RUNNING WITH THE BATON A Gibraltar family history byJoeGaggero-£12

'Running with the baton' is the story of a remarkable Gibraltarian, the 78 year old Joe Gaggero. It is also the economic history of the Rock during the last sixty years by a man who is regarded as the most successful Gibraltarian of his generation.

Despite the failed 15th economic siege of Gibraltar by General Franco, which had a serious effect on the finances of the Bland Group, Joe was able to increase turnover in the year ending 31st March 2005 to £206 million. He tells the story of how this was achieved.

Alan Clark,a regular contributor to the GB Airways in-flight maga zine, has assisted in the writing but the book sounds exactly as Joe speaks. Indeed it reads as if Joe is talking to the reader. He has also been helped by Robert Palmer and Simon Gooch who were editor and art director of the same magazine.

Joe has avoided the temptation to interpose the narrative with po litical and economic information which although fascinating to those interested in politics would have bored the non Gibraltarian reader.

Instead, 36 pages are dedicated to six appendices;- his 1965 address to senior British European Airways management;- the reasons for the need to grant financial assistance to sustain the Mons Calpe lifeline Gi braltar-Tangier maritime service;notes handed to the Governor on 28th December 1964;- his 1983 ad dress to the Gibraltar Rotary Club on commercialisation following the closure of the Dockyard;- his memorandum arising from a meet ing held at the Foreign Office on 11th March 1988 to clarify AngloSpanish Gibraltar Airport Agree ment.Joe points out that the memo randum is designed to eliminate potential misunderstandings aris ing from a fudged text where each side could construe a different in terpretation, not acceptable to the Gibraltar Government who exer cise a veto;- paper handed to the Chief Minister in the autumn of 1999 conveying the desirability of seizing the moment to launch a fresh initiative on a way forward with Spain.

Over the decades many are the stories and rumours circulating about the Gaggero family. Joe has either confirmed the truth of some or consigned the remainder to my thology.

There is a wonderful selection of photographs which greatly en hance the text. The reader will re-