The Gibraltar Magazine June 09 — online edition

interviews • arts • dining • finance • leisure • property • history • business • health

g

ibraltar magazine the

The Point of Gibraltar is?

The Great Flyover Gibraltar in the Premiership?

She Means Business

Living Concepts

Rent Demand

Cyber Bullying and much more...

June 2009

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interviews • arts • dining • finance • leisure • property • history • business • health

photo: David Parody

gibraltar the

June 2009

Vol.14 No. 08 FREE

magazine

The Point of Gibraltar is?

The Great Flyover Gibraltar in the Premiership?

She Means Business

Living Concepts

Rent Demand

Cyber Bullying and much more...

View of Africa from Europa Point Volume 14 Number 08 • June 2009 The Gibraltar Magazine is published monthly by Guide Line Promotions Limited, PO Box 561, PMB 6377 113 Main Street, Gibraltar Tel or fax (+350) 200 77748 E-mail: gibmag@gibraltar.gi www.TheGibraltarMagazine.com Editor: Andrea Morton Copyright © 2009 by Guide Line Promotions Limited. All rights reserved.

No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written consent of The Gibraltar Magazine.

Subscriptions £35.00 per year.

Magazine & website archived by the British Library

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

features 20 Elections for Europe 22 What’s the Point of Gibraltar?

26 The Great Flyover € 44 Roger Walker & the IWBP 56 Lindsay on her Way to LA € 66 Photographer of the Year leisure & activites 48 Caroline’s for Kids 49-52 Childline Magazine 53 Frowns Upside Down € 58 On the Rocks € 62 Shopping & Beauty 63 Act Your Age 73 What’s On May 75 Monteverde Gibraltar Concert 78 Leisure & Tuition 94 Clubs & Activities Guide food & drink 80 Vickie Chef for Life 82 Cool Summer Starters 84 Festival for Food € 86 Wine Column 87-90 Restaurant & Bar Guide 91 Javier Villero at Nunos health & beauty 60 Saving Babies with St John’s 64 Health & Medical Directory 70 Enjoying Massage Benefits

ah

32 34 36 38 40 42

at home IN GIBRALTAR

Is Gibraltar a Concrete Jungle?

Living Concept € Bathrooms: size isn’t everything Wall Space: painting memories Handling the Pressure Rent Demand

business & finance

8 Business & Finance Guide 9 Which List?

12 She Means Business 14 Which One’s for You? 16 Red Sands Expands 18 Gibraltar in the Premiership?

24 Here to Protect € history & heritage 28 Shrapnel invented in Gibraltar € 80-91 30 Our Governor’s: Monro 46 Fr. Browne, the Titanic & Gibraltar 54 Gibraltar & America in the Barbary War 79 Talk of the Town regulars 74 Puzzle Page 92 Around Town information 68-69 City Centre Map 98 Gibraltar Information

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

business & finance profile business & finance

Which List?

And why are they so important to us?

by Ian le Breton

This month I thought I would have a look at the recent listing by the OECD of a range of offshore territories. What is the OECD and what do these lists mean? And what on earth is a TIEA? Lastly, I will consider the implications for Gibraltar and why all this is important to our financial services sector.

As always these are my personal thoughts. I hope this article will go some way to help the general readership of The Gibraltar Magazine to make some sense of all these developments and their ramifications.

Firstly, what is the OECD — or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development to give it its full name? Established in Paris in 1961, it has 30 member countries and employs some 2,500 people. If you’re really interested, you can read the detailed “mission statement” on its website — www.oecd.org — but briefly, the Organisation provides a forum where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and coordinate domestic and international policies.

So why were we all so interested in its pronouncement on “uncooperative tax havens” at the beginning of April and what was this list that it published? Timed to coincide with the G20 summit (see last month’s column for more details of that gathering), it’s worth looking at the list in some detail for the answer.

The world’s media has focused on terms such as “white, grey and black” lists. Readers of this

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

magazine are, I am sure, rather more discerning so let’s give the sections their proper definitions — as set out by the OECD itself.

Firstly there is a list of 40 countries (or jurisdictions as the OECD prefers to call them) that have “substantially implemented the internationally agreed tax standard”. It will come as no surprise to find OECD members themselves amongst

Within days of publication of the listings, all four jurisdictions had made commitments to the OECD and were consequently removed from the list.

At the time of writing no country currently appears in this third section

the names.

The next list is the one that should interest us the most because it includes Gibraltar. It features a further 30 countries that are classified as “jurisdictions that have committed to the internationally agreed tax standard, but have not yet substantially implemented”. Of course, Gibraltar would ideally like to be upgraded from this so-called “grey” list to the first list — I will look at how she plans to do so below.

Finally there is the third category (the “black” list if you will) of four countries that “have not committed to the internationally agreed tax standard”. Only Costa Rica, Malaysia (Labuan), Philippines and Uruguay found themselves in this section. It is interesting to note though that within days of publication of the listings, all four jurisdictions had made commitments to the OECD and were consequently removed from the list. At the time of writing no country currently appears in this third section.

So what is the “internationally agreed tax standard”? It was developed by the OECD in co-operation with non-member states and was ratified by the G20 at an earlier meeting in 2004, as well as by a major UN committee. Simply

business & finance stated, it requires exchange of information on request in all tax matters for the administration and enforcement of domestic tax, without regard to a domestic tax interest requirement or bank secrecy for tax purposes. The agreement goes on to stress that it also provides for extensive safeguards to protect the confidentiality of the information exchanged.

The OECD is currently considering six sanctions against countries — or “tax havens” as it insists on terming them — that do not comply with these rules. These are: • Increased disclosure requirements for companies and individuals using tax havens; • The imposition of withholding taxes on transactions with tax havens; • A ban on the use of interest paid in a blacklisted country to offset tax; • A review of tax treaty policy; • Political pressure on global companies to withhold investment; • A reduction in aid; Clearly these sanctions are to be avoided. The principal way for the countries on the secondary list to get themselves “promoted” to the list of “fully compliant” states, is to sign more tax information exchange agreements (“TIEAs”) with other countries. In this business we love acronyms!

Under the OECD definition, countries will be considered ”cooperative” if they have concluded a minimum of 12 bilateral agreements to exchange tax information on request with foreign governments. Each TIEA needs to be signed individually although the wording can be standardised to a certain extent.

In Gibraltar’s case, we had not until very recently entered into any TIEAs. In fact the first was concluded just days before the recent G20 summit in London. In a ceremony in London, Chief Minister Peter Caruana signed Gibraltar’s initial TIEA with the most high profile member of the OECD — the United States itself. Not only was the agreement ground-breaking for being our first, but the signing ceremony itself was very high profile for a small jurisdiction such

as Gibraltar. Representing the United States was none other than the US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

Since this historic event, the Gibraltar Government has announced that it intends entering into several more such agreements with other countries over the coming months. The OECD says it will review progress made by the “grey-listed” jurisdictions and will be making an updated announcement toward the end of 2009. It is therefore to be hoped that Gibraltar will reap its reward by being re-classified as soon as possible.

So there is much work to be done in the coming months. All of this should be read in conjunction with the wider picture. Sovereign Group, whom I work for in Gibraltar, has for many years stressed the importance of using only compliant, tax efficient structures when dealing with its international client base. This is also true of other regulated firms here in Gibraltar and by re-stating this, we are simply echoing the strategy employed by our local regulator, the Financial Services Commission. A recent independent review by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of local regulation and the way it is implemented gave Gibraltar an excellent report

The principal way for the countries on the secondary list to get themselves “promoted” to the list of “fully compliant” states, is to sign more tax information exchange agreements (TIEAs)

n Ian Le Breton is Managing Director of Sovereign Trust (Gibraltar) Limited.

Tel: + 350 200 76173 Email: ilebreton@SovereignGroup.com card — so we are well on our way.

In summary, these are critical times for jurisdictions such as Gibraltar. It has been all too easy for the international press to blame “offshore centres” for the global financial turmoil we are currently experiencing. In Gibraltar, the government, regulators and licensed firms have all worked hard to demonstrate both our professionalism and the world class standards that are in force here. It is to be hoped that a more level playing field can be created. Important changes are coming shortly to our local corporate taxation system and, if we can conclude more TIEAs soon, Gibraltar will be well placed to benefit from the anticipated upsurge in global business when growth resumes. That can only bring benefit to local firms and the wider economy as a result. Watch this space! n

OECD member states (original members are in dark blue)

10

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

business & finance

New Appointments

STM Fidecs Expands International Tax Offering

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

STM Fidecs has announced the appointment of a new International Tax Director, based in its Gibraltar office.

Brian Holmes recently joined the company’s International Tax Division.

Brian initially worked with the then Inland Revenue in the UK before moving into private practice and has more than 20 years experience in taxation. He gained over 10 years experience in providing international tax advice and crossborder structuring both personal and corporate which he developed from working in a number of overseas locations and most recently with a Big 4 accountancy firm in the United States.

Brian commented: “During my professional career I have the good fortune to have been able to combine my passion for foreign travel by working in a number of beautiful locations, experiencing different cultures and working with some wonderful people. I am therefore delighted to have joined STM Fidecs, and in particular, the International Tax Division and becoming part of a team of talented and experienced individuals. I am looking forward to helping the business expand into new markets and providing creative, efficient tax solutions to our clients.”

STM Fidecs is one of the largest trust, pension and company (including insurance company) managers in Gibraltar. They are independent and do not offer investment advice, but work with, and are referred business by, many of the leading investment managers, banks and Independent Financial Advisors (IFAs). n

11

business

by Emma Azopardi and Danielle Vila

s n a SHEme BUSINESS

Danielle and Emma with Lynne and Carol of HSBC

Women’s Conference in connection with HSBC

In recent generations the presence of women at senior levels of business has increased and is slowly on the rise. The economic world is becoming more receptive to the skills (including the ability to multi-task) that women can offer at the workplace and beginning to appreciate the advantages that this can bring to their business.

In the current economic climate individuals are becoming apprehensive about starting their own business however, recent research suggests that women, unlike their male counterparts, are more likely to weather the recession as a result of their low overheads and cautious attitude towards financial loans. Instead of increasing their budget (through debt) they are more likely to restructure their business model to better adapt it to the changing economic trends. She Magazine got together with the HSBC Head Bank in London to organise a conference for women who have either set up their own businesses, are in the process of doing so, or simply have an idea which they would like to expand.

We attended the conference at HSBC’s grade two listed building on St James Street, London to hear influential business women share their success stories and to network amongst other budding entrepreneurs. The evening started

12

with champagne and canapés providing the opportunity for attendees to exchange business cards and ideas. The presentations then commenced with Carol Bagnald the Regional Commercial Director at HSBC who provided a few words of wisdom on how to weather the recession. Former GMTV presenter, busi-

Louise Galvin spoke about how to balance motherhood with career and how to find innovate ways to expand your business

nesswoman and aspiring politician Esther Mc Vey then took over interviewing three other successful women including the co-founder of Coffee Republic Sahar Hashemi, hair colourist Louise Galvin who has recently launched her own range of carbon neutral hair products in the UK and the USA and the co-founder of PR Company Band and Brown, Jill Brown. All three women spoke about what encouraged them to start their business and how they eventually came to reap the profits from the same. They provided tips on marketing and research, set up costs, recruitment and when to hire expert help.

Louise Galvin also spoke about how to balance motherhood with career and how to find innovate ways to expand your business.

The presentations came to a close with author and business woman Lynne Franks who is an internationally respected spokesperson on women’s issues, sustainability and consumer

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

business lifestyle’s (you may have also recently seen her in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here). Lynne spoke about how the world of women in business has evolved since she first started and how women should use their feminine attributes to contribute to the workplace. Lynne’s books were available for purchase and she was personally signing them.

Overall it was an inspirational evening providing us with the opportunity to meet and speak to high class business women. As lawyers in the commercial department at Hassans International Law Firm, we found it interesting to be given an insight on the sort of businesses that women may branch into and the factors that need to be considered when embarking on these ventures. The individual success stories were very encouraging, providing us women with the incentive to flourish in our respective lines of work. We hope this is a positive indication of what the future holds for women in business and also a positive note on the impending economic crisis. n

The individual success stories were very encouraging, providing us women with the incentive to flourish in our respective lines of work

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

Gib-Madrid flights are back and a new route to Barcelona starts this month

With a smaller aircraft and more frequent flights, Andalus Airlines started their regular service to Madrid at the end of April. A month on, with two daily flights each way in the mornings and evenings, the company start their second route to Barcelona on 4th June starting with a one flight each way per day in the early afternoon.

At the inauguration, the Hon. Joe Holliday was convinced that this new service would flourish both because of the smaller aircraft (which seats 50 passengers) and the more frequent flights making it easier to plan trips to Madrid.

Booking online is easy at www.andalus.es n

13

business

Sole Trading, Partnership or a Limited Company:

which one’s for you?

by Selwyn Figueras, Isolas

When setting up a small business or, indeed, once you’re up and running, the legal nature of your business should be given some thought in order to ensure your interests and those of the business are adequately protected. There are various options to consider, three of which are set out and discussed in this article.

When starting out in business, a sole entrepreneur seeking to take the reins and going it alone with his or her idea for small business will usually set up and start out on his/her endeavours as a sole trader or self employed person. The advantage of running your business this way is that it is a very simple matter of registering as such with the tax and social insurance departments before setting out on your new business.

As a self employed person, you will be required to file tax returns along with accounts prepared by the business’s accountant in order that the tax authorities may make an assessment of the taxes payable by the business.

An entrepreneur trading as a sole trader might also choose to register a business name instead of trading in his/her own name. It may well be the case that trading as Joe Bloggs the plumber might be adequate enough, but registering a business name, say, ‘When Water Goes Wrong,’ might prove a better opportunity for marketing and easier to remember for your prospective clients. Registering a business name gives you the opportunity to identify and promote the services you provide in a way your simple name might not. It provides you with a separate and distinct identity, but nothing more than that.

Trading as a sole trader/self employed person, you are personally liable for the debts and obligations arising as a result of your business.

Where debts need to be paid, it’ll be the entrepreneur himself who is pursued by the creditors and any legal process issued for recovery of debts or payment of damages for negligence or any other wrongdoing will be against the person his/herself. There is no limit to the liability that might be personally incurred by the sole trader, a reason why considering the next two options might be a really good idea!

Where a business is established by two or more partners, the resultant partnership attracts its own legal status and works in the following way. Partners are each jointly and severally

14

liable for the debts and obligations of a partnership. What this means in practice is that all partners are, at once, liable for the full amount of the debt owing and cannot therefore, in the case of one of the partnership as a whole being in difficulty and one of the partners being unable to meet his/her obligations, the debt will be the responsibility of the remaining partner(s) as to 100% of the amount owed and not just the proportion of a particular partner’s interest in the business. As with sole trading, the partners are personally liable and, although technically each partner is liable for the total debts, the practical reality is that the business’s expenses are shared between two or more people. As with sole trading, the partnership may also register a business name in a similar way. Sole trading and partnership therefore share the trait that its members have unlimited personal liability for the debts and obligations of the business.

The simplest and most popular way to cure this ‘deficiency’ is for the business owner/ partners to incorporate a company limited by shares to own the business. A company limited by shares is said to be a separate legal entity, with a legal identity of its own distinct

Sole trading and partnership share the trait that its members have unlimited personal liability for the debts and obligations of the business

from its members, allowing it to sue or be sued in its own right. The owners of the company are its shareholders, shareholding which can be designed and implemented in many ways to accurately reflect the ownership of the business. The key advantage to the establishment of a company for a small business is the limited liability that comes with it. They’re not called limited companies for nothing! The liability of a shareholder in a company is limited to the extent of the value of the shareholder’s shareholding in the company and nothing else. As an illustration of the point, Mr J Bloggs could be a 100% owner of J Bloggs Company Limited with a shareholding of £100 and therefore limit, under normal circumstances, his liability to £100.

The fact of the company’s separate legal entity can be used in many advantageous ways, too many to set out here. Suffice to say that the establishment of a company offers a large number of advantages over a simple sole trading operation/partnership for a relatively insignificant outlay. Companies can be set up in a matter of days, sometimes even in the same day, through the use of what are known as ‘shelf’ companies.

These ready-made and incorporated companies sit, quite literally, on the shelf and can be assigned to a new client in a matter of hours to a day. If the name’s not right, change it. If you don’t want to change the name, simply register a business name which the company will use and keep the original company name. J Bloggs’s business could therefore still be ‘When Water Goes Wrong,’ although technically it would be referred to as ‘J Bloggs Company Limited trading as When Water Goes Wrong.’ As is clear from this example, there is no reason why a sole trader cannot seamlessly go from sole trading to incorporating a company without sacrificing continuity of the business name.

For further advice please contact Mark Hook at Isolas’ Small Businesses Department or simply email him at mark.hook@isolas.gi. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

isolas-spring-gibmag

7/4/09

13:11

Page 1

www.gibraltarlawyers.com

Spring cleaning?

Need to take care of that cloud that’s been hanging over your head during the winter? Whatever it is, we can help For further information please contact Selwyn Figueras at selwyn.figueras@isolas.gi

Portland House Glacis Road PO Box 204 Gibraltar Tel +350 200 78363 www.gibraltarlawyers.com

insurance

Paul & Paz Savignon

Paul Tapsell & Chris Gabay

Chris Lathey, Andrew Stone and Steve Lambourne

Garry Scone, Chris Johnson and Alan Keating

Red Sands Insurance Expands Red Sands Insurance Company (Europe) Limited was licensed in Gibraltar in January 2004 principally to write legal expense insurance business. Since then, it has grown well beyond expectations and in just five years it is now licensed to write 16 of the 18 classes of general business which exist on the Rock.

photography: Jane McKinnon-Johnson

Red Sands underwrites various lines of business, ranging from motor mechanical breakdown (now 2nd biggest provider in UK), insurance backed home improvement guarantees, Guarantee Asset Protection & Payment Protection, Personal Accident to Pet Insurance.

Premium has grown to £22m for 2008, with budgeted growth for 2009 expected to exceed 20% despite the credit crunch.

During 2007, Red Sands decided to strengthen

its local presence and became self-managed with its own compliment of staff.

Also during 2007, Red Sands decided to expand its business beyond the UK and Ireland. It now writes business in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Czech Republic, and Poland. Although currently establishing a foothold in these countries, it is expected that these territories will become a very significant part of the company’s business in the foreseeable future.

Jaco Marx, Alain Dufraisse, Dustin Horrillo and Ann-Marie Lopez

16

Steve Quinn & Chris Collins

Chris Johnson and Miles Japhet

Jaco Marx, Paul Sykes, Chris Johnson, Chief Minister Peter Caruana, and Paul Savignon

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

insurance “The ability to conduct business from Gibraltar into all these territories via freedom of services clearly indicates that the decision to establish Red Sands in Gibraltar was the correct one” said Chris Lathey, Managing Director of the three companies that make up the Group.

In April this year the company acquired a stake in Haven Insurance Company Limited, an existing Gibraltar insurer, which writes specialist motor business in the UK. This company will write some £15m of business in 2009 with projected growth to around £25m now that the fundamentals of the business are falling into line with Group strategy.

In January 2009, Red Sands Life Assurance Company (Europe) Limited, a Gibraltar based life assurance company with £4.5m of new capital was established. A television campaign will shortly get underway in Poland to promote this company’s products and in time it is expected this business will grow to a similar size as that of the general insurance operation.

Overall the three businesses are expected to write close to £50m of premium this year, following which it is anticipated the momentum will be established to double this premium income by 2012.

The three Gibraltar companies making up the Group are part of the same ultimate grouping as the Hollard Insurance Group (the largest independent insurer in South Africa, and second largest overall), which directly employs 1,500 people, has assets exceeding £1bn, and has 6.5m policyholders worldwide. Also part of Hollard is the Lombard Insurance Group,

the largest Surety and Credit underwriter in South Africa.

“The unique position of Gibraltar within the EU has very much made this the domicile of choice for us. We have access to the whole European market and have a responsive and well regulated environment in which to operate.

We operate as an open market insurer in a very competitive marketplace, where credibility and reputation are essential to our success and to date, Gibraltar has provided that framework.” said Chris Lathey.

To see the Group through the next phase of growth, all three companies have moved to larger premises at Ocean Village which will facilitate current expansion plans. The new premises were opened by the Chief Minister last month. n

Overall the three Watching the Weather businesses are expected The Caves Science Unit of the Caves and Cliffs Section of the Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural to write close to £50m History Society, now has its own weather station on the Upper Rock. This station has been purchased by of premium this year, Royal Holloway, University of London, as part of its collaborative project with GONHS, to monitor the weather on the southern side of The Rock. following which it is the Caves and Cliffs Sections’ base, at Governor’s anticipated the momentum AsCottage, is at the same height as the entrance to Lower St Michaels Cave, this was an ideal place for such a will be established to station.

Data is currently being downloaded manually using double this premium battery power, but the section is exploring the feasibility of automating the process, with a view income by 2012 to publishing its data online.

AI International Couriers Ltd 11 Engineers Lane PO Box 532 Gibraltar Tel: (+350) 200 73775 Airport office: (+350) 200 41076 Fax: (+350) 200 74389 email: gibsn@dhl.com GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

17

finance

Gibraltar in the Premiership?

by John Gonzalez, Trust Officer, Fiduciary Management Limited

As football leagues in Europe draw to a close, Gibraltar PLC eagerly awaits the possibility of promotion to the OECD’s (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Premier League or relegation to the stigmatised Tax Haven blacklist.

Gibraltar cannot afford to waste the opportunity of “promotion” and hopefully will be able to sign Tax Information Exchange Agreements with eleven other countries by the stipulated deadline.

The adverse and uncalled for publicity that Gibraltar’s Finance Centre receives is on the whole unwarranted. The consequences, if Gibraltar remains classified as a Tax Haven, are dire and unthinkable. It would feed those with malign intentions over Gibraltar’s prosperity with sufficient argument to lambast Gibraltar in every way, shape or form.

The so called White List will come under scrutiny in due course as further measures will be conjured up in an attempt to curtail the tax advantages offered by International Finance Centres. However, this battle will be fought another day and for now Gibraltar must ensure that it finds its way to the White List by the time the G20 meets next.

There are conflicting views on how long and severe the global recession will be. There are a number of sources that predict that certain countries will emerge from the slowdown earlier than others. Some sources claim the presence of “green shoots” in certain economies. This would be welcome news as it would indicate that these economies are on the road to recovery.

However, a clear indication of an economy’s well being is the length of its dole queues. Many countries in and outside Europe are experiencing unemployment levels that have not been

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seen for a long time. This a tangible indicator by which people can relate to. Its harmful effect is that it dampens consumer confidence and hampers economic growth as it is burden on the public purse.

Fortunately, Gibraltar remains to a large extent unscathed by the economic turmoil experienced elsewhere. The shock waves, or ripples rather, of the global recession have reached Gibraltar’s shores but its effect is barely noticeable. This speaks volumes for the way in which Gibraltar’s economy is diversified and the strength of the pillars of our economy. However, Gibraltar is not immune to external factors and it must remain vigilant to prevent or mitigate any nasty surprises .

On a happier note, it is satisfying and re-

The shock waves, or ripples rather, of the global recession have reached Gibraltar’s shores but its effect is barely noticeable.

This speaks volumes for the way in which Gibraltar’s economy is diversified

warding to see the interest that the UK political parties, across the spectrum, try to charm Gibraltarians for their vote in the forthcoming European elections. Welcome noises have been made in Strasbourg by the outgoing Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who have served Gibraltar well. Despite Gibraltar’s size in terms of population, MEPs have shown an interest in the problems faced by Gibraltar and have vigorously addressed these in the different fora available in the European Parliament.

A word of thanks goes out to them.

Gibraltar still does not have its own MEP but it is only a question of time before it does.

Strenuous efforts and lobbying by the different sectors and groups that make our society are instrumental towards this goal. Non-Gibraltarian MEP’s can defend Gibraltar’s interests well .

However, Gibraltar’s success in securing a seat in the European Parliament could send a strong message to the European Community. It could be translated in terms of Gibraltar coming of age and being able to stand alone in a Parliament truly representative of the constituents it claims to represent.

Recessions fade away over time and Gibraltar must ensure it is on the starting line to exploit opportunities when the global economy commence its recovery.

Gibraltar will prevail despite all its challenges.

It has survived and prospered for the last 300 years and will continue to do so. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

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Steve Buck Joins the Portal Steve Buck joined the International Finance Centre Portal last month. He brings with him a wealth of experience from his background in the telecoms industry where he was previously based in the north west of England. The Portal is a relatively new project which brings together content from different jurisdictions and countries around the world and is now steadily growing with Steve being involved in the data management and expansion of the site into other countries. www.internationalfinancecentres.com

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events How do you think a Gibraltarian candidate will be perceived by the electorate outside Gibraltar?

I have been amazed by the overwhelmingly positive reaction that we have received from our colleagues in the South West of England, and the UK Press.

The European Election has received minimal press coverage in the UK because of the ambivalent love/hate relationship that the country has with the EU. However, the fact that a Gibraltarian candidate is standing as part of the South West Region constituency has proven to be a bit of a news item in itself!

In the end, it is a reflection of the excellent relations between the Liberal Democrats in the UK and the Liberal Party of Gibraltar that we managed to come up with this arrangement where everybody wins. It shows the solid commitment that Graham Watson personally and the Liberal Democrats have for Gibraltar that one of the slots on their list included a Gibraltarian candidate. This is the first time this has happened with a mainstream party in the UK… maybe it’ll start a trend?

Jonathan Stagnetto with Graham Watson

Elections for Europe The European Elections will be held across the EU from 1st-7th June 2009 with Election Day in the UK and Gibraltar on 4th June (results will be announced after 9pm on 7th June). The Regional Returning Officer for our region, South West, Paul Morris, has published the formal Statement of Parties & Individual Candidates Nominated which shows there are 16 Parties and one independent standing — the second largest number in the Country (London has 19). We spoke to Jonathan Stagnetto, Gibraltarian Liberal Democrat candidate for elections to the European Parliament, about the elections and what is expected of an MEP. Firstly, what inspired you to stand for this election?

Gibraltar is my passion, and I have always had an interest in local politics. I have been a member of the Executive Committee of the Liberal Party of Gibraltar for 18 years and am a former Party Chairman and Election Agent.

Gibraltar fought long and hard to obtain the right to vote in European elections. The elections themselves only come around every five years, and this is only the second time that Gibraltar has been given an opportunity to exercise this right. The big danger is that having clamoured for the right to vote, the whole process becomes so alien or so remote to the Gibraltarian electorate that it becomes yet another wasted opportunity. Under the present system, the only way that somebody from Gibraltar can be elected as an MEP is to stand for election with one of the three main political parties in the United Kingdom.

As you know, Gibraltar forms part of the South West of England constituency and I am

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Do you find it a daunting prospect to be the elected representative of such a diverse constituency?

It is a challenge that I look forward to taking on should I be given that honour. I have family connections in Bristol which is part of the South West England constituency. Indeed, I have been an ardent Bristol City fan since the age of ten!

I think the point that needs to be made here is that Graham Watson is an excellent MEP, and is a shining example of how one has to go about juggling one’s various diverse responsibilities as an MEP for Gibraltar and for the South West of England. As far as Gibraltar is concerned, he has tackled all sorts of issues in defence of Gibraltar in Europe. These range from problems raised by constituents over matters like human rights, disability issues, and employment questions to wider political problems which impacted on Gibraltar as a whole. The Spanish challenge to Gibraltar’s sovereignty over our territorial waters, civil aviation issues, sporting matters and the environment among them.

Indeed, barely six months ago Graham Watson was in Gibraltar with a group of Liberal MEPs from 12 different countries to see for themselves. The fact that there is now a Gibraltarian on the list means that there is someone to provide further input on Gibraltar matters in the same way as the other five candidates from the South West provide an input on issues which affect that region of England.

proud to have been given this opportunity to stand for the Liberal Democrats as a candidate in this Combined Region. We had been discussing this matter with the Liberal Democrats for quite some time and the South West Liberal Democrat MEP Graham Watson has always been very supportive and has played a vital role in this. What does being an MEP involve from a The matter was agreed in principle, so when the commitment and travel point of view? occasion presented itself I was delighted to put I know that Graham Watson is constantly on my name forward as candidate. the go between his constituency and places like Brussels and Strasbourg which are at the heart of the European Union and where the European Parliament sits. In Graham’s case there is a new and very important dimension to his work because he is the leader of a group of about 100 Liberal MEPs. This means he is involved at a higher level than most ordinary MEPs and that people listen to what he has to say.

This place is unique and has given me everything that I am. I am passionate about seeing Gibraltar prosper

Your involvement in politics in Gibraltar is low key, are there any plans to become more

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

events involved?

As mentioned earlier, I am a member of the Executive Committee of the Liberal Party of Gibraltar and have been for the last 18 years.

I have never stood for election to the Gibraltar Parliament and have no ambition to do so at this moment in time. However, in my present capacity I do follow political issues very closely both in Gibraltar and abroad and I make my regular contributions at meetings of the party.

I am very proud to be a Gibraltarian, and am very conscious of the challenges that we face as a people. This place is unique and has given me everything that I am. I am passionate about seeing Gibraltar prosper.

Do you think it is important for Gibraltarians to take an interest in politics at a European level and to exercise their right to vote on 4th June?

Whether we like it or not Gibraltar is very much part of Europe. The problem is that since 1986 when Spain joined the EU, the perception in Gibraltar has been that Europe has done Gibraltar few favours, and that it has often been used by Spain as a means of pursuing their tired old claim to our land.

We have noticed over the past 5 years, just how important it is to have effective representation in the European Parliament. To the Gibraltarian voter, this additional support has probably gone unnoticed, but this is because the battleground is distant and within the European Parliament in Brussels. However, it is precisely this political battlefield that is helping to shape Gibraltar’s prospects, and what we cannot allow to happen is that our future and that of our children should somehow be overlooked or sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.

It goes without saying that I think people should take an interest in these European elections and that they should exercise their right to vote. This is a fundamental cornerstone of any democratic society and something that people have given their lives for in other parts of the world. Gibraltar’s case to obtain the European vote, was more complex than elsewhere, and involved a lengthy legal and political battle against the United Kingdom Government. The 2004 elections were the first ones in which Gibraltarians could vote, and the turnout was very high compared to the UK and elsewhere. These elections in 2009 will therefore be Gibraltar’s second European elections and I would hope people in Gibraltar will make use of their hardwon right to vote. n

CHARLES GOMEZ& COMPANY

text & photo by Jane McKinnon-Johnson

UK European elections – Gibraltar style!

When William Hague agreed to become Shadow Foreign Secretary in David Cameron’s Shadow Cabinet, he probably hadn’t realised he would end up canvassing for Conservative votes on the shores of the Mediterranean. But as Gibraltar gears up to vote for the second time in the European elections that’s exactly where one of Britain’s most popular and recognisable politicians found himself in May. Following a reception hosted by local Conservatives in the Garrison Library, he took to Casemates and Main Street, to meet the Gibraltar electorate.

The citizens of the Rock were enfranchised in 2004 after a long and hard fought campaign led

by Government and championed by many in British politics. Gibraltarians vote as part of the South West Region of the UK, a region which stretches from Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire down to the Scilly Isles, 25 miles off Lands End at the tip of Cornwall, to the edge of the New Forest, where the counties of Dorset and Hampshire meet, and includes the cities of Bristol, Plymouth and Exeter and the seaside Boroughs of Bournemouth and Torbay.

There was fierce competition amongst Conservatives in the nine regions of England to become “home” to Gibraltar which continues

to be a talismanic and emotive issue in Britain.

The South West and Gibraltar region will elect 6 MEPs on the 4th June. In 2004 the region elected 7 MEPs but the accession of countries like Bulgaria and Romania to the EU means that the allocation of seats to countries has been reduced correspondingly.

In 2004 the South West elected 3 Conservative MEPs, 2 from the UK Independence Party, 1 Socialist and 1 Liberal Democrat. Gibraltar had the highest turnout of any part of the Region (57%) and by far the highest percentage of Conservative voters (71%).

The Conservatives’ high profile visits to Gibraltar included Michael Ancram MP, Shadow Europe Minister Mark Francois MP, Party Chairman Eric Pickles MP and of course William Hague. And their election address to the Gibraltar people included a personal message from party leader David Cameron.

The challenge now for Gibraltar is to match the turnout of 2004, and to once again have the highest turnout in the region. At a recent press conference Chief Minister Peter Caruana reminded Gibraltarians of our duty to vote. Our rights to do so were hard fought and hard won. n

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C l e a r S imple Legal Advice GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

21

broadcast

?

what’s the point of Gibraltar by Frankie Hatton

BBC Factual radio in conjunction with BBC Radio 4 has a show in its second series which takes a look at great British institutions but with a different slant to the norm. Last month BBC Radio 4 decided its next ‘British institution’ should be Gibraltar and visited our shores for a couple of days to find out what really makes it tick.

The show is called What’s the Point of…? and is presented by Daily Mail parliamentary sketchwriter Quentin Letts. Quentin asks the questions, perhaps draws the odd conclusion, but definitely fills the show with local colour.

The show has previously covered the Arts Council, Michelin Stars, the Football Association and, interestingly enough, asked the question ‘What’s the Point of the Archbishop of Canterbury?’ So far this season they’ve asked the point of the Privy Council and then turned their attention to what could be arguably the greatest British institution of all, Gibraltar.

In some ways we most definitely are more British than those who live on the mainland, more likely to celebrate our links and history.

More concerned with the politics which not just affect us, but European politics too, including those of our neighbour. Quentin Letts brought his questions along with producer Rosie Dawson and they met up with many people on the Rock to find out ‘What’s the Point of Gibraltar?’ in a humorous, witty kind of way.

After they arrived in Gibraltar I caught up with them at Ocean Village where we’d arranged some late evening interviews. I asked what gave them the idea for a programme on Gibraltar? Rosie said it had been Quentin’s idea because of his long-standing interest in the Rock.

“I first visited as a child of five and I used to admire it from the beach a San Pedro, where my parents had a villa. We visited every summer in

22

the early 1970s. Before 1969 my family would fly to Gib and then get a taxi to San Pedro.”

Although Rosie had heard of Gibraltar she had never visited, even when holidaying along the Costa. Quentin’s knowledge was much deeper not only from many visits but through his work as a sketchwriter where he had heard regular arguments in the House of Commons about sovereignty from the likes of Lindsay Hoyle, Michael Ancram and Andrew Mackinlay.

“Did you have any preconceptions about us and the way were are?” I asked them both.

“For me,” said Rosie, “I imagined it to be more British than Britain with lots of military vehicles and uniforms all around.”

“What about you Quentin? You’ve been here before, has it changed?”

“I was struck by the new building work on reclaimed ground; was dismayed by some of

“Well I got off the plane away from the Rock and didn’t see it at first,” said Rosie. “As I set eyes on it my jaw dropped a little”

the architecture (particularly that horror just above Europa Point); and was made to think (positively) about the strong family ties that exist in Gib. I also found the mass of people and the narrowness of the pavements made me feel a little claustrophobic. After being here I’m surprised at the lack of obvious military presence with the exception of the RGR 70th anniversary parade which Rosie was lucky enough to catch.”

“What were your first impressions when you got off the airplane?”

“Well I got off the plane away from the Rock and didn’t see it at first,” said Rosie. “As I set eyes on it my jaw dropped a little.”

For Quentin, “It was like seeing an old friend.

It has the most evocative of shapes. Last time I had visited was in the 1990s with my wife to be.

I rather wished I had been on holiday but there was work to do — no time for relaxation!”

Over the following 24 hours they had several interviews with various personalities around Gibraltar from ex-pats with businesses to those who came here, settled, and married into the community. They also spoke with politicians, lawyers, military personnel as well as the Governor himself.

The questions touched on the politics, as well as the role and influence of the MoD. They asked about Gibraltar’s economy, how we make money, our tax regime and even what makes Gibraltarians the way they are and whether they are pro-British, anti-Spanish or something GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

broadcast in between.

For me it was interesting as someone who has settled here to get the views of someone who lives more than 2,000 miles away and isn’t subject to the insular life which can exist this side of the frontier. They both believed they would like to come back again but Gibraltar is for many of our visitors part of a budget two-centre holiday.

Most arrive on the coaches that come from the Costa or perhaps via cruise ships but once they get here they realise there is a lot more to us than a cheap cigarettes and a bottle of whisky.

I wondered what surprised them most about the Rock?

Rosie felt no real surprise but was impressed by how friendly people are. She was also struck by the amount of congestion on our streets and the almost impossible task of finding a parking space. On the other hand Quentin was surprised at how un-British the children and teenagers were. He was also surprised at how big Gibraltar was now even though the streets were narrow.

“What about being British?” I asked. “Are we British or something else?”

Rosie feels the Britishness we have is very unlike the Britain of today. “There are some things about that that I really like — but from talking to people I also got a clear sense that there’s something about Gibraltar and its people that is just... Gibraltarian... and is not dependent on its Britishness at all. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

As for Quentin, he believes “It is more Gibraltarian and less British than I remembered.”

My final question was this; “What have you taken away, that whenever you hear the name

BBC Radio producer Rosie Dawson

“It struck me that Gibraltarians are wary of the press. I don’t think it would be much fun being a journalist — certainly a sketchwriter — in Gibraltar”

Gibraltar, will flash into your mind?”

First Rosie — “Some of that congestion, I’m afraid. Plus the road out to the Caleta and the sunrise over the sea, and the monkeys of course.

Also the moving experience of standing on Main Street as the veterans of the Gibraltar Regiment marched by on the 70th anniversary parade and the warmth of the reception they received.”

As for Quentin “It struck me that Gibraltarians are wary of the press. I don’t think it would be much fun being a journalist — certainly a sketchwriter — in Gibraltar. Unfortunately Mr Caruana and his office refused to talk to us. As an elected politician he should have taken the opportunity to talk to BBC radio.

“On the other hand the view of the Strait of Gibraltar, looking out to Africa over that busy shipping lane; and my mind racing to the thought of the time many millennia ago that the Strait was formed and the dustbowl of the Med was filled with rushing water. How the monkeys must have watched in wonder as they clung to the Rock that day!”

What’s the Point of Gibraltar? aired on BBC Radio 4 at the end of May in UK but you can check it out now on the BBC Radio 4 website where you will be able to ‘listen again’. www. bbc.co.uk/iplayer/radio/bbc_radio_four Although you may think the title somewhat provocative, the show is designed to inform the listener, particularly those in the UK in a lighthearted way about its subject. Let’s face it even after 304 years there are those in the UK who still think we lay somewhere near the Isle of Wight. For us, well we already know what the point of Gibraltar is — it’s our home! n

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23

finance

by Brian McCann

Albert Yome

Here to Protect “The whole regime is designed to bring firms into line before it’s too late,” says Albert Yome of the Financial Services Commission.

Albert has been at the FSC for seven years now, initially as the Commission’s first Enforcement Officer. He was then promoted to Manager, Enforcement, a role which was subsequently merged with another to become

24

Manager, Fiduciary Services and Enforcement.

This means that as well as taking whatever measures are needed to ensure compliance with the financial services Acts, he is also responsible for the routine supervision of professional

trustees and company managers.

Albert’s career started as a uniformed constable in the Royal Gibraltar Police, but when the then new deputy commissioner of police Alan Castree from Manchester took over, Albert was transferred to his office as a sort of aide, to help the new man find his way around Gibraltar and around the RGP structure.

“I enjoyed that,” Albert told me. “One minute I was a bobby on the beat, and then suddenly I’m right in with the top brass where it was all happening — but without any of their responsibilities!”

However, the RGP wasn’t going to waste Albert’s obvious talents, and he soon found himself as part of the Gibraltar Financial Intelligence Unit (GFIU), where he spent an interesting four years as a criminal intelligence analyst.

The job of enforcement officer was created under the previous FSC’s chief executive, Martin Fuggle; Albert applied for it and, as we know, was accepted. Before that, it was the job of the various supervisors in such specialised areas as banking, insurance, investments and fiduciary services to take whatever action was required in cases of contravention of financial services laws and regulations. So Albert said goodbye to his ten years in the police and joined the FSC. As the Commission’s enforcement guy, much of his time is spent trawling the internet looking for any person or firm who is offering financial services from Gibraltar without being licensed to do so. To further this, he has been on courses in the UK — including one covering internet intelligence training at Cambridge.

“It’s very often the case that unlicensed operators only have a very tenuous connection with Gibraltar,” he explained. “They might have a private mail box and a diverted telephone here but nothing else. Others don’t even have that — they simply proclaim ‘Gibraltar’ on their website, yet the phone number is in some completely different country. People such as this are highly likely to be fraudsters, and action must be immediate to minimise the number of people who might be ripped off — and who will then blame Gibraltar for it.”

The usual steps are to express the FSC’s concerns to the suspect firm’s local service providers, who are usually willing to drop that client once the situation has been explained. In certain cases the FSC will also publish public warnings in the media and on the web — a method used by financial services authorities around the world. These actions can also arise following a number of complaints from the public about certain firms.

Regulated firms in Gibraltar are a different proposition. “Usually it’s the relevant supervisor who deals with it;” said Albert, “but if it’s serious non-compliance it can get to the point of cancelling a licence — although this is rarely done as the whole regime is meant to bring people into line before it’s too late.”

In exceptional cases it can lead to a court case, although the FSC has a range of measures it can take well before then.

What steps can people take to ensure — as far as possible — that a firm they are thinking of investing in is genuine or not? Albert explained that the FSC’s website www.fsc.gi has a list of all the licensed entities in Gibraltar, so if they’re not on it then they are probably best avoided

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

finance — unless, of course they are licensed in another jurisdiction in which case you can check on that country’s equivalent website. In any case such firms would be required to ‘passport’ their services to Gibraltar. Watch out too for firms whose bank account is in a different country from the one they claim to operate in.

Doing a Google or Yahoo search for the firm’s name can also turn up warnings issued by other authorities and perhaps some blog complaints too.

Are there any particular types of person to be cautious about?

“One of them in this area is British nationals who live in Spain. They can live on the Costa, pretend to be in Gibraltar and target people in the UK, for instance; so it’s all diffused. There is also an advantage for them in working in a country other than their own, as we often find that official bodies are only interested if one of their own nationals is the victim, or if the amount involved is very large. They aren’t going to launch an international manhunt over a few thousand pounds that has been lost by a foreigner. But in Gibraltar, our size means that everything is taken seriously, no matter how small.” He added that in some cases the FSC can apply to the Court to freeze a Gibraltar bank account to prevent further losses by the public.

Potential investors should also be alert for crooks passing themselves off as a legitimate business. “We had a case of a West African group based in a European city using the name of a Gibraltar bank; and in another case a website was set up to impersonate a local company

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

management firm,” he told me.

Albert, who is married with a son of nine and a daughter of 11 and is very active in the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society due to his love of wildlife, said that a useful point to remember is “If sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.” He recommends that to anyone who is thinking of doing financial business with an unknown firm on the basis prevention is far better than the cure.

And of course, there is Albert himself: “For anyone who has any concerns about any financial services operation either in or claiming to be in Gibraltar, I am the first port of call.” His team’s email is enforcement@fsc.gi, or you can call him on + 350 200 40283. The FSC does not, of course, provide investment advice, but they can confirm whether a person or firm is permitted to conduct financial services business in Gibraltar. n

The FSC’s website www.fsc.gi has a list of all the licensed entities in Gibraltar, so if they’re not on it then they are probably best avoided — unless they are licensed in another jurisdiction in which case you can check on that country’s equivalent website

Regiment Comings & Goings Two soldiers who joined the Gibraltar Regiment together in 1987 and who marched together in the 70th Anniversary Parade last month are about to retire at the end of their 22 year Army careers — Warrant Officer Class 2 Ken Fortunato and Warrant Officer Class 2 Francis Mauro.

As the two Warrant Officers prepared to leave the Regiment, another eight young recruits (pictured below with Winston Payas) were about to join the RGs by swearing their Oaths of Allegiance. Later this month they will leave Gibraltar to start their six months recruit training course at the Initial Training Regiment in Catterick. ”But I still have a list of 20 young men waiting to join,” said Recruiting Warrant Officer WO2 Winston Payas. “The RG is probably the best recruited Infantry regiment in the British Army.”

25

nature watch

G

ibraltar’s spectacular bird migration

The bright yellow eyes of the Short Toed Eagle seem to make the gulls feel especially threatened

the great flyover text by Rebecca Nesbit

Silence on the rock was broken by cries as an angry mob launched themselves at an innocent passer-by.

The mob consisted of yellowlegged gulls and their victim was a Griffon Vulture.

26

This violent scene is a common occurrence in spring and early summer. The gulls will mob any vultures that migrate over Gibraltar. They screech angrily and even dive-bomb the offending bird, sometimes actually touching the vultures’ backs.

Despite a wingspan of almost 3 metres, the vultures rely on thermals to keep them airborne.

If the gulls force them closer to

the ground they can’t always gain height again. Sometimes this ends in tragedy. Each year young Griffon Vultures fall prey to the gulls and end up in the sea.

The gulls feel threatened when a large bird of prey passes overhead so, to protect their eggs and chicks, they launch an attack. Ironically the Vultures pose no threat at all. They are simply passing through and, anyway, feed mostly on carrion.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

nature watch Yellow-legged gulls

The gulls would be much better ignoring the vulture and feeding their chicks.

A raucous from the gulls can alert you to the presence of some interesting birds. The Short-toed Eagle is one of the gulls’ enemies; they feel threatened by its size and, apparently, by its bright yellow eyes. Short-toed Eagles are very pale, appearing totally white below apart from some thin dark stripes along its wing and body.

But don’t wait for the gulls to tell you that migrations are taking place. On a spring day with winds from the East it’s always worth looking up. Flocks of migrating birds regularly come in off the sea and soar effortlessly over the rock.

The Booted Eagle is the smallest species of eagle. It comes in two colour forms. The light form is distinctive: the front of the wings and the underside of the body are almost white and the trail edge of the wings is dark. The dark form is brown all over.

The Black Kite is extremely common and over 1,000 birds can pass through Gibraltar in an individual day. They are brown all over so can be confused with the dark Booted Eagles, but the Black Kites have a shallow fork in their tails.

The Honey Buzzard is another common migrant over Gibraltar, sometimes coming over mixed in with the flocks of Black Kites. The same size as a Black Kite, their wings have a dark front and pale backs, often with stripes of brown and white in the middle. They have a distinctive pale tail with dark bands. The Honey Buzzards are migrating from tropical Africa to

Short-toed Eagle mobbed by the gulls

central Europe.

All these birds try to cross the Strait at the narrowest point, which would mean flying over Tarifa.

However, strong winds often blow them over Gibraltar. When the winds are at their strongest the migrating birds seem to be flying sideways; they are facing into the wind to stop themselves being blown over the sea.

Although this spectacular migration of raptors is the most visible of bird migrations many smaller birds pass through unnoticed. Some of the smallest birds on the rock can be the ones who have made the most incredible migrations.

The Pied Flycatcher is a striking bird, jet black with a white patch on its wing and a white pot-belly.

The Spotted Flycatcher is a grey but elegant bird, with grey-brown streaking on its belly. Its mannerisms are what distinguish it. Like other flycatchers, it sits patiently on a perch then suddenly darts after an insect, returning to the same perch with its prize.

Unlike the birds of prey, these smaller birds migrate at night, using the stars and the Earth’s magnetic field to guide them.

There are all sorts of small birds skulking in the bushes on the Upper Rock. Some are migrants resting before the night’s migration and some are residents bringing up their young while food is plentiful.

If it’s the birds of prey you’re after, the Pillars of Hercules is a perfect vantage point. At this time of year if you stand there on a day with easterly winds your wait will certainly be rewarded with a fly over of kites, buzzards, eagles and maybe even a few vultures. n

Each year young Griffon Vultures fall prey to the gulls and end up in the sea GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

Black Kite

Griffon vulture

Spotted Fly-catcher

Photography: Rebecca Nesbit & Rob King

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history

by Reg Reynolds

cruel weapon invented at Gibraltar Shrapnel: a hollow projectile containing bullets or the like and a bursting charge, designed to explode before reaching the target, and to set free a shower of missiles.

Shrapnel is a word which is ideally suited for the object it describes and yet it wasn’t made up by some clever munitions expert but is in fact the name of a real person — Lt. Henry Shrapnel, Royal Artillery.

I first learned about this vicious weapon when I was six-years-old. We were at the beach and it was the first time I remember seeing my father in swimming trunks. He had a deep, two-inch long scar on the thigh of his right leg. I knew he had been torpedoed during World War II but wasn’t aware that he had been wounded. The scar was shaped exactly like a bullet and so I quite naturally asked if it had been caused by a bullet. “No that’s from shrapnel,” he explained.

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Dad told me how he was aboard ship off the coast of North Africa watching Allied planes bombing shore installations when a stray piece

Lt. Shrapnel came up with the idea of a hollow shell filled with carbine balls and enough gunpowder to cause it to explode

of shrapnel hit him in the leg — a ‘friendly fire’ injury. Fortunately it was only a flesh wound (as they say in the movies) and he suffered no permanent damage.

Dad, whose ship was torpedoed shortly after sailing from Gibraltar in November 1942, wasn’t aware of it but the weapon that left him with that interesting looking scar was invented in Gibraltar.

The year was 1781 and Gibraltar residents were suffering through the third year of the Great Siege (1779-1783). Young (20 years-old) Wiltshire-born Lt. Shrapnel was observing artillery shelling the Spanish positions on the frontier and was dismayed by the poor results. He reckoned that out of 2,000 rounds of 24-pound shot fired only 26 Spaniards fell.

The problem was that round shot would only take out soldiers it actually came in contact with.

Grapeshot, smaller shot which scattered when fired, could kill or maim more of the enemy, but was only effective at short range.

Lt. Shrapnel came up with the idea of a hollow shell filled with carbine balls and enough gunpowder to cause it to explode. When the hollow shell exploded, the carbine balls would become deadly projectiles spread over a much wider area and at increased velocity. An added cruel touch would be that the bits of the exploding casing would also become deadly ‘shrapnel’.

In developing his shell, Lt. Shrapnel married two existing weapons technologies, the canister shot and the delayed-action fuse. Canister shot, in use since the 1400s, burst upon leaving the gun’s muzzle and was originally used in small arms at close range against infantry. Shrapnel’s refinement carried the shell intact to the enemy’s lines, where it detonated above the heads of the troops with much more devastating effect.

As so often is the case with revolutionary ideas, the acceptance of the invention, which Lt. Shrapnel had dubbed ‘spherical case’ ammunition, was not immediate. Lt. Shrapnel had some shot specially made at Gibraltar and demonstrated its use to General O’Hara but it wouldn’t be until 20 years later, on 13th April, 1801 at the Battle of Batavia (modern day Suriname), that such shells would be used in combat.

They were so effective in the bombardment of Batavia’s Ford Amsterdam that only two shell explosions were required to force a surrender.

A Major Wilson who witnessed the action was impressed: “The enemy was so astonished at these shells as not to be able to account how they apparently suffered from musketry at such a great distance.”

In 1802 the new weapon made its first appearance in the Royal Artillery Manual under the heading, “A table of practice with Lt. Shrapnel’s new method of firing case shot.” And on 5th May, 1803, Shrapnel, now Captain, gave a demonstration at the Woolwich Armory in the presence of King George III. Not surprisingly no foreigners were invited. Shrapnel was duly promoted to Major and sent to iron works in Scotland to oversee the manufacture of ‘spherical case shot’.

The new shells really came into their own during the Peninsular campaign when the Duke of Wellington employed them to good use in several engagements against Napoleon’s armies.

They played a major role in the defeat of 8,000 French by 4,000 British at Calabria in 1805.

One General remarked at the time, “It is

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

history admirable to the whole army and its effects are dreadful.”

In 1814, with Napoleon defeated and exiled to Elba, Major Shrapnel was recognized for his contribution to victory. The British Government awarded him £1,200 (about £75,000 in today’s money) a year for life. He was appointed Colonel-Commandant, Royal Artillery, on 6th March, 1827 and was made a Lieutenant-General in January 1837.

Many variations of Shrapnel’s original shells were developed through the years and used by all European armies up to and including World War I. The shells could contain any number of destructive items — sharp metal, lead balls or nails — and the term ‘shrapnel’ has come to mean any shell fragment.

Henry Shrapnel did see front line action and was wounded at Flanders in 1793 but he never had to face the fearsome weapon that bears his name. He died on 13th March, 1842 aged 80. n

Dad, whose ship was torpedoed after sailing from Gibraltar in 1942, wasn’t aware of it but the weapon that left him with that interesting looking scar was invented in Gibraltar

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

JUNE 2009

Date Mon 01 Wed 03 Thu 04 Mon 08

Wed 10

Fri 12 Sun 14 Mon 15

Tue 16

Wed 17

Thu 18 Sat 20 Mon 22

Tue 23 Wed 24 Mon 29

Vessel Atlantic Star Coral SeaDream I Atlantic Star Costa Luminosa Grand Princess Coral Oriana Arcadia Ventura Atlantic Star Crown Princess Grand Princess Indepen. of Seas Minerva Coral Bleu de France Queen Victoria Thomson Destiny Atlantic Star Indepen. of Seas Coral Atlantic Star

ETA 1300 1630 1130 1300 1400 0800 1630 0800 0800 0800 1300 0800 0900 0900 1200 1630 0800 1330 0900 1300 0900 1630 1300

ETD 1900 2030 1900 1900 2359 1700 2030 1330 1330 1330 1900 1700 1700 1600 2000 2030 1300 1800 1800 1900 1600 2030 1900

Pass Spanish International American Spanish Italian American International British British British Spanish American American International British International French International British Spanish International International Spanish

Capacity From To 1200 Lisbon Casablanca 756 Tangier Ibiza 110 1200 Lisbon Casablanca 2260 Barcelona Cadiz 2600 Ajaccio S’thampton 756 Tangier Ibiza 1975 Palau S’thampton 1968 Zakinthos S’thampton 3100 S’thampton Alicante 1200 Lisbon Casablanca 3100 Barcelona Cadiz 2600 3600 Cannes S’thampton 398 Motril Seville 756 Tangier Ibiza 600 Malaga Ajaccio 2000 Palma S’thampton 1595 Portimão Malaga 1200 Lisbon Casablanca 3600 S’thampton Cagliari 756 Tangier Ibiza 1200 Lisbon Casablanca

Total Number of Vessels calling this month = 23 Approximate Number of Passengers calling in this month = 38,530

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history file

by Dave Wood

Our Governors:

Charles Monro

It isn’t easy to enjoy a sea voyage when you’re nine months pregnant. Those romantic moonlit strolls on deck lose something of their edge, and no lady truly relishes an invitation to dine at the captain’s table in such a condition. Spare a thought, then, for Mrs Monro as she headed for England aboard the Maid of Judah in June 1860.

The journey seemed endless and she counted the hours, hoping against hope that she would reach the old country and the comfort of her own bed before the baby came. It was not to be. Babies are shamelessly inconsiderate (as witness their appalling standards of personal

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hygiene), and with the ship still on the high seas hers decided, regardless of the inconvenience it would cause to its mother, and incidentally to the captain, who would be compelled under the provisions of the Act of the 6th & 7th of William IV cap. 86 to fill in an official form and

issue a certificate, it had waited long enough and wanted out.

The child, a son, was born on 15th June 1860.

His parents might have taken a fully justified revenge by naming him Ahab, or Barnacle Bill, but they were compassionate folk, and the lad received instead the altogether more civilised forenames of Charles Carmichael.

Now, if these were the opening passages of an epic novel, Charles Carmichael Monro would go on to be an admiral, perhaps First Sea Lord, and a great naval hero. A man of vision would have considered it almost an obligation, and at the very least given it a go. But Charles, in spite of his maritime origins, was to remain a confirmed landlubber. Perhaps the ceaseless rolling of the waves during his first few days led to him too often being sick not all over his mother, as intended, but all over himself.

Not fancying the navy, he decided instead to try his luck in the army. He went to Sandhurst, where he was gazetted in August 1879. Readers need not be horrified. This does not mean that he was executed for cowardice or indiscipline in some brutal medieval manner, nor that he suffered a crippling injury in an outrageous initiation ritual. “Gazetting” meant merely publishing a formal notice of a man’s assignment to his regiment in the official government gazette.

In the case of Charles Monro, that regiment was the 2nd Foot, The Queen’s (which is grammatically clumsy, but sounds much better than the alternative, The Queen’s 2nd Foot).

The latter years of the 19th century must have been a bit of a blur for the young soldier.

He buzzed around the outposts of the British Empire like a bee who had chanced upon a particularly grand picnic and couldn’t choose between the jam tarts and the honey pot. He served with distinction on India’s north-west frontier, especially in what became known as the Tirah Expedition of 1897 when the British, beset by tribal risings on all fronts, frantically tried to repair and replace the wheels that were conspicuously falling off the imperial wagon.

He poked enough pesky natives in the eye with the sharp end of his baton to be rewarded with promotion to the rank of Major in February 1898 and, prophetically as it turned out, was appointed Brigade Major in Gibraltar in October of the same year.

On that occasion he stayed on the Rock for a mere six months before being transferred to Guernsey, where he remained for another six months before being shifted once again, this time to Aldershot. It was hardly worth his time unpacking his trunk.

Life is never simple. Flair, ability, even genius are useless where there is no opportunity to use them. The desert nomad who never sees a pool of water deeper than an inch cannot prove his prowess as a swimmer, and a military man whose career coincides with a sustained period of universal peace cannot flex his muscles as a soldier. Luckily for soldiers, and sadly for the rest of us, Mankind has not yet succeeded in fashioning a sustained period of universal peace. Charlie Chaplin said that all he needed to make a comic film was a park, a policeman and a pretty girl. Dispiritingly, all the human race needs to make a war is a piece of land and two tribes who dispute the ownership of it, which is as ludicrous as two birds disputing ownership of the sky.

War broke out in South Africa in 1899. If it

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

history file hadn’t, it would have done so somewhere else, and since the cause of all wars is human stupidity, we need waste no time in digging for “reasons” designed to get ourselves off the hook. But it is in wars that soldiers make their reputations, and it was in the South African war that Charles Monro made his. He went into it a Major, and emerged as a Brevet Lieutenant Colonel. He had also become an expert in the use of firearms, and the relatively new technique of rapid fire, and back in England he was put in charge of the Hythe School of Musketry so that he could teach it to others. The tactic, it should be noted, was designed as much to cause confusion and panic in the enemy as to increase casualties, and in that regard was considered highly effective.

Today they call it “shock and awe”.

Leaving Hythe in 1911, he moved up the military ladder to become Major General in charge of the 2nd London Territorial Division.

It is not known precisely where Gavrilo Princip, 17-year old son of an impoverished Yugoslavian postman, was at the very moment that Major General Monro walked into his new office and introduced himself to his men, but we can be sure that no-one in the room had heard of him.

Princip was an insignificant nobody, much like that funny little odd-job man that some friend of a cousin of old Bill’s had bought a badly painted postcard from the previous year in Vienna: Adolf something.

By nightfall on 28th June 1914, Gavrilo Princip was the most famous man in the world. Adolf Hitler’s turn would have to wait. On that day, Princip assassinated Archduke Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and for good measure Ferdinand’s consort, Sophie, duchess of Hohenberg. World War 1 was on, and millions of young men were about to die prematurely in conditions not even Edgar Allan Poe could have devised in his most tortured nightmares.

In August 1914 Charles Monro was shipped to France to John Douglas Haig’s expeditionary corps as commander of its second division. Haig took one look at him and decided that he was, “rather fat”. This from a man whose name was synonymous with Scotch whisky.

As one generation succeeds another, like a new coat of whitewash on an old wall, words and places that were once heavy with associations, good and bad, wither and become nothing more than meaningless jumbles of harmless letters. What does “Gallipoli” mean to the average Bayside or Westside student today?

We can imagine the empty stares and the uncomprehending shrugs of the shoulders. Is it a fish? An Italian fashion designer? An Indie rock band?

But in July 1915, when Charles Monro became the first commander of the newly formed 3rd Army, Gallipoli was high on the list of the British government’s most pressing problems.

Gallipoli was, and is, an important Turkish seaport standing on a narrow peninsula at the northeastern tip of the Dardanelles. The British and the French, hoping to open up a supply route to Russia were determined to invade Turkey and capture its capital, Constantinople (now Istanbul). By October 1915, the battle to do so had been raging for almost a year, but the Turks were proving to be far tougher opposition than expected, and the allied troops, who were dying in greater and greater numbers, were getting nowhere. Monro was asked to report

By nightfall on 28th June 1914, Gavrilo Princip (above) was the most famous man in the world

Haig took one look at him and decided that he was, “rather fat”. This from a man whose name was synonymous with Scotch whisky

to Parliament. He told the MPs bluntly that the offensive was doomed, and recommended that British troops be evacuated. Many, including Lord Kitchener, were outraged. British military opinion still largely favoured the good old futile but glorious gesture — the Light Brigade option — as preferable to retreat. But Monro won the day, and the troops were withdrawn without casualties. It became possibly Monro’s finest hour.

A year later, with war still raging in Europe, Monro was shipped out east again to become Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in India. His tenure was considered a success, but ended in acrimonious controversy due to the actions of one of his subordinates, Brigadier General Reginald Dyer. There was a considerable amount of civil unrest in India at the time, and the situation was not improved when Dyer ordered his troops to open fire on a crowd of unarmed civilians in Amritsar on April 13th 1919, who had gathered to listen to a political speech.

At least 200 (some say 400) were killed and hundreds more wounded. Monro refused to support Dyer’s actions, and Dyer, who became known as the Butcher of Amritsar, ended his career in disgrace. Monro was widely criticised for not supporting the Brigadier by staunch imperialists who considered discipline and the reputation of a British soldier more important than the lives of a few hundred unruly natives.

Charles Monro left India in 1920, and was rewarded with a Baronetcy. In 1923 he succeeded the remarkable Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien as Governor of Gibraltar, and served as such with great distinction until 1928. So popular was he on the Rock that the Chamber of Commerce petitioned the Secretary of State to extend his five-year appointment. For reasons best known to himself (Secretaries of State have never been renowned for clear thinking and common sense), the request was turned down, and Monro returned to England, where he was placed in charge of the Imperial War Museum.

Fast approaching his Biblical allotment of three score years and ten, perhaps the powers that be considered him something of a museum piece himself. But in his spare time he became a Governor again — this time of the Church Lads Brigade.

It didn’t last long. Almost as if he was reading his own life as a book, and knew that he had reached the final page of the final chapter, he closed his eyes and died quietly and without fuss on 7th December 1929. n

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

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

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?

Is Gibraltar Already.. ..... a Concrete Jungle Expressions common to the English language include: “at the end of the day” and “do you know what I mean?” In Gibraltar, one of the most common is: “we are living in a concrete jungle” or “Gibraltar will finish-up a concrete jungle”.

Well, at the risk of repeating the clichés, is it true – has it happened already? If not, can it be stopped? Or is it inevitable in a tiny country where people need to be housed in more dwellings because of households with fewer members, longer-living widows and widowers who do not want to (and should not have to) downsize, people who want guest bedrooms, children wanting their own non-shared rooms, increasing divorce or separation leading to needs for two dwellings, children from broken homes who now seek accommodation in both parents’ homes and, at the end of the day, luxury unoccupied flats and houses being vital to the type of economy developed by Gibraltar, as forced on it by Britain with the demise of the military and naval presence that gave Gibraltar its employment and income, for so long. Do you know what I mean?

Anyone who thinks you can have the selfsufficient economy that the UK has demanded of its overseas territories (but not its own difficult regions), given that integration into Great Britain has been refused by HMG, in addition to rejecting ANY subsidy, let alone one similar to that enjoyed by Northern Ireland or Scotland, without housing, offices, shops, restaurants, car parks, hotels, in excess of local needs, is living in cloud cuckoo land, not just a concrete jungle!

Those who want to halt this process will advocate (unwittingly), a smaller economy and jobs market so that every local MAY get housed, but in smaller flats, fewer of them and less ability to trade them for homes elsewhere - thus giving them flexibility and the freedom to move in and out of Gibraltar as family and career needs otherwise dictate. This is because Gibraltar currently has house prices similar to southern England and, whilst this is a burden to first-time buyers, it gives them a freedom to move and own, never had before.

Now is it a concrete jungle already? The piecemeal development of Gibraltar is largely

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Trees can soften and enhance any urban environment

Gibraltar currently has house prices similar to southern England and, whilst this is a burden to first-time buyers, it gives them a freedom to move and own, never had before

the fault of the MoD’s in holding on to land long after (if ever) needed (as it does in the UK) and its reluctance to release it in a structured and ordered manner. Also, there is reluctance to demolish, improve, maintain or adapt all those ghastly 1960s and ’70s horror buildings built cheaply with poor architectural effort, that elsewhere (particularly the City of London and London’s West End) have been replaced long before their sell-by date on aesthetic grounds or to exploit the footprint they take up, so creating a win-win situation for those forced to look at them, use them or own them. Such moves would facilitate more use of existing land no more than many other still pleasant locations abroad. The removal of such eyesores would certainly make the concrete jungle bearable. It is not the quantity, but the quality of the existing built environment that has determined attitudes to more of the same.

Surely no one can deny that the current projects are more pleasing on the eye and less like a communist housing estate in eastern Europe of which some give an impression. It is those that are the scars on the land — not the very old buildings of the past, but the more recent post-war stuff.

More vigorous planning restrictions and enforcement would help too! Planning gain must be used more to cause developers to improve what remains beside them. Much could be done to increase the size of the remaining population in the Upper Town by careful restoration, in-filling or extension.

The appearance of the City could be disguised successfully and attractively with a major programme of re-vegetation. Every road should be an avenue of trees, shrubs or bushes or hanging flowers. There is no need for all the unused spaces on pavements where there is plenty of room to plant something. Many a squalid industrial town has been transformed with a large-scale planting of trees and bushes, not just ground level flowers.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

photo: The Anchorage, a newly completed development in Gibraltar’s South District (photo supplied by Bray Properties www.brayproperties.com)

The creation of a City-wide control zone banning the entry of vehicles other than for access by permit or fee, the charging for car parking to deter abandoned vehicles and excessive numbers of vehicles per household (albeit with more reasonable rates for residents) so that the effect would be to prevent non-immediate residents parking elsewhere and visitors bringing in cars at all beyond the border, and obviate the need for more space to be reserved for car parking. American cities were ruined by demolition of buildings between high-rise blocks to provide huge ground car parks, so that cities looked like one giant open car parking lot. East Berlin, after the wall came down with West Berlin, quickly allowed pavements and gardens to become car spaces for the sudden rise in car ownership. Historical and war undamaged buildings sit uncomfortably with a sea of second-hand West German cars. The East went from the most attractive (architecturally speaking) part of Berlin, to the least, overnight.

It is happening here too!

North-west London was once a leafy series of suburbs as portrayed by former Poet-Laureate John Betcheman in Metroland, but is now thousands of over extended pre-war houses surrounded by former grass or tree verged roads now all hard-surfaced (to avoid main-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

tenance charges) and front gardens stripped of tress and hedges to provide car parking for three cars each on bricks, concrete and tarmac (not even gravel!). Please do not let Gibraltar finish-up with plastic plants in ceramic pots in lobbies to blocks of flats instead of real tress and shrubs in abundance everywhere. Poor towns in other European countries still look beautiful because of the nurture of horticulture. Introduce a career course at the College, please!

So Gibraltar could help itself to continue to build more Government flats, more subsidized flats for purchase, more normal market houses and flats and still have room for luxury housing for outsiders and incoming vital key workers, with proper planning, sensitive restoration, adaption of existing buildings, in-filling and, on brown field sites, the insertion of buildings, but utilize all space between for high-rise vegetation, so that the ”not-in-my-backyard” syndrome cliché is not heard here and the fragile, but inevitably so, economy of this gem of Europe actually looks better further developed than it does now, and it is not left alone to descend into inactivity, sluggish growth and advance and probable retreat, so that the next generation does not need housing here because there will be unemployed and not able or want to live here anyway. n

rty e p proerview ov

Paul de Beresford is a UK-qualified tax practitioner advising on residence & domicile relocation from offices in Main Street and can be contacted on +350 200 400 93 or from UK on 020 8144 1249 or email to beresford@gibtelecom.net

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The project includes semiserviced and corporate retained apartments (a taste of luxury at an affordable price) plus traditional short/long term lets

rt a m s ing liv

Living Concept...

This month sees the launch of Blue Oasis, a new and innovative creation by Just Consulting Ltd, a sales and marketing consultancy based here in Gibraltar. This new concept was developed to offer their client a unique and direct route to market for their portfolio of properties in Ocean Village.

This has never been seen before, but looks set to re-invigorate the property market in Gibraltar.

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The project brings with it a new variety of rental options available to individuals and companies a like; including semi-serviced and corporate retained apartments (giving people the taste of luxury at an affordable price) as well as traditional short and long term lets.

“The concept is simple, we want to offer tenants and potential purchasers something that they can’t get anywhere else. These aren’t apartments that we are offering, it’s a way of life...” says Christopher Bruno, director of Just Consulting Ltd. As part of the Blue Oasis project, residents and tenants will have access to a wide range of optional services, including cleaning and laundry services, gym membership, reduced green fees at selected golf clubs, access to chauffeur driven car services and soon to be added a luxury charter yacht.

Just Consulting have created this concept with a vision to create a buzz around a market, which in recent times, has been declining and rather quiet. We all know that the worldwide financial crisis has been very hard on property, especially in the UK and the USA, but Gibraltar still stands tall. With the new announcement of a 50% tax bracket in the UK and corporation tax reducing in Gibraltar next year we could see an increasing number of people coming into Gibraltar.

“The Gibraltar market offers a substantial amount of opportunities, but these are not to be taken for granted. The global economic situation affects us all, and in these difficult times, a creative innovative idea, can be the winning formula. We therefore look to offer a unique sales and marketing service to our clients irrespective of the product. Blue oasis is one of the many wide ranging sales and marketing projects we are currently involved with, and our ultimate aim is to ensure its success.” states Mr Bruno.

In this competitive market, Blue Oasis, with its added services and very competitive prices, could give these properties the ideal edge over the competition. With so many properties completing within the next few months, could this be the answer to ensuring success?

“At Just Consulting, we understand the importance of adapting our sales and marketing strategies in accordance with different market conditions. We are a specialized sale and marketing consultancy always maximizing on what the products we are involved with have to offer.

Our approach to the Blue Oasis project and the added services being offered with the properties, clearly demonstrate this” says Mr. Bruno.

With large plans afoot in the Just Consulting offices, one gets the feeling of excitement and the buzz around the Blue Oasis Project is the result of the drive and innovative inspiration afforded to this project.

We think everyone will be watching the development of this project and will be looking forward to the new ideas and innovative solutions that Just Consulting provide to their clients. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

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photos: Roman bathrooms available at D&H Ceramics

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bathrooms

size isn’t everything Bathrooms are often the most awkward of spaces to design well, and more so if, like many homeowners in Gibraltar, you don’t have a lot of space to play with.

What do you see when you look through the bathroom door? A nicely designed bath tub fitted into a well laid out alcove, or a toilet with the seat (invariably) up. The view as you walk in is the most important, and if you’re re-designing or fitting a new bathroom you should take this as your starting point.

Although existing plumbing and electrics can be restrictive, that doesn’t mean you can’t enhance the look and feel of the room without

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getting the builders in. Choosing furniture which fits not just your chosen style, but your bathroom too is a must.

Floor space needs special attention and it’s a good idea to try to create as much as possible, especially if you’re a family constantly squabbling for position before you rush out the door first thing in the morning. Try to keep furniture off the floor, and when choosing tiles, go for a larger size as this helps to give the feeling of

space.

Wherever possible, try not to line up the fixtures along one wall — aim to create functional areas which give your bathroom a room-like feel. One way to do this is to work out the area you’ll use as your central zone and work off at angles to organise the fixtures.

Keeping in mind that you’ll only be using the bathroom for an hour or so each day, there’s no need to make it the show-piece of your house

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2008

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Wherever possible, try not to line up the fixtures along one wall. Aim to create functional areas which give your bathroom a room-like feel

or apartment. Keep it simple in a style which suites both you and your home and remember that expensive is not always better. There are plenty of inexpensive light fittings, cupboards and accessories which will enhance your bathroom without putting a massive hole in your budget.

We’re all accustomed to floor to ceiling tiles but why not go for a mix, with a tiled area which complements the bath or shower area and maybe contrasting paintwork for the rest of

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

the room. Mixing materials can look stunning so don’t be scared to be bold.

Heating is not a big issue in Gibraltar ’s generally warm climate, but during the winter months, floor tiles will be cold for bare feet.

There’s no point going overboard on heating — as we mentioned earlier, you’ll only be using the bathroom for short periods of the day, so look for heating which warms quickly and is independent to any other heating you have in the house. An alternative is to put in wood

flooring. Floating wood flooring is the easiest option as this can be put down without having to take up the existing floor, but beware of the plumbing, if you raise the height of the toilet only slightly, you may find some issues connecting things back up.

Mirrors are a great way to add depth and space to your bathroom. Choose your sink position with care and bear in mind what will be reflected in the mirror (apart from yourself, obviously). Mirrors won’t just create space, but light too.

Think again about the central area of the room and position your lighting to give you the correct amount for each area. There’s nothing worse than applying makeup or shaving in inadequate lighting. Take extra care with lighting in the bath and shower areas, which are often left darker than they should be. Try to incorporate some overhead spotlights, specifically designed for bathroom use or, if you can’t, look at ways you can reflect light into the area.

It’s best to keep your colours simple and clear. Dark colours can look stunning in a large bathroom, but can make a normal sized room feel very small.

The all round trick? Light and simplicity. n

turn to pages 96-97 for property directory

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Silke

Kunter-Wilson

painting memories “This is the first time my art is being exhibited. I’m quite excited, even if a bit nervous and looking forward to it a lot.”

With Farrington Contemporary exhibiting works from 15 local artists from the 10th of this month, we decided to take a look at one of the newcomers to the scene. For Silke Kunter-Wilson this will be her first exhibition and although she’s a little nervous about how her work will go down, she’s also quite excited and really looking forward to it.

Born in Germany in 1963, Silke moved to the area to work for a local offshore holding company back in 1998 and took up painting in watercolours about 12 years ago but didn’t pursue it for lack of time.

Just two years ago she put her name down for oil painting classes in San Roque with Pepe Palma after a friend had shown her some of the works she’d created in classes with Pepe.

“I remember thinking ‘I could do that’!”

Silke told us.

Her artistic slant runs in her family from her mother’s side and she’s always enjoyed creating things. Silke prefers naive, realistic

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and above all colourful subject matter and this comes out clearly in the simple and vibrant art which she creates.

Up until now painting has just been a hobby and she was surprised and delighted when Isla contacted her to see if she’d be interested in being part of the local exhibition. Since starting classes two years ago she’s created around 22 paintings and picks up her brushes whenever

“I’m not like Van Gogh who painted 70 works in 70 days — and committed suicide shortly after. I don’t intend to do that either”

she has the urge and time.

“It can get quite addictive. Obviously, I’m not like Van Gogh who painted 70 works in 70 days — and committed suicide shortly after. I don’t intend to do that either,” she says with a laugh.

Mentioning Van Gogh, Silke is currently experimenting on copying his style as well as those of other artists to gain more experience and knowledge with oils.

“What I enjoy most about painting — even if it’s just the walls at home — is putting colour on a white space and creating something new that’s hopefully enjoyable for other people to look at too.

“It does take me some time to get used to the idea of parting with a painting though. During the process I sometimes feel I can’t look at a particular work any more, but once you take a break or are finished you start to feel very proud of your creation — if it turned out alright!” she qualified.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

at home IN GIBRALTAR Before the summer rush

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local exhibition

at farrington contemporary

l waalce sp

“I’m not sure how other artists think about this, but maybe the more one paints, this emotion may fade a little. I don’t know.”

Silke has painted people and animals, but much prefers landscape scenes, nature subjects and imaginary images. Her inspiration comes from photos of places, abstract jewellery and even newspaper and magazine clippings, some of which she’s had stored away for over 15 years.

“I paint things I’d like to remember, often the painting is not the same as the real thing, but I try to capture the essence of the memory,” Silke says.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

After a hard day’s work

Perfect view

Silke’s work, along with that of 14 other local artists, will be on show at Farrington Contemporary from 10th June. You might like to call in and take a look at the wealth of talent available in Gibraltar. And you never know, you might find that perfect piece of colour you were looking for to brighten your wall space. n

If you call in at Farrington Contemporary from the 10th June onwards, you’ll find the works of 15 local artist and craftsmen on display to capture your imagination. The full list of exhibitors includes Paul Cosqueri, Gill Welland, Elena Scialtiel, Willa Vasquez, Bathsheba Peralta, Jane Langdon, Conrad C. Jones, Deborah Lawson, Jacqueline L, Silke Kunter-Wilson, Jacquie Jones, Mick Elliot, Simon Farrell, Vin Mifsud and Val the milliner from Over The Top. Since Isla opened Farrington Contemporary last year her exhibitions have concentrated on introducing big names from the contemporary art world, and she believes the introduction of local artists to the gallery will give them an opportunity to display their work in an exclusive environment.

The exhibition will open as usual with the gallery offering champagne and canapes to all visitors, with the opportunity to meet the artists themselves where they’ll be more than willing to discuss their work. n

turn to pages 96-97 for property directory

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at home IN GIBRALTAR

JJ Hire offer highpressure hosing for all types of machinery, whether the system is water, hydraulic or air orientated. Julian even hinted that they could supply for aeronautics if the need arose

ds e o o g hir for

handling the

pressure

It’s not Julian who’s under pressure at JJ Hire, and his clients don’t need to be either. The new service to supply made-to-measure high-pressure hosing which he introduced last June is really starting to take off.

Up until recently, companies in Gibraltar which use plant, or any other equipment were high pressure hosing is a part of its system have had to cross the border to find replacement parts and spares for equipment which, invariably, lets them down from time to time. This means not just taking the time out to source the part, but also dealing with customs clearance on reentering Gibraltar.

JJ Hire have covered all the issues, so whenever you need the service, they can provide it here in Gibraltar in a fraction of the time (10 to 20 minutes for the majority of hosing) and at

40

a price which is more than comparable with sourcing from outside of Gibraltar.

“For most jobs, we keep a stock which means we can turn around the finished product practically immediately,” Julian explained.

“Obviously, there are some situations where specialised hosing and coupling is required, and for this we’ll place the order through to the manufacturers in Spain. Delivery is within 48 hours, so we can actually cover any situation you can imagine.”

With a wide range of satisfied clients, JJ Hire has supplied parts for large machinery

on boats in the dry dock, down to the smaller and less sophisticated needs of the road cleaning machinery used by Master Services. They recently supplied parts for the overhaul of the cable-car machinery. It seems no job is too big or too small.

“You can spend from £5 upwards really on the hosing, but as each job is specific the price is down to making sure we use the right materials and couplings for each job. Up to now, as long as the client has brought in the original hose, we’ve had a 100% success rate in providing the right part for each job,” Julian explained.

“The different grades of hosing as well as their size are extremely specific, and although most clients do know the exact type of hosing, we prefer to see the original to make sure the specifications are correct — there’s no room for error that way.”

Julian trained with the manufacturers, Bosado, in Seville to attain the necessary experience and qualification to provide a top quality service, and they do offer a full guarantee on all hosing they manufacture. For specific jobs which need to be tested for security reasons, Julian has the parts made up directly by the manufacturers in Seville. Again, delivery is just 48 hours as with other specialised jobs for which he doesn’t hold stock.

“As this is still quite a young part of the business, we’re learning the market demand as we go along. When we find specific parts are being asked for regularly we make sure we hold a stock. This way, although the first order may be 48 hours, the next time someone needs hosing to similar specifications, we can give the quick service in house,” Julian commented.

JJ Hire offers high-pressure hosing for all types of machinery, whether the system is water, hydraulic or air orientated. Julian even hinted that they could supply for aeronautics if the need arose, just to show how this relatively new business can cover all eventualities in the Gibraltar market.

Apart from this exclusive service in Gibraltar, JJ Hire offers a wide range of services, renting equipment small and large — right through to heavy plant machinery. Not only that, they have a wide range of tools, goggles, gloves and other accessories for sale from their premises in New Harbours and together with their friendly and efficient van hire service, they’re always there to lend a hand and to help your business out of a tight spot.

Why not call in at Unit 43, New Harbours or call Julian on 200 50337 to find out more about their extensive range of services. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

at home IN GIBRALTAR

Beautify your Balcony

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Most of us are limited for space and only a few in Gibraltar can afford the luxury of their own garden, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create an interesting outdoor environment just steps from your lounge.

Balconies are often the most under-used space in an apartment and if you think you’ve got green fingers, it doesn’t take much to brighten it up. The choice of plants in our Mediterranean environment is virtually endless as you can make the most of warm weather plants, whilst most plants you’ll find in the UK and the north of Europe will survive perfectly well in the local climate.

You can even be practical with your planting too. Many vegetables can be grown in a small place and can look quite stunning too. If you think fresh fruit and vegetables are too much like hard work you

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

can go for a simple cactus garden and ferns, but do look out for a few flowers which will add some extra colour.

When choosing plants, take into account the size of both your balcony and the plants. Don’t overclutter and do look for varieties which will flower in different seasons to ensure colour throughout the year.

Because Gibraltar is quite exposed, you’ll need to go for heavy planting boxes or ones which are firmly affixed to the wall or balcony railings — you don’t want them to be flying away in the winter months. The same goes for

furniture. If you do have room for outdoor chairs or table, although modern aluminium is stunning and easy to move around, you need to take into account you’ll want to store it in the stormy months of the year.

If your balcony is too small, a good solution is to put in clear sliding doors between the room and balcony along with continuous

flooring which from the inside will give the illusion of a wider space without costing a fortune.

Growing a balcony garden doesn’t need to be hard, although it may take a little time depending on the plants you choose. But, at the end of the day, doing it yourself can be a gratifying experience and will give you a conversation piece for visitors too. n

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n rele ew ases

Rent Demand Amidst a global recession where property prices are crashing apace — most notably across the border in Spain — Gibraltar finds itself facing a quite different problem.

On the Rock there is job creation, rather than job loss, across all sectors of business and as the beaches and hotels fill up for summer, so too does the accommodation. Ocean Village’s residential plazas are completing just in the nick of time.

Brian Stevendale, Sales & Marketing Director of Ocean Village, comments, “International companies expanding within or entering Gibraltar for the first time are

leading the demand. We are being inundated with requests for rental property in particular as these companies plan the logistics of where to house their staff. We have had one gaming company tell us that they are bringing up to 200 more staff here in July. We’re also tying up a multi-million pound office deal with a FTSE100 company new to Gibraltar which has lofty plans to create many jobs. Each has the

“We have had one gaming company tell us that they are bringing up to 200 more staff here in July”

42

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

at home IN GIBRALTAR same worry — where will their team members live?”

The answer could lie within Ocean Village — a mixed-use marina development. Ocean Village Grand and Majestic Ocean Plazas are scheduled to complete in July, just in time for the influx of new employees.

Brian continues, “Fortunately there are plenty of rentals available in the new Plazas as many owners bought for investment purposes.

Our residential complexes are increasingly popular as they access the oasis of seven swimming pools set in sub-tropical gardens available exclusively to residents.

There is also a health club and an array of eateries and retail outlets fringing the waterfront including a flagship Gala casino on Leisure Island. Ocean Village has a clear vision of work, rest and play which is unparalleled on the Rock.”

After Darling’s shock announcement of a 50% rate of income tax for high earners, British entrepreneurs are already planning a tactical emigration with Gibraltar making the top of the list. Act quickly to secure your housing then a thriving economy boosted by a raft of tax breaks awaits.

For further information contact

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n rele ew ases Ocean Village’s Sales & Marketing Director Brian Stevendale on brian. stevendale@oceanvillage.gi, telephone 00 350 200 40048 or visit www.oceanvillage.gi.

After Darling’s shock announcement of a 50% rate of income tax for high earners, British entrepreneurs are already planning a tactical emigration

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December 2008

PROPERTY PURCHASE Are you buying property?

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at home

IN GIBRALTAR

is now a regular feature of The Gibraltar Magazine

If you feel your business would benefit from being featured within this section contact us by phone or email

200 77748

athome@thegibraltarmagazine.com adverts also appear online at www.thegibraltarmagazine.com

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

turn to pages 96-97 for property directory

43 43

profile

by Mike Brufal

Roger Walker:

the Gibraltarian who never was...

Roger Walker is one of the unsung heroes of the old Integration With Britain Party (IWBP) and, because of the archaic regulations regarding the registration of Gibraltarians, has never been legally a Gibraltarian.

More than a decade ago one of Peter Caruana’s first actions was to bring these rules into line with European practice. It is incredible that until this Act, a child born of a Gibraltarian mother and a non-Gibraltarian father could not be registered as a Gibraltarian. But in blatant sex discrimination, a child fathered by a Gibraltarian and born of a non-Gibraltarian mother could be registered.

Ironically Roger’s brother and sister were born on the Rock and are registered as Gibraltarians.

Also bizarre was his call up to National Service in the Gibraltar Regiment when National Service had already been abolished in the UK. Roger’s father, Donald, a Yorkshire man and a member of the Royal Air Force stationed at North Front met Gibraltarian Elena Casciaro soon after her return from Jamaica as an evacuee. They fell in love, married and went to live in Shipley, Yorkshire. Roger was born there in September 1946. That winter was a bitter one and Elena was unable to cope with the intense cold and disliked snow on first sight. Elena and Roger returned to Gibraltar with Roger’s father continuing with his military duties, flying to the Rock whenever he could. The family lived with Elena’s mother in New Street.

Donald left the RAF and tried to find a job in Gibraltar. In those days there were restrictions on UK passport holders obtaining jobs and the only option was to join the Ministry of Defence. He joined the Gibraltar Security Police in 1951 with

44

the bonus of qualifying for a married quarter (a flat in King’s Bastion). Eventually, after some years with the GSP, the employment restrictions were lifted and Donald was employed by Saccone and Speed and then Savignons.

Roger was educated at services schools, St. George’s and St.Christopher’s, followed by stints in St Jago’s and the Technical College.

In 1964 he applied for a job as a Public Health Inspector in the City Council. On the appointed day he arrived for interview, dressed by his mother in his Sunday best with highly polished shoes. Upon entering the waiting room he found another candidate, Joe Bossano, who he had never met, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. While they waited a conversation was struck with the more experienced Joe, who had been both a factory

Upon entering the waiting room he found another candidate, Joe Bossano, who he had never met, wearing jeans and a T-shirt

labourer and a merchant seaman. Doing his best to make him relax, Joe pointed out that in view of his jeans and T-shirt there was no possibility of Roger not being awarded the position.

When called into the interview room he found to his amazement a huge panel consisting of Joshua Hassan, Reggie Norton and some City Councillors (strangely Jim Tipping , the head of the public health department was not present).

Much to their surprise both were offered jobs as trainee Public Health Inspectors and were told that as soon as possible they would be sent to London on a three year sandwich course to obtain a suitable qualification.

The two trainees started work. Joe wrote frequently to the local press about political matters sowing the seeds of the Pro-Integration Movement, subsequently becoming its founder member and Secretary. Although he was a civil servant no one in authority tried to stop his letter writing. Roger felt that Joe’s sentiments had the sympathy of everybody in the Environmental Health Department. It must not be forgotten this was in the middle of General Franco’s attempts to subjugate the Gibraltarians which led to the closure of the frontier in 1969. At this time the majority of Gibraltarians felt uncertain of the political future.

In 1965 Pepin Delgado joined the department as a trainee Public Health Inspector and formed a political bond with Walker. By this time Roger had started to write to the local press and began to attend some of the PIM meetings and the pressure group evolved into the political party — the IWBP. Contrary to popular belief he did not attend the inaugural meeting at the Log Cabin of the PIM (a low key gathering of sympathisers who met in private, a somewhat subdued pressure group. No public meetings were held).

Roger and Joe left for London in September 1965 and Pepin Delgado followed 12 months later. They attended the Tottenham Technical College on a three year sandwich course to qualify for a public health diploma. For reasons unknown the examiners would not accept any practical work carried out on the Rock, so the time which should have been in Gibraltar, was spent in various locations around London. A bonus was Gibraltarian students were financially better off than their UK counterparts.

One of their first political actions was to form a UK branch of the PIM and amongst others they were joined by Salvador Tavares, Bryan Walker, Pepin Delgado, Eddie Picardo and Mario Finlayson. Bossano was the de facto leader. Meetings were held in the Horseshoe pub on Tottenham Court Road in the West End of London. The branch still considered itself nothing more than a lobby group with the objective of drawing attention to the Gibraltar situation and in particular to create awareness of the possibility of integrating Gibraltar with the UK as a solution to the constitutional issues being raised at the United Nations.

Members would visit the House of Commons to present their views about Gibraltar’s future to MPs interested in the Gibraltar problem. Public meetings and gatherings aimed at London’s student population were attended, questions asked and letters written to the national press.

Fate intervened in Roger’s life when, together with his brother, he decided to go to a nightclub in Soho. Inside the dark basement their eyes lit on two pretty girls sitting on their own. He asked one to dance; she was Mary O’Gorman who was on a teacher training course at the Digby Stuart College for Catholic girls in Roehampton, and

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

profile

Meeting of the Integration With Britain Party — recognise anyone you know?

happened to speak fluent Spanish. At the same time his brother asked her friend, who was also training at the Digby Stuart College, to dance.

Incredibly shortly afterwards the two brothers married the girls: in Roger’s case in 1969.

During his three years of study Roger returned to Gibraltar at regular intervals and, after the award of his diploma, returned in 1968 — a crucial year for Gibraltar’s politics. The PIM had become the IWBP and its committee decided to find a prominent public figure who would command votes from the centre and the right of the political spectrum. The key players were Jose Tosso, his son Michael, Henry Busto, Alfie Guerrero, Maurice Xiberras, Julio Gonzalez, Joe Caruana, Isaac Abecasis, Conchita Anes, Angela Smith, John Cardona, Luis Wood and John Culatto. Walker says Bossano was aware of the advantages of having a respected and known member of the community as leader of the IWBP and the offer to Major Bob Peliza to lead the IWBP was made with his full approval and blessing.

The Constitutional Conference was followed the next year by the introduction of the New Constitution. The same year the IWBP in alliance with the Isola group won the General Election and Major Peliza became Chief Minister. Joe Bossano had been away from the Rock during much of this time and had not stood for election.

During this time Pepin Delgado and Roger compiled a newsletter Progress IWBP. Joe, upon his return to Gibraltar, began to build a political power base by working with the TGWU as well as being the Secretary of the IWBP. While in the UK Mary, Roger’s wife, wrote to Gibraltar’s Department of Education and was assured of a teaching position by the Director.

She wished to join as a local employee and not as

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

a teacher from England on the higher rate of pay.

When she went to the department she was told there was no job. Roger naturally was incensed and, with Mary, stormed down to the office. Fate intervened again because as he walked in, Peter Isola, the then deputy Chief Minister, walked out. Roger had never met Peter but he stopped the Minister, told him about the broken promise and insisted he read the written offer from the director. Peter asked if Mary was qualified and upon being told her qualifications said he would investigate. The upshot was that Mary was swiftly offered a teaching job at St. Mary’s Infant School.

The couple were living with his parents. They applied for a government flat to be told, as Roger was not a registered Gibraltarian the family only registered 18 points, which meant no flat would be forthcoming in the immediate future.

At the same time Roger and Pepin Delgado, already involved with the IWBP, founded the Young Integration With Britain Party and became deeply involved with the Young Christian Workers and indirectly with Father Bernard Linares

When Major Peliza called the 1972 election, pressure was applied to persuade Walker to stand for election as an IWBP candidate

and the Transport and General Workers Union.

The YCW had become involved in politics.

When Major Peliza called the 1972 election, pressure was applied to persuade Walker to stand for election as an IWBP candidate with the backing of the YCW and the TGWU. It was tempting but he had to consider the future of his family. As a civil servant it would have meant losing his job and staying with his parents as there was no hope of a government flat. There would be no salary other than his wife’s, except the modest stipend of £20 a month paid to an elected representative.

So with considerable sadness they decided to leave for a new life in the UK. On boarding the SS Oriana they were seen off by his family and Joe Bossano and his family, who had become a close friend over the years.

Fate intervened for the third time. Roger had written to various local authorities seeking a job as an environmental health officer and stressing he needed access to a mortgage or a council house. An interview with the Barnet Council environmental health department resulted in an offer of a job with a higher salary than expected and a mortgage offer. He mentioned his wife was a qualified infants teacher and the head teacher of the local primary school was called and confirmed a teacher was needed to start on Monday, the first day of term. The head teacher drove to the school to interview Mary, she was offered the job and started the following Monday ahead of her husband who had to wait until the first day of the next month.

Their first child, Nicholas, was born in 1974 and after obtaining a science degree at Sussex University and a subsequent PhD is now a lecturer and researcher at Bristol University. Second child, Annabelle, was born in 1978, educated in London,

45

the past was awarded a nursing diploma, and is now expecting her own second child in October.

Roger worked for the Barnet Council for a few years, then Brent Council followed by Hertsmere Council and finally back to Barnet as an Environmental Health Manager. At one stage he was acting Chief Environmental Officer with 200 staff reporting to him. He retired in September 2005 at the age of 59.

Roger during his many years in the UK has given talks about Gibraltar and earlier this year addressed the Radlett Rotary Club about Gibraltar and Article X of the Treaty of Utrecht. He tells an amusing story when, in 1990, he was sent on a Diploma in Management Studies course, part of the Council’s on-going training, to attend an external summer school in Barcelona. On the programme was a lecture about Gibraltar. He strategically sat in the front row and listened to the Spanish lecturer’s presentation of the Spanish Government’s case for sovereignty. The lecturer advanced into the area of make believe and stated that Gibraltar was not a member of the then EEC. Walker put his hand up, said he was a Gibraltarian, knew the Gibraltarians politicians mentioned and explained Gibraltar became an associate member of the EEC in 1973 under article 227/4 of the Treaty of Rome. Roger declined the lecturer’s invitation to join him on the platform but the subsequent discussion became a debate between the two. Eventually the lecturer closed down the debate early and stormed off in a huff.

Roger’s parents left the Rock in 1975 as both their sons had moved to England. His sister is 16 years younger and was educated in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Today there are no Walkers living on the Rock but plenty of relatives on his mother’s side, the Casciaros.

Roger was a key player in the evolution of the IWBP and an important factor in obtaining the support of the TGWU whose members’ votes were essential to the election win.

He concluded the interview: “I am very pleased to have been closely involved with the PIM and its successor the IWBP. It was a most worthwhile experience. Although the IWBP eventually ran its course and did not achieve integration it started an important debate which Gibraltarians needed at that time. Gibraltarians had to decide what direction the political future should take and most importantly create a Gibraltarian identity. Bob Peliza lost the 1972 election primarily because of the British Government’s rejection of the concept of integration.

“Although the law at the time prevented me from being registered as a Gibraltarian, I have always felt I am 100% Gibraltarian. Throughout my life I have taken every opportunity to support Gibraltar and always considered the Rock to be my home.” n

Roger was a key player in the evolution of the IWBP and an important factor in obtaining the support of the TGWU whose members’ votes were essential to the election win 46

by Anne Mesilio

Fr. Browne, the Titanic... and Gibraltar It began at a dinner party in London in 1907 and ended in a tragedy that stunned the world and has haunted it ever since.

The fascination with RMS Titanic has endured for nearly one hundred years. A legend before she sailed her story is now a saga of the seas. The whereabouts of her remains were discovered in 1985, there have been four movies, a Broadway musical, countless books and recently the famous movie which garnered eleven Academy awards. The pre sailing publicity had captured the publics’ attention with astonishing claims to be unsinkable, and it was to set new standards in luxury and elegance never known before.

Five years after the first plans were drawn the Titanic was officially launched from Southampton, England on April 10th, 1912. The immense size and dazzling splendour of this ship aroused excitement and awe. She had electric light and heating in every room, something unheard of in ordinary homes, as well as every modern luxury known at that time.

The ship could carry over 2,000 passengers and crew and a fateful decision to carry only half the required number of lifeboats in order to relieve that ‘cluttered’ feeling on the main deck would have tragic consequences. Before making the transatlantic crossing to New York the Titanic first sailed to Cherbourg in France to collect passengers and then called at Queenstown (now Cobh) in Cork, Ireland. Then, amidst great fanfare it was off into the Atlantic where

on April 14th it had that mortal encounter with an iceberg. At 2.20am on the morning of 15th more than 1,500 souls perished, literally, as the stricken ship broke in two and sank into the sub zero icy sea.

One person not on that fateful voyage was Francis Browne, born 1880, a theology student from Cork who was studying in the Royal University, Dublin, in the same class as James Joyce. An uncle of Francis, the Bishop of Cloyne, by way of a surprise sent him first class tickets for the first leg of the voyage to Cherbourg and Queenstown. While on board, an American millionaire couple befriended Francis and offered to pay his fare to New York. On cabling his superiors he received a short sharp reply: “Get off that ship - Provincial” (Superior). One can only imagine his feelings when the terrible news reached Ireland. Later in his life he would be described as ’a master photographer with an unerring eye’ and on the short voyage he had taken many photos of the Titanic. His were the photos which appeared on newspaper front pages around the world. His were the sole visual chronicle of the Titanic from Southampton to Ireland and this poignant collection can be viewed at: titanicphotographs.com He was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1915 and served as Chaplin to the Irish Guards. He went

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

the past

with them to the Western Front and Germany where he was present at the Battle of the Somme, Ypres, Amiens and Arras, was wounded five times and was awarded the Military Cross and Bar. His camera was never far away and he recorded the gruesome and hideous suffering of the men in the trenches.

After the war he journeyed to Australia where he travelled extensively photographing a cross section of life as he saw it. On his return journey he visited Sri Lanka (Ceylon), Egypt and Gibraltar. Once again his camera was employed in capturing for posterity a glimpse of local life

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

in the 1920s , mainly in the border town of La Linea.

He returned to Ireland and spent the rest of his life there until his death in 1960. In 1985 a chance discovery found his amazing collection of photographs (42,000) and the features editor at the London Sunday Times likened it to “the photographic discovery equivalent to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls”. Sponsored

by Allied Irish Banks, David Davison and his son Edwin have catalogued his entire collection on a computerised database to preserve it for posterity. n

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profile

by Brian McCann

Caroline’s for Kids “I helped build mud huts and plant trees in Rwanda,” says Caroline Olivero of Childline Gibraltar Caroline is the full-time lead manager of the charity that endeavours to help children who are suffering from any type of cruelty, whether it be sexual abuse, parental violence, or even cyber-bullying by others of the same age. She’s been working for Childline for a year now, and is thoroughly immersed in its valuable works.

I talked to her at the group’s temporary office — a modern apartment which has been lent to Childline by PartyGaming for a couple of months pending the provision of permanent accommodation by the government, although nothing concrete has yet arisen. “Before that, Saccone & Speed also very generously let us use part of their building — whilst waiting for government premises — but in the end the company needed it back for their own use.”

As lead manager, Caroline’s job is a big and busy one: firstly, she ensures the 8008 helpline is running between 6-10pm every day of the year.

She also deals with referring suitable cases to the appropriate agency in Gibraltar to take action.

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On top of that, she does all the education and awareness work in schools and youth clubs, and produces the Childline magazine as well as having built the charity’s website, which she also keeps up to date. She has recently given talks at Bayside and Westside comprehensives on the growing menace of cyber-bullying.

Not enough? Well, she is also responsible for finding and recruiting the supervisors and volunteers and is planning on doing some publicity for Childline during the summer. Childline is also holding a treasure hunt for children in the sum-

We lived with one bucket of hot water at 6am to last all day for 12 of us to wash ourselves, our clothes and flush the lavatory

mer. There is also the Appropriate Adult scheme, whereby Childline will send a trained adult to the police station to support a child who has been arrested, when the parents can’t be there. The police can call Childline at any time of the day or night for this. She is also working on the idea of producing a short video advert to promote Childline to children and young people.

“As a charity, we deal with sensitive issues,” she told me, “so we ensure everything we do is totally professional.” Bright and cheerful, this 25 year-old fits the totally professional bill very well herself. Born in Gibraltar, she studied at Durham University in north-east England and gained a Master of Arts degree in Community and Youth Work. This was followed by a series of placements in schools throughout Lancashire, where she gave advice on after-school options.

This meant discussing what a pupil’s wishes and aptitudes were and seeing if they wanted to stay on at school or leave and get a job.

Next she was part of the Newcastle Streetwise Project, where she helped give advice on sexual health and drug and alcohol abuse.

She also spent six years with the Gibraltar Youth Service, assisting in all the clubs and projects. So, how did she come to be with Childline?

“When I came back after graduating, the opportunity came up to be a volunteer, I was accepted and then I was asked to be manager.”

Caroline’s interests are as varied as her abilities: she likes, swimming, cycling, travelling — Europe, Egypt and as far as Australia — and the study of local evolution. For the latter she’s being going to the Gibraltar Museum courses on the Neanderthals, whose last refuge was in the caves of the Rock; and she is looking forward to the development of the new Gibraltar Philosophical Society.

“Oh yes,” she said, almost as an afterthought.

“I spent six weeks in Rwanda on a volunteer aid project, about ten years after the genocide. I helped build mud huts for orphans and widows.

I also helped plant trees as part of the long-term economic development — the trees grow and can then be used as timber. And I worked in the schools, trying to inspire the young people where possible. It was an eye-opening experience; when you see a poster about famine in Africa you can suspect that it has been taken in a particularly bad area — but when you go there you see that the whole country is poor. We lived with one bucket of hot water at 6am to last all day for 12 of us to wash ourselves, our clothes and flush the lavatory. By 6.30am the water was freezing, so the only way you could get a hot shower was to be up at 6am, but I never managed that — so I didn’t have a hot shower for six weeks!”

Of her work with Childline, she said she can get anxious about certain cases, especially when she can’t do everything she would like to do. But she does find it fulfilling to be able to help those who seek assistance or support.

Caroline is always looking for helpers, either as helpline volunteers (after training) or fundraisers, or — whenever they get their permanent premises — people with practical skills.

Everyone in Childline — including Caroline and even the founding Trustees — are screened by the police before being allowed to take part; the only exceptions to the screenings are those who will be purely involved in fund-raising.

Caroline can be reached on 20043503, or you can email info@childline.gi; or have a look at the comprehensive website: www.childline.gi n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

you can confide in Childline

June 2009 issue 3

cyber bullying the ultimate guide

Cyber bullying is any form of bullying which happens using any form of technology – to children by children

get to know the terms

There are two ways to cyber bully: 1.

2.

Direct attacks: messages sent directly to the victim.

Cyber bullying in groups: Using others to help cyber bully the victim, either with or without the accomplice’s knowledge.

The effects of cyber bullying Even though cyber bullying cannot physically hurt you, it can still leave you feeling emotionally vulnerable and very upset. You can also feel scared, lonely, stressed and feeling like there’s no way out.

Escaping cyber bullying can be very difficult. Because anyone can get access to a mobile phone or the internet almost anywhere. It can also be tough for those on the receiving end to avoid it, even in the safety of their own home.

Childline is

3

Cyber bullying in groups Those who take part in online bullying often use a group of friends to target their victims by asking them to add a comment to a photo on a blog, or asking them to forward it onto another group of friends. Sometimes, these people don’t even realise they’re actually bullying someone.

Cyber bullying

Children targeting children

Cyber-harassment / Cyberstalking Adults targeting adults

Flaming

(Computer Slang) an angry, critical, or harsh electronic message, as an e-mail or message post.

Why do kids cyber bully each other?

There are many reasons why someone might cyber bully someone else.

Some reasons can include: Anger, revenge, frustration, entertainment, boredom, humour, to torment, defending themselves or to remind their peers of their own social standing.

years old this month Check out our new website

www.childline.gi for updates, information and help

in this issue: What to do if you’re bullied online How to protect yourself on the internet Where to go for help How clued up are you about bullying?

Check out our quiz!

staying safe online It’s important that if you’re using the internet, you know how to stay safe.

so cia l ne tw or kin g There are a number of things to think about when using social networking sites like Bebo, Facebook and My Space: Personal Information Be careful what information you give out on your profile.

Remember that you don’t know what your friend’s friends’ friend will do with your picture or your phone number if you give it out by mistake. Once your picture is out there, it’s out there forever and you won’t be able to get it back.

Be aware that information on your profile could potentially be viewed by anyone. So if you wouldn’t be comfortable printing it off and handing it out on the street, maybe it shouldn’t be on your profile.

Chatting Think through who you want to chat to, and how many of your personal thoughts you want anyone to view. But remember, the internet is a public space.

Test yourself by asking “would I want my teacher/parents/ stranger in Main Street to see this?!” If the answer is no… don’t post it!

Accepting Friendships If you know someone… who knows someone… who knows someone, it doesn’t make them your friend, so think carefully about whether you want to be chatting to them and what kind of things you’re saying.

If someone adds you to their contact list and you don’t know them, they will be able to have access to your profile. And you don’t want that! So make sure you block them.

If you add someone and decide afterwards you don’t want them on your list you can delete and block them too.

Privacy Settings Use your Privacy Settings!

Adjust your account settings (sometimes called “Privacy Settings”) so only approved friends can contact you. This won’t ruin your social life – new people can still send you friend requests and message you. This means that people you don’t want to see your profile can’t!

Some social networking sites are really well run and the administrators will try to help you remember to keep your personal information to yourself. Others are not so good – so be careful when choosing which areas you go to.

Uploading Photos Only upload pictures that you’d be happy for your parents to see – anything too sexy to be passed round the dinner table should NOT make it onto the web, as you don’t know who could be looking at it or what they might be doing with it.

Don’t post pictures of you or your mates wearing school uniform – if dodgy people see your school uniform, they can work out where you are and find you. The more anonymous you are, the less vulnerable you are to people with bad intentions.

Contact Details Don’t post your phone number or email address on your homepage. Think about it – why would anyone actually need this info when they can message you privately?

elp h r fo o g to re e h w w o Kn

or your friends; or is being weird with you If you feel anyone s – contact the site se the of you on one if someone is bullying back to you, you t ge n’t chat area. If they do ain. You could also administrator of the ag site the ng usi t ce abou might want to think twi contact a teacher. may rson contacting you – like you think the pe issue the ort rep , tes If it’s really serious ma r to abuse you or you be an adult who wants 20072500. on lice po the directly to tween 6pm-10pm.

Childline on 8008 be e on You could also ph

chatting

contacts list, so they cannot message you.

Chat rooms or chat areas on websites are a great way to stay in touch and meet people.

However, there are some things that you should be aware of.

Saving Conversations It’s also a good idea to learn how to save conversations. This way, if anything weird or dodgy happens, you have evidence of it and you can show it to an adult you trust, a teacher or the police.

Use a nickname or your initials instead of your name. Consider changing your photo to a cool graphic or picture of your favourite band, that way strangers won’t have access to a picture of you.

Lying on the internet Even if you’ve been chatting to the same person for ages and you feel like you know them, remember it’s very easy to lie on the internet and there is no way of knowing if someone is telling the truth.

Even if someone shows you a photo of themselves, this could be a picture of someone else or could be faked. This applies to webcam or video footage too; seeing a person in a video, does not mean it’s them.

Sharing Information Be careful not to share too much information with other people in chat rooms. You don’t know who could be listening in or what they might do with that information. If you wouldn’t be comfortable yelling it out in a crowded room, it is probably best not to write it in a chat room.

Adults With Bad Intentions There are some adults who will try to get in touch with young people and children because they have bad intentions. Bear this in mind whilst you use chat areas.

If anything makes you suspicious tell an adult you trust or report any serious concerns to the police on 20072500. You could also phone Childline on 8008 between 6pm-10pm.

Blocking Contacts Make sure you know how to block contacts. They will not be told you have blocked them; you will just appear offline in their

Hacking If you think someone has hacked into your account – report it to the people who run the site.

Look out for this icon on other websites. This means that you can report abuse directly to CEOP from those sites. For example, MSN Live Messenger has a tab with this icon on it: Your Contact List Make sure the people on your contact list are people you really know in person as some people you meet online may not be who they say they are.

Using a Webcam Webcam images can be recorded and copied, and also shared with other people, so the best thing to do is not use a webcam with people you don’t know in person.

Some people will try to speak to young people using IM because they have bad intentions, and they can fake webcam images and pretend to be someone else to try and trick you. If you feel worried about this, make sure you tell to a trusted adult or report to the police on 20072500. You could also phone Childline on 8008 between 6pm-10pm.

G

m o b il e s Your Mobile Number It’s a good idea to only give who your number out to friends you know in person. given If your mobile number is w, kno ’t don you that to people they may hassle you. This is your why it’s also best not to put r you of le profi number on the o, social networking site (like Beb ok). ebo Fac and MySpace Camera Phones ne Whilst having a camera pho is cool and useful, be careful if you share your photos with others. or Pictures can be changed ut shared around, so think abo you what the image is and who press are sending it to, before you out send. Once it’s out there it’s there forever!

gaming nge It’s also a good idea to cha ult your password from the defa ’t setting of 0000 so people can guess it.

Text Messages d If you are receiving unwante the call can you s, text or insulting police on 20072500 or contact Gibtelecom to change your mobile number. You could also een phone Childline on 8008 betw m.

6pm-10p

Remember: You don’t need to share personal information to enjoy the game!

Private - If you want your blog to be private remember to password protect it, so only people you invite can view it.

personal y n a t u o give , no ld never u o h s ’re online to. u u o o Y y n e h ing on w ou’re talk informati y k in th u ho yo matter w

Proof-read and spell-check your e-mails.

As boring as this may sound, many messages are never understood or are misunderstood because people left out words, said things unclearly, or misspelled words. While your

• Make sure you remember whilst playing, that people are not always who they say they are.

Depending on the content you want to blog about, you need to decide whether you want your blog to be private or public:

T E N R E T IN S E L U R N E D L O G Is it worth sending?

Don’t waste peoples’ time or bandwidth with junk, chain emails and false rumours.

Use a nickname as your username/ character name

• Be careful that you don’t get tricked or blackmailed to give out any personal details like: • your IM address • your email address • your photo • your real name • where you go to school

blogs

Bluetooth that It’s important to be aware h, unless you lock your Bluetoot ess acc can area the in one any r things in your phone, like you contacts. If you don’t want to share this information with strangers (why would you?!), r then make sure you lock you Bluetooth.

Correct destination Make sure you are sending things to the right place and that the right person gets it.

Online games where you chat and interact with people you don’t know can be great - but there are risks too.

e-mails don’t have to be formal works of art, you should make them clear.

Don’t attack others online.

And don’t say anything that could be considered insulting or that is controversial.

Fowarding messages Don’t forward other people’s e-mails without their permission or share their personal information.

Are you angry?

If so, wait until you are calmer and then re-read the message

Public - If you want your blog to be public, make sure: • You don’t publish pictures of you or your friends • You don’t give out information that’s personal, including: private thoughts, your full name, age or address.

Don’t reply to spam If you reply, one of two things happens. (1) You either have sent a reply to a fake address they have used to send the e-mails from, (2) or you have now let them know that your address is an active one and you will receive many more messages.

How private is the message you are sending?

Are you willing to have others read this message or forward it to others without your permission? If not, don’t send it.

2. Someone sends you a mean text on your phone. Do you: A) Decide to delete it B) Text back and tell them to leave you alone C) Feel confused and then save it.

You’ll think about it later D) Send them a mean text back E) Immediately tell your parents, teacher or Childline

3. Someone sends you a spiteful message on instant messenger.

How do you react?

A) Ignore it and start chatting to someone else?

B) Reply back to them and find out what their problem is C) Shut down the computer and hope they’ll leave you alone in future D) Report them to the Internet Service Provider E) Go to an older person or talk to Childline, and let them know you feel uncomfortable

4. If you feel like someone is cyber bullying you, who would you go to for help?

A) No one, you can deal with it B) Get a friend to join in against them C) If it gets really bad you might tell a parent or teacher D) The internet provider or the social networking site E) Parent, teacher, police officer or Childline

A) You hear about a friend being cyberbullied but you tell them to ignore it because it’s not that serious B) Passing on someone’s pictures or details without them knowing, or even if they’ve asked you not to C) Voting for someone in an insulting online poll D) Joining in with the insults even in a small way E) b, c and d.

7. Is cyberbullying more invisible than face to face bullying?

A) Yes, you often can’t tell who the cyberbullies are B) Even if everyone knows who they are, you feel more detached because you can’t see each other’s reactions C) It isn’t really but it can feel more scary because you don’t immediately know who is contacting you D) If you report the incidents to your internet service and social network providers they can locate the address the email’s have been sent from E) Cyberbullying always leaves cyber footprints. Both the person who generated the bullying messages and anyone else’s who joined in.

Mostly As not a clue !

Ignoring mea n or hurt ful messages or other form s of cyb erbu llying can sound like the best option as sometimes bullies will be contacting you spontaneously and randomly. They may get bored if they get no answer, but it can allo w the situation to get worse. If you are sca red or concerned, don’t let the situation dev elop - contact Childline on 8008 betw een 6pm-10pm for more help.

A) I don’t - it doesn’t affect me B) It’s when someone is excluded from an online group on purpose C) It’s when rude, angry or gossipy messages are sent on the text or online D) It’s bullying that can be tracked because it leaves cyber footprints E) b, c and d

5. Sometimes people encourage cyber bullying without even being aware of it. Which of these would you say could make a situation worse?

Mostly Bs - get clued up!

Reacting to a cyberbu lly by sending back rude messages will mak e the situation worse, and means that you are sinking to thei r leve l.

Also , som e actions like sending pict ures or igno ring som eone, may seem funn y or harm less , but could be very upsettin g for som e peo ple. You need to put you rsel f in the sho es of someone who is being bullied - how you would feel if you got the same trea tment? If you feel uncomfortable don’t tell the cyberbully, tell a parent, teacher or even the schools’ police liason officer. You can also talk to Childline on 8008 betw een 6pm-10pm for more help.

1. What do you think of when you hear the term ‘cyber bullying’?

how y0u scored

Mostly Cs - read the clues!

Is it still bullying when you can’t see the person that’s bullying you? The answer is yes! Cyberbullying can feel confusing and scary, so if somethi ng makes you feel uncomfortable, don’t feel like you’re over reac ting .

It’s alw ays bes t to go to someone older and tell them what’s happening.

You can also talk to Chi ldline on 8008 between 6pm-10pm for more help.

Did you know that cyber bullying has affected almost a third of 11-16 year olds at least once? How would you react? Tests yourself to see how clued up you are about cyber bullying.

n8

008 to talk abou t anything that worries you.

Mostly Ds - getting the re!

Sending messages that are in anyway offensive, purposely exc luding someone or joining in with any form of insult are all forms of cyberbullyin g. People can be banned from internet and social networking sites for cyberbullyin g but this can sometimes be used by the cyberbullies to falsely accuse innocen t parties. If you or someone you know is being cyberbullied, tell someone who will know the best way to put a stop to it befo re it gets any worse.

You can call the Police on 20072500 or you can also talk to Chi ldline on 8008 between 6pm-10pm for more help.

z i qu

6pm-10pm o

Mos tly Es you kno w where it’s at!

Cyberbu llyn g is bull ying .

You wouldn’t say som ethi ng onli ne or on a mobile phone that you wou ldn’ t say to someone’s face. Don’t help cyberbu llies. Joining in, even if it doesn’t seem all that serious can add to someone’s distress and isolation. Although it see ms anonymous, cyberbullying leaves trac es and can lead to being banned from an internet or social networking site and to action being taken by your school or even by the police. If you would like more info rmation, talk to Childline on 8008 betw een 6pm-10pm for more help. You can also contact the police on 20072500.

cyber-bully

Remember th at you can phone C hildline everyday be tween

finance

by Elena Scialtiel

Help Faces turn that frown upside down!

What shall you do on an early summer Sunday morning?

Don’t be a couch potato waiting for mummy and daddy to load the car with provisions and drive you to the beach: join the fun at Bayside Sports Complex on 7th June and enjoy the oneday funfair in aid of Happy Faces, the charity that helps children with chronic or critical illnesses improve their quality of life.

Part of the Spring Festival and organised in conjunction with the Sports and Leisure Authority, with the indefatigable help of Joey Hernandez, Regan Lima, Mathew Reoch and their teams, the Fun Day caters for kids and teenagers, but is attractive to adults because of the variety of shows it is offering, from prestidigitation to dance, from jugglers to arts and crafts.

In fact, Magic Circle, Danza Academy, Urban Dance and Rock Kickers have pledged their participation to showcase their smooth moves, while an array of activities will keep occupied the younger members of the family: face painting, mini make-overs, jewellery crafting, balloon making, party bags, cartoon characters and bouncy castles, as well as extreme sports like trampolines, canoeing, wall climbing, parachuting… and loads of surprises, as co-founder Gina Maskill promises.

To bring it all together, a nifty idea that we don’t often see realised in Gibraltar, hence it is most welcome, also because it will be the everlasting souvenir of the day — children are invited to make their mark on the painted wall of friendship.

Rides and attractions will be reasonably priced between 50p and £1, to allow children to enjoy each and everyone of them, while adults will be encouraged to splash out the extra cash for their little angels’ bliss, resting assured it is money well spent for a very worthy cause.

And where there is fun, there is… food, in

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

the Gibraltarian mindset: expect various stalls simmering up with the right energy-boosting fuel — and not just hotdogs, burgers and fries, but gourmet treats, alongside the ever-popular bellyfuls of local delicacies.

A cross-section of the community is involved in the mammoth organisational plans, and costs are covered thanks to generous sponsorship from Callaghan Insurance, Hassans and Sapphire Networks.

Although the organisers hope to raise at least £4,000, the event is also aiming to hoist the profile of this relatively new charity which has already done so much for the less fortunate.

In fact, most parents of eligible children aren’t even aware Faces exist, and if they are, they guess there’s a complex bureaucratic protocol of medical referrals to comply with, while it is as simple as ABC to take the first step, and directly contact the trustees to state one’s case, without stepping on a long ladder of middlemen.

Once the claim is briefly investigated, Faces give a prompt response and either provide a cash sum, purchase special machinery to improve the child’s lifestyle and development, or grant a wish to the terminally ill.

Their track record shows facts speak louder than words: Faces know how to put money to

Faces know how to put money to excellent use in a virtuous circle that motivates them to fundraise more and more

excellent use in a virtuous circle that motivates them to fundraise more and more when they can channel their efforts towards a concrete case.

With the proceeds from last year’s Young Designer of the Year competition, Faces has provided a customised neck-brace to Catia Rodriguez, a state-of-the-art internet-connected laptop with female voice synthesiser to Karisse Garcia, and is in the process of providing a cross-country wheelchair to a disabled young adult to go to the beach and have a swim with his family and friends.

They are hoping a little girl suffering from cystic fibrosis will soon be well enough to enjoy her trip to Disneyworld.

Faces wish to establish the Young Designer of the Year as a biennial kermess with the twofold purpose of refilling their coffers with readily available funds in case of urgent pleas, and sponsoring the winners to further their career in the fashion industry with a London scholarship.

The 2010 edition will include a non-competitive section, open to all ages, for the best designer and maker of the Gibraltar national costume’s personal interpretation.

Future John Gallianos are just about on time to submit their sketches by the end of June: application forms from info@designeroftheyear.net.

The Happy Faces Charitable Trust also needs volunteers to help out committee members in their day-to-day task management. No contribution is too humble: for instance you might want to offer a couple of hours a month to go around town putting up posters in key locations, or managing collection boxes.

For large donations and sponsorship, please contact David Abdoo, e-mail info@facesgib.com or ring Gina on 54007757 or Debbie on 56000239. n

53

history file

by Reg Reynolds

&

Gibraltar America in the Barbary War When snipers from the US Special Services shot and killed three pirates recently they were reviving a policy of action that goes back more than 200 years.

Now it is Somalis, two centuries ago it was Barbaries, but the tactics of the pirates haven’t changed a great deal and neither have the means of dealing with them.

To date most of the nations, which have had ships and crews hijacked and held hostage by the Somali pirates, have relied on negotiations and the payment of ransoms to secure their release; the exceptions being the French and the Americans. In the past few years many millions of dollars have been paid and the hostages have been released unharmed.

Governments as diversified as Canada, Russia and South Korea are spending small fortunes providing warships to guard merchant shipping from the pirates. They tend to place themselves between the pirates and the target ships and harass them by buzzing overhead with helicopters and firing warning shots. So far only the Americans and the French have killed anyone.

When the newly-born United States first began dealing with the Barbary pirates in the late 18th Century its earliest administrations also relied on negotiation and the paying of ransoms. That all changed, however, when Thomas Jefferson became President.

One of the consequences of the Thirteen Colonies gaining independence from Great Britain was the loss of protection of the Royal Navy. This was of particular importance off the coast of the Ottoman Empire — today’s Algeria, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia. A major difference between the behaviour of the pirates then and now was that then — until, and if, they were ransomed — crews and passengers were forced into slavery. The conditions were often abominable. By comparison the Somali pirates have

54

treated their captives humanely.

In 1785 American diplomat John Adams sailed to London to meet Abd Al-Rahman the Ambassador for Tripoli. The Revolutionary War was over (1775-1783) but the Americans had yet to form a

government. George Washington wouldn’t become President until 1789, followed by Adams in 1797.

At London Adams asked Al-Rahman what gave the Barbary states the right to prey upon American shipping, enslaving both crews

Thomas Jefferson

Jefferson responded quickly, sending half a dozen frigates to defend American interests, and obtained permission from Britain to use Gibraltar as a base

and passengers. The Ambassador replied that “It was written in the Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their (the Muslim states) authority were sinners and that it was their right and duty to make war upon whoever they could find and to make slaves of all they could take as prisoners.”

Adams came away from the meeting with the opinion that it was better to pay tribute than go to war. He determined it was a cheaper option than the loss of trade and that a battle against the pirates would be “too rugged for our people to bear”.

He declared, “We ought not to fight them at all unless we determine to fight them forever.”

But while the US Government paid ransom and tribute to the Muslim leaders reports of the terrible treatment of captured sailors and civilians were filtering back to America.

It was the seizure of the brig Polly and the power of a young man’s pen that would alter American opinion in favour of taking up the sword.

The Polly sailed from Boston for Cadiz in 1793. On board was John Foss, an observant lad who kept a diary, which would later be published under the title of The Journal of the Captivity and Sufferings of John Foss Several Years a Prisoner at Algiers. It gave the American public a graphic account of the horrors of slavery, the cruelty of the overseers, and the harsh punishments meted out.

The Polly was off Cape St. Vincent when she was attacked by a pirate vessel falsely flying an English flag.

Foss described the attack: “Waving scimitars, brandishing pistols, GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

history file some armed with lances, pikes, and knives, they rushed through the ship like ‘ravenous wolves,’ plundering stores and cargo and the ship’s equipment, and stripping the seamen of their clothing. In exchange they gave some rags and tatters, their own vermin-infested garments they were glad enough to shed, and in these the American prisoners were paraded through the streets of Algiers to the palace of Dey Hassan Pasha.”

The Dey gave a speech to the prisoners apologizing for the seizure and explaining that he had been trying to negotiate with the United States but had been treated with disdain. Then with menace he declared “Now I have got you, you Christian dogs. You shall eat stones.”

The prisoners were fettered with chains, anklets, and waist shackles weighing altogether up to 40 pounds and put to work in mountain quarries. Day in and day out they broke stone and hauled it on huge drags made of great square timbers.

Wrote Foss: “The drivers are continually beating the slaves with their stocks and goading them with its end in which is a small spear…”

For each meal a prisoner was served a loaf of black bread weighing three and a half ounces, and once a day a bowl of vinegar was divided among eight men. Theft was punished by cutting off a hand which was then hung around the thief’s neck. If a slave spoke disrespectfully he was roasted alive or, if lucky, impaled.

Foss and the other surviving

Duke of Kent. With a sure eye for the niceties in naval architecture, the commanders of the vessels in Keith’s squadron came to inspect the American frigates — the Constellation, the Philadelphia, and the Essex.

“Similar consideration by the British was shown to Commodore Morris when he brought the Chesapeake into Gibraltar with her mainmast sprung. Morris found Vice Admiral Lord Keith ‘remarkably friendly,’ and entirely willing that the Chesapeake use the navy yard facilities for the extensive repairs required on her mast.”

Over the next four years American warships operating out of Gibraltar fought the corsairs, seized dhows and their cargos and bombarded and blockaded ports.

The turning point of the war came with the capture of the Tripolitan city of Derna. A mixed force of just eight US Marines along with 500 Greek, Arab and Berber mercenaries force marched overland across the desert to make a surprise assault from the rear. This marked the first time that the United States flag was raised in victory on foreign soil.

On 10th June, 1805 the Bashaw of Tripoli signed a treaty ending hostilities and the First Barbary War was effectively over.

And that is why today the U.S. Marine Corps hymn includes the line “…from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli”. n

Barbary pirates attacking an American ship during the Barbary War

prisoners were freed from their torment by the American Treaty of 1796. The provisions were: that the United States should pay a lump sum of $642,500 and an annual tribute in naval stores equal to $21,600.

Of the lump sum payment, $240,000 was for the Dey personally. The US was also required to give presents twice a year “on the same scale as Holland, Sweden, and Denmark”.

Foss’ diary caused a sensation when it came out in 1798 and the mood of the country was quite different when Jefferson was elected President three years later. Ironically it was the Bashaw of Tripoli *[See author ’s note], jealous he hadn’t received the generous tribute paid to his rival the Dey, who declared war (14th May, 1801) on the United States.

Jefferson responded quickly, sending half a dozen frigates to defend American interests, and obtained permission from Britain to use Gibraltar as a base.

A measure of how well treated and how welcomed the Americans were at Gibraltar can be illustrated by a description of the arrival of the USS Constellation in May of 1802.

“Captain Murray was given permission to anchor in Gibraltar and shown great civility and attention by no less a personage than Vice Admiral Lord Keith. Murray and his officers were the guests of Lord Keith at dinner the day after their arrival, and the Vice Admiral *Author’s Note: Bashaw is a derivagave assurance of his desire to help the American expedition. Murray tion of the Turkish Pasha and describes attended the dinner welcoming a person who is important, imperious the new governor of Gibraltar, the or self-important.

MIKE BRUFAL

snap shots

The Mayor, Momy Levy, meets Kwame Kwei-Armah, presenter, Nic Young, director and Laura Warner, producer of the Lion TV’s four part series ‘On tour with the Queen’ which re-traces the Commonwealth Tour of 1954. Gibraltar features in fourth episode as the visit to the Rock ended the tour. (Kwame Kwei-Armah played the paramedic Finlay Newton in the BBC drama series ‘Casualty’ from 1999 to 2004)

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

Sir Robert Peliza was the only mem ber of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment on parade on the Regiment’s 70th anniversary last month who was a member of the origin al intake.

He celebrates the 89th anniversary of his birth later this year (pictured with The Governor and Field Marshal Sir John Chapple).

55

performing arts

Lindsay Robba local talent on the road to L.A.

A Gibraltarian with a wealth of skills in dance styles, althletics, languages and even an interesting range of accents under her belt, Lindsay is now looking to expand her horizons in a move to Los Angeles to further her career.

Lindsay Robba has been involved in acting, modelling and dancing from a really young age, and after studying dramatic arts she joined Anouilh Players and from there moved on to work with most of the local directors in many theatrical events.

About 13 years ago she joined several model agencies in Spain which already helped to open the doors internationally in 1996 and since then has starred in worldwide commercials for the likes of Mercedes Benz and Acuvue Johnson & Johnson as well as catalogues for the Audi A3 Cabriolet in 2008 and Polo Executive. She’s posed as model for some of London’s top photographers such as Martin Barraud, Christopher Robbins and Maria Teijeiro for images which

photo: Luis Photos

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

performing arts have been used in advertising worldwide. Her curriculum reads on with a string of European front covers and in 2006 was recognised as an actress and moved on to star in films with actors such as Eliza Dushku, Mike Voogel, Paz Padilla, Alex Piquer and worked with one of Spain’s top presenters, Javier Sarda when he produced an episode of his niche series Duti Fri an extremely well received travel programme with a slant towards culture and every-day people he met on his travels.

Her experience over the last few years has seen her participate with lead roles in several films. Tony’s Money, Open Graves and Amores Limpios were three she was involved in last year.

This year she’s been working on French movie, starring as the dream girl.

Accustomed to hard work and adapting her lifestyle to follow her passion for acting, she’s now set her sights on the American dream and plans a move to LA this coming month.

“Coming from Gibraltar I have the advantage of speaking both English and Spanish fluently while combining two very different cultural backgrounds which are well reflected in my work,” Lindsay explains.

“I’m not looking for a way to ‘get rich quick’ or to become a star over night. I’ve an artistic spirit and have a real passion for what I do. I’m not at all timid and have a wild and passionate side too. I’d like to see myself portrayed as I am: natural, educated, free spirited spontaneous and with a vivid imagination. I’ve actually rejected certain casting in the past as they don’t portray the personality I’d like to be related to in the future. I’d like to maintain my own personality throughout my career.” n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

57

great outdoors

on the

Rocks Since “The Wall” opened down at the Bayside Sports Centre by Victoria Stadium, a new sport is taking off in Gibraltar.

Screw lock carabiner

I

t may seem a little odd that Climbing hasn’t been part of every-day life in Gibraltar when you look at the high cliffs which you’ll see from just about any angle you care to view the Rock from, but the limestone which makes up the local cliff faces is too crumbly for inexperienced climbers and it’s quite rare for anyone trying to make an ascent to the top the hard way.

Climbers from Gibraltar prefer to cross over the border to Tarifa, Manilva or further afield to take a shot at relatively safer options in Andalusia and further afield,

Children and adults enjoy the facilities at Bayside Sports Centre

58

The climbing wall is not a members-only club as some might think — it’s open to all-comers, but for safety reasons there are some strict rules as to its use.

meaning taking up the sport as a hobby has been a little prohibiting up to now.

The function of the new climbing wall is two-fold. As an initiation for school, club and even business parties to promote team work, learn the safety aspects of the sport and for those who catch the bug, a place close by to practice their skills and techniques before they head out onto the real routes.

The wall is not a members only club as some might think — it’s open to all-comers, but for safety reasons there are some strict rules as to use, and although you may go down as a novice, you’ll need to team up with at least one and preferably two climbers who have gone through the induction course if you’re wanting try some climbing via top-roping. A novice is not allowed to belay or lead climb. If you’re down with just one qualified person you could ask one of the centre staff to assist in setting up the top-rope, but if you want to move to another section of the wall, you’ll need to ask for assistance again so it’s not an ideal scenario for a decent hour or two on the wall.

All staff at the centre have passed the initiation course, so there is always help at hand, as well as a first aid post just round the corner in case anything did go wrong. But as long as you following the rules,

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

great outdoors

Steve, apart from offering the induction training courses for new users of the climbing wall, offers instruction and coaching from beginners to advanced levels climbing can be an extremely safe sport. The best way to keep it safe is to get your name down on one of Steve Payne’s initiation courses which he runs on a fill-up basis and over a two to three hour period will teach you the safety rules, skills in belaying, climbing, top roping and lead climbing. Once you’ve passed, use of the wall is free, you just need to book in 24 hours ahead and enjoy.

Using the wall on your own is not a problem, but you’ll only be able to Boulder or Traverse, practising your skills crossing the wall horizontally without taking your feet above chest height. You won’t need to fork out for expensive gear or harnesses this way either, just a good pair of climbing shoes which you can pick up from about £50. From here you can slowly build up your accessories as often you’ll begin climbing with others who are more than willing to share their gear.

If you’re visiting as part of a party from a school, club or corporate event the centre does have equipment for use exclusively for group events and the club itself is looking at options to provide equipment on loan for individuals wanting to give the sport a go.

Steve, apart from offering the induction training courses for new users of the climbing wall, offers instruction and coaching from beginners to advanced levels both in Gibraltar and on outings across the border. The local induction course costs only £20 and further training is available on an hourly rate which is just as reasonable considering the wealth of information and techniques you’ll learn as well as his continual slant towards safety.

Confidence is everything in the sport and taking time with a professional is definitely the best option for moving forward through the grades in the sport.

Back in Gibraltar though, there are areas which make interesting climbing other than the wall, and many of the local climbers spend

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

jargon buster

A good pair of climbing shoes are a must if you want to advance in the sport.

Belayer The climber who stays below and manages the rope for the ascending climber. The rope is played through a Belay device which acts as a brake when the dead rope is held straight down.

Dead Rope The slack rope which is unused before it is passed through the belay device.

time at Rosia Bay or round past Catalan Bay in areas which offer excellent faces for Bouldering.

Some of those are over the sea too, so there’s no need for rope. If you fall, you’re in the sea and it’s just a good idea to make sure there’s a knotted rope to help you back out again and to be well aware of tides, weather and currents to ensure maximum safety as you traverse around caves and crevices on the East Side. It goes without saying, that for any adventure of this type you need to be sure you’re confident in what you are doing, and as a first-timer, make sure you’re with experienced people. It makes all the difference.

Gated quick-draw used to connect you and your rope to the rock

“It’s interesting to note that climbing is one of those sports where women are very much on a par with men,” Steve highlighted.

“Their general lighter weight and suppleness really works to their favour, whilst men often tend to rely more on their strength to get through harder routes.

“Climbing shouldn’t be all about strength, it’s much more about technique. Rather than dragging yourself up with your hands, you should be finding a good position to use your hands as a balance while you push yourself up with your legs. It’s technique which will help you gain stamina and improve your climbing.” n

Live Rope The rope between the Belayer and the climber Carabiner An aluminum, steel or titanium snap-link used for holding the rope and connecting it to gear.

Top Roping Cimbing with a rope already attached to the top of the cliff.

The safest way to get started.

Lead Climber The first climber to ascend the cliff who takes rope with him/her to attach to the cliff face at regular intervals as he/she ascends, thus minimising the possible falling distance in case of an accident.

Bouldering Also known as traversing, this is following the cliff sideways rather than up. It’s becoming quite popular in the area past Catalan bay as there’s no need for rope if you fall you’re in the water.

Trad Climbing Climbing routes on which removable gear is placed for protection by the leader as he/she ascends. The second removes the gear.

Sport Climbing Climbing routes on which pre-placed bolts are used for protection. The most common type of climbing used by climbers in Europe and which Steve Payne teaches.

59

health

by Brian McCann

Saving Babies with St John “A baby’s best chance of survival is for parents to recognise the signs and know how to react,”’ says Kerrie Edwards of St John Ambulance Kerrie, manager of the Gibraltar St John branch, was telling me about the popularity of the recently started First Aid for Babies courses — and how important they are.

Around 370 babies are born in Gibraltar each year, and parents have proved keen to learn the basic life-saving skills should something suddenly go wrong. Not just parents, though: “We have grandparents on the courses,” said Kerrie; “also some teenagers who want to be able to help their tiny brother or sister if they are bleeding heavily, have head injuries, burns or febrile convulsions.”

When you consider that the course only takes three hours at a cost of a mere £9 (including tea or coffee and biscuits), it’s clear that it represents excellent value, especially when you take into account that they are conducted by trained instructors. Kerrie, who has run the now-volunteer St John since the emergency ambulance service was taken over by the government, told me that whilst much of her work is in fund-rais-

60

ing, babies’ first aid courses are being provided at minimal cost to make sure that nobody is excluded because of inability to pay.

Classes contain ten trainees, and it was planned to hold them once a month; but in the first month, April, it was necessary to double up

“We want to create a new generation of parents who know how to maintain a baby’s life until professional help arrives”

the sessions, and it seems that more courses will be sought by the public than was anticipated ­ — which pleases Kerrie greatly. “We want to create a new generation of parents who know how to maintain a baby’s life until professional help arrives,” she said. She also pointed out that a lot of the applicants for the courses are men — it seems that in Gibraltar many men now have the role of primary carer in a family.

The course is completely practical and includes practice on baby dolls (or manikins) and the chance to see what is happening in computer-simulated babies. The equipment for the course cost St John £2,000, which they feel was an essential investment.

It was interesting to learn that applications have also been received from British and northern European people living on the Costa del Sol, which Kerrie is very pleased about as it increases the prospects of the many other courses being well-attended and thus raising more money for St John’s charitable work here.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

health This often involves the 30 regular volunteers and seven vehicles taking the elderly or people with mobility problems on outings — to the Spanish countryside or to theatres, for example.

Other assistance comes from the 100-strong youth section, which has cadets ranging in age from six to 25.

The babies’ first aid courses are at-cost, but the many other courses are the main source of funds for other activities. The annual flag day is another important stream of cash for this charity which does so much good work in the community. “This year our flag day raised over £3,000,” says Kerrie, whose work as manager mostly involves administrating the finding and allocating of income. Before becoming manager, she joined St John seven years ago when it still provided the emergency ambulance service and had a staff of 40 — she was in charge of human resources and finance.

Kerrie does advise prospective parents to take the babies’ course before the child is born, so as to gain the maximum benefit — the child then has the extra protection of its parents’ training from the day it arrives home.

The courses, held at the Coaling Island headquarters, also have the amenity of a comfortable climate-controlled room so the baby and someone to look after it can wait while the parent is following the course; it is also suitable for breastfeeding the baby. There is no age limit to join the course — anyone who wishes to learn the vital skills is welcome.

Kerrie is also hoping to involve employers who could provide the low-cost course as a mark of appreciation to staff; as she says, “It only

takes three hours so I think most firms could manage to lose the occasional staff member for that amount of time.”

Apart from the peace of mind that comes with knowing what to do in an emergency, the statistics gathered by the St John Ambulance in the UK show alarming results: 84% of parents didn’t know how to give the life-saving first aid, whilst 75% of grandparents have never been on a course; and in all the cases of burns, banged heads, fits, convulsions, choking and poisoning, a frightening average of 75% of parents didn’t have a clue what to do.

It is essential to reserve a place on the course, because of the high demand, and, of course, it is also good to take the course if you or someone close in your family is pregnant. To sign up for the short but very practical tutorial, just call Kerrie on 200 77390, email manager@stjohn.gi, or call in at Coaling Island if you’re passing.

It’s an interesting three hours, and the potential benefits are enormous. n

a lot of the applicants for the courses are men — it seems that in Gibraltar many men now have the role of primary carer in a family

Kerrie Edwards of St John Ambulanc

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Jewellery Jewellery

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JANUARY GIBRALTAR MAGAziNE • JUNE 2009

entertainment

by Elena Scialtiel

act your age

with Dramatis Personae Half drama and half creative-writing group, half work and half play, half intellectual half social, Dramatis Personae is back in business. And enjoying a bubbly revival after years of involuntary dormancy, due to its core members’ temporary disbandment!

It took the return to Gibraltar of co-founder Julian Felice, after years of teaching in the UK, to set the ball rolling again in Bayside Drama Studio, where his teenage passion for theatre was ignited by the Trafalgar Theatre Group’s weekend workshops.

Branching away from the TTG Junior Section, and fully supported by them, Julian and friends set up an all-student company who wrote and staged their own plays, from Showcase in August 2000 to Black Comedy and White Lies in 2001, from the series of sketches around the Early Adventures of a Policeman to the teststone Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap, the West End’s longest-running production ever.

And what better triumphal homecoming than the murder mystery original Teaching Can be Murder that Julian wrote a couple of years ago but never had the chance to stage?

But times have changed, and the director relied on an adult cast of well-known actors, fast-learning newcomers, and past starlets fast to brush up on their skills, who managed to

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

deliver a spot-on performance, while never losing the pace of the tangled plot and the snappy dialogue.

With quick-witted comedy, black humour and the sharp satire of an insider, the production enthralled the audience and gripped it to their seats until interaction was required to name and shame the culprit: it harvested great

With quick-witted comedy, black humour and the sharp satire of an insider, the production enthralled the audience

success with those who either sympathised with the teacher trade or basked in the vengeful pleasure of watching their idiosyncrasies bared in sheer terror when a murderer was let loose in their midst, climaxing in an unexpected finale.

Because Bayside Drama Studio doesn’t draw a line between audience and stage, Julian sees it as one of the best venues for staging Dramatis Personae’s productions, and the tradition will be respected in early June with the Youth Company production Grimm Tales, a collection of six tales by drama students who will encourage the audience to create the fairytale illusion within those polygonal walls.

Rehearsing with students is fulfilling, since Julian — who works more as the coordinator than the teacher — can enjoy the progress of their talent simmering from raw to seasoned, and he’s quite pleased with the hard-working winter behind, which is promising a night of fabulous entertainment.

Summer will be spent organising their late autumn senior production, The Coarse Acting Show, a spoof comedy with a flexible cast that accommodates the dreams of many hopeful wannabe actors.

However, Dramatis Personae don’t want to be pigeonholed as a bunch of comedians, and are longing to flaunt their creativity, cater for all tastes and dare themselves and the audience to complex, thought-provoking plays that can make an impact on people beyond mere entertainment.

They are looking into staging original work as much as acquainting the local public with successful contemporary playwrights — usually unknown, unless one is a habitué of specialised publications or a keen theatregoer abroad.

Variety and affordability are their passwords within the thriving drama panorama on the Rock. More exuberant than ever — thanks to their healthy coffers — Dramatis Personae can afford to take some risks in staging nonmainstream productions that may be artistically challenging for them, as well as keeping the ticket price low.

The group meets regularly every Tuesday evening at Bayside, and they engage in various activities beyond rehearsing — sketch writing and performing, brainstorming on how to improve their scripts, tips and lessons on getting into character, enunciation and voice projection.

Everyone is welcome to join, either as an actor, playwright or backstage crew, although regular auditions will be publicised and held in due course, but you must keep in mind that Dramatis Personae don’t do singing or dancing: they train you in the refined thespian art, leaving musicals in the capable hands of other budding groups, which Julian says you should contact instead, if it is the all-round performer experience you’re after. The Youth Company meets every Saturday morning, reviving the Trafalgar Theatre Group’s glory days.

The group is about having fun, off and on stage, and promotes theatre both actively and passively. So much fun that their training sessions often overflow into social evenings, and the teamwork’s glue sticking together the cast goes beyond professional relations and blossoms into true friendship. n

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

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

hobbies health

l

Happy 10th Birthday Crump!

Crump Chiropractic on the first floor of the ICC celebrated their 10th birthday on 11th May with an all day party.

Throughout the day, Steven and Catherine greeted their clients with refreshments, cakes and muffins and once children came out of school, their younger patients came up to join them in the celebrations with face painting, tattoos, goodie bags and balloons.

“The average age to see a dentist for the first time is 7 years, but for a Chiropractor it’s 32 years,” Catherine explained in her fluffy dog outfit.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

“We’ve been working hard to promote the awareness of how we can help children and guiding them from a young age can help to prevent more serious problems as adults in the future too.”

Congratulations to Steven, Catherine and the team, who featured beautifully in a photo on their anniversary birthday cake — we wish them all the best for the next decade .. and more we hope! n

what a page turner! www.thegibraltarmagazine.com 65

the arts

Prem Mahtani

of the year

It just goes to show how far a little dedication and passion can go when you realise that photographer of the year, Prem Mahtani, first put his hands on a camera just a year and a half ago.

“It all started when I picked up a special box and camera to photograph the jewellery at my shop. I was really surprised at the quality of picture and was fascinated by the whole concept,” Prem explained to us.

“I took the camera off the box to see what else it could do and a whole new world seemed to open up.”

A few months later, his wife bought him a digital SLR as a gift and he’s spent the last year or so reading, learning and above all else, practising.

A Gibraltarian by birth, Prem studied retail in the UK and spent three years working in London before returning to Gibraltar where he now runs the jewellery shop Prestige, on Main Street.

He finds his inspiration in landscape, travel photography, minimalist black and white and portraits

66

although he enjoys looking at any subject which is a little different.

“But I really don’t like photographing nature and plants,” he added with a smile.

To win the Photographer of the Year award, Prem and many other contestants have had to participate in a total of 15 competitions, with varying subject matter and media.

“The sections were split into colour print, black and white print and projected images. In each instance, the judges went through to select the best images, firstly looking at the technical aspect and composition and from those left chose the six best: First, second, third and three runners up. At this point it was really down to their personal preference.

“For most of the competition it was neck and neck between Andrew Fortuna, who’s an excellent photographer, and myself. In each GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

the arts

“When you take a picture, you’re capturing the light.

Take time to study and experiment with the light to see what works” competition one would slightly overtake the other and it was a really exciting and fun challenge,” Prem continued.

Towards the end of the competition though, Prem opened a large gap in the points and sailed through as the winner.

“Competition is healthy and fun,” Prem explained. “As contestants we all get along really well and, although in the end you are your biggest critic of your work, it’s a valuable experience to compete and find out what other people think of your work. The judges’ comments are particularly useful and it’s always good to have someone from the outside give their opinion — it helps to motivate you to improve.”

Prem spends a lot of time looking at other people’s work for inspiration, and not just in Gibraltar.

“I browse internet sites such as Flickr.com and any and all photography sites I can find. Seeing what other people have achieved gives you ideas and inspiration to find out how a particular effect has been achieved.”

As with most digital photography, Prem does use Photoshop to re-touch images, but believes it needs to be used sparingly. He gave us some insight on how he works with the software: “The best effects are those you create with the camera. For example, with a moving object, getting the panning correct will mean the photo is correct without having to add in blur afterwards. One of the problems with photography though is that the camera doesn’t see exactly what the eye can see.

The colour range is more limited and subtle details in tones and colours can be slightly lost.

“I tend to use software just to try to trick the eye back into seeing what has been missed out — a slight change in contrast can make a big difference, especially when you’re working with black and white.”

But the days of black and white film are over, and in the digital world, the majority of photographers are limited to shooting in colour. In this instance it is necesGIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2008

sary to change the format digitally afterwards. So how does Prem work with this restriction?

“The principles are the same as if you are working with black and white from the start,” Prem explained. “The best subjects for black and white are where colour tones are quite similar. A dull, cloudy day is excellent for black and white, as often the subject matter makes a perfect composition, but the colours are dull. Where the sea may seem dull and ugly in colour, taking it to black and white, the eye will concentrate on the contrasts of shadows and light and the viewer can imagine the colours.”

If you’re thinking of getting into photography yourself, Prem is adamant with his advice: “Get down to the Gibraltar Photographic Society and join one of their courses. Leslie Linares who runs the course is an excellent professional. I took the course when I first started out and it really gave me an excellent grounding to build on.

“The course is ten weeks, and so much is covered including some healthy competition between students and for the very little money it costs is worth every penny and much, much more.

“When you take pictures, take pictures of subjects you like and enjoy what you’re doing. There are rules and guidelines to photography such as the rule of thirds for composition, but rules are there to break too, so don’t be scared to try something different.

“Lighting is everything,” He continued. “When you take a picture, you’re capturing the light. Take time to study and experiment with light to see what works and what doesn’t.”

In Prem’s future plans, photography will always play a part. Now that the competition is over he’s planning to concentrate on his black and white landscapes, portraits and architectural photography. He’ll be taking on commercial work too, although he likes to see his photography as artistic, no matter what the subject matter, and is available for commissions. If you’re interested, drop him a line at prem@gib.gi n

“It’s always good to have someone from the outside give their opinion — it helps to motivate you to improve” 67

That Nail Place L4

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

E6

O4

Gel - Acrylic - Fibreglass

I4

Airbrushing Nail Art Body Jewellery

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

H4

now also in Casemates

S4

~ Visit The Two Best Pubs In Town ~

Fresh Homemade Food from Breakfasts and Jackets to Entrecote Steak and Battered Cod

7

X6

193 Main Street Tel: 200 77444

G1 Hearty Tunnellers’ Charcoal Grill Pasta, Breakfast (until midday), Sizzling Dishes, Light Bites, Salads, Baguettes, kid’s menu etc 8 Casemates Sq Tel: 200 74946

K4

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

A3

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

Gibraltar Taxi Association

D8

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

N4

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 3 locations in gibraltar casemates arcade • 275 main st horse barrack lane

G3

N3

T4

M4

P2

Q5 V4

184 Main Street Tel: 200 72133 open: from 8am (10am on Sun) Accountants Durante Carboni Jardim..............X3 ESV Hassan & Co........................ I4 GA Olivera Accountants............ M4 Business/Financial Services AI Couriers (DHL)......................K3 GibraltarAssetManagement....... M5 Jyske Bank.................................. L4 Masbro Insurance........................N4 Norwich & Peterborough............Q5 Phoenix Solutions........................ J4 Sovereign Trust...........................N4 STM Fidecs.................................H7 Business Services Call Centre..................................V4 CTS.............................................D3 Global Business Centre................S3 PointOne.....................................D7 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 Rock Extreme...............................E3 Computers & Cableing Image Graphics........................... N3 Newton Systems.........................M5 PC Clinic..................................... U3 Food & Drink 14 on the Quay.............................Z6 Al Baraka.................................... X7 Amin’s The Office....................... K5 All Sports Bar ............................ N3 Barbary Ape................................. b2 Birdie Cafe Restaurant................ D7 The Boatyard................................Z6 Buddies Pasta Casa..................... Q4 Bush Tucker................................ K5 Cafe Rojo.................................... K5 Café Solo..................................... G3 Casa Pepe.....................................Z6 El Patio........................................ H2 Fresh .......................................... G4 Garcia’s Take-Away.................... C1 Get Joost...............................H4, S4 Get Stuffed.................................. A3 House of Sacarello.......................L5 Just-a-Nibble.................................I4

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

L5

Irish Town Tel: 200 70411

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 Smiths Fish and Chips................. V4 Solo Express................................ H4 Square Cafe.................................. H4 Star Bar........................................ K5 The Three Roses.......................... Q2 Trafalgar Sports Bar.......................a3 Waterfront.................................... Y7

Renaissance Beauty.......................J4 Roots.............................................T4 Short Cut........................................I6 Sissi Salon.................................... H4

Funeral Services Codali Funeral Services............... U3

Medical / Health Bell Pharmacy.............................. N3 Claudia’s Clinic............................ K4 Dr. Crump, Steven, Chiropractor I4 Gib-Lab...................................... ....I4 Health Food Store........................ O4 Louis Pharmacy........................... H4

Hair & Beauty Salons Classic Cuts..................................M3 Extend-it Plus............................... N2 Joya’s Gents Hairdressers............ N2

Q5

Jewellery Sales/Repair Antonio Jewellers...........................J4 Beau Jangels.................................M4 Jewellery Repairs..........................L4 Matthew’s Jewellery......................I3 Leisure Complete Fitness.......................... R3 Dolphin Safari.............................. A3 Rock Turf Accountants ��������������� H2 Legal Services Budhrani Lawyers........................ K4 Charles Gomez............................. U4 Isolas.............................................E4 Triay & Triay............................... K5

M. Clark Dentist...........................U3 McTimoney chiropractor.............L4 John Miles - Chiropodist..............K7 Smart Puls Centre......................... I6 Specialist Medical Clinic.............. I4 Sport-On - Sports Therapy...........K3 Steiner Chiropractor.....................K7 Pet Services / Supplies Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic..........H4 Property Sales / Estate Agents Bray Property...............................B3 Norwich & Peterborough.............Q5 Property World.............................. I4 Solomon Levy . ...........................U3 General Services Art Gallery...................................R4 Balban (electrician)......................H2 Balloqui . ..................................... P4 LP Borge......................................X3 Denville Designs.........................M3 Fashion House Interiors............... P2 Gibstainless..................................C7 Greenarc.......................................X5 Larbi upholstery...........................R3 Queensway Quay Laundrette.......X7 Seabreeze Laundry.......................A3

GACHE & CO. LTD

Suds Laundry...............................I6 Space Interiors.............................I3 Shopping — General Anuska........................................S5 Arcade Keys.................................J5 Carol’s Books...............................I4 Don House Arcade.......................J5 Flair............................................ N4 Gallery Mosaic...........................M5 Pure Lighting...............................I6 Sheppard’s Chandlery................ D4 Terry’s........................................M5 Shopping — Fashion/Clothing Esprit.......................................... D4 Aftershock.................................. D4 Recruitment Corporate Resources....................J4 Just Recruitment..........................L4 RecruitGibraltar......................... O6 Quad Consultancy...................... U3 Transport / Marine Services Autoelectrical............................. C7 Gib Cargo................................... B8 Shell Bunkering......................... H6 Tarik Oil..................................... C8

GIBRALTAR BOOKSHOP

U4

ESTD. 1830 — 150 years experience

266 Main Street, Gibraltar. Tel: 200 75757

178 Main Street · Gibraltar · Telephone 200 48480

P3

★★★ Opticians Giftware Jewellery

T4

300 MAIN STREET GIBRALTAR TEL: 200 71894 FAX: 200 75554

For fiction and non-fiction yachting books, bargain books

Sports Trophies, Awards & Engravers

T4

THE PENGUIN BOOKSHOP

Queen’s Hotel Gibraltar

b2

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

Tel: (+350) 20074000 Fax: 20040030

relaxation

by Sonia Golt

njoying E massage benefits

Christina Mutch

“It is very important to emphasize that the oils must be used with carrier oil unless otherwise stated by a qualified Aromatherapist. I use essential oils in a carrier oil of either almond or grape-seed, with this I massage the feet and the reflex points, and the aroma also stimulates the patient’s sense of smell. It is very comforting and helps to keep the skin from drying too much, something that is very common when someone is going through an illness. Each essential oil has different healing properties and great care and expertise is needed in knowing which oil will be beneficial to each patient, as it is entirely dependent on the diagnosis and illness a patient is suffering.

“The benefits are immense they sooth cuts, burns and sore dry skin, they are also good for headaches and migraine, and ideal to get rid of exhaustion and stress related problems as well as restlessness and tension and certainly muscular aches and pains.”

Liz, who is available at the Lady Williams’ Centre on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 10am-3pm, loves working at the centre, “I have been working in the Lady Williams Centre for a year and a half and find the work is very fulfilling. The patients are all wonderful people and my colleagues are the best, what more can you ask for in job?”

Patients getting either reflexology or massage at the centre are invited into the warmth of a small cubicle/room with pleasant music where the specialist — Liz or Christina — treats them.

The magical massage hands belong to Christina Mutch. Christina studied in Scotland with the International Therapy Examination Council for theoretical and practical anatomy and physiology as well as aromatherapy and complimentary medicine at Irvine Hospital, Ayrshire.

“While working in Glasgow Royal Infirmary I accumulated leave and traveled to Beijing in China to the World Health Organisation to take up a series of massage courses to incorporate into my other treatments. Interestingly, medical treatments are carried out using traditional Chinese medicine as the main therapeutic measures and the western medicine as a supplementary method.”

Massage creates a very comforting feeling but what are its other benefits?

“It is a time to relax and to find peace and be in touch with your inner self,” she smiles and adds a Scottish quote; “Some therapies are better FELT than TELT!” (‘telt’ meaning ‘told’).

“The beneficial effects of touch combined with both therapies help to loosen toxins within the muscles and different systems. After a session appropriate essential oils provide a supportive patients are recommended to drink plenty of treatment for a variety of ailments as the oils are absorbed into the blood-stream via the skin and water to flush out toxins from the body. have a systematic effect which is beneficial for the well-being of the patient.

“All essential oils are derived from plants and apart from a wonderful aroma each has an individual property that interacts with our chemistry in a direct manner which is beneficial and has certain positive effects on our whole system.

“The therapeutic potential is vast and certain oils are used to stimulate, others to sedate and relax. Egyptians were well known for using essential oils thousand of years BC and it has been part of the Chinese culture for medicinal purposes for thousand of years too. The use of plant extracts for health and well-being

The benefits of essential oils are being enjoyed by cancer patients at Cancer Relief’s Lady William’s Centre, thanks to the expert hands of two aromatherapy volunteers, Liz and Christina, who have brought a great deal of comfort to a host of people diagnosed with this disease. When someone is diagnosed with cancer, it is not always easy to help the patient increase his or her energy, well-being and relaxation.

Aromatherapy is a welcome day of pampering, feeling good, or at least a little better.

Liz Carr’s specialty is reflexology, and she accurately pinpoints, just by what she feels from the patient’s feet, where the ailments are.

“I studied Reflexology with Christine Shaw at her school on the Costa del Sol. Her school was the only establishment to offer the ITEC qualification, an international qualification brought over by examiners from UK. Prior to taking up this profession, I worked for a long while as a hairdresser and in the beauty business. This is how I got interested in alterative and complementary therapies as a natural progression from what I had done up to this point in my life.”

What does Liz feel reflexology can do for a patient?

“Reflexology can be of great benefit for someone that has suffered an illness as it helps to get the body back into a balance and enables it to heal. Massage has the same sort of effect, and

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“The beneficial effects of touch combined with appropriate essential oils provide a supportive treatment for a variety of ailments”

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

relaxation has been documented amongst the Australian Aborigines who developed the knowledge of using natural plant extracts as medicine. An essential oil which is still used for antibacterial and antifungal cures is the Australian Tea Tree Oil, which is currently used in aromatherapy all over the world.”

Liz and Christina provide their services at the Lady Williams’ Centre voluntarily and all patients are welcome to enjoy the comforting sensation and relaxation benefits of their therapies. n

“An essential oil which is still used for antibacterial and antifungal cures is the Australian Tea Tree Oil, which is currently used in aromatherapy all over the world”

Liz Carr

Aromatherapy Aromatherapy is a simple way of using essential oils from aromatic plants to relax and de-stress. Rather than an exclusive treatment for patients with a specific diagnosis, aromatherapy can be used as a part of your every day life.

Although there are animals with a much greater sense of smell than us, the average person can distinguish between around 10,000 different scents.

As these are inhaled, the smell travels across the olfactory nerves in the nose and then up to the ‘limbic system’ in our brain which controls our moods, memories and ability to learn. When the limbic system is stimulated it releases endorphins, neurotransmitters and other chemicals which give us the “feel-good” factor.

Essential oils, the basic materials of aromatherapy, are made from fragrant essences found in many plants — in their bark, peel, leaves and petals. It’s not just a nice smell, it has other benefits too, such as relaxation and stress relief, mood enhancement, relief of minor discomforts and it’s also believed to boost the immune, respiratory and circulatory systems.

SISSI Friday 26th June 2009 5Km walk starts at midnight, from Casemates to an Eastern Beach party

Working on both a psychological and physical level, one theory is that the aroma enters through the nasal system and affects and stimulates certain parts of the brain, lifting or soothing your mood depending on the type of treatment applied.

Aromatherapists aren’t just guided by what smells good but use specific oils proven to be effective in a given circumstance. Certain oils are thought to strengthen aspects of the immune system too, making your body a less friendly place for microbes and disease. Although aromas are often simply inhaled, their incorporation into massage has meant that along with the scent, the natural oils are absorbed into the body at specific nerve points which help to stimulate and soothe.

But rest assured, whether through massage, inhalation or just a few drops of essential oils in a relaxing bath, the benefits are there for the taking. n

SiSSi Beauty Salon & Hair Salon

Sissi is a sanctuary where treatments are carried out in a serene and tranquil environment.

You will enjoy a special experience with us.

We offer a whole range of beauty treatments.

www.breastcancergib.org

£5 registration on the night at Casemates Square from 9pm

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

F9, 1st Floor, ICC Tel: 200 70146

71

1st FLOOR 1

2

3

Stairs to Ground Floor

onthesquare

Gibraltar Museum (special exhibition rooms)

4

5

6

7

8

9 10

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

NOW OFFERING DAILY SPECIALS Grand Casemates Sq Tel: 20044449

12 13

Casemates Gates

5th Jan Tradional 3 Kings Cavalcade Parade Casemates along Main Street-starting from Casemates Square Time: 7.00 pm

23 24 25

Square 29

Tourist Office 15th Jan

The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society Berlin Philharmonic Solist Series

(See pages 87-91 for restaurant & bar information)

Q: From where does the name come?

The word Casemates, meaning a bomb proof compartment, usually of masonry, to house a magazine or troop quarters, comes from the Italian ‘Casamatta’ from the Latin ‘Casa’ (house) and ‘Matto’ (mad) originating from the Latin ‘Mattus’ (drunk)!

30

33 Visit us and step back in history

Line Wall Road

32 International Commercial Centre

P

TAXIS

(shops, offices, health centre)

Main Street

➨

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

27 28

PS

Fruit & Veg, Fish & Meat

14

SHO

Public Market

17 18 19

20 21 22

Casemates Tunnel

11

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

15 16

Casemates Arcade

Ground FLOOR

Main Entrance / Stairs

Casemates Square Tel: 200 72987

1-3. Arts & Crafts Galleries 11. Cafe Solo 12. All’s Well 14. The Tunnel 19. The Silver Shop 26. El Cottage 27. Lord Nelson Bar Brasserie 28. El Patio Restaurant 29. Rock Turf Accountants 30. Square Cafe 32. Solo Express 33. Get Joost! smoothies

10 Casemates www.lordnelson.gi Tel: 200 50009

Open: Monday - Friday 9am - 5.30pm Saturday 10am - 3pm Sunday 10am - 1pm

now also in Casemates

72 72

Tel/Fax: 200 74982 Email: tourism@gibraltar.gi Website: www.gibraltar.gov.uk

GIBRALTARMAGAZINE MAGAZINE• •MARCH JUNE 2009 GIBRALTAR 2009

WHAT’S ON June ’09

Full HD sports coverage Irish Breakfast from 7am (Sunday 9am)

HM The Queen’s Birthday Parade at Casemates Square from 6pm. For info Tel: 200 55083 Saturday 13th June 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 The Gibraltar Heritage Trust tour of Victoria Battery & City Fire Station led by George Russo. Meet at Fire Station, Red Sand Road 10am. For info Tel: 200 42844 The “Celebration of Opera” concert will see tenor Valter Borin from the Teatro Alla Scala perform on 1st June at St Michael’s Cave

1st to 19th June Gibraltar Spring Festival full programme of events on page 76.

For further information contact The Ministry for Culture Tel: 20048063 Monday 1st June The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society Concert “A Celebration of Opera” at St Michael’s Cave from 8.30pm. Tickets: £20 from The House of Sacarello, Irish Town; The Silver Shop, 275 Main Street. For further info contact Tel: 200 72134 Stage Musicals Production s presents “Oliver” at The Alameda Open Air Theatre from 8.30pm. Tickets £12 from The Nature Shop. For info contact Rosanna on 54007506 or Phillip on 54015422 Tuesday 2nd June Gun Salute - HM The Queen’s Coronation - at The Tower (Berth 41) 12 noon. For info Tel: 200 55083 Saturday 6th June World Environment Day 2009 Trade Fair at Casemates Square 10am to 2pm. For info contact the Department of the Environment Tel: 200 45003 Tuesday 9th June Queen’s Birthday Parade (rehearsal) at Casemates Square from 8pm. For info Tel: 200 55083 Wednesday 10th June Gun Salute - HRH The Duke of Edinburgh’s Birthday - at The Tower (Berth 41) 12 noon. For info Tel: 200 55083

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

Saturday 13th June GONHS - outing to Sierra De Las Nieves - birds and flowers. Meet 8am on Spanish side of the frontier.

For info contact John Cortes Tel: 200 72639 E-mail: jcortes@gonhs.org Thursday 25 June The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society Clarinet & Piano Recital at the Convent from 8.30pm. Tickets £20 from The House of Sacarello, Irish Town; The Silver Shop, 275 Main Street. For info contact Tel: 200 72134 th

Friday 26th June Luna Walk for Breast Caner Support Group Gibraltar. 5km walk starts at midnight from Casemates Square to Eastern Beach followed by beach party. £5.00 registration on the night at Casemates Square from 9pm Saturday 27th June Santos Productions in association with the Ministry for Culture presents Miss Gibraltar 2009 Beauty Pageant at The Alameda Open Air Theatre.

For info contact The Ministry of Culture Tel: 200 48063 Singles’ Poker Night, for all those singletons who want to meet new people in a fun, relaxed environment.

Check out our website www. one2one.gi or call Carla on 54021154 or Theresa on 54009822 for more details.

Sunday 28th June Calpe Rambles meet the Spanish Side of the Frontier just to the right of the Aduana vehicle exit at 8am. For info contact Ray Tel: 200 71956 or John Tel: 200 74645

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

73

puzzle page

by Alan Gravett

SUDOKU No prize for these two — you’ll be doing them for the glory!

1

2

4

3

6

5

8

7

easy 9

10

11 12

13

14 15

16

17

18

hard

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

One entry per person.

FIRST PRIZE: Lunch for 2 at The Clipper

Closing date: 19th June 2009

Across 5) Senior tutor (4,7) 7) Unruly child (4) 8) Song – such as Romeo to Juliet (8) 9) Talk on internet or aimlessly (7) 11) Ring, as a bell, or agree (5) 13) Constellation – Greek hunter (5) 14) Battles; law suits (7) 16) Male companion (8) 17) Fossil fuel (4) 18) Individual characteristics comprise

this (11) Down 1) Breathe heavily (4) 2) Hidden away (7) 3) Perturb; boy’s name (5) 4) Compel to join the navy; Chinese city (8) 5) Illogical admiration or idealisation of

a person (4,7) 6) Basic (11) 10) Ordinary soldiers (8) 12) Outrage (7) 15) Equine attendant (5) 17) Card game (abbr.); cheat (at exam);

cradle (4)

Jotting Pad ...

Winner notified in next issue of The Gibraltar Magazine.

Last months winner: Louise Montero, Pine Tree Lodge LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS: Across: Pyrotechnic, Beam, Diestamp, Fistful, Angle, Strop, Urgency, Drill bit, Tito, Copperfield.

Down: Tram, Stadium, Scree, Instance, Prehistoric, Complicated, Trollope, Gratify, Abbey, Them.

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

All photos taken by Lili Olivero with permission from celebrities involved.

On Stage at the Showbiz Awards 2009

Aaron with Sir Michael Caine

Lili Olivero, Hayley Westenra and Aaron

aaron

monteverde The Gibraltar Concert Gibraltarian concert pianist Aaron Monteverde will be performing on Tuesday 9th June at a Concert in the Holy trinity Cathedral.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

For the last few months Aaron Monteverde has been performing at many high profile events in the UK including The Variety Club Showbiz Awards (Sky One) and for the World Darts Championship finals (BBC 2).

The response from audiences abroad has been overwhelming and much to his delight, Aaron has just signed a record deal with a major label and is working on recording his first internationally released album.

Aaron will be collaborating with some of the biggest names in the music industry. At this stage we can reveal that one of guest artists on his album will be the legendary Gypsy Kings.

Aaron has always enjoyed playing in his home town Gibraltar and would like to dedicate this concert to all the people who have supported him in the past.

The programme will be ‘packed full’ of memorable melodies from film and stage, as well as chart topping ‘hits’ given that special Monteverde touch!

Tickets are on sale at Sacarello’s coffee shop Irish Town £10. n

75

events The Calpe Band 11am-1pm John Mackintosh Square

Gibfit Congress 2009, 12 noon–6pm Bayside Sports Centre

1st - 19th June 2009 Monday 1st ‘The Leading Voices of the World’ 8.30pm St Michael’s Cave, organised

by The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society.

Featuring Valter Borin, tenor; Stefanna Kyablova, soprano; Diego Crovetti, pianoforte. Tickets £20 include return coach shuttle from Referendum Gates Tuesday 2nd Concert by The King’s Chapel Singers & Friends 7pm King’s Chapel, followed by refreshments in the music room. Tickets £5, under 16s £2.50 at the door on the evening.

Wednesday 3rd Allegro Spring Festival Concert 7pm King’s Chapel followed by refreshments in the music room.

Tickets £5, under 16s £2.50 at the door on the evening Saturday 6th Museum Open Day 10am-6pm entrance free

Rock Concert with Steve Adams and Jetstream 9pm -1am Casemates Square

Sunday 7th ‘Faces’ Fun Day for Kids 10am2.30pm Bayside Sports Centre, organised by the Happy Faces Charitable Trust Monday 8th Short Story Competition Prize Giving 4pm John Mackintosh Hall.

Winning stories will be printed in The Gibraltar Chronicle Book Launch - Cecil Montegriffo’s ‘The Four Walls’ 7.30pm Garrison Library

Tuesday 9th Spring Art Exhibition Official Opening & Prize Giving 7pm Casemates Exhibition Galleries Gibraltar National Choir Concert 8.30pm Cathedral of the Holy Trinity

Tuesday 9th - Thursday 11th Group 2000’s ‘Ellos, Ellas y…lo demás’ 8.30pm Ince’s Hall Theatre.

Tickets £7 and £5 from the Theatre

Wednesday 10th – Friday 19th Spring Art Exhibition

Office Refurbishments & Fitting Out

A TRIBUTE TO ALBERT HAMMOND This year’s “Bosom Buddies” Fashion Show in aid of breast cancer charity pays tribute to international singer/songwriter Albert Hammond. Albert has donated a compilation of his CDs as well as a signed photo for both the auction and the raffle which will be held at the show on 11th June from 9.30 pm at the Alameda Theatre.

Albert’s hits go back five decades and at the show, it will be Nigel Palmer, Francis Chipolina, Guy Palmer and Joe Adamberry who will delight us all with his memorable songs.

Tickets for the show are on sale from Heart’s Boutique, 250 Main Street, priced £25 or can be booked on 200 79822 – only a limited number of tickets remaining.

Home Renovations & Refurbishments

SOLUTIONS

PO Box 598 Tel: 57185000 Fax: 200 77041

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

events

Heritage Trust “Dockyard” Winners

The Heritage Trust has held its Open-air Painting and Sketching Competition for the last 20 years.

The anniversary competition was held in May under the theme of “the dockyard”.

With an incredible turn out of 87 entrants in three different categories, the judges were hard pushed to decide on a winner. The Hon. Edwin Reyes, Minister for Cul-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

ture, Heritage, Sport and Leisure made an extra special mention to the children (43 in the under ten years category) for their excellent work and said it was a shame there

were only three prizes as they all deserved recognition for their excellent work.

The dockyard has played a major part in shaping the face of Gibraltar over the years, and the trust decided this would be an excellent opportunity to encourage participants to take a closer look at the heritage surrounding the area and reproduce it through snapshots in artistic media.

The children’s section was won

by Francis Devencenzi with Katie Norton second and Katherine Stone third. The junior section was won by Kayleigh Buttigieg while Timothy Canessa came in second, Amy Mesilio third and Beatrice Garcia was given a commendation for her work.

In the senior section Vin Mifsud was commended whilst first prize went to Peter Parody. Christian Hook took the second prize and Michael Stagnetto came in third.

The prize money was donated by the Friends of Gibraltar society who have been supporting the competition for a number of years now. n

What’s on at the Alameda The Alameda Open Air Theatre, set in the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, has a Summer 2009 programme which ranges from band concerts to beauty contests and musicals.

Opening the season at the beginning of June will be the musical Oliver. Later in the same month will be the variety performance of Bosom Buddies, followed by a production by Urban Dance entitled Ilumina.

Shortly after will be the Miss Gibraltar 2009 Pageant, followed in early July by another musical, Jesus Christ Superstar. Miss Glamour 2009 and then Model Search 2009 follow later in July, while in early September the theatre will host the now traditional Battle of Britain Concert.

The full calendar of performances can be seen on the Theatre’s webpage www.gibraltargardens. gi/Theatreprogramme.php while further details on each production will be released nearer its date.

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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

newsagents

hobbies&pastimes

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 HORTICULTURAL CONTRACTORS Tel: 200 43134 Fax: 200 50648 Convent Gardens, Convent Garden Ramp

photography

Booksellers, Newsagents & Stationers

leisure & tuition travel&hotels

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Gibraltar Connections

by Reg Reynolds

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

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The Flowers of Gibraltar

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Book on sale at Gibraltar Book Shops

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2009

entertainment

by Reg Reynolds

Talkof theTown While serving together on the Rock of Gibraltar two fathers couldn’t possibly have imagined that one day their children would be the talk of London.

The children in question are Charlotte Ramsay Lennox and David Garrick and both were the offspring of Gibraltar-based officers. Charlotte grew up to be a poet, novelist and playwright while David took up acting and became the most famous thespian of his day. In 1762 they came together in London’s renowned theatre district.

Charlotte had written a play The Sisters, and David presented it at his Drury Lane Theatre.

Charlotte was born in Gibraltar around 1726 (the exact date is not known) to a Scotsman, Captain James Ramsay of the Royal Navy, and an Irish-Scottish mother. The family lived on the Rock for ten years before moving to New York. When her father died in 1742 Charlotte travelled to London where she became a lady’s ‘companion’, a position slightly above that of servant.

David was born (19th February, 1717) at Lichfield, one of seven children, and was raised almost exclusively by his mother, the daughter of a vicar. His father, Captain Peter Garrick, was a career soldier and spent most of David’s teenage years serving (1731-35) with his regiment in Gibraltar. Father and son did correspond as much as conditions’ allowed and David cherished those letters for the rest of his life.

Late in life David told the story of a faux pas he made on the day his father finally returned from Gibraltar. Naturally spirits were running high when David made what might today be interpreted as a ‘Freudian slip’: “I dare say, sir, I have now a good many brothers and sisters at Gibraltar.”

It is very likely that Captains’ Ramsay and Garrick knew each other at Gibraltar and this would have played a role in Charlotte and David meeting up in London. They certainly would have had plenty in common to talk about.

Unfortunately The Sisters, based on themes from Charlotte’s novels, was a flop and closed after one performance. Her supporters believed the audience had been stacked and the play intentionally sabotaged by those who disagreed with her feminist points of view.

Charlotte continued to write for the stage but only one other play, Old City Manners (1775), was performed in a theatre of import and it was presented by David at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

On the other hand Charlotte’s novels and poetry were popular and gained loyal followings.

Her poem The Art of Coquetry (1750) caused quite a stir among the blue-stocking brigade and drew both wrath and praise.

Her greatest success was her novel The Female Quixote. It caused quite a sensation and was regarded as a work that denigrated the traditional English view of romance as ‘unreal’ and ‘dangerous’. The novel also bravely addressed the relationship between madness and romance.

Charlotte had it published anonymously and she didn’t get proper recognition until after her death.

The Female Quixote remained popular throughout the 19th Century and even in the 20th century

Her book caused quite a sensation and was regarded as a work that denigrated the traditional English view of romance as ‘unreal’ and ‘dangerous’

David Garrick as Richard III

by William Hogarth GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

Charlotte Ramsey Lennox was born in Gibraltar

was favourably reviewed for its ‘skill and inventiveness’ by feminist scholars.

David’s love for the stage started at an early age, but his father didn’t encourage an acting career. In 1737, when an uncle, a Lisbon wine merchant, left David an inheritance of 1,000 pounds he and a brother started a wine business. It proved hard going, however, and David continued to be drawn to the theatre.

He obtained small parts in various plays and got his big break in 1741when he won the lead role in Shakespeare’s Richard III. His masterful handling of the part led to dozens of generous offers from various London theatres.

David would often be driven to apoplexy by the pompous acting method prevailing in the theatre at the time and he developed his own more natural and less melodramatic style.

The vaunted critic Alexander Pope remarked that “This young man never had his equal as an actor, and will never have a rival”.

By mid-century Charlotte and David, were celebrities and entertaining and socializing with the ‘A’ list of London, the likes of diarist Samuel Johnson, artist Joshua Reynolds, writer Henry Fielding and socialite Lady Montagu Wortley.

But the endings for these children of Gibraltar military life would be quite different.

David had several notorious affairs before marrying German dancer Eva Marie Viegel in June 1749. The union was childless but happy, David declaring Eva “the best of women and wives”. They were famously inseparable throughout their nearly 30 years of marriage.

David managed the Theatre Royal until his retirement from management in 1776. He died less than three years later at his house in London and was interred in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey. London’s Garrick Theatre is named after him. Eva survived her husband by 43 years.

Charlotte lived longer than David but her last years were not happy ones. Her marriage to Scotsman Alexander Lennox, a clerk, produced two children but was not amicable. They were estranged for many years and separated for good in 1793 when he left for America. Charlotte lived the remainder of her life in poverty relying entirely on the support of the Literary Fund. She died on 4th January, 1804 and was buried in an unmarked grave at Broad Court, London. n

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Vickie:

Chef for Life

by Sonia Golt

Having tried her canapés and specialities it’s clear Victoria Garcia Bishop has made it as a chef. Her flair with food means the result is creative, attractive and very edible. Vickie has just turned 40 and she not only runs her own catering business but is a wife and mother of two beautiful girls.

“I have been juggling my family commitments, looking after my home and running my own business for over a decade. I love my work, as I am passionate about cooking and adore the buzz of people enjoying my food and services.

Keeping the balance between home and busi-

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ness has not always been easy with me having a tendency to over work and put my work before home. However, the business has escalated and led to the point of having to make a choice between expanding or cutting back! This was the turning point when I realised how important it

is for me to be at home and to be readily available to pick my girls up from school and to be there for them.”

Vickie is full of energy and enthusiasm for her catering business and now her children are a bit older, she has once again stepped up her work load and is very much in demand.

She loves going to the market for fresh food, especially when she has a big event which entails a lot of more work. She is constantly in demand for the smaller functions which keep her in business.

As well as all this, she finds time to teach Yoga classes at the local Yoga Centre.

“Yoga is another of my passions. In 2001 I started my teacher training and completed it a year later. I have been teaching at the centre on and off on a voluntary basis. I have done several courses and the latest is Children’s Yoga.”

But, from where did the idea for a catering business come?

“I was interested in cooking at a very young age and later I studied Home Economics at A level and followed through with three years study of Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management at Westminster College. Many will remember that it was Jamie Oliver, the International Chef, who created such a good name for this college. During my course, I did a year of basic kitchen training and management.

From here, I returned to Gibraltar due to a bad accident, which had me in hospital for several months. It was during this time of reflection that I realised I wanted to work with what I love... food glorious food! I did not want to be in management I wanted to be cooking.”

Vickie’s first job was at Sacarellos, but she still wanted to get out and see how other people cooked and serve food around the world — so she took a year off to travel and acquired a taste for Asian food stopping at a Hong Kong restaurant to learn more about their specialities and way of cooking.

The Elliott’s Hotel took her on as a Sous Chef (second to the head chef) and a few years later, she was ready to set up her catering business.

“I started by providing boardroom lunches at a time when only a couple of businesses locally were offering this service. The lunches started at one office where I would cook and serve the meals and I got to meet a variety of executives who were to become my clients. This made it possible for the business to expand and we now offer larger events for banks and law firms that sometimes entail three course meals.

“We do many company launches, sometimes catering for over 350 persons. We have a marvellous selection of canapés and, served with champagne, are excellent value for money! We have now included wedding receptions and this is exhilarating as we get to make a couple’s special day a reality. I am one for attention to detail which is probably what makes my functions stand out. I check everything from flowers to candles and even scented napkins.”

What moments stand out for Vickie?

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

“The highlight of my work is always the positive feedback I get from the guests who come into the kitchen to ask for a business card or just to complement the food. I get such a buzz out of hearing they have enjoyed the meal that the adrenaline keeps me on my toes even when I am tired out. Sometimes I think I am too attached to all of this but I think it is what gives me the passion to perfect each dish and meal.

“The moment I recall and like to reminisce about is undoubtedly when Prince Andrew came into the kitchen and said: ‘You know Victoria you really are a wonderful cook’. I told my husband that night ‘Okay, I can retire now!’.

That really was the ultimate complement. I have also worked for HRH and the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson in Spain — while they were out on holiday, I was a full time chef.”

So what’s next for Vickie?

“At present things are quieter than normal but nevertheless I am fortunate to have built up a good reputation over the years and still get a lot of requests for catering for both small and larger functions.

“Clients nowadays are focusing on quality not quantity. That is where my services come in, the client knows they are getting top food and top service and if they want the event publicised I ensure they get media coverage. The crisis is unfortunately hitting this area as well so we have to become more competitive and offer a wider range of services as well as better prices and it means diversifying in order to survive.

Keeping overheads down in order to keep prices down is paramount. This is not at all easy with the increased prices in fuel, commodities and electricity. When things are going slow I take

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

up Yoga and cooking courses, and this year I will be attending several on vegetarian cooking and Moroccan cooking which is another of my favourites.

“Dietary requirements are another of my specialities as is cooking for people with intolerances etc. I am quite creative with food and am always inventing dishes so it works well for me to work with particular ingredients and come up with new dishes. Healthy food is a concept for all to follow, and if a dish tastes really good and is also healthy that is the ultimate service one can offer.”

A little bird tells me you have something else up your sleeve?

“I want to spend more time writing a cookery book that I started recently and I am also giving cookery lessons (one-to-one or small groups).

I want to continue to travel around the world researching food to teach what I have learned.

But my priorities are my two daughters and my husband.”

Victoria’s Creative Catering www.victoriascreativecatering.com 0034 679 661 982 info@victoriascreativecatering.com n

Prince Andrew came into the kitchen and said: ‘You know Victoria you really are a wonderful cook’.

I told my husband ‘Okay, I can retire now!’

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recipes cept the tomatoes and pass them over to a large bowl. Blend the peeled tomatoes separately and then add them to the large bowl, blending all the ingredients together.

Add salt to taste at blend in the chilled water until it reaches the consistency you prefer. The more water you add, the more servings you’ll get.

Serve with finely chopped cucumber, green peppers and onion to garnish.

Chilled Orange Borscht

A quick and easy way to make the most of the high content of folic acid and antioxidants from beetroot, Borscht will give an exotic touch to any dinner table.

450g pickled beets 750ml orange juice 3 tablespoons lemon juice 250ml fat-free sour cream 750ml plain fat-free yoghurt

(reserve 250ml for garnish) 1 pinch Salt and pepper, to taste 3 tablespoons chopped chives Puree the beetroot with the lemon and orange juice and add 500ml of yogurt, sour cream and salt and pepper to taste.

Chill for at least two hours before serving and top with a generous spoonful of yoghurt and sprinkle with chives.

cool summer

starters At last, the warm weather has kicked in. Salmorejo and Gazpacho are back on the menu in many restaurants and after a long day in the office, what better way to start your dinner than a cool refreshing soup. Here, we outline just a few alternatives you might like to surprise guests or family with.

Cold soups are a bit of an institution in the Mediterranean during the summer months and we’re all well aware of the traditional gazpacho, but there are many others, such as Borscht, Ajo Blanco or Vichyssoise, all of which can make an attractive and delicious start to your meal.

It seems traditional in Spain that each household has it’s own recipe for the perfect Gazpacho. I tend to make mine from a very rough “throw-it-all-together” recipe I inherited from extended family in Cadiz. The apple just takes the bite out of the garlic and really helps to balance out the digestive system. Try it out and feel free to experiment with your own ingredients or changing quantities to balance the flavours to your liking.

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Traditional home-made Gazpacho 2Kg ripe tomatoes (peeled) half a medium sized cucumber 1 small green pepper 1/2 a medium sized onion 1/2 a clove of garlic quarter of peeled apple 1/2 a glass of olive oil 3/4 litre chilled water salt to taste

If you want this to be ready to serve immediately, make sure all vegetables are well chilled beforehand, but it will always taste better after a few hours chilled in the fridge once prepared.

Blend the olive oil with all the ingredients ex-

Ajo Blanco con Uvas

This is a cold, garlicky soup. Try to use fresh almonds straight from the shell for the best flavour, and you could try a variety of other fruit such as melon instead of, or mixed in with, the grapes.

25g ground almonds 115g toasted bread crumbs 5 cloves garlic sea salt to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 500ml water 6 ice cubes 450g seedless green grapes, skinned Pound the almonds, bread crumbs, garlic and salt together in a mortar to form a paste.

Gradually mix in the oil and stir in the vinegar.

Put the mixture in a serving bowl and stir in the water, ice and grapes. Chill for half an hour before serving.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

recipes Classic Vichyssoise

Here’s another extremely simple recipe for Vichyssoise. Vichyssoise can be serve chilled or warm.

1 tablespoon butter 3 leeks, bulb only, sliced into rings 1 onion, sliced 5 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced salt and pepper to taste 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram 1 bay leaf 5 cups chicken broth 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream Melt the butter in a large pan over a low heat and add the leeks and onion. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, thyme, marjoram, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Stir well and cook for another 12 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes.

Cordobes Salmorejo Puree the soup and cool. Add cream just 500g very ripe, very red tomatoes before serving. To serve warm, reheat slowly 1 clove of garlic once the cream has been added to ensure it 1 soup spoon vinegar doesn’t curdle.

4 soup spoons of virgin olive oil salt 2 hard boiled eggs and some chopped up jamon serrano to garnish 1 stale French stick bread

when making cold soups, the quality of ingredients is crucial to the flavour. A good quality virgin olive oil can make all the difference

Take the crust off the French stick — the staler it is, the less you’ll need. It should be as dry as possible, but obviously with no mould growing.

Peel the tomatoes and chop them into a blender

with the oil, vinegar, garlic, a little salt and the yokes from the hard boiled eggs. Blend the mixture and then slowly add the stale bread.

The mixture will quickly become thicker and it will take longer for the bread to mix through.

Once the mixture will take no more bread, your Salmorejo is ready.

Chill in the fridge for an hour or two and serve with a garnish of finely chopped Spanish ham, finely chopped egg white and a drop or two of good quality virgin olive oil.

If you’re serving for vegetarians, a nice touch is to substitute the ham for finely chopped fresh figs. n

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Dining

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 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

Open: 10am - late Closed Sundays + Saturday lunch

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Irish Town Tel: 200 51738 to reserve

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events

festivalof food Moroccan Tajine

One can learn a lot about a culture from its food

by Elena Scialtiel

This common expression cannot be illustrated anywhere better than in Gibraltar, where at least a dozen different cultures have, for three centuries, shared this tiny Rock, and fused into the Gibraltarian identity while retaining their own.

After all, the Gibraltarian identity is a kaleidoscope of cultures rubbing elbows in harmony and pride under one flag; and what better way to make it tangible (and palatable) than in a spicy carnival bringing everyone together at Casemates Square, to learn not only to love your neighbour, but also to taste your neighbourhood?

This is the aim of Calentita – Tastes from the Melting Pot, the street party organised for the third year running by the Ministry of Culture in cooperation with Word of Mouth Productions, on Friday 19th June, bringing to a close the three-week long Spring Festival.

It promises a flavourful melting pot indeed, followed by a spectacular firework and laser display which is 2009’s novel and much anticipated grand finale.

Following the success of the first and second years, the organisers hope this time guests will attend in full hunger mode, to make the most of the globetrotting menu!

To speed up the service, vouchers will be on advance sale and on the night exchanged by the restaurateurs for dishfuls — one £10 booklet will take you a long way at any of the 15 tents, manned by local charities, where samples of the most popular foods from around Gibraltar’s world can be tasted for a handful of pennies.

Love it? Queue up again for a second helping!

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

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

food & drink Loathe it? Queue up at another stand for a different bite — or a glass of wine to wash it down!

This way, though, people will be able to get acquainted with a wide variety of delicacies which they never dared order in a restaurant, if they aren’t the adventurous kind, or perhaps they never found on a restaurant’s menu, for they are specialities served only in their homeland, or homemade by the few in the know.

Expect the most epitomic Gibraltarian foods, like Calentita, which the festival is named after, because this dish evokes the very nature of its keenest eaters with its golden, warm, soft and compact texture — but also paella, fish and chips and pinchitos galore.

Indian tandoori and Moroccan tajine will be stars of the show — in previous years they sold out literally like hotcakes — but ‘Calentita’ will be the perfect venue to familiarise yourself with Maltese, Genoese, Nepalese, Chinese and German treats that represent a cross-section of all immigrants old and new who have contributed to Gibraltar’s social fabric. Expect rosto, spring rolls and sauerkraut, but also a lot of finger-licking surprises!

Cherry on the cake? An entire stall will be dedicated to Gibraltarian desserts, which is welcome news, for they’re too often kept jealously secret at private banquets, and too seldom featured on the average cafeteria menu.

If you aren’t a domestic god or goddess whose Bienmesabe makes you exclaim “¡Qué bien me sale!”, you can always pop to Casemates, learn how it’s done, and gorge yourself!

Although stalls aren’t encouraged to sell drinks, unless they have an ethnic feel, they

will provide typical beverages like mint tea or sangria — for soft drinks, beer and shots, bars and restaurants in the square will be happy to oblige.

Wannabe sommeliers will welcome the introduction of one stall solely devoted to wine tasting, where a wide selection of vintages will inebriate your taste buds.

Far from being just a wine and dine experience, entertainment will form a central part with traditions from faraway lands and faraway eras, dances, street theatre and sing-alongs. Casemates Square will become the dance floor for improvised, spontaneous outbursts of exuberance prompted by a combination of zesty food and oozing booze, with the notes of traditional music in the background.

Because most cultures seal friendships with convivial dinners and toasts with their festive beverages, event coordinator Owen Smith is confident he will make even more friends this year among people one wouldn’t typically imagine hanging out in Casemates on a Friday night. n

Far from being just a wine and dine experience, entertainment will form a central part with traditions from faraway lands and faraway eras, dances, street theatre and sing-alongs

enjoy relax

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

lunch afternoon tea dinner cocktails

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wine column

a screw loose

Corks have been used as stoppers for containers of liquids since the invention of the wheel. It is a moot point which was the more useful invention. The former led to a convenient method of keeping and transporting liquids; the latter to the motor car. But man owes an enormous debt to whichever brilliant ancient scientist worked out that cork, being flexible and pliable, made a far better (and cleaner) stopper than a wooden bung.

Most transportable forms of liquids have moved on from cork. Metals and then plastic, in particular, opened up new methods of keeping the liquid inside the container. Screw tops, ringpulls, the weird and wonderful plastic stopper with a rubber ring on a metal cantilever (still used on some beers) and other splendid systems have transformed the ways in which all liquids can be both kept inside and kept fresh. All, that is, except wine.

There is something very satisfactory about the gentle pop made by the removal of the cork from the bottle of wine. The sound conjures up a promise of delights to come, memories of past delights, and an immediate thirst. These are reactions which are programmed in to the brain from an early age and have nothing to do with the actual sound (compare the noise made by the dentist taking the top off the drill). The psschht of a ring pull being removed from a can of beer has the same effect but compare your reaction to the same noise when the ring-pull is removed from a can of carbonated, sweetened, E-numbered gloop. Removing the cork from wine also has a certain ceremony about it which can add to the anticipation. The drama of dusting off the foil cap, the gentle insertion of the screw, the easing out of the cork until the final pop and then the sniffing: all these are part of the mystery.

True, all true. But corks can actually damage wine. It seems that the corks from Spain and Portugal (most of them) are normally bleached in chlorine before washing and drying. This can, if all the chlorine is not removed, produce an unpleasant chemical which reacts badly with the wine creating vinegar inside the bottle. Corks can also breathe and therefore may be infused with bad smells around them if the wine is not correctly stored. Most corks survive and do their job properly but I have had a ‘corked’

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bottle more than once and so have you. Rather embarrassing if in a restaurant, rather infuriating if at home.

Plastic corks avoid this problem but are no fun. They are more difficult to take out than real corks and are so obviously a substitute for the real thing that they show up the disadvantages of the cork removal process without any of the advantages. The ‘pop’ is a synthetic copy, the extra strength required has one fearing for the integrity of the bottle and there is no sniffing involved.

So why not come to the obvious solution, adopted for all other drinks: the screw top. The traditional producers, especially in Bordeaux, have always eschewed such a step into modernity. They claim that the wine is a natural product and interacts with the natural cork to produce better ageing and so on and on. This might be an acceptable argument if the producers had not so enthusiastically adopted other modern methods of production. How many grapes are now picked by hand and crushed by foot? Aren’t sulphates marvellous for ensuring clarity? Is not a stainless steel vat rather more efficient than wooden barrels or iron cases? These matters are not seen by the final consumer but

While it is true Swiss wine generally tastes pretty mediocre except when on the top of a mountain overlooking a lake, this is not because of the screw top

the cork is, and it helps foster the impression of a natural product using natural materials.

The same, incidentally, is true of Perrier water. The label claims that it is bottled, sparkling natural water, direct from the source — in other words we are led to believe that there is no human intervention involved in providing the sparkle. Not so — the rock and stream just above the source is subject to massive injections of CO2, thus carbonating the water before it is bottled, but not exactly ‘naturally’. ‘Sparkling natural water’ like ‘Scottish smoked salmon’ does not mean the same as ‘natural sparkling water’ or ‘smoked Scottish salmon’.

The Swiss have been using screw tops on their wines for many years. While it is true Swiss wine generally tastes pretty mediocre except when on the top of a mountain overlooking a lake, this is not because of the screw top. New World wines (especially South America and Australia) are becoming more and more screwy with no adverse effects. And, as I discovered at a recent wine-tasting with Anglo Hispano’s Wine Club, Chablis has joined in (Laroche, 2006, £16). Lovely stuff and proof, if it were needed, that a cork is an unnecessary adjunct. Further, it is much easier to stop up again (for not more than one, or possibly two, days).

Morrison’s are pushing Australian Rosemounts (Merlots and Cabernets in particular) at about £6. Delicious, with rather a pretty bottle tapering to a square at the base which adds just as much enjoyment as a cork might. Anglo Hispano have an Argentinian Merlot at £8. We have yet to see a Chateau de Haut en Bas with a screw top but it cannot be long in coming. So if you had any bias against screw tops, forget it. The only disadvantage of a lack of corks in future will be the lack of an easy present, in the shape of a corkscrew, to give to a wine lover (and he or she will not miss it much). n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

restaurant &bar guide turn to pages 88-90 for full restaurant and bar listings

Tel: 20077446

Traditional English Pub with the best of English beers

Ground Floor Bar open from 10.30 daily Pool Table • TV • Machines First Floor ’Hoots’ open from 1pm 2 Pool Tables • Darts • Machines 2nd Floor ‘The Nest’ open from 5pm American Pool • Card Table

Get Stuffed!

Marina Bay Tel: 200 42006 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 10 South Barrack Ramp.

Tel: 200 78004 • Hot & cold bar snacks • Function room

BUDDIES pasta casa

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

SMITH’S

open: from 8.30am

Liverpool Bar

FRESHLY BAKED

bread, brioche, rolls, bagels, croissants, cakes

AMAR’S BAKERY & COFFEE SHOP

open 7 days a week 10-late

UK BEERS FUll English Breakfast + much more

1a Convent Place (opp. the Convent) Tel: 200 73516 Wide variety of ready-made food now available for take-away or sitdown All food is Kosher

Avenida España No 4 (400m from the Frontier) Tel: 00 34 956767770

HOME DELIVERY

FISH & CHIPS

Open

HADDOCK PLAICE • COD FRESH FRIED IN CRISPY BATTER

days a week

295 MAIN ST Tel: 200 74254

7

Glacis Estate

Tel: 200 71992

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 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE •• JUNE JUNE 2009 2009

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restaurants The Boatyard Queensway Quay. Tel: 200 50540 Stylish relaxed dining right on the quayside at Queensway Quay. Enjoy a cocktail or a pre-dinner drink in the lounge out onthe quayside. The menu includes dishes such as Cumin Crusted Rack of New Zealand Lamb; Grilled Prime 300g Argentinean Rump Steak; Crispy Skinned Confit French Duck Leg; Fresh Local Seafood Spaghetti; and Wild Mushroom, Gorgonzola & Baby Spinach Risotto.

Open: Tues-Fri lunch & dinner, Sat lunch snacks only, closed Sundays. 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.

Open: from 10am. Closed all day Sundays, and Saturday lunch.

Casa Pepe 18 Queensway Quay Marina. Tel/Fax: 200 46967 Email: casa.pepe.gib@gmail.com Situated right on the water front at Queensway Quay, Casa Pepe has a comprehensive a la carte menu which includes dishes such as melon & Serrano ham, stuffed piquillo peppers and filled mushrooms to start, followed by a choice of salads, rice and noodles and fish, poultry and meat dishes which include King Prawns Macarena (cooked with fresh ginger, tomatoes, mangos and bananas served with basmati rice, fried bread and bananas), Medallions of monkfish cooked with white wine and lobster sauce, duck breast Armanac-style (with Cognac, mushrooms and pine nuts), Medallions of pork loin cooked with Serrano ham and dry Jerez sherry, and fillet steak Malagueña cooked in creamy garlic mushrooms and sweet sherry sauce topped with prawns. Wide range of tapas/raciones also available.

Open: Monday to Saturday 11am till late.

El Cottage 1Y & Z, Casemates Square. Tel: 200 41611 You’ll find this cosy tapas bar tucked in the shade between the two pedestrian tunnels leading onto Casemates square. Large, shady terraced seating and a menu made up from local and Spanish tapas. No need to order as service is “pincho” style with different varieties of tapas brought round the tables. Just choose what takes

your fancy as they come round and what you eat will be added to your tab. Private functions catered for.

Open: 9.30 - 5pm, Friday ‘till 1.30am.

Closed Sundays Restaurante El Patio 11 Casemates Square Tel: 200 70822 Tucked in the corner of Casemates Square this classic fish restaurant specialises in fresh fish and Basque and Continental cuisines. Relaxed dining at the front next to the square, formal dining room to the rear - try the fresh caught specials, paellas and rice dishes, sea bass A la Vasca or a la Bilbaina, swordfish pil-pil or turbot thermidor.

Open: 1pm - 4pm, 8.30pm - 11pm Closed all day Sunday (plus Saturdays during August).

14 on the Quay Unit 14, Queensway Quay Tel: 200 43731 The latest addition to the beautiful Queensway Quay marina, 14 on the Quay is open for lunch, afternoon tea, cocktails and dinner. The fine dining includes lobsters fresh from the tank, and the setting with its spectacular sunsets is perfect.

Open: 12.30 - 11pm (last orders 10.45pm) Nunos Italian Restaurant and Terrace Caleta Hotel, Catalan Bay For a reservations Tel: 200 76501 E-mail reservations@caletahotel.gi Nunos Italian restaurant and terrace at the Caleta Hotel, overlooks the Mediterranean and is extremely popular with both hotel guests and the local market. Their new Spanish chef with three star Michellin experience will always be offering something interesting and different on the menu. Recognised for its eclectic interior, atmosphere and cuisine. Bread, pasta and desserts from the a la carte menu are all home-made and contribute to create a genuine and exciting dining experience.

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 combos, steaks and chicken. Salads and sides to order. Decorated is warm Mexican colours with comfortable seating in the nosmoking, air-conditioned interior or outside on the patio, great for a fun night out. Available for private bookings and children’s parties.

Open: lunch and dinner 12 noon to late

Thyme Restaurant 5 Cornwall’s Lane. Tel: 200 49199 Email: thymegib@hotmail.com Long established modern restaurant and wine bar.

Serves refreshing cocktails and a wide range of New World and European wines in a cool and lively atmosphere. Now serving informal lunches from a selection of their popular dishes, with choices of light salads, Italian pasta dishes or full three course meals. During the summer months contact Steve to design your own barbecue party menu. Formal dining on the first floor serving bistro cuisine with a menu serving dishes from across the world. Try one of these dishes from the wide selection: starters include Buffalo Mozzarella, Plum Tomato, Grilled Chilli & Landcress Salad, Basil Oil & Balsamic; Crab & Coriander Spring Roll, String Hopper Noodle Salad, Cucumber & Chilli Salsa; Steamed Mussels flavoured with ginger, Lemon Grass, Chilli & Coconut Milk; try main courses such as Grilled Salmon Darne, Crisp Pancetta, Thai Spiced Lentils, Cool Mint Yoghurt Dressing; Confit of Lamb Shoulder Shank, Warm Couscous Salad, Chickpea & Coriander Salsa, Onion & Sultana Chutney; or Open Ravioli of Slow Roast Squash, Basil & Ricotta, Roast Garlic Cream Sauce. Everything made on the premises using only the best, fresh ingredients. Two separate dining rooms - smoking and non smoking. Menu changed seasonally, daily specials.

Open 7 days a week. Closed Saturday lunchtimes.

The Waterfront Queensway Quay Marina Tel: 200 45666 The Waterfront is a very popular restaurant located right on the quayside at Queensway Quay Marina.

There are different areas for drinks, the main restaurant (with mezanine level seating), a large covered terrace with chandeliers and a quayside open terrace. The food is served in hearty portions and includes starters of grilled goat’s cheese, crab with lemon mayonnaise, moules mariniere, and prawn and lobster salad. There is a barbecue in the summer month and grills which include 8oz fillet steaks. Favourites are pan fried chicken with wild mushrooms and Madeira sauce, beef and ale pie with a puff pastry lid, and whole lamb shoulder.

Fish dishes from grilled swordfish to salmon and crayfish ravioli, and vegetarian dishes such as mushroom stroganoff, and vegetable wellington sit alongside the menu from the Orient which includes Madras chicken or vegetables, chicken tikka masala, and crispy duck with pancakes and cucumber.

Open: 7 days a week from 9am to late.

informaleating Al Baraka Take-away Queensway Quay. Tel: 200 46993 Take-away and restaurant. Tasty Middle Eastern food including falafels and kebabs plus Indian specialities.

Large covered terrace to the side of Queensway Quay with marina views.

Open: 7 days a week from 10am to 12 midnight.

Amar’s Bakery & Coffee Shop 1a Convent Place (opp. The Convent). Tel: 200 73516 Amar’s Coffee Shop and Bakery is just opposite the Convent, where it serves up a wide range of light lunch options. There’s jacket potatoes, fish & chips, pasta dishes with different sauces, burekas, pizzas, quiche, sandwiches, bagels, various salads and tortilla. All the food is made on the premises and the menu is fully Kosher. Bakery serves breads and bagels etc.

Open: Monday to Friday from 8.30am.

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

l = full menus online at www.thegibraltarmagazine.com Just A Nibble Licensed Cafeteria Let the ‘A’ Team serve you up a snack or a meal.

Daily Specials • Varied Menu

57 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: 200 70652

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

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

7am right through the day. Try the Moroccan soups, couscous, lamb tagines and kebabs.

Open: 7.00am to midnight.

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: Monday - Friday 8.30-7, Sat 9 - 4, Closed Sun.

Buddies Pasta Casa 15 Cannon Lane. Tel: 200 40627 Tasty Italian specials in pleasant ambience. Large selection of starters from garlic bread to calamari.

Main courses include spinnach 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 11am3pm and 7pm-11pm, Saturday 11am-4.30pm

Pasty Bar 16 City Mill Lane Tel: 54013320 An interesting mix between a take-away or sit-down cafe and bar in the evenings, The Pasty Bar offers a wide range of foods from English breakfast, pies and pasties, fish and chips and much more. In the evenings you can enjoy live football in their bar area too.

Open: Mon-Thurs 10am-11pm, Friday 10am-midnight, Saturday 12pm-midnight, Sundays 12pm-11pm

Garcia’s Take-Away Glacis Estate. Tel: 200 71992 Open 7 days a week this good take-away also does home deliveries of tasty fish and chips, hamburgers, kebabs, donner kebabs and much much more. Make sure you have their number handy for a night in without the hassle of cooking!

Get Joost 248 Main Street & Casemates. Tel/Fax: 200 76699 Smoothies are vitamin packed super-food and increasingly popular for the health concious. Get Joost makes delicious fresh fruit juices and smoothies made from natural ingredients which are a meal in a cup. The top five smoothies they sell are wild strawberry; breakie on the run; energy blast; raspberry ice; and tropical surrender. Tel/Fax: 200 76699 for delivery.

Open: 8-7 Monday -Friday, 10-7 Saturday, 10-6 Sunday.

Get Stuffed Marina Bay. Tel: 200 42006 Take-away, sandwich bar and hot food. Serving all homemade sandwiches, salads, quiches, pasta, pies, muffins, plus hot and cold drinks and smoothies and a different special every day. Outside catering for corporate parties.

Open: 8am - 6pm Mon-Fri, 8am-4pm Sat. Just A Nibble 1st Flr International Commercial Ctr. Tel: 200 78052 Full licensed cafe serving English breakfast, vast range of toasties, rolls, and other 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.

fish curry, chicken jalfrezi, lamb rogan josh, naan bread, rices, vegetable dishes and everything in between!

Many new dishes added to the menu, plus specialities every Sunday.

Maillo Take Away Unit F5A 1st Floor ICC Tel: 54002598 Homemade Spanish food is available at this cafe and take away in the International Commercial Centre near Casemates. Everything from sandwiches and panini, to soups, fish, salads, and mixed platters with pork and chicken options. Maillo will also cook for summer picnics, and they make some great desserts.

Open: Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm Marrakech Restaurant Governor's Parade. Tel: 200 75196, 56000281 Moroccan restaurant with large terrace close to the Elliot Hotel. Try the delicious specials such as Moroccan Harira soup, festival of Moroccan salads, large range of tagines and couscous. Ask the waiter for their daily selection of delicious desserts.

Open: 11-3pm, 7pm-late Mumbai Curry House Unit 1.0.02 Ground Floor, Block 1 Eurotowers Tel: 200 73711 Home delivery: 50022/33 Good Indian cuisine for eating in or taking away, from snacks such as samosas, bhajias, and pakoras to lamb, chicken and fish dishes with sauces such as korma, tikka masala, bhuna, do piaza... in fact all you would expect from an Indian cuisine take-away.

Large vegetarian selection. Halal food is available, as is outside catering for parties and meetings. Sunday specials include all Mumbai favourites such as Dosa and Choley Bhature.

Open: 7 days a week 11am to 3pm, 6pm until late.

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 takeaway. 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 Mumtaz Indian Cuisine Take-away 20 Cornwall’s Lane Tel: 200 4457 sensible prices.

Good Indian take-away service serving all the Open: 8am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday. favourites from masala naan and spinach bhajia to lamb biryani, chicken tikka masala, king prawn korma and Khan’s Indian Cuisine tandoori chicken kebab roll. Sauces and vegetarian Unit 7-8, Watergardens. Tel: 200 50015 Eat-in or take-away at this traditional Indian eatery. dishes plus speciality dishes each Sunday (all dishes Everything from onion bhajia and green pepperpakora reasonably priced). to chicken tikka, tandoori king prawns, Khan’s special Open: 7 days a week 11-3, 6-late.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

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.

Roy's Cod Plaice Casemate's Square. Tel: 200 76662 Established for over 20 years, this is a traditional British fish and chip shop. Friendly and informal eat-in (inside or on the large terrace). Take-away service plus delivery available through Sr. Delivery on (0034) 956 09 59 44.

Open: 7 days a week until 10pm, Sundays until 4pm.

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 Saturdays 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 Floor, 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.

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hosts regular events with invited DJs and shows from abroad.

Open: Sunday-Thurs midday-midnight, Friday and Saturday midday-5am.

Square Cafe Grand Casemates Square, Tel: 200 41100 The Square Cafe has a large covered terrace in the corner of Casemates Square where the speciality is churros, papitas and coffee from 8.30 am onwards, and a full selection of snacks and meals throughout the day. WIFI available.

Open: 8.30am-5pm

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).

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.

bars&pubs All Sports Bar 4 Cornwall’s Lane Tel: 200 59997 This pub is geared up to televised sporting events when top sports are on TV, and when they are not there is always someone around to talk sports with.

It’s not just for football fans either, and not just for one team — hung around the bar are flags from all the major teams and supporters of the smaller sides are also made very welcome. Gaming machines. Terrace seating available.

Open: 11am-midnight Sun-Thurs, 11am -1am Fri/Sat. 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.

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.

The Horseshoe 193 Main Street. Tel: 200 77444 Right in the centre of town, the Horseshoe is a popular, busy bar. Good menu from full English breakfast, to burgers/mixed grills. Curry and chilli specials on Sunday.

Open: 9am to late, Sunday 10am - late.

Facilities: Main Street terrace.

London Bar 76/78 Governor's Street Tel: 200 77172 Located between the Garrison Library and the Elliot Hotel, the London Bar offers British beers, dart board, pool table and Sky TV in a pub atmosphere. Pub grub such as breakfasts, pies and fishi and chips.

Open: Mon-Fri 8am-midnight, Sat 9am-midnight, Sun 10am- midnight.

Lord Nelson Bar Brasserie 10 Casemates Sq. Tel: 200 50009 www.lordnelson.gi E-mail: reservations@lordnelson.gi Attractive bar/brasserie in historic Casemates building.

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Done out to represent Nelson’s ship with cloud and sky ceiling crossed with beams and sails. Spacious terrace Menu: Starter & snacks include fresh local mussels, blue cheese and rocket 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 of the Year, with live music on stage every night. Free Wifi.

Open: from 10am till very late.

O’Reilly’s Leisure Island, Ocean Village. Tel: 200 67888 Traditional Irish bar with full HD sports coverage and Irish breakfast from 7am (Sunday from 9am).

Guinness on draught. Food includes salads, jackets, beef and Guinness ale pie, Molly’s mussels, drunken swine, Boxty dishes (potato pancake wrapped around delicioius fillings), sandwiches, rolls, Kildare chicken and much much more. And just like in Ireland there’s no smoking inside, so a great atmosphere for all.

Pickwicks Governor’s Parade. Tel: 200 76488

Run by well-known friendly face, Mandy, this small pub with a large terrace is situated in Governor’s Parade away from the traffic and safe for all the family. Good food available including the best freshly made sandwiches and jacket potatoes, salads and burgers.

Open: Mon - Fri from 9.30am Location: turn off Main St at Marks & Spencer, go up steps to Governor’s Parade (opposite the Elliot Hotel).

The Pig and Whistle Unit 18, Watergardens. Tel: 200 76167 A comfortable pleasant little pub with pool table and terrace on the quayside. Big screen television for all sporting events.

Open: 10-midnight (Fri-Sat 11-1am) Royal Calpe 176 Main Street, Gibraltar Tel: 200 75890 Email: royalcalpe@gibtelecom.net Named after Gibraltar’s Royal Calpe Hunt, the pub is situated opposite the Cathedral on Main Street. It boasts Gibraltar’s only beer garden and conservatory for a relaxing atmosphere al fresco to get away from it all or for that private function and barbecues in the summer. Good food from traditional pub fare to salads is available throughout the day. Wide selection of draught beer and cider.

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

Trafalgar Sports Bar 1A Rosia Road Tel: 200 45370 Situated just past the south end of Main Street through Southport Gates, the Trafalgar Sports Bar offers a traditional British pub environment enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Serving a hot buffet Monday to Saturday and a roast carvery on Sundays they also serve many other dishes such as spare ribs, currys or lasagna. The establishment also has three large 62” screens where they cover all major sporting events.

Open: 9am-1am Monday to Saturday, Sunday 9ammidnight The Three Owls Irish Town The Three Owls is a traditional bar serving best of English beers. Three separate bars/floors: ground floor — big screen TV, pool table, poker machines, games machines, bar — open from 10.30am daily. First floor ‘Hoots’ — 2 match pool tables, poker machines, darts board, games machine, bar — open from 1pm daily.

Second Floor ‘Nest’ — American pool table, poker machine, games machine, card table, bar — open from 5pm daily.

The Three Roses Governor’s Street. Tel: 200 51614

Now under the management of Peter and Ian, previously of the Coach & Horses, this bar is fully air-conditioned with 3 plasma TVs and pool table. Happy hours MonFri 5-6pm. Home of the Esteporkers Golf Society.

Open: 7 days. Mon-Sat from 11am, Sun from midday.

Wembley Bar 10 South Barrack Ramp. Tel: 200 78004 Popular bar for hot and cold bar snacks, function room, in south district. Fridays 10am for breakfast.

Air conditioned. The home of the Real Madrid Supporter’s Club.

Open: 11am - midnight Sunday - Thursday, 10am - 1am Friday, 11am - 1am Saturdays.

acrosstheborder The Dog & Duck Next to Plaza de Constitucion, La Linea Tel: 00 34 956173453 Little pub on the square serving British beers at great prices. Pleasant sun terrace and all live sporting events shown.

Open: 3pm-late Mon - Fri, 1pm - late Sat & Sun. Located: 400m straight across from frontier (next to Taste Indian Restaurant).

Liverpool Bar 4 Avenida España. Tel: 00 34 956767770 UK beers served in this little pub along with full English breakfast and Sunday lunch for €5.50, plus much more in a friendly atmosphere.

Open: 7 days a week 10am - late Located: 400m straight across from frontier.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

culinary talent The Caleta Hotel has always had an excellent menu at its Italian restaurant, Nunos. And since Javier joined the team as Executive Chef, you’ll find some spectacular additions and subtle twists to the menu.

To be honest, I’ve been wanting to find out a little more about Javier for a long time. Having sampled his impeccable and delicious culinary masterpieces on many occasions across the border, it’s a delight to know you can now sample his creations a little closer to home.

Originally from La Linea, Javier has spent 30 years in Barcelona where he studied at the Escuela de Hosteleria in the capital. His curriculum includes working with top Spanish chefs such as Santi Santamaria at his three star Michellin restaurant and to the same standard abroad in Monte Carlo.

His latest job description includes running the kitchens at the Caleta Hotel which has a team of 10 other chefs, ordering stock and some of the more mundane but essential chores to keep a busy kitchen running efficiently. However, the part Javier enjoys best is the creative side to cooking.

“I do see it as an artform, and I would say I’m a minimalist with my dishes,” he explained in Spanish, and although up to now he has had no problem with the language barrier, he speaks Catalan and French and is planning on learning English now he’s on the Rock.

“I enjoy being able to talk to customers, their feedback is the most gratifying part of my work,” he added.

You won’t find major changes to the menu though, as Javier is introducing new items slowly over time.

“I don’t believe that big changes are a good idea.

A restaurant needs to evolve over time and so for now we’ve added just a couple of new dishes and we’re creating an interesting fusion between Italian and Spanish cuisine,” Javier explained.

One of the most popular additions to the menu is undoubtedly his Salmorejo but you shouldn’t shun the Insalata di Calamari either — a starter of baby squid burgers served with an endive and oak leaf salad.

Pasta has always been on the menu, and always will be. In true Italian style, you can choose the pasta for your dish from a fresh selection presented at your table. If you would like to try various types, the kitchen is more than willing to prepare a couple of smaller dishes to sample as part of your meal.

Javier bases his cooking not just on the freshness of the product, but on the quality too, and as such, the menu will vary slightly depending on the season. Meat is a major part of the menu, but Javier feels local produce should play an important role in any kitchen, so make a note, fresh fish from just across the border will be available every day, simply grilled for its perfect and natural flavour.

In fact, everything is natural in Javier’s kitchen, and it’s not surprising if you remember I mentioned he worked with Santi Santamaria in Barcelona. If the name rings a bell, you may vaguely recall he kicked up a fuss at last year’s international culinary championships criticising some of the chefs for their use of chemicals in creating their recipes.

With home made tiramisu, nougat ice-cream and other delicious desserts to choose from too, you can rest assured that the culinary experience from Nuno’s will far exceed your expectations. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

V at nunos javier

illero

91

A ro u n d To w n .. .

a light-he arte d look at Gibralta r soc iety

Well finally it’s June and the summer is underway.

Everyone loves a good barbecue in the summer, but if you really can’t be bothered to do it for yourself, why not pop down to the Royal Calpe on Main Street where Molly and Mel have got the barbecue going in full swing in their beer garden throughout the day and evening. Friday evening might be a good time to pop in as they’ve usually got a live band playing from 6.30 onwards. Go on, let your hair down and get stuck in to some finger food.

The team at El Cottage

Late Night Foodie Jim the gardener got himself into a bit of a pickle last month when he decided to go on the quest for the perfect chip — at 3 in the morning. His late night brainwave was to parboil the potatoes, mash them and freeze them flattened out and scored. When he snapped the frozen mash into chips the next day and fried them all he got was a mushy mess. But Jim was a man on a mission and had another ‘brainwave’ — to cover them in breadcrumbs. He reckons the chips were absolutely perfect, but we thought we’d point out that most people would call his result “croquettes”!

Marathon Endeavours Congratulations to Nick Cully of Gibraltar Asset Management who completed his marathon trek across India in a motorised rickshaw, eventually making it to Goa on schedule and with loads of lolly raised for charity.

While Andrew Tucker didn’t make the London Marathon this year due to sporting injuries, Andy Hunter of O’Reilly’s did manage to get there 24 years after his first success at the age of 23. He struggled through, but made it, raising money for Children with Leukaemia. Well done Andy.

Another person to take on a charity challenge is Penny Pilley who will be jumping out of a plane to raise money for AKIN. Go Penny!

Not So Innocent Jane (surname blacked out to protect the not-so-innocent) undertook a marathon of a very different kind when she was spotted stalking Rhydian in Manchester recently. Her endeavours paid off and she got a kiss as well as his autograph — we imagine he was just trying to get rid of her...

Tyrene White and Antonio Marzo Morales tied the knot on 6th May

Smiles from Davina

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Mystery Men Which Craig with the NY accent was it who spent several frustrating hours trying to get his iPod to ‘sync’ with his computer with no results, until his wife suggested he actually connect the two together? Things went so much smoother after that...

Hector and staff at Group 5 — celebrating 25 years!

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2007 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

Charle

Charles and Molly at the Royal Calpe

Brian and Angela — what a pair of smoothies Little Hannah

And who was it who went to New York for the weekend but forgot to update his passport so ended up stuck at Heathrow, leaving just in time to fly back!? Irish eyes were not smiling that day, we’re sure!

Hair Raiser Steve of Thyme Cafe (yes a change of name and a change of lunchtime concept... pop in to find out more) has dyed his hair yet again. We are not sure if this forms a part of his new healthy regime, but we do know he’s gone down a notch or two in belt size.

Happy Returns Many happy returns to Paddy of Just Recruitment (21 again, he says), and to Martin of Scan Global who reaches the big 5-Ohhhhh this month.

And a belated happy birthday to The Gibraltar Magazine’s biggest fan, Claudio of Italy — yes, it gets far and wide!

Welcome to the world to little William Michael Saunders born just as we went to press to proud parents Michael and Vicky of entertainingplay.com.

Love is in the Air Congratulations to Louiseanne Martinez and Nicholas Payas who will be married on 6th June — a long and happy marriage is wished for them.

Love really must be well and truly in the air at the moment as it is also congratulations to Arcon Patron and Wendy who have had us all wondering for a long time but have finally decided to tie the knot.

They’ll be returning to Gib for a local wedding next May — any excuse for a good night out!

Bex birthday treat with Mum and Dad Happy 15th Wedding Anniversary Mr & Mrs Tamplin!

Loads of Entertainment Well there is certainly plenty to do this month in Gibraltar with everything from Opera to Rock Concerts, events, competions, musicals and shows... and with the good weather finally here there’s the beach too! See you in the sunshine!

Pauline celebrates her birthday with some chums

Steve and Stacey of Thyme Cafe GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2007 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009

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clubs&activities

Don’t be bored... do something fun!

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 7pm-9pm). 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 .

take 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

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.

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.

Dance Modern & Latin American Sequence Dancing Mondays Catholic Community Centre 8.30pm (beginners 7.30). Over 15s welcome. www.gibnynex.gi/inst/cccseqdance/ 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 The Gibraltar Pointes Dance School - R.A.D ballet, I.S.T.D modern and tap, jazz and contempory dance. Unit 19F Europa Business Centre. Contact Cheryll or Sabina at Studio: 200 45145, Home: 200 51187/ 200 46400.

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 Music Centre Trust Complete spectrum of instrument learning strings drums etc. Theory lessons- Five days a week 4pm-9pm. Tel: 200 75558 for details.

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 Calpe Ramblers This group walks on last Sunday each month, except July and August.

Meeting place is the Spanish side of the frontier 8am just to the right of and opposite the Aduana vehicle exit. For any information contact co-ordinators Ray Murphy 200 71956 or John Murphy 200 74645.

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 under-

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 Tunnel in Casemates has a pub quiz and entertainment on Sunday nights.

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.

The Gibraltar Photographic Society meets on Mon at around 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.

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 are welcome. Tel: Bill 54010681 or Dion 56619000. Websites: ClubWebsite.co.uk/ArsenalGibraltarSC or GibGooners.com 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 OctoberMay. 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.

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 s n o r ke l l i n g, over 16s for spear fishing.

Tel: Joseph 200 75020.

Squash: Gibraltar Squash Association, Squash Centre, S o u t h Pa v i l i o n

94 what a page turner! www.thegibraltarmagazine.com

Road (members WSF & 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.

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. PO Box 1287. 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 • JUNE 2009

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 7pm - 11pm.

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 • JUNE 2009

events

Friends at the Strand In mid-May the Chief Minister visited London to meet members of the Friends of Gibraltar and address their inaugural meeting at Gibraltar House, the new Government building on the Strand.

The Chief Minister spoke immediately after a meeting of the society, which was chaired by Sir Francis Richards, the former Governor of Gibraltar. The AGM considered and approved a motion to widen its scope and shorten the name to Friends of Gibraltar.

The society was originally founded in 1986 as the Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society, working in support of the Gibraltar Heritage Trust.

Now the Friends of Gibraltar are reaching out to the many people in the UK whose interests in Gibraltar lie in its present and future. The Friends have a new newsletter, Rock Talk, and are running a new series of meetings with speakers from Gibraltar on a wide range of subjects. The Chief Minister, during his talk, welcomed the change and congratulated the society on the expansion of its interests and activities.

Sir Francis Richards, as chairman of the society, welcomed all present and introduced the Chief Minister. Sir Francis thanked the hard working committee, who are devoting many hours of their time in assuring the success and aspiration of the society. He particularly thanked Albert Poggio and the hard working staff at the government office for the generous work undertaken and for the use of Gibraltar House, which he is sure will give the Friends a fine central London venue for their meetings. “This meeting is the first of a series in which Gibraltar VIPs will be invited to address the Friends on a number of niche areas of Gibraltar.” n

Religious Services Bahia Tel: 200 43637 for meetings.

Bethel Christian Fellowship Tel: 200 52002. 47 Queensway. Sunday service at 11am.

Church of England Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. Tel: 200 78377. Sung Eucharist, Sunday 10.30am. Sunday School.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Suite 21a Don House, 30-38 Main Street. Tel: 200 50433. Sundays 10am.

Church of Scotland St Andrew’s, Governor’s Pde. Tel: 200 77040. Worship & Sunday School 10.30am. Bible Study

Left to Right: Hilary Wines, John Reyes and Sara McFadyen

Chief Minister deep in conversation with Sir Francis Richards

Tues 7.30pm.

Evangelical Bretheren Assembly, Queensway Quay. Sun 11am, Tues Bible Study 6pm, Thurs Prayer Meeting 6pm.

Hindu Engineer’s Lane Tel: 200 42515.

Jehovah’s Witness 6 Europort Avenue Tel: 200 50186.

Jewish 10 Bomb House Lane Tel: 200 72606.

Methodist 297 Main Street Gibraltar Tel/Fax 200 40870 email minister@methodist.org. gi Minister: Revd Fidel Patron. Sunday 11am Morning Worship, 8pm Evening Service. Prayer meetings Monday and Wednesday to Friday 7pm and Tuesdays

8pm. Communion celebrated on 2nd and 4th Sunday mornings of the month, and other special occasions. Alpha Course: held Thursdays 8pm. House Groups meet for Christian fellowship, prayer and study on a regular basis Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

Sunday School meets Sunday mornings alongside morning worship.

Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned, 215 Main St Tel: 200 76688.

The Cityline Church 13 Castle St Tel: 200 75755 email: citylinegib@yahoo. com. Meet: Tues 8pm, Sundays 11am.

what a page turner! www.thegibraltarmagazine.com 95

whatever your style...

property directory

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propertysales

homeinsurance

Estate Agents • Lettings • Property Consultants Valuations • Surveys • Property Management

Eurolinx 21&22 Victoria House, 26 Main St Tel: 200 40240

Abecasis Gonzalez Home & Office Furniture 33 New Harbours Tel: 200 78535 Fax: 200 40484 Email: abegon@gibtelecom.net www.abegon.net

Pure Lighting & Electrical Trafalgar Insurance • Lettings • Property Consultants 1/9 Montagu Place The Tower, Marina Bay Estate Agents Ocean Heights Valuations • Surveys • Property Management Tel: 200 44628

Estate Agents • Lettings • Property Co Valuations • Surveys • Property Mana

96 GIBRALTAR Magazine

1 The Boardwalk, Tradewinds Tel: 200 47777

propertyservices

Unit F2A ICC, Gibraltar Tel: 200 49494 email: info@propertyworld.gi

www.propertyworld.gi

S.LEVY

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For Property Advice, Contact Us 3 Convent Place Tel: 200 77789 or 200 42818 Fax: 200 42527 Email: slevy@gibraltar.gi

COLD-AIRE ENGINEERING

constructionservices

propertyrentals

Sheet Metal Works Ventilation Ductwork Stainless Steel Cabinets, Canopies Shelves etc

Bray Properties 1 The Boardwalk Tradewinds Tel: 200 47777 www.brayproperties.com

Tel: 200 79732 Fax: 40415 COLD-AIRE ENGINEERING Unit No. 28 The New Harbours

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What a page turner! www.thegibraltarmagazine.com

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 • June JUNE2004 2009

property directory commercialinteriors Bridge Solutions PO Box 598 Tel: 57185000 Fax: 200 77041

Portman Ltd General Suppliers

Hire & Sale of Portable Cabin Units (Office, Toilet Units etc)

Space Interiors 6 Ellesmere House 29 City Mill Lane Tel: 200 73992 www.spaceinteriors.gi

homes&interiors

Unit F17 Europa Business Centre PO Box 476, Gibraltar Tel: 200 73119 Fax: 200 45008 E-mail: portman@gibtelecom.net

Anything Goes furniture 1/5 Hospital Steps Tel: 200 45192 Email: info@any-thinggoes.com

marineservices

D&H Ceramics 60 Devil’s Tower Road Tel: 200 70100 Email: jratcliffe@gibtelecom.net Farrington Contemporary Art Gallery 26 & 28 Ocean Village Promenade Ocean Village Tel: 200 76007 Gibraltar Art Gallery 14 Cannon Lane Tel: 200 73898 Email: artgallery@gibtelecom.net Irish Town Antiques Irish Town Tel: 200 70411

18 Town Range Tel: 200 73036 Office & Workshop G17 Europa Business Ctr. Tel/Fax: 20042603

Repairs & Chandlery Sheppard’s Chandlery, M. Sheppard & Co. Ltd Waterport, Gibraltar. Tel: 200 77183 • 200 42535

TARIK

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

y

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

ACHT SCENE SAILORS’ GUIDE

Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Services Domestic + Industrial • Electrical • Mechanical • Plumbing • Air-Conditioning 94 Harbour’s Walk, New Harbours Tel: 200 48774 Fax: 200 45249

HAYMILLS

Haymills (Gibraltar) Ltd Now at 94 Harbours Walk New Harbours Tel: 200 40690 Fax: 200 74797 Email: tony.harris@haymills.com Website: www.haymills.com

• 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

on sale at £5.00 at chandleries & bookshops 39-41 City Mill Lane, Gibraltar Tel: 200 78105 Fax: 200 42510

2009 EDITION NOW OUT

Furnishing Fabrics, Wallpapers, Furniture, Wood Floorings, Carpets & Rugs 4 King’s Yard Lane Tel: 200 74445 Fax: 200 76353

transportservices

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

THE GIBRALTAR MARITIME SERVICES HANDBOOK 2009 edition

Now on sale at Gibraltar Bookshops

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STARTER MOTORS & ALTERNATORS

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June 2004 MAGAZINE • JUNE 2009 GIBRALTAR

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dmission 9.30am to 7pm by tickets (includes entrance to sites within the Park - 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 £7/ Children 5-12 years: £4, Children age 4 and under free, vehicles £1.50. Private vehicles may be restricted at certain times and it’s advisable to take a Rock Tour 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).

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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. 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.

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.

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

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. Special exhibitions also held at museum premises in 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

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

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

Tourist Board.....................Tel: 200 74950 Gibraltar Tourist Board, Duke of Kent House, Cathedral Square, Gibraltar.

UK Tel: 0207 836 0777 giblondon@aol.com John Mackintosh Hall.......Tel: 200 75669 Centre of Gib’s cultural life, includes a cafeteria, theatre, exhibition rooms and library.

308 Main Street 9.30am - 11pm Monday to Friday. Closed weekends.

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.

Public Holidays 2009

New Year’s Day 1 January Commonwealth Day 9 March Good Friday 10 April Easter Monday 13 April May Day 4 May Spring Bank Holiday 25 May Queen’s Birthday 15 June Late Summer Bank Holiday 31 August Gibraltar National Day 10 September Christmas Day 25 December Boxing Day 26 December 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 • JUNE 2009 July 2004

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