The Gibraltar Magazine March 2010

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

g

ibraltar magazine the

March 2010

Vol.15 No. 05 FREE

Trapped on the Rock

a question of identity Back to the Future Going Dutch Odette: Life’s Too Short

Where is Gibraltar? and much more

Home from home!

The only airline that flies from Gibraltar to Gatwick.

Price correct as at 11 January 2010. For travel from 22 January to 23 March 2010.

Variable charges for hold baggage apply and some payment methods attract a handling fee. See website for details.

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However, if the matter requires international taxation knowledge, we have all the resources through our global network to mitigate our clients’ liabilities. Many of our assignments are cross-border and we have considerable knowledge of other key jurisdictions.

Additionally, if there are taxation issues arising from pensions, property or investment structures, we listen to our clients’ needs and offer constructive solutions.

HASSANS – International Lawyers www.gibraltarlaw.com

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

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features 16 22 28 30 32 34 52

Peter Montegriffo: back to the future € Going Dutch: cultural relationships shared A Question of Identity € Victor Risso’s Gibraltar Past Where is Gibraltar? a personal view Julio Pons: people before politics From West to West: following God’s call

business & finance 8 9 12 14 18 24

Business & Finance Guide What is GDP? The MBA: toolkit full of ideas Why Should I Pay YOUR Taxes? € End of the Tax Exempt Company: are you ready?

Tim Bristow: a matter of communication

leisure & lifestyle 26 36 40 44 65 69 70

Get Ready for the Boat Show Odette Benatar: life’s too short... € Michelle Francis: the chameleon Ice Hockey’s Rock of Gibraltar Wildlife in the Gardens € Give Her a Hug! Life’s a Cruise...

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

46 48 49 50

46-51

Somewhere Old, Somewhere New € Property Directory Wall Space: here comes Johnny Driving Your Office Up the Wall

health & medical 60 62 63

60-63

Legs Ready for the Beach?

Health & Fitness Guide Strength Training

food & drink

74-85

74 Hole in the Wall 76 A Place of Comfort 78 Recipes 80 Wine Column 81-84 Restaurant & Bar Guide 85 Time to Dine interviews • arts • dining • finance • leisure • property • history • business • health

what’s inside?

property & interiors

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ibraltar magazine the

March 2010

Vol.15 No. 05 FREE

history & heritage 42 54 56

regulars 64 86

Trapped on the Rock

Odette: Life’s Too Short

Where is Gibraltar? and much more

Puzzle Page Around Town

information 66-67 90

City Centre Map Gibraltar Information

The Gibraltar Magazine is published monthly by

Guide Line Promotions Limited

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a question of identity Back to the Future Going Dutch

Water, Water, Everywhere Trapped on the Rock The Gibraltar Connection

Andrea Morton Jonathan Bull

Copyright © 2010 by Guide Line Promotions Limited.

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

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Vol. 15 No. 05 March 2010

Magazine & website archived by the British Library

7

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

finance

GDP – what is it?

by Ian le Breton

and why European budget deficits should concern us...

In the last issue I looked at the euro in an effort to determine whether it has attained the lofty goals set out at the beginning of European Monetary Union. This month I am going to try to make some sense of the economic jargon bandied about, particularly as it relates to Europe and the recession. I am going to concentrate on one of those strange three letter acronyms so beloved by economists — GDP. What is it and why should we care about it? Read on.

GDP is the value of goods and services produced by a country from all sections of the economy. Agriculture, construction and manufacturing are amongst the important sectors included. In the case of the UK, for example, the service sector and government are also vital components of total “output”. Generally the raw number in billions of pounds is not used. Rather, the change in GDP from one quarter to another is expressed in percentages.

The release of the quarterly GDP data is eagerly anticipated by business and has become, perhaps, the most important of all the regular economic statistics. All industrialised countries express their total national output in a similar fashion. This allows international bodies such as the IMF to use the data to compare the performance of different economies relative to each other.

The data released is normally a small number; in the UK since early 2008 the range has been between 0.7% and -2.5%. The figure is the change since the previous quarter — so 0.7% represents

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

an increase and -2.5% a decrease, but always measured against the last quarter’s numbers.

If the measure is positive, the economy can be said to be growing; it follows that the reverse is true if a negative figure is announced.

If a GDP figure for two consecutive quarters

The release of the quarterly GDP data is eagerly anticipated by business and has become, perhaps, the most important of all the regular economic statistics

(i.e. six months) is negative — or contracting to use the correct term — then the economy is deemed to be “in recession”. This has been the case in the UK since the second quarter of 2008 — and, until the small increase of 0.1% was announced in January 2010, the UK was mired in the depths of one of the longest recessionary periods on record. Similar data is released across the European Union and GDP is used extensively when deciding on a range of important factors. These range from the setting of interest rates to the contribution by each member state to the overall EU budget.

In the UK and other non-euro zone countries, each central bank (the Bank of England or equivalent in other states) can set their own interest rates. But how does this work in the euro zone? In my personal view, this is where most of the pressure on the euro as a credible currency comes from.

As I wrote last month, 16 member states form the single currency area. For these participating countries, the European Central Bank (ECB) sets

business & finance a “one size fits all” interest rate. This is despite the fact that the countries are often at different stages in the economic cycle at any one time. The ECB’s task is to keep inflation within a target range but this is difficult to accomplish across 16 economies at the same time.

Ardent supporters of the euro will point out that simply having the discipline in place has made the experience of this particular recession more manageable – and indeed that the euro zone members have pulled out of recession more quickly because of it. The contrary view is that the ability to manage your own interest rate policy is vital when dealing with any economic downturn. It is not for me to enter into the political debate but, as always, there are two distinct viewpoints to consider.

Certainly in the vast majority of countries that manage their own economies, GDP and the changes seen every quarter are vital for finance ministers and central bankers to decide on economic policy. If a country is in recession, then interest rates should be lowered. It is going to be interesting to see how quickly the ECB and indeed other European governments raise interest rates now that GDP is growing again, albeit slightly, in most countries.

And this brings me to the main point. Although we can say that countries such as Britain, France and Germany are now out of recession, what does this really mean? Are the people in each country really feeling that much better about their prospects now that GDP has gone back into positive territory? I would say not.

People are more interested in jobs, health services, mortgages and so on. But GDP is an overall measure so it is important – and we should at least know what it is designed to show us.

I turn now to budget deficits. This may sound terribly dull but of course it affects everyone in

the country concerned. The deficit — or it’s far less common cousin the budget surplus — is simply the difference between what a country earns in tax receipts etc and what it spends on services, education, health care, nuclear missiles (ouch!) and the rest.

In the euro zone one of the “rules” for joining and remaining within the club that uses the single currency is that the budget deficit should amount to no more than 3% of the relevant country’s GDP — see, that little three-letter acronym appears again. So you may be surprised to learn that the deficit forecast for the coming year in Portugal is 8.3%, in Ireland it is 11.7% and in Greece 8.7%. Perhaps of most interest to many of us in Gibraltar, the figure for Spain is 10% — in 2009, Spain’s deficit was a whopping 11.4% of GDP. These four countries are all members of the euro zone so the figures should be no more than 3% in each case. In fact they are sometimes collectively referred to as PIGS — a rather disparaging acronym designed to contrast them with the more dynamic BRIC for Brazil, Russia, India and China where economic growth is rather stronger.

So if a deficit is like an overdraft, what can be done to reduce it? In Spain, the government has recently rushed in a plan to reduce the problem by €50 billion over four years — that is a lot of spending that now won’t happen. Amongst a

raft of other measures, the retirement age is being increased to 67 from 2013. Another problem of course is Spain’s high unemployment rate — close to 20%. Without trying to over-simplify that statistic, it means that for every five adults of working age one sees in the street, on average one will be unemployed. In my view that is horrific.

Spanish economists blame its deficit not on increased costs but rather on a decrease in revenue ­— especially tax receipts. It will come as no surprise therefore — it certainly doesn’t to my colleagues at Sovereign — that the fight against tax evasion has taken on a new importance. This is another reason to ensure that your affairs are correctly and legally structured if you live in Spain.

So the deficit does affect ordinary people — cuts in services always do. Increased taxes, less government spending and a slow climb out of recession is what we are likely to see over the next few years. Regular readers will know I always try to be optimistic but even my resolve is being tested to the limit. I do think the European Union will emerge intact, including the euro project, but clearly it’s going to be a long struggle. And remember when you next see the financial news or hear about the recession. It’s all about the GDP! n

Perhaps of most interest to many of us in Gibraltar, the figure for Spain is 10% — in 2009, Spain’s deficit was a whopping 11.4% of GDP

Nobel Prize Winning’ Institute Lectures with Hassans Hassans recently hosted the “Business of Science” lecture delivered by Professor Daniel Zajfman, President of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, home of the 2009 Chemistry Nobel Prize.

The lecture was presented to a ‘full house’ of delegates, clients and staff members of the firm. The response from the audience was immense and reflected the quality and inspirational lecture that was delivered, in a way that we may all be able to understand the basics of science and what drives a scientist to continue his research for many years.

The core message being, that it is an over-

10

Professor Daniel Zajfman, President of the Weizmann Institute of Science

whelming sense of ‘curiosity’ that drives scientists to discover things like, electricity and x-rays, rather than being motivated by money or industry.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2009 awardees’ studied one of life’s core processes: the ribosome’s translation of DNA information into life. Ribosome’s produce proteins, which in turn control the chemistry in all living organisms. As ribosome’s are crucial to life, they are also a major target for new antibiotics. The 2009 Nobel Prize was awarded after the institutes’ scientists showed what the ribosome’s look like and how they function at the atomic level.

Senior Partner of Hassans, James Levy QC chaired the event and comments “to be able to introduce Daniel Zajfman to Gibraltar is an honour, given the prestige of such an important institute and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for coming to Gibraltar and delivering such an inspirational talk”. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

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The MBA - a toolkit full of ide updates

By Andreas Langl, MBA graduate of The Open University Business School

The MBA a toolkit full of ideas

travel notes...

Air Travel...

From the the end of this month (March), Andalus Airlines is increasing its flights to and from Madrid and re-opening the Barcelona route.

options and solutions for rate from my w even the most difficult life, my MBA stu of problems. Second, if ten helped me t challenging situat you have a well-stocked With morning and evening flights both ways to work. th every day except Saturdays, As it is nowsuch toolkit, there are Madrid methpossible to organise your travel schedule to suit tended ‘wor without having to plan extra overnight stops inmy the ods in it, which if correctSpanish capital — and it is even possible to make There were many the return trip in the same day if you need to make ly applied, can help find a quick business trip. the solutions. And third, gies between my Barcelona flights are re-starting with one flight and on-theyou have to knowThe what in each direction in the early afternoonmy (see the full flight schedule in next month’s issue for more) and tivities.

I was able method to use, when these extrato routes now open the door for travellers to and from Gibraltar to use these two major airports the methods I wa use it and how to apply it.flights worldwide. for connecting ingtheto tackle wor MH Bland Travel Services, representative for Andalus Airlines in Gibraltar will be working and closely with the airline to introduce arrive pre- and post- at sust cruise stays as well as football packages for both solutions.

Of course, I at looked Barcelona at and Madrid fans.

If you want to find outFor exa what’s available, why not pop down to your local was able to struct other MBA providers be-or book online travel agent, directly through the website www.andalus.es n fore I decided to join The information availa Open University Business search any missin

by Andreas Langl, MBA graduate of The Open School MBA programme. and analyse it usin University Business School those Everyone knows I compared the content able tool from m moments in our working and the value for mon- ies. It was just knows those moments lives Everyone - there’s a seemingly ey as well as the overall step from theory in our working lives — there’s a seemingly difficult professional difficult professional chal- context of the various tice, but it was a challenge and you have just run out lengeof ideas. andNowyou just programmes. The factors mous help when imaginehave what it would be likeof to have a toolkitNow to hand. imYou run out ideas. to finding the so that made me choose TheLink...

Ferry can reach into it and pull out exactly aginewhatwhat itsolve would be Open University Business you need to the problem. main things I learned to one of Spain’s like The to three have a toolkit School were the Transcoma, pracduring my MBA studies were: first, leading maritime companies, has hand.thereYou can reach into tice-oriented approach, I applied are alternative options and recently established a Gibraltarmy newly solutions for evenout the most difficult branch, Transcoma (Gibraltar) it and pull exactly skills as a senior the flexibility with reof problems. Second, if you have Ltd (ship agents and brokers), analyst atbeTelekom whata well-stocked you need to are solve If you have gard topleasestudy time and toolkit, there any questions, contact your local and the company hopes it will call +34 91 578 1616 or email: in it, which if correctly as department h the methods problem.

The three representative the— fact thatnow forthe school able to further enhance the cruise m.wiggett@open.ac.uk.

Or register the applied, can help find the solutions.

1st presentation of the Open University Busiand travel offerings available ina research Evolaris, hasprogramme. triple mainAnd things learned dur- May third, you Ihave to know what ness School Deadline accreditation.

31st March.

Spain and Gibraltar.

Contact details: www.open.ac.uk/gibraltar email: method to use, when to use it and in Graz, Austria and ing my MBA studies were: oubsgibraltar@open.ac.uk how to apply it.

The parent company introduced a ferry route Shuffle Master, an sepaAlgeciras and Gibraltar, which started on first, there are alternative Rather than beingbetween Of course, I looked at other MBA providers before I decided to join The Open University Business School MBA programme. I compared the content and the value for money as well as the overall context of the various programmes. The factors that made me choose The Open University Business School were the practice-oriented approach, the flexibility with regard to study time and the fact that the school has triple accreditation.

Rather than being separate from my working life, my MBA studies often helped me to solve challenging situations at work. As such they extended my ‘workbench’.

There were many synergies between my studies and my on-the-job activities. I was able to use the methods I was learning to tackle work issues and arrive at sustainable solutions. For example, I was able to structure the information available, research any missing data and analyse it using a suitable tool from my studies. It was just a small step from theory to practice, but it was an enormous help when it came to finding the solutions.

I applied my newly learned skills as a senior market analyst at Telekom Austria, as department head at Evolaris, a research centre in Graz, Austria and at Card Shuffle Master, an American casino supplier with headquarters in Las Vegas.

The blend of management experience and my MBA skills are also the foundations on which I built up my own market analysis institute. We identify and analyse new markets for our clients including an evaluation of the needs and preferences of their customers and trading partners. We support our clients’ growth and work with them to develop and implement new market strategies.

My learning from my MBA studies at The Open University Business School can be compared to a strategic road map that helps me find the best way forward, a toolkit that can help keep an organisation afloat in tough times, or a tow rope that helps pull organisations out of situations which, without it, would seem impossible.

12

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

updates

17th December 2009, and operates five return trips a day on weekdays, plus three return trips a day on Saturdays. The incorporation of the Gibraltarbased company is considered to be a further step in the direction of offering more services integrated with Gibraltar.

In a recent newsletter, the company reflected on last season’s cruise figures for Gibraltar when nearly 300 liners visited the Rock with a total of 380,000 passengers. The company believes that through its new Gibraltar base and under the flag of the parent company, Transcoma Cruise and Travel, it can increase both its participation in this sector and the number of liners which will be visiting the Rock over the coming years. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

Transcoma’s ferry link between Gibraltar and Algeciras offers five times daily return services on weekdays, plus three return trips on Saturdays

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

13

tax wise

by Angela Smart, Smart Tax Consultancy

Why should I pay YOUR taxes

?

Tax evasion depletes the funds of government, which in turn results in two possible outcomes: 1. a reduction in the services provided; 2. an increase in tax rates .

Many people are quite proud of the fact they have never paid tax and have no intentions of ever paying tax.

Many people think “Good on him for getting away with it”, or may have a very sympathetic attitude toward the tax evader when he gets caught. What they tend to forget is they are paying his share of taxation — whether through the raising of taxes or the lower level of services they receive due to less funds being available to the government.

The tax evader may come up with umpteen excuses for not paying his tax. Such as: “I don’t agree with the war in Afghanistan, Why should I pay for it?” “Why should I pay for people on benefits to scrounge off the system?” “Why should I pay for MPs’ expenses?”

The reason why, in the above cases, is that the country in which the tax evader resides tends to be a democratic country where the current government has been voted in and given the power to act by the general public. This power includes fiscal decision making.

The above example is relevant to the UK. If we concentrate on the spending habits of the Gibraltar Government, it is clearly seen there is a significant bias towards expenditure on healthcare, education and the development of the community. This is how our taxation is spent, all of society benefits from the tax collected.

The Gibraltar Government spends its money on the residents of Gibraltar therefore anyone evading tax in Gibraltar is depriving those

14

residents of services in Gibraltar.

If you think tax evasion is acceptable consider the following example: Scenario One: Bill breaks into one of the local schools and steals ten computers which will cost £20,000 to replace. Due to the theft of these computers and the time it takes to replace them your grandchildren and 30 other children in the school have not had IT lessons for four weeks.

You are approached by Bill who is trying to sell you one of these computers; what would you do?

The vast majority of us would report Bill to the police, as what Bill has done is socially unacceptable.

Scenario Two: Jan has worked in Gibraltar as a self-employed consultant for the past three years. Jan has never filed a tax return and has never paid tax in Gibraltar. If she had paid tax the amount due would equal £20,000.

The local school is being upgraded and needs ten new computers. Their allocated budget is £20,000 short and therefore the computers cannot be provided.

Your grandchildren cannot have IT lessons as

The Gibraltar Government spends its money on the residents of Gibraltar therefore anyone evading tax in Gibraltar is depriving those residents of services in Gibraltar

the equipment is not available. The government has said if it raises taxes next year the school will be allocated enough funds to ensure that the equipment is provided.

The following July you have noticed on your pay slip that your take home pay has decreased by £10 per week due to an increase in tax.

You know Jan and have often been on social events with her where she quite openly brags that she doesn’t pay tax.

Would you inform the tax office of this?

Many people in this position would think “Well good on her if she is getting away with it” and do nothing. However before taking this view consider the scenario above.

Do your grandchildren deserve the best education possible?

Should you have to pay more tax?

Through evading tax, Jan is taking funds away from your Grandchildren’s education, she is personally costing you money, as tax evasion will in the majority of cases lead to higher taxation for the rest of the population.

Why should you or your grandchildren suffer because Jan does not believe she should pay tax?

At this point ask yourself “ What is the difference between Bill and Jan?” The fallout of what they have done is exactly the same. n Any queries regarding information in this article, please contact: Angela Smart, Smart Tax Consultancy mobile: 58008575 or email angelasmart7@aol.com GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JUNE 2007

Peter Montegriffo

back to the future

It’s now 14 years since the GSD took their seat in Government. A seat first occupied by the man who founded the party, Peter Montegriffo. It was he, who without a GSD mandate, was the first under GSD colours to sit in the then House of Assembly. Now you may be forgiven if in these past years you feel there is the air of the hokey cokey in his political career but perhaps we don’t know him as well as we should. The Gibraltar Magazine decided it was time to meet him at his work in Hassans law firm and talk about life, interests and that hokey cokey career.

Peter Montegriffo was born and raised in Gibraltar part of a family with two other brothers Paul and Phillip. His father is a Doctor, Cecil Montegriffo, from Genoese stock who worked up until the age of 70. His mother comes from a Maltese family and paid the usual mothers’ ‘sacrifice’ of caring for the family and looking after the home.

“We were very lucky as my father had a

16

good job and we could travel a lot when I was young. I don’t have any clear memories of Gibraltar before the border closure but I have vague memories of travel and a comfortable existence,” he said.

They lived in Francis Flats along South Barrack Road, very smart and new in those days.

“We only actually left Gibraltar once for any long period and that was when I was about 12

years old. My father also undertook work as an anaesthetist so he uprooted the whole family and we lived for about 6-8 months near Barons Court in London while my father studied and worked in anaesthesia. In the end he decided to specialise in psychiatry after we returned to Gibraltar.”

Peter went to the Christian Brothers School as was the norm, then on to Bayside where he was

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

profile

by Frankie Hatton

the first year of the Comprehensive era.

“It was good as we were part of something new but also weird being in such a school with only one year. As we moved up then other years came in making it more normal.”

Completing his Bayside studies he took 3 ‘A’ levels in English Literature, French and Spanish but without a real clue as to what he wanted to as a career.

“At this time I played guitar and loved drama and dancing I also used to read a lot. I read some Sartre, Camus and Genet and other books of a similar vein.”

“What were you doing reading stuff like that at such an age?” I asked.

“I was interested in it and I was lucky enough to have mentors like Mario Arroyo and Freddie Trinidad as well as having my father’s books around.

“Back to my education, my father incredibly got the single available Government university scholarship during his time of study. When I was looking to higher education there was a level of 14 points or more to qualify. I achieved it and decided to study English and French at Leeds University yet I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. As for scholarships I will say one of the best things the Bossano Government did was, although expensive, provide the opportunity of a university education to a much wider spectrum of students who obtained a place.”

Peter then went to Leeds University to study but within a month he decided to change his mind.

“During my time at Bayside I was fortunate to get work experience with Sir Joshua Hassan and James Levy at the law firm and this helped me a great deal. I suppose almost as soon as I arrived at Uni I realised I wanted to take up law. It was luck I’d been only going a month — any longer and I wouldn’t have been able to change courses.

So I dropped English Literature, having bought all the books and study, as well as French, and moved into the law classes.

“There then followed the usual path with me studying further at the College of Legal Education and taking the Bar at Lincolns Inn. I returned to Gibraltar in 1982 and immediately joined Hassans as lawyer number seven (there are currently around 85).

“Sir Joshua took an interest in my development and I consider myself very lucky to have worked so closely with him during my early years. For the next 10 years as a lawyer I was involved in general litigation and commercial, private client and probate matters. I had a particular interest in financial services so I did some of the regulatory work at Hassans. It is in the area of commercial and private client matters that I work today and over the past few years I have become more involved with the online gaming industry. This work involves advising clients in all aspects including setting up, taxation and employment.

“How did you get into politics?” I asked.

“I’ve always had an interest in politics as so many people in Gibraltar do. For me the involvement came through Sir Joshua and the AACR. In fact I almost stood as a candidate in 1984 but I didn’t make it onto the shortlist. I was only 24 at the time maybe that had a bearing.

“By the time the next election came along in 1988 the AACR went into Opposition, Adolfo Canepa was leader and I became deputy leader.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

At 28 I was raring to go and felt we needed to be a very active Opposition. Sir Joshua had left front line politics by now but behind the scenes he egged me on, so much so that 18 months after the election I challenged Adolfo Canepa for the leadership of the party.

“It all came to boiling point one night as the AACR executive sat around a table. I had the feeling that Sir Joshua could quite easily have resolved all the disagreements but for his own reasons he chose to remain silent. So I got up and resigned from the AACR. As I left Terry Cartwright, another member of the executive, walked out with me and I became an independent member of the House of Assembly sitting in the very seat the then Chief Minister, Bossano, had occupied when he was the sole representative of his party at that time. In hindsight it was perhaps the arrogance of youth but I was keen and feisty.

“In 1990 I created the GSD and began looking for political allies. I rang Peter Caruana and invited him to join the party which he did. I can still see him sitting in the audience at our first GSD party meeting. By 1991 we were ahead of the AACR in the polls.”

“It is at this point when the things you built were bearing fruit you actually left the party, the party you created, why was that?” I wondered.

“Well I was becoming politically more relevant and at the same time working within Hassans. An inevitable tension began to develop between the politics and the firm’s relationship with the Government of the day and clients.

Essentially this could only be resolved by my backing away from politics or leaving the legal partnership. I had a young family to consider and thus ultimately after a very difficult period,

“

I would quite happily have stayed out of politics but... I felt I had to do whatever I could to assist in providing an alternative and therefore announced my return to politics with the GSD

”

resigned from my seat in the House. This created a by-election which Peter Caruana as the new leader won. Then in the 1992 election the GSD took seven seats in the House and became the official opposition.

“I would quite happily have stayed out of politics but the position in Gibraltar became very difficult in the course of ’94 and ’95. I felt I had to do whatever I could to assist in providing an alternative and therefore announced my return to politics with the GSD in 1995. This again put in jeopardy my position within Hassans and this was handled by my physically leaving the office for that period of time before standing for election and working as a consultant from Leanse Place.

“Once the results were in I’d received four more votes than Peter Caruana. Usually if you top the poll you become Chief Minister but that question was never raised and to be fair with only four votes more even if Peter had mentioned it I would have had no problem with the status quo. So I became Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry. What is remarkable about that election was the timing.

I believe that if Bossano hadn’t left the election till the last minute which in effect gave the GSD more time to group and prepare and had called that election six months earlier, he might have clinched it, albeit by a narrow margin. He didn’t, we won and the GSD are still in power.”

“Yet, Peter, in 2000 you quit once again?”

“Well by 2000 Peter Caruana had established a very presidential method of leadership and there were some differences as to the speed and direction on certain issues. I’ve always advocated a progressive style of politics including a dialogue with Spain to ease cross-border tensions and improve practical issues that divide us, rather like it is now happening with the Tripartite Forum. Without going into detail it was better I leave altogether and to be honest I don’t regret it. From where I am now I have no burning desire to return again. My wife Pepita and I are happy enough and our sons Andrew (23) and David (20) are at university studying Law and Law & French respectively.”

These days Peter has other such things to occupy him like work at Hassans and reading in his spare time.

“The last book I read was Andrew Marr’s History of Britain (post war) and some Milton Freidman. I also try to read in Spanish, my last book being Mario Conde’s (the Financier and ex-President of Banesto Bank) account of the circumstances leading up to and during the time he spent behind bars.”

“It seems then you are quite comfortable at the moment and as a successful lawyer you perhaps can relax a little?” I asked, adding “Also with your sons now in the final throes of their education and striking out on their own you can perhaps make waves again and do the politics your way. Will you return as the rumours say you will?”

As he smiled at the question he answered: “Politics has become very confrontational and to get ahead you need to be very self-promotional.

I don’t particularly relish that aspect of political life but there is indeed a great deal to be done in Gibraltar and there are many difficult issues that Gibraltar has to tackle”.

Folks you read it here first, I reckon he’s coming back. n

17

company tax

The End of the Gibraltar Tax Exempt Company Regime – Are You Ready?

On 18th February 2005, the Gibraltar and UK Governments agreed to the request of the European Commission to the phasing out of the Gibraltar tax exempt company regime.

This regime will cease on 31st December 2010.

However, for some tax exempt companies their tax exempt status could end before this cessation date. For example, if a tax exempt company changes ownership or activity after 30 June 2006 but before 31st December 2010 then its tax exempt status will cease immediately on the day of the change. If the change was before

30th June 2006, their tax exemption ceased on 31st December 2007.

For other companies whose exemption was granted after 18th February 2005, their tax exempt status will have already ceased on 31st December 2007, or possibly earlier if there had been a change in their activity or ownership.

What does this mean?

The loss of tax exempt status will result in companies being subject to the tax regime applicable to ordinarily resident Gibraltar companies.

Recently, the Gibraltar Government announced changes to this regime. Most impor-

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

company tax tantly, from 1st January 2011, there will be a 10% corporation tax rate for existing ordinarily resident Gibraltar companies, including current tax exempt companies.

Brian Holmes, International Tax Director, confirms that “from 1 January 2011, previously tax exempt companies could potentially be liable to 10% tax on their profits in the future”.

Will it affect your tax exempt company?

Companies will continue to be taxed on profits “accruing in, derived from or received in Gibraltar”. This could result in a reduced Gibraltar tax liability for the company.

Gibraltar’s Commissioner of Income Tax has stated that in deciding where a profit is accrued or derived, it is necessary to establish what the Gibraltar company has done to earn the profit in question and where that has taken place.

The Commissioner has also stated that where services or support are provided in or from Gibraltar he may consider the whole of the company’s activities to have been undertaken in Gibraltar.

Are you ready?

Brian Holmes warns that with “significant changes looming, a crucial question for all tax exempt companies is, “are you ready?”

Brian urges it is essential that all tax exempt companies now review their status to consider the tax implications of losing their tax exempt status. This will need careful consideration and thus, this review needs to be done by suitably qualified professionals or it can cause more problems than it sets out to solve.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

Gibraltar tax advisers can assist with this process by providing an opinion on the company’s tax position post loss of tax exemption and determining what action the company may benefit from taking.

For example, where it is not clear whether a profit has accrued in or derived from Gibraltar, a tax ruling can be obtained from the Commissioner. This will then give a company certainty on its tax position for the future. n

Hassans’ Taxation Seminars a Success Hassans International Law firm recently hosted the second in their series of tax seminars aimed at local financial services companies.

James Lasry, partner and Head of the Funds Team at Hassans and Peter Young, Associate in the Funds Team were the speakers at the event, discussing taxation issues for collective investment schemes established in Gibraltar.

Find out more For further information, please contact: Brian Holmes, International Tax Director at STM Fidecs Advisory Ltd in Gibraltar. Telephone: +350 200 46286 or by email: brian.holmes@ stmfidecs.gi www.stmfidecs.gi

Chris White, partner and Head of Tax gave the opening and closing remarks and was delighted to see another ‘full house’ despite the bad weather. Chris commented that the speakers delivered “an easy to understand explanation of the issues surrounding collective investment schemes, despite this being a particularly complex topic”.

If you are interested in attending future seminars on taxation issues, then please send an email to amanda.noble@hassans.gi

19

career moves

Joelle Hernandez

Lizanne Noguera

Grahame Jackson

Hassans trio called to the Gibraltar Bar Three Hassans associates (pictured from left to right, Lizanne Noguera, Joelle Hernandez and Grahame Jackson) were called to the Gibraltar Bar/ Admitted to the Role of Solicitors in February. Joelle and Lizanne were called as barristers whilst Grahame was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar. The petitions were presented by senior partner, James Levy QC. Lizanne specialises in corporate and commercial law and will work under James Levy, Joelle in Funds under James Lasry (partner and Head of Funds), and Grahame under Chris White (partner and Head of Tax). These three associates “show great potential and I am delighted that they will remain with their respective teams to complement the range of services and experience we can offer our clients,” says Javier Chincotta, Managing Partner.

Grahame started on the ‘shop floor’ at Line Management where his talent was recognised, this took him through to paralegal and subsequently, with the firm’s assistance he studied part time, qualifying as an English solicitor last year. This shows that Hassans recognises talent through more than one route and is willing to support staff members and see them flourish and grow.

Grahame’s previous experience in business (owning his own company) also means he has

20

a wide range of skills and a deeper understanding of business matters, which can only enhance the service and knowledge given to clients.

Joelle’s first taste of law was during a two week school work experience project at the Supreme Court in Gibraltar. She then spent the next five years at Cardiff University where she studied for her law degree gaining a creditable First Class Honours Degree and was awarded the “Cardiff Law School Prize” for outstanding academic achievement. Five summers spent

“

Our young lawyers rising through the ranks are a credit to the firm and I look forward to seeing them progress their careers

”

working at Hassans on the summer student work placement scheme gave her valuable experience and made it the obvious choice for her application for employment.

The firm is proud to have Lizanne on board.

She is an Oxford University graduate, who read modern history prior to studying for the Graduate Diploma in Law at Oxford Brookes University, and later embarking upon the Bar Vocational Course at City University, London.

Lizanne also spent a summer on the student programme with Hassans. Given the firm’s prestige and its outstanding performance at an international level, she felt Hassans was the firm of choice in Gibraltar.

James Levy QC adds “Our young lawyers rising through the ranks are a credit to the firm and I look forward to seeing them progress their careers with Hassans in order that we can continue to be ranked one of the leading law firms in Gibraltar”. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

awards

getting creative

with the Newton Awards Designed to assist in the development of art and culture in the local community, the first Newton Creative Awards were launched mid February at the Newton Store on Irish Town.

Open to all ages and in three categories — art, music and ďŹ lm, the competition gives carte-blanc to submit just about anything you like which is your own piece of work. Joint submissions will not be considered as the competition is aimed to bring out the best in the individual.

Deadlines for the sections are staggered through the year. Art must be submitted by 1st June 2010, music by 30 September and with nearly a year lead in time for the ďŹ lm category

At the launch (from left to right): Minister of Culture, Edwin Reyes with Cyril and Ludo of Newton Store and the three judges — Christopher Cortes, Stephen Cumming and Adrian Cabedo

where you have until the end of January 2011 to submit your entry. This can be anything from digital images of your own, scanned or collaged on your computer, original artwork drawn or created on a computer, an original piece of music composed on your computer or even a ďŹ lm directed and edited by yourself.

Each section will be judged and cahs prizes awarded within two weeks of the closing date, with a “best submission� prize of either

a 27� iMac or a 15� MacBookPro being given for the best submission out of the three categories at the launch of the 2011 Newton Creative Awards next year.

With enough incentive there to get your brains in motion, there’s no time to loose. If you want to register (which is absolutely free), get down to Newton Store on Irish Town for an application form, it’s the only way to be in the running! â–

!

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

21

international relations

“T

Raacida Amenzou, Honorary Consul to the Netherlands

going dutch cultural relationships shared Here in Gibraltar, the position of Honorary Consul is often taken as a formality, but Raacida Amenzou is excited about being placed in this privileged position and is determined to ensure her role, representing the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Gibraltar, is a proactive one such as creating a Dutch consulate website for individuals and companies. “Many people see the role as sorting out emergency situations, such as passports, and I can marry people here in Gibraltar under the Dutch regime, but I think there is much more to the position Honorary Consul than that and I am very interested in positively promoting Gibraltar to the Dutch citizens and the Dutch citizens to Gibraltar too,” she says.

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he relationship between the Netherlands and Gibraltar is very historic,” Raacida explained. “From right back to when the British claimed Gibraltar with the help of the Dutch Armada and later on, the Treaty of Utrecht, the Netherlands and Gibraltar’s paths have been intertwined. So I do feel it’s an honour to be in the position to help further the relationship between the two countries.”

Raacida, of Moroccan descent, was born in the Netherlands and has very deep feelings for her country, the Netherlands. In traditional Dutch style, Raacida doesn’t like to beat around the bush and expects things to be up-front, open and efficient. These qualities, together with her wealth of experience as an international tax lawyer both in the Netherlands and Luxembourg, brought her to the Rock just two years ago to PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“I find it interesting that before coming to the Rock, I was working from Luxembourg, which was often referred to as ‘the Gibraltar of the north’.”

Research revealed it was the French politician and engineer, Lazare Carnot, who in 1795 coined the phrase, referring to the fortress as “the best in the world, except Gibraltar” after a siege during the French Revolutionary wars. The fortifications of Luxembourg City held out for seven months until it finally surrendered with its walls intact. The fort controlled the approached between France and Germany as well as the left bank of the Rhine up until 1867 when the walls were demolished under the Treaty of London, and Luxembourg was placed in perpetual neutrality.

Since being appointed as Honorary Consul to the Netherlands in October last year, Raacida is pleasantly surprised at how well the role fits in with her employers.

“The partners at PricewaterhouseCoopers are very supportive and proud that I have been chosen for the role of Honorary Consul and because PricewaterhouseCoopers has such a large local staff, I have a lot of colleagues on hand I can tap into for information as well as the network that I might need in my new role. Both positions make sense.”

Raacida went on to explain how she is making the role of Honorary Consul more socially active: “For Dutch people first arriving here, it can be a little difficult to find your feet and make friends.

Even before taking on the position of Honorary Consul, I was asked to meet a couple who had just arrived and it was great to be able to sit down and tell them all about the

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

international relations Part of Luxembourg City’s reconstructed fortifications

Photo: Jean-noël Lafargue

Rock and introduce them to a few people to help them on their way.

So even apart from the responsibility I have now, being able to help people in this way is already something I am enthusiastic about.

“I try to spend my free time walking to different areas and finding the little forgotten corners in Gibraltar. There are the obvious tourist attractions on the Rock, but there is so much else to see too!”

Introducing people to Gibraltar is just one part of her vision in a position which Raacida sees as “maintaining an historic tradition in a modern environment”. The cultural, social and political exchange between the two countries needs to be in both directions, and again her ideas are very clear: “The Honorary Consul is not just a position, it is a person, and I am a first point of contact for anyone who is thinking about visiting the Netherlands or Gibraltar, settling there, or maybe even interested in studying in the country. Although I am well positioned to give advice on a legal and tax level, it is important to be able to give people the cultural information they might need too. Where is good to go?

Raacida, who took over from What can we do in, for example, Amsterdam which is a little differ- Giles Clark-Houghton, is the Nethent? These are questions which I erlands’ first female Honorary Consul in Gibraltar. She reports to the think are relevant in my job too.”

“

I find it interesting that before coming to the Rock, I was working from Luxembourg, which was often referred to as ‘the Gibraltar of the north’

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

”

Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands, The Hague, and to the Dutch Ambassador, Mr. P. Waldeck in London who will be paying a

visit to the Rock in August.

“I didn’t have the opportunity to meet him during my last visit to London, but I am looking forward to his visit,” she stated. “Overall, I am looking forward to doing whatever I can to further improve the relationship between the two contries on all levels over the coming years.”

With a bubbly, approachable character along with her professional background, Raacida has made herself more than just available to help locals from both countries discover more about each other. But how long will we have the pleasure of her company on the Rock?

“As I said, Gibraltar has become a very special place to me. I feel settled and although the post of Honorary Consul is renewable every five years, I am here to stay for quite a while — both with PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Dutch consulate.” n Contact details of the Netherlands Consulate in Gibraltar: PricewaterhouseCoopers ICC 10th Floor Casemates Square Open Monday from 09:00 – 12:00 or on appointment Tel: 200 52036 Fax: 200 48267 consul.netherlands@gibtelecom.net

23

technology

by Sonia Golt

tim bristow

a matter of communication The new six level building in John Mackintosh Square is not only impressive on the outside but carries the most up-to-date technology inside and will ensure a better service for the whole of Gibraltar’s telecommunications. The man in charge locally CEO Tim Bristow, who was Gibraltar’s Financial Secretary for 13 years, took Sonia Golt on a tour

Tim Bristow’s words at the building’s inauguration were repeated to me with the same enthusiasm as on the day “This new building has been designed in keeping with the surroundings embellishing the Piazza by constructing a modern structure whilst replicating the old façade.”

Tim Bristow Chief Executive Officer at Gibtelecom has overall responsibility for the strategy, oversight and performance of the business, and ultimately its success or failure. We wanted to know more about his background with Gibtelecom.

“I joined Gibtelecom as Chief Executive Officer, when GNC (Gibraltar Nynex Communications) bought Gibtel several years ago.” This acquisition brought together two joint venture companies, one owned by Verizon of the US and the other British Telecom at the time, with the Government of Gibraltar — a goal of the shareholders for a number of years.

“As a non-executive director at the time, I played a central role in this Mergers and Acquisitions and was subsequently hired as the CEO to lead the merger,” he explained. “As CEO I provide executive leadership and direction to the company, working closely with the board of directors, senior executives and the wider management team. This includes building the culture of the organisation.

“Communications is a business which never stands still. In my time we have seen enhanced technologies, particularly in the mobile and internet space; and extensive building out of our

24

networks at home and abroad — our international traffic capacity has increased a thousand fold. We have successfully combined fixed line, mobile and internet businesses into a one-stopshop, a place where many large telecommunications companies are now striving to be.”

Testament to their success is the new purpose-built premises at John Mackintosh Square, adjoining the Haven and City Hall where much of the fixed line and related internet technology is based. But what does this mean for us locally?

“Our customers expect communications in Gibraltar to keep pace with what is happening in the UK, and elsewhere. Although we are quite a large company in Gibraltar, we are only an SME, a smallish company, operating in a market of 30,000 people. So consequently keeping up with the fast moving world of communications is a huge and ongoing challenge,” he began by explaining.

“

In a small market the cost of services will always be higher than in larger countries where operators enjoy greater economies of scale, but having said that, prices look as if they will continue to fall

”

“Over the last few years the company has invested over £30 million in technology, and we probably need to do the same again if we are to keep at the forefront of communications and provide the man and woman in the street with the products and services they expect.

“In a small market the cost of services will always be higher than in larger countries where operators enjoy greater economies of scale, but having said that, prices look as if they will continue to fall.”

Since the new building opened its doors to the general public the visits to the offices and to the shop have increased by at least 20% due to easier town centre access.

Mr. Bojan Dremelj, the President of Telekom Slovenije, was at the building’s inauguration.

We wondered how he though this building compared to the ones in other countries?

Tim commented; “From the day Telekom Slovenije purchased Verizon’s shareholding in 2007, Bojan Dremelj and his colleagues have been very supportive of Gibtelecom’s substantial investment and changed management programmes.

Bojan is impressed with the modern open plan working environment, and particularly pleased that it has brought well over half of our 150 staff into one location where they seem to be really happy. (We also have people based at Mount Pleasant, New Harbours and a few are still in Europort.)”

As Gibraltar’s ex Financial and Development Secretary Tim see this new state of the art technology as an asset to the financial sector.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

technology “In today’s world state-of-the-art communications is a critical ingredient of economic advancement and success. Just look back 10 or so years and think how the internet and mobile phones have changed our lifestyles. For Gibraltar to continue its journey of being a successful finance centre, and the home for some of the world’s largest online gaming companies, it requires leading edge technology. Gibtelecom has delivered this through building on the fibre and mobile networks round the Rock, expanding international connectivity and resilience and moving the business to a genuine 24/7 operation.

“Whatever the hour, whatever the day of the year, Gibtelecom’s Network Operations Centre with technical support, is open for business,” he adds. “Gibtelecom’s strategic mission is to be the innovative telecommunications provider of choice for Gibraltar consumers by offering quality and effective services — despite growing competition, and the impact of regulatory constraints placed on the Company as the incumbent operator. Gibtelecom goes from strength to strength.”

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the offices in the new building is pleasant, clean and the décor is quite minimalist. Gibraltar’s residents have expressed their satisfaction with the impressive building and the staff seem to be very happy to be working in this type of environment.

As part of its ongoing investment in staff, Gibtelecom together with government has given a series of students the opportunity of studying for four years within the company to learn all about the technology and different skills needed.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

At the moment these students are trained and paid and as long as they pass each year they stay on and will have the opportunity of applying for jobs within Gibtelecom or using their skills elsewhere.

“A technology business, like any other, can only be successful through motivated and engaged employees. Our latest customer surveys, carried out by independent consultants, showed that an impressive three quarters of customers rated Gibtelecom’s services as very effective, with a further 20% seeing them as satisfactory.”

At the start of 2010 Gibtelecom achieved mobile roaming with over 120 countries, and

in the year ahead it is planning to expand this further, as well as offering new mobile products and services. On the internet side of things it is the main data centre supplier in Gibraltar, a growing business opportunity.

Just this year Gibtelecom and Interoute, owner-operator of a state-of-the-art European next generation network, have deployed an alternative telecommunications route offering high capacity connectivity between the Rock and the rest of Europe. This means users and businesses in Gibraltar will be able to have additional resilient access to Europe via Interoute’s advanced pan-European network.

“By partnering with Interoute, we bring businesses in Gibraltar access to a European next generation network and the 25 European countries that it crosses. Gibraltar has witnessed a substantial surge in demand for network access, and through Gibtelecom financing the construction of this new link businesses are guaranteed enhanced connectivity, now and in the future.”

Gibraltar is undoubtedly heading in the right direction and companies like Gibtelecom are creating the proper avenues so that our financial and business sectors can expand for the benefit of all concerned.

When asked which of his two jobs within the last decade have given him the most satisfaction, Tim was very diplomatic with his reply.

“It was a great honour to be Financial Secretary for so long and during the time change the constitution. Still, the telephone business is very hands on and I enjoy my work and working in this state of the art building is a privilege.” n

25

music scene show truly memorable.”

Turning attention back to the business of boats, Sunseeker has once again made a strong commitment to the show. Their Costa del Sol dealership, headed up by Dominic Byrne, will be exhibiting nine yachts ranging from 34 to a sizeable 90 feet. With several other manufacturers signed-up, the Gibraltar International Boat Show is set to have over 20 million euros worth of ready-to-buy boats — the perfect opportunity for visitors to start the Mediterranean season afloat.

The market leader in marine fuel, Shell Gibraltar, has also pledged allegiance to the 2010 Gibraltar International Boat Show by way of a sponsorship deal. Having served customers on the Rock for over 80 years, Shell Gibraltar is a part of the fabric of the local yachting industry supplying low-cost petrol and diesel as well as their first-rate lubricant products to vessels up to megayacht size.

The Gibraltar International Boat Show will see wide range of exhibitors from the premium yacht brands through to marine electronics and property developers each benefitting from a cross-section of visitors from the UK, Spain, Portugal, Morocco and, of course, Gibraltar itself. This year, in line with demand, the show has expanded and will be staged in two locations interconnected by a marina walkway — Ocean Village’s Leisure Island and the Exhibition Arena.

Meanwhile all of the dining and leisure facilities of award-winning Ocean Village marina will be throwing their doors open to the public. The marina hosts some great bars, restaurants and shops alongside the first Gala Coral facility to house a casino, bingo club and sports betting zone under one roof. Ocean Village is within easy walking distance of the border with Spain and boasts plenty of car parking spaces. n To benefit from exhibiting at one of Europe’s most attractive locations for business and high net worth individuals contact the Boat Show team. For further information contact sales@gibraltarboatshow.com, telephone 00 44 1392 811 520 or visit www.gibraltarboatshow.com.

Get Ready for a Show Kicking off on Thursday 8th April, this year’s Gibraltar International Boat Show intends to leave the previous in the shade with the help of a Government-backed ‘Experience Zone’. Lying adjacent to the Ocean Village and Marina Bay complex, this sizeable Arena will give everyone a chance to try their hand at a range of water- and land-based pursuits.

John Wood, Boat Show organiser, comments, “Whilst the very nature of the event guarantees the spotlight undoubtedly falls on the attendant yachts, we’re also mindful that every visitor — old and young — wants to participate in the show. Sports enthusiasts are in for a real treat

26

Calling All Local Talent!

The 2nd Gibraltar International Boat Show, to be held 8th – 11th April 2010, is looking for more talent to add to its existing main Show Stage programme in the Experience Zone.

They’re keen to hear from any local organisations who want to use the venue to showcase their work for free — music, dance, even amateur dramatics. If you’re interested in taking to the stage please email info@gibraltarboatshow.com. n

at the Experience Zone as we have a full spectrum of activities from a climbing wall to a golf showcase, tennis lessons to rowing machines and from sailing boats to kayaks. We’re thrilled that the Government is backing this zone and together we are committed to making the 2010

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

music scene Micro Business Systems Ltd

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Lessons from Aaron “I think it’s important to pass on skills to others,” Aaron Monteverde told us when we asked him about the piano lessons he is now offering in Gibraltar. An acclaimed concert pianist, he holds a BA honours degree, Post graduate, Post Graduate Advanced and a Masters Degree in the subject too.

“I’m offering beginners lessons through to advanced for anyone who is interested in taking up the piano here in Gibraltar and am taking classes both at the Loretto Convent and privately from my home too.”

Teaching piano and music theory, Aaron can take you through the ABRSM system as well as helping you prepare for GCSE music and A levels too, and although emphasis is on classical, he’ll be happy to introduce you to other styles of playing if you wish.

On another note, we’ve heard he spent the latter part of last month with the Gypsy Kings in France, who are collaborating on Aaron’s latest album which is well into the production stages.

If you’re interested in the opportunity to tap into Aaron’s wealth of musical knowledge and are thinking of taking up or improving your piano playing, drop him a line at monteverdemusic@hotmail.com or call him on 00 34 686 601150. And don’t forget you can also look him up on Facebook too.

Teaching piano and music theory, Aaron can take you through the ABRSM system as well as helping you prepare for GCSE music and A levels too GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

27

the arts

a question of

identity

From documentaries to feature films, following in the footsteps of the likes of Paul Greengrass (who started his filming career in the college art room and spent the first part of his career directing TV documentaries before hitting the big screen with The Bourne Supremacy), Ana Garcia is now working on directing her first feature length documentary set in her home town, Gibraltar.

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E

xtremely focused, Ana Garcia worked hard as an apprentice in TV documentaries after gaining a joint honours BA degree in Drama and Italian at the University of Bristol. Now, at 29 years of age, she is in the privileged position of having the backing to create a film which has been in her heart since she was a child.

“My grandfather, Peter Isola, was a great politician and lawyer. He played a vital role during the pivotal UN talks in 1963 alongside Sir Joshua Hassan. His dedication and belief in Gibraltar inspired me and that’s part of the reason I went in to film making — so I could make a film about Gibraltar.”

The focus of this film is on identity, a subject which Ana feels is very relevant today.

“I want to understand and explore what it means to be Gibraltarian. How do we define ourselves and why? And how is that relevant to a world that seems increasingly to be suffering from an identity crisis? Essentially — what can we learn from Gibraltar? All over the world people seem to be proud of where they come from but in Gibraltar I think there is something very special. And I want to find out what that something is. It’s essentially a film about belonging, identity, family and home.”

Ana’s lucky break in the film world came when a series of short films she produced for Amnesty International were noticed by a Channel 4 commissioner. This resulted in Ana being offered the opportunity to write and direct a short series of her own.

“I was very lucky. And I worked very hard!

When asked who I wanted to work with I mentioned Revolution Films, thinking that perhaps I was being a bit cheeky (Revolution Films is one of the UK’s leading film companies) but a meeting was set up and I was again lucky that they gave me a chance. So here I am, working on my first feature documentary being produced

by Revolution Films. It’s good.”

Ana is extremely excited about the project which will look at Gibraltar from a social history perspective, and the five minute test clip she showed us, shot on a hand-held HDV camera to get the feel of what she was looking for, is witness to how easily you can be drawn in to the exciting and passionate vision she has for the whole project. But how is she going about turning her vision into reality?

“I have a great team, most of whom I have worked with before. There is a lot of preparation so that by the time we get to shoot we’re all on the same page, we all know what we’re looking for and I just have to make sure we’re getting it. The director has to know what he/she wants from the get go and be very clear about communicating that. This film is very important to me so I’m very clear.”

With a project of this proportion there’s a lot of preparation involved, and Ana explained that with most feature films, the producers, writers and directors can spend years researching their subject and planning before a single shot is taken. With her, it’s not that different.

“I’ve always wanted to make this film so I’ve always thought about it a lot — how we would do it, how I would make it work etc. I began more focused research a year ago so I think we’re almost ready to begin shooting.”

There are many differences between directing for television and for the big screen, and Ana told us how much is down to time and budget: “Television and cinema are ultimately two separate and almost entirely different medi-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

the arts ums. There are volumes written on the differences and importance of each one but I think, as always, it has a lot to do with budget and time. Television, if only because its output is so extensive, has far more restrictions on both.

You simply can’t afford to take a crew out for months at a time, wait for the right light, for the weather to be just right, the actor to be in the right mood, the stars to be aligned... etc... unless you’re shooting a nature programme. Cinema, on the big screen, is — quite simply — expected to be bigger. A film has to hold your attention for a couple of hours, no ads. We expect the perfect light, mood, sound etc from the big screen.

Every detail is magnified. Everything has to be perfect. Even if to the audience it seems a mess, everything you see on the big screen has been meticulously put there for a reason, and that requires an enormous amount of time. Although grabbing an audience in a TV drama or any TV programme, so they don’t change channels during the ad break, is also a great art. I appreciate both.”

The documentary is an important chapter in Ana’s life. At 75 minutes, it will be entered into the feature film category at major film festivals, competing against some of the top producers today. Ana hopes this will be the first of a long film career.

“I love documentary. I’m a geek at heart and documentary film making allows you to learn and appreciate what you might not otherwise have ever considered. I do love drama too however and if I could choose anything, I would choose fantasy film. I’d love to make a big fantasy film although that is still a little far off yet...”

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

Ana and camera-man with relieved grins after a hair-raising photo shoot over the Arizona Desert

“

All over the world people seem to be proud of where they come from but in Gibraltar I think there is something very special. And I want to find out what that something is For now though, Ana has a tough summer ahead. The film will require various shoots from April until September.

In the run up, she’s busy making contacts with as many people as possible who may have

”

memories from the days of the border closure or even earlier! If you think you have an interesting tit-bit, old photos or anything else which might help her on her way, she can be contacted by email at ana@bigrockproductions.co.uk n

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profile

Photo of the Gibraltar Defence Force 12th Intake, 1, 2 & 3 Squads, which served from February to July 1951. Victor is in the rear row, 2nd from the left (circled). In the front row you have Lt Pepe Fabre, Lt Col JFG Gurney RA (CO 54 AA Regt RA), Capt Charles Norton, and 2/Lt Peter R. Gray RA

Victor Risso’s Gibraltar Past Victor Risso is a multi-talented Gibraltararian who left the Rock at the start of the “15th economic siege” to start a new life in the UK. He is a wit, raconteur, bon viveur, vocalist, pianist, actor, restorer of old beautiful objects, cook, and restaurateur.

Victor was born in 1931, which was a good year for vintage Gibraltarians. In those days things were different and he was born at home under the care of Mrs Spitzer, the legendary local midwife.

He has two sisters and a brother.

Primary education was at a Catholic private school in Bomb House Lane run by Mrs Silva and her sister Miss Meme. This is where he discovered an aversion to being in an enclosed space. After investigation it was discovered he could just about tolerate sitting at a desk in a corner next to an open window.

At the age of seven his education was disrupted by the World War II evacuation and his family went the circuitous route to Ballymena in Northern Ireland via Casablanca, Bloomsbury and Kensington.

He has vivid memories of the small hotel in Gower Street in which the family was billeted.

His grandmother and aunt, not noted for feminist views, enrolled as ARP wardens and were responsible for the hotel’s blackout. They returned to the Rock with the glint of future female emancipation in their eyes. His aunt, strangely, used to enjoy watching the dogfights in the skies over London when the other residents in the hotel took cover in the bomb proof shelter. She was fearless and became enthralled, watching and praying that the boys in blue would be victorious.

On one occasion fate saved the lives of those in the hotel when a German bomb fell on top of it, passing through all the floors without exploding. Victor remembers coming out of his room, looking down and seeing the unexploded bomb.

Needless to say the evacuees were swiftly moved to a hotel on Bedford Walk in safe Kensington.

Shortly afterwards deadly V2 bombers started

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to attack London and so there was another move, to a camp in Ballymena. This time home was a Nissen hut. Victor and his sister, Viola, used to venture across the border into Eire to buy essential food supplies to be cooked by their mother.

Charles Caruana, who went on to be appointed Bishop of Gibraltar, was a close friend and the two used to leave the camp and go into the fields where they would find turnips which they would uproot, wash in the waters of a clear stream, cut into strips and eat. To this day his passion for eating turnips has remained.

After a few months the family returned to Gibraltar where his sister, Irma, met and married the dashing Robert Peliza.

Victor, with the connivance of his father, somehow escaped being sent to school and so was never subjected to the rigorous discipline of the formidable Christian Brothers. Instead he had a succession of private tutors who included Elisa Carboni, John Sciacaluga and Joseph Reyes. For a short time he attended a small private school in Irish Town run by Lourdes Dotto who was also the Commissioner of Girl Guides, and where he eventually ended up as a general factotum and occasional teacher. He left this schooling at the age of 16 to learn “in the university of life where no academic requirements are necessary”.

His time as a reluctant soldier had given him more experience in cleaning lavatories than firing guns

His first job was as a book-keeper for a firm of building contractors followed by a stint as librarian running the Catholic bookshop in the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned. The years crept by and at 21 he was called up for National Service in the Gibraltar Defence Force then part of the Royal Artillery.

Due to some administrative oversight the authorities had to call up two intakes that year and as it was not possible to complete both, so his National Service was reduced to four and a half months. The officers responsible were Major Charlie Norton, Captain Bob Peliza (his brotherin-law which came in useful as Victor was not inclined to matters military), Lt Pepe Fabre, 2/Lt Peter Gray RA (who subsequently married Muriel Hume) and 2/Lt Terry Monaghan RA. The most memorable members of the intake were two Triay brothers JE and JJ. He remembers them being the barrack room lawyers always attached to their law tomes and ready to give advice should any of the intake get into trouble either militarily or civil. JE and JJ together with their medical student brother Sergio formed a group, the Trio Triay, who played once a week in a Nissen hut on Zoca flank battery. Victor was fine piano player who would always oblige when asked.

At the time of the RFA Bedenham explosion (27th April 1951) Victor was being drilled by the intake Sergeant Major. As soon as the explosion was heard the squad was ordered to lie face down on the parade ground. Victor, on seeing a huge mushroom cloud above the dockyard, could not resist peering over the parapet. Incredibly the intake was rushed down to the explosion site to pick up stray ammunition and load it into a three

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

profile

by Mike Brufal ton lorry in case there was another explosion.

This was the highlight of his military career, so it came as no surprise when he was not the winner of the Willy Thomson Key. His time as a reluctant soldier had given him more experience in cleaning lavatories than firing guns.

But once a military man always a military man and he became a civilian employee of the Royal Air Force at North Front. This, contrary to his time in khaki, was a pleasant experience as it enabled him to participate in local theatre.

Many theatre groups and societies were set up in Gibraltar — the Calpe Institute, Gibraltar Operatic Company, Catholic United Services Club, Gibraltar Theatre Guild, Royal Army Educational Corps Drama Group, to name but a few. The aspiring actors, actresses and vocalists had no loyalty to any particular association and the same names appeared on the plethora of programmes.

These included Muriel Hume, Joan Holyer, Guy Stagnetto, Louis Triay, Maribel Cumming, Lali Canessa, Brian Norton Amor, Michael Bossano, Louis Vasquez, Charles Caruana, Pepita Montegriffo and Christine Chiappe. The most famous producer and director was Father Mejes.

Victor appeared in many productions and was rewarded by a cartoon in the Gibraltar Chronicle paying tribute to his acting ability.

In 1954, aged 23, he joined Saccone and Speed as a wines and spirits salesman whose prime responsibility was for clients up the Marbella coastline and in Tangier. His new clients would be introduced thus; a call from the managing director, ‘Gravy’ Tench, whose office was on the first floor of the Main Street head office. “Will you tell Risso to come up”. Upon entering the inner sanctum he would be told “Risso, will you henceforth look after so and so”. Risso left the office, escorting the client (who was now a member of an exclusive club) downstairs.

The Managing Director surprised him in 1964 when he said “I want you to go and run the Sombrero restaurant in Cornwall’s Parade”.

Victor knew there was no point in telling him he had never been inside a restaurant other than as a customer. And so it came about, at the age of 34, he was manager of one of the Rock’s most famous restaurants specialising in clients from the Costa and Tangier with a smattering of Gibraltarians. Victor has a locker full of stories of his special clients, most unprintable.

One morning when Gibraltar was enduring a storm and the rain had entered the Saccone and Speed shop, the staff had taken off their shoes and socks and were standing at their desks with trouser legs rolled to the knees. An American liner was in port and a client came in and plonked four mink coats on Victor’s desk. The American said “I am off to the Far East on a cruise. I have to get back to the liner now and so would like you to look after these coats. Upon my return you will be cabled the date when the ship gets into Gibraltar and would you then return them to me”. No receipt, no address, just a name.

Victor took the coats home, his mother kept them in a wardrobe and from time to time they were worn by one of his girlfriends on a night out. The cable duly arrived so the coats were packed into a box and the porter returned them to the ship.

Then there was a Mr Wells who used to send bridles for his horses to Saccone and Speed care of Victor. These would be looked after and when Wells returned on his way to Tangier, Victor would go to the Mons Calpe at Waterport and hand the bridles over to him. Wells would

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

Socialite Eugenia Bankhead

Victor Risso

Transexual April Ashley

graciously say thank you and leave with a curt “Goodbye”.

One of his favourite clients was the transsexual April Ashley who, although beautiful to look at, was never able to alter her gruff deep male voice.

Lord St Oswald was a regular visitor and own-

Saccone and Speed also acted as a banker for clients. If they needed say £500 this sum would be issued and added to the bill. No one ever defaulted

er of a classic grey Rolls Royce. On his way to the airport he would call and ask Victor to look after the car while he was away in Yorkshire. Victor was given permission to use the car and so had pleasure in driving this wonderful car round the Rock. Rollo Oswald would telephone the night before his return and Victor would meet him at the airport with the car.

Victor says Saccone and Speed also acted as a banker for clients. If a client needed say £500 this sum would be issued and added to the bill. No one ever defaulted. It was all part of the service provided and was worth hundreds of pounds worth of advertising. Promotion was by word of mouth and countless new clients were friends of existing ones. Saccone and Speed was a de facto Embassy for its regular clients and nothing was too much trouble — from booking hotel rooms to organising tours. Clients became life long friends.

After the closure of the frontier in 1969 this spectacular service followed suit and became an entry in the Gibraltar firm’s distinguished history.

1963 saw a change in Victor’s lifestyle when Magda Descalzo-Pou agreed to be his wife and they were married by Bishop John Farmer Healey.

1966 saw the birth of a son, Robin, who today is a successful sound engineer in the world of popular music.

A regular client at the Sombrero was Eugenia Bankhead, the sister of American actress Tallulah.

Eugenia has the dubious distinction of marrying Morton Hoyt no less than three times — married, divorced, remarried, divorced, and then married again. After the second divorce she married Wilfred Butt, Howard Lee and Edward White, before returning to Hoyt.

Her first appearance at the Sombrero was late at night after the kitchen had closed. There was only one customer at the bar, a well-oiled local regular. Eugenia told Victor she was hungry. He said the only food nearby would be fish and chips from a takeaway in Cornwall’s Parade. She had never heard of this delicacy but ordered enough portions for her party. She wolfed down the fish and chips saying they were delicious. At this moment the drunk spilled his drink over her expensive dress. The quick thinking Victor grabbed a clean table cloth and draped it around her neck like a bib. This met with Eugenia’s approval and she riposted, “now he can throw all the drinks he likes over me.”

From then on Eugenia spent most of her time at the Sombrero. One evening Victor drove her to the casino. During the evening she asked him to get her £200, when that was gone she asked for another £300. As there was no receipt Victor was a worried man. He drove her back to the Mediterranean Hotel at Eastern Beach. The next morning the hotel called to say Miss Bankhead would be coming to the restaurant. He said that she must remain there and he would be down to collect her. This was out of self interest as had she been killed on the way back to town there would have been no record of the £500 debt! So he collected both her and the £500 and started a friendship that continued until her death (1979).

In 1967, with the worsening position at the frontier and the growing number of restrictions being imposed by General Franco, and mindful of his aversion to being confined to small spaces, Victor with the agreement of Magda moved to England where they have remained since.

Today they live in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, a short car ride from Stratford upon Avon, home of the bard whose plays he acted in on the stage in Gibraltar. The wheel has turned full circle. n

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opinion

where is Gibraltar?

a personal view by Paul de Beresford

The question can be answered in terms of its geography, economic performance, political and constitutional development, current and future climatic changes, stability, progress and morality.

Gibraltar was incredibly importantly located at the time of its capture by England in 1703 (as it was before the union with Scotland to form Great Britain), being at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea and controlling the movements of other nations’ fleets. Even before the time the Suez Canal was built in the following century, the United Kingdom (as it had become following the union with Ireland) had already begun its relatively short period of world domination after its very last war with France, before the unification of Italy and Germany and during the pre-occupation of the USA, with its own expansion into the former colonies of France and Spain to the south and west of the original colonies, not to mention their severe civil war.

So, almost by accident, Britain ruled supreme.

Gibraltar thrived even more with the opening of the Suez Canal and the diversion of shipping to the newly-named Indian Empire via this route.

But how did a small staging post become so important, that it survived the end of empire, the diminution of passenger traffic by sea, the reduction of the Royal Navy and Army and the

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attempted strangulation by Spain?

Well it was not remote, like some far-flung colonies were. It attracted European settlers capable of supervising the operations in a naval base with a manual labour force drawn from Spain. By accident, despite the progressive demise of Britain after both wars, Gibraltar remained a prized possession because it had been

How did a small staging post become so important, that it survived the end of empire, the diminution of passenger traffic by sea, the reduction of the Royal Navy and Army and the attempted strangulation by Spain?

so useful again during World War II, such that it was seen as an asset to Britain that should not be allowed independence at any price.

So whilst imperial Britain lost its jewel of India through inability to govern it, and the real price Britain paid to America in return for its essential help in the War was to give up its empire and allow the USA to own assets previously owned

by Britain, Gibraltar was not being offered “freedom”, but nor did it want it.

The great imperial power lost its ability to hold onto the more valuable pieces of Empire and yet little Gibraltar retained its importance as Britain continued to maintain a place on the world stage as if it was still powerful in its own right rather than as a side-kick to America.

Any Foreign Office desire to return Gibraltar to Spain, as had developed in the ’50s, was reversed somewhat in the ’80s when Britain was reminded of how useful the staging post was in the Falklands War, and because of the pressure from America for the UK never to give up Ascension Island (where neither democracy, nor a right of abode exist), but also to hold on to Gibraltar.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010 2010 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JANUARY

opinion This was demonstrated so well in the ridiculous attempt by the UK to agree the joint sovereignty over the residential and commercial streets of Gibraltar with Spain, but somehow retain absolute control of every slither of land used by the MoD in between. Gibraltar would have had more flags and signposts informing you what jurisdiction you were in (or leaving) in a particular part of a street, than the UN building in New York.

We never did learn whether there were to be joint Governors (sharing the Convent) or alternating ones. Yet another botch-up by an excolonial power who could not even satisfy the Irish sufficiently well with good government, so they were content within the UK, and then were unable to suppress a mere three million into remaining within so that Britain retained that useful strategically important place for its defence. And yet Britain, even today, thinks it can suppress many millions more in the two current wars.

When you have full democracy in the UK which results in the election of a government comprised of badly informed ministers (from, therefore, a poor civil service), who actually thought that Gibraltar bore resemblance to Northern Ireland and needed some sort of share of power with Spain, and completely missed the point in both places, then you wonder just how this mighty nation ever got where it was, other than by good luck and the decline and mistakes of others. It’s the equivalent of not winning a war, but more the opponents losing it (like parliamentary elections have been characterized).

Of course, I may, myself, have missed the point. I should have remembered my days as a member of the Carlton Club, that bastion of Conservative (and conservative) opinion, where the old duffers’ rationale for regarding Gibraltar as naturally part of Spain, was because Spanish is spoken here. By that theory, Britain should be the 51st state of America!

But what I mean is that, if you see Ulster as part of Ireland, with a few protestant (actually a million and a quarter of the island’s population) people in one place who don’t, then you can equate that with Gibraltar being half of the Campo, and equivalent to east Belfast or the Londonderry Waterside, and whose people merely have to be persuaded to drop their silly notions of being British (because the passport held is not of any real significance) and convert

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

to being Irish (and Gibraltarians likewise to Spanish).

People forget that Spain still regards the population here as planter settlers (as did the Irish of the 400-year-old protestant settlers), so belonging to a place is not just one’s own perception, but also those of the potential host.

So for the current government here to have, for the first time in history, taken control of the illogical situation today, without being trodden upon as previous governments were, resisted the threats by the UK Government to cripple the economy here if Gibraltar did not agree to come under Spanish effective control (as Northern Ireland is under the Republic of Ireland’s, without even a formal act of joint sovereignty), and still managed to wrestle a more dignified constitution out of Britain that did not subject the Chief Minister to getting a Deputy Governor’s permission to govern, and yet, at the same time, retaining British Citizenship because the soil still belongs to Britain itself, is one big achievement.

The current constitutional position has been further improved by the inclusion of Gibraltar as a full top-table member of any governmental negotiations or discussions or agreements, with a full veto. I do not believe others now wanting power, had the ability to secure this.

The massively improved standards of living and housing and quality and comfort and pay of the jobs done by Gibraltarians in the last decade and a half, might easily be taken for granted, or imagined to be by good fortune rather than good

The current constitutional position has been further improved by the inclusion of Gibraltar as a full toptable member of any governmental negotiations or discussions or agreements, with a full veto

government, but would have been sacrificed by others who would have still risked Gibraltar’s constitutional status, but not secured it. We have been fortunate to have secured the more important status and further have gained the higher living standards as well. Anyone contemplating a different future, should contemplate and understand the risk.

Of course, what point of any of this if we do not survive global warming or a major world religious war; if good parenting of children by their own parents continues to decline, if obesity continues to run away, pollution by ever larger, taller, longer, fatter cars ruins our lungs; if crime, violence, terrorism and vandalism continue to rise (and not just committed by outsiders) and our age-old faith in God is replaced by the worship of celebrity and greed with less and less sincerity and a society made up of box tickers who apply no depth to the “why”, as they obsess on the “what” and “when”. n

PAUL de BERESFORD is a UK-qualified tax practitioner whose past clients as a partner of a Top-20 firm in the City of London included Graff, Halfords, Texas Homecare, Sir Henry Moore Foundation, College of Law, Communication Workers’ Union, Tata, Chez Gerard, British Car Parks, Aldi, Richer Sounds, Ponti’s, Alitalia, Kwik-Fit and La Senza.

He now specialises in domicile & residence from his Main St office: on 200 400 93 or in UK on 020 8144 1249 Email: flagship@ gibtelecom.net

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profile

A

Julio Pons:

people E R O F BE politics Though he grew up in post-war Gibraltar, Julio Pons was actually born in Richmond, Yorkshire after his mother, pregnant at the time, was evacuated from Gibraltar to an army camp in 1942. His father, also Julio, was a sergeant and driver for the Governor and other visiting dignitaries to the Rock including the Queen, Montgomery and Winston Churchill (that is a story for another day). After just a year in the UK, Julio’s family returned to the Gibraltar, and over the last 67 years, Julio jnr has certainly left his mark with his solid convictions and unwavering influence at street level to add his grain of sand to Gibraltar’s future.

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t 18 years of age, Julio joined the 642 Royal Signals as a phone mechanic, and along with other household names today such as Joe Bossano and Jose Netto found himself involved in the Trade Union movement.

“There was a great divide between the English, Gibraltarian and Spanish workers on the Rock.

The dockyard, the major employer in Gibraltar during the ’50s for example had one set of toilets for the English, another for the locals and yet another for the Spanish,” Julio remembers. “I think this sets the scene for how things worked on the Rock back then. The segregation was present at most levels. I was a Shop Steward, and in the ’70s it came to a head when we fought for parity of wages with those of the United Kingdom.

“There was one incident when we were protesting and the police arrested those of us who they saw as ring leaders. We spent three days in Moorish Castle prison before I was brought in before Judge Alcantara. When he asked what I was doing there I simply told him that we were working so that he and all the others in the room could earn the same wages as the British in Gibraltar. No charges were place and the whole case was dismissed.”

It wasn’t until 1978 that full parity was achieved after four years of industrial action, and whilst many of his Trade Union counterparts moved on to take political positions, Julio felt that wasn’t right for him: “I felt I was doing good work as Shop Steward, and although I was offered promotion within my job, I declined as a managerial role would have stopped me being involved with the Union,” he explains. “I have strong convictions on what is right and what is wrong and have always strived to better Gibraltar for its people. I quickly found that in politics it is very difficult to stick to the black and white. There are too many grey areas and ways which you are obliged to compromise.

“I think I have spent my time wisely. Gibraltar has moved forwards positively in so many ways since the days of the border closure, and I’m proud to have been able to put forward the needs of the people on the street and to have lobbied for Gibraltar overseas too.”

Instantly recognisable from his long silver hair and sideburns, Julio has often been seen as the focal point for visuals on news reports both locally and internationally, but he shrugs off that suggestion.

“I don’t think they focus on me in particular, it’s just that I am there at the front supporting the causes

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

profile

Not afraid to put his placard where his mouth is: Julio Pons campaigning outside the Convent (this photo); Help us to Help Them, supporting the Dr Giraldi Home in Casemates (top right); and (right) Defending Gibraltar internationally outside the Houses of Parliament, London, UK

which I feel need supporting. That I’m noticed more often than others is probably because I stand out with my features — and my hair does make me a little more conspicuous than others maybe.”

Having said that, Julio has often been seen as a solitary figure with his placard outside the convent rallying for one cause or another.

“It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that I spend my life pointing out the negative and am always against the Government, but that just isn’t true,” Julio continues. “I actually get on well with the majority of politicians and have worked with them positively on many occasions too.

“One day I may be outside the convent with my placard, and the next I might be in the office of the Chief Minister discussing a situation where we are trying to help a particular person or cause. I believe in taking the right stance for different situations and keeping those situations separated.

“I’m often invited to official functions and more than once someone has quipped ‘Here we are enjoying

a glass of champagne together and tomorrow you’ll probably be outside my office with a placard!’ That is the essence of how I try to help.

Through dialogue whenever possible and raising awareness through protesting when I, or a group that I represent, feel that’s needed too.”

Julio is very much a man on the street. Chairman of the Laguna Tenants’ Association for 40 years now, and also of the Laguna Social Club, he also represents the charity Help Us to Help Them.

“It’s quite a low key project which has been running now for over 30

“

years,” he says. “It’s very much a community support project where maybe someone needs something they don’t have the means for, we look at the case and try to help out.

It might be fixing a leak in a flat or sourcing a washing machine — the little everyday things which are often taken for granted which some people can’t stretch to.”

The cause is funded by different activities and donations, for example the regular donations by the Salsa Club which meets each week in the Laguna Social Club, but Julio has often chipped in with his own

One day I may be outside the convent with my placard, and the next I might be in the office of the Chief Minister discussing a situation where we are trying to help a particular person or cause

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

”

fund raising tactics: “On one occasion I was sponsored to stand for 24 hours by the flag on the top of the Rock at the northern end. Although it was summer, a strong Levanter came in that night — it was freezing! The only thing that kept me going was the heat from the spotlights which gave me a little warmth. I’ve done several sponsored walks too, including walking from Malaga to Gibraltar which took me 37 hours.”

Between the social work which Julio has taken on for himself, he also seems to find time to tend to the animal corner at St Martin’s Special School which again, he’s been doing for the last 30 years, and seeming to not want to waste a moment, when we met him he’d just returned from a meeting with the government where he’s trying find ways to help rehabilitated drug addicts back into society by finding job opportunities.

Julio summed up his personal perspective quite concisely when he commented: “I like to think in terms of people, rather than politics.” ■

35

opinion

by Sonia Golt

A person who uses quotes such as ‘Life is too short’ and ‘Live the life you love, Love the life you live’ as part of her life’s philosophy is sure to be a fun person full of creative ideas; a charismatic personality with an enthusiasm for life. Well I’ve found her, and her name is Odette Benatar.

Odette Benatar

Life’s tooShort 36

Odette’s father, well known locally as Brammy, owner of the Queen’s Cinema and the Leisure Cinemas, took Odette as a young girl to most of his business meetings — she would plead to miss school one afternoon a week to attend them “My father originally worked for the Queen’s Cinema but after a lot of years in the work force there he got the opportunity to buy shares in the company and gradually he continued to buy more and more until he was the sole owner.

This happened in the late ’70s or early ’80s. Dad needed help and I was ready, willing and able.

For many years both my sister and I helped him, we became his secretary and administrator. We learned by mistakes but we helped him and he helped us to learn the tricks of the trade — it was fascinating.”

This upbringing got her hooked on cinema/ entertainment and was to later encompass organising functions and events which have proved so successful she is still doing it now as a mother of three.

“Once we had decided to open the Leisure Cinemas it was I who took on the administration of this venue. Initially I contacted a company in England who are experts in setting up cinema venues and they came over and together we made all the decisions to decorate and prepare the cinemas for the opening. It was all very professional and I learned a great deal from them to the extent of having to find out what type of popcorn machinery was suitable for our venue — things I had never dealt with before. It was a learning process for me.

“Now I oversee everything. The distributor we work with sends us a schedule on the latest releases and we choose what we think is suitable for the Gibraltar public, as we know from past experience what the community enjoys and likes.

We have to struggle to get the films here on the release dates and what we pay for them depends on the takings, sometimes for a blockbuster we could be paying up to 65% of the takings. Yes, as much as that!”

Cinema tickets cost £4 for children and £5 for adults in Gibraltar (in London you might expect to pay around £10 for a cinema ticket) but still people complain it is expensive. However, in UK pensioners do get a better deal. We wondered why this does not happen here?

“Nobody from the Senior Citizens Club or the Pensioner’s Club has come to request this officially. If this is done then we would certainly look into it. There are so many things one has to do to run a business it is possible that something

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profile of this nature does not cross our mind but that does not mean we may not implement it!

“We do lots of deals with schools, both locally and from Spain, and recently we were asked by a local school to show the film The Christmas Carol for school children who were studying the book. We did. We have also shown films for the environmental group on request as we try to accommodate people if we find we can help. These things entail a lot of work, a lot of preparation and organising and a great deal of time too!”

Odette went on to explain how she got into events organising.

“I remember my dad used to organise most of the functions held at the Assembly Rooms years ago. I saw how he did it and I must have learned things from him. My family have all been very arty people, even my family in Venezuela have a business called La Piñata which organises parties and functions. I also got involved with the late William Gomez in organising the Miss Gibraltar pageant. He was the producer and I worked as director ensuring he had all he needed for the show, the set, the sponsors, the programmes etc.

From that moment on I found I not only seemed to have the knack for this type of work but I was enjoying every minute.

“I then went on to organise the fun day, the concerts and the political rally for National Day which I did this for five consecutive years, because I felt I wanted to give something back to the community. I did it without charging a fee, but then this was what really got my business off the ground. I have done the Gibraltar Fair ‘Caseta’ for a few years too and then a series of

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big corporate events, parties, openings, special celebrations etc, both locally and in Sotogrande.

One included a big party for the Duchess of York who requested a Mariachi band that I had to fly down from Madrid as I could not find one anywhere nearer.”

Does Odette intend to organising another Miss Gibraltar contest in the future?

“I have not tendered this year because the tender came out before Kaiane won the Miss World title, and I felt that the Miss Gibraltar pageant’s has lost its appeal. It is no longer the social event of the year like it used to be years back. It has lost its glamour, people do not dress up for it anymore like they did then. But now after we have a Miss World amongst us it may all be rekindled and come back as the special show of the year once again. So, who knows, I may tender in the future.”

Oddette does not organise events alone and has people she can call when she need their collaboration as work is not always constant. “I always have the same PA system team as they

“

I have learned that problems resolve themselves sooner or later and I do not let myself get stressed out anymore unless I really have to

”

know what I need and want most of the time, then I have caterers etc... and I am lucky that my three daughters also help even though they are all different ages, but they like me enjoy it.

“I learned watching my dad closely, now they, in turn, are learning from me about this type of business without even realising it. Somehow I do not think any of them will be interested in continuing in this field. Nicole is still too young to know at 12, Amy is 16 and studying for her O’levels this year so too busy for anything else and my eldest Robyn, who is 19, is studying at university in UK (Sports, Exercise and Nutrition — something totally different). Still when I need them they all join me and help and they actually enjoy it, it is not a shore for them. Usually I have more work when they are on holiday as it is during the summer months when I organise more functions and then it is easier to rope them in!”

And in her spare time? What does Odette enjoy the most?

“I enjoy time with my kids. That is the most important factor in my life... because my vision in life is that life is too short, I want to spend time with them enjoying things together so spending whatever money I make with them is always a pleasure. The best investment for me is time with them and with my many friends. I have learned that problems resolve themselves sooner or later and I do not let myself get stressed out anymore unless I really have to. I try to keep to my philosophy of making life worth living. I love the Yoga Sutras of Pantajali, specially no 33, that sums it all up: Friendliness toward the happy, Compassion for the unhappy, Delight in the virtuous, Disregard for the wicked.” n

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charity events

Youth Centre fundraising event A group of 23 young people who are regular participants of the Youth Centre held a fundraising event in February at the ICC. They all brought cakes they had made to sell and also raffled a hamper to collect funds for the ongoing programme of events at the Youth Centre.

Gaggero Foundation Sponsor Girlguiding Gibraltar In conjunction with the bi-centenary celebrations of the Bland Group of Companies and the centenary celebrations of the Girlguiding Gibraltar Association, Rosanne Gaggero Brodermann, on behalf of the Gaggero Foundation, announced their sponsorship of the recently published Girlguiding Cookery Book and meeting the cost (£20,000) of the association history book which will be published later this year.

the local guiding in Gibraltar and to a hardship fund which will enable girls from all backgrounds to benefits from a safe girl-only space and towards a much needed refurbishment project at the out of doors activity centre up the Rock.

Without the Gaggero Foundation’s sponsorship this venture would not have become a reality. Thanks also go to Moira Dalmedo, and to Claire Montado — without her knowledge and design expertise, this project would not have been possible. Also, to all those Girlguiding member who gave their favourite recipes to make this venture a success. n

The cake stall is part of the young peoples’ efforts to raise funds to meet the costs of taking part in the Sierra Nevada residential/ trip. It also provides those taking part in this project the opportunity of working together as a team and commitment to the same.

Other projects will be taking place later in the year. Young people are encouraged and supported at all times to consider opportunities brought to their notice and to contribute with their own ideas and proposals.

The winning raffle ticket went to Mrs Karen Downey. The Youth Centre would like to thank Mr Joseph Cassaglia from Mini Market who kindly donated the hamper. n

The Gaggero family have connections with the Girlguidng Gibraltar because Lady Mabel Gaggero (Rosanne’s grandmother) was the Commissioner from 1950 to 1952 and now Rosanne’s daughter Isabella is a brownie in UK. As part of the 100 years Girlguiding celebrations and thanks to the generosity of the Gaggero Foundation, the long-awaited update to Gibraltar Favourite Recipes (first published by the Gibraltar Girl Guide Association in 1956) will be published, as well as later on in the year the History of Girlguiding in Gibraltar.

The proceeds from these books, will go into

Sharing the Love Jay Love the UK psychic held various group shows in Gibraltar during January, through which he raised a grand total of £1,050.00 for charity. We would like to thank Jay for visiting Gibraltar and kindly donating the money he raised to the Gibraltar Community Association (charity no. 163). A further thanks to all those individuals who organised the events, as well as those who attanded, and to St. Theresa’s Club. Well done everyone! n

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

what’s new

Get Minx’d at Aftershock From this month onwards, there’s a new service on offer at Aftershock on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons as Heidi from Simply Nailz offers her bespoke nail service which is all the rage with celebrities across the world.

Minx is a relatively new and innovative way to designer fingernails, with over 170 designs available to make your fingers sparkle and Heidi is the first to offer this service this side of Marbella.

The product itself is different as in rather than painting the nails, the range of Minx designs come ready to adapt to your fingernails with an adhesive back, and each is heated in to place, so there’s no time-out waving your hands in the air waiting for your nails to dry before you can get your keys out of your handbag.

Call in to see Heidi at Aftershock, and you can be walking out with new nails in next to no time — around half an hour including filing, shaping, sanitising and application of the nail armour. If you’re already thinking of popping in to Aftershock to spoil your mother with a new outfit for Mother’s Day, why not treat her to matching nails at the same time.

Heidi can be contacted through Aftershock on 20060100 for appointments — or why not arrange your own Minx-Me party with a group of friends. n

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39

lifestyle

by Elena Scialtiel

Michell’s son got some backstage helping duties in the hilarious adult comedy Anyone for Breakfast?, but Michelle got a call-back from the director praising her stage presence and pleading for her to consider the co-protagonist role — an offer to debut as an actress after lifelong experience in the spotlight as fashion model.

Michelle accepted the challenge of delivering lines — without having to shout herself hoarse like when she was in a rock band!

— in the part of a devoted wife lured into first-time cheating on dear hubby by her socalled friend, actually having an affair with said husband.

She enjoyed it so much (and got raving reviews from critics and audience alike) that she was hooked on the thespian world and landed major parts in the next comedies to be directed by Howard Danino.

Far from being typecast, Michelle played the cabaret starlet in A Bedfull of Foreigners staged last autumn to celebrate the Amateur Drama Association’s tenth anniversary with roaring laughter and thunderous applause.

She definitely stole the show in her scanty lingerie and feather boa, tiptoeing around in diamante killer heels and chirruping in a very convincing French accent she created

She definitely stole the show in her scanty lingerie and feather boa, tiptoeing around in diamante killer heels

Michelle Francis

the chameleon Comedienne Michelle Francis was discovered by chance when she accompanied her teenage son to a GADA audition two years ago.

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after studying her lines with a native French acquaintance who advised her on how to steer clear of caricature. And in the finale she wore a backless bottomless nun’s attire and just waddled away, hands joined in prayer, curtains down!

The biggest obstacle to her confidence was appearing on stage virtually in the nude, so Michelle bit the bullet and went for a skincoloured catsuit to give the optical illusion she was hopping around in her underwear while in fact she was feeling comfortably fully-clothed and safe from mishaps.

She picked the outfits for her sexy character, since the director usually gives almost carte blanche (with a bit of fine tuning) to his cast in styling their characters’ moves, speech and costumes, whenever compatible with the script.

She’s doing it again for her role in GADA’s forthcoming production Holiday Snap where she plays the snooty well-maintained flamboyant country lady who, suspicious of her future son-in-law’s true motives for a trip to Portugal, ends up in a timeshare holiday villa busy with mismatched couples.

Luckily her modelling career has trained Michelle to flaunt with poise any outfit which is so not ‘her’, for she would never be seen off stage in loud florals and layered gold

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lifestyle chains!

A rocketing career that took her to Madrid and the UK, Michelle was the muse of very talented fashion designer Eduardo Viotto, creator of her wedding dress, who passed away of HIV in times when the disease was little known and heavily stigmatised.

Michelle was pregnant with her first child at the time and, watching her friend withering away while she was carrying a new life, moved her to wonder about the true sense of our fleeting existence.

She attended Nalanie Chellaram’s talks and found solace in yoga philosophy and practice, meditating on the transiency of any given moment, and how it must be enjoyed to the fullest, no matter how insignificant or annoying it is, freeing the mind from the superfluous, imaginary worries which eventually take their toll on our body.

Our body, says Michelle, which we must keep in tiptop condition because it is the shell of our soul and mind which cannot function without it. That’s why Michelle portrays and preaches the symbiosis and equilibrium of our physical and spiritual essence in yoga positions, which go beyond simple gymnastics to keep the joints supple and become a holistic lifestyle.

We are natural beings who may enjoy the little miracles of nature, like rainbows or the first spring buds: thus we can make room in our busy life for everyone and everything, experimenting

without giving up at the first attempt, when it is really worth it, we really want it, like it but we’re not good at it.

Fear of failure doesn’t stop toddlers from standing up again when they fall and the competitive edge doesn’t push them to measure up to unrealistic role models, but to give the best of themselves. With this attitude, focused Michelle grows using her spare time productively, and fits drama in her busy schedule as restaurant manageress, charity activist and yoga teacher.

The fun part for her is to bringing the character to life at early rehearsals, reading the script with the rest of the cast and watching it shaping up before her eyes — and the trickiest part is not bursting out in giggles listening to the others acting out on stage!

Michelle describes A Bedfull of Foreigners as ‘a scream of play’ and hopes that Holiday Snap will compare to it, with its brilliant all-star cast and juicy plot.

She praises the renaissance of theatre in Gibraltar, with so many diverse productions going on at the Spring and Autumn Festivals, something for all tastes, yes by amateurs, but professionally performed indeed.

She feels at home at the Ince’s Hall, however she laments it isn’t wheelchair friendly, and the stairs may prove too much to climb for some seasoned theatre lovers. What a pity, for the show is definitely worthy of some kind of temporary or permanent accessibility arrangement. n

Michelle uses her spare time productively, and fits drama in her busy schedule as restaurant manageress, charity activist and yoga teacher

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history file

Water, water, everywhere

nor any drop to drink?

Samuel Taylor Coleridge was writing of the plight of his shipwrecked Ancient Mariner, but his words could describe the situation of millions across the globe even now.

It is a sad truth that we never valIn a way, they were eleven years ue what we don’t have to struggle late. In 1865, lovers of maps and for. Those of us lucky enough to live detailed diagrams had become in the fraction of the world where almost indecently excited by the pure water gushes freely from our appearance of the very first trigotaps take it for granted, squander nometrical survey of the Rock, the it with abandon, and consider it publication of which coincided a disaster if the supply ceases for with the appointment of its pioneer even an hour. corps of sanitary commissioners.

Which of us, during the day, or It was a moment of dynamism on that midnight stumble to the and hope, and somebody who bathroom, pauses to wonder where knew how to rivet the attention and how the miracle of potable of the table at an elegant dinner water delivered direct to our homes party suggested that a report on began? Surely, like the sea, the air, the water supply to the people of the sky, and Kellogg’s cornflakes, it Gibraltar would be just the thing. was always with us.

The idea received a round of apOf course, that isn’t true, particu- plause and someone in authority, larly in a tiny territory like Gibral- using words later appropriated by tar. Anyone who finds it odd that the captain of the Starship Enterthe provision of drinking water on prise, narrowed his eyes, and said, a rock surrounded on three sides “Make it so”. by the sea is a problem should take Then cholera broke out, and noa stroll to Eastern Beach, fill a cup body wanted to come. For the next with brine and take a long, cool- decade the survey was proposed ing draught. Ah... I sense a general reluctance. The Neanderthal fellow whose skull ended up in Forbes’ Quarry knew the difference, and probably died gasping with his tongue hanging out when the rains failed.

But we need not go back to prehistory. As late as the third quarter of the 19th century the lack of potable water was the chief reason for Gibraltar’s repeated outbreaks of cholera. Something clearly had to be done.

Cometh the hour, cometh the men. Step forward Andrew Ramsay and James Geikie, officers of the Geological Survey of Great Britain and Ireland, who arrived in Gibraltar in the autumn of 1876 to report on the water supply to the garrison and Andrew Ramsey town.

many times, only to be postponed.

There was always something just a bit more urgent to do or be done.

In 1876, Andrew Ramsay succeeded to the Director Generalship of the Geological Survey, and decided the time for action had finally come.

He and his assistant, Geikie, arrived in Gibraltar on 19th September. They stayed for more than a month, sailing for home on 25th October. Their report, published on 16th January 1877, was accompanied by a set of coloured maps and diagrams, copies of which may be seen today at the Geological Survey library in Keyworth, Nottingham.

Ramsay, who was not blind, saw immediately that the Jurassic limestone which formed the Rock was riddled with caves and fissures that rapidly disposed of the water which fell during the rainy season. He deduced that powerful freshwater springs should be found around sea level on the Rock’s eastern side and where the limestone met shale to the west.

Sadly, it was not the case. A few springs were discovered, but the water running from them was brackish and undrinkable.

The limestone was just too permeable. Instead of accumulating in underground pools, the rainwater simply seeped away. The experiment had to be considered a failure, and Ramsay’s concluded that the sinking of a deep artesian well in search of potable water was futile.

He turned his eyes instead to the sandy isthmus, but results there were patchy. A well sunk in 1869, seven years before Ramsay and Geikie’s visit, had been

It was a moment of dynamism and hope, and somebody who knew how to rivet the attention of the table at an elegant dinner party suggested that a report on the water supply to the people of Gibraltar would be just the thing 42

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history file

by Dave Wood promising, but water from another in 1875 had again proved undrinkable. The salinity of water taken from such wells was wildly variable; something Ramsay, hedging his bets like a true expert, put down either to seawater being blown onto the sands during gales, or to the evaporation of freshwater during the heat of the summer.

When the 1869 well was drilled, a layer of clay was discovered approximately 30 feet below the surface. Ramsay felt that any freshwater percolating through the sand might be stopped in its tracks by the clay, and therefore it was imperative to test the water drawn from that level. He also wanted to know the nature of the bedrock beneath the sand. The hills to the north of La Linea were chiefly of sandstone and if, as seemed likely, the bedrock beneath the isthmus was the same, it might well prove to be a source of the fresh water he was seeking.

The chief recommendation in his report was that the possibility of such reserves should be thoroughly investigated.

Starting at the end of 1878, and continuing until February 1879, a borehole was drilled to a depth of 73.5 feet. The first 30 feet or so was sand, followed by around four feet of clay, another couple of feet of sand and then... limestone! The lower layer of sand was too thin to produce significant amounts of fresh water, and the limestone disappointingly forming the bedrock was, of course, as porous as that above. The sinking of the borehole had produced nothing beyond the knowledge it had been useless.

News of this must have unhinged Ramsay’s mind, since in 1879, despite being proved spectacularly and expensively wrong, he wrote to Geikie in high spirits, celebrating the fact their conclusions in Gibraltar had proved “correct”. Water on the brain?

To be fair, it wasn’t their fault.

Their ideas had been sound enough, they had done their best, and if the Rock was perverse enough to be made of the wrong stuff they could hardly be blamed. Nevertheless, it was back to the drawing board which, happily, no-one had thrown away in a fit of premature euphoria.

Next man up to the plate with his slide-rule in his pocket was Major Hector Tulloch of the Royal Engineers. It was 1890. The 19th century was almost done, and still Gibraltar had no reliable supply of drinking water.

Tulloch did not share Ramsay’s optimistic view that the sandstone of those tantalizingly close Spanish mountains extended to the land beneath the isthmus, but he didn’t dismiss it out of hand. The

James Geikie

The lower layer of sand was too thin to produce significant amounts of fresh water, and the limestone disappointingly forming the bedrock was, of course, as porous as that above celebrated borehole of 1878 had only penetrated a metre of the limestone it encountered, and it was not impossible this was merely a large boulder and the elusive sandstone lay below it. He arranged for a new borehole to be drilled just in case.

He also disagreed with Ramsay on another point. His predecessor had pooh-poohed the idea the Rock itself might hold the answer.

Tulloch was not so sure. When rain fell on Gibraltar, as it occasionally did in the winter, it certainly flooded Main Street, but it did not result in the formation of rivers. It had to be sinking through the rock down to sea level where, given that the specific gravity of salt water is greater than that of fresh, it should lie above the latter.

By a complex series of deductions which it would be tedious and unnecessary to explain to so well-informed a readership, he decided the water was discharging itself on the southern end of the east coast. Drilling a well to reach it was clearly a waste of time, and he proposed instead that a horizontal shaft be drilled from east to west in order to catch it before it was lost.

The shaft, or “adit”, was to start in the area of Trafalgar Cemetery, and end somewhere around Catalan Bay. It was not an entirely new idea. Something very similar had been suggested earlier by a civil engineer named John Dixon.

Major Tulloch, like Dixon, was listened to politely but ignored, either for political reasons or considerations of cost. Instead of his

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suggested adit, four reservoirs were constructed within the rock over the next decade. Between 1911 and 1914, a fifth was constructed with a

capacity of two million gallons.

This proliferation of catchment reservoirs did not entirely solve the problem. In years of low rainfall the water in them became stagnant and unpleasantly salty. 1931 was a particularly bad year, but Henri Tremolet thought he had the answer. Tremolet was not an engineer, civil or otherwise. He was a water diviner, and by waving his diving rod over a map he “discovered” a source of potable water lying close to the surface on the east side of the Rock. He offered to come to Gibraltar to continue his work, but the council was unwilling to finance his trip if all he had to offer was mumbo-jumbo and a forked twig.

Today we turn on our taps and expect, indeed DEMAND that fresh water will gush from them, but the problem has never really been satisfactorily solved. The visits of Ramsay, Geikie and Tulloch were followed by that of Arthur Beeby Thompson in 1933, E. B. Bailey in 1943, P.I. Manning in 1967, and P. K. Cruse in 1975. It goes on.

Drinking water doesn’t grow on trees. So next time you’re brushing your teeth, don’t leave the tap running. And isn’t it time you finally fixed that drip? Think of Ramsay and Geikie and the rest. It’s the very least you can do. n

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Gibraltar connection

by Reg Reynolds

ice hockey’s

rock of gibraltar

photos and images courtesy Jean Bouchard, Emile’s son

My favourite ice hockey team is playing in its 100th season and as part of the anniversary celebrations the club has retired the jersey of defenceman Emile Bouchard, a.k.a. ‘The Rock of Gibraltar’.

Emil Bouchard with four replica’s of the Stanley cup during the 1990s

Lord Stanley’s Cup When Lord Stanley of Preston went to Canada as Governor General (1888-1893) he developed an interest in the relatively new game of ice hockey.

Stanley, who was Colonial Secretary in 1885 and 1886, was first exposed to the game at Montreal’s 1889 Winter Carnival. The Montreal Gazette reported that he “expressed his great delight with the game of hockey and the expertise

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of the players”.

Lord Stanley’s whole family became enthusiastic about the game.

Two sons Arthur and Algernon formed a new team called the Ottawa Rideau Rebels and Arthur played a key role in the formation of the Ontario Hockey Association which runs amateur hockey in the Province to this day.

In the interests of promoting the game Lord Stanley decided there

When a player’s jersey is retired it is hoisted to the ceiling of the home arena and no player will ever wear that number again.

Bouchard wore No. 3 for 15 seasons (eight as captain) for the Montreal Canadiens of Canada’s National Hockey League and during that time the ‘Flying Frenchmen’ as they were nicknamed captured the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the playoff championship, four times.

Almost every Canadian has played hockey (Canadians don’t use the adjective ice but call the other game field hockey) and virtually every Canadian home will boast a table-top hockey game. My brother Ricky and I received our Newspaper caricature from February 1953 first version of the game under the Montreal heroes win the champitree at Christmas 1955. I picked the onship that season. It was to be the red team, he picked the blue team first of five in a row much to my and to this day I support the red- delight and the envy of my little jersied Montreal Canadiens and he brother.

I do remember that Bouchard cheers for the blue-shirted Toronto was big — six-foot-two and 205 Maple Leafs.

As a Western Canadian my af- pounds — and was a ‘stay at home’ filiation to the Quebec-based Ca- defenceman who rarely ventured nadiens is an unusual one. Until past centre ice and was almost imexpansion in 1969 there were just possible to get past. It was the latter six teams in the National Hockey ability that earned him the nickLeague and only two of those were name “Rock of Gibraltar.”

Sadly in recent times both our in Canada — Toronto and Montreal. Most of the fans in Ontario teams have fallen on hard times. were English speaking and rooted Although Montreal has won a refor the Toronto Maple Leafs while cord 24 Stanley Cups the last win the majority in Quebec were French came in 1993. Rick’s Maple Leafs speaking and cheered for the Mon- who have won a second-best 13 treal Canadiens, who were also Cups haven’t won since 1967, beatknown as Les Habitants after the ing my Habs 4-2 in that best-ofseven series. first French settlers of Quebec.

This season things look pretMost other Canadians tended to support the American teams ty bleak again as the Canadiens — Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit are currently 18th in the 30-team Red Wings, New York Rangers and league and Ricky’s Maple Leafs are Boston Bruins because those teams 28th. Now, however, we can cheer had formerly been based in West- for other Canadian teams as there ern Canadian cities and tended to are three in the West — Vancouver draw most of their talent from the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames and another in the Prairie Provinces.

My recollections of Bouchard are East — Ottawa Senators.

Emile “The Rock of Gibraltar” faint because I was only eight years old when he retired in 1956. But Bouchard celebrated his 90th birthDad had purchased our first tele- day on 4th September, 2009 and vision set that year and I was able was on hand for the retirement certo watch Bouchard and my other emony in December. n

should be an annual challenge cup.

He purchased a decorative bowl, forged in Sheffield, England for ten guineas (650 pounds in today’s money). He had Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup engraved on one side and From Stanley of Preston on the other.

The first winners of the Stanley Cup in 1893 were the Montreal Hockey Club and the last winners in 2009 were the Pittsburgh Penguins. Every year the names of all the players on the winning team are engraved onto silver rings so now the once small bowl is supported by a huge base making it one of the largest trophies in the world of sport.

“Butch Bouchard” as he was also known as captain in his prime

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Quality Interiors

going cheap...

is it a false economy?

You may be looking to save every penny you have when furnishing your property, but is this always the wisest move?

Many people, having invested in a property, don’t have much left over for furnishings and the days of banks lending more than the property is worth are long gone. It is more often the case that buyers are looking at the cheapest alternatives when it comes to furnishing a property, especially if the end user will be a renter. But is this really good economics?

Probably not. While you often need to keep an eye on your immediate budget, it makes much more sense to look for the best quality furniture you can afford, even if this means maybe fully furnishing your property over a period of time.

The pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to quality, and shopping around in Gibraltar you’ll be able to compare different products

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and make the right choice. Quality doesn’t have to break the bank either. Seeking professional advice locally, you’ll often find that spending the little extra can mean expanding the life-span of your furniture by double — or even more!

Found a comfy sofa? Check out what’s inside and investigate to find the most stable and long-lasting materials which will maintain

form and comfort over the years.

The same goes for other items of furniture. Check the build quality carefully and with wood, the harder the better as it will maintain shape over the years.

Cheap items are usually cheap for a reason, and replacing them regularly can prove costly. With furnishings, look very carefully before you leap. n

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Property

somewhere old somewhere new At present, with a wide range of old property and new developments available to purchase, you might want to weigh up the pros and cons before buying. Each property has its own advantages and disadvantages, and these need to be taken in to careful consideration before making what is often a long-term decision.

It is often thought that older properties are of better build and that craftmanship isn’t what it used to be, but that is not necessarily so.

Modern developments will include a sounder structural base as well as applying to the stringent safety controls in place in this day and age. You also have the advantage of a guarantee on the new property

from the constructors. And in any case, good craftsmen are around today just as they were a hundred years ago.

Older properties can have their benefits too. When you find one in good condition that has weathered time this can far outweigh the value of the constructors’ guarantee and you’ll often find the price-tag a little

Check for inferior quality of materials and fittings, and take into account what these will cost you to put right if they are not under guarantee by the developer

things we like

iRobot Roomba We saw this cool little robot at Khubchand on Main Street (from £325 for the 520 model) and thought it was a great way to keep floors clean with no effort at all. Just switch it on and leave it alone, it’ll potter about picking up dust and softly bouncing off in a different direction whenever it reaches a solid object.

For those of you techno geeks though, the Roomba opens a world of possibilities. You’ll find some cool hacks online to control it from the motion sensor in your Macbook Pro or even your mobile phone, as well as a whole book dedicated to incorporating a web-cam, connecting to wifi, and even giving it a new brain and installing Linux. The best bit is that none of this messing about voids the guarantee, so you can play to your heart’s delight! Who said housework was boring... n

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Property lower in to the bargain.

However, moving to the old town, you could be lumbered with the inconvenience of minimal parking as well as a third floor flat with no lift, but the benefits of the ambient character and incredible views across the town might be just what you’re looking for.

At the end of the day you need to weight up your personal circumstances, taste and budget. Other things which may come into the equation may be your DIY skills if you’re looking at renovating an older property. Even if it is already in good condition you may find you need to bring a few aspects up to scratch, in particular old electrics — and you’ll need to think carefully about that one, if the property is of the three foot thick wall variety, often found on the Rock, you might have to do some major works on ceilings or floors to accommodate.

You’ll need to beware of repair work done on an older property, as it’s not often a professional who’s done the work but an avid DIYer. Check out all the rooms thoroughly and take notes on anything which might be immediate problems, but more importantly, look at things which will become a problem in the future — often these are the most expensive to fix.

New properties aren’t without their glitches either though. With sub-contractors often undercutting each other to take the work, sometimes standards aren’t quite what they appear on the surface. Check for inferior quality of materials and fittings, and take into account what these will cost you to put right if

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

they are not under guarantee by the developer.

Newer property will have better insulation for the winter months, although often an older property in Gibraltar will already have had an upgrade in that respect. If you’re looking to put in air conditioning and heating, making sure it will

work efficiently and cost effectively in your new home is essential.

As we said before, it’s very much up to your personal taste, budget and expectations. The best solid advice is to select a variety of both old and new properties to view. This will help you to make the best decision on which is right for you. n

47

ah

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48 48

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE •• MARCH 2010 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MARCH 2010

Wall Space

Here comes Johnny Currently an Art and Literature Student at Bayside, Johnny Napoli has his sights set on a career in Architecture. With the wealth of local talent on the art scene, we thought it would be good to take a fresh approach and give you a sneak peak at one of Gibraltar’s artists of the future.

18 years old in June, Johnny has already been offered places at Northumbria and Brighton and is just waiting for a reply from Newcastle, one of his preferred choices for following the architectural degree he’s interested in.

From the artwork he’s been producing over the last couple of years, his interest in illustration is as obvious as his passion for design in general.

Johnny is primarily influenced by his grandfather, Mario Finlayson, another well know local artist who has been painting Gibraltar’s environment for many years from colourful roof-tops down to the beaches as well as his more recent abstract style.

Then there’s Karl Ullger, Johnny’s A Level teacher, as well as Peter Parody. Two individuals who have taught him a lot over the last few years and have been a great influence on his style.

Apart from art, Johnny is a gym enthusiast, plays football when he gets the chance and in the summer months you can find him down at Tarifa and other sports climbing areas where he enjoys the intensity of the outdoor sport. ■

Johnny Napoli

hand study

A Level final piece

self portrait — close up

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

49

office space

does your office

?

drive you up the wall

It could be your room at home, or you might have a small rented office somewhere in town, but in all probability, you don’t have much space and clutter builds up fast.

Maybe it’s time your drove your office up the wall!

There are several things you can do to make organising your files, paperwork and desk-space that little bit easier. A typical small office will have room for a desk, chair, maybe a filing cabinet, but not much else. Really the only direction

50

you can look for extra space is to the walls.

Shelves are the obvious solution to much of the problem, but make sure you go for the adjustable kind so you can maximise on the space you have. Use the space above your

desk in easy reach, or to the side, depending on the room layout.

It’s a common tendency to drop paperwork into a tray on your desk, and unless you’re sorting it regularly, it can quickly get out of hand.

Again, wall space can help sort this

out. A large cork board where you can pin paperwork in sections, will allow you to keep track of job progress and clear up a lot of clutter.

You may still want to have the information for jobs on the go on your desk, but if you keep it to items for

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

?

office space

It’s a common tendency to drop paperwork into a tray on your desk, and unless you’re sorting it regularly, it can quickly get out of hand that day you can ensure you never have too much clutter and your working environment is suddenly much more friendly.

Wall pockets are another great idea. Either wood or wire frame attached to the wall, they can hold papers, supplies and other material you want to have close to hand.

You may even consider using wall space behind the door for this kind of filing.

In fact, walls can be extremely functional, and if you really scrutinise your office to see what can an can’t be stored on them you will be surprised by just how much extra room you have. The phone’s taking up too much of your desk space?

Go for a model which can be wall mounted, and flat screen computer monitors can often be wall mounted too. If you’re looking at a new computer system, keep this in mind when you’re making a decision on

the monitor — it can create loads of extra working space, and the height can be tailored to your sitting position.

Corner space where desks intersect is the perfect home for your printer, but think about a raised stand with storage space underneath for the extra reams of paper and toner refills, and again don’t underestimate the value of the corner space under the desk. If this isn’t where your feet will be, think about a cabinet on wheels where you can store files or other items (if it is open fronted it will be easier to get things in an out. If you keep it light-weight you can treat it as a portable office if you’re inclined to take your work into the lounge on occasion to work with the family around in the evening.

So, instead of letting your office drive you up the wall, it’s your turn to drive your office up the wall! n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

51

comment

from West to West

following God’s call

Reverend Maclean, friendly, charismatic and welcoming, this young minister with a penchant for fast cars (and dreaming of one day being able to afford one!) comes to Gibraltar all the way from the Outer Hebrides, via Glasgow University and 15 years in a Glasgow city centre parish.

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by Elena Scialtiel When the Maclean family arrived in Gibraltar in June 2009, they hit the ground running. After months of planning, and a five day road trip from Glasgow, they were happy to finally reach their destination. A long journey, but one they were glad they undertook, because “you do miss a lot of detail when you take the plane.”

Straight away, Reverend Ewen Maclean took up his flock at St Andrew’s Church of Scotland, his wife Audrey took up employment with the MoD and their children started at St Joseph’s Middle School.

“Growing up in the Outer Hebrides, I could see nothing but the ocean from our shores, and I always longed to discover what was on the other side, divided and united by the waters,” he says. So, from western Scotland he took the leap of faith towards the westernmost corner of the Mediterranean to preach his love for Jesus and “accept God’s challenge” in the sun.

At first he was worried about leaving behind their metropolitan entourage, and what he had built there in a decade and a half of preaching in a small parish, helping people reconnect with their faith.

“I really did like Gibraltar and I got on very well with the folks at St Andrew’s, but I was concerned that it was a step too far into the unknown and that I might be confusing God’s call with a lifestyle choice,” Ewan recalls.

Furthermore, his young family had their comfortable routine in Glasgow, and he had mixed feelings about transplanting his two children, Jonathan (10) and Alastair (8), into a different environment.

Yet, it was a sign that made them decide their true call was in Gibraltar. While the Macleans, invited for an interview in late January 2009, were staying at the manse during a week of wintry stormy weather which made them doubt whether the sun ever shines around here, Audrey spotted by chance an advertisement for an Occupational Health Nurse vacancy which seemed to describe exactly her skills and the qualifications she had just achieved over and above her nurse training.

That couldn’t be just a coincidence — so she applied for the post and actually got it, clear confirmation, they felt, that God did want them both in Gibraltar to help the local community.

So, with their boys fitting in well with their new circle of friends and in a home away from home, the Macleans are here to stay as long as they want to, and hopefully their congregation wants them to.

Rapidly co-opted in the community, they are now enjoying its intense socialising aspects, feeling delighted and privileged to be invited to high profile events and mingle with the top ‘who’s who’.

Since Audrey is busy with her demanding full-time job, Ewen takes care of housework, while running the church, which is open every morning for visiting, worshipping or just popping in for an inspirational chat.

“Our church is for worship and friendship,” could even be Ewen’s catchy slogan. He organises several other social events, from the Wednesday coffee mornings, attracting Scottish expats from la Costa del Sol, to the monthly collector’s fairs fundraising for local charities.

Lent (Wednesday 17th February until Saturday 3rd April 2010) is the perfect time for ‘food for thought’. St. Andrew’s as usual will be involved the traditional Lent lunches in coop-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

profile

eration with the other Christian denominations on the Rock who are getting together and taking it in turns to make sure that your hunger and thirst for knowledge will be quenched every week during this time of contrition.

And after Easter (Easter Sunday is 4th April this year), Reverend Maclean is planning to begin a lunchtime service on Wednesdays. “I think we have a great opportunity and location to allow people to escape from the office humdrum and have their time off for worship, teaching and reflection. After a 20-minute service people will be able to enjoy a chat and quick snack, before returning to the grind,” the minister explains.

Focusing on Christianity, the Church of Scotland recently ran a Christianity Explored course which helps people read and understand the Gospel of Mark: given the success of the first instalment, when informal convivial meetings with video presentations, debates and light suppers attracted a steady audience of 12-15 people, the reverend is planning to do it again

soon, to introduce more and more people to the teaching of the Apostles, and expand and dig deeper into topics.

For several years now, an Interfaith Group has met in St. Andrew’s to discuss issues relevant to all faiths. This established tradition continues in full swing with Reverend Maclean who is “delighted to have been chosen by Gibraltar as a messenger of faith, and to engender good relations between the many creeds that live elbow to elbow in such small territory, need-

Having seen the negative effects of religious sectarianism in Glasgow, Ewen says “it is important that all people are respectful, friendly and tolerant of each other”

ing to learn, understand and make the most of each other’s contribution to meaningful ethical ways of life.”

Having seen the negative effects of religious sectarianism in Glasgow, Ewen says “it is important that all people are respectful, friendly and tolerant of each other.”

Fortunate enough to have a garden at the manse, the Macleans enjoy their little snippet of paradise on the Rock: “I miss my family and friends, but I don’t miss the UK,” he explains.

“There are so many problems with anti-social behaviour, alcohol-fuelled violence and a complete lack of respect for any authority. I really fear the stage is set for serious civil unrest in the next decade.”

He sees as positive his move to Gibraltar to take care of his new parishioners — a handful of enthusiastic responsive devotees at ease with their minister and themselves. For Ewan they make his ambition to be remembered as a blessing to them in their discovery or re-discovery of God’s love worthwhile. n

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

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

53

history file

Trapped

on the Rock Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a brilliant student and for his accomplishments the soon-tobe-famous poet was rewarded with a professorship and a trip to Europe which ultimately brought him to Gibraltar.

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Longfellow was only 19 when he graduated from Bowdoin College of Brunswick, Maine and became the first professor of that institution’s newly established Chair of Modern Languages. Upon taking up the position it was agreed he would be given a period of time in which to travel and study in Europe.

This was a dream come true. As a child Longfellow read the poetry of Sir Walter Scott and travel tales

by Washington Irving. One biographer, Lawrance Thompson, wrote in his book Young Longfellow: “Europe! The land of his dreams!

Since boyhood Longfellow had revelled in thoughts of mouldering castles, the ruins of ancient temples, the snow-capped wonders of Alpine peaks, the soft breathing of musical night-winds over moonlit waters in Italy. Europe and poetry were one to him — all the mystery of antique tradition and legend was wrapped up in the very sound of the name.”

In May 1826 the fair-haired, blue eyed youth set sail for Europe where he would spend three years travelling through France, Spain, Italy, Germany and England in that order. Longfellow could have availed himself of the latest mode of transport but he preferred to go by foot and stay at small inns so he could meet and talk with ordinary folk. He would play lively tunes on a silver flute to encourage friendship.

Longfellow reached Madrid in March, 1827 where he made friends with aristocratic Spanish families and hobnobbed with the US Ambassador, Washington Irving and other elites but he also took time to visit the countryside and converse with the peasants.

After six months in Madrid his Spanish studies were completed and in early September he made his way south with the intention of obtaining passage on a ship from Gibraltar to Marseille.

Passing through the barren and desolate regions of La Mancha he witnessed the scars still remaining from the Peninsula War but his thoughts were more concerned with the romantic than with history.

He wrote in his journal: “No one can enter the province of La Mancha, without a reverie of faithfulness in love and chivalry in arms. The memory of Don Quixote has made it classic ground. The history of his achievements is written

“

in everything that meets the eye: and one cannot get a view of a windmill perched on an eminence by the roadside, without fancying that he sees the figure of the wandering knight tilting valiantly against the imaginary giant!”

Before leaving America, Longfellow had been given letters of introduction to contacts throughout Europe. One of these was a Mr. Maynard who was from Longfellow’s home town of Portland, Maine but was now living in Gibraltar.

At Gibraltar Longfellow wrote to his parents: “I found the American consul, Mr. Burton, a very kind and agreeable old gentleman. At his house I met Mr. Maynard, of Gibraltar.

He is a merry fellow, and we had a thousand things to talk of concerning Portland in the ‘olden time.’ He has resided in Gibraltar about 11 years. We passed as many pleasant days together in Cadiz, and left that city in company for Gibraltar.

“As there is no carriage-road between the two places we were obliged to make the journey on horseback, a fatiguing ride, though a very merry one. The country is wild and uncultivated; and the road, or rather pathway — for it is nothing more — carries you through forest and valley, now scrambling up a rugged rock, now plunging into a deep glen, and at length brings you at night to some solitary inn, whose very loneliness startles you.

“We made, however, but a two days’ journey of it, and are now safely within the walls of Gibraltar.

The tap of the English drum has already become familiar, and I have ceased to wonder at the odd figure of a bare-legged Highlander, with plaid kilt and long red coat. The ‘Bladensburg’ regiment is here.” * [see Author’s note].

Enjoyable as his visit to Gibraltar may have been there were no ships sailing for Marseille and eventually the young adventurer grew impatient. In the end the wait proved fortuitous because if Longfellow had sailed directly to Marseille he never would have visited the Alhambra which would turn out to be the highlight of his time in Spain.

After a month on the Rock, Longfellow decided to make his way to Malaga.

“I went by sea from Gibraltar to Malaga, and I must confess

I have ceased to wonder at ... a bare-legged Highlander, with plaid kilt and long red coat

”

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

history file that I felt a secret joy when the night veiled from my eyes the Rock to which I had been so long chained.”

Longfellow was an admirer of Irving, the writer most responsible to revealing the delights of the Alhambra to American readers. So it is curious that he had not included Granada on his itinerary. But after a week in Malaga he found an American companion who was eager to go there with him.

Samuel Longfellow wrote in a biography of his older brother, “Quite unexpectedly Longfellow was lifted to a new height of romantic adoration, for his entrance to Granada was the beginning of a rich emotional experience.”

Longfellow himself wrote: “I was in Granada but five days.

But in those five I lived almost a century. No portion of my life has been so much like a dream. It was a season of most singular excitement to me. How much I wanted in those happy moments some early bosom friend to share these feelings with me!”

Longfellow spent eight months in Spain and he would always refer to his time there with a ‘warm glow of interest’and as ‘the most romantic of his romantic years’.

Best known for his poems about

Andalusia.

The softer Andalusian skies Dispelled the sadness and the gloom; There Cadiz by the seaside lies, And Seville’s orange orchards rise, Making the land a paradise Of beauty and of bloom.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Artist: Charles Loring Elliott, 1812-1868

“

I felt a secret joy when the night veiled from my eyes the Rock to which I had been so long chained early pioneers and natives in America, The Song of Hiawatha and The Courtship of Miles Standish, Longfellow late in life wrote a poem

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

”

titled Castles in Spain in which he reminisces about his time there.

Gibraltar doesn’t get a look in but there is a lovely reference to

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on 27th February, 1807 in Portland, Maine. After returning from Europe he took up is post at Bowdoin and later taught at Harvard. He was married twice. His first wife Mary Potter died after suffering a miscarriage in Rotterdam.

He had six children with his second wife Fanny Appleton but she died tragically from burns suffered in an accident. Longfellow retired from teaching in 1854 and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where he devoted his remaining years to poetry and writing. In all he made three more trips to Europe but, not wanting to disturb the memories of that first youthful experience, he never again visited Spain. He died on March 24, 1882. n *Author’s note: This is a reference to the King’s Own Regiment of Lancaster that defeated the Americans at the Battle of Blandensburg in the War of 1812 and captured and burned Washington

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art file

by Reg Reynolds

The Gibraltar Connection Sometime ago I happened to purchase a water colour painting of HMS Fearless at a church charity auction in Portimão, Portugal. I made the purchase in the possibility I might find a Gibraltar connection. I did, and more than one...

I soon learned through a former Royal Marine that indeed Fearless had been a frequent visitor to Gibraltar and in fact was used as the host ship for the talks between British Prime Minister Harold Wilson and Ian Smith of Rhodesia at Gibraltar in 1968.

The painting was signed Vija Sodera. I found through the internet that the artist was actually a Dr. Sodera and that he was a surgeon specializing in skin and cosmetic surgery at his White Lodge Clinic in Bognor Regis. I also discovered that he is the author of three acclaimed surgical textbooks *[See author’s note], that he has ‘a special love of animals’ and is an accomplished wildlife artist. He also plays guitar, writes his own songs and recently, with his band Infinite Radius, produced an album on CD. I contacted him to ask how he came to paint Fearless.

At first he couldn’t remember the painting but after I e-mailed him a copy he recalled it and said that he had been living near the naval base of Gosport at the time.

He replied that he had no personal connection with the ship but that it seemed an appropriate subject at the time.

Dr. Sodera wrote back, “I can’t remember exactly where I must have sold the painting, but I did have an exhibition at Gosport Museum around 1981-ish.”

When I asked him if he had ever been to Gibraltar he answered: “No, but my late brother spent many months there a few years ago — surveying the British military buildings for their structural integrity.”

It turned out that his brother Randheir ‘Ron’ Sodera owned a company that designed heating and ventilating systems for large buildings.

It was because of this expertise that he was independently contracted to do the survey at

56

Gibraltar for the Ministry of Defence. Sadly Ron died a few years ago.

Although Dr. Sodera doesn’t recall who purchased the painting, which shows Fearless at speed with a helicopter hovering over her afterdeck, one can guess that it was probably a member of her crew.

If as Dr. Sodera recalls, he did the painting in 1981-ish it would just before Fearless would have her finest hours during the 1982 Falklands War. Because of her advanced satellite communications systems Fearless was stationed in the thick of the fighting andserved as the ‘amphibious command’ base for the fleet Commodore, Michael Clapp and also the Commanding Officers of the SAS and the SBS. A less hazardous highlight of Fearless’ service came in 1977 when she featured in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. She is the ship which picks up Bond’s (Roger Moore) escape pod.

Fearless (L10), built in Belfast by Harland and Wolff, was the first LPD (Landing Platform Dock) class used by the Royal Navy. She was launched in 1963 and commissioned in 1965.

Her first operational task was acting as a command platform for British Counter-Terrorism operations in Aden.

After 37 years of service all over the world Fearless was decommissioned. She was the last steam-powered ship in the Royal Navy

After the Falklands War Fearless spent three years out of commission but after a two-year refit she was re-commissioned in 1991. From 1991 to 1995 she supported the sea training phase at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.

Fearless was due to undertake operations in the Gulf War but instead her duties were given to the more modern HMS Ocean (L12).

In 2002, on the 20th anniversary of the Falklands War and after 37 years of service all over the world Fearless was decommissioned. She was the last steam-powered ship in the Royal Navy. On the day Adam Ingram, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, said: “HMS Fearless has had a long, proud and hugely successful career. She has served in very many operational theatres but, in this the 20th anniversary year of the Falklands conflict, perhaps her most memorable role was the one she played in the recovery of the Islands. We celebrate her past, salute her today and look to the future in the shape of her highly capable replacements, HMS Albion and Bulwark.”

On Tuesday 18th December 2007 Fearless was towed to Ghent, Belgium for breaking up. Her memory lives on in the painting by Dr. Sodera and in a book HMS Fearless by Ewen SouthbyTailyour.

* Author’s note: Vija Sodera was born in India but his family moved to England when he was a young boy. He attended St. Clemont Grammar School in London, gaining major prizes for academic achievement and art. He graduated from Sheffield University Medical School in 1975 with distinction in chemistry and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1981. He is the author of three acclaimed surgical textbooks: Skin Surgery in General Practice; Minor Surgery in Practice; and the Illustrated Handbook of Minor Surgery and Operative Technique. He lives in West Sussex with his wife and two daughters.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE • • MARCH MARCH 2010 2010 GIBRALTAR

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57 57

events

Elena’s Exhibition Elena Scialtiel is launching her second solo art exhibition at Sacarello’s on Tuesday 9th March.

Titled ‘Love Triangles’, it features thirty paintings putting across in diverse and often subtle ways the idea that life is not centred solely on dualism, but on a triadic relationship between free-willed individuals and the dualism of the reality they stand before.

Triangular, square, rectangular canvases and melamine boards recap Elena’s career as visual artist so far, before taking a sabbatical to concentrate on creative writing, and touch a variety of existentialist subjects with humour and drama, going for a balance of figurative and abstract, decorative and thought-provoking.

The star of the show is ‘May your Life be a Colourful Adventure’ (pictured). To honour a long-overdue promise, a percentage from its proceedings, should it be sold, will go to local charity.

A bunch is inspired from the artwork described in Elena’s debut novel: for example, the disturbing ‘Anorexia’, the eye-darting red ‘Lama Sabachthani’ and the nippy ‘Passion Blues’ have Amandine written all over it, while ‘Blushing Flamingo’ is the sign of a fictitious Manx B&B so pivotal to the plot.

Also for sale ‘Novecento’ the glossy vivid original of the book cover illustration Elena painted in 2007 as a tribute to her Grandmother’s amazing life. Prices range between £90 and £900. n

Blue for Childline The reason for the Friday this year rather than a Saturday is because the charity will be aiming directly at the children in all the schools around Gibraltar, where most children will be found wearing blue with an optional donation of £1 being put towards the charity if they do.

Although this is a childrens’ charity, as last year, many corporate and smaller business will be involved on the day too, with companies being encouraged to have a nonuniform day on the 26th and for staff to wear something blue too. Many local companies have already agreed to sponsor the event, but Childline would like to see this as an event covered throughout Gibraltar.

You can support them as an individual or a company by simply wearing something blue to remember the charity and help raise awareness, but beware, representatives of Childline will be asking everyone they see wearing the colour to donate a £1 to their cause.

They are also looking at holding some fun

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Childline’s “Blue Day” fund raising event is just around the corner, and this year it falls on Friday 26th March.

family events around the date, but as this publication went to press, details were not fully in place. You can find out all about the day though their website www.childline.gi where

you’ll find full details of how you, or your company can be involved. Alternatively, drop Caroline an email at info@childline.gi or call her on 200 43503. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

profile

Flip Event Raises Almost £6,000 for Leukaemia Charity A Charity Bingo Night in aid of Leukaemia Research, organised by 17-year old FLIP student Francine Anes, raised a staggering £2,990 for the charity, which the Bonita Trust have pledged to match. With the help of Pictured at the cheque presentation ceremony, left to right, are Trino Cruz (Credit Suisse), Francine Anes (FLIP student), Beryl Zammit (Leukaemia Research Fund), family and friends, Francine attracted Moe Cohen (Bonita Trust) and Ros Astengo (FLIP Project Manager) around 220 people to the event which she arranged as one of her assignments reach the objective but with great support from in the way Francine has helped us during these for the Future Leaders in Philanthropy my family and friends I was able to achieve past few months in our fundraising efforts. She (FLIP) project. my goal. I would also like to wish the other is a great example of what young people today FLIP participants every success in achieving The first intake of FLIP students has been their goal.’’ tasked with raising £2,000 for their chosen local Beryl Zammit, speaking on behalf of the charcharity by putting on a fundraising event of their ity, said, “As secretary to the Gibraltar Branch choice. In the first event, Francine smashed her Leukaemia Research Fund I am very impressed target, ensuring that the princely sum of almost £6,000 will be donated to the Gibraltar Branch of Leukaemia Research Fund, equivalent to half their normal annual income.

Francine felt “Even though it was a lot of work, I am very pleased with how my Bingo night turned out. I am also very proud of myself for reaching and exceeding the £2,000 target as I do believe the money is going to a very worthy cause. I didn’t think I was going to be able to

“

Francine is a great example of what young people today can achieve to make this place a better one

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

”

can achieve to make this place a better one.”

Moe Cohen of the Bonita Trust remarked, “We are delighted with Francine’s success. She has learned a great deal by putting on this event, and even had to cope with a last-minute venue change. The FLIP project organisers are grateful to all those who showed such wonderful support to Francine, and we hope everyone will continue to show support for the other FLIP fundraising events.”

FLIP is a joint venture project organised by The Bonita Trust and Credit Suisse (Gibraltar) Limited.

For more information on any of the fundraising events please contact Ros Astengo, FLIP Project Manager on 200 60175 or e-mail info@flip.gi.

59

charity

are your legs ready for the beach

?

We have all seen them, we all hope we don’t get them, but unfortunately varicose leg veins are a common problem which affects a high proportion of people.

Varicose veins are more common in women than men and related factors include pregnancy, obesity, menopause, prolonged standing, leg injury and abdominal straining (constipation, prostate enlargement or excessive lifting!).

There also seems to be an inherited component, which results in some young people developing the condition, however prevalence increases with age.

So what exactly are varicose veins?

Put simply, they are swollen, enlarged and tortuous veins resulting from incompetent (damaged) leaflet valves within the vein.

In medical circles, the term ‘varicose’ can

60

be applied to veins in many areas including the abdomen and gullet, but generally people recognise the term as referring to large swollen veins in the legs.

As blood is pumped around the body, it flows from the heart via arteries through the organs and limbs and returns to the heart via veins.

In the legs, the latter part of the circulatory cycle is facilitated by walking and movement.

When calf muscles contract they squeeze deep veins within them forcing blood along the veins.

Your legs pump blood up the veins and back to the heart. This is why airlines encourage you to move your legs on a flight, simply to move the

blood around your legs and prevent the blood clotting and forming a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

To stop backflow of blood when the muscle relaxes, veins have a series of one way valves which keep the blood moving in a forward direction. As we spend most of our time in the upright position, the valves in the leg veins may have to hold back a column of blood up to 1.5 meters high (the distance between the ankle and the heart). If we didn’t have them, blood would pool in our ankles and we would have to stand on our heads to get blood back to the heart!

If for any reason the veins stretch and the valves fail to close properly, blood flow reverses when the muscles relax and the superficial veins overfill and bulge.

Once the veins are weakened, blood refluxes backwards further stretching the vein and a vicious cycle ensues and the pressure within them rises. Fluid escapes from the veins into the tissues making them ache and feel heavy and lumpy veins can be felt under the skin.

Besides cosmetic problems, varicose veins can cause a great deal of stress and are often painful, especially when standing or walking. Whilst serious complications are rare, if untreated conditions such as phlebitis and bleeding can occur.

At the ankle where the intravenous pressure is at its highest, blood cells and proteins can leak into the skin. Iron is released from the breakdown of red blood cells which discolours the skin and causes varicose eczema. This often itches, and trauma or scratching can cause ulcers. Fortunately, if treated early and properly the leg can be restored to normal.

Although varicose veins may seem to only affect one leg, investigation often shows early problems in the other leg. Many doctors simply assess leg veins by sight and a few tourniquets, but these days this is considered an incomplete test and leading centres in the UK and USA use Doppler ultrasound to assess all symptomatic veins.

An inaccurate diagnosis may result in inappropriate surgery and some studies have shown that varicose veins come back in up to 60% of such cases. The Specialist Medical Clinic uses the latest ultrasound diagnostic equipment to accurately identify the cause of varicose veins and their stage of development.

Ultrasound is painless and identifies the vein and areas where valves have failed. Ultrasound technology identifies back flow in a vein through a damaged valve and in complicated cases, or when previous surgery has been performed, Colour Duplex Imaging (CDI) is undertaken.

Not all varicose veins require surgical treatment. For instance, for people with minor varicose veins which are causing no symptoms, the best option is to do nothing. If symptoms are limited to aching after standing for long periods, this can be relieved by wearing below knee graduated pressure support stockings during the day. These come in a variety of colours and are indistinguishable from ordinary hose.

Unfortunately they don’t work if they are left in the stocking drawer!

Spider veins are probably best treated with injection sclerotherapy, a treatment used for the condition for over 150 years. This gives good cosmetic results and may be all that is necessary to reduce achy legs. Small unsightly veins can also be injected or removed under local anaes-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

by Mr David Deardon MD, FRCS, Consultant General Surgeon, Specialist Medical Clinic thetic in the clinic.

Major problems only arise when varicose veins are caused by incompetence of the major valves in the main superficial saphenous veins.

In these cases the underlying cause must be dealt with to avoid recurrence. As most of the blood in the legs is returned by the deep veins, the superficial veins, which return only about 10% of the blood, can usually be removed.

Traditionally surgeons have operated to strip out the damaged veins, a painful procedure which involves having a general anaesthetic, cuts in the groins and legs, at least one night in hospital and bandages for a number of weeks!

Anyone who has had the procedure will tell you it is painful and they didn’t get back to work for at least a week. For this reason surgeons looked for less painful alternatives.

About seven years ago, foam sclerotherapy became popular.

In this procedure a special foam mixture of sclerosant and air is injected under ultrasound guidance into the veins to cause inflammation and stick the walls of the vein together. Some surgeons still use this, but side effects are slowly relegating this to a support therapy to more modern techniques.

These days, the gold standard for treatment of major superficial varicose veins is moving towards local anaesthetic “percutaneous endovenous occlusion”.

These treatments are effective in up to 95% of patients at five years (against approximately 70 - 80% in surgically treated patients).

Percutaneous endovenous occlusion is a walk in, walk out 45 minute procedure performed

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

under local anaesthetic in the outpatient clinic.

More nervous patients may wish for sedation, but generally this is not necessary. In the USA and UK, patients even book in to have their veins treated during their lunch hour and whilst learning the technique at the Cadogan Clinic in London, we treated one Consultant Surgeon, who after having the treatment returned to work in the afternoon, and did an NHS and Private operating list the following day!

The technique involves the introduction of a thin fibre under ultrasound guidance into

before

after

These treatments are effective in up to 95% of patients at five years (against approximately 70 - 80% in surgically treated patients)

health

the vein through a small hollow needle. Once placed in the correct position, the fibre is heated and withdrawn slowly. The heat from the fibre ‘occludes’ (closes off) the vein thus preventing backflow of blood and reducing the pressure and swelling in the veins. As there are no surgical cuts, and the vein is not stripped out, there is much less pain than the “old fashioned” treatment.

Over the last 18 months or so, a new Radiofrequency ablation technique (VNUS closure Fast®) has gained in popularity and is rapidly becoming the preferred endovenous occlusion technique. As it works at much lower temperatures than the other option (EVLT - laser treatment), there is less risk of making holes in the vein which in turn results in less bruising and pain.

Varicosity recurrence with both techniques is about 5% at five years which compares well with conventional stripping, which in the best hands has a recurrence rate of 10 to 30%. Doctors must use ultrasound during the procedure to see what they are doing. Some practitioners also perform phlebectomy or ultrasound guided sclerotherapy at the time of endovenous treatment, however recent evidence suggests that once the main veins have been treated less than 30% of patients actually require follow-up treatment.

VNUS closure Fast® requires specialised training and expensive equipment, however the surgical team at the Specialist Medical Clinic in the ICC have been trained by the UK’s leading pioneer in this technique and have now started treating patients in Gibraltar and Puerto Banus.

61

health& fitness Bell Pharmacy

McTimoney Chiropractor

Your Family Chemists

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

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

STEINER CHIROPRACTIC CLINICS

Chiropractic Health Clinic

Dr Carsten Rudolf Steiner BSc DC

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

Member of the British Chiropractic Association

Back to better health with Chiropractic for headaches, dizziness, neck and lower back pain, sciatica, osteoathritis and sports injuries.

College Clinic, Regal Hse. Tel: 200 77777

British Registered Optometrists

Chiropodists

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

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

The Health Store

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

Suppliers of Glucosamine, Ginkgo Biloba and all vitamins.

Body Building Products (Creatine etc)

Keith J Vinnicombe

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

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

DUTY CHEMISTS

March 2010

2-8 New Chemist 9-15 Calpe Pharmacy 232 Main St. 16-22 Trafalgar Pharmacy 23-29 Calpe, ICC The duty chemist is open 7- 9pm Monday - Friday and 11am-1pm & 6-8pm weekends/public holidays

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

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

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

JOHN W. MILES

Health Stores

BSc (Podiatry), M.Ch.S

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

STATE REGISTERED CHIROPODIST

Opticians / Optometrists

Treatment of all Foot Problems

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

• Ingrown Toe-nails including Surgical Removal

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

• Biomechanical Analysis for Insoles / Orthotics including Children

PERSONAL TRAINERS

• Wart (Verruca) Clinic

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

• Diabetics

Tel: 200 77777

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

7 days a week 6-10pm

ChiropraCtors

Gillian Schirmer MA, DC, MMCA McTimoney Chiropractor, Clinic (Claudia’s), 1st Flr, 58 Main St Tel: 200 41733 After hours: 200 40026

5 City Mill Lane, Gibraltar. Tel: 20073765

Need somebody to talk to?

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

Dr Steven J. Crump BSc, DC, MCC ICC F5C 1st Flr, Casemates.

Tel: 200 44226

Tel: 200 44226

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

Bell Pharmacy 27 Bell Lane Tel: 200 77289 Fax: 200 42989

PASSANO OPTICIANS LTD

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

Louis’ Pharmacy

CHEMISTS

Louis’ Pharmacy Unit F12, International Commercial Centre, Casemates.

Tel: 200 44797

Treatment of Back Pain, Neck Pain, Headaches, Limb Pain & Sports Injuries

For all your Pharmaceutical needs

health & medical directory

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

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

64 whataapage pageturner! turner!www.thegibraltarmagazine.com www.thegibraltarmagazine.com 62 what

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

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

healthy lifestyles

l

58 Main Street, 1st Floor.

Tel: 200 74040 Regular Clinics Claudia Schiel Health/Beauty Therapist Auriculo Medicine for Stop Smoking Dermatological Peels Non Surgical Lifting Specialising in all kinds of skin problems Holistic Therapies for various conditions - Reflexology - Medicinal Pedicures - Hair Extensions Simon Caldwell of Completefitness with his recently introduced power clubs

strength training goes full circle In 2008, Simon at Completefitness introduced Kettlebell training to complement the existing training programmes on offer. This year he is introducing Circular Strength Training using power clubs to further enhance his fitness training services.

Gillian Schirmer MA DC UK McTimoney Chiropractor Gentle and Effective Chiropractic Treatment for all Muscular and Joint Pains, especially Sports Injuries, Pregnancy. Headaches, and Migraines. Suitable for all ages.

Alison Prior Health/Beauty Therapist - Facials - Waxing - Massages - Slimming Treatments NEW! Skin Tag & Thread Vein Removal Hollywood & Brazilian Waxing Lymphatic Drainage Sports Injuries - Cervical Problems Collagen Implants Botox Injections - Sclerotherapy (Thread Vein Treatment) New Clinics

Circular Strength Training with power clubs works in three dimensions rather than in only one or two and is one of the oldest pieces of fitness equipment used in ancient Russia, Persia and India. It combines traction to strengthen not only muscle but connective tissue therefore protecting joints while increasing strength, whereas regular strength training compresses joints and because the power club is swung, torque allows force production to increase by 3 to 4 times. Therefore, when you lift weights, to increase force production you must add weight.

The greater the actual weight lifted, the more potential damage compression to soft, connective tissue. This is one of the reasons

that conventional weight lifters have problems with soft tissue, joint and spinal injuries.

Put simply, this means that an 8kg power club will produce as much power as swinging a 24kg kettlebell or pressing a 34kg dumbbell, allowing for increased strength and conditioning without the associated injuries from conventional weight training.

There are many benefits to training with the power club, including fat loss, strength gain and muscular development, improved Core strength and mobility, injury prevention and prehabilitation, pain reduction and elimination, rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation, reconditioning, enhanced sports performance, improved

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

coordination and agility as well as improved mental awareness.

The result is that kettlebells and power clubs complement each other perfectly enabling a multidimensional approach to training, to improve your everyday functional strength and also athletic ability.

Simon recently attained the IKFF CKT Level 2 Kettlebell, Fitness & Movement Dynamics Specialist accreditation and believes that introducing the power clubs will further enhance the holistic approach to fitness already on offer at Completefitness. ■ For further information, give Simon a ring on 00350 200 51113 or +34 678857185, or go to the website www.completefitnessgibraltar.com

FAKE BAKE NEW in Gibraltar - revolutionary fake tanning system Exclusive Agents Laser Clinic Permanent Hair Removal, Pigmentation and anti-aging Health / Weight Loss Unique personalised nutrition programme Ultra Sound NEW fat removing technique

BOOK NOW FOR: Various evening courses in Beauty Therapy Registered & Licensed by Health & Environmental Department

63

puzzle page

by Alan Gravett

SUDOKU Win a lunch for two at

The Cannon Bar

1

2

3

5

4

6 7

9

8

11

10

13

12

15

14 16

17

18

19

21

Send completed suduko to: The Cannon Bar, 27 Cannon Lane, Gibraltar.

One entry per person.

Closing date: 26h March 2010 Last month’s winner: Louise Montero Pine Tree Lodge

20

22

23

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

FIRST PRIZE: Lunch for 2 at The Clipper

One entry per person. Closing date: 26th March 2010 Winner notified in next issue of The Gibraltar Magazine.

Last month’s winner: Mercy Taylor Alameda House

Across 1) Person attending wife-to-be (10) 8) Very light wood (5) 9) Indebted (7) 10) Copy (7) 11) Again (5) 12) Old English folk (6) 14) St Francis’s place (6) 17) Male loincloth worn in India (5) 19) Originally, a town with an MP (7) 21) Nazi secret police (7) 22) Bronze medal place (5) 23) Study of earthquakes (10) Down 2) & 4) Rock group – proverbially they gather

no moss (7,6) 3) Girl’s name – Roman goddess of the hunt

and the moon (5) 4) See 2) 5) Refers (7) 6) Finger or thumb (5) 7) Reproached (10) 8) State of being a bandit (10) 13) Japanese paper art (7) 15) Becoming accustomed to (7) 16) In full flower (6) 18) Rock group – desert watering hole (5) 20) Honey badger (5)

Jotting Pad ...

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS: Across: Pineapples, Canadian, Pear, Heel, Elflike, Retranslate, Avocado, Trim, Plum, Newscast, Fleabitten. Down: Peach, Nearest, Arid, Penalise, Expel, Rankle, Sardinia, Revolt, Apricot, Camel, Mason, Kwai.

64

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

wildlife

Here come the Hoopoes With an odd name (and even odder in it’s latin version of Upupa epops), the Hoopoe is one of the small but quite stunning birds you’ll find in the Alameda Botanic Gardens area over the coming month or so.

The species migrates through Gibraltar as do many others, and these birds find the Alameda an attractive spot to stop and regain their energy after their flight across the Strait on their way north for the summer.

Ground feeding birds, they can be found pecking away at worms and grubs in the Alameda gardens and even lend a hand in keeping down the numbers of processionary caterpillars which are harmful to the pine trees as well as sporting venemous hairs which can cause a nasty rash — or sometimes worse.

Hoopoes also love a freshly sprinklered golf course which brings the worms to the surface, and are quite common along the coast through to May and then on their return journey to Africa in the months from July to September. n

New Home for the Short-clawed Otters The Royal Engineers arrived in the Alameda Wildlife Park (at the Alameda Botanic Gardens) last month to help construct the new Asian short-clawed otter enclosure. Work is well underway after a slow start in poor weather conditions.

The enclosure is the start of a new look for the Wildlife Park, creating more natural and open habitats for the animals. Asian otters can be found in rainforests and mangroves all over Asia so this open enclosure in the Rainforest Path of the park aims to recreate their natural habitat with waterfalls, shallow streams and pools plus a lush open area.

The Royal Engineers left at the end of Febru-

ary after working hard to get the boundary walls in. This is no small feat as preparing the area was by no means straight forward and certainly tested their skills to the limit.

The Wildlife Park would like to thank the Royal Engineers and all involved in the project for all their help.

The otters should be enjoying their new enclosure by early spring. n

Working hard for our otters

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

65

That Nail Place

GACHE & CO LTD EST. 1830

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

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

E6

Gel - Acrylic - Fibreglass

I4

Airbrushing Nail Art Body Jewellery

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

T5

• Giftware • Jewellery • Sports Trophies • Awards & Engravers

L4

266 Main St, Gibraltar Tel: 200 75757

R4

R4

X6

N4

Gibraltar Taxi Association

D8

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

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

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

Quality Kitchen Ware Gibraltar’s Best Stocked Cook Shop K5

The Takeway with a difference.

Homecooking . our speciality .

Open Monday

M5 to Saturday

46 Irish Town Tel: 200 75188 Fax: 200 72653

the silver shop

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

G3

N3

R5

M4

Q4

H4

Q5

P2

BUDDIES pasta casa

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

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

15 Cannon Lane Tel: 200 40627 for reservations

Accountants Durante Carboni Jardim..............X3 ESV Hassan & Co........................ I4 Business/Financial Services AI Couriers (DHL)......................K3 Almanac......................................O2 Barclays...................................... M4 EFPG........................................... E0 GibraltarAssetManagement....... M5 Hassans............................................

Jyske Bank.................................. L4 Masbro Insurance........................N4 Norwich & Peterborough............Q5 Phoenix Solutions........................ J4 Sovereign Trust...........................N4 STM Fidecs.................................H7 Business Services Call Centre..................................V4 Global Business Centre................S3 Waste Management......................a6 Business Supplies Beacon Press...............................N6 Glasshouse..................................N5 Image Graphics...........................N3 Stitch Design................................P3

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

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

J4• Sandwiches • Soups • Baguettes/ Ciabatta • Desserts/ • Take-away • Deliveries Homemade Italian Ice-cream • Eat in (outside!)

• Business Lunches Mon - Fri 10-6, Sat 10 - 4, Closed Sundays • Parties/ 24 Main St Tel: 20043840 Fax: 42390 Kids Parties

Irish Town Antiques

Q5

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

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

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

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

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

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

03

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

SMITH’S

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

295 MAIN ST Tel: 200 74254

178 Main Street · Gibraltar · Telephone 200 48480

K5

Queen’s Hotel Gibraltar

L5

Irish Town Tel: 200 70411

J4

b2

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

Tel: (+350) 20074000 Fax: 20040030

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

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

hobbies&pastimes

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

photography

EST. 1830

leisure & tuition lessons&tuition

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

travel&hotels

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

Tel: (+350) 20074000 Fax: 20040030

newsagents/books leisure&sport

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

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

Gibraltar Connections

by Reg Reynolds

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

The Flowers of Gibraltar

by Leslie Linares, Arthur Harper and John Cortes

Book on sale at Gibraltar Book Shops

68 68

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • APRIL 2009

events Mother’s Day: 14th March

give mum a hug When Anna Jarvis created a day in the US to celebrate and honour mothers, she never dreamt it would become so commercialised that she would want to disassociate herself from it, but it seems to be human nature to turn anything and everything into a money-spinning event.

Mother’s days, however, long pre-date Ms Jarvis.

For years now, countries across the globe have remembered mothers on a variety of days, usually the second Sunday of March which originates from the ancient Greek festival of Cybele and then move through to the Roman empire in the form of the Ides of March, although the Romans already had another date, Matronalia, when gifts were given to mothers on the date celebrating the god Juno.

In Europe, Mothering Sunday was put aside as part of the liturgical calendar in more than one Christian denomination, and in the Catholic calendar it was known as Laetare Sunday — the fourth in lent, to honour the virgin Mary and the mother church.

Anna Jarvis, in true American style went on to trademark “Mother’s Day” and created the Mother’s Day International Association. She was particularly specific about the location of the apostrophe — an item of debate in our office last month, and finally put to rest — it was meant to be singular possessive so that each family could honour their mother rather than it being a broad phrase covering all mothers

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

across the globe. Mother’s Day, it is.

Different cultures adapted the dates to fit in with calendar events which were already set aside for honouring mothers, such as the virgin Mary in the Catholic church or the birthday of the daughter of prohet Muhammad in the Islamic world. Bolivia, on the other hand, chose to remember the date when women were slaughtered on 27th May in the battle of Coronilla in 1812 by the Spanish army.

Muttertag was promoted by the Nazis during the second world war to promote the pure Aryan Race, and mothers of four children or more who passed the stringent tests (including

mothers of 4 children or more who passed the stringent tests (including whether they did the housekeeping properly) would receive the Mother’s Cross

whether they did the housekeeping properly) would receive the Mutterkreuz, or Mother’s Cross.

Indian communities celebrate the date in August in the festival of Pathare Prabhu which is based on the legend of a mother whose children kept dying after just one year of life.

In fact, the adoption of the event globally was so widespread, is wasn’t long before quick thinking business minds got to work on its commercialisation. Anna Jarvis, who had worked so hard to promote the event became disillusioned and spent everything she had and the whole of the rest of her life fighting against the way the day was being abused and even managed to get herself arrested in 1948 for disturbing the peace as she protested against people buying greetings cards.

Today, we are free to decide how to celebrate the day. Drop her a card, maybe a phone call or Skype to let her know you remember her if she’s too far away. But maybe it might not be a bad idea to forget the commercial side, and if she’s close enough — just give her a great big hug! n

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travel

text & photos by David M Parody

Life’s a Cruise

Cruising, you either “love it” or “hate it”, there seems to be no half way house. With one bad experience of cruising under my belt I could have fallen into the latter category. But not being one who easily gives up without giving it a fair chance I booked myself on my second cruise. Nightmares of my first cruise flashed before me in the days before a 14 night Mediterranean cruise departing Barcelona and ending in Venice. However, by the journey’s end I was converted.

Church Santorini

This time around I was determined not to make the same mistakes as on my first trip and number one on my not-to-do list was organised shore-excursions. If I wanted to feel like cattle I would volunteer to work on farm in Australia.

I wanted to decide what I saw, when I saw it and who I saw it with. I wanted to feel as if I had discovered the place myself like a modern day Phileas Fogg. This can be difficult if you are crammed in a bus next to 50 other passengers watching the sights flash by your window accompanied by a running commentary in five different languages!

Independent travel on most cruise lines is certainly not encouraged (it is made too easy to get a tour) so you need to arm yourself with as much information as possible before you embark. Let’s be grateful for the wonders of the internet in this quest for train timetables, maps of the areas, blogs and forums offering all types

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of advice and tips of what to do and see. And we were ready for our adventure to begin.

After careful internet research of each of the destination ports I soon found out that 2 euro can get you from Piraeus to the old town of

Different ports offering different cultural experiences (expressed through their food and wines of course). Options of where to go and what to avoid

Athens in 20 mins on a train. A tour of “Athens On-Your-Own” (which is basically a bus which drops you off in the same destination and picks you up) costs 60 euro per person if bought as a shore excursion on the boat. Leaving aside the cost issue most of these tours depart really early which runs counter-intuitively to what being on holiday is all about. Adding to the experience of getting to know a place is “meeting the locals” and there is probably no better place to do this than on public transportation, even if it just having the courage to ask if this is the right stop. So it was going to be ‘no’ to organised tours and ‘yes’ to independent travelling for this cruise. This turned out to be the best decision of the cruise.

Our first day’s cruising was a day at sea which gave us a good chance to scout out the ship (and determine where the best deck chair was on the pool deck, a very important decision to be taken).

With day one over it was down to the dinner service where we were introduced to our “very nice to meet you” waiter and assistant waiter who was ever smiling throughout our cruise asking us “how was your day?” and making sure our food was just right and to our liking.

With 14 days of these perma-smiles ahead of me, I was beginning to regret it. First day adjustments to the food are essential... “make sure food is served hot, not tepid, and let’s have some seasoning here as otherwise I can’t taste it”, I almost ended up barking to them. Needless to say for the rest of the cruise the assistant waiter ended up with blisters from carrying hot plates to our table! At least there are three other restaurants on board.

First port of call is always exciting, it is make or break for our pre-planning. And there are decisions available even to the last minute. Once we found the train station we then had to decide whether to go East or West, Nice, Montecarlo or Cannes? Montecarlo offered some lure of excitement and so we began our journey toward the famous Principality. We got there to find the whole city had been transformed into the F1 racetrack for the following week’s race so we ended up walking the entire race course (which made watching the race on TV afterwards much more exciting). Through boxes, the pool and the tunnel, we passed the Casino (stopped for the most expensive coffee ever) and chicanes of the race track and to the medieval town of Monaco (all on foot). Wow! That was so different. Back on the train at a leisurely pace (trains go back every 20 minutes), stopped for a late lunch at Villefranche, plenty of French wine and crepes with the sun setting behind the ship which is anchored off-shore, bliss.

And this set the tone for the rest of the two weeks. Different ports offering different cultural experiences (expressed through their food and wines of course). Options of where to go and what to avoid. The best thing is that you don’t have to pack and unpack every night to enjoy a different city or country. Yes, we have to remember what language we should be speaking when we get out (oh, please do try to speak the local language even if it just hello, please and thank you!) and what currency we should be carrying (be very grateful for the euro).

Destination highlights from this cruise are too many to mention but Capri reminded me of Catalan Bay, fishing boats on the shore, houses in the same state of disrepair painted in the same

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

travel faded colours with the backdrop of a large rock behind them. Santorini was amazing (avoid taking the donkey ride up for the sake of the donkeys) and extremely romantic. Dubrovnik was like walking through history with its immaculately preserved city walls which reminded me of Gibraltar (we could learn a thing or two from this city).

Days at sea are to be relished as it gives us time to relax those under-used muscles that have seen so much work on the shore-excursions. Treat oneself to a spa treatment, relax in a jacuzzi and soak up some sun on the pool deck (if you can find a spare deck chair that is!).

These are the days you can dress up in black-tie attire since you can take that extra bit of time to get ready. Don’t spend any time or money in the shops on-board the ship, they are just not worth it for their tacky ship souvenirs and jewellery or worse, the “art” that is permanently on auction. If you’re a glutton for punishment you can spend the day working out in the gym but if you are like me you will opt for a mojito at the cocktail bar instead.

All good things must come to an end but it might as well be in style. Our cruise ended in Venice where the arrival was more important than the destination. The ship made its tortuous way up the channel which lead up to the Grand Canal with a bird’s eye view of Venice to admire from our stateroom and upper decks.

This is definitely the life. Never one to give up an opportunity, we stayed a few extra nights in Venice to extend what had been a most enjoyable experience and one which will be repeated.

There is probably no better time to plan and book your cruise than the present. The economic climate has seen most cruise operators slash their rates with the more expensive carriers offering up to 50% discount on 2010 sailings. Add to this an abundance of new cruise ships entering service in the next year and you are really spoilt for choice. Pick your departure port and time of year and you are bound to have yourself a set of experiences worth remembering.

Modern day cruise liners are almost predictable in what you will find, changes to the decor and colour schemes may vary but what is on offer seldom changes from one cruise line to the other. Except, the average age of your fellow passenger and their nationalities! So if you are a party animal make sure you check out what the forums say about your particular cruise line.

Maybe next time we’ll choose one of the smaller boutique cruise liners that are coming into vogue or go completely the other way and take one of the new mega ships. Whichever the choice and destination one thing is for sure I’ve come to love cruising. n

Gondola Venice

Pantheon Athens

The economic climate has seen most cruise operators slash their rates with the more expensive carriers offering up to 50% discount on 2010 sailings Lunch at Villefranche

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

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music file

what’s on March Sunday 7th, Sunday 14th or Sunday 21st March (wind direction must be westerly) Gibraltar Heritage Trust bird of prey migration watching led by Mario Mosquera. Meeting place: Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society Field Station, Jews Gate (bring binoculars). For further info Tel: 200 42844.

Monday 8th March Holiday - Commonwealth Day From Tuesday 9th March Elena Scialtiel’s solo art exhibition at Sacarello’s restaurant on Irish Town.

Thursday 11th to Saturday 13th March M.O. Productions 8th Gibraltar Stage Dance Festival at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. Tickets: £7.00 available from the Nature Shop, Casemates. For further information Tel: 200 71635 or Email: mopro@ gibtelecom.net www.moproductions.org Saturday 13th March Gibraltar Botanic Garden Tour. Meeting place: George Don Gates (at the south end of Grand Parade) 10.30am. There is no fee but donations welcome. For further information Tel: 200 72639 or Email: alameda@wildlife.gib.gi

new release: Formed last summer, Metro Motel is the amalgamation of three artists from Gibraltar and across the border. Corey Alman on bass guitar is already well known locally for his time with No Man’s Land and Milba Jack. Corey worked with Mark Brooks on drums and percussions to find a new way forward in the music industry, and they decided to recruit Javi Raghel — a Spanish singer from Algeciras who also plays acoustic guitar — to form a new line up.

Their new album, which hits the streets on the first of this month under the title Casual, was produced by the legendary Tony Bonjovi who has worked with artists such as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osborne, Jimi Hendrix and his own brother, John. To back it up, the group will be playing live on 6th and 18th of this month over in Spain, and then in Gibraltar on the 19th at the Rock on the Rock Club and at Chao on Line Wall Road, so there’s no excuse for not getting down to see them unless you can’t find £3 in your pocket on the night.

The group’s style is bit of a mix between Brit pop, hard rock and southern Mediterranean influences with a typical Andalus flavour for an explosive combination, with one of the tracks being a cover of Albert Hammond’s Si Me Amaras which has already had its day as a massive hit. We’re looking forward to seeing how the trio revives it!

Young, energetic and with a passion which is bound to come out on stage, make a date to see these guys — this could be the beginning of something big. n

Friday 26th March Investiture by HE The Governor at The Convent 11am. For further info Tel: 200 55083 Saturday 27th March Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society outing “Almoraima” woodland birds and flowers 8am. Meeting place: Spanish side of the frontier.

For further info Leslie Linares Tel: 57363000 Email: plants@gonhs.org Gibraltar Song Festival at Tercentinerary Sports Hall – Bayside Road 9.30pm. Tickets £10, £15 & £20 available from the Music Corner, Main Street. For info email: jcarseni@ari.es Tuesday 30th March Gibraltar Horticultural Society collection of entry forms for this year’s Flower Show from The John Mackintosh Hall. Return of Flower Show Poster Competition entries to John Mackintosh Hall by 5pm. (Please note: the Flower Show will take place in April).

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

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

social scene

e s a l o n’s c n a s s i a Re n i ve rs a r y n n a h t 10 n igh t at ch a r i t y h To w n Ir is C or k s on

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

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Charles reflects on all the memorabilia which lines the walls at The Hole in the Wall

The Hole in the Wall

keeps sailoring on...

He spent much of his working life in the Naval Dockyard in support of visiting warships. The bond was predestined! Sailors love a drink and for almost the past four decades the Hole in the Wall has consistently provided that all important watering hole on the Rock. A few steps up in Castle Street, Charles soldiers, oops, sailors on! By comparison, Her Majesty’s warships’ visits are infrequent these days, but Charles’ Hole in the Wall remains open.

“I just can’t let go. This place has been my life and I still enjoy coming here and opening up practically every evening ready to serve any sailor who may fancy a drink and a chat.”

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By the way Charles speaks it is clear that, come the day the Hole opens no more, Charles will not be Charles for many months or perhaps years of mourning.

He is adamant about putting across that the Hole in the Wall has never been a gay bar.

“That’s right. The Hole in the Wall is a gay owned sailors’ bar and nothing else. We’ve never had any gay goings on or anything of that nature here. If anything, many a liaison between sailor and wren has been born in this bar and always, a great time has been had by all.”

The thought of inebriated sailors brings to mind the inevitable fight or two... “Again you would be surprised. I’ve always held a tight rein on things here and the police and Naval Patrol have always considered this bar trouble free.”

Charles’ first experience of working behind the bar goes back to the days when he helped out at Timothy’s (later to become the Sugar Bowl) in Governor’s Parade, opposite the Eliott Hotel. That was way back in the very early ’70s.

“Around about the mid-’70s I came to the Hole in the Wall to work for a lady who owned it then.”

The naval presence at the Hole was promoted through Charles’ involvement in his work in the Naval Dockyard and contacts he made there and at HMS Rooke. (Charles was responsible for the unenviable task of guiding warships into dry dock: a job that required pinpoint precision).

“Anyway, at some stage I fell out with that lady and to cut a long story short, in 1979 I returned and took over, and things started to take off in a great way. My late friend Johnny Pearce would help me out in the bar and we had a great rapport. We’d have the sailors in stitches having a good time laughing their heads off and look, here I am still, holding the fort!”

Thankfully Charles doesn’t depend on the bar’s income to make a living. He did a stint as a production clerk during the ill-fated Appledore days, still in the dockyard, and now manages apartment maintenance work for a private firm.

“I still somehow manage to pay my bills here. One month I’ll pay an electricity bill and the next I’ll pay the telephone and that’s how I go on. I do get the odd drinker that’ll pop in. Two couples poked their heads in the other night and asked if the same bloke ran the bar.

When I told them that was me they said they expected me to look older and didn’t recognise me! The men were single in the good old days and had since married... we ended

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

food & drink

by Richard Cartwright

up having a good night.”

Word that the Hole in the Wall was a must when visiting the Rock, soon got around the fleet and even naval establishments and bases in the UK, like Portsmouth and Plymouth (where Charles has been invited to attend family days) knew about the bar. The Hole in the Wall became an institution.

“It was said in navy circles that if you hadn’t been to the Hole in the Wall you hadn’t been to Gib! I would also get invited to, what were called, leaving runs, birthday runs and allsorts. Ships’ officers have frequented the bar and I’ve been invited on board for lunch and drinks and also to weddings and parties. I’ve made lots of friends.

“The important thing was to keep everyone happy and ensure continuity. It was very important for the older sailors to bring along younger ratings so there was a steady flow of trade at the bar. You must remember that many of the men would move on, become older and leave the navy.”

Memorabilia is just not word enough to describe the décor at Charles’. The bar area and walls are bedecked with white ensigns with signatures all over them recording nights of drink, song and merriment at the Royal Navy’s own bar on Castle Street. There are photographs and crests of all the visiting warships.

The Hole in the Wall is bigger than you may imagine with an extra ‘cavern’ inside which serves as a games room and an added drinking area. For many it was the place where you ended up, after doing the rounds in town.

“The army tended to go to Club 21 in City Mill Lane — that was their haunt whilst the navy boys frequented Charles’. Although the boys moved on from ship to ship, they would always return and

“

even today ex-navy — as was the case the other night — still seek us out.”

But the trouble nowadays is the Royal Navy is down to about 30 or 35 ships and the ‘Springtrain Exercises’ days are well gone.

“Springtrain was fantastic and business was at its peak as it was, unfortunately, during the Falklands war. Ships were in and out and I remember ships engaged in the Springtrain Exercise were ordered down. Other ships would take on ammunition and were stocked up here. Today the odd frigate comes in from time to time and I get a little business but nothing like the old days. I’ve never had a local clientele so I can’t rely on that.”

The world’s other navies that come into port like US warships and the Dutch navy for instance have not generally come this way either. Charles says he would get one or two RAF blokes pop in, but that was about it.

“Yes it’s always been a tourist attraction and we’ve had people come in because they’ve heard about it but in the main it’s always been a sailors’ bar. As far as I’m concerned that’s how it will always be.”

Charles is 59 but doesn’t look as if he’s ready to call it a day. Tonight he sits alone with his two dogs, the extremely well behaved (I don’t think Charles would allow it to be any other way) Nero and Damian.

He’ll switch the television on or clean around a bit but the Hole in the Wall stands empty. Of late he’s had the odd boiler or other household item flung down the stairs.

I guess his wish would be that the traffic street mirror installed on the opposite wall of the bar, reflected friendly Royal Navy ratings wanting to spend a couple of hours in this famous drinking public house, but the future looks a little bleak.

“I know. I’ve thought about calling it a day many times. But this is just a labour of love. I like coming here every evening. It’s my life.”

Well it’s been nearly 40 years (32 run by Charles). What will it take to revive the bar’s fortunes? Another war, Britain building many more warships, or a re-targeting of the Hole in the Wall’s clientele? At this stage in the game, none of the above I think. It’ll remain a ‘labour of love’ until Charles, one day, decides to let the padlocked gate gather rust. n

It was said in navy circles that if you hadn’t been to the Hole in the Wall you hadn’t been to Gib!

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

”

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

All soups are served with a

Freshly cut Sandwiches,

crusty roll.

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

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

Jackets A freshly baked jacket potato served with a salad garnish.

Baked Beans & Irish Cheddar Cheese............................................£5.50 Chilli Con Carne & Irish Cheddar Cheese............................................£5.50 Tuna Mayonnaise ..........................£5.50 Prawn Mary Rose ..........................£6.25 Chicken, Bacon Bits & Mayo........£6.25 Bolognaise Sauce & Irish Cheddar Cheese............................................£5.50

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

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

Ploughman’s Boxty........................£6.75 Chicken & Coriander Boxty ..........£8.00

Homemade Desserts

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

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

Choose a Scoop Choose from coffee, banana, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, mint-choc-chip or Smartie ice cream.

1 scoop ..........................................£1.00 2 scoops ........................................£1.80 3 scoops ........................................£2.40 Milkshakes ....................................£3.00 (also available to take-away) Just choose your flavour, coffee, banana, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, mint-chocchip, or Smartie ice cream.

Diabetic Ice Cream........................£2.10 Vanilla & Chocolate - 100% sugar free.

, Special Coffee s

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

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

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

Find out about all our entertainment, click onto

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food & drink

Sister act: Sonia and Michelle

The Lounge, Queensway Quay

a Place of Comfort Two types of comfort struck me when I looked in at The Lounge. I was instantly impressed by the combination of supremely comfortable seats and the equally comfortable atmosphere of this recently opened bar at Queensway Quay. Michelle Stafford, who co-owns it with her sister Sonia, confirmed that comfort and friendliness had indeed been their main aims from the start.

The concept caught on quickly, and The Lounge now has a steady stream of regulars and casual callers throughout the day and night.

“We attract all sorts of people from their mid-twenties upwards, it’s a great mix and everyone gets on really well,” said Michelle, who, like her sister, comes from Newcastle.

Like so many, she had no intention of staying permanently on the Rock: she came here for one year as business manager for a local engineering company, having previously worked in Britain

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and China, but, as often happens, she fell in love with the place and decided she didn’t want to leave.

“It’s so safe and friendly,” she said, “and it’s wonderful for children to

grow up here.”

She feels this is reflected in the spirit of The Lounge: “There are always lots of laughs, and it’s become a home from home for a

You’re welcome to just have a drink or to join in some of the activities such as the quiz nights (“they can get very competitive, though!”

Michelle said with a laugh), but the simple delicious snacks are an additional attraction

lot of people. It’s a lively bar, but never rowdy.”

‘Home-from-home’ particularly applies to crews and owners from yachts moored in the marina, who seem to have made The Lounge their local club; and Michelle told me, surprisingly, that there are some ladies who normally don’t come ashore from their yachts, because they don’t feel safe, but since they heard about The Lounge they too have become regulars. “A lot of yacht owners end up staying here a lot longer than they intended; it’s the magic of Gibraltar,” she said.

It’s not all nautical types, of course. It has become a haven for people who live and work in the area, and business people who just want somewhere to sit in comfort, have a drink, and use the free wi-fi facility for their laptops or watch sport on the television.

The Lounge only opened at the beginning of December, but it had taken almost a year of work to convert what was a very rundown place into what now looks like the lounge of an expensive contemporary hotel — except, of course, that it’s far from expensive and completely informal.

“It was in an awful condition,” said Michelle and Sonia, almost with one voice. They then explained that they had been blessed with a lot of help: Chris, who now works there as barman (along with Rachel) and was formerly at Claus on the Rock, brought his brother Rob over from Britain just to help, and they both did all of the fitting, which is a tribute to their craftsmanship. Not only does everything work, but the end result of crisp cushions on soft sofas, with armchairs around the tables, and brand new spring-loaded wickerseated stools at the bar, makes many people mutter, “Oh yes!” the first time they visit.

Michelle and Sonia also told me how grateful they were to their friends and family for their practical support and also to fellow caterers George and Paula Pusey of The Ship at Marina Bay, and Stuart Allen of Champion’s Planet at Ocean Village for all their good advice.

The lounge seats 40 people in comfort inside, and the terrace, which extends to the water’s edge (as does the wi-fi cover) accommodates another 40. Michelle told me that on fine days (remember those?) the terrace is full of customers enjoying the fare.

It’s a free house, and Michelle and Sonia have chosen John Smith’s, Cruzcampo and draught Heineken as the beer selection, all at £1.30 for a half or £2.50 a pint. All the usual

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

food & drink wines, champagnes and spirits are there, with a glass of wine costing just £2.50.

You’re welcome to just have a drink or to join in some of the activities such as the popular Sunday evening quiz nights (“they can get very competitive, though!”

Michelle said with a laugh), but the simple delicious snacks are an additional attraction. These include toasties at £3 including side salad; sandwiches such as sausage and/or bacon, and soups (£2.50), all home made as are the fresh-daily scones and a multitude of muffins — blueberry, chocolate, strawberry, and with jam and cream if you wish, just like a real Devon tea. Soon they will be introducing cream teas with pink cava as well — ask about it when you go there next.

The scones and muffins are delivered fresh daily by their creator, Heidi Devlin, and this could be one of the reasons that a lot of young mothers go there in the afternoons — they were going there before the just-installed safe area for young children, so they’ll love it even more now.

The bar is also available for functions, where you can reserve up to 50 seats, which still leaves room for the regulars; and various events such as a Play Your Cards Right

charity night and customers own theme parties take place regularly.

One recent example of that was when a party of Army wives held a Sex and The City themed do, all dolled up in cocktail dresses as a tribute to the film.

The Lounge is towards the southern end of Queensway Quay and is open from 8.30am until late — which usually means at least 1am, although they have a 4am licence, and the telephone number for any enquiries is 20061118.

“We attract all sorts of people from their mid-twenties upwards, it’s a great mix and everyone gets on really well”

Modern

Relaxed

Dining

Open: 10am - late Closed Sundays + Saturday lunch

Open for morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

Irish Town Tel: 200 51738 to reserve

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recipes

by Chef Scott Casey

17th March

St Patrick’s Feast Braised new season spring lamb shank, rosemary scented mash, Rioja and herb bordelaise, Gremolata (Serves 4) For the bordelaise sauce: 1 white onion finely diced 1 medium carrot finely diced 2 stalks of celery finely diced 3 cloves of garlic finely sliced 1 medium stalk of leek finely sliced 3 bay leaves 5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme leaves 400g tin of whole peeled tomatoes blended to a puree 1 bottle of a decent quality Rioja 600ml of beef or lamb stock Salt and pepper

Gremolata: 2 garlic cloves 2 lemons Half bunch of flat leaf parsley

In a medium sized saucepan sauté onion, carrot, celery, leek and garlic in a little vegetable oil.

Add finely chopped thyme leaves and bay leaves. Cook for a further minute then add Rioja. We want to flambé the wine so give it a light but be careful, this will burn off alcohol but keep the flavour of the wine. Add tomatoes that have been pureed and stock. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer for 1 hour and season to your taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile roll the lamb shanks in some seasoned plain flour to give an even coat. In a separate saucepan we want to slowly cook the shanks

to give a nice golden coating.

Then put into a deep roasting tray and cover with the sauce.

Cover with greaseproof paper and aluminium foil. Braise at 180 degrees celsius for 2-2.5 hours or until the meat is falling off the bone.

This is a critical stage, it should be hard to remove shanks from sauce as they are so tender, if this is not the case continue cooking until this stage is reached. Remove from sauce and return sauce to a clean saucepan. Bring back to a gentle simmer and start to skim of fat with a ladle. Check seasoning again and add more salt and pepper to your taste.

For the mash: 900g of Desiree potatoes 200ml pouring cream 50g salted butter 5 stalks of fresh rosemary Salt and pepper

Nana Casey’s awesome corned beef with parsley and mustard seed sauce (Serves 6)

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For the mash Peel and chop potatoes into even chunks (about 2-2.5cms) Add to a saucepan and cover with plenty of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer until tender.

In a separate pan bring the cream, butter to a gentle simmer with the whole stalks of rosemary. Gently infuse for 5 mins then strain.

Once potatoes are cooked strain and mash with either a ricer or a hand masher or whisk.

Add hot butter and cream reduction and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. If you like extra creamy

mash just add more soft butter until correct consistency is reached.

For the gremolata Finely chop the parsley leaves.

Set aside in a bowl. Add finely chopped garlic and then peel the rind off the lemons. You only want the yellow part as the white pith is bitter. Finely chop and add to parsley and garlic. Set aside Spoon a nice dollop of the mash into the centre of a bowl plate. Top with the lamb shank. Pour over some of the sauce and then finish with the Gremolata.

Ingredients: 1.5kg uncooked corned silverside, rinsed 1 white onion, halved and studded with 6 cloves 1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped 1 bulb of garlic, halved 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns

For the Parsley Sauce: 50 g of unsalted butter 25 g of plain flour 1 teaspoon of seeded mustard (more if desired) 60ml pouring cream 2 cups of the water used to cook the corned beef Half cup finely chopped parsley

Place the meat in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and drain.

Return meat to the cleaned saucepan and add chopped carrot, studded onion, chopped celery, peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves. Cover with cold water again (about an extra 5cm), place a saucer on top of the silverside so it remains completely submerged. Simmer over a medium heat for 2 hours or until tender. Drain (keep liquid) and set aside.

Strain about a third of the cooking liquid and use this to cook your accompanying vegetables, obviously adding each different vegetable in

stages i.e. the potatoes first, then carrots and then beans or broccoli.

Cook until al dente (a little firm to bite) and set aside.

For the parsley sauce, melt the butter and add plain flour. Cook for about 1 minute without colouring. Add 2 cups of the strained liquid used to cook the silverside. Add mustard, pouring cream and last of all the parsley. Bring to boil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with new potatoes, baby carrots, green beans or broccoli and enjoy. With thanks to Nana Casey.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

recipes

Smoked salmon Benedict, steamed asparagus, baby spinach, poached eggs, citrus hollandaise Ingredients: 2 English muffins (available from Marks and Spencer’s) Half bunch of asparagus (trimmed) 50g of baby spinach 100g of smoked salmon (substituted for ham, bacon or a roast field mushroom as a vegetarian option) 4 eggs (fresh) For the Hollandaise: 3 egg yolks Half cup of butter 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice Salt and pepper

Bed breakfast in

Sunday 14th March

a special treat for mother’s day The Ultimate Poached Eggs Most important is to use the freshest eggs possible; this will show as the egg white won’t form a perfect circle around the soft poached yolk if not fresh.

Bring 500ml of hot water to the boil with 100ml of white vinegar. When boiling stir in a clockwise direction to create a sort of whirlpool.

Crack the egg into a ladle and slowly add to the centre of the pan of your circling water and vinegar mixture.

Turn down heat and simmer for desired amount of time depending on your preference of soft or hard poached — soft for around 4 mins and hard around 8 mins.

For Hollandaise Sauce Melt the butter in a pan. You only want to use the clarified butter once it is melted but you will be able to do this as the fat of the butter will sink so simply discard after all the clarified

butter is used.

In a metal bowl whisk the egg yolks with the lemon juice and a little pinch of salt for 1 minute or until pale in colour.

Transfer the egg yolk and lemon juice mixture to the stove and whisk non-stop over a low heat slowly adding melted butter. Once thickened, adjust seasoning and set aside. If the sauce is too thick you can thin out with a little hot water.

To Assemble Cut muffins in half, toast and butter each half.

Blanch the asparagus tips until al dente (a little firm to bite). Top each half with picked baby spinach, then with asparagus. Top with either the smoked salmon, ham, bacon or mushroom.

Top each half with poached egg. Top each egg with a good dollop of hollandaise. Grind fresh black pepper over everything. Done.

Absolutely awesome for breakie, or a light lunch Season to taste with salt and serve. ■

enjoy relax

Contemporary Mediterranean Dining

enjoy relax delicious Grand Casemates Square

FREE WiFi

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

Tel:

200 44449

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wine column

Jerusalem If it were not for Parry’s rousing music, Blake’s poem Jerusalem might be seen for what it is, and not as a secondary National Anthem. It is actually an indictment of England and a promise to try and make the ghastly place better, which is rather a long way from praising the ‘green and pleasant land’.

I

suppose that we should be grateful that the Women’s Institute and others will not cease from mental fight in an effort to improve the lot of those living in clouded hills and working in dark, satanic mills, but I am not wholly sure that they realise that is what they are proposing to do.

We often get caught out by language and the meaning of words; we are so used to trotting out the familiar old formulas that we don’t stop to think what they actually mean. ‘Do not use lift in case of fire’, ‘Passengers must cross the line using the subway’, ‘The next station is Oval’ are all sentences that don’t quite say what they mean – or at least are capable of having a meaning quite different from the one intended.

The wonders of science can create the same confusion for non-scientists trying to grapple with the mysteries of the Universe. The number of atoms which have created all the material in the world remains constant; it is just that their chemical composition has changed by virtue of being set on fire, eaten, drunk or otherwise fiddled with. Why then cannot I create a bottle of wine by undrinking it? (And I do not mean the physical process which may be caused by overindulgence.) My carbon footprint is increased by a kilo or so every time I fly in an aeroplane or drive in a car; where does all this weight (or mass – there is apparently a difference but I can never quite grasp what the difference is) disappear to? I do not see a kilo of carbon falling out of my shoes as I get off the aeroplane or out of the car.

By way of digression, there can also be confusion in the spoken word. There is ‘Gladly, the cross-eyed bear’, ‘The Lady Mondergreen’, Jimi Hendrix singing: ‘Scuse me while I kiss this guy’ and the Beatles referring to ‘The curly collider’s cow pies’. My (then young) daughter’s reaction to hearing the lines: ‘When stout Cortez, with all his men, stood silent on a peak in Darien’ was

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to feel sorry for the poor dog.

By this circuitous route, we arrive at confusion in the world of wine. Red, white and (if you must) rosé are relatively easy to sort out simply by looking. However, try tasting blindfold – without cheating. Simple to tell a light (white) Muscadet from a heavy (red) Cotes du Rhone; not so easy between a medium (white) Vouvray and a light (red) Beaujolais. And most rosés are indistinguishable from whites unless you have a very refined palate. The difference between a claret (Bordeaux) and a Burgundy is easy with eyes open: just look at the shape of the bottle (claret has ‘shoulders’, Burgundy is sloping). Now try telling apart, without looking at the language on the label, a claret and a Rioja, which also comes in shouldered bottles.

The usual descriptions (hints of blackberry, deep tannins, lemongrass, new-mown hay, aftertaste of vanilla and so on) are not terribly helpful. One man’s blackberry is another woman’s i-Pod. ‘Tannin’ may be presumed to be sun worship in East London. It is like the ‘language’ of mathematics; it requires a certain

The usual descriptions (hints of blackberry, deep tannins, lemongrass, new-mown hay, aftertaste of vanilla and so on) are not terribly helpful. One man’s blackberry is another woman’s i-Pod

basic knowledge before you can say: “Hello, Professor, and the best of dy over dx to you”. It is remarkably difficult to taste anything except fermented grape juice in most wines so you need to learn the shorthand. Cabernet always, apparently, produces ‘blackberries’. Taste some cabernet, note its admittedly distinctive dark, fruity, grapeiness and make a mental note that this is, according to the wine world, what blackberries taste like. Continue with other grapes until you have a mental picture, like the Periodic Table in chemistry, of the name of the grape and its associated taste.

This simple exercise will place you in the first rank of ‘wine experts’, but you must be careful to wear your learning lightly. No-one appreciates the bore who drones on about southern-facing slopes, late harvests and ‘premier cru’ (often misunderstood to be an America’s Cup sailing team). It is also, however well you remember your imaginary Tasting Table, possible to be misled by a new wine with which you are unfamiliar. At Anglo Hispano wine club tastings they regularly spring a surprise such as a new Sicilian wine. You confidently assert this to be a New Zealand Shiraz, and then look somewhat foolish when its true provenance is revealed.

The fact remains that however confused or confusing wines may be, there is no substitute for your own taste. Guidance is helpful but if you do not like what is supposed to be a very good wine then that is an end of the matter.

Further, and more importantly, cost is no guarantee of quality. You are certainly more likely to get a decent drop in a bottle costing £25 than in a bottle at £2.50, but that does not mean you have to adore the more expensive and hate the cheaper. They both have their place. All you have to do is cut through the confusion and find one you like at a price you can afford. Then you can sing ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ at the top of your voice. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

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

VISIT US AND STEP BACK IN HISTORY

Casemates Square Tel: 200 72987

Full menu served inside or on our terrace including British Fish & Chips, Jackets, Salads, Burritos, Homemade Pizzas, our special Fresh Local Mussels and much more.

Visit us and buy yourself a souvenir, T-shirts, beer glasses, lighters etc Live music every evening, join our Jam Sessions on Wednesday or Sunday.

GLMS Music Venue of the Year.

Official Home to Gibraltar Rugby Club Free WiFi

restaurant bar guide &

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

NOW OFFERING DAILY SPECIALS

10 Casemates www.lordnelson.gi Tel: 200 50009

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

Grand Casemates Sq Tel: 20044449

Get Stuffed!

Marina Bay Tel: 200 42006

57 Irish Town, Gibraltar Tel: 200 70652

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

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

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

Wembley Bar

To advertise in this section call

200 77748

10 South Barrack Ramp.

Tel: 200 78004

email: gibmag@gibraltar.gi

• Hot & cold bar snacks • Function room

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

BUDDIES pasta casa

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

now also in Casemates

Just A Nibble Licensed Cafeteria Let the ‘A’ Team serve you up a snack or a meal.

Daily Specials • Varied Menu

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

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

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

81 81

scene, Savannah has been created with fun and style in mind. Offering contemporary European cuisine a wide selection of drinks, cool decor and good music. The venue hosts regular events with invited DJs and shows from abroad.

Open: Sunday-Thurs midday-midnight, Friday and Saturday midday-5am.

restaurants 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.

Nunos Italian Restaurant and Terrace Caleta Hotel, Catalan Bay For a reservations Tel: 200 76501 E-mail reservations@caletahotel.gi Overlooking the Mediterranean from Catalan

Bay, Nunos’ Spanish chef with Three Star Michellin experience offers a variety of Italian cuisine. The restaurant has now moved from its location on the lower floors and can now be found at the reception level of the hotel. A quick peak at the menu reveals the chef’s celebrated Salmorejo is on the menu, as are his baby squid burgers (Insalata di Calamari). From the main dishes you can choose from a variety of fresh fish and meat dishes. Or you could go for the house speciality of fresh, home-made pasta where you can choose from a wide range of options. Open: Monday to Saturday 19.30 to 22.30 and lunchtimes for group bookings.

The Boat Yard Restaurant & Cocktail Bar Queensway Quay. Tel: 200 50540 Stylish chill-out lounge and restaurant on the quayside at Queensway Quay. Enjoy a pre-dinner drink or stay on a while after trying their fresh selection from their daily menus which include slow roast rack of lamb, line caught fillet of seabass, baked Dorada or host, Gary, suggests the prime Argentinean steak. Desserts include apple crumble or Wild Berry Eton Mess amongst others.

Open: Monday to Friday 12 midday to 11pm, Saturdays 7pm to 11pm The Mexican Grill and Bar Unit 2B The Tower, Marina Bay Tel: 200 46668 The Mexican Grill and Bar serves all the favourite Mexican dishes from Nachos, Quesadillas and Chimichangas (rolled flour tortilla with spicy chicken, chilli beef or vegetables, deep fried, served with Mexican rice and salad and guacamole, salsa or sour cream), to Burritos (like Chimichangas but oven baked), El Gringos Chilli con Carne, or Cheese Holy Mole Enchiladas. Don’t forget Big Eat Homemade Burgers (5 to choose from) and from the grill barbecue combos, steaks and chicken. Salads and sides to order. Decorated is warm Mexican colours with comfortable seating in the no-smoking, 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

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 eating and drinking, including the restaurant and bar, a large covered terrace with chandeliers and an open quayside terrace. There is an extensive menu to cater for all tastes including meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, along with salads and oriental food. The specials menu is changed daily and includes starters of lobster and prawn cocktail, fresh soup which is made daily and served with crusty bread, or Alaskan crab salad. The specials menu also tempts you with dishes such as Coca Cola marinated lamb shank served with oven roasted garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes, and the ever popular in-house aged steaks that can be served with a variety of sauces, or fresh Dorada, sea bass and salmon.

For those who enjoy the sweeter things in life there is proper homemade banoffee or apple pie, cheese cakes and strudels.

Open: 7 days a week from 9am to late.

The Water Margin 5 Ocean Village Promenade, Tel: 200 73668 Gibraltar’s premier Chinese restaurant serving freshly cooked traditional Chinese dishes in the beautiful Ocean Village marina. Check out the outstanding aromatic crispy duck, the special duck slow cooked with honey and chilli or the freshly caught seabass delicately steamed with ginger and spring onion, popular with families looking for a relaxing night dining. No microwave oven or flavour enhancer (MSG) used in this establishment. Home delivery service.

Open: 7 days a week, evening from 6pm, lunch from 12:30pm

informaleating Amin's The Office 30 Parliament Lane. Tel: 200 40932 Sit down, informal and friendly restaurant.

Amin is well known in Gibraltar for his Moroccan, Spanish and international cuisine.

Open early for breakfast at 7am right through the day. Try the Moroccan soups, couscous, lamb tagines and kebabs.

Open: 7.00am to midnight.

Buddies Pasta Casa 15 Cannon Lane. Tel: 200 40627 Italian specials in pleasant ambience. Large selection of starters from garlic bread to calamari. Main courses include spinach caneloni, spaghetti alla carbonara, fusilli al salmone, and peppered steak to name a few.

Savannah Lounge Tasty desserts and variety of wines.

27 Heart Island, Ocean Village Open: Monday - Thursday 11am - 5pm, Friday Tel: 200 66666 www.savanna.gi Aimed at Gibraltar ’s dining and night-life 11am-3pm and 7pm-11pm, Sat 11am-4.30pm

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

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

selection of mixed vegetables, sandwiches, burgers and rolls. Sai Darbar can cater to your own requests for dishes too, if you contact them in advance.

Open: 10am-3pm and 6pm-11pm

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. The top five smoothies they sell are wild strawberry; breakie on the run; energy blast; raspberry ice; and tropical surrender.

Open: 8-7 Mon -Friday, 10-7 Sat, 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 ICC Tel: 200 78052 Full licensed cafe serving English breakfast, vast range of toasties, rolls, and snacks. Meals include, Bob’s famous chicken curry/chilli con carne, and a great new range of pies (from Bob’s chicken and leek to steak and kidney plus a whole range of tasty alternatives) plus all the old favourites; jacket spuds, burgers, hot dogs, fish and chips, and daily specials. Ideal meeting place.

Open: Monday - Saturday from 9am.

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.

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 -late.

Munchies Cafe 24 Main Street. Tel: 200 43840 Fax: 200 42390 A great sandwich bar/cafe offering an unusual range of sandwiches on white or granary bread, plus salads, baguettes, soups, desserts, homemade ice-cream and hot/cold drinks.

Business lunches, parties and kids parties also catered for (for party and office platters phone or fax order by 5.30pm day before - minium orders for delivery £12).

Open: Mon - Fri 8.30-7, Sat 9 - 4, Closed Sun.

Just Desserts 1st Floor ICC. Tel: 200 48014 Bright and airy, recently redecorated cafe on the first floor of the ICC. All home-made food including daily specials, vegetarian options and desserts. Eat in or take-away. Try their daily roast with everything on or their all-day breakfast. Non-smoking restaurant with terrace smoking area. Friendly, cheerful and fully Picadilly Gardens licensed with sensible prices.

Rosia Road. Tel: 200 75758 Open: 8am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

Relaxed bar restaurant with cosy garden terrace just across the road from the cable car. English London Bar/Bistro breakfast, churros, tapas, hamburgers, fresh 76-78 Governor's Street. Tel: 200 77172 fish, prawns, squid, clams and a variety of meat Tucked away on Governor's Street just opposite dishes. Eat in or take away. Menu of the day the Elliot Hotel, and hosted by Pili, this pub only £6. Open: early to late. serves modern bistro food in a traditional pub environment. Try out some of the favourite l Sacarello Coffee Co. dishes such as baby beef Wellington, fillet steak 57 Irish Town. Tel: 200 70625 (with mushroom & brandy, port & stilton, or Converted coffee warehouse, ideal for coffee, peppered sauces), chicken (Kournik or Nati), homemade cakes/afternoon tea, plus menu traditional fish, chips & mushy peas, and all including excellent salad bar, specials of the day breakfasts. Sunday roast lunches and day and dishes such as lasagne, steak and daily specials. mushroom Guinness pie, hot chicken salad, Open: 9am to midnight every day. toasties, club sandwich and baked potatoes. Art exhibitions. Available for parties and functions Mumbai Curry House in the evenings.

Unit 1.0.02 Ground Floor, Block 1 Open: 9am-7.30pm Mon-Fri. 9am-3pm Sat Eurotowers Tel: 200 73711 Home delivery: 50022/33 Sai Darbar Good Indian cuisine for eating in or taking 6a Prince Edward's Road. Tel: 200 61312 away, from snacks such as samosas, bhajias, and Pure vegetarian Indian take-away with a wide

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

Solo Express Ground Flr, International Commercial Centre Solo Express, located right next to Pizza Hut, serves a good variety of salads and baguettes (white, brown & ciabatta) filled with a wide deli selection of things such as roast chicken; smoked salmon & mascapone; ham, cheese and coleslaw; or hummous, avocado and roasted red pepper. The salads are fresh and tasty and include Greek, Waldorf, cous cous, tuna pasta, etc and are great value. Jacket potatoes, quiches, tea, coffee etc plus cakes (such as flapjacks and muffins) are also available throughout the day.

Eat-in available. Soups in winter months. Free Wifi.

The Tasty Bite 59a Irish Town. Tel: 200 78220 Fax: 200 74321 Tasty Bite has one of the biggest take-away menus around with home cooked meats, filled baguettes, burgers, chicken, kebabs and everything else you can think of!

Open: Monday - Saturday.

Verdi Verdi 44 Cornwall's Lane. Tel: 200 60733 Verdi Verdi offers morning and afternoon coffee as well as all home-made vegetarian and vegan dishes, fresh baked bread and desserts. A wide selection of sandwiches to eat in or take away.

Open: Mon-Thurs 9-6pm, Fri 9-4pm, Sun 104pm

bars&pubs All’s Well Grand Casemates Square. Tel: 200 72987 Traditional pub in fashionable Casemates area.

Named for the 18th century practice of locking the Gates to the city at night when the guard announced ‘All’s Well’ before handing the keys to the watch. All’s Well serves Bass beers, wine and spirits plus pub fare. English breakfast served all day, hot meals such as pork in mushroom sauce, sausage & mash, cod and chips and steak & ale pie are complemented by a range of salads and

83

Savannah has been created with fun and style in mind. Offering contemporary European cuisine a wide selection of drinks, cool decor and good music. The venue hosts regular events with invited DJs and shows from abroad. Open: SundayThurs midday-midnight, Friday and Saturday midday-5am.

filled jacket potatoes. Large terrace. Karaoke every Monday and Wednesday until late. Free tapas on a Friday 7pm.

Cannon Bar 27 Cannon Lane. Tel: 200 77288 Jane is still there and still packed out with tourists and regulars! Word has it that she nearly managed to escape, but wasn’t allowed to. The famous fish and chips, the odd French speciality, there’s always something happening in the Cannon!

Located between Marks & Spencer and the Cathedral just off Main Street. Quiz night on Tuesdays, get there early as it is definitely the place to be on a normally quiet Gibraltar Tuesday.

The Final Whistle 4, Cornwall’s Parade Friendly sports bar with six screens. If it’s live, it’s on, and often more than one game on at a time for full sports coverage. Fun atmosphere with special offers during premier matches. All sports fans welcome.

Open 10am until late, 7 days a week.

The Gibraltar Arms 184 Main St. Tel: 200 72133 www.gibraltararms.gi Good food served all day at this typical pub right on Main Street. Everything from all day breakfast to Irish fillet steak roll, burritos, and the popular fresh local mussels. Draught lager, bitter, cider and Murphys plus free WiFi. Terrace seating right on Main Street to watch the world go by. Open: from 8am (10am Sundays) until late.

Lord Nelson Bar Brasserie 10 Casemates Tel: 200 50009 www.lordnelson.gi E-mail: reservations@lordnelson.gi Attractive bar/brasserie in historic Casemates building. Done out to represent Nelson’s ship with cloud and sky ceiling crossed with beams and sails. Spacious terrace Starter s& snacks include fresh local mussels, blue cheese and rocket 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.

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 Lounge Queensway Quay Marina Tel: 200 61118 Stylish bar right on the quayside with very reasonably priced drinks and light bites. Free WiFi, quizzes on Sundays (7.30pm) and a relaxed friendly atmosphere. Great place to chill out. Open: 7 days a week 1pm-late.

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 O’Reilly’s as spare ribs, currys or lasagna. The establishment Leisure Island, Ocean Village. Tel: 200 67888 also has three large 62” screens where they cover Traditional Irish bar with full HD sports coverage all major sporting events. Open: 9am-1am Monand Irish breakfast from 7am (Sunday from 9am). day to Saturday, Sunday 9am-midnight Guinness on draught. Food includes salads, jackets, beef and Guinness ale pie, Molly’s mussels, The Three Owls drunken swine, Boxty dishes (potato pancake Irish Town wrapped around delicioius fillings), sandwiches, The Three Owls is a traditional bar serving best of rolls, Kildare chicken and much much more. And English beers. Three separate bars/floors: ground just like in Ireland there’s no smoking inside, so a floor — big screen TV, pool table, poker machines, great atmosphere for all. games machines, bar — open from 10.30am daily.

First floor ‘Hoots’ bar — two match pool tables, Pickwicks poker machines, darts board, games machine, bar Governor’s Parade. Tel: 200 76488 — open from 1pm daily. Second Floor the ‘Nest’ Run by well-known friendly face, Mandy, this — American pool table, poker machine, games small pub with a large terrace is situated in Gov- machine, card table, bar — open from 5pm daily. ernor’s Parade away from the traffic and safe for If you are looking for a sociable game of pool or all the family. Good food available including the darts this is the place to be. best freshly made sandwiches and jacket potatoes, salads and burgers. Open: Mon - Fri from 9.30am Wembley Bar Location: turn off Main St at Marks & Spencer, 10 South Barrack Ramp. Tel: 200 78004 go up steps to Governor’s Parade (opposite the Popular bar for hot and cold bar snacks, function Elliot Hotel). room, in south district. Fridays 10am for breakfast.

Air conditioned. The home of the Real Madrid Savannah Lounge Supporter’s Club.

27 Heart Island, Ocean Village Tel: 200 66666 Open: 11am - midnight Sunday - Thursday, 10am Aimed at Gibraltar’s dining and night-life scene, - 1am Friday, 11am - 1am Saturdays.

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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time to dine

Notes for Gib’s Foodies Nunos goes up!

Nunos popular Italian restaurant at the Caleta Hotel has now reopened. To say it has gone up in the world is not a lie! Nunos can now be found two floors up from the old restaurant at reception level.

Open Monday to Saturday 7.30pm until 10.30pm. Closed lunchtime except for group bookings. Tel: 200 76501 Email: reservations@caletahotel.gi Savannah Events Friday 5th March DJ Rookie RnB/Dance Saturday 6th March Savannah Lounge with DJ Sal - 2 4 1 Cocktails Friday 12th March DJ Rookie Saturday 13th March Frank Sinatra Tribute - book a table for dinner on 200 66666

Saturday 20th March - DJ Dani - Rumba/Reggaeton/Dance Friday 26th March DJ Rookie -RnB/Dance Saturday 27th March Savannah Lounge with DJ Sal - 2 4 1 Cocktails London Bar’s All New Menu Pili and the team at the London Bar have been working hard to give the premises a new lease of life. The new kitchen is now open with dishes being served from their new menu. You can find the quaint old premises just around the corner from the Eliott Hotel so why not pop in and try some of their tasty dishes and look out for their specials board each day and, of course, their famous roasts on Sundays.

What’s on at Waterfront Throughout March the Waterfront restaurant at Queensway Quay are running a Yylera Red Wine Promotion. This is your chance to win a very special ‘Nebuchanezzar’ of Yylera Crianza (equivalent to 20 normal size bottles). To enter the draw simply purchase a bottle of Yylera Crianza and receive one draw ticket, or a bottle of the Yylera Reserva for two draw tickets.

Just another anniversary Bob and Marie are celebrating their 11th Anniversary this month at Just a Nibble on the first floor of the ICC. And on Monday 15th Friday 19th March - DJ Rookie they’ll be giving a little treat for -RnB/Dance

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

Above Mike’s 37th birthday celebrations and below Mrs Silver celebrates 60... thanks to Annette of Cafe Rojo on Irish Town for the piccies.

all their customers. It’s also the fourth anniversary of Dunia working there, so why not pop in to congratulate her and have a little something on the house, they’ll be delighted to see you.

Indian Delights The newly refurbished Maharajah Indian Restaurant on Tuckey’s Lane has now reopened following in the footsteps of its sister restaurant down at Queensway Quay, and very smart they both look too.

The glass front and smart chocolate interior are sure to make this a very popular spot in town once

again, and we hear there will be tables and chairs outside too in the summer... roll on warmer weather so we call all enjoy al fresco dining once again!

Testing the Grey Matter You’ll be lucky to squeeze into the Lounge at Queensway Quay on a Sunday evening when they are holding their quiz, but don’t despair, the Cannon Bar also has a popular quiz night on a Tuesday - three quizzes in one in fact, and tapas afterwards.... Entrance is free but all money raised from donations goes to charity. Win, win!

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A ro u n d To w n .. .

a light-he arte d look at Gibralta r soc iety

Well it’s March already and Spring begins on 20th of the month — and it only seems a few minutes ago everyone was planning for Christmas!

This month we will see Irish eyes smiling on 17th for St Patrick’s Day - get ready for some of the black stuff and seeing a lot of leprechaun hats around town! But before all that, it’s a day to give your mum a hug on Mothering Sunday (14th March). Restaurants will be full for Sunday lunch on that day so make sure you book early to avoid a very disappointed mummy!

Mid-Life Crisis We normally congratulate and compliment people in this column but this is not always possible. Was it too much wine, a mid-life crisis or entering a second childhood that persuaded the normally quiet and retiring Peter Rodney to buy an ancient BMW convertible? Commiserations to wife Lynn — although we look forward to seeing her doing a Dukes of Hazard leap into the passenger seat over the door that doesn’t open.

Photos this page and right: Renaissance salon’s 10th anniversary party at Corks

Lifesaver Becky Someone we are congratulating this month is Becky of Cafe Rojo. A keen internet chatter, Becky noticed her friend in Switzerland was not online at her usual time. Later she was still not online, and Becky knew she was epileptic and home alone. Worried, she contacted a mutual friend who lived nearby who drove to her house and found her lead on the floor unconcious. Well done to Becky for saving a life.

New York, Paris Recently Rob Burniston headed off to New York with his girlfriend for a holiday of a lifetime. And what fun they had. Rob even managed to keep everyone up-to-date on Facebook, though friends were a little surprised when he said he was off to the Eiffel Tower that day.

We never did find out where he was really going, we just hope he had a good map.

Lucky Cruisers Another couple who have been living it up on holiday recently are Caribbean cruisers Luis and Marie of Luis photos... who are sure to have a tan while the rest of us are rusting in the rain.

A Very Long Break Which Gibraltar insurance company is it who still (as we went to press) has their after hours message saying they will reopen after Christmas? Either thay are having a very long break or someone forgot to change the message!

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Drinks at the Newton Store

Zaxkia of the Newton Store

Carla India Field

Feeling Blue Don’t forget it’s Childline’s Blue Day on Friday 26th March... wear blue and support this essential service for Gibraltar’s children. On Saturday 13th March there is a Frank Sinatra tribute night at Savannah on Leisure Ialand. If you are a fan of old blue eyes make sure you book your table early.

Congratulations all round Congratulations to Cathy and Jim of Trafalgar Sailing on the birth of Carla India Field weighing a bouncing 8lb 4.5oz. Congratulations to all the birthday boys and girls we’ve heard about this month starting with Mary Dolding on 7th as she reaches her 3/4 of a century. Our own Jon Bull is on 8th, then Mark of the 4x4 club celebrates as does Jon Sellors.

Then there is Mike of BSG Computers on 1st March, Annette of Cafe Rojo and Alan of AG share a birthday on 6th, then ex-stockbroker Lindsay and Sue of Originarta on 7th. Louise (Lounge regular) gets a year older, as does DHL Dennis. Many happy returns to them all.

It’s a Wrap Actually, talking about Mr Sellors, who was the unfortunate soul who ended up a little bit tipsy and wrapped up in cling film on a recent night out? We shall never know the full story and perhaps it is best we don’t!

Spring Forward That’s it for this month. Let’s hope the rain has stopped by the time you read this and we are all looking forward to casting off the boots and dining al fresco again! Don’t forget that the clocks ‘Spring Forward’ on 28th March... so you’ll have to get up an hour early, but the good news is lighter mornings are on their way! Enjoy.

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clubs&activities Arts & Crafts The Arts Centre, Prince Edward’s Rd. Art classes for children (5-6pm Mon, 5-6.30pm Tues, 5-7pm Thurs), adults (Mon - Tues 6.30pm-8pm, Wed 6.30pm-8.30pm, life painting Wed 7pm9pm). Tel: 200 79788.

The Fine Arts Association Gallery 1st Floor above Gibraltar Crystal, Casemates. Open 11am-2pm, 4-6pm Mon - Fri, Sat 11am - 2pm.

Arts & Crafts Gallery (next door) opens Mon - Fri 9.30am - 5pm (summer) -6pm (winter), Sat 9.30am - 3pm.

The Poetry Society meets on 20th of each month. Tel: Audrey Batty on 200 44355 .

Board Games Chess Club meets in Studio 1, John Mackintosh Hall 8-10.30pm Tues.

The Gibraltar Scrabble Club meet John Mackintosh Hall Mondays. Bank holidays changed to Thursday same week. 7pm-11pm All welcome.

Tel: 200 73660 or 200 75995.

The Subbuteo Club meets Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall 7.30 - 11pm.

Dance Adult Dance Classes Wednesday evenings at the Youth Disco Room, Kings Bastion Leisure Centre from 7-8.30pm. Cha-Cha, Salsa and Merengue. Lessons £5 and all proceeds to GibMissionAfrica Charity. Contact Dilip on 200 78714 or dance@trainingtm.net Salsa Gibraltar Salsa classes held Tuesdays at Laguna Social Club, Laguna Estate. Beginners 7-8.30pm, £5 per lesson. Intermediates 8.30-10pm, £6 per lesson (all profits going to the charity Help Us To Help Them). Contact: Mike 54472000 Email: info@salsagibraltar.com website: www.salsagibraltar.com Modern & Latin American Sequence Dancing Mondays Catholic Community Centre 8.30pm (beginners 7.30). Over 15s welcome.

Old & Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at the Catholic Community Centre at 8pm, beginners at 7.30pm, Wednesday.

The DSA Old & Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at Central Hall Fridays 8pm, beginners 7.30pm. Tel: 200 78282 or e-mail manvio@ gibraltar.gi Everybody welcome.

Senior Citizens Teatime Dances at The Youth Centre, Line Wall Rd on Mondays 2 - 5.30pm.

All senior citizens welcome for coffee, tea and biscuits. Entrance free.

Classical Ballet classes for children 4+, Spanish dance and hip-hop at Liza School of Dance, 3rd floor, Methodist Church, 297/299 Main St. Classes Weds & Fri from 6pm at Chiltern Court (4Cs). Tel: 58111000.

Hip Hop classes for adults Mondays 6.15pm to 7.15pm, Hip Hop classes for boys and girls Tuesdays 4.15pm to 5.15 - Urban Dance, Jumpers Dance Studio History & Heritage The Gibraltar Heritage Trust Main Guard, 13 John Mackintosh Sq. Tel: 200 42844.

The Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association Dedicated to preservation of Rock’s transport/motoring heritage. Assists members in restoration / maintenance of classic vehicles.

Members/vehicles meet 1st Sunday of month, Morrison’s car park from 10am. New members welcome. Tel: 200 44643.

Music The Gibraltar National Choir and Gibraltar Junior National Choir rehearse on Monday & Thursday 7.30 - 9pm. New singers of all ages welcome. Tel: Lili 200 40035, 54006727 St Andrew’s Music Academy Musical Monsters Club, musical workshops. Group musical activities for kids 3-7 years. Singing, rhythmic games etc. Tel: 200 42690 email: samagib@ hotmail.com Outdoor Activities The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an exciting self-development Programme available to all young people worldwide equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and the world. To date over 5 million young people from over 100 countries have been motivated to undertake a variety of voluntary and challenging activities. Contact Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Montagu Bastion, Line Wall Road, Gibraltar Tel: 200 59818 Reg. Charity No: 61

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Don’t be bored... do something fun!

Quizzes Cannon Bar quizzes are held on Tuesdays starting with a warm up, then two other quizzes, including a theme quiz. Starts at 8.30pm, all welcome and prizes are given. Free entrance but a donation to charity is requested. Tapas served after the quiz.

The Lounge friendly quizzes take place on Sundays from 8pm right on the quayside at Queensway Quay.

Social Clubs Scots on the Rock: Any Scots visiting the Rock can contact Charles Polson (Tel: 200 78142) for assistance or information.

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (Gibraltar Province) meets RAOB Club, Jumpers Bastion on these days: Provincial Grand Lodge, 1st Monday/month, 8pm. Executive Meeting, last Mon/month 7pm. Knights Chapter, 2nd Mon/month 7.30pm. Examining Council, 3rd Mon/month 7pm. William Tilley 2371, Thurs 8pm. Buena Vista 9975, Weds (fortnightly) 7pm. Por Favor 9444, Weds (fortnightly) 7pm.

Farewell 10001, Tues 8.30pm. Goldacre 10475 (social) last Fri/month 8pm.

Special Interest Clubs & Societies Gibraltar Horticultural Society meets 1st Thurs of month 6pm, John Mac Hall. Spring Flower Show, slide shows, flower arrangement demos, outings to garden centres, annual Alameda Gardens tour. All welcome.

Gibraltar Philosophical Society devoted to intellectually stimulating debate. Frequent lectures and seminars on a range of topics. Contact 54008426 (after 6pm) or email gibphilosophy@ live.co.uk for further information.

The Gibraltar Photographic Society meets on Mon at 8pm, Wellington Front. Basic courses, competitions etc.

Harley Davidson Owners’ Club www.hdcgib. com UN Association of Gibraltar PO Box 599, 22a Main Street. Tel: 200 52108.

Creative Writers Group meet every Tuesday at the Eliott Hotel bar at 8pm. The workshop is run

by Carla, Tel: 54006696 and is aimed at learning to write fiction and non-fiction, for pleasure or publication. Each session is £5.00.

Sports Supporters Clubs The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club meet at the Star Bar, Parliament Lane, when Spurs games are televised - call prior to matches to check the game is televised. Great food for a lunch if the KO is early or an early supper if the game is later. For info call Mario on 56280000.

Gibraltar Arsenal Supporters Club meet on match days at the Casino Calpe (Ground Floor).

Gooners of all ages welcome. Tel: Bill 54010681 or Dion 56619000. Website: www.clubwebsite. co.uk/ArsenalGibraltarSC/.

Gibraltar Hammers meet on match days at the Victoria Stadium Bar, Bayside Road. All league games are shown live. All West Ham supporters and their families are welcome. For details visit www.gibraltarhammers.com or e-mail gibraltarhammers@hotmail.com Sports & Fitness Artistic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Artistic Gymnastics Association club for beginners, juniors and squad at Bayside School in evenings. Tel: 200 Angela 200 70611 or Sally 200 74661.

Athletics: Gibraltar Amateur Athletics Association holds competitions throughout year for juniors, adults and veterans. Two main clubs (Calpeans 200 71807, Lourdians 200 75180) training sessions at Victoria Stadium.

Badminton: Recreational badminton weekdays at Victoria Stadium (Tel: 200 78409 for allocations). Gibraltar Badminton Association (affiliated to IBA & EBA) has leagues and training for adults and secondary school. Tel: Ivan 200 44045 or Linda 200 74753.

Basketball: Gibraltar Amateur Basketball Association (affiliated FIBA) leagues/ training for minis, passarelle, cadets, seniors and adults at a variety of levels. Tel: John 200 77253, Randy 200 40727 or Kirsty (minis) 200 49441.

Billiards & Snooker: Gibraltar Billiards and Snooker Association (member IBSA) round leagues and competitions at various venues.

New members welcome. Tel: Eddie 200 72142 or Peter 200 77307.

Boxing: Gibraltar Amateur Boxing Association (member IABA) gym on Rosia Rd. Over 13s welcome to join. Tuition with ex-pro boxer Ernest

Victory (200 75513 w, 200 42788 h).

Canoeing: Gibraltar Canoeing Association. Tel: Nigel 200 52917 or Eugene 58014000.

Cricket: Gibraltar Cricket Association (member ICC) runs leagues/competitions at Europa Point/ Victoria Stadium. Junior/senior training. Tel: Tom 200 79461 or Adrian 200 44281.

Cycling: Gibraltar Cycling Association various cycling tours. Tel: Uriel 200 79359.

Darts: Gibraltar Darts Association (member WDF) mens/ladies/youth leagues/competitions.

Tel: Darren 54027171 “Secretary”, Dyson “Youth Rep” 54024149, Justin “President” 54022622 Email: info@gibraltardarts.com Football: Gibraltar Football Association leagues/competitions for all ages October-May. Futsal in summer, Victoria Stadium. Tel: 200 42941 www.gfa.gi. Senior Tel: Albert 200 41515, Junior Tel: Richard 58654000, Women’s Tel: Brian 200 52299. Recreational football for over 35s Tel: Richard 200 70320.

Golf: Med Golf tournaments held monthly. Tel: 200 79575 for tournament venues/dates. Gibraltar Golf Union has competitions through year, EGU handicaps. Tel: Bernie 200 78844.

Hockey: Gibraltar Hockey Association (members FIH & EHF) high standard competitions/training for adults and juniors. Tel: Eric 200 74156 or Peter 200 72730.

Judo: Gibraltar Judo Association UKMAF recognised instructors for all ages and levels at Budokai Martial Arts Centre, Wellington Front.

Tel: Charlie 200 73116 or Peter 200 73225.

Ju-jitsu: Gibraltar Ju-jitsu Academy training and grading for juniors/seniors held during evening at 4 North Jumpers Bastion (Rosia Rd). Tel: Tony 200 79855 or club 200 47259.

Karate-do Shotokai: Gibraltar Karate-do Shotokai Association sessions for junior/seniors, gradings and demos at Karate Clubhouse, 41H Town Range Tel: Andrew 200 48908.

Motorboat Racing: Gibraltar Motorboat Racing Association Tel: Wayne 200 75211.

Netball: Gibraltar Netball Association (affiliated FENA & IFNA) competitions through year, senior / junior leagues. Tel: Moira 200 41795 or Suzette 200 41874.

Petanque: Gibraltar Petanque Association plays at Giralda Gardens, Smith Dorrien Ave. New members welcome. Tel: 200 70929.

Pilates - at the King’s Bastion Leisure Centre Mondays 1pm-2pm and Wednesdays from 1pm - 2pm and 5.30-6.30pm. For further enquiries call Chantal 60518882 or email: chan_elle82@ yahoo.co.uk.

Pool: Gibraltar Pool Association (member EUKPF) home and away league played on Thurs through season. Tel: Linda 200 74753.

Rhythmic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Rhythmic Gymnastics Association runs sessions for 4 years of age and upwards weekday evenings.

Tel: Christine 200 74661 or 54015533.

Rugby: Gibraltar Rugby Football Union training sessions for Colts (14+), seniors and veterans.

Play in Andalusia 1st Division Oct - April. Tel: James 200 72185 Sailing: Gibraltar Yachting Association junior/ senior competitive programme (April - Oct) Tel: RGYC 200 48847.

Sea Angling: Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers (members FIPS-M & CIPS) Superb calendar of events with four clubs participating. Tel: Mario 200 72622 or Charlie 200 74337.

Shooting: Gibraltar Shooting Federation (over 14s). Rifle, Europa Point range (Joe 200 74973); clay pigeon, East Side (Harry 200 74354); Pistol, near Royal Naval Hospital (Fidel 200 71990).

Skating: Gibraltar Skating and Xtreme Sports Association. State of art ramps for Xtreme/aggressive roller blading /skate boarding. Leisure skating facilities provided within excellent rink (when not used for roller hockey training). Tel: Eric 200 70710 (after 5).

Snorkelling & Spear Fishing: Over 14s for snorkelling, over 16s for spear fishing. Tel: Joseph 200 75020.

Squash: Gibraltar Squash Association, Squash Centre, South Pavilion Road (members WSF

what a page turner! www.thegibraltarmagazine.com

& ESF). Adult/junior tournaments/coaching. Tel: 200 44922 or 200 73260.

Sub-Aqua: Gibraltar Sub-Aqua Association taster dives for over 14s, tuition from local clubs.

Voluntary sports clubs: Tel: Phil 200 44606, Noah’s Dive Club Tel: Leslie 200 79601, 888s Dive Club Tel: Martin 200 70944. Commercial sports diving schools also available.

Swimming: Gibraltar Amateur Swimming Association (member FINA & LEN) opens its pool for leisure swimming Mon - Fri 7-8.45am, 12- 4pm, 8- 9pm. Junior lessons, squad for committed swimmers, water polo (Rebecca 200 72869).

Table Tennis: Gibraltar Table Tennis Association (members ITTA) training / playing sessions, Victoria Stadium, Tues 6-10pm and Thurs 8-11pm with coaching and league competition. Lizanne 200 45071/54020477 or Eugene 58014000.

Taekwondo: Gibraltar Taekwondo Association classes/gradings Tel: 200 Mari 44142.

Tai Chi: Children’s fun Tai Chi at the Yoga Centre, 33 Town Range, Saturdays 11-12am. Beginners Tuesdays & Thursdays at Kings Bastion Leisure Centre. 6.30-8pm. Adults £5, Children £2, all proceeds to GibMissionAfrica Charity. Contact Dilip on 200 78714 or rocktaichi@traningtm.net Tennis: Gibraltar Tennis Association, Sandpits Tennis Club, excellent junior development programme. Courses for adults, leagues / competitions. Tel: Frank 200 77035.

Ten-Pin Bowling: Gibraltar Ten Pin Bowling (members FIQ & WTBA) leagues, training for juniors and squad. Contact Charly on 56014000 or Paul on 54029749.

Triathlon: Gibraltar Triathlon Union (members ITU) Chris 200 75857 or Harvey 200 55847.

Volleyball: Gibraltar Volleyball Association (members W & EVF) training, leagues, competitions for juniors/seniors. Tony 200 40478 or Elizabeth 58306000.

Yoga: Integral Yoga Centre runs a full programme of classes from Mon-Fri at 33 Town Range. Tel: 200 41389. All welcome.

Theatrical Groups Gibraltar Amateur Drama Association Ince’s Hall Theatre Complex, 310 Main Street E-mail: gibdrama@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 200 42237 www. geocities.com/gibdrama Trafalgar Theatre Group meet 2nd Wed of month, Garrison Library 8pm. All welcome.

Theatrix: Contact Trevor and Iris on Tel: 54006176 or email theatrixgib@yahoo.co.uk Clubs, Associations, should submit details to The Gibraltar Magazine gibmag@gibraltar.gi

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

support Support Groups/ Associations Alcoholics Anonymous meet 7pm Tues and Thurs at Nazareth Hse Tel: 200 73774.

A Step Forward support group for single, separated, divorced or widowed people. Meet 8pm Mondays at St Andrew’s Church.

Childline Gibraltar confidential phone line for children in need. Freephone 8008 - 7 days a week 6pm - 10pm.

Citizens’ Advice Bureau Open Mon-Fri 9.30-4pm. Tel: 200 40006 Email: info@ cab.gi or visit 10 Governor’s Lane. No appointment necessary, no charge.

Gibraltar CAB outreach clinics at St Bernard’s Hospital every Tuesday. Advisors available at 1st floor reception, Zone 4, 9am-3pm. Info and advice is free, confidential and impartial.

COPE Support group for people with Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Formed to ease day-to-day challenges of individuals, families and care partner. Meetings at Catholic Community Centre Book Shop at 7.30pm first Thursday of each month.

Contact Sue Reyes Tel: 200 51469 Email: copeadsupport@hotmail.com Dignity At Work Now. Confidential support and advice for those who are being bullied at work. Tel: 57799000 Mon - Thur 8pm-9pm Families Anonymous Support group for relatives and friends who are concerned about the use of drugs or related behavioural problems. Meetings are held alternate Thursdays at 9pm at Nazareth House. For more details Tel: 200 70047 or 200 73465.

Gibraltar Cardiac Rehabilitation and Support Group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 8.30pm at the John Mac Hall, except for July and August.

Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group 3/8 Serfaty’s Passage Tel: 200 78509 Mobile: 54007924 website: www.gdsg.co.uk Gibraltar Marriage Care. Free relationship counselling, including pre-marriage education (under auspices of Catholic Church, but open to all). Tel: 200 71717.

Gibraltar Society for the Visually Impaired. Tel: 200 50111 (24hr answering service).

Hope. miscarriage support Tel: 200 41817.

Narcotics Anonymous Tel: 200 70720 Overeaters Anonymous support group of those with compulsive overeating problem. Tel: helpline for details of meetings 200 42581.

Parental Support Group, helping parents and grandparents with restrictive access to their children and granchildren.

Tel: Richard 200 46536, Jason 200 76618, Dominic 54019602.

Psychological Support Group, PO Box 161, Nazareth House. Weekly Meetings Tuesdays at 7pm, Fridays 8pm. Tel: 200 51623.

SSAFA Forces Help Gibraltar, is a national charity, to assist serving and exService personnel and their families. Tel: (5)5481. E-mail olivero@sapphirenet.gi With Dignity Gibraltar support group for separated, divorced, widowed or unattached people. Meetings Weds 9pm, Catholic Community Centre, Line Wall Rd. Outings/activities. Tel: Flor 54007181 or Marie 200 79957.

Women in Need. Voluntary organisation for all victims of domestic violence.

Refuge available. Tel: 200 42581 (24 hours).

sports

Who’s in charge of Walkies?

Walking dogs should be an enjoyable time and a time for bonding between you and your pet.

Unfortunately when we allow our dogs to lead the walk from the start we end up having a miserable time and end up only taking the dogs out when we feel we need to.

One main cause of behavioural problems in dogs is simply lack of exercise. If we were to give our dogs a good hour of fast walking a day (minimum), quite a few issues such as hyperactivity, constant barking and even chewing would fade and sometimes a good daily walk gets rid of problems completely.

As with all training the time it takes varies from case to case but the more consistent you are the quicker and easier it is. This is a game of patience and calmness from the start and not recommended if you are in a rush.

Let’s take it from the beginning and break things down into steps...

Firstly, don’t tell your dogs it’s time for a walk as this often kicks off their excitement. Remain calm throughout all of the steps!

Step 1: putting leads on. Tell the dogs to sit and only once they are sitting and calm can the leads can go on (the first one calm gets his lead on first). This will take time at first but they catch on quick. If they get excited and start bouncing about again (and they will), put the leads down and wait. Don’t shout at them to calm them down just simply put the leads down walk away remaining calm, once they have calmed down you can retry step one. (You will have to do this several times - be patient).

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010

Religious Services Baha’i Faith Tel: 200 73287 www.gibnet. com/bahai email:bahai@gibraltar.gi Bethel Christian Fellowship Tel: 200 52002. Queensway. Sunday service 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

Step 2: Opening the door. Literally just open the door a little and when they try rushing out, close the door again and wait until you have them sitting calmly once more. Again open the door and once more they will try dashing out but you need to be consistent (and, as always, calm) once again closing the door. This step may also take several tries. Once you can open the door with the dogs remaining sitting and calm you can proceed to step 3.

Step 3: Leaving the house. Tell the dogs to wait or stay, and step through the door. Ensure you are ALWAYS first through any door

Once you have managed to step through the door with your dogs waiting, you can invite the dogs to join you by saying “okay”

& Sunday School 10.30am. Bible Study 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 St Tel/Fax 200 40870 email minister@methodist.org.gi Minister: Revd Fidel Patron. Sunday 11am Morning Worship, 8pm Evening Service. Prayer meetings Monday+ Wednesday to Friday

(that means all doors in your house too). This is better accomplished after steps one and two. Once you have managed to step through the door with your dogs waiting, you can invite the dogs to join you by saying “okay” or “released”.

Your dogs won’t take long picking these rules up and once they are mastered, the rest of the walk normally falls into place. A walk, which is allowed to begin in chaos and excitement, will be a walk of chaos and hyperactive excitement, but a walk started calmly will be a much more pleasant experience for you and your dogs.

Remember always be consistent and calm.

Why not email Charley with your pet problems at positivedogtraininggib. com or call for an appointment on 540 19968. www.dogtraininggib.co.nr

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.

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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).

T

he flora and fauna on the Upper Rock are considered to be of great conservational value. It’s a perfect place for birdwatchers, as migratory species use Gibraltar as the shortest crossing between Europe and Africa, but botanists will also be interested to see over 600 species of flowering plants, including some unique to Gibraltar. Watch out for colourful lizards, non-venemous Horseshoe Whipsnakes, butterflies and pipistrelle bats. Info on flora and fauna is found at the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society’s information centre at Jews Gate.

St. Michael’s Cave: The cave comprises an upper hall with five connecting passages and drops of 40-150ft to a smaller hall.

A further succession of chambers, some at 250ft below the entrance, is reached through narrow holes. The Cathedral Cave is open to visitors and is used as an auditorium for concerts and theatre. The cave was prepared as a hospital in WWII, but never used. A further series of chambers ending in a mini lake is called Lower St. Michael’s Cave and can be visited with a guide.

The Monkeys’ Den: There are around 160 monkeys in the Park and around 30 can be seen at the Monkey’s Den. Often called apes, they are tail-less Barbary Macaques and Europe’s only free living monkeys. £500 fine for feeding the monkeys - don’t do it!

The Great Siege Tunnels: Tunnelling in the Rock began during the Great Siege (1779-1783) when France and Spain made an attempt to recapture the Rock while Britain was busy with the American War of Independence. Governor General Elliot offered a reward to any man who could tell him how to mount a gun on the north face of the Rock. It was a Sgt. Major Ince who suggested tunnelling and there are now over 30 miles of tunnels inside the Rock with various exhibitions inside the tunnels.

of the earliest British building on the Rock.

Original graffiti, drawn by duty soldiers to stop themselves falling asleep, is still visible, the earliest dating back to 1726.

The Moorish Castle: actually just part of a Moorish town and castle which was built up during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, spearheaded from Gibraltar in 711AD by Tarik-ibn-Zeyad (“Gibraltar” is a corruption of the Arabic words “Jebel Tarik” - Tarik’s mountain). The part we see today, The Tower of Homage, dates back to 1333AD, when Abu’l Hassan recaptured the Rock from Spain.

Natural History & Heritage Park Walks: Med Steps is a stunning walk with the steep climb at the end rewarded with spectacular views of the Rock and Spain.

Another recommended walk is St Michael’s Cave through to Charles V Wall but walkers should be relatively fit for both. It is also pleasant walking along the upper rock roads. Brochures available free from all Tourist Board offices.

Botanical Gardens: Opened in 1816, the Alameda Botanical Gardens fell into disrepair but are currently being restored to their former glory. Visitors can enjoy a stroll beneath pines, dragon trees and palms, and see many of Gibraltar’s native plants as well as exotic species. The shop sells environmentally friendly gifts, plants and seeds.

Tel: 200 72639/200 74022. Parking.

Nelson’s Anchorage: Rosia Road 9.30am - 5.15pm Monday to Saturday (last entry at 5pm). Closed on Sunday. Admission: £1.00 (free of charge with Nature Reserve ticket.

Tickets for the nature reserve can also be bought at this attraction).

Parson’s Lodge: Rosia Road. A narrow limestone outcrop with a labyrinth of underground tunnels surmounted by an impressive battery, which has witnessed the development of coast artillery over 300 years. Once housed three 18 ton 10-inch rifled muzzle loaders positioned behind a

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

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

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

Tourist Board.....................Tel: 200 74950 Gibraltar Tourist Board, Duke of Kent House, Cathedral Square, Gibraltar.

UK Tel: 0207 836 0777 giblondon@aol.com

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

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

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

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

Business Information

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

Useful Numbers

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

General Information

Gibraltar Museum.............Tel: 200 74289 18/20 Bomb House Lane Open 10am - 6pm (Sat. 10am - 2pm). Closed on Sunday. Admission: Adults £2/Children under 12 years £1. Exhibitions also at Casemates gallery.

Registry Office...................Tel: 200 72289 It is possible to get married on the Rock within 48 hours of arrival. A fact taken advantage of by stars such as Sean Connery and John Lennon.

Rock Tours by Taxi............Tel: 200 70052 As well as offering normal fares, Gibraltar taxis provide Rock Tours taking in the Up-

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

The Military Heritage Centre: Housed in one of the Rock’s many historic batteries, the Military Heritage Centre displays information on the development of Gibraltar’s military defences through the ages.

A City Under Siege Exhibition: Exhibits depicting the lives of the civilian population during the many sieges, are housed in one

History Alive

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

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Gibraltar Bus Company Routes

Public Holidays 2010

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

The Gibraltar Magazine is published and produced by Guide Line Promotions Ltd, 1st Floor 113 Main Street, Gibraltar.

Tel/Fax: (+350) 77748

Natural History & Heritage Park

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MARCH 2010 July 2004

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