take-away. Try their daily roast with everything on or their all-day breakfast. Non-smoking restaurant with terrace smoking area. Friendly, cheerful and fully licensed with sensible prices. Open: 8am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

The London Bar & Bistro Governor’s Parade. Tel: 200 77172 A cosy traditional English-style pub with a family-orientated atmosphere serving traditional pub food with a touch of Mediterranean flair. Favourites include fillet steak, mixed grill, filled jackets, quiche and salads, not to mention the all-day breakfast all served from the open-plan kitchen where you can see the dishes as they are prepared. Reserve for business lunch, or call in for Get Joost the more informal Friday evening where from 5 to 248 Main Street & Casemates. 7pm Pillie serves a free tapa with every drink. Tel/Fax: 200 76699 Smoothies are vitamin packed super-food and Open: Monday - Friday 9am to midnight, increasingly popular for the health concious. Saturday-Sunday midday to 1am Get Joost makes delicious fresh fruit juices and smoothies made from natural ingredients. The Mumbai Curry House top five smoothies they sell are wild strawberry; Unit 1.0.02 Ground Floor, Block 1 breakie on the run; energy blast; raspberry ice; Eurotowers Tel: 200 73711 Home delivery: 50022/33 and tropical surrender. Open: 8-7 Mon -Friday, 10-7 Sat, 10-6 Sunday. Good Indian cuisine for eating in or taking away, from snacks such as samosas, bhajias, and pakoras to lamb, chicken and fish dishes with Get Stuffed sauces such as korma, tikka masala, bhuna, do Marina Bay. Tel: 200 42006 Take-away, sandwich bar and hot food. Serving piaza... in fact all you would expect from an all homemade sandwiches, salads, quiches, Indian cuisine take-away. Large vegetarian pasta, pies, muffins, plus hot and cold drinks selection. Halal food is available, as is outside and smoothies and a different special every day. catering for parties and meetings. Sunday specials include all Mumbai favourites such as Outside catering for corporate parties. Dosa and Choley Bhature. Open: 8am - 6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat. Open: 7 days a week 11am to 3pm, 6pm -late. GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRiL 2010

l Sacarello Coffee Co. 57 Irish Town. Tel: 200 70625 Converted coffee warehouse, ideal for coffee, homemade cakes/afternoon tea, plus menu including excellent salad bar, specials of the day and dishes such as lasagne, steak and mushroom Guinness pie, hot chicken salad, toasties, club sandwich and baked potatoes. Art exhibitions. Available for parties and functions in the evenings. Open: 9am-7.30pm Mon-Fri. 9am-3pm Sat Smith’s Fish & Chips 295 Main Street. Tel: 200 74254 Traditional British fish and chip shop with tables/seating available or take-away wrapped in newspaper. Menu: Cod, haddock or plaice in batter, Cornish pasties, mushy peas etc. Also curries, omlettes, burgers. Open: 8am-6pm Monday-Friday. Breakfast from 8. Located: Main Street opposite the Convent. Solo Express Ground Flr, International Commercial Centre Solo Express, located right next to Pizza Hut, serves a good variety of salads and baguettes (white, brown & ciabatta) filled with a wide deli selection of things such as roast chicken; smoked salmon & mascapone; ham, cheese and coleslaw; or hummous, avocado and roasted red pepper. The salads are fresh and tasty and include Greek, Waldorf, cous cous, tuna pasta, etc and are great value. Jacket potatoes, quiches, tea, coffee etc plus cakes (such as flapjacks and muffins) are also available throughout the day. Eat-in available. Soups in winter months. Free Wifi. The Tasty Bite 59a Irish Town. Tel: 200 78220 Fax: 200 74321 Tasty Bite has one of the biggest take-away menus around with home cooked meats, filled baguettes, burgers, chicken, kebabs and everything else you can think of! Open: Monday - Saturday. Verdi Verdi 44 Cornwall's Lane. Tel: 200 60733 Verdi Verdi offers morning and afternoon coffee as well as all home-made vegetarian and vegan dishes, fresh baked bread and desserts. A wide selection of sandwiches to eat in or take away. Open: Mon-Thurs 9-6pm, Fri 9-4pm, Sun 104pm

bars&pubs All’s Well Grand Casemates Square. Tel: 200 72987 Traditional pub in fashionable Casemates area. Named for the 18th century practice of locking the Gates to the city at night when the guard announced ‘All’s Well’ before handing the keys to the watch. All’s Well serves Bass beers, wine and spirits plus pub fare. English breakfast served all day, hot meals such as pork in mushroom sauce, sausage & mash, cod and chips and steak & ale pie are complemented by a range of salads and filled jacket potatoes. Large terrace. Karaoke every Monday and Wednesday until late. Free tapas on a Friday 7pm.

Savannah Lounge 27 Heart Island, Ocean Village Tel: 200 66666 Aimed at Gibraltar’s dining and night-life scene, Savannah has been created with fun and style in mind. Offering contemporary European cuisine a wide selection of drinks, cool decor and good music. The venue hosts regular events with invited DJs and shows from abroad. Open: SundayThurs midday-midnight, Friday and Saturday midday-5am.

Cannon Bar 27 Cannon Lane. Tel: 200 77288 Jane is still there and still packed out with tourists and regulars! Word has it that she nearly managed to escape, but wasn’t allowed to. The famous fish and chips, the odd French speciality, there’s always something happening in the Cannon! Located between Marks & Spencer and the Cathedral just off Main Street. Quiz night on Tuesdays, get there early as it is definitely the place to be on a normally quiet Gibraltar Tuesday.

bruschetta, Lordy’s potato skins, spicy chicken wings and calamares. Main courses cover a range from chilli con carne and chicken and mushroom pie, to crispy aromatic duck burrito and British fish and chips. Try one of the salads or Nelson’s platters. Jacket potatoes, burgers and children’s menu. Credit cards accepted. Live music Venue Trafalgar Sports Bar of the Year, with live music on stage every night. 1A Rosia Road Tel: 200 45370 Free Wifi. Open: from 10am till very late. Situated just past the south end of Main Street through Southport Gates, the Trafalgar Sports The Lounge Bar offers a traditional British pub environment Queensway Quay Marina Tel: 200 61118 enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Serving a hot Stylish bar right on the quayside with very reason- buffet Monday to Saturday and a roast carvery on ably priced drinks and light bites. Free WiFi, quiz- Sundays they also serve many other dishes such zes on Sundays (7.30pm) and a relaxed friendly as spare ribs, currys or lasagna. The establishment atmosphere. Great place to chill out. Open: 7 also has three large 62” screens where they cover days a week 1pm-late. all major sporting events. Open: 9am-1am Monday to Saturday, Sunday 9am-midnight O’Reilly’s Leisure Island, Ocean Village. Tel: 200 67888 The Three Owls Traditional Irish bar with full HD sports coverage Irish Town. Tel: 200 77446 and Irish breakfast from 7am (Sunday from 9am). The Three Owls is a traditional bar serving best Guinness on draught. Food includes salads, jack- of English beers. Three separate bars/floors: ets, beef and Guinness ale pie, Molly’s mussels, ground floor — big screen TV, pool table, poker drunken swine, Boxty dishes (potato pancake machines, bar — open from 10.30am daily. First wrapped around delicioius fillings), sandwiches, floor ‘Hoots’ bar — two match pool tables, poker rolls, Kildare chicken and much much more. And machines, darts board, bar — open from 5pm just like in Ireland there’s no smoking inside, so a daily. Second Floor the ‘Nest’ — American pool great atmosphere for all. table, poker machine, card table, bar — open from 7pm daily and also at weekends for the Rugby Pickwicks Union matches. If you are looking for a sociable Governor’s Parade. Tel: 200 76488 game of pool or darts this is the place to be. Run by well-known friendly face, Mandy, this small pub with a large terrace is situated in Gov- Wembley Bar ernor’s Parade away from the traffic and safe for 10 South Barrack Ramp. Tel: 200 78004 all the family. Good food available including the Popular bar for hot and cold bar snacks, function best freshly made sandwiches and jacket potatoes, room, in south district. Fridays 10am for breakfast. salads and burgers. Open: Mon - Fri from 9.30am Air conditioned. The home of the Real Madrid Location: turn off Main St at Marks & Spencer, Supporter’s Club. go up steps to Governor’s Parade (opposite the Open: 11am - midnight Sunday - Thursday, 10am Elliot Hotel). - 1am Friday, 11am - 1am Saturdays.

The Final Whistle 4, Cornwall’s Parade Friendly sports bar with six screens. If it’s live, it’s on, and often more than one game on at a time for full sports coverage. Fun atmosphere with special offers during premier matches. All sports fans welcome. Open 10am until late, 7 days a week. The Gibraltar Arms 184 Main St. Tel: 200 72133 www.gibraltararms.gi Good food served all day at this typical pub right on Main Street. Everything from all day breakfast to Irish fillet steak roll, burritos, and the popular fresh local mussels. Draught lager, bitter, cider and Murphys plus free WiFi. Terrace seating right on Main Street to watch the world go by. Open: from 8am (10am Sundays) until late. Lord Nelson Bar Brasserie 10 Casemates Tel: 200 50009 www.lordnelson.gi E-mail: reservations@lordnelson.gi Attractive bar/brasserie in historic Casemates building. Done out to represent Nelson’s ship with cloud and sky ceiling crossed with beams and sails. Spacious terrace Starter s& snacks include fresh local mussels, blue cheese and rocket

The Star Bar Parliament Lane. Tel: 200 75924 Reputedly the oldest bar in Gib, this small cosy bar opens early for breakfast (English or toast & cereal). Lunch/evening menu includes fillet steak, fish and chips and salads. Home of Med Golf and Tottenham Hotspur FC supporters club. Outside seating. Open: from 7am every day. Located: first right off Main St (walking from N to S).

Pickwicks on Governor’s Parade

Tel: 200 76488 (opposite the Eliott Hotel)

The Best Sandwiches made especially for you as well as Jackets•Salads•Burgers and a whole lot more

open Monday to Friday from 9.30am

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

Photo Call - Sonique at Savannah. Events for this month at Savannah include Thursday 1st April - play party night, Friday 2nd April - DJ Rookie, Saturday 3rd

Photos courtesy G South Images

events

April - Savannah funky lounge, Thursday 8th April - play party night, Friday 9th April - jetstream live on Savannah terrace, and the Artful Dodger - live, Saturday 10th April - DJ Rookie, Thursday 15th April - Play Party Night, Fridays 16th, 23rd & 30th April - DJ Rookie

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ APRiL 2010

A ro u n d To w n .. .

a light-he arte d look at Gibralta r soc

iety

Here we are in April already and it’s time for Easter Bunnies and chocolate eggs. Both can be found at Ocean Village on Sunday 4th April when lots of fun events are planned (we hear that the Easter Bunny itself will actually be hopping around on the marina side!). There is also lots planned for the Boat Show which will take place at Ocean Village from 8th - 11th April, so whether you are a yachtie or a landlubber, head down there and join in the fun. Photographer Leo Hayes has shaven his beard off (about time too), he says to stop people chucking money at him and telling him to get a job. Sadly it hasn’t worked and people are still chucking money at him and telling him to get a job! Which retired Gibraltar stockbroker thinks he has a Blueberry to get all his messages on? And which local photographer turned up at a photoshoot only to realise he had forgotten to put the battery in his camera? No names mentioned... they know who they are! Has all that recent rain rusted our brains? Good luck to Robert and Ana Marie Gomez who will be setting off from Gibraltar on 17th April on a 900 mile walk! Let’s hope they raise loads of money for their very worthwhile chosen charities. The same day there is a walk we can all join in (and just a little bit shorter!) - this is a Charity Walk to the top of the Rock in aid of Cancer Research. It costs £5 and registration takes place at Casemates Square for an 11am start. It might not be quite as ambitious as Robert and Ana Marie’s 900 miles but it is something we can all have a go at.

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We a have a special congratulations this month to Matthew Dignam of the Alameda Botanic Gardens who was presented with the prestigious Queen’s Scout Award in March... Well done Matthew! Happy birthdays are many this month and inlude a couple of April 1st babies — artist Elena Scialtiel and Earon Balloqui. Paul of Triay & Triay celebrates on 4th (we won’t mention grey), Ian of Hassans gets a year older on 5th April as does Tom of Quad Consultancy on 7th April, the same day as Zaxkia of the Newton Store, artist Vin celebrates the next day, Aleksandra of Bwin on 15th, and then Becky of Cafe Rojo and Claudia of Claudia’s Clinic have to wait until the end of the month for their birthday treats. Many happy returns to you all! On Sunday 18th April there is a Grand Bollywood Night in aid of Association for Kids in Need from 7pm at Central Hall. This will be a cultural encounter, east meets west. Everyone is invited to go along in Hindu dress (Sari for her, Kurto top for him). There will be dance shows, Urban Dance, Deepak and other local artist will be performing on the night plus ethnic tapas, stalls, henna art, raffle, auction and much more. Various local DJs will also be performing favourite Bollywood tunes. And don’t forget all the funds will go toward projects in Tanzania, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India. Tickets £10 including a welcome cocktail. We’ll see you there! Down at the Waterfront Restaurant on Queensway Quay there will be the Raffle Draw for the Yllera Nebuchadnezzar (a huge bottle of red wine equivalent to 20 normal size bottles!) on Wednesday 28th April from 7pm. There will also be a complimentary wine tasting in association with Sacarello’s held at the same time so well worth popping down to see what’s going on (see this month’s Wine Column for tasting tips!!). Well that’s it for this month. Have a good Easter break and see you on Main Street!

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2007 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

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clubs&activities Arts & Crafts The Arts Centre, Prince Edward’s Rd. Art classes for children (5-6pm Mon, 5-6.30pm Tues, 5-7pm Thurs), adults (Mon - Tues 6.30pm-8pm, Wed 6.30pm-8.30pm, life painting Wed 7pm9pm). Tel: 200 79788. The Fine Arts Association Gallery 1st Floor above Gibraltar Crystal, Casemates. Open 11am-2pm, 4-6pm Mon - Fri, Sat 11am - 2pm. Arts & Crafts Gallery (next door) opens Mon - Fri 9.30am - 5pm (summer) -6pm (winter), Sat 9.30am - 3pm. The Poetry Society meets on 20th of each month. Tel: Audrey Batty on 200 44355 . Board Games Chess Club meets in Studio 1, John Mackintosh Hall 8-10.30pm Tues. The Gibraltar Scrabble Club meet John Mackintosh Hall Mondays. Bank holidays changed to Thursday same week. 7pm-11pm All welcome. Tel: 200 73660 or 200 75995. The Subbuteo Club meets Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall 7.30 - 11pm. Dance Adult Dance Classes Wednesday evenings at the Youth Disco Room, Kings Bastion Leisure Centre from 7-8.30pm. Cha-Cha, Salsa and Merengue. Lessons £5 and all proceeds to GibMissionAfrica Charity. Contact Dilip on 200 78714 or dance@trainingtm.net Salsa Gibraltar Salsa classes held Tuesdays at Laguna Social Club, Laguna Estate. Beginners 7-8.30pm, £5 per lesson. Intermediates 8.30-10pm, £6 per lesson (all profits going to the charity Help Us To Help Them). Contact: Mike 54472000 Email: info@salsagibraltar.com website: www.salsagibraltar.com Modern & Latin American Sequence Dancing Mondays Catholic Community Centre 8.30pm (beginners 7.30). Over 15s welcome. Old & Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at the Catholic Community Centre at 8pm, beginners at 7.30pm, Wednesday. The DSA Old & Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at Central Hall Fridays 8pm, beginners 7.30pm. Tel: 200 78282 or e-mail manvio@ gibraltar.gi Everybody welcome. Senior Citizens Teatime Dances at The Youth Centre, Line Wall Rd on Mondays 2 - 5.30pm. All senior citizens welcome for coffee, tea and biscuits. Entrance free. Classical Ballet classes for children 4+, Spanish dance and hip-hop at Liza School of Dance, 3rd floor, Methodist Church, 297/299 Main St. Classes Weds & Fri from 6pm at Chiltern Court (4Cs). Tel: 58111000. Hip Hop classes for adults Mondays 6.15pm to 7.15pm, Hip Hop classes for boys and girls Tuesdays 4.15pm to 5.15 - Urban Dance, Jumpers Dance Studio History & Heritage The Gibraltar Heritage Trust Main Guard, 13 John Mackintosh Sq. Tel: 200 42844. The Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association Dedicated to preservation of Rock’s transport/motoring heritage. Assists members in restoration / maintenance of classic vehicles. Members/vehicles meet 1st Sunday of month, Morrison’s car park from 10am. New members welcome. Tel: 200 44643. Music The Gibraltar National Choir and Gibraltar Junior National Choir rehearse on Monday & Thursday 7.30 - 9pm. New singers of all ages welcome. Tel: Lili 200 40035, 54006727 St Andrew’s Music Academy Musical Monsters Club, musical workshops. Group musical activities for kids 3-7 years. Singing, rhythmic games etc. Tel: 200 42690 email: samagib@ hotmail.com Outdoor Activities The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an exciting self-development Programme available to all young people worldwide equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and the world. To date over 5 million young people from over 100 countries have been motivated to undertake a variety of voluntary and challenging activities. Contact Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Montagu Bastion, Line Wall Road, Gibraltar Tel: 200 59818 Reg. Charity No: 61

Don’t be bored... do something fun! Quizzes Cannon Bar quizzes are held on Tuesdays starting with a warm up, then two other quizzes, including a theme quiz. Starts at 8.30pm, all welcome and prizes are given. Free entrance but a donation to charity is requested. Tapas served after the quiz. The Lounge friendly quizzes take place on Sundays from 8pm right on the quayside at Queensway Quay. Social Clubs Scots on the Rock: Any Scots visiting the Rock can contact Charles Polson (Tel: 200 78142) for assistance or information. Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (Gibraltar Province) meets RAOB Club, Jumpers Bastion on these days: Provincial Grand Lodge, 1st Monday/month, 8pm. Executive Meeting, last Mon/month 7pm. Knights Chapter, 2nd Mon/month 7.30pm. Examining Council, 3rd Mon/month 7pm. William Tilley 2371, Thurs 8pm. Buena Vista 9975, Weds (fortnightly) 7pm. Por Favor 9444, Weds (fortnightly) 7pm. Farewell 10001, Tues 8.30pm. Goldacre 10475 (social) last Fri/month 8pm. Special Interest Clubs & Societies Gibraltar Horticultural Society meets 1st Thurs of month 6pm, John Mac Hall. Spring Flower Show, slide shows, flower arrangement demos, outings to garden centres, annual Alameda Gardens tour. All welcome. Gibraltar Philosophical Society devoted to intellectually stimulating debate. Frequent lectures and seminars on a range of topics. Contact 54008426 (after 6pm) or email gibphilosophy@ live.co.uk for further information. The Gibraltar Photographic Society meets on Mon at 8pm, Wellington Front. Basic courses, competitions etc. Harley Davidson Owners’ Club www.hdcgib. com UN Association of Gibraltar PO Box 599, 22a Main Street. Tel: 200 52108. Creative Writers Group meet every Tuesday at the Eliott Hotel bar at 8pm. The workshop is run by Carla, Tel: 54006696 and is aimed at learning to write fiction and non-fiction, for pleasure or publication. Each session is £5.00. Sports Supporters Clubs The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club meet at the Star Bar, Parliament Lane, when Spurs games are televised - call prior to matches to check the game is televised. Great food for a lunch if the KO is early or an early supper if the game is later. For info call Mario on 56280000. Gibraltar Arsenal Supporters Club meet on match days at the Casino Calpe (Ground Floor). Gooners of all ages welcome. Tel: Bill 54010681 or Dion 56619000. Website: www.clubwebsite. co.uk/ArsenalGibraltarSC/. Gibraltar Hammers meet on match days at the Victoria Stadium Bar, Bayside Road. All league games are shown live. All West Ham supporters and their families are welcome. For details visit www.gibraltarhammers.com or e-mail gibraltarhammers@hotmail.com Sports & Fitness Artistic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Artistic Gymnastics Association club for beginners, juniors and squad at Bayside School in evenings. Tel: 200 Angela 200 70611 or Sally 200 74661. Athletics: Gibraltar Amateur Athletics Association holds competitions throughout year for juniors, adults and veterans. Two main clubs (Calpeans 200 71807, Lourdians 200 75180) training sessions at Victoria Stadium. Badminton: Recreational badminton weekdays at Victoria Stadium (Tel: 200 78409 for allocations). Gibraltar Badminton Association (affiliated to IBA & EBA) has leagues and training for adults and secondary school. Tel: Ivan 200 44045 or Linda 200 74753. Basketball: Gibraltar Amateur Basketball Association (affiliated FIBA) leagues/ training for minis, passarelle, cadets, seniors and adults at a variety of levels. Tel: John 200 77253, Randy 200 40727 or Kirsty (minis) 200 49441. Billiards & Snooker: Gibraltar Billiards and Snooker Association (member IBSA) round leagues and competitions at various venues. New members welcome. Tel: Eddie 200 72142 or Peter 200 77307. Boxing: Gibraltar Amateur Boxing Association (member IABA) gym on Rosia Rd. Over 13s welcome to join. Tuition with ex-pro boxer Ernest

Victory (200 75513 w, 200 42788 h). Canoeing: Gibraltar Canoeing Association. Tel: Nigel 200 52917 or Eugene 58014000. Cricket: Gibraltar Cricket Association (member ICC) runs leagues/competitions at Europa Point/ Victoria Stadium. Junior/senior training. Tel: Tom 200 79461 or Adrian 200 44281. Cycling: Gibraltar Cycling Association various cycling tours. Tel: Uriel 200 79359. Darts: Gibraltar Darts Association (member WDF) mens/ladies/youth leagues/competitions. Tel: Darren 54027171 “Secretary”, Dyson “Youth Rep” 54024149, Justin “President” 54022622 Email: info@gibraltardarts.com Football: Gibraltar Football Association leagues/competitions for all ages October-May. Futsal in summer, Victoria Stadium. Tel: 200 42941 www.gfa.gi. Senior Tel: Albert 200 41515, Junior Tel: Richard 58654000, Women’s Tel: Brian 200 52299. Recreational football for over 35s Tel: Richard 200 70320. Golf: Med Golf tournaments held monthly. Tel: 200 79575 for tournament venues/dates. Gibraltar Golf Union has competitions through year, EGU handicaps. Tel: Bernie 200 78844. Hockey: Gibraltar Hockey Association (members FIH & EHF) high standard competitions/training for adults and juniors. Tel: Eric 200 74156 or Peter 200 72730. Judo: Gibraltar Judo Association UKMAF recognised instructors for all ages and levels at Budokai Martial Arts Centre, Wellington Front. Tel: Charlie 200 73116 or Peter 200 73225. Ju-jitsu: Gibraltar Ju-jitsu Academy training and grading for juniors/seniors held during evening at 4 North Jumpers Bastion (Rosia Rd). Tel: Tony 200 79855 or club 200 47259. Karate-do Shotokai: Gibraltar Karate-do Shotokai Association sessions for junior/seniors, gradings and demos at Karate Clubhouse, 41H Town Range Tel: Andrew 200 48908. Motorboat Racing: Gibraltar Motorboat Racing Association Tel: Wayne 200 75211. Netball: Gibraltar Netball Association (affiliated FENA & IFNA) competitions through year, senior / junior leagues. Tel: Moira 200 41795 or Suzette 200 41874. Petanque: Gibraltar Petanque Association plays at Giralda Gardens, Smith Dorrien Ave. New members welcome. Tel: 200 70929. Pilates - at the King’s Bastion Leisure Centre Mondays 1pm-2pm and Wednesdays from 1pm - 2pm and 5.30-6.30pm. For further enquiries call Chantal 60518882 or email: chan_elle82@ yahoo.co.uk. Pool: Gibraltar Pool Association (member EUKPF) home and away league played on Thurs through season. Tel: Linda 200 74753. Rhythmic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Rhythmic Gymnastics Association runs sessions for 4 years of age and upwards weekday evenings. Tel: Christine 200 74661 or 54015533. Rugby: Gibraltar Rugby Football Union training sessions for Colts (14+), seniors and veterans. Play in Andalusia 1st Division Oct - April. Tel: James 200 72185 Sailing: Gibraltar Yachting Association junior/ senior competitive programme (April - Oct) Tel: RGYC 200 48847. Sea Angling: Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers (members FIPS-M & CIPS) Superb calendar of events with four clubs participating. Tel: Mario 200 72622 or Charlie 200 74337. Shooting: Gibraltar Shooting Federation (over 14s). Rifle, Europa Point range (Joe 200 74973); clay pigeon, East Side (Harry 200 74354); Pistol, near Royal Naval Hospital (Fidel 200 71990). Skating: Gibraltar Skating and Xtreme Sports Association. State of art ramps for Xtreme/aggressive roller blading /skate boarding. Leisure skating facilities provided within excellent rink (when not used for roller hockey training). Tel: Eric 200 70710 (after 5). Snorkelling & Spear Fishing: Over 14s for snorkelling, over 16s for spear fishing. Tel: Joseph 200 75020. Squash: Gibraltar Squash Association, Squash Centre, South Pavilion Road (members WSF

what a page turner! www.thegibraltarmagazine.com

& ESF). Adult/junior tournaments/coaching. Tel: 200 44922 or 200 73260. Sub-Aqua: Gibraltar Sub-Aqua Association taster dives for over 14s, tuition from local clubs. Voluntary sports clubs: Tel: Phil 200 44606, Noah’s Dive Club Tel: Leslie 200 79601, 888s Dive Club Tel: Martin 200 70944. Commercial sports diving schools also available. Swimming: Gibraltar Amateur Swimming Association (member FINA & LEN) opens its pool for leisure swimming Mon - Fri 7-8.45am, 12- 4pm, 8- 9pm. Junior lessons, squad for committed swimmers, water polo (Rebecca 200 72869). Table Tennis: Gibraltar Table Tennis Association (members ITTA) training / playing sessions, Victoria Stadium, Tues 6-10pm and Thurs 8-11pm with coaching and league competition. Lizanne 200 45071/54020477 or Eugene 58014000. Taekwondo: Gibraltar Taekwondo Association classes/gradings Tel: 200 Mari 44142. Tai Chi: Children’s fun Tai Chi at the Yoga Centre, 33 Town Range, Saturdays 11-12am. Beginners Tuesdays & Thursdays at Kings Bastion Leisure Centre. 6.30-8pm. Adults £5, Children £2, all proceeds to GibMissionAfrica Charity. Contact Dilip on 200 78714 or rocktaichi@traningtm.net Tennis: Gibraltar Tennis Association, Sandpits Tennis Club, excellent junior development programme. Courses for adults, leagues / competitions. Tel: Frank 200 77035. Ten-Pin Bowling: Gibraltar Ten Pin Bowling (members FIQ & WTBA) leagues, training for juniors and squad. Contact Charly on 56014000 or Paul on 54029749. Triathlon: Gibraltar Triathlon Union (members ITU) Chris 200 75857 or Harvey 200 55847. Volleyball: Gibraltar Volleyball Association (members W & EVF) training, leagues, competitions for juniors/seniors. Tony 200 40478 or Elizabeth 58306000. Yoga: Integral Yoga Centre runs a full programme of classes from Mon-Fri at 33 Town Range. Tel: 200 41389. All welcome. Theatrical Groups Gibraltar Amateur Drama Association Ince’s Hall Theatre Complex, 310 Main Street E-mail: gibdrama@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 200 42237 www. geocities.com/gibdrama Trafalgar Theatre Group meet 2nd Wed of month, Garrison Library 8pm. All welcome. Theatrix: Contact Trevor and Iris on Tel: 54006176 or email theatrixgib@yahoo.co.uk Clubs, Associations, should submit details to The Gibraltar Magazine gibmag@gibraltar.gi

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

support Support Groups/ Associations Alcoholics Anonymous meet 7pm Tues and Thurs at Nazareth Hse Tel: 200 73774. A Step Forward support group for single, separated, divorced or widowed people. Meet 8pm Mondays at St Andrew’s Church. Childline Gibraltar confidential phone line for children in need. Freephone 8008 - 7 days a week 6pm - 10pm. Citizens’ Advice Bureau Open Mon-Fri 9.30-4pm. Tel: 200 40006 Email: info@ cab.gi or visit 10 Governor’s Lane. No appointment necessary, no charge. Gibraltar CAB outreach clinics at St Bernard’s Hospital every Tuesday. Advisors available at 1st floor reception, Zone 4, 9am-3pm. Info and advice is free, confidential and impartial. COPE Support group for people with Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Formed to ease day-to-day challenges of individuals, families and care partner. Meetings at Catholic Community Centre Book Shop at 7.30pm first Thursday of each month. Contact Sue Reyes Tel: 200 51469 Email: copeadsupport@hotmail.com Dignity At Work Now. Confidential support and advice for those who are being bullied at work. Tel: 57799000 Mon - Thur 8pm-9pm Families Anonymous Support group for relatives and friends who are concerned about the use of drugs or related behavioural problems. Meetings are held alternate Thursdays at 9pm at Nazareth House. For more details Tel: 200 70047 or 200 73465. Gibraltar Cardiac Rehabilitation and Support Group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 8.30pm at the John Mac Hall, except for July and August. Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group 3/8 Serfaty’s Passage Tel: 200 78509 Mobile: 54007924 website: www.gdsg.co.uk Gibraltar Marriage Care. Free relationship counselling, including pre-marriage education (under auspices of Catholic Church, but open to all). Tel: 200 71717. Gibraltar Society for the Visually Impaired. Tel: 200 50111 (24hr answering service). Hope. miscarriage support Tel: 200 41817. Narcotics Anonymous Tel: 200 70720 Overeaters Anonymous support group of those with compulsive overeating problem. Tel: helpline for details of meetings 200 42581. Parental Support Group, helping parents and grandparents with restrictive access to their children and granchildren. Tel: Richard 200 46536, Jason 200 76618, Dominic 54019602. Psychological Support Group, PO Box 161, Nazareth House. Weekly Meetings Tuesdays at 7pm, Fridays 8pm. Tel: 200 51623. SSAFA Forces Help Gibraltar, is a national charity, to assist serving and exService personnel and their families. Tel: (5)5481. E-mail olivero@sapphirenet.gi With Dignity Gibraltar support group for separated, divorced, widowed or unattached people. Meetings Weds 9pm, Catholic Community Centre, Line Wall Rd. Outings/activities. Tel: Flor 54007181 or Marie 200 79957. Women in Need. Voluntary organisation for all victims of domestic violence. Refuge available. Tel: 200 42581 (24 hours).

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010

pet problems

Separation Anxiety... On TV you often see man’s best friend depicted as a loyal companion who brings slippers when the owner returns home after a day’s work, then sits quietly waiting for a pat on the head. However, when many dog owners come home, they have to look for their slippers, as they are not where they left them. They eventually turn up in pieces, with the rubbish, which lies strewn all over the place along with several other items of clothing. Looking through tears at the devastation caused by the dog it’s easy to fail to notice the pee and poop, strategically placed throughout the home. Stepping through this mess is made more difficult by the bouncing mass of fur, barking with excitement whilst simultaneously wiping a suspicious substance from his paws all over your work clothes. No sooner have you cleared up this daily mess, when the doorbell rings and your heart sinks as you realise it’s the neighbour complaining about the barking and howling they have endured all day. This is the reality of living with a dog with separation anxiety. Separation issues account for over half of Positive Dog Trainings’ workload. The good news is there are things you can do about it. There are many reasons a dog may be destructive and bark excessively while you are out. It’s not necessarily due to anxiety at the owner leaving. Desensitizing training, described below, will only help if the dog is anxious about the owner’s departure. It will not help if the dog is dominant and demands the owner’s return, or if the dog is frustrated and bored. The most used method for treating separation anxiety involves planned departures. There’s no quick fix to dog behaviour problems. Training takes time and work. Once your dog has had a long walk and a feed he will be ready to sleep. When the dog is relaxed and in bed, begin to get ready to leave the house. Put on your coat, pick up your keys and do everything you would normally do before going out. Do not speak to the dog and try not to even look at him. Once you are ready to “leave” walk to the front door, open it, then close it and go and sit down but totally ignore the dog. Do this several times until your dog actually stays in bed while you go to the door. Then begin the next stage

Because the dog’s stress response occurs shortly after the owner ’s departure (within 15 to 30 minutes), the dog should only be left alone for short intervals at first (seconds to minutes) to ensure you return before the onset of anxiety. So we begin by going out of the door, closing it then opening it and returning to sit down. Again do this several times until the dog stays in bed or stays asleep. You can now increase the time you leave the dog alone, so leave for 30 seconds then one minute then 5 minutes etc. Throughout the training, the dog must be ignored even if you have managed to leave him for 10 minutes and he has been really good. Once the departures have reached the 30-minute mark, the length of time the dog is left can be increased by larger increments. Once the dog can be left for 1.5 hours, it can usually be left all day. The dog should not be given attention for at least 20 minutes before you leave home and after you return. Excessive attention prior to departure and upon return seems to increase the anxiety during separation and it does NOT make it easier on the dog. Safety cues may also be used such as leaving the TV or radio on or a chew toy may be provided for the dog. Ensure the dog only has access to his favourite toy when you are out or busy. There is no point giving him a toy he has access to all the time as

Once the departures have reached the 30-minute mark, the length of time the dog is left can be increased by larger increments

he can get bored with it. Anti-anxiety medications are sometimes used. These are often used on dogs with severe separation anxiety or when owners must leave the dog for a long time. However, in most cases, drugs do not offer a solution and should always be used in combination with a training programme. A vet should be consulted for information on anxiety-suppressing drugs. Steps should also be taken to weaken the dog’s dependency on you. This requires you and the family ignoring the dog for periods of time during the day. This will not break the bond between owner and dog but it will decrease the dog’s extreme dependency and allow it to tolerate its owner’s absence without anxiety. It can also help if, during the training, the dog is not put in a position where it can get destructive and anxious while you are out for real. You may be able to find a dog sitter to stay with your dog, and walk him for you. This can be a family member a neighbour or even a professional (ask for references). More and more people are now enrolling their dogs into doggie day care which works on the same principle as a child’s nursery. The dog is picked up from your home and goes off to “school” where he learns how other dogs behave, how to socialise and play. The dog is then taken home; when you return from work or a day out, where they are normally so tired from their day they just want to sleep. n For information on how to enrol your dog into day care, or to arrange a consultation, please contact Charley Positive Dog Training, on 540 19968 or mail to positivedogtraining@yahoo.com. Visit www.dogtraininggib.co.nr

information

dmission 9.30am to 7pm by tickets (includes entrance to sites - St. Michael’s Cave, Monkey’s Den, Great Siege Tunnels, Military Heritage Centre, ‘A City Under Siege’ Exhibition and Moorish Castle). Facilities closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Adults £10, children 5-12 years: £5, children age 4 and under free, vehicles £2. Private vehicles may be restricted at certain times, tours available by taxi/mini bus. The Natural History & Heritage Park is also reached by cable car (leaves Grand Parade 9.30am-5.15pm Mon-Sun. Last cable down: 5.45pm). 50p per person to walk with no entrance tickets.

he flora and fauna on the Upper Rock are considered to be of great conservational value. It’s a perfect place for birdwatchers, as migratory species use Gibraltar as the shortest crossing between Europe and Africa, but botanists will also be interested to see over 600 species of flowering plants, including some unique to Gibraltar. Watch out for colourful lizards, non-venemous Horseshoe Whipsnakes, butterflies and pipistrelle bats. Info on flora and fauna is found at the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society’s information centre at Jews Gate. St. Michael’s Cave: The cave comprises an upper hall with five connecting passages and drops of 40-150ft to a smaller hall. A further succession of chambers, some at 250ft below the entrance, is reached through narrow holes. The Cathedral Cave is open to visitors and is used as an auditorium for concerts and theatre. The cave was prepared as a hospital in WWII, but never used. A further series of chambers ending in a mini lake is called Lower St. Michael’s Cave and can be visited with a guide. The Monkeys’ Den: There are around 160 monkeys in the Park and around 30 can be seen at the Monkey’s Den. Often called apes, they are tail-less Barbary Macaques and Europe’s only free living monkeys. £500 fine for feeding the monkeys - don’t do it! The Great Siege Tunnels: Tunnelling in the Rock began during the Great Siege (1779-1783) when France and Spain made an attempt to recapture the Rock while Britain was busy with the American War of Independence. Governor General Elliot offered a reward to any man who could tell him how to mount a gun on the north face of the Rock. It was a Sgt. Major Ince who suggested tunnelling and there are now over 30 miles of tunnels inside the Rock with various exhibitions inside the tunnels.

of the earliest British building on the Rock. Original graffiti, drawn by duty soldiers to stop themselves falling asleep, is still visible, the earliest dating back to 1726. The Moorish Castle: actually just part of a Moorish town and castle which was built up during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, spearheaded from Gibraltar in 711AD by Tarik-ibn-Zeyad (“Gibraltar” is a corruption of the Arabic words “Jebel Tarik” - Tarik’s mountain). The part we see today, The Tower of Homage, dates back to 1333AD, when Abu’l Hassan recaptured the Rock from Spain. Natural History & Heritage Park Walks: Med Steps is a stunning walk with the steep climb at the end rewarded with spectacular views of the Rock and Spain. Another recommended walk is St Michael’s Cave through to Charles V Wall but walkers should be relatively fit for both. It is also pleasant walking along the upper rock roads. Brochures available free from all Tourist Board offices. Botanical Gardens: Opened in 1816, the Alameda Botanical Gardens fell into disrepair but are currently being restored to their former glory. Visitors can enjoy a stroll beneath pines, dragon trees and palms, and see many of Gibraltar’s native plants as well as exotic species. The shop sells environmentally friendly gifts, plants and seeds. Tel: 200 72639/200 74022. Parking. Nelson’s Anchorage: Rosia Road 9.30am - 5.15pm Monday to Saturday (last entry at 5pm). Closed on Sunday. Admission: £1.00 (free of charge with Nature Reserve ticket. Tickets for the nature reserve can also be bought at this attraction). Parson’s Lodge: Rosia Road. A narrow limestone outcrop with a labyrinth of underground tunnels surmounted by an impressive battery, which has witnessed the development of coast artillery over 300 years. Once housed three 18 ton 10-inch rifled muzzle loaders positioned behind a

unique sandwich of armour plate and teak, known as ‘Gibraltar Shields’. TEMPORARILY CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC.

per Rock, Europa Point and other sites of interest. It is the best way to see the Rock’s major features in a short time.

Flat Bastion Magazine Flat Bastion Road, Geological Research Station and Lithology of Gibraltar. To visit contact: F. Gomez Tel. 200 44460, P. Hodkinson Tel. 200 43910.

Tourist Board.....................Tel: 200 74950 Gibraltar Tourist Board, Duke of Kent House, Cathedral Square, Gibraltar. UK Tel: 0207 836 0777 giblondon@aol.com

Shrine of Our Lady of Europe (Museum within premises) Europa Road. 10am-7pm Monday to Friday, 11am-7pm Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays. Closed 1pm - 2pm.

John Mackintosh Hall.......Tel: 200 75669 Includes cafeteria, theatre, exhibition rooms and library. 308 Main Street 9.30am - 11pm Monday to Friday. Closed weekends.

Trafalgar Cemetery: Trafalgar Road, open 9am - 7pm daily (admission free).

Bicycle Racks Bicycle parking is provided at the following locations: Europort Road, Casemates Tunnel, Land Port Ditch, Fish Market Road, Commonwealth Car Park, Reclamation Road (by English Steps) + Line Wall Road.

Business Information

Gibraltar Financial Services Commission ......Tel: 200 40283/4 website: www.fsc.gi Chamber of Commerce.......Tel: 200 78376 Federation Small Business.Tel: 200 47722 Company Registry...............Tel: 200 78193

Useful Numbers

Airport (general info.)..........Tel: 200 73026 Hospital, St Bernards..........Tel: 200 79700 Weather information.................Tel: 5-3416 Frontier Queue Update.......Tel: 200 42777

General Information

Gibraltar Museum.............Tel: 200 74289 18/20 Bomb House Lane Open 10am - 6pm (Sat. 10am - 2pm). Closed on Sunday. Admission: Adults £2/Children under 12 years £1. Exhibitions also at Casemates gallery. Registry Office...................Tel: 200 72289 It is possible to get married on the Rock within 48 hours of arrival. A fact taken advantage of by stars such as Sean Connery and John Lennon. Rock Tours by Taxi............Tel: 200 70052 As well as offering normal fares, Gibraltar taxis provide Rock Tours taking in the Up-

Emergency Services Emergency calls only: Fire/Ambulance.......................Tel: 190 Police...............................Tel: 199/112 Emergency Number...............Tel: 112

The Military Heritage Centre: Housed in one of the Rock’s many historic batteries, the Military Heritage Centre displays information on the development of Gibraltar’s military defences through the ages. A City Under Siege Exhibition: Exhibits depicting the lives of the civilian population during the many sieges, are housed in one

History Alive

Every Saturday morning the Rock’s past is brought alive by a troop of soldiers in 18th century period uniform. The soldiers march from Bomb House Lane at 12 noon to Casemates. At Casemates they carry out a “Ceremony of the Keys” and then march back up Main Street to the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned.

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Gibraltar Bus Company Routes

Public Holidays 2010

New Year’s Day Friday 1 January Commonwealth Day * Monday 8 March Good Friday Friday 2 April Easter Monday Monday 5 April May Day Monday 3 May Spring Bank Holiday Monday 31 May Queen’s Birthday * Monday 14 June Late Summer Holiday Monday 30 August Gibraltar National Day * Friday 10 September Christmas Day Monday 27 December (in lieu of Saturday 25 December) Boxing Day Tuesday 28 December (in lieu of Sunday 26 December) *Gibraltar Only Spain Fixed: New Year’s Day 1 January, Epiphany 6 January, St Joseph’s Day 19 March, Labour Day 1 May, St John 24 June, St James 25 July, Assumption Day 15 August, National Day 12 October, All Saints 1 November, Immaculate Conception 8 December, Christmas 25 December Moveable: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Corpus Christi Non-urgent calls: Ambulance Station..........Tel: 200 75728 Police...............................Tel: 200 72500 Gibraltar Services Police: Emergency Nos: ....Tel: (5) 5026 / (5) 3598

The Gibraltar Magazine is published and produced by Guide Line Promotions Ltd, 1st Floor 113 Main Street, Gibraltar. Tel/Fax: (+350) 77748

Natural History & Heritage Park

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2010 July 2004

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