The Gibraltar Magazine July 2007

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The Apprentic Styl ofManag m nt

I hate "The Apprentice" There, I've said it. I know it is great entertainment. I know it has won, or at least been nominated for, loads of awards. Yet to me it represents the worst of reality TV because people watch it and actually believe that is how management of businesses should operate.

whilst no-one actually thinks vou should behave in the same way as the participants in "Big Brother" and no-one truly wants the "celebrities" in the jungle to ever be "got out of there", the idea that shouting, back-stabbing, intolerance and bullying is modern business school theory,seems to have gained a frighten ing level of credibility.

In a recent episode the contestants (ail ideal employees I am sure)were split into two teams. I am not precisely sure what they were required to do,I think it was to obtain chemicals to create a weapon of mass destruction and then market it to a rogue state. Anyway, the team that won apparently remembered to do the initial market research, albeit by telephone (due to sanction restrictions), whereas the losing team had failed to confirm the purchaser was a wealthy rogue state.

Back at Bunker Sugar (the Sugar cube?) the losing team fell on their leader, blaming him for the collective failings. "But we told you Zimba bwe was a bad choice of customer..."

Collective responsibility is clearly a thing of the past.

This approach to management is not new, 1 remember that a few years ago, a management book was released called "The Leadership Secrets of Attila the Hun". For a while, 1 toyed with the idea of producing a series of such eye catching titles. "King Herod's Book of Child Care" maybe,or"Vlad the Impaler's little Book of Calm",but the moment passed.

1 am sure that there are a significant number of very successful business leaders who are loved by their shareholders whilst at the same time their staff were sticking pins in voodoo dolls of them. But to idolise such leadership styles as models to be looked up to, is repulsive.

Yes 1 know a decent boss makes boring TV,just as a Big Brother household full of normal people managing to get on for a few weeks wouldn't even draw an audience from their parents and that the Jerry Springer show "Married,five kids and happy" had significantly fewer viewers than "He may be a serial killer but 1 love him". But this is reality TV not real life(and no,Jerry Springer is not real, unless you live in Alabama). Let's face it some of these "celebrities" wouldn't even get a hit on even if you Googled them.

As regards these shows we(well most of us) can spot the difference. Somehow,The Appren tice crossed the line.

In GibralteU", like everywhere else, there are good bosses, bad bosses and wholly indifferent ones. The Government subsidises training in things such as "Investors in People" to try and improve the overall quality. As regulators we regard management and management style as a key part of our risk assessment when we visit licence holders. Bullying, controlling, bosses historically represent a higher risk of failure(re member Maxwell). Scared staff are more likely

to cover up errors. However the right culture encourages people to take responsibility and to be accountable. It is no wonder that,in surveys of the best companies to work for, those at the top are also amongst the most successful.

Toughness, credibility and operational skill depend on what you say not the volume or invective of how you say it. The creation of a climate of fear and mistrust may allow a weak manager to temporarily control an organisation but the absence of cultural cohesiveness and the lack of a system of checks and balances will, in

the long term, undermine him or her.

No company that gets people to work in teams then encourages them to destructively criticise their fellow team members could last, even with the ever decreasing staffing costs associated with "The Apprentice" school of management.

Team work has to involve trust. If you believe your colleague will stab you in the back and steal a team idea and portray it as their own, then there is no chance of the team working.

One of Gibraltar's great strengths is Its abil ity to work as a cohesive unit. Government supports and encourages the financial sector. The financial sector delivers income and em ployment. The regulator helps as and where it should. There is not merely consultation, but participation. Of course there is not always agreement, nor should there be, but the team dynamic works

In keeping with this, the new Financial Ser vices Commission Act has created a statutory obligation regarding senior management being responsible for running the company.This may seem obvious but, guess what, it is not always seen in practice. Yet to operate in any other way has as much chance of success as the UK has of winning the Eurovision Song Contest.

Internal loyalty comesfrom trust both ofones bosses and ones peers. Debate and disagreement must be open, not subversive.

A perfect example of this is the "BCC" on e-mails. For those not knowledgeable on this (including me until recently) this is where you can send an email to X and copy it to Y without X knowing.

The "B" apparently stands for blind. 1 al ways thought it stood for another word, also wi^ a B at the beginning and D at the end,but with a couple of A's, a T, R and an S in there somewhere.

Now 1 understand you may occasionally want to email a client and let a colleague know what you are doing. That is fine.

What gets to me is the use of the BCC to quietly let your boss or boss's boss know that you are in dispute with a fellow worker(or your immediate boss). This,in the mind of the sender (or grass), will show his boss that he is the loyal worker and is therefore worthy of vast praise, promotion, pay rise, etc. Rubbish. It shows he has as much guts as a disembowelled weasel. If he had any strength of character he would have let his boss or colleague know by openly "cc"ing it.

Similarly, any boss that accepts such an ap proach or, even worse,encourages it, deserves the kind of loyalty normally reserved for leaders of the British Liberal Democratic Party.

It is only for this one event that 1 would rec ommend they follow Sir Alan and simply hit the reply button, type "You're fired" and send. Oh,and don't forget to BCC it.

internal loyalty comes from trust doth of ones bosses and ones poors.

Debate and disagreement must be open,notsnbverslve

laudio Ramirez A UfetiniB Of COfO

As a young Gibraltar schoolboy in the late 1950s Claudio Ramirez joined.the St John Ambulance Brigade — and quickly found that he "enjoyed an immense sense of satisfaction in helping to attend to someone who was injured... or even helping a frail old lady to get up the stairs."

Claudio had found his vocation; and by the time he left school at 15 he had chosen his career."Isuppose I was born to be a nurse," he told me over an early morning coffee in Casemates recently.Su rrounded by the clatter and chatter of shoppers and housewives taking a break from their chores, the grey-haired and soft-spoken Ramirez seemed to draw the particular attention of a group of half a dozen older women at a nearby table.

But only as we were leaving did he become aware of their atten tion. There were friendly hugs and smiles... for most of them,at some time or other, had been patients for whom he had cared. And, in fact, during his 43 dedicated years of service to the ill and injured of Gi braltar— while he progressed from a humble 16-year-old nursing auxil iary to Clinical Nurse Manager for night duty services — Ramirez has tended to thousands of his fellow Gibraltarians.

This was acknowledged by the Gibraltar Health Authority when, on his retirement recently, he was presented with a glass-mounted clock in recognition of his long and dedicated service — the first Gibraltar nurse to receive such an accolade..

(Though long service awards are made to members of the Fire Brigade and the Royal Gibraltar Police, no similar system exists to pay tribute to the Rock's nursing staff. "It might seem strange... but we're not actually considered to be an essential service... hence no awards," Ramirez explains.)

He proved the exception — and hopes he is perhaps the first of many more — "even though in the inscription on the presenta tion clock they managed to get my length of service wrong, it was a kind and well-meant gesture," he says with a smile.

The smile, which wrinkles the corners of his eyes and flickers beneath a graying, neatly trimmed moustache is warm, infectious... and will have proved both reassur ing and comforting to generations of Gibraltarian patients when his was the first face they saw on sur facing from anaesthetic. It is genu ine, comforting and never far from the surface even when Ramirez talks of the shortcomings of some

aspects of modern nursing.

Leaving school at 15 — "in those days we did the 11 plus exam and that was it" — Ramirez had to wait until he was 16 to become a nurse and so spent the first year of his working life as a shop assistant.

"In those days,in the early 1960s, the job opportunities for school leavers were very limited," he recalls. "If you wanted to be a cop you had to be at least six feet tall,or if you wanted to be a fireman you had to have someone in the Fire Brigade who knew you and could get you in," he adds. "So there was very little else for someone like me other than a job in the dockyard, or as a shop assistant... or nurs ing. And, fortunately, I wanted to be a nurse."

As soon as he was old enough

the young Claudio applied to be come a nurse and as an auxiliary — "today they call them student nurses" — he was enrolled at the School of Nursing which, a few years earlier, had been started here by Bob Darreli a tutor who had studied in the UK.

"From there one went on to do training on the wards... then back to school to do Staff Nurse exams. with a break to do my spell of con scription in the Gibraltar Defence Force."

Ramirez gained his Staff Nurse qualification in 1969. At this stage the qualification was not recognised in Britain, because St Bernard's"did not have a high enough level of beds to meet UK requirements and one still had to spend time in Britain to gain a recognised qualifi-

cation". Eventually UK acceptance came when St Bernard's expanded, though by then Ramirez had trained as an accident and emergency nurse at Dartford in Kent.

"I had always had a soft spot for the surgical and accident side of nursing," Ramirez says,"and at the very start of my career worked at the old St Joseph's Hospital which was then the mental hospital run by a few nursing staff and a Dr Montegriffo."

By then he had met his future wife, Mercedes(who prefers to be known as "Mercy", he explains) then a 14-year-old schoolgirl at St Margaret's. "It was just across the road from the hospital and I used to walk her to school from Glacis Estate and would wave to her across the road when she was in the schoolyard during break," he remembers with an affection ate smile.

There was also a spell at KGV Hospital,then specialising in medi cal care for tuberculosis patients and others suffering from heart problems and where he worked "under the inspiring leadership of Dr Giraldi". And when, after an accident at sea, four badly burned Italian sailors were brought ashore in Gibraltar for treatment, Ramirez wasselected as part ofa round-theclock nursing team who cared for the men.

"We didn't have the facilities at St Bernard's so they were taken to the Naval Hospital, which had a burns unit... and we went with them," he remembers. "At the outset we actu ally worked 24-hour shifts, though as the men's condition improved, the shifts were shortened to 12 and then eight hours, For the first three months it was very heavy work. After a month the RN nursing staff who had come out from England to help care for the Italians pulled out and we were left to get on with it on our own. All of the Italians recov ered from their dreadful ordeal

"Again I learned a great deal in the bums unit and still remember the amazing courage of one of the men who was my particular pa tient. He had to have small patches of skin graft almost daily — new pieces of skin removed from one part of his body and grafted on somewhere else. It wasa prolonged and painful process."

ndh Ramirez

during his43dedicated years of service to the iii and injured of Gihraitar Ramirez has tended to thousands of his feiiow Gihraitarians.

As well as gaining experience in bumstreatment,Ramirez later pol ished his accident and emergency skills during his six months in Dartford —knowledge that was to stand him (and what was then the Colonial Hospital Service)in good stead when he returned to the Rock, "The accident and emergency department at Dartford served a 50 mile radius and, with some of the roads around there treated as a 'race-track'it was a very busy unit. I learned a lot."

Back in Gibraltar with the fresh ly-honed skills he had acquired in Dartford, Ramirez took over as senior nurse in the accident and emergency department in St Bernard's, before promotion to Charge Nurse and his first spell on Napier Ward where,on and off, he was to serve for the next 29 years — promotion to a post for which he clearly retains a deep affection... al though it included a one and a half year break when he had a stint in the Children's Ward, another area of his work which he came to love and enjoy.

"I'm not ashamed to say that in those days when I was in charge of Napier Ward it was considered to be the best ward in St Bernard's," he says,face glowing with recalled

enthusiasm. It was the male surgi cal ward and we used to work as a team. The patients were kept enter tained — so much so that some of them used to forget that they were ill — and every nurse wanted to come and work there.

"It was an open ward, with none of the individual screening off that there is today and one knew what was going on all the time. We worked as a team and at the week ends would roll up our sleeves and get down to cleaning and polishing the ward... There was none of the attitude that you often find among staff today, the 'it isn't my job' ap proach."

Ramirez has seen"a vast change" in the nursing profession and in medical treatments since those early days as an auxiliary — many for ^e better, though some aspects have worsened.

"Staff had a sense of security in those days, where today one is always looking over one's shoul der... And, where patients were concerned, the old policies of open

wards gave one more contact with the patients; today's smaller sepa rate rooms may give patients more privacy but they have probably lost some of the sense of more tangible caring in the process."

And Ramirez was saddened 1^ the tragic events surrounding the death at K.G.V. of Michael Celecia a former St Bernard's porter whom he knew and had worked with before the man's illness.

"It should never have happened. The fact that the fire alarm system didn't work had been reported months before the tragedy, but nothing had been done. And then there was the fact that the fire ex tinguisher, though still sealed, was empty and the fire blankets just came to bits... they hadn't been replaced..."

For the first time,there is no hint of a smile. For Ramirez — who,as the nursing night shift superinten dent had visited K.G.V.a few hours before the event — it is a moment of regret... One of the few in his career.

flew M.D.for Jyske Banii 'IGibraltarl Limited

Christian Bjorlow is the new Managing Director of jyske Bank(Gibraltar)Limited.Chris tian, aged 40, who is married with two children has been the Private Banking Manager in Jyske Bank Gibraltar for the past 5 years. He takes up his new position as Tim Marschall leaves his role as Managing Director in Gibraltar to become the Managing Director of Jyske Bank's operations in Zurich.

New Telephone Numhering Plan for Gibraltar

All 5-digit telephone numbers will be extended as from the end of this year to end the shortage of telephone numbers which has af fected Gibraltar for many years.

In order to overcome this acute shortage of telephone numbers, and following the implementa tion of the Cordoba Agreement made between the Governments of Gibraltar, United Kingdom and Spain, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority will be introducing a new Gibraltar Numbering Plan. This one-off change will meet Gibraltar's needs for numbers in

the short, medium and long term.

The main change in the new Plan will be the introduction of fixed numbers which are 8 digits long; the same length as mobile numbers. All current 5-digit numbers will be

extended by adding 200 in front of the number, which will make the new customer number easy to remember.

The change will be spread over 18 months. The aim is for customers to

bo able to dial both the existing 5digit numbers and the new 8-digit numbers from 1st December 2007. The changeover will be completed to coincide with the publication of the 2008/2009 Telephone Directory in September 2008.

During the period when both numbers may be dialled, known as parallel running,existing 5-digit numbers may be dialled with or without adding 200 in front (e.g. 71170 or 200 71170). After the changeover period, all existing fixed customer nxunbers can only be dialled in 8-digit form.

We worKed as a team and at the weekends would roil up our sleeves and get down to cleauiug and pellshiug the ward...

EFPG;Supporting Staff...

Efficient back-office support is important to the success of any business. In the paperwork-intensive Life Insurance, Pensions and Investments Industry, it is absolutely vital if you are to achieve your aim of providing the level of customer service required to both enhance your company's reputation and increase business levels.

Since acquiring two major Gi braltar Life Insurance businesses in 2005, European Financial Planning Group have seen their customer base grow substantially, have pro vided advice to both of the local trade associations and developed a reputation as the company to consult on financial planning mat ters, particularly in the pensions area."Whilst I feel that we employ the best Advisers in Gibraltar," states EFPG's Chief Executive Tom Eraser, "none of this could have been achieved without outstanding support from our Administration Team."

Carol Johnston, the Director of EFPG directly responsible for back-office operations,suggests the provision of high quality customer service through good administra tive support rests on three basic principals:

•Get the basics right;

• Embrace technology;

• Train your team Basics

"1 have been involved with man aging support teams for Financial Advisers for many years and have found that if the basic disciplines are in place,the rest simply follows. Something as simple as answering the telephone promptly and speak-

ing to the client in a polite, friendly and knowledgeable manner gets the relationship with the client off to a great start. On too many occa sions, 1 have called companies to ask for assistance or to place orders and been met with a reply from someone who appears not to care about me or, indeed, their employ er. In these cases 1 would simply take my business elsewhere.

"Another basic requirement of any client is continuity of contact. There is nothing more frustrating for a client than explaining their requirement to one individual and then having to repeat it all to another and so on. At EFPG, we avoid this by having a dedicated administrator for each Adviser. We call this the'PA'role. The PA works closely with the Adviser gaining full knowledge of what advice has been given. The PA is then respon sible for the processing of any ap plications the Adviser's client may make. This means that the client knows exactly who to speak to if they have any queries.

"And finally on the matter of ba sic disciplines is the importance of

being realistic and honest, particu larly when discussing timescales. An example of where this is impor tant is maturing policies. We deal with hundreds of these each year and, in many cases, a great deal of money is involved. Naturally, our clients want to know when they will receive their money as they often have important spending decisions to make. As it is gener ally a matter of making sure that the right paperwork is in order,our Administration Team take respon sibility for maturities processing and will always provide the client of a realistic expectation of when the money will arrive so the client can plan accordingly.

Technology

"At EFPG we have invested heavily in state of the art software aimed atincreasing the efficiency of back-office tasks to provide higher standards of customer service than are available with manual systems.

"We try and use as little paper as possible, for storage as well as ecological reasons. The use of IMIS

software means that wo can scan all correspondence and documents on to a hard drive with disc back ups. What does this mean from the client's point of view? We don't lose things!

"Prior to joining EFPG, 1 held a similar position with their associ ate company,Yorkshire Investment Group,in the UK.There we worked closely with a software company called 1st Software who developed a system called Adviser Office, which we have also adopted at EFPG. This is bespoke software for firms of financial advisers and an amazing tool, enabling us to securely store all our client details including Fact finds,financial plan ning reports, policy and investment details. For the client, this means that at a touch of a button we can see details of all correspondence, telephone conversations and other documentation enabling us to pro vide quick and accurate answers to any enquiries they may have."

One piece of technology that EFPG will never use - Automated Telephone Answering. "For life insurance press 1; for pensions press 2; over my dead body!" says Carol.

Training

"It is all well and good hav ing these ideals but staff must be trained to attain them," Carol continues. "Our basic principals of good customer service are all part of the initial training regime, for example our requirements for telephone answering arc all writ ten down in an easy to understand format. I will provide advice and guidance and only when we are satisfied that the standards are be ing achieved, will that individual be placed in a client-facing role.

"if members of the Administra tion Team are to properly assist clients they need to know what they are talking about. Already two of the team hold the Finan cial Planning Certificate, which means that they themselves could provide financial planning advice, if required. This certainly assists in proper understanding of client enquiries.

"Full training on the Adviser Of fice and IMIS software has also been given,indeed some of them are now informing me of uses of the systems which I had not realised despite several uses of using them."

Finally, says Carol, "providing high quality administrative sup port is not easy. A lot of hard work is required to reach our exacting standards and it is wonderful that every member of the team are as keen to provide the best service possible to our customers as I am.I am proud of them all."

We try and use as little paper as possible,lor storage as well as ecological reasons

nvestments r Pensions

European Financial Planning Group provides financial advice to thousands of clients who live in Gibraltar and Spain or who are considering moving to the area, At EFPG, we have adopted a tight regulatory and compliance stance equal to that practised by our UKbased associate company Yorkshire Investment Group; the largest privately owned firm of Independent Financial Advisers in Yorkshire.

Our (UK Qualified) advisers take the time to learn about each client's current financial situation and future objectives and applying their indepth knowledge of available financial products and providers and the relevant tax regime, offer bespoke financial planning solutions in a clear and easy to understand manner.

We are able to recommend solutions to a wide variety of financial planning needs ranging from straightforward financial protection and mortgage-related needs to complex tax-efficient offshore investment requirements.

Check out www.efpg.net for more information.

Yalta's Dancing Dream

When Yalta Rons returned to Gibraltar after graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University almost two decades ago she was gripped by the desire to continue dance. It was a desire evident from her early childhood when, with younger friend Nicole Montovio she made up dances — it was hardly choreography, she admits — which the two girls performed to an audience of friends and families in the 'patios' of Laguna Estate.

"When you have it in your blood, it's something you start young and never shake off... at least, I haven't shaken it off yet," she explains with a smile.

But, though today there are almost a dozen registered dance groups in Gibraltar — some with as many as 200 pupils — in 1989 there were few opportunities open to a professional dancer... and Yalta couldn't wait to shake the dust of the Rock off her talented feet. A few weeks with her family and she was away again — first to work as a dancer touring the United States and then as a choreographer and dancer in a string of music halls in Greece.

"The money was good and one lived for the day,and for three years I had a fabulous and enjoyable time," her dark brown eyes sparkle at the memory and she tosses the mane of raven hair as she laughs. "But the work was on a contract basis — a two year contract leaving no spare time to come home to visit my family... and one alwayscomes back to one's roots."

She was 26 and, back in Gibral

tar, she decided to start her own dance school. However,the "good money" she had earned in Greece had been spent; there was no suit able studio accommodation she could afford;and she needed a job. For the next three and a half years she sold 'soft scoop'ice cream from a kiosk outside the Piazza... and danced in the evenings, starting a small group whose five danc ers formed the nucleus of Urban Dance, the successful school and performance group which she now runs.

"But for the dancing, 1 would have left again," she told me.

"Mind you, I was probably the best soft-scoop seller that Gibraltar has ever known... Even when it was raining and cold, 1 was still selling ice cream," she chuckles throatily and this time the large,sil ver- hooped earrings tremble. "In the afternoons, my dance friends

would gather for coffee alongside the kiosk. It became something of a social event."

Though the dance group slowly expanded, without suitable prem ises Yalta's dream of her own dance school seemed a long wav off and she decided that if she was to settle down,she needed a career.

"I applied to the Civil Service, but was turned down... and then to so many other places, for so many differentjobs thati lost count. Almost all of them — except the Civil Service — said that I was over-qualified." In fact, although Yalta had majored in modem dance at Manchester she had also studied creative arts and tourism — "but I couldn't get a job in tourism. They said they hadn't got a place; and it is the old case of'who you know'..."

A second application for a Gov ernmentjob was,however,success-

ful and for the next eight years the dancer became a frustrated Civil Servant — shunted from depart ment to department... this mainly due to her 'attitude', she admits.

"Our Civil Service is stuck in the Dark Ages,and most people in most Government departments are totally unmotivated," she alleges "On top of that the Civil Service is all very,very sexist.There's a theory that doors open when a young woman is attractive — but as far as our Civil Service is concerned, that's not true. It isn't the fault of the Government, it's the system," she adds.

Communication — or rather the lack of it — is one of the major fail ings of the Civil Service,eight years of bureaucracy has taught her.

She admits that because of her independence and reluctance to conform — "and the fact that I tended to make waves" — counted against her,and one can understand why she did not fit into Gibraltar's bureaucratic structures. Given her reputation for being different and difficult, her dismissal probably did both her and the Civil Service a favour, I suggested. The dancer nodded her agreement.

Though she ended her bureau cratic career working for the Post Office — where she was "inter dicted" — Yalta argues that P.O. staff, from postmen and sorters to those behind the counters, are the most dedicated of any of the Gov ernment employees she worked with.

"They were a great bunch of people and I enjoyed working with them more than in any other Department," she says.

She is careful not to blame ei ther the Bossano or Caruana gov ernments for the malaise which she encountered in the various departments where she worked. And it was while she was still a Civil Servant that, in 2004, the Government gave her the studio in Jumpers Bastion where at last she could establish the Urban Dance Group and her school of dance. The latter now serves about 100 pupils — "of all ages from three to 90." She would have preferred to concentrate on older children and young adults, she admits. "But people come along and want to learn... so what can you do?" So great is the demand among parents and youngsters that the classes are numerically larger than she would wish for. The average class has about 25 students — ideally, there shouldn't be more than about 18 in a class.

She teaches full time and has two other teachers who work with her — her sister Janine Pons teaches "alternative dance" while John Gomez teaches "contemporary

I was probably the best soft-scoop soiior that Gibraltar has over knowo... Even whoo it was raioIpg and cold,i was still soiling ico croam

dance."

"The studio at Jumpers is good enough to teach in and rehearse, but what Gibraltar reallv needs is a good well-equipped theatre which all our dance groups could use to stage shows," Yalta says.

Members of the Urban Dance group present at least 30 shows a year, all of which Yalta designs and choreographs. She also works at Eva Sanchez's dance studio in La Linea (where she teaches several classes a week)and works closely with Nicole Montovio who has her own Mediterranean Dance group and also teaches.

Though separated in age by a couple of years the two Gibraltarians have shared the passion for dance from the time when Yalta was about five and Nicole was "about three. We think", Nicole explains. And, in highly successful dance events which marked the open ing and closing ceremonies of this year's Straits Games, the two collaborated as joint directors and choreographers for the first time — much to the chagrin of some of their rivals.

"We started back in Laguna Estate and have shared a joy of the dance since those early days," Nicole says.

Both went on to study with Alfred Ramirez, learning not only a wide range of dance categories but also dance drama and produc tion. TheyspeakhighlyofRamirez "who did so much for dance in Gibraltar... with the Alpha Group and Aquarius in the 1980s."

Later, when he quit the world of dance, Yalta took over some of his pupils including Nicole, and these formed part of the nucleus of Urban Dance. Nicole now has her own school and group. And though in the early days she played 'second fiddle' to Yalta she has proved that she can do it also. This year she has been invited to choreograph in Germany for the World Dance Show and last month she took her own troupe to a festival in Tangier where they were invited to dance for the King of Morocco.

But while Nicole is happy to work on her own, their successful collaboration in preparing students for, and choreographing the Straits Games has persuaded the pair to work closely together again the fu ture."The response from the public was fantastic," the two agree."We have people stopping us in the streets — not only in Gibraltar, but in Spain — to tell us how much they enjoyed the show."

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...What Gibraltar really needs is a good well-equipped theatre which all our dance groups could use to stage shows

Meet yeu atthe Queen's

Continuing on the lines of landmarks and institutions from previous arrticles, how about this: "ril meet you by the Queen's," or,"You drive round the Queen's and back down again." A definite landmark in Gib that automatically rolls off the tongue and a place frequented, at some time or other, by all.

In the 50s, Queens this and Queen's the other seemed to be the 'in' thing. It must have been Eliza beth's visit in 1954 that sparked it all off. We had the cinema,the hotel, the roadway, the lookout and who knows what else.'All things mon archy,' was the way to go.

The Queen's Cinema opened for business in 1956. The Cautier family — Film Exhibitors — were the main share holders at the time but a business minded young man, Bramy Benatar, was there to man age the cinema.

A feel for the entertainment in dustry was already in the Benatar's blood.In the late 1800s the Benatars had a theatre situated on the Grand Parade by the Alameda Gardens called,Teatro Bonatar. In later years many enjoyed the summer cinema that Film Exhibitors erected during the hotter months.

Bramy,in the'50s,also managed The Assembly Rooms, a popular venue for Gibraltar's dancers. Even Queen Elizabeth herself visited the Rooms — for high tea no doubt. Dance trends changed and the As sembly Rooms closed down and became the Queen's Hotel, which stands there today.

Cinema going was certainly a fashionable trend and remained so, to the extent there were four cinemas on the Rock plus a Ser vices one at Europa Point. Later the Queen's son, so to speak. The Prince of Wales opened at Bayside. That too was owned by Film Ex hibitors.

All the top films were screened and the Queen's had its fair share of the good ones. They presented a couple of Premiers too — My Fair Lady and The Living Daylights are two which come to mind.

Bramy Benatar slowly but surely became sole owner of The Queen's and Film Exhibitors, and was always very enthusiastic and de termined to bring the best on film or stage.

Queues would form for ad vanced bookings or 'showing on the night.' A full house was not an unusual sight and neither was disappointment on the faces of 'would be' ticket holding patrons. Just under 900cinema goers would fill the auditorium to capacity on

many nights and intervals were spent queuing up again, this time at the confectionery bar to buy ice creams and boxes of Licorice Allsorts or Dolly Mixtures.

Other entertainment at the Queen's included song festivals. Miss Gibraltar shows, concert ap pearances and more. Some of the artists appearing on stage were, Spanish superstar Lola Flores, American vocal quintet The Platters, British chart group The Fortunes and many more. I even remember a group playing on the canopy at the front of the cinema lead by a guy on the guitar called Andy, who was in the regiment stationed on the Rock at the time. They were playing during the interval ofsome Elvis Presley film or similar.

Even 'yours truly' has memo ries of performing at the Queen's as compere and singer and as a judge.The building has certainly

witnessed many performances over the years on celluloid or in the flesh. The sad reality is that this 50 year old is becoming obsolete in a modem age of DVDs and down loads and consequently smaller cinemas.

In spite of the inevitable, the 35mm projectors are still rolling, although the two reels, which meant you had to be at the ready to perform a smooth transition from one reel to the other to effect seamless continuity, have been replaced by one.

Environmentally friendly equip ment has been installed. Sound systems have been updated and most importantly of all the top films are screened. But, aside from the days when a top blockbuster is showing — which, incidcntly can mean 60% of gross earnings go to the distributor in the UK — the queues are gone, the tuck shop is quiet, the sole usher is bored and, importantly for the running of the cinema, the till is not rolling!

The poor old Queen's Cinema has definitely seen better days. The building is looking tired and in need of a serious makeover inside and out. But that my friends,is not financially viable, especially when takings on many nights don't get passed two digits.

Film Exhibitors haveexplored the idea of splitting the cinema down the middle and installing a second screen but apparently it can't be done at the Queen's. Another idea was to knock it down and provide much needed parking spaces. I'm sure that would be more profitable than maintaining a building full of empty cinema seats.

All of the above makes sense but Bramy Benatar will not hear of It. His main concern is not to leave Gibraltar without a cinema. Four or five have gone by the wayside and the Queen's is the only one standing, so the answer is no closedown.

Film Exhibitors, and Odette Benatar (Bramy's daughter), are here to stay though.She is an event promoter and is very busy. Present ly she is in the middle of prepara tionsfor this year'sSummer Nights held at Casemates. The annual fair is another one of Film Exhibitors'

Cinema going was certainiy a fasiiionabie trend and remained so,to the extentthere were four cinemas on the Rock

ITHE PlATTEllS babies. That one involves a lot of work, getting everyone here on time, seeing to all the health and safety issues, liasing with a variety of government departments and much more. Dealing with fair at tractions is something this family are more than used to. The Benatar Brothers,as they were known then, have been responsible for bringing, 'all the fun of the fair' to the Rock since the '50s. In those days held at Grand Parade.

But all eyes are set on the up and coming Leisure Centre due to

Queen's Cinema

open soon. Two small cinemas are planned for the project. It will come as no surprise that Film Exhibitors have tendered for them both and are hoping that things will go well for them. If that desire bears fruit, the mighty Queen's will fall foul to the ball and chain, or whatever modern piece of plant is used to demolish buildings these days.

Rumours have been around for some time now that both the cinema and the hotel next door, together or separately,are on some foreign developer's shopping list.

I'm sure that when the proud old lady falls, many will be sad, especially Bramy — very sad to see his cinema go. Landmark and institution will be no more.

The Benatar Brothers,as they were known then,have heen responslhie for hringing,'all the fun ef the fair'to the Bock since the'50s

if siiGwliiz had a guardian angel...

"They say Gibraltar is full of talent: now it's time to prove it" — with this slogan, Santos Productions is launching 'Star Search', a talent contest for 24 pre-teens and teenagers willing to strut their stuff at the John Mackintosh Theatre on Friday 6th July, competing for handsome cash prizes and the chance of being talent-scouted in the international showbiz circuit.

Unlike other competitive events in Gibraltar, this isn't restricted to one speciality, but is a mix of talents that can be performed on stage — dancing,singing, acting, sports, prestidigitation, music,jesting,jug gling — to make themselves kmown to Gibraltar and the world.

Obviously,judging such a diverse array of acts won't be an easy task, but this is where the multifaceted know-how of audacious and inno vative organiser Christian Santos, founder and president of Santos Productions, comes into play. He will be selecting those with most overall potential to grow artistically and become household names.

Christian, a chameleonic per former who needs the stage's adrenalin rush as common mortals need air to breathe, graduated from Mountview Theatre School in 1999 and since has never stopped delighting audiences around the world, from Madame Butterfl}/ at the Holland Park Opera Season to cabaret singing with Four Parts, from the English Theatre Com pany to the epitome of fam-chic

entertainment,firston Disuei/ Magic cruises and then during a fouryear stint in Disneyland Tokyo, a life-changing gig that instilled in Christian self-confidence, shifted his life perspectives and gave him the determination to set his 30th birthday as the date for kicking off his independent business venture.

Right on schedule, Santos Pro ductions was baptised in a lavish party MTV style at the Fine Arts Gallery, where guests formed a beeline to be photographed on the red carpet with Larissa Dalli, the model in angel costume, embody ing the company's logo, made by local fashion designer Dorcas Ham mond, while smiling hostesses in black minis and shiny turquoise ties gracefully handed round nouvelle cuisine canapes.

"Performing comes very natu

rally to me," confesses Christian who needed an extra challenge for his creative mind to set it free from those boundaries directors and choreographers bestow upon actors and dancers. He figured his own entertainment business would put him in control and fulfill his lifelong ambition to call the shots. Santos Productions is a full-time professional enterprise with sound contacts abroad which caters for public shows and private dos like weddings, corporate parties, and hen and stag nights, thanks to an ever-growing book of international acts which includes newly discov ered local sensations who can find a place and stand in the doorwav to stardom.

Christian manages a database for all performers, from amateur oneoffs who walk the stage for fun, to

the hopefuls ready to leave behind their regular life for a place in the sun."Gibraltar buzzes with all sorts of amateur productions, but I also handle some projects abroad which need more professional commit ment, where I'd love to cast local performers," Christian says, "yet the deciding factor is how far locals are willing to commit, since many people already have stable jobs in Gibraltar and leaving it all behind to take a leap of faith for short term contracts is a hard decision indeed."

Well, with a guardian angel like Christian perhaps it is worth it! He assures wannabes that the entertainment industry has a place for everyone, of all ages, shapes and aptitudes, depending on what is hot at any given moment, that's why he is now handling four projects open to candidates aged 8 to 65+.

Once Star Search has crowned its winners, and following his late '90s experience in staging Yanito extravaganzas Fame... y cso es? and El Talego Cell Block H,Christian will dive head first into his mam moth National Week production £/ Susto... ay que miedol a Yanito musical co-written with Richard Mor over ten years ago,the original cast of which is back on stage for an encore.

Bill Russell's Elegies for Atigeb, Punks and Raging Queens will fol low in October staging an AIDSawareness celebration of life: 32 monologues tell stories that will make you cry, laugh and reflect on the other side of the story. For this unusual production,Christian is casting actors willing to give their voice and feelings to intense centre-stage appearances that offer the advantage of being rehearsed in a timescale convenient and suitable to each single actor, without team work and interaction with the other participants.

Then straight to Christmas clas sics with the feel-good All I loantfor Christmas, where a young girl and her family find the true meaning of the holiday season with the help of a grand cast. Sounds corny? With Christian masterminding it you can rest assured that flamboyance and tongue-in-cheek drama will be the turkey stuffing this year.

Christian isn't just a largerthan-life bouncy character with Beckham-style earrings and flashy accessories, whose personal dic tionary doesn't list'bored'or'idle', and definitely not a go-getter neoyuppie who has been left cynical and ungrateful to the hands who rocked his cot — to acknowledge Gibraltar's support, he pulled some strings and planned the un forgettable Liverpool Legends and

He assures wannabes that the entertainment industry has a piace fur everyone,ef all ages, shapes and aptitudes,depending on what is hot at any given moment

England's Legends charity matches last and this year respectively.

And if his websites www.santos-productions.com and www. christiansantos.com seem a little narcissistic, don't be put off by his gift of the gab: browse it carefully

instead, for it could offer you pre cious advice and contact details to follow in his footsteps — and you too one day will proclaim to the world that you grew up to do exactly what you dreamt of as a child!

Michelle Comes Ashore

performing with a pop group in top venues in London including the infamous G.A.Y., while work ing for a marketing and events management company as part of the PR team for Liberty X.

Michelle then moved onto cruise ships where she spenteight years travelling the world and performing. "1 then became a headline act which lead me to a se nior management position within the Entertainment Department arranging venues, hosting social events, producing and choreo graphing full onboard production showsand coordinating the entire entertainment programme which was real fun as well as being rewarding."

Gibraltar resident Michelle Daniels stepped into her first pair of dance shoes at the tender age of 3,she went on to train at one of the UK's top dance and musical theatre academies and has since had a varied career which has taken her worldwide.

"As my parents thought em barking on a career as a profes sional entertainer was a hard one, not to mention competitive, they advised me to also learn a trade at a Beauty Therapy School," Michelle explains. "I became a professional dancer and enter tainer at the age of 16 touring the UK as a speciality act and dancer, whilst still being at college. It was a heavy schedule."

Michelle's career was boosted at the age of 18 when she began

Michelle's varied career has involved TV appearances on UK TV (actress in Heartbeat), Malta TV and Spanish TV (presenting and reality TV). She has appeared at hotels all over the world as a headline act.

Now settled in Gibraltar with her fianc^ who works as a ship's pilot Michelle says"Iam just start ing to gain contacts here with a view to enhancing my career. lam enjoying life here in Gibraltar, my sea legs are now long since gone. However living in Watergardens still gives me the chance to see the place 1 spent the best years of my life.... the sea! Life on land is strange at times but great!"

Michelle Daniels can be contacted on Mobile:+35054006432 or E-mail: michelledaniels&'gibtelecom.net

Dyslexia: When a picture is truly worth 1,000 words

"Famous Dyslexics" is the theme of the artistic bookmark-designing competitive exhibition which the Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group(GDSG)is planning for this autumn,to raise awareness about this learning difficulty that affects some 15% of the population.

Yet, it spotted early and properly channelled, it doesn't jeopardise any child's chances to be comesomeone later in life,as proven by the likes of Henry Winkler, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, Agatha Christie and John Lennon,just to quote a handful.

Perhaps the intellectual giants among those celebrities can be the motivation for a master piece, produced to meet the challenge founder and chairperson of GDSG,Stuart Byrne,is setting for artists of all ages; "I don't encourage mere figurative portraits of famous dyslexic people, although it is fine to enter them, but I'd rather put together a collection of more imaginative artwork featuring the artist's emotions about their subject and highlighting their personality and what they have achieved de spite dyslexia."

So just to give you an example, you will portray Tom Cruise and Robin Williams in one of their blockbusters, Ja mie Oliver about to awe your taste buds, Cher's musi cal career, Thomas Edison's inventions.

Tommy Hilfiger's fashion collections, or flashy colours, bold lines,and avant-garde abstractions inspired by great contemporary dyslexic paint ers, Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol.

The aim of such a specific challenge is to push contestants to investigate dyslexia before get ting down to doodling, thus learning about its repercussions in daily life and the widespread misconceptions. Entrants are expected to design simple yet striking compositions that can at one glance convey powerful messages on how dyslexics feel.

Stuart's idea was welcomed by the Ministries of Culture and Education, which offered him help and suggestions in shaping up his vision, but the Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group is still seeking sponsors ready to cover all expenses and provide the cash prizes.

Director for Culture Cynthia Eagle explains that, unlike the Spring and the International Art Exhibitions,computer-generated artwork is acceptable. This is as long as all its components, such as photographs,sketches and graphics are original and the overall structure is kept simple and scanner-friendly. Hence the judges, for practical reasons, won't be looking for entries with too much detail, glitter, three-dimensional effects, collage, decoupage, concertina, papiermSch^, for Jie simple reason that they aren't fit for scanning and downscaling to thumbnail

IAdjudicators chosen by the Group in conjunc tion with the Ministry of Culture will award handsome cash prizes of £200 each for the three main categories, 4-11,12-18 and 18-h. The winning entries will be published on the GDSG website and on one side of printed bookmarks featuring information about dyslexia,to be sold after the competition to keep on raising funds and awareness.

Participants are invited to submit one picture only on an A4 sheet or card together with the

entry forms. These will be obtainable from the Ministry of Culture and schools and will be soon made available for university students,so they can fill them in before jetting off in autumn and perhaps arrange for some relatives to take care of all practicalities at the end of October,the period of time for which this event is scheduled at the John Mackintosh Hall.

In the meantime, the GDSG is busy with parallel initiatives to provide early diagnosis and help children with their homework and reading/writing skills: after their success last summer, Jean Penney and Vivien Dawson are organising Summer Reading Clubs at the John Mackintosh Hall library, where kids can attend fun educational activities. These ladies, who are specially qualified to teach dyslexics, held

homework clubs during the spring months which are expected to con tinue for the next academic year, and could be upgraded to fort nightly or weekly if more volunteers, parents and teach ers, pledge their time to manning the various sessions.

Stuart Byrne is inviting teachers to join in and is trying to organise a new specialist course like the one attended some ten years ago by many local teachers, to get trained to understand, recognise and teach dyslexic children.

However,the GDSG is stressing that dyslexia isn't limited to reading and writing hiccups — it can affect sense of direction and numeracy, often leading to a shallow assessment of a child as lazy, sluggish or untidy, while their trouble in recognising written words or even putting their right shoe on the right foot is in fact due to a sort of blackout their brain experiences in processing data about strings of letters or basic orientation.

Although they must leam to live with it,there are ways around it, which require parents' and teachers' attentiveness in spotting early signs, correct diagnosis, pedagogic expertise and lotof patience and commitmentfrom relatives,educa tors and the dyslexic him or herself!

The less known face of dyslexia will be publi cised during the Dyslexia Support Group's Flag Day on Friday 13th July, while chairman Stuart Byrne is asking dyslexic children and adults to post on their website (www.gdsg.co.uk) their poems and thoughts about how they feel dys lexia is affecting their daily lives and share their experiences with all net surfers.

Entrants are expected to design simple yet striking compositions that can at one glance convey powerfni messages on how dyslexicsfeel

Commercial Developments Investments Ltd's Midtown development will deliver a mix of modem offices and luxury apartments in four separate buildings together with ample car parking within one integrated project on the site of the Fleet Pavilion and ex Naval Ground football pilches. The Midtown scheme, which combines eye catching modern buildings with state of the art technology, has been designed by Bureau Ritzen of Maastricht.

Last month Mr Peter Jacobs, Chairman of Commercial Developments Investments Ltd, announced the official launch of the Midtown project which he said is the fruit of many years ofclose collaboration with his local partners and a testament to the confidence that his company has in Gibraltar. Commercial Developments Investments Ltd is a company comprising both local and Dutch partnersestablished specifically to develop the Midtown project. Shareholders include the Montagu Group and VolkerWessels, so combining innovation with local knowledge. VolkerWessels is a Dutch based decentralised construction company. Its core activity is design, development, realisation and manage ment in the fields of con.struction,infrastructure, specialties and facility management. Turnover in 2006 was £3bn. It has 125 subsidiaries em ploying 17,000+ people.

Peter Jacobs wenton to say that the first phase of Midtown will provide much needed office space with an emphasis on accessibility and on maximum flexibility of layouts to achieve a stress free working and living environment.

It was also announced at the launch that the construction of Midtown would be carried out by Volker Stevin (Gibraltar) Linnited, also part of the VolkerWessels Group.Construction of the first building. Rock Tower(pictured), will com mence in February 2008 and is expected to be completed in April 2010. Mr Jacobs explained that construction of the four buildings will be phased over five to six years in line with market demands.

Volker Stevin is currently building the new leisure centre at the King's Bastion site which will be completed in September this year as part of the project. Midtown will also include a new public park next to the leisure centre together with provision for public car parking.

Peter Jacobs concluded by saying that Midtown will provide unparalleled standards in office accommodation in a perfect location.

The Gibraltar Hotel,Paris,Texas

Nearly 100 years after the fact one can only imagine why a trio of businessmen would name their hotel in the middle of northeast Texas the Gibraltar Hotel.

Maybe it was to inspire confidence in guests who would stop overnight on their journeys through the still Wild West. Whatever the reason the three men, j Richard H. Blyth, Edward , Buford Norment and B.P. j Bailey built the 120-room hotel in 1915 to accommo-1 date travelers on the St. Louis-Dallas Railway. When it opened the Gibraltar Hotel was the epitome of luxury accommodation and for more than half a century it was the pride and focal point of Paris, Texas.

In 1916 the hotel wasdam aged but survived a fire that devastated the town. It is believed that a spark from a train in the switching yards started the fire, which fu eled by howling winds, de-' stroyed all downtown Paris and caused over $11 million in property damaged. The Paris fire is considered to be the third worst in US history coming in behind the Chicago Fire of 1871 and the San Francisco Earthquake fire of 1906. Unde terred the owners of the Gibraltar repaired the damage and even added a seventh floor.

The Gibraltar experienced good times and bad through the following years but fell on hard times when in the'50s Americans became car crazy and tocjk to the highways while ignoring the rail ways. Rail based hotels like the Gibraltar became relics replaced by the auto-friendly motels and

A 1920s postcard showing the Gibralter Hotel, Paris, Texas

motor inns that sprung up all over the country.

The Gibraltar was subsequently bought and sold several times and things were so bad for one owner

that he was driven to suicide.

In 1982 the hotel survived another disaster as a monster tornado landed near the cen tre of town and caused more millions of dollars in dam ages and killed 14 people.

Since then a succession of investors have bought the hotel and proposed a variety of rehabilitation schemes, none of which have come to fruition. Today the hotel is empty but is protected by a heritage order and the current owner is hoping to turn the grand old building into apartments for senior citizens.

Paris bills itself as the "Best little town in Texas". It is the hub of retail trade, manu facturing, farming, medical care,and other economicseg ments in that part of Texas. The city is served by six maI jor highways which makes it I conveniently accessible to all parts of the state but that is no consolation for the Gibraltar Hotel which was built in a time when the railroad was king.

If you ever make it to Paris you won't be able to stay at the Gibraltar Hotel but you will be able to visit the Eiffel Tower. Standing 65 feet tall the Texas Eiffel was constructed by the Boiler Makers Local 902 utilis ing materials, plant space, and employee time donated by a lo cal company. In 1998 the tower was "Texanized" by having a giant red cowboy hat placed on the top.

Beach Buses

The Gibraltar Bus Company has introduced bus services to beaches on the Eastside and Rosia. The bus es are clearly identified as "Beach Ser\'ice". The service will operate on a daily basis until Sunday 9th September 2007.

Timings for the different stops will be displayed at bus shelters and may also be obtained in pam phlet form from drivers on all ser vices as well as from the Gibraltar Bus Company Offices on Winston Churchill Avenue.

"The introduction of this sea sonal service to the beaches is a welcome addition to the services already provided by the Gibraltar Bus Company, as it will enable the public to access Sandy Bay,Catalan Bay, Eastern Beach, Western Beach, and the Rosia Area, for Camp Bay and Little Bay. It will not only allow beachgoers to ride to and from the beach in comfort, but will also as sist in decreasing motor vehicle use during the summer months," said the Minister with responsibility for Transport, the Hon joe Holliday.

Today the Gibraltar Hotel is empty hut is protected by a heritage order

Changesto Meet New Challenges

As Gibraltar experiences its most profound change in the commercial and retail sectors, one of its premier interior specialists is expanding to meet the naw challenge. "As a company, we have to evolve and be flexible enough to provide innovative ideas for new business ventures, as well as giving a refreshing boost to our valued existing clients," General Manager, Douglas Mottershead, explains.

]n addition Douglas and fel low Director Coiman O'FIaherty are pleased to announce the ap pointment of Loraine Crook as Director of Space Interiors Ltd with responsibility for Sales and Marketing. The team has also acquired the services of Stephen Powell, who joins the company as Project Manager. With their wealth of experience, Douglas and Coiman remain at the heart of the company.

The company boasts an efficient team of staff, renowned for their professionalism, project focus, performance and reliability. Not only do they provide fit-outs and refurbishments for offices, shops, bars and restaurants, they also provide a "Turnkey Package",

from space planning and design, to submission of plans, plus plan ning applications and certifica tion to the relevant government departments.

Space Interiors Limited has recently been awarded a pres tigious contract to fit out four floors of offices for Hassans, one of Gibraltar's largest law firms,at their new Line Wall Road prem ises — an achievement of which the team are justifiably proud.

To further its expansion,on 1st July 2007 Space Interiors Limited is moving to new and larger prem ises on tlie first floor of number 2 Crutchett's Ramp. Tel:73992 Fax: 41724 or visit www.spaceinteriors. gi for more information or to dis cuss your project.

Directors Loraine Crook and Coiman O'Flaheny. General Manager Douglas Mottershead ABEng, and Project Manager Stephen Powell

Keeping in Goed Spirits

Mediumship, clairvoyancy or baloney call it what you will. It seems whether you believe or not many people around the world do believe and in doing so perhaps achieve a sort of coming to terms with loss or bereavement.

I myself have had some insight into this phenomenon around the age of 6 or 7 when my Grandmother died and my parents turned to Guija to contact her. Did 1 believe? No of course not, I was certain someone was pushing the glass but the point is they believed, though I was too young at the time to understand. But now, as we sit at the beginning of an era more technologicallyadvanced than any before, more sceptical and less inclined to believe in God, we accept totally thatsome people can speak to the dead. So what exactly is it and why is it we are more likely to believe in Angels and Demons than Jesus himself?

Doing a little research for this article 1 spoke to both Colin Fry and Tony Stockwell. Two of the most famous mediums to come out of the UK for years. Both involved in television, both

seem very genuine and many people can attest to the talent they seem to have. Tony Stockwell has been demonstrating his talents here in Gibraltar as recently as May. Other mediums

too are regulars here and most are brought by Lourdes Warwick. So I thought I'd talk to the lady herself and find out more about it.

Lourdes works in Fit 4 Life a health & lifestyle shop on City Mill Lane with Nieves Molto. The shophas the look you'd expect. Soothing music, to play and»buy as well as incense and a host of other things like health products. They also sell slimming products, crystals and even an gels. For the stressed there is a calm area where you can get a relaxing massage. They have a regular dietician as well that visits the shop by appointment so they cater for your body and soul. It doesn't surprise me that someone who is so involved with psychics and the like works in such a shop. I dropped in to talk to her about mediums and if they really saw dead people.

I started by asking Lourdes how and when she got involved in all of this?

"Almost by accident really. Inever really had a big interest although when 1 was in my 20s I remember a lovely couple called Ray and June Smith who used to bring mediums to Gibraltar. They used Ince's Hall at that time for mediums to 'perform' and I went out of interest more than anything.

"The first one I ever saw, and in fact had a personal reading with, was a woman called Doris Stokes. She was a well known psychic who had written several books and 1 was very impressed with what she told me. Things that shecouldn't possibly haveknown. This opened myeyes tothe world ofmediumsand the things that they can tell us. Afterthat 1 alsowent to see another excellent medium called Gordon Smith who was Scottish, he was also absolutely spot on with what he told me.

"One other thing that sparked my interest was a Tarot reading. Tarot are cards that some people use to read the future, mine were read by'Roger'. Roger had a connectionwith GBCat the time and his surname escapes me. I let him read them although I was unsure about tarot cards I was amazed to find that everything he said at the reading came true!

"Over the next few years 1 had to go to UK for personal reasons but when 1 came back 1 got on with a business 1 opened with a friend calledThe Market Shop. We broadened our outlook and took over the venue that used to be Buccaneers down Reclamation Road. We ran the venue which we called Gemini, for discos, parties etc. Then a strange thing happened, a woman called Liz asked me if I believed in psychics? I told her 1 was open minded about it then over the next couple of days two more people spoke to me about the subject. 1 just felt it was more than coincidence."

"What happened that madeyou get involved in booking mediums?" I asked.

"Well I think the questions asked of me were perhaps sounding me out as I was approached about using Gemini as a venue for a medium they had coming.

"Then, about 4 or 5 years ago, there was a Gibraltarian 'medium' called Arthur Molinares who resided in the UK, 1 knew Arthur and thought it would be great for a Gibraltarian medium to demonstrate his talents. We decided that the event could be used to raise money for good causes at the same time. That meeting raised over £4,500 towards helping people who needed to go to UK for medical treatment but lacked the funds. It wasthebeginning 1 suppose

The first one I ever saw, and In fact had a personal reading with, was a woman called Doris Stokes. She was a well known psychic who had wrinen several books and f was very Impressed with what she told me

of my connection. After that 1 realised there was a lot of interest in Gibraltar and so I took over where Ray and June Smith left off as they had more or less retired."

"How do you decide who comes and who doesn't or more importantly how do you know the medium is genuine?"

"Well I basically vet them. 1 insist on two private readings from the medium,sometimes for myself sometimes for friends of mine either from here in Gibraltar or residing in the UK. These are taped and we check them afterwards. Most of the mediums are from a Stanstead psychic college or the South Kensington psy chic college. These are reputable places and everything is above board. If there is anything wrong with the readings, the medium doesn't wantto be tested or something we are not happy with, then they are not bcwked. 1 think it is im portant that people also keep their information to themselves and not even tell me as I don't want there to be a chance the medium will get advance information."

"That seems pretty tough testing to me. Are there any more mediums coming to the Rock this year?"

"In October Donna Stewart is coming again and I believe Ronnie Buckingham is coming as well towards the end of the year."

"Finally Lourdes what benefit is there from getting a reading or visiting a demonstra tion?"

"To be honest it helps with the grieving process but 1 must stress you must see a good medium who has been recommended. Like all

Interview

professions there are cowboys out there."

"So you totally accept they are talking to people who have passed over?"

"Oh yes, 1 have had proof during readings."

"Do you have any insight yourself?" 1 asked.

"No,I am like most other people in the world I'm afraid."

So if you haven't had a look at a medium or you are curious look out for the next one to visit or drop into the shop where Lourdes works.

"Ok Lourdes one last question which has always bothered me about all this. If the dead are watching over us and around us all the time, what do you do when let's say you are doing something very intimate?"

Lourdes laughed and replied,"Frankie they don't watch all the time they are hardly going to spend their time watching they come and go as we do in our lives here. But if you are really worried... next time just close the bedroom door."

Major Eddie Asquez Awarded MBEin Queen's I Birthday Honours list

Major Lddie Asquez, Quarter Master:. (Technical), The Royal Gibraltar Regiment, has been honoured with the award as a' Member of the Order of the British Empire, (MBE) in this year's Queen's BirthdayHonours List.

Major Asquoz'award is based on his role as the principal logistical facilitator for the high profile Defence Diplomacy Exercises JEBEL SAHARA and GAMBIAN ROLLER, and has been pivotal to their outstanding; success. The positive impact created by the outstanding success of these Exercises has been attributed to the tireless and highly professional endeavours of Major Asquez.

So you totally accept thoy are talking to people who have passed overP

Oh yes,I have had proof during readings

A Sailor's life lor Me

Johnnie Stagnetto is a man who can look back with satisfaction on a life filled with adventure and excitement. Johnnie loves sailing boats and the sea and indeed during his active career as a yachtsman had to deal with ferocious storms, engine breakdowns, split sails and at least one of his closest sailing friends was lost at sea.

It requires a rare form of self confidence to risk taking unknown boats from one port to another as this is usually executed out of season in bad weather. This leads to those who do, to form friendships that last for life. It is an exclusive club of which membership has to be earned the hard way.

Johnnie remembers each yacht with such amazing detail it seems he had stepped ashore from its deck but a few hours ago. He sailed

in the days when running rigging was hemp, sisal or white cotton rope,and sailing boats had wooden masts,wooden hulls, navigation lights, and the below deck lighting was powered by paraffin not electricity. In many cases there was noteven the simplest radio. Navigation was by the sextant and dead reckoning and not GPS. Not for him the nylon sails, fibreglass hulls and other luxuries used by today's sailors.

Johnnie was born in Gibraltar and educated

at the Loreto Convent, the Christian Brothers School in Gibraltar and Tangier,and Stonyhurst College, During the Second World War his fa ther and Lewis, his brother, served on the Rock while his mother, his sister Mariola and himself were evacuated to Tangier.

His brother went on to serve in the Mountain Artillery in the Indian army and in Burma. In 1943 his father pulled strings and Johnnie returned to the Rock for onward transit to join Stonyhur.st School in Lancashire.

After the freedom of Morocco an English pub lic school run by the Jesuits was a great culture shock and after a couple of years he decided that public school life was not really for him and returned to the Rock where he attended the Commercial School in Scud Hill.

At this time whilst paying minimum attention to his studies he found the delights of sailing sharpies at the Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club. Two years later he completed his National Service in the Gibraltar Defence Force where he was knocked into shape by the unbeatable trio of Captain Charles Norton,and Lieutenants Pepe Fabre and Bob Peliza.

His first boat was a RGYC sharpie called Needle Fish but not even Johnnie could get the oldest and slowest in the fleet into a winning position. He then got hold of Odds Fish and won a series of races culminating in The Gi braltar Chronicle Cup and went on to Captain the RGYC team in several regattas against the Yacht Club International de Tanger.

The Sharpie Class was designed by Willie Piccone Senior, who based it on the American Cat Boat,and were built by Perez Brothers at North Front before the Second World War. Today, sadly, no sharpie remains afloat.

Having mastered the sharpie he moved onto 27foot whalers and 32foot cutters loaned to the RGYC by the Royal Navy.

In 1949 he quickly discovered the location on the Rock where all ocean going yachtsmen met to swap yams and more importantly find anyone wishing to make up a crew. In those days members of crew were not paid but re ceived food and perhaps a small allowance to spend on shore.

Johnnie acquired a mentor in the form of Lt. Commander John Campbell DSO, DSC, RN (Ret). This officer had been in charge of all covert small boat operations in Greek waters during the war and there was nothing he did not know about sailing and the vagaries of the sea and the weather.

In 1950 Johnnie was invited to crew on his 65 foot yacht Vistona thus beginning a year's adventure which included time off in Rome and various ports in the South of France, Italy and Sicily. He ended up in Malta where he stayed for two months with his mother's brother, Charles Edwards, who had been sent to Malta in the 1920s to run the Saccone and Speed office.

Upon his return to the Rock, Stagnetto was taught the A to Z of navigation by Captain Undery, an ex ship's master who was then a port pilot and yacht chandler.

Luck struck when Trenchermer, a 75 foot steel yawl designed by Olin Stephens and built by Hall-Russel in Aberdeen in 1934 in which he was crewing as a mate,backed into her berth at Palma de Mallorca and her stern line was caught by Tony Blomfield another distinguished former Royal Naval Officer.

Tony told Johnnie about the delights of wa ter skiing, unknown in Europe in those days, experienced whilst on Royal Naval duty in the

Caribbean. He had brought back a pair of primi tive water skis and wanted to start a water ski school. Would Johnnie be interested in joining him? Yes was the reply so he was taught how to ski and so became the first Gibraltarian water ski instructor. This venture was highly profit able and lasted for three seasons before intense competition meant that it was time to close down and look for other ventures.

In 1953 he went to London for the Coronation and he stayed to work at Saccone and Speed in Sackville Street sharing a flat with Alfredo Patron.

1955 saw him return to sailing on a variety of boats which included Aziir whose crew included Johnnie Fox,son of the legendary Rosalind Fox. He then decided that he was now a competent skipper and started up Compass Yacht Service with the advertisements stating boldly that he would skipper any boat, .sail or power, to any destination in the Mediterranean. Immediately he was called and asked if he would deliver a boat to Tarragona. The boat was in Gibraltar and the owner had bought at auction one of three ex R.N. 195 ton minesweepers. This was not quite what he had in mind but his word was his bond. A former Royal Naval ERA was found on the Rock to work the engines and four Spaniards were engaged to work as crew.

Johnnie soon discovered that skippering a mine sweeper was different to say the least. For example he had to stand on the bridge with two speaking tubes;one to the Spaniard at the helm, the other to the engineer in the engine room. Spanish to one, English to the other thus having to both remember which tube to use and in what language. This was because the open bridge on board the minesweeper had no wheel or engine controls. The helmsman stood in the wheel-house under the bridge.

So far so good until the engineer needed to put in at a port to make an essential repair. The nearest port was the Spanish naval base at Cartagena. The vessel made its slow way into the harbour and was logged as a Royal Naval ship asJohnnie had not had time to paintout the Royal Naval numerals on its sides. The lookout was also unable to see the small tattered ensign flying at the stern. The Spanish Admiral was on the point of according the ship a fifteen gun salute. When the somewhat dirty boat went alongside there was a smart reception com mittee waiting to greet Captain Stagnetto. The welcome turned sour when they discovered the true provenance of the mine sweeper and Johnnie was ordered to paint out the numerals before being allowed to leave port.

But as is usually the case in matters maritime the Spanish sailors rallied to give all possible help in repairing the engine and the vessel was sailed by Johnnie and crew to Taragona. She was then converted into a motor yacht,became the Neptune and eventually sold to the owner of the Eitpana newspaper in Tangier.

Johnnie remembers with vivid detail every boat he has sailed in and each voyage has its own story and adventure. Some Gibraltarian businessmen found a way of benefiting from the Imperial Preference Scheme so a cannery was built in Gibraltar, Xrona a 112 foot Fairmile

B motor yacht wasconverted into a refrigerated cargo carrier and Johnnie was hired to bring sardines from either Portugal or Morocco or sail to Cartagena to collect peaches. These would all be canned in Gibraltar using tins supplied by Metal Box,labels by Wadlow,edible oil from South Africa and sugarfrom Tate and Lyle. This

up to the required percentage of products from the Empire thus enabling Portuguese,Mo roccan and Spanish products to be sold in the United Kingdom as Empire produce.

In 1962 he was at sea delivering Eiluti,a 57foot yawl built in 1903, when a terrible storm hit Ibiza and a fishing boat was lost with all hands. He had to run before the storm, under bare poles, and towing all the spare warps on board. On arrival at the Puerto de Ibiza the yachting frater nity would not believe that they had been at sea throughout the storm and when convinced said "You have been very lucky to have survived". A crew member riposted "Luck had nothing to do with it dear boy, it was bloody good seamanship on the part of our skipper".

In 1963 he married Tita Andlaw and as he was still delivering yachts to different parts of the Mediterranean she used to accompany him from time to time.

The Marques de Paul commissioned Johnnie to sail his 100 ton luxury yacht to the Yacht Club in Palma Mallorca. Johnnie and Tita were tak ing breakfast on the afterdeck with the Marques fast asleep in his cabin as he had flown in late the previous evening. Suddenly a smart man walked up the gangplank and asked if the Marques had yet arrived as he wished to greet him,his yacht being berthed nearby. He wore a blazer, a foulard and white trousers. Tita invited him to coffee while waiting for the appearance of the yacht's owner.

Johnnie thought he recognised the guest's face but thought he was a Spanish film actor. Eventu ally Johnnie said he would go down and wake the owner. "Whom should I say awaits him?"

"The Conde de Barcelona," was the reply. The

Marques on being told about his guest asked Johnnie to go to the main saloon and hide a photograph of General Franco and himself. This he did with alacrity.

Subsequently Johnnie was introduced as a Gibraltarian skipper to which the Conde replied that he had being trying to work out what the accent was and had decided that he came from Latin America. The Conde then switched to English and told the Gibraltarian couple that his mother was English and he had been a Lieuten antin the Royal Navy and was now an honorary Admiral. He went on to assure them that had he been crowned King there would have been no Gibraltar problem.

Stagnetto has owned nine boats. Fair Dawn was a 30 foot auxiliary cutter built in Poole in 1905. This could also be chartered. The second was Taos Brett a forty foot ketch, the third Moby Dick a 17 foot fibreglass runabout with a 40hp outboard,the fourth Caipe originally a Gibraltar lifeboat built of teak and converted and rigged as a ketch by Sir Willie Thompson,the fifth Aph rodite a 27 foot snapdragon class sloop that was the first fibreglass sailing boat he had owned,the eighth Rihia a 31 year old westerly cirrus and the ninth Car/ji'f/i' a 28 foot diesel power boat.

Around the late'50s Johnnie realised that this hedonistic lifestyle could not go on for ever and so the yacht delivery work wasscaled down and in a joint venture with Charlie Cruz he entered the local restaurant business. Expansion was fast and by the end of the decade they ran the Barnacle, the Bayuca, the Pizzeria (the first in Gibraltar), the Coque d'Or, and two pubs, the Coach and Horses at the bottom of Scud Hill and the Gibraltar Arms as manager.

In 1968 came the Dove riots which led to the business being split between Johnnie and Charlie Cruz with Johnnie taking the Bayuca and Barnacle.

The Barnacle was rented out until it finally closed. Life was turned upside down when the frontier was closed as overnight the labour force was withdrawn leaving the majority of restaurants without staff especially cooks. Tita stepped in and cooked until a Moroccan chef ap peared on the scene. Abdelouahed and his wife worked for them for 27 years until the Bayuca closed down four years ago.

After forty years in catering it was a sad day when the Bayuca closed. Johnnie and Tita have taken home the visitors books and the photographs which bring back countless happy memories. The restaurant was the favourite watering hole of visiting Royal Naval officers and Prince Charles and then his brother Prince Andrew were regular customers. Many were the famous names who partied at the Bayuca.

Johnnie was Commodore of the Royal Gibral tar Yacht Club 1994-97 and hosted two Royal visits to the Club; Prince Andrew in 1995 and Prince Philip in 1996.

During his time as an active.sailor Johnnie es timates he sailed a total of 20,400 nautical miles: 3,900 as a crewmember and 16,500 as skipper.

After such an adventurous life Johnnie sur prisingly found the transition to full retirement a pleasure. He has returned to his favourite pastime of carving walking sticks, painting in watercolours and having the time to indulge his eight grandchildren. He is a prodigious cor respondent to the letters' page of The Gibraltar Chronicle. Last but not least he is a founder mem ber of El Club de los que nacieron cansao that m^ts every Thursday morning to discuss pertinent local matters at a coffee bar off Main Street.

Johnnie Stagnetto as ^sident ofthe Boyaf Gibraltar Yacht Club mtft the Duke ofBdinborgh added

as an active sailor Johnnie estimates he saiied a total of 20,400 nautical miles:

3,900asacrewmemher and 16,500 as skipper

The rerils of Pet-sitting...

Julius Caesar was a white mouse I carried proudly home in my blazer pocket after winning him, as I recall, in a game of marbles at prep school. My mother was not pleased with my win — and even less so when Julius Caesar proved not to be a 'him' but a 'her' and within a week of settling in my bedroom produced seven small rodents. I was told to "get rid of the whole smelly lot", and even after all these years the rich timbre of her Edinburgh accent which became more pronounced when she was angry, rings in my mind.

Reluctantly I gave away the mouse and her brood to a friend who kept an owl as a pet,and such is the callousness of the sub-teen school boy that I gave not a thought to their fate. I was reminded of them recently though, when my grandchildren acquired two Chinese ham sters. These looked like mice. So much so that I suspected someone at the Spanish pet shop had taken a brace of white mice and daubed them with blue and chocolate paints.

"You've been diddled," 1 told the two chil dren."Those are white mice masquerading as hamsters."

But no;they do exist. There's even a society in Britain dedicated to their care and culture, with its own website — from which I learned that in the wild they are found in the deserts of Mongolia and Northern China and that they are not true hamsters but are related to a branch of "rat-like hamsters."

"Chinese Hamsters are extremely timid and fast moving which often makes them difficult to catch but they are of good temperament and rarely nip," says the website. "Their timid nature means they are often not very active when handled and so are not a popular pet with children who want a pet they can hold and play with. However Chinese Hamsters are a fascinating pet for those who prefer simply to observe, particularly when given a large and interesting environment in which to live."

"They have a sweet disposition and in cap tivity, when they have lost their shyness, have an endearing habit of clinging to one's finger with all four paws," the website warbles its enthusiasm. And it goes on to explain that the Chinese Hamster is not as widely kept as a pet as are real Hamsters,admitting that "this is probably due to its mouse-like appearance". And it adds that there are also restrictions on the keeping of them in some US states such as California "whore a licence is required to keep or transport them within the state".

What no-one told us was that they are also nocturnal creatures and, in captivity, will ex pend huge amounts of noisy energy — particu

larly if their cages are fitted with those wheels, beloved by pet shop owners, which resemble the treadmills on which minor Victorian felons were punished.

The hamsters also brought a new dimen sion to our grandparental duties we discov ered soon after making their acquaintance — hamster sitting. This is an infinitely more nerve-wracking occupation than traditional baby sitting. Firstly, it lasts longer — in our case three year-like weeks when the hamsters' owners and their parents went off to Canada on holiday; and secondly because with crea tures as small as these — and they average about seven centimeters sans tail — one is convinced that they will die some sort of un natural death... And imagines the accusatory tears that will accompany the news of the creatures' demise.

(And this latter concern takes on a par ticular resonance when, in the past, one's cat has demolished a goldfish handed to one for temporar)' safe-keeping...)

Our problem was compounded by the fact that we tend to spend weekends at the "cottage" in Cortez known to our friends as "the Wooly Mammoth" so that the Chinese hamsters — complete with their individual cages and the wheels,and the ladders and the nesting rolls, and the individual water drip pers, and the special food, and the rest of the paraphernalia which the pet shop salesperson had persuaded my grandchildren were vital to the happiness of their new pets — had to be taken from our flat in Gibraltar to the country each weekend... through Spanish customs...

And at the cottage the creatures slept all day and like Lillian in the song "played all night"...noisily. We tried covering them with a heavy blanket but this didn't deter them. It didn't even deaden the steady metallic whirrwhirr of the miniature treadmills.

Never again, we swore handing the crea tures back... still alive, but having avoided a silencing execution only by the narrowest of margins — the thought of those tears....

Hamster sitting is an infiniteiy more nerve-wracking occupation than traditionai baby sitting. Firstiy,it iasts ionger;and secondiy because one is convinced thattbey wiii die some sort ol unnaturai death

New WebSite for Hassans

In the world of computers and Cyberspace the boffins and web-site designers constantly come up with something new. It is now possible not only to tell how many people have visited a professional firm's website but who they are, when they visited the site and where they are located... what's more,the experts can tell what the visitor reads and how long it took him or her to read it.

"In recent talks with our website designer, I was amazed when he was able to tell me that a few minutes earlier a lawyer in Amsterdam - whom he named - had visited the Hassans website and read an article on Gibraltar's tax regime by Michael Castiel which had appeared in International Tax Notes in March," one of the international law firm's marketing team tells me.

The revamped site with a range of improved features — as well as such unexpected benefits as user'detection' — was launched last month. And, like the websites of most other local law firms, as well as profiling its services the site promotes Gibraltar which it describes as "both tax competitive and well regulated".

When Hassans decided to revamp its elderly and rather old fashioned website, one of the criteria laid down for the London-based design ers was that it should be user friendly and easy to navigate.

"We think they have not only fulfilled their brief but have gone one better, giving us a sophisticated and modern site as well," says Peter Montegriffo, a senior partner with the firm. "And if 'hits' are any indication of the success of the new site, it's worth noting that since it started running as a trial, these have almost doubled."

An aspect of the site unique in Gibraltar is that it contains the regular newsletters put out

by the various dedicated departments within the firm. These are easy to download,the head of Hassans' marketing team says. And a special brochure which can be simply downloaded by prospective clients, or anyone with a query about Hassans, is in the pipeline.

"We also plan to include our own financial services newsletter and will soon have specific material from our commercial department as part of the site," Montegriffo adds.

esteemed and beloved by all the men. He often honoured me, as well as other boys, with marks of his notice; and saved me once a flogging for fighting with a young gentleman."

Both Wolfe and the French Gen eral Montcalm were killed in the battle.

Following the victory in Canada, master and slave returned to Eng land and signed on with the 90-gun HMS Nainur for a voyage to the Mediterranean. Equiano was ex cited when on arriving at Gibraltar he learned that his sister might be in residence on the Rock,

Equiano recorded the experience in his book:

"... in eleven days, from the Land's End, we got to Gibraltar. While we were there I used to be of ten on shore,and got various fruits in great plenty, and very cheap.

Sailor Slave SoughtSister on Rock

Olaudah Equiano was luckier than most slaves who were transported to the Americas in the 18th Century. When he was ten years old the African-born slave was purchased by a British naval officer, so instead of spending his life toiling on a cotton or tobacco plantation he sailed around the world with the Royal Navy. Among his many ports of call was Gibraltar.

Equiano was born in the Ibo region of eastern Nigeria around 1745 to a tribal chief who himself was a slave-owner. When he was about eight Equiano and his sister were kidnapped and sold to a slave trafficker.

The children were taken across the country, were sold again and much to Equiano's sadness he was separated from his beloved sibling. When the slaves reached the west coast of Africa, Equiano saw the ocean and white people for the first time. He.survived the dreadful voyage of the middle passage in a cramped slaver and on arrival at Virginia was purchased by a plan tation owner named Campbell. Fortunately for the young boy,that was when Michael Pascal,lieuten ant in the Royal Navy, arrived on

the scene and bought Equiano in order to make him his servant.

Pascal renamed the boy,Gustava Vassa, a bad joke referring to the Swedish king who led his people in a war of independence from Denmark. The newly united pair sailed to Falmouth where Equiano went to school and learned to read and write. By this time Britain was at war with France in what would become known as the Seven Years War(1756 to 1763).

Equiano went to sea with his master aboard the Royal George

and took part in an attack on the fortress of Louisburg at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River.On board the Royal George was General Wolfe who would later lead the British to victory at the Battle of the Plains of Abraham and thus force the French out of North America.

In his autobiography The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah, or Gustava Vassa the African, Equiano wrote:

"We had the good and gallant General Wolfe on board our ship, whose affability made him highly

"I had frequently told several people,in my excursions on shore, the story of my being kidnapped with my sister, and of our being separated; and I had as often ex pressed my anxiety for her fate, and my sorrow at having never met her again. One day, when I was on shore, and mention ing these circumstances to some persons, one of them told me he knew where my sister was, and, if I would accompany him, he would bring me to her. Improb able as this story was I believed it immediately, and agreed to go with him, while my heart leaped for joy: and, indeed, he conducted me to a black young woman, who was so like my sister, that, at first sight, I really thought it was her: but I was quickly undeceived;and, on talking to her, I found her to be of another nation."

Equiano also described some of the disturbing scenes of military punishment he witnessed:

"While we were at Gibraltar, I saw a soldier hanging by his heels, at one of the moles.I thought this a strange sight, as I had seen a man hanged in London by his neck. At another time I saw the master of a frigate towed to shore on a grat ing, by several of the men of war's boats, and discharged the fleet, which I understood was a mark of disgrace for cowardice."

In August 1759 the Namur de parted Gibraltar in haste as lookout ships had reported a French fleet sailing through the Strait. The British under the command of Admiral Boscowen caught up with the French near the port of Lagos off southern Portugal. They had the French outgunned by fifteen men 'o' war to seven and scored a resounding victory. The Namur, Boscowen's flagship, took on the French Admiral de la Clue's flag-

While we were at Gibraltar, i saw a soldier hanging hy his heels,at one of the moles

ship Ocean, and forced it to beach.

When Equiano wasn't wait ing on his master he served as a 'powder monkey' and in his book he described the action against the Ocean.

"We passed by the whole of the enemy's fleet in order to come at their commander, de la Clue, who was in the Ocean, an 84 gun ship: as we passed they all fired on us; and at one time three of them fired together, continuing to do so for sometime. Notwithstanding which our admiral would not suffer a gun to be fired at any of them, to my astonishment; but made us lie on our bellies on the deck till we came quite close to the Ocean, who was ahead of them all; when we had orders to pour the whole three tiers into her at once.

"The engagement now com menced with great fury on both sides: the Ocean immediately re turned our fire, and we continued engaged with each other for some time;during which 1 was frequently stunned with the thundering of the great guns, whose dreadful contents hurried many of my com panions into awful etemit)'. At last the French line was entirely broken, and we obtained the victor)', which was immediately proclaimed with loud huzzas and acclamations."

The Namur took three prizes. La Morft'sfe, Le Temeraire and Centaur. De le Clue and some of his men escaped ashore but the French ad miral had been mortally wounded and died a few hours later. When the British sailors were unable to re float Ocean and Redoubtable the two great warships were set alight.

"I never beheld a more awful scene," recorded Equiano, "In less than a minute the midnight for a certain space seemed turned into day by the blaze, which was attended with a noise louder and more terrible than thunder, which seemed to rend every element around us."

Equiano, who would have been about 14 years old at the time,also described the death and destruction he witnessed amidships:

"My station during the engage ment was on the middle-deck, where I was quartered with another boy, to bring powder to the after most gun;and here I was a witness of the dreadful fate of manv of my companions, who,in the twinkling of an eye, were dashed in pieces, and launched into eternity. Happily I escaped unhurt, though the shot

and splinters flew thick about me during the whole fight. Towards the latter part of it my master was wounded, and I saw him carried down to the surgeon; but though I was much alarmed for him and wished to assist him I dared not leave my post.

"We were also,from our employ ment, very much exposed to the enemy's shots; for we had to go through nearly the whole length of the ship to bring the powder. I expected therefore every minute to be my last; especially when I saw our men fall so thick about me;but, wishing to guard as much against the dangers as possible, at first I thought it would be safest not to go for the powder till the French men had fired their broadside;and then, while they were charging, I could go and come with my pow der: but immediately afterwards I thought this caution was fruitless; and, cheering myself with the reflection that there was a time allotted for me to die as well as to be born, I instantly cast off all fear or thought whatever of death, and went through the whole of my duty with alacrity; pleasing myself with the hope, if I survived the battle, of relating it and the dangers I had escaped to the dear Miss Guerin (his teacher), and others, when I should return to London."

After being sold two more times and spending another dozen years at sea, Equiano did return to Lon don for good. With his share from the prizes of battle and money he had earned through crafty trading he was able to purchase his free dom. He continued his education ^"1 and wrote his book which became * a best seller(22 printings)and fur thered the cause of anti-slavery.

One of Equiano's fans was John Wesley, the founder of the Meth odist church. As a consequence of his writings Equiano became the leading black abolitionist of his time.Among his other accomplish ments he learned to play the French horn, took part in an expedition (failed) to reach the North Pole, lived with Turks in Smyrna and Indians in Central America and gave evidence on the slave trade before parliament.

Equiano married and had two daughters, one of whom survived him and inherited his considerable estate. He died in 1797 aged 52, ten years prior to Britain's abolition of the slave trade. Sadly he never found his sister.

CS^// are e.re/astiie to '^eaa q^an<^/e.i(ni</anicj^ue

123 Main St opp. Post Office

Equiano,who would have heen ahout14 years old atthe time,also descrlhed the death and destruction he witnessed amidships

The Komponent loudspeaker system from Linn

Breathing life into Dragons

John A. Blakey has written and beautifully illustrated what he describes as a 'children's book for adults' — a sometimes humorous sometimes heart wrenching tale of a Lundravar the dragon. Full of insights and observations it is a story which at times seems semiautobiographical — a balloonist being blown by circumstance on a life's adventure, never quite knowing where he will end up.

Born in Leeds to an Irish family, John's own life has taken him to diverse places from Siberia where he designed costumes for opera to Brunei where he spent two years at the Dorchester.

John's connection with Gibraltar began at school with his Gibraltarian chum Alfred Trinidad, with whom he met up recently after 34 years. He then went on to meet Gibraltar's Financial Services Com missioner, Marcus Killick, in his na tive North Yorkshire when he was commissioned to paint portraits of Marcus's children, and has since gone on to paint the children of several eminent Gibraltarians.

John's commissions include a host of British celebrities, includ ing Leon Britton, Freddie Truman and Michael Caine, as well as a clutch of foreign royal families. A series of paintings bought to hang in defunct celebrity restaurant Langans have gone on to hang in a restaurant close to London's House of Commons.

A lecturer in English for 10 years and a keen sportsman, John opened his own studio (guest of honour Michael Parkinson) in the beautiful setting of North York shire, and began earning a living from portraiture — not like some artists to subsidise his'real works' but because he genuinely loves doing it.

Some of his commissions have been a little more challenging than the imagined sedate portrait sit tings and John has many amusing anecdotes of people he has met and places he has been. One wealthy client wanted a portrait of himself in Arthurian costume with his pot lion by his side, but insisted the lion be painted from life. Sketch book in hand,John quite literally entered the lion's den,keeper's hand firmly on his shoulder. Sketching as quickly as he could he managed to capture the lion's character in pencil before being whipped from the cage by the vigilant keeper just as the lion pounced.

Another anecdote he enjoys telling involves his second com mission to paint'professional Head of the British Army', General Sir Richard Dannatt KCB CBE MC ADC Gen. At a speech on the day of the unveiling John explained

to gathered high-society that dur ing his lime in London since the previous portrait he painted of Sir Richard he had moved towards a more modern style and palette.

Moments later, a less than Picassoesque painting was unveiled to a stunned hush from the audience, followed by raucous laughter when the real painting, complete with precisely detailed medals and carefully painted uniform, was un veiled a few minutes later. A little bit of fun Sir Richard had devised to entertain his guests.

While travelling here and there, John always has his sketch pad handy,but he also carries with him his notebook in which he has been writing the adventures of a little dragon named Lundravar and his friend, adventurer Horatio. After many years,John's book has finally reached its conclusion and is ready to go to print, complete with fabu lous illustrations which will notjust accompany the text but entwine with the words on the pages.

In Luiidrai'iir the Dragon, John's character Horatio decides the best way to achieve his curious goal of kissing The Blarney Stone is to take his hot air balloon via the Strait of Gibraltar. In Gibraltar he and his friend, the little dragon, continue their adventure encountering the mischievous monkeys and learning the story behind the Rock's Dragon Trees along the way.

The delightful book will go on sale early in 2008 when launch parties will take place in Yorkshire, Ireland and Gibraltar. For those who want a very special edition, advance orders are being taken for the superb, blue-green (dragon co loured!) leather-bound and signed collectors'edition which is expected to sell for up to £1,000 each,

A regular visitor to Gibraltar, John is now a permanent resident of Madrid, a home-base chosen because of its great international air links and because "it's a nice place to be." He has two grown up daughters who live in the UK.

John A. Blakey can be commis sioned for portraits in Gibraltar by emailing him at blakey-art@ hotmail.com. Email is also the best way to reserve the signed collector's edition of Lundravar the Dragon.

The delightful hook will go on sale early In 2008 when launch parties will take place In Yorkshire,Ireland and Gibraltar

The Gouemor who neuer was

The other day (it was too windy for hang-gliding, and my aerobics class had been cancelled due to an outbreak of common sense) I was half-heart edly reading a brief biography of General Sir Henry Clinton when a curious sentence caught my attention like a sudden clash of cymbals during the quiet section of a concerto. Clinton, it said, died in Gibraltar in 1795. More than that; he died as the Rock's governor. Some mistake, surely? I checked the list of Gibraltar's governors and saw that the incumbent in 1795 was one Charles Rainsford, who had succeeded Sir Robert Boyd in May 1794. I checked a decade either side of the date. Henry Clinton's name was con spicuously absent.

Historiansare notorious liars,and great historians are liars touched with genius,but there seemed little

to be gained by falsely attributing the governorship of Gibraltar to an innocent man,so 1 decided to delve

a little deeper into the mystery.The writer, it turned out, was indeed mistaken, and not alone in his

confusion, but there were mitigat ing circumstances. He deserved to have his quill confiscated, but not his hands cut off. And General Sir Henry Clinton proved to be a very interesting fellow indeed.

He was born on 16th April 1738 in Newfoundland,where his father, Admiral George Clinton, younger brother of the Earl of Lincoln, was governor. In 1741 George became governor of New York, though oddly it took him until 1743 to get there. Maybe he was frightened of horses and chose to walk.

In the lottery of life, whore the free tickets are vastly more valu able than the ones you have to buy, it is never a disadvantage to be rich and have a peer or two in the family, so when young Henry moved to England in 1751 to begin a career in the British army it was not with trepidation in the face of an uncertain future.

His rise through the ranks could not have been faster if he had been shot skywards out of a cannon. With commissions purchased for him by his indulgent family he entered the force not as a private peeling potatoes, polishing boots, and being told by a screaming ser geant-major to get his wig trimmed, but as a full-blown captain in the Coldstream Guards.By 1758he was a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Grena dier Guards, but as a grizzled vet eran of twenty he would have been disappointed at anything less.

We should not be too flippant. Although his promotions were down to wealth and privilege rather than hard work and sweat, he was not without qualities as a soldier, as he proved during the Seven Years War(1756-63)when he displayed conspicuous gallantry as aide-de-camp to Duke Ferdinand, Prince of Brunswick. Whatever he did to earn this reputation, it was enough to see him promoted in 1762 to full Colonel for once on his own merits.

We should not dismiss too lightly, however,the beneficial influence of a couple of Dukes who soon took Clinton under their wings. Imme diately after the war he was made Groom of the Bedchamber to the King's brother the Duke of Glouces ter, and 1 will not continue with this article until the sniggering at the back of the class subsides."Groom of the Bedchamber" wasa perfectly respectable post for a young man to hold and 1 will not preside over the festering of any innuendo.

Nevertheless, "Groom of the Bedchamber" reads poorly in a CV, and his other ducal patron, Henry Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle (who was by an amazing fluke also his cousin)did rather better by the boy. Hegot him a seat in parliament as the member for Boroughbridge.

GBnaral Sir Henry Clinton

Although Clinton remained an MP until 1784(subsequently as the member for Newark-on-Trent), his constituency work suffered badly after 1775. Back in his old stomp ing ground,America,the colonials were getting decidedly uppity. Things had never really settled down since a bunch of hooligans, disguised unfairly as Mohawk Indians, had tipped a consignment of tea into Boston Harbour on 16th December 1773. By March 1775 things were getting out of hand, and King George 111 decided that he would have to put the rebellious turkey-eaters in their place.

Henry Clinton had been a Major-General since 1772, the year he entered parliament, and his colonial background made him a perfect choice to go and sort the matter out. With two other MajorCenerals, William Howe and John Burgoyne, he was sent to Boston with reinforcements to strengthen the British garrison.

An obvious choice he may have been, but there was a problem. Henry Clinton suffered from what we would recognise today as a personality disorder or, at the very least, crippling depression. This was not helped when his wife, Harriet, died in August 1772 after bearing him five children in a marriage of as many years. By alt accounts her death left him so devastated that for the next two years he was a zombie, unable to function on any level. He shunned everyone, including his ducal patrons, and hardly showed his face in parliament. He was clearly unstable, but in 1772 his condition would have been seen as simply "a broken heart",and he was left to get on with it. "Pull yourself together, man!" was probably the sum total of the counselling and advice he received.

By 1775, when he was shipped off to wallop a handful ofimpudent colonial upstarts who'd rather dress up in Indian suits and run riot than work hard and pay their taxes, he was, on the face of it, much improved. He had certainly stopped trying to butter his eggs and boil his toast, and could once again sit the right way round on his horse,but beyond that his improve ment wassuperficial. He remained moody,erratic,and paranoid,being particularly suspicious of his sec ond-in-command,Lord Comwallis,

who he suspected at every turn of conspiring to steal his job.

In the circumstances it is surpris ing that he did so well. There were disasters, like his hopelessly inept attack on Fort Sullivan,South Caro lina, in June 1776, when his gross underestimate of the strength of the rebel forces led to the rout of a Royal Navy squadron that included a certain Horatio Nelson. But his overall success rate was good. He shared credit for the British success at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and distinguished himself so spectacu larly at the Battle of Long Island in New York that he was made a Lieutenant-General and awarded the Order of the Bath. This may or may not have included the right to scrub the monarch's back as he sat in the tub, but it certainly entitled him to a coveted seat in the Henry VII chapel, and to fix his family crest thereon.

Clinton was on a roll. In De cember 1776 he took 6000 men to occupy Newport, Rhode Island, and accomplished it almost without breaking sweat. In May 1778 he became Commander-in-Chief of all the North American forces in suc cession to William Howe,and later that year captured the Georgian dty of Savannah.

In recent years a certain healthy scepticism has surfaced in the public's response to "intelligence reports", and it is salutary to learn that this tendency of the intel ligence services to over-egg the pudding has a long, distinguished history. Based largely on the wish ful thinking of Loyalist American exiles living in London,the Ameri can Secretary,George Germain,had long been saying that people in the south were likely to welcome the arrival of British forces, or at least not try to kill them all.

It was true that the south had more to lose by secession from the motherland than the north,for most of the plantation produced goods found a ready market there, but they were not using the cotton to make Union Jacks. Despite their success in Savannah, the British troops soon became bogged down and isolated.

Clinton pushed on. In 1779 he personally led an invasion ofSouth Carolina,and by early 1780 he had the dty of Charleston under siege. The inhabitants stopped dancing long enough to surrender in May,

but what should have been another significant feather in Clinton's cap was marred by his increasingly er ratic and argumentative behaviour. His paranoia was now so great that he was coming to blows, at least verbally, with everyone around him, especially Admiral Marriot Arbuthnot, who had shared command during the Charleston siege.

It seems clear in retrospect that Clinton was, in modem parlance, losing it. He returned to New York, leaving the southern troops in the hands of his second-in-command. General Cornwallis. He remained in overall command, but his corre spondence with Comwallis gradu ally disintegrated into a series of acrimonious ramblings and, urged on by George Germain, the junior officer increasingly disregarded his orders.

By 1782 it was clear that the situa tion could not continue.Clinton was relieved of command and returned to England. The fight to retain the colonies was all but over; the final scenes being enacted at Yorktown where, after being put under siege by a combined French and Ameri can force led,on the American side, by George Washington,the British threw in the towel.

Back home,Clinton was vilified

as the man who lost the war. This is hardly fair. He was obviously fatally flawed in many ways, but the American revolution had a logic and momentum well beyond the abilities of any individual to roll back, and the efforts of later histo rians to shift the blame onto Corn wallis are equally short-sighted.

Despite being "jealous, hot tem pered, quick to take dislikes and notice slights", and given to heap ing abuse on anyone within ear shot, Clinton was still not finished with public life. He was back in parliament by 1790, and though his military career was over in all but name, elevated to full General in October 1793.

Then, in July 1794, he was ap pointed Governor of Gibraltar, which is where we came in. Our ill-informed historian was at least half right. Unfortunately, Clinton was by then a sick man and he died, not in Gibraltar but in Corn wall, before taking the post. The incumbent, Charles Rainsford, stayed on until December 1795,and was succeeded by Charles O'Hara. What Gibraltar would have made of the moody, bombastic Clinton will never be known,but given that many still believe it was he who lost Britain America,perhaps it's better that way.

Claudia's CLINIC

Medical • Complementary - Beauty Therapy

58 Main Street. 1st Floor. Tel. 74040

Regular Clinks

Lymphatic Drainage Sports Injuries - Cervical Problems

Coiiagen Implants Botox Injections•Sclerotherapy (Thread Vein Treatment)

Claudia Schlel Health/Beauty Therapist

Aurlculo Medicinefor Stop SmokingDermatoiogical PeelsNon Surgical LrftingSpecialising in all kinds of skin problemsHolistic Therapiesfor various conditions - Reflexology - Medicinal

Pedicures•Hair Extensions

Gillian Schirmer MA DC UKMcTimoney Chiropractor

Gentle and Effective Chiropractic Treatmentfor all Muscularand ,j Joint Pains,especially Sports lnjuries,Lj Pregnancy. Headaches,and ^ Migraines. Suitablefor all ages. B

Cheryl Sant

Health/Beauty Therapist

-Facials-Waxing - Electrolysis Massages- Slimming Treatments.

New Clinics

Udo Stadtsbuchler

Neurolinguist- Coach Counsellor/Therapist

Effective and quick solution to all forms of Fears and PhobiasPhysical and Emotional Wellbeing -

Relationship IssuesDyslexia - CCD - PTSD.

Mesotherapy (Fat/Celiulite reducing injectionsalternative to liposuction) - Anti-Aging procedures.

Dermatologist

Cryotherapy - Warts •

Age Spots - PigmentationsSkin Lesions and lmperfection&

An obvious choice he may have heon, hut there was a prohiem.Henry Ciinton suffered from what we weuid recognise today as a perseuaiity disorder or,atthe very ieast,crlppilug depression

McTimoney Chiropractor

#Louis'Pharmacy

Dr Steven J. Crump BSc, DC, MCC ICC F5C 1 St Fir, Casemates.

Tel: 44226

Gillian Schirmer MA, DC. MMCA McTimoney Chiropractor, Clinic (Claudia's), 1st Fir, 58 Main St

Tel:41733 After hours: 40026

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

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Jenny Ndiweni

Life Line Counselling Services

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Tel: mobile 54002090

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DENTAL SURGEONS

Mike Clark BDS

The Dental Practice, Baudelaire House, 15D-1 Town Range Tel/Fax; 52882

PHYSICIANS

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

HEALTH STORES

Depression, Bereavement, Domestic Violence, Families Dealing with Mental Illness etc

3/2nd floor 29 City Mill Lane, Gibraltar Tel: 54002090 ieniivntliwenl@hotmail.com

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fi/iiffitim on Prr-I'aiil Fmieral PlaitnitigArailtthlefront: 11 Convent Place, Gibraltar Tel: 75747

Codali Funeral Services

The Health Store 5 City Mill Lane. Tel: 73765

OPTICIANS / OPTOMETRISTS

Cache & Co Limited 266 Main Street. Tel: 75757

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

PERSONAL TRAINERS

Simon Caldwell

Complete Fitness

Unites, Eliott Hotel Tel: 51113

Isabella Jimenez BSc(hons)

216 Main Street Tel: 54002226

email: jimenez.isabella@gmall.com

John Westwood

Tel:0034 616461 224

Email; jonnydoubleu@yahoo.co.uk

Worker so that the appropriate papers can be signed for compul sory admission. This may sound frightening and often upsets rela tives,but it is crucial that the person is taken to a place of safety, both for their protection and for that of others.

Medication is a vital part of treatment. Tranquillisers are usu ally given to control violent or ag gressive behaviour, and to reduce the severity of delusional ideas. Night sedatives may be prescribed if they are not sleeping very well. The patient needs to comply with the full therapeutic regime of the hospital.

Nursing Care

Split PersonaiiiyP

Schizophrenia is a very serious mental illness that affects the way the patient sees and interprets the world about them. The term actually encompasses a group of mental illnesses that usually start in adolescence or early adult life, and some of the main symptoms include disordered perception and thoughts, emotional instability, abnormal behaviour and in some cases, a gradual disintergration of personality. Sufferers may be extremely suspicious of others — whether it's close family members or complete strangers — and believe that they are out to "get them". Delusions (false beliefs) are quite common in schizophrenia, for example, believing that someone has poisoned their food and therefore refusing to eat.

They may also experience au ditory hallucinations — hearing voices that order them to behave in a certain way, or even seeing things that aren't there, and one of the most distressing aspects of the illness, is the patient's tendency to withdraw into their own world which nobody else understands. Eventually, all contact with reality is lost.

There have been many extensive and statistically detailed studies on the subject but contrary to popular belief,schizophrenia is not the split personality like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It is the most common psy chotic illness and affects about 1% of the general population.

What causes it?

Many theories have been put forward, but the main one is that genetics have a significant part — for example, if one parent is schizophrenic the incidence is 1014%, but with both parents, this rises to between 40and 50%.Other theories include enzyme defects, biochemical or neurological abnor malities, as well as vulnerability to certain environmental factors which may be triggers.

In the '70s, K. T. Koshy also de scribed what he called a "schizoid personality" — extremely shy and timid, solitary and withdrawn, indifferent, fanatic, friendless and socially inadequate (34% of

cases).

There are various classifications of the illness, from simple schizo phrenia, hebephrcnia, which start in adolescence/early adulthood, to paranoid and paraphrenic which start in middle adulthood onwards, but for the purposes of this article we shall concentrate more on the clinical features that are common:

• Thought disorders, quite dis jointed thinking patterns, thought blocking;

• Lack of concentration, preoc cupied most of the time,staring into space;

• Lack of volition, no ambition and no drive or showing any affection;

• Permanent state of dreaminess, moodiness, depression, apathy, negativity;

• Delusions, false beliefs which are often illogical and have no foundation, but cannot be shaken by reasoning.

In paranoid schizophrenia, persecutory delusions often dominate, and the sufferer is tormented in wardly by what he sees as people wanting to hurt him in some way, but he is also trying to distinguish between what he sees in reality, and whatever is going on in his head.

It is important to bear in mind that because of this, the person might be frightened, distrustful of others, and may therefore display aggression. Hallucinations may

also be present — and these may not be confined just to hearing voices and seeing things as men tioned earlier, but may also extend to taste, smell and touch.

Some sufferers will also display what is known as Catatonic states where they may sit or stand rigidly in one position for hours or engage in repetitive movements such as rocking.

Some people have only one episode, but it is fairly common to have several episodes in a lifetime, although it is possible to lead a reasonably normal life when in remission.

Medical CareDiagnosis and Treatment

The first port of call is the G.P, once you start to notice that a family member is behaving very strangely, does not appear to think straight and seems out of touch with reality.

The illness may develop slowly or very quickly.The G.P. may do the initial assessment or may refer to a psychiatrist. A thorough medical history and physical examination will be carried out in order to ex clude any other possible causes for the symptoms.

If the patient is acutely disturbed, then admission to hospital will be arranged.It may even be necessary to call in other agencies like the Mental Welfare Officer or Social

The nurse-patient relationship is very important. The patient feels quite vulnerable and the nurse must be tolerant, patient, kind,and not easily upset. He/she needs to be good at listening, without go ing along with the delusions and hallucinations.

Physical and mental rest are also an important part of treatment and the patient may need to be nursed in seclusion for a short while if he is violent or excitable. Close obser vation,protection from any danger and possible suicide attempts. A good dietand is obviously required, and the maintenance of good per sonal hygiene — the patient may need supervision with bathing, shaving and getting dressed.

Engage them in conversation and daily activities to maintain reality and orientation. Patients are very aware of people who care about them and understand them.

As they begin to improve, the ward team and relatives will dis cuss rehabilitation, aftercare and resettlement into the community.

Follow up may be in the form of outpatient appointments, at tendance at the day hospital or community team centre,social club and so forth.

Good quality of life, social inde pendence and support for patient and family will be the main aims of treatment. Emotional support will help withdrawn patients to learn to trust others. Paranoid patients will respond much better if they see more tolerance and ac ceptance from society, instead of name calling and labelling,and the re-integration into the community, all help to deal with the stigma of mental illness.

There but by the grace of God

RHFERENCES: KOSHY, K.T. (1977) ReviSK'ii NoU's on Psychiatn/. GIBSON, J.(1975) Mental Nursing Examination Questions and Answers. KNAPP et al, (1992) Care in the CommwHih/. PILLING,S. (1991)

Special Treatment

Claudia became famous for her Beauty Clinic, established 15 years ago, but her success — coupled with requests from customers — has meant a gradual expansion into many other fields of therapies. So much so that for accuracy she has renamed the practice as simply 'Claudia's Clinic', providing medi cal, complementary and beauty therapies from Claudia herself and a host of specialist consultants. These are on a visiting basis or, as in the case of chiropractor Gillian Schirmer, resident full-time.

Prior to setting up her own popu lar practice,Claudia worked in var ious Gibraltar and Marbella beauty parlours following her training in Germany and France.

"But first of all I started work in Gibraltar as a junior with a French beautician before going on to study, and 1 have done a lot of courses ever since," she said when I visited her Main Street clinic.

One such course was in Auricu lar Medicine which she studied in Lyons, France, three years ago. This is a form of therapy based

on the ears and is mainly used for stopping smoking, weight loss, hormone imbalances and a variety of stress problems.

Other treatments available from visiting doctors and therapists include collagen, sclerotherapy and botox. Botox is well known now, and so is collagen for filling wrinkles, but sclerotherapy may be less familiar-sounding. It is for thread vein removal, and involves a course of injections that make the veins gradually fade from your face or your legs. Each treatment takes 10 to 15 minutes and does not need any bandaging or recuperation afterwards.

Skin tags, as very small warts are known, are also removed at Claudia's by the use of electrolysis, a long-established treatment which is also available for the permanent

removal of small areas of unsightly body hair.

"We have a nice medicinal pedi cure," Claudia told me."I say nice, because it is a one-hour combina tion of chiropody and foot massage. We carry out procedures such as removing ingrowing toenails and other footcare."

Other professionals who visit regularly cover such areas as nutri tion and dietetics,and homeopathy is catered for as well as massages, reflexology, aromatherapy and ho listic therapies.There is also NeuroLinguistic Programming and its advanced offshoot BAMD — Body and Mind Dynamics — originally used to control and conquer physi cal pain but now also with many other applications, both physical and mental.

As mentioned at the beginning.

Gillian Schirmer, a McTimoney Chiropractor, is kept so busy that she has set up her clinic full time at Claudia's.

How do you know which sort of therapy is right for you? Simplejust come along to Claudia's and in a free consultation she will advise on the most appropriate treatments. The relevant consultant will also give a free initial consultation.

"We dedicate ourselves totally to each individual customer who comes in and we give honest experienced advice, customising courses according to our evaluation of their needs," Claudia empha sised,although her long reputation will already have confirmed that to most people.

And, of course, there is still beauty. "We now have customers ranging from 13 year-olds up to the very elderly.There are boys and girls, men and women — boys are now more interested in their ap pearances, and a lot of them have waxing done."

Facelifts cost from £29.50 for one hour. "All our prices are normal," said Claudia, "but we are proud of the good value and dedicated service that we include."

The clinic also sells beauty prod ucts,and is the exclusive local sup plier of Utsukusy, the high-quality Japanese range for the body, the face, and as make-up. Talking of make-up, Claudia herself does special making-up for weddings and other occasions,and also gives lessons on how to do it yourself.

Hair extensions too, but very good ones: Great Lengths, no less, made of 100% human hair in a choice of styles and colours. Made in Italy and considered one of the best on the market, they represent excellent value, shown by the fact they carry a six-month guarantee. "They can last up to eight months, according to care," Claudia told me,"whereas other makes only last about one month."

Everything provided by Claudia is also available as a gift voucher — you buy somebody a course of treatment and present it to them with no price tag attached.

So there you have it — or at least an outline of it, given that Claudia's provides so much more than a simple medical clinic or beauty salon. It's a very relaxed, inform^ place and the appointmentssystem means it is never crowded. Ap pointments are best made a week in advance,especialiy if you might want a peak period such as lunchtime or after 3pm.

Open from 10am to 6pm straight through, Monday to Friday, the num ber for appointments or enquiries is 7^40.For the chiropractor,call 41733, or 40026 after hours.

"Beauty is just one part of the clinic. We now provide a great variety of treatments for males and females."

...we are proud of tlie good value aud dedicated service that we include."

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A: Thts illustrates the pre-operative condition ot the pa tient - discoloured, slightly crooked teeth, ugly old por celain crowns on upper tront teeth.

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Captain Jack the Governor's Sen

Through history the offspring of Governors of Gibraltar have tended to lead lives of respectable nobility. Jack White would have none of that.

Captain Jack White was the rebellious son of Field Marshal Sir George Stuart White, Gover nor of Gibraltar from 1900 to 1904.

Sir George was a standup representative of the Anglo-Irish landowning class of the 19th century. He was a career soldier who won the Victoria Cross in Afghanistan and was hailed as the'Hero of Ladysmith' for his role as head of the British Army that defended that city during a 118-day siege at the height of the Boer War.

At first, James Robert'Jack' White proved to be a chip off the old block. He was educated at Winchester Public School, attended Sandhurst Military Academy and at the age of 18 fought with the 1st Gordon Highlanders (his father's regiment) in the Boer War. Captain Jack was a good soldier and earned the Distinguished Ser vice Order butevents of the warignited a change that would transform hiip from a member of the landed gentry to a socialist loving anarchist.

It has been claimed that at the Battle of Doorknop, when an officer ordered a petrified 17-year-old shaking with fear to be shot, Captain Jack turned his own pistol on the officer and said,"Do so and I'll shoot you."

Although the Boer War is when Captain Jack began losing his respect for the British ruling classes he managed to control his aversion long enough to stay in the army and serve as his father's aide-de-camp at Gibraltar. It was while serving on the Rock that he met Mercedes 'Dollie' Mosley, the daughter of a Gibraltar businessman,and,despite objections from both families, they married.

Captain Jack continued his military career in India and Scotland but in 1907 he resigned his commission citing disaffection with the army and its role in suppressing the workers. For the next decade he and Mollie lived the life of the 'peaceniks and hippies' that would appear on the anti-war scene half a century later. They traveled to Bohemia, lived in a 'Tolstoyan' commune in England and worked their way across Canada.

Along the way Captain Jack's socialist lean ings hardened and he decided to return to his native Ireland — he was born a protestant in County Antrim — to rally protestants and workers against the Unionist Party and what he termed the'bigotry and stagnation'of Northern Ireland protestants. He organised a meeting at Ballymoney and there he met Sir Roger Case ment,a man oflike mind and social background, and was in turn invited to Dublin where he met James Connolly and was converted to socialism.

In 1913 when the transport workers were on strike in Ireland Captain Jack organised and trained an Irish Citizen's Army which was intended as a worker's militia to protect picket

lines from assaults from the police and thugs hired by employers. He was quite proud of his soldiers and boasted that just the sight of them "Put manners on the police."

Initially Captain Jack and his militia had the support of much of the public but by the excessive use of violence, mainly by beatings administered with hurley sticks, they alienated many of their followers.

When World War I broke out Captain Jack went to work for the Red Cross and was not in Ireland in 1916 when the Republicans rose up against Britain in the Easter Rebellion. The Irish Citizen's Army was under the command ofCon nolly and fought alongside the Irish Republican Brotherhood in the 'Rising' which lasted from Easter Monday 24th April to 30th April.

Connolly was wounded in the fighting and arrested. As a leader of the rebels he was sen tenced to death. Captain Jack rushed back to Britain and tried to organise a miners' strike in Wales as a way of rallying support for his friend; instead he was arrested and sentenced to two three-month terms in prison. Connolly, despite being diagnosed by doctors as having only afew days to live, was tied to a chair and executed by firing squad on 12th May 1916 Connolly's execution and that of the other leaders,15 in all, were not well received,even throughout Britain, and drew unwanted attention from the United States, which the British Government was trying to draw into the war against Germany. There was uproar on both sides of the Atlantic when it became known that a dying man had been tied to a chair and killed. As a consequence the Brit ish Prime Minister Herbert Asquith ordered that no more executions were to take place and all other death sentences were to be commuted.

After the rebellion Captain Jack joined the Communist Party but his credibility had waned and he was marginalised by the Irish Repubican Army.In the late 1930s he attempted to restore his revolutionary credentials by volunteering to fight for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War.In Spain he became attracted to the philoso phy of the anarchists,one of several factions in fighting on the Republican side.In May 1937 he took part in a street battle in Barcelona between the anarchists and the communists.

On his return to London, Captain Jack met and married his second wife, Noreen Shanahan, the daughter of an Irish government official. His belief in socialism and anarchy did not prevent him from moving into the family manor. White Hall, at Broughshane in Country Antrim. He had inherited the estate on the death of his mother in 1935. He received a regular income from the rent and sale of the lands and supple mented his income with freelance writing for various journals.

Captain Jack's last venture into public life came in 1945 when he ran in the General Elec tion for the Antrim constituency as a'republican socialist'. In his campaign he spoke out against the Orange Order and the Unionist Party and was soundly beaten by the Conservative can didate.

Captain Jack died of cancer at Belfast in 1946 and was buried in the White family plot in the First Presbyterian Church in Broughshane. Sir George White had died in 1912 and so did not live to see his son turn against the country and beliefs he had defended all his life but the fam ily demonstrated their shame at Captain Jack's politics by having all his papers destroyed.

His belief in socialism & anarchy did not pre vent him from moving into the family manor

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Denvllle Designs Free Bill:CARE

There are so many new homes avail able in Gibraltar right now and so many sad stories of homeowners purchasing furniture and soft furnishings in UK at bargain prices, or going into Spain^nd getting what they think is a real bargain, when in fact what happens Is a lot of heartache and distress. I know this Is not always true, but when things go wrong and you are importing the goods from another country It Is so difficult to get the people you purchased your goods from to act on any complaints you have.

Denvllle Designs has been furnish ing homes In Gibraltar and Southern Spain for over 17 years, it has taken us this long to build a long list of trusted workmen and suppliers, and all this we pass on to you the client.

From the minute you contact us we put you foremost, helping, advising, recommending the best workmen for any large works, helping you design your home and caring for your every need as we work with you. Any prob lems encountered we solve for you, sometimes without you ever knowing it, and the best part is, we do this at the best possible prices.

We are constantly searching for new products that are cutting edge, yet af fordable both in furniture and fabrics.

Our designer fabrics are cheaper than anywhere else in the world, thanks to the uniqueness of Gibraltar and our custom tariffs, but often even so, our very well priced designer fabrics are still out of some people's price range, so we offer a large range of Spanishmade fabrics and ready-made curtains for tighter budgets.

So many people are surprised when they enter our shop, they had no Idea of the large range of furniture we have on offer. We sell beds,sofas,sofa beds, tables... everything for your home and at prices that are unbeatable in Gibral tar or Spain.

We can fully furnish a 3-bedroom apartment with fitted kitchen and electodomestics, including lighting, bathroom fittings and curtains for £7,000; and furnish a 2-bedroom apartment with leather sofas, light fittings, bathroom fittings, including curtains for £4,500.

These fantastic prices come with a free gift. Care. Every home is decorated with love and care which we consider to be our unique gift to you. Every member of staff is committed to treating your home as if it were their own, pay ing attention to every detail. We don't think you will find a better bargain or service anywhere. 62

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I) Like a machine; without thought(10)

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IZ'^GATE, computers

13B College Lane

Tel: 50612

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Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group

P.O.Box 1359 Tel: 78509

Mobile: 54007924

Email: infoiglgdsg.co.uk

Send completed crossword to: The Cannon Bar, Cannon Lane, Gibraltar.

One entry per person.

first PRIZE: Lunch for 2 at The Cannon Bar

Winner notified in next issue of The Gibraltar Magazine.

Closing date:24th July 2007

LAST MONTH'S ANSWERS; Across 1. Saint David, 8. Greed, 9. Montagu, 10. Overrun, 11 A bomb, 12. Gusset, 14. Usurer, 17 Tudor, 19. Niagra, 21. Wembley, 22. Think, 23. Big hearted. Down. 2. Ageless, 3. Nadir, 4. Demand, 5. Vandals, 6. Draco, 7. Lumberjack,8. Georgetown,13. Earplug, 15. Realise, 16. Enzyme, 18. Demob, 20. Alter.

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Crossword Winner

Game played on grass,(if outdoors)(5)

Girl(usually)who hangs around rock groups

10) Pain; torture(7)

11) Undo e.g trousers(5)

12) London station (6)

14) Tune; stress(6)

17) US elk (5)

19) Late(7)

21) Necessary(7)

22) Fathers(5)

23) Estimate; valuation (10)

Down

2) Surname of jimmy(comedian), Duncan (footballer)and Buster (train robber)(7)

Speed, usually ill-advised (5)

Cancel out(6)

Game played in grass with mallets(7) Jennifer ,(singer actor)(5)

Unarmed(10)

Improvement(10)

13) Unique objects or occasions(3-4)

15) Metal stand which holds logs in a fireplace(7)

16) French version of8 across, but played any where!(6)

18) Carmen,for example(5)

20) Venue for the Derby (5)

It's a Small World...

Donna Montegriffo, acknowl edged Master Craftsman and member of several international societies, is an expert doll's house builder, decorator and miniaturist. Her friend Christine Mandleberg (n^e Adamberry) is also a Grand Master of DollMaking and member of important international societies, and together they are sharing their talents with Gibraltar.

Donna has had a ten-year dream to open a permanent museum in Gibraltar for her houses and now, together with Christine and her special dolls, is looking forward to that becoming a reality some time soon.

"Once that has been achieved,I'll be able to incorporate local heritage and social changes by including scaled copies of historic buildings and life within them on the Rock,' she told me. Donna and Christine also intend to include workshops for adults and children with a full specialist library in the museum, and aim to make the exhibitions pleasurable and educational for locals and tourists alike.

Donna's interest in dolls' houses began when she was five,and at the age of eight she had built her first wooden house. Nowadays she and Christine both attend competitions and workshops internationally.

But it's not just the traditional doll's house that takes up the whole of one of the two bedrooms in Don na's city centre home — enough to fill more than an entire Upper Vault at Casemate's Galleries."As well as houses,"she told me,"there are pubs, garages, bodegas, for tresses. I'm in the process of doing a palace and a country house;I have created a beautiful garden centre, shops, markets, bookends... I've got six on the go at the moment."

As well as that,she is also in the middle of two commissions — she gets regular requests from families and from companies for her work on a specific theme,as does Chris tine who makes replicas of local personalities to order.

All of the houses are fully fur nished and made mostly from natu ral materials such as wood, metal, clay, fabrics — in fact just about everything you can think of. The houses are truly lifelike apart from their size, with functioning electric lights that can work off a switch or a remote control. Amongst thou sands of tiny features, they have televisions,fires and realistic ovens which can glow from a tiny candle

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inside — although Donna says she never lights them for safety reasons. Donna then completes the scene by making and dressing the scaled family to live in the house.

An enormous amount of the materials used are recycled: "If it's in your bin 1 can use it," she said. "I'm a keen environmentalist and 1 recycle everything. 1 can make something out of nothing." As an example, she told me that she takes the filter tip off a cigarette end, removes the brown wrapper and, with an opened paper clip, it becomes a roller paint brush for one of her mini-decorators; but with

smoking fast going out of fashion she will soon be using a replace ment for the filter tip.

Christine's dolls are all hand made, using 100% pure natural products, silks and cottons for the authentic costumes — her 32 inch replica of Admiral Rooke is on per manent show at the Gibraltar Mu seum — and she makes everything

from the wigs to the tiny shoes herself, all scaled to perfection.

The heads,arms,legs and shoul ders are made from porcelain, originally in liquid slip form, and these moving parts are fixed to a calico-covered skeleton. For repro duction of antique dolls she buys the moulds, but for modem work she makes the moulds herself.

Just like Donna's dolls' houses, every one of Christine's dolls is unique and engraved with the creator's signature.

"It's a hobby that can be as cheap or as expensive as you want,' said Donna.'One of my houses is valued at £12,000, or you can start with a shoe box — I've made beautiful rooms out of shoe boxes,"

Donna and Christine give lessons in their art, and Donna told me that one of her students has devel oped particularly well. "She has specialised in reducing real family photos to hang on the walls of the houses and even in miniature photo albums sitting on a coffee table."

All the work is usually in the l/12th scale, although Donna also works with l/16th, l/24th and even 1/144th. In the l/12th scale her dolls would normally range from six to seven inches high, whilst Christine's figures go from 12 to 32 inches.

Dolls' houses have a surprising history. They didn't start in Victo rian times as you might imagine, but first appeared in Inca society as burial objects representing the life of the person who had passed on. The models were buried with them. Royal households had dolls' houses for the pleasure of theyounger princes and princesses, and amongst the aristocracy they were used as staff teaching aids.

Germany, was the first country to produce a play house at an af fordable price. This soon caught on in other European countries and eventually the UK — and the pas sion has lived on ever since.

"Our art forms complementeach other's," said Donna, and if you want to know more about dolls' houses and miniature making — or porcelain doll making — then call Donna on 54798000 (dollshouse® gibtelecom.net) or Christine on 73662or54007990(christinesdolIs@ gibtelecom.net).

The website, www.gibdolls.com is still being developed but there is already enough information there to whet the appetites of those who believe that small is beautiful.

"I build, I collect, and I teach. These are heirlooms, not necessarily for children."

Donna and Christina give lessons in their art. "Our artforms complement each other's,"said Denna

± What'sOn ^UUf

Monday 2nd to Friday 6th July

Westside School Art Exhibition at John Mackintosh Hall, Lower Exhibi tion Room & Gallery 10am-9.30pm. Entrance free.

Friday 6th July

Santos Productions Presents "Star Search" at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre 8pm. Tickets £10 available from The Nature Shop - Casemates Square. For info contact Christian Tel: 58008448

Saturday 7th July

Ceremonial Guard Mounting at The Convent 12 noon. For info Tel: David Seed S02 forCBF 53624

Rooke Volunteer Band Open Air Con cert, Casemates Square 11am

Gibraltar Botanic Garden Tour. Meet at George Don Gates (at the south end of Grand Parade) 10.30am. No fee but donations are welcome. For informa tion Tel: 72639 Email: alameda® wildlife.gib.gi

Every Tuesday b Thursday (Tuesday 10th July - 16th August)

Summer Nights at Casemates Square. 8.30-10pm - activities and stage en tertainment for children. 10-11.30pm - musical entertainment for adults. For info Tel: Ministry of Culture 47592 Email: dirculture@gibtelecom.net

Friday 13th July

Miss Glamour 2007 Beauty Pageant at

The Alameda Open Air Theatre 9.30pm.

Tickets: £12 from Blossoms (1st floor ICC). For info contact Bianca Tel: 54000377 Email: glamourcreatiions® hotmail.com

Saturday 14th July

GONHS - outing Punta Chullera, rock pooling and snorkeling. Meet 9am Spanish side of the Frontier. For info Tel: Albert Yome 78333 email: albert® gonhs.org

Surtday 15th July

The Gibraltar Amateur Swimming As sociation(GASA)Swimming Endurance Race from Eastern Beach to Catalan Bay 3pm. For info Tel: GASA 72869

Tuesday 17th to 21st July

Water to Wine Theatre Company in as sociation with Dooley Group of White Castle presents "Who by fire" at St Michael's Cave 9pm. Tickets: £22from Solomon Levy Estate Agent- Convent Place. Shuttle buses available from The Alameda Car Park at 8pm. For info Tel: 77789/42818. Email: watertowine® hotmail.com

Monday 23rd to Friday 27th July

Dyslexia Support Group Art Competi tion at John Mackintosh Hall, Lower Exhibition Room. Entrance free

Saturday 28th Cr 29th July

11th Gibraltar International Regatta 2007. To register and for info contact Sidney Pilcher, Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club, Queensway on Tel: 78897.

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Hilet Of Jotm Dory £7.25

V rcsh flllel iif John Ours oHikcd In a preen pesto sauce and topped wllh rhee.sr a» aralln

Chilli Con Cnrne £5.75

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Spagtieiti Buiognaise £5.25

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lai.saune £5.50

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teKelarian Pasla Baked £5.25 xaikiil 111 A ri(-li Unniilii siiiii'T. Inppnl with clieesemd liaknlhi llu> ntra

Steak & Ale Pie £ 5.50

Out ■iiMi sicuk & iilc pic »orn-(l wlUi liumemade chips

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Chicken cuiry (m) £5.50

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Breaded Scampi £6.75

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The chefs .special of llie day pjea.se ask your waller

\1e tiLso .serve a range of Homo made Plzza.s, BuriiUis. Jacket Potatoes. Burners A: Sizzlers

Gihraltar Live Music Society

Venue of the Year g All Matches Live Sw. liuiiic It) tin- riihnillnr Riiicbv Club

NCLSON GIBRALTAR' A R • M S Wi- sen I' hmilil'ii.sls. Imnilos. hiirpers. Ilrilish fish & ('lil[>s. ms|i\ siiinils, sU'iiks. s])<-i'lfi] iilailrrs, liickol polaluos and miiri' Day & Mglil

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FRKR WIFI GIBRALTAR A • B • M • S

NEW T. Ice Cream Sundae Menu ill the liOttIv

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Heart Island, Gibraltar-^ riihr.iltnr's Only Aiilhciilic Ij-ish Bar. Opcninfi Ntituriin 21)07

Gibraltar awareness and snpport charity lannched

Who better than presenter of GBC tv programme AH About yeomen and breast cancer survivor Isobel Ellul-Hammond to chair Breast Cancer Support Gibraltar, where pink is synonymous with initiative, resilience and solidarity?

Launched in June, the charity aims to sup port services targeting awareness, screening, information, medical and psychological help for patients.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer affect ing women, and according to UK statistics(un fortunately we don't have figures for Gibraltar) affects one in eight/nine women at some point in their lives,80% of cases being in women aged over 50. As well as being the most common can cer in women, it is also the one with the highest chance ofsurvival,especially if malignant lumps are detected early. That's why Isobel and friends Carol Coelho,Sonia Colt, Mercy Posso,Caroline Parody, Ninette Lucas and Suzette Martinez are giving a positive, energetic and social cormotadon to their venture.

Breast Cancer Support Gibraltar is a bubblegum-pink association and pressure group which works by knocking down taboos and prejudice, guiding patients through their sorrow ful journeys, minimising impact on emotional well-being, and actively campaigning for better prevention facilities and the all-important self examination.

An informal support 'club' was already in place amongst breast cancer sufferers — who were providing 'newcomers' with practical advice and a shoulder to cry on — when Sonia Golt decided to pull her fundraising stunt last year and bring them all together in the Bosom Buddies show and calendar.

Hearing the eye-popping £20,000-plus going 'ka-ching' in the piggy-bank of general cancer charides made Isobel and friends wonder if the money could stay in Gibraltar to specifically help fellow "bosom buddies," breast cancer survivors and sufferers.

So they solidified their coffee-morning talks into a new local charity and appealed to Breast Cancer Care UK,a charity that by constitution cannot set up outside the mainland UK, yet were willing to put their expertise at Gibraltar's service,offering a link to their telephone helpline (calling the local free number 44442, you'll be automatically connected to Breast Cancer Care UK freephone, manned by specialist nurses eight hours a day, five days a week, half day on Saturdays), the helpline aims to clear all doubts regarding breast care, a cancer diagnosis, treatment, research information etc., although they aren't qualified to answer questions on treatment in Spain.

The good news is that since Isobel's personal experience three and a half years ago,local facili ties have progressed in leaps and bounds and nowadays a patient can choo.se to be treated in La Linea or Algeciras, a massive improvement on the physical strain of being flown back and fro to London's Marsden Hospital for chemo or radiotherapy and the consequent disruption on family life, which sometimes took its toll more than the disease itself.

Isobel has nothing but words of praise for the

local one-stop brea.st clinic, run by St. Bernard's breast care team of general surgeons, nurses, pathologists, mammographers and radiologists. Those suspicious about a lump, are referred by their doctor to the clinic, where they will receive a response within hours ofa mammogram and if necessary a biopsy. If the diagnosi.s is positive, the clinic will alsoexplore thel^toptions — go ing to UK for the complete treatment,especially if mastectomy and reconstruction are in order, or a lumpectomy can be performed here, with chemotherapy cycles in La Linea or six weeks of radiotherapy in Algeciras.

Some more mature women choose to do with out a reconstruction if they don't fancy going under the knife again after all they have been through,so they opt for an external prosthesis:in that case,they may be entitled to receive free cus tomised silicon breasts from the Physiotherapy Department, however Breast Cancer Support Gibraltar will be looking into supplying postsurgery prostheses, reduced-price post-surgery bras, as well as investigating the possibility of subsidising tattoos and pigmentation for those who need reconstructed nipples.

Breast Cancer Support Gibraltar is also acting as a pressure group to introduce a resident breast care nurse to the hospital and achieve screening services up to UK standards, namely offering mammogramsevery three years for women over 50. However, Isobel is dreaming of making the Scandinavian model a reality in Gibraltar, with yearly check-ups for ail women over 40.

And because breast cancer challenges the very basic womanly identity, the support group will help sufferers feel pretty despite their scars, mu tilations and hair loss, with make-up and heads carf style lessons, so as not to let chemotherapy destroy their self-esteem and self-image.

Gentle yoga exercise will be also on the var ied menu of services the charity is planning to implement this autumn. The Yoga Centre has kindly agreed to give members of the charity free classes designed especially for women who have had breast cancer.

A counselling service with a qualified therapist is also a possibility, especially to help children understand what's wrong with mum,and part ners cope with the disease on an emotional and sexual level — many women may feel rejected, ugly and less feminine after mastectomy and many men may have uncon.scious difficulties ac cepting the change or reassuring their wives that what counts the most is that they are alive.

One-to-one peer support will be the friendly facility which pairs up patientsand charity mem bers who underwent a similar experience,so the latter can tell the former about her own journey, support her emotionally,and perhaps practically in daily life, the way she was or would have wanted to be during her own ordeal.

Breast cancer causes are not known yet, but there are plenty of usual suspects: smoking, al cohol,lack of exercise, obesity, unbalanced diet, the pill, HRT... and family patterns, which call for screening with special attention to those who have a close relation, like mother, aunt or sister, with the disease.

Most of all. Breast Cancer Support Gibraltar is about how to be breast-aware and tell what is normal from what isn't, especially upon spot ting sudden changes of shape, size, dimples, nipple inverting or discharges: in most cases, the diagnosis will be just a benign fluid-filled cyst, but this charity aims to encourage women to embrace the idea that early detection equals survival and their lives are literally in their hands!

IsoM Ellul-Hammond (far rightseated)and team at die breast awareness morning at the Piazza

Calling the localfree number 44442,you'll be automati cally connected to Breast Cancer Care UK freephone, manned by specialist nurses

beauties

by Leslie Linares ARPS

When we talk of rare plants we have to qualify what is meant by the term "rare". It could mean rare in global terms, e.g. the Gibraltar campion, which is endemic to Gi braltar and found nowhere else in the world. Or it could mean rare in a local sense, i.e. rare in Gibraltar but common in the surrounding area of Spain or Morocco. It could also be rare in a regional sense, i.e. common in Gibraltar but rare in the surrounding area, etc. Here are some species that are rare in Gibraltar,but fairly common in the surrounding area.

The caper {Capparis spinosa)

is the source of the edible caper, which happens to be the pickled buds of the plant. In Gibraltar it is restricted to the cliffs below Buenavista Barracks, especially those above North Gorge. The plants are deciduous and flower during the summer months. The flowers are 4 to 7 cm across and have numerous conspicuous violet anthers. The continued existence of these plants is threatened by the de-scaling and "stabilisation" ofthe cliffs connected with construction projects in the area.

Another rare plant is the honeywort (Cerinthe gymmndra). This

unusual plant is only found in a very limited area surrounding the exit to the water catchment tunnel on the East Side. The tubular flow ers are up to 2 cm long, forming drooping clusters half-hidden by .leafy bracts. The plant is glaucous, i.e. it has a grey-green colouring, due to a protective waxy coating on its leaves.

Yet another rare species is the greater catmint (hlepeta tubewsa). This is only found on Bruce's Farm firebreak, where there is a single stand of some ten plants. These densely hairy plants reach a height of up to 1 metre, and the purple to violet flowers are clustered to gether to form dense spikes 10 to 20 cm long. Walkers using Inglis Way footpath will not fail to notice these plants,and are asked to avoid tampering in any way with these protected plants.

All species of the orchid family are protected by law throughout Europe, and Gibraltar is no excep tion. There are ten species that can be seen on the Rock, but they are extremely rare and difficult to spot. One of the rarest is the beautiful saw-fly orchid {Ophrys tentfiredinifera). Very few,some five or six, have ever been seen on the Rock at any one time,and even less have been seen recently. The plants ranges from 10 to 30 cm tall, and the flowers, which are arranged in a loose spike of 2 to 8 flowers, are up to 2cm long. Another species is the bumblebee orchid {Ophrys botnbyliflora). These plants are smaller, usually from 10 to 20 cm tall, and the flowers about 1.5 cm across. They are more insignificant when compared to the previous species, and yet have an extraordinary structure. Flowers of this genus mimic the male of a particular type of insect. These are attracted to the flowers,attempt to mate with them and end up pollinating them in the process.

Broomrapes are parasitic plants: they do not contain chlorophyll and thus do not produce tlieir own food. Rather they attach themselves to

saw-fly orchid

the roots of other host species and obtain nourishment in this way.The blood-red broomrape (Orobanche sangiiinea) is the rarest of the local species, and is found on the lower slopes of the Upper Rock and on Windmill Hill Flats. The plants can be up to40cm tall, and the dark red or purplish-red flowers which are up to 1.5 cm long, are arranged to form a dense spike.

The elder-leaved figwort(Scrophularia sambucifotia), is commonly found along roadsides and ditches throughout the surrounding coun tryside. Here in Gibraltar it is very rare and is only found in scattered places, especially gardens and dis-

turbed ground in southern parts of the Rock. The plants are quite tall, reaching 1.5 metres, and the 2 cm long brick-red flowers, form clusters of 3 to 15 at intervals up the flowering stem.

The shepherd's needle {Scandix pecten-veneris) is a small member of the carrot family.The tiny white flowers form clusters up to 1.5 cm across. The fruit are quite distinc tive, as each produces a rough, flattened, slender beak up to 8 cm long.They are very rare as they are generally found on open ground,of which there isn't much on the Rock. They are only found on the lower slopes of the Upper Rock.

Mil'

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nday Limch every sanday^jMuiit only 18.00€ - bookings essential

Sunday Lunch Menu

Gazpacho

Fresh homemade chilled soup with tomato, garlic 6 onion

Chefs Special Salad

Crispy salad of lettuce, blue cheese and chopped bacon

Smoked Salmon

Scottish smoked salmon salad

Lenguado

Baked whole Dover sole with lemon and thyme

Supreme Of Chicken

Sautdd supreme of chicken, with mushrooms, lemon juice 6 parsley

Cordero en Salsa de Ajo y MIel

Shoulder of lamb baked in our chef's special garlic and honey sauce

All served with a selection of garden fresh vegetables

Walnut And Honey Ice Cream

DeliciousI

Hot Apple Pie

With vanilla ice cream

A Selection of Fine Farmhouse Cheeses

Served with walnut bread

€18

Please call 95 2937605 to reserve your table Tel: 95 293

ets accessories

Protect Your Dog Against Fata!Summer Diseases

Heartworm, Leishmaniosis, Tickborne Diseases

Phone Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic for details 77334

Emergency:8977

Cupid is a gentle and relaxed cat who would make a won derful family home pet. He is good with children and gentle with grandparents.

Cat Welfare Society Tel: 42301

Trixie is a 5 year old cat who recently joined the shelter after living in a home. An affec tionate character who loves to be included in family life, he would make a lovely com panion for years to come. Tel: 4230!

hobblesKpastlmes

interested in creating a Coltector's Dolls House ft miniatures or learning to make Heirloom Porcelain Dolls ft costume?

lEl ISIIfl VISIT www.gibdolls.com

Of Tel: 54798000

FREDDIE PARODY

Book Wholesalers

Book Distribution Social Stationery • Novelties

Europa Business Centre Tel/Fax: 75842

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newsagents

Seeing Yellow!

Dolphin Adventure has been operating dolphin watching trips from Gibraltar for some 12 years but recently due to the increase in tourism locally, and a worldwide interest in dolphins and whales, it became obvious a larger boat was needed.

"We didn't just want to go out and buy'another boat', we wanted something special,"explains Angie Walkins who runs Dolphin Adven ture with her husband Tony."We spent over 12 months looking for the right kind of boat and the right people to build it for us. It's not the kind of thing where you just go into a showroom and say'I'll have one of those please.' And of course it had to be available in the right colour... yellow! Ver>' yellow!"

Eventually Angie and Tony decided on a catamaran (a twin hulled boat)for two main reasons: there is an amazing amount ofdeck space as the boat is about twice as wide as your average boat so pas senger space and viewing area is greatly increased; and secondly a catamaran has superb stability in the water.

The new boat can cut through the water with the minimum of move ment and can also sit steady at a standstill or very low speed, which is exactly what is needed when with the dolphins."At slow speed or stationary, single hulled boats can have a tendency to roll and wallow, and we have eliminated that almost totally," adds Angie. "No more green passengers!"

The boat was bought from a top commercial yard in the UK and Dolphin Adventure spent many hours in discussions with the builders over the design and lay out. All the standard components were re-arranged to suit Dolphin Adventure's needs. "We have a small wheelhouse set towards

the back of the boat. This gives a huge front deck area which we had raised to create the ultimate viewing platform,"enthuses Angie. "Hand rails are high for extra safety but at the same time completely open so as to allow the passengers to look through to the dolphins playing around the boat."

With the dolphins coming as close as they do here the priority was to be able to offer views out of, not over, ail areas of the boat. The back deck is also open with seating so creating maximum space and comfort.

Speed was also taken into ac count."We can now travel at over 20 knots, although you won't see us going that fast very often!

from the Atlantic so it is clean and full of nutrients and small fish... perfect for dolphins as one of their main pastimes is eating.Even with all the shipping in the bay the water remains of good quality.

The bay is also relatively shel tered compared to the Strait so is ideal for resting or for dolphins with young calves.

"We have noticed an increase in the number of young and newborn dolphins we see over the past few years which is a really good sign that they are still happy with the environment here."

Dolphinslove to play around the boats,but it is important to remem ber they are wild creatures and the choice to come over to a boat and play should always be theirs.

"We always slow down when we sight dolphins and approach at a very low speed so giving them the choice to move away or move closer, it is after all their ocean not ours," Angie talks with respect for the creatures she clearly adores. "When I see boats charging into pods of dolphins 1 get really cross, these are beautiful peaceful crea tures that deserve our respect. Charging into them will only disturb them and send them div ing to the bottom to get away, so defeating the whole point of the manoeuvre."

Everyone seems to enjoy watch ing these creatures. Some people cry,kids usually scream with excite ment and nearly everybody walks away with a total respect for the dolphins and a desire to look after and protect them and our oceans and seas.

That's waterskiing speed!" An

gie explains. "What the extra speed does give us though is the ability to get out farther and look for bigger pods of dolphins". Quite often in the summer months there are small pods of dolphins in the bay, maybe 40 or so, but further out on the edge of the Strait the larger pods of two to three hundred can be found.

Dolphins can nearly always be found somewhere in the waters around Gibraltar. The bay itself is very deep, nearly 400m in places (that's deep enough so that if you took the Rock and turned it up side down in the bay it would be covered with water, says Angie) and out in the Strait there is nearly 1000m depth of water.This water is

Dolphins can nearly always be found somewhere In the waters around Gibraltar

"Oh,I almost forgot the whales!" Angie adds excitedly. "With the new boat we are the only passenger vessel in Gibraltar licensed to go out far enough to see the whales in the Strait. These trips will last around three hours and will go out far enough to find the pilot whales that live year round in the Strait. Also found out there are sperm, minke and fin whales and the truly amazing orca (killer whales). We should of course spot lots more dolphins on the way."

The new boat is now working and you can't really miss its bright yellow livery, a colour chosen to stand out from the crowd. "Many people can't remember which boat they have been on,so we thought if we had a bright yellow one they wouldn't forget it, and it seems to be working so far!"

Dolphin Adventure trips run daily from Marina Bayfrom Warn onwards and booking is advised so call 50650 or e-mail info&dolphinadventure. eu. Private chartersfor parties, wed dings etc available as well as group discounts.

Model Search 2007

Rehearsals and public relations events for Model Search 2007, which will be held attheAlameda Open Air Theatre on Friday 27th July, have begun.

Organised by Mount Produc tions, this year the theme will be demons and angels and the mod els will compete in several rounds to include swimwear, evening wear, photographic portfolio, interview and themed design.

"The format remains much the same as in other years with slight modifications. We will

Miss Glamour 2007

Miss Glamour 2007 will be held on Friday 13th July 2007 at the Alameda Open Theatre. Tickets priced £12 will be on sale at Blos soms, First Floor ICC, Casemates, from Monday 2nd July.

Contestants (and sponsors) are:

Corinne Chini, 17 (The Alwani Group of Companies), Zyanne Fernandez, 17 (Blue Spirit Jewel lery), Leigh Neish, 17(D & H Ce ramics),Tiana DaCosta,17(Valmar

iPharmacy),Gianna Origo,16(Caf^ Solo), Samantha Cruz, 15 (Short Cut), Maroua Kharbouch, 16(Cot ton Leisure),Kristy Torres,16(Roca Graphics), Christina Ainsworth, 17 (Gina's Corner), Rosanna Fernandes,14(Louis Pharmacy),Laila Ben Allal, 15 (Globe Magazine), Paula Saxby,17(Sports & Leisure), Louise Olivares, 17(Antonio Jew ellers), Nicol Hesketh,17 (Trends Fashion).

^lat^ccis

conduct an interview informally in front of a panel of judges on a day set the week before the final and the best portfolio award will also be chosen independently," said Mark Montovio."The male winner will eventually compete in Manhunt International in 2008 and the female winner will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of international con tests."

Tickets will be on sale at the Nature Shop, Casemates from Mondav 16th lulv priced at £12.

We're open alt day,7 days a week, so come on down and enjoy excellent food and ambience at realistic prices. Admiral's Walk. Marina Bay Tel: 73379 Fax: 79061

Hayes Photographer of the Year

Leo Hayes was once again crowned as Photographer of the Year, retaining his title for 2007. The Annual Photographic Society Competitive Exhibition, held each year by the Gibraltar Photographic Society, contained a high standard ofexcellent portfolios from a record 43 participants.

Beginner of the Year was Rose Garcia, most original photograph went to Rafael Millan,and Alastair Sanchez won "Human Condi

rtion". Other prize winners in cluded veteran Leslie Linares (monochrome), Javier Amian (colour portfolio), Martin Scales (beginner's individual prints) and Matthias Niesink(beginner's portfolio). The Adjudicator this year was Sandy Cleland from the UK Royal Photographic Society, and he made special comment on the high standard of entries.

Prizes were presented by the Governor, Sir Robert Fulton.

St^{/

b fled Pepper•Capin Chicken • Honey Roasted Ham b Cheese • Chargrilled Chicken it Avocado • Tuna,Prawn. Lemon b Crdme Fiaiche)• Wraps (Chicken Caesar • BLT • Feta, Olive. Mint b Yoghurt Dressing • Chargrilled Chicken, Red Pepper b Onion)* Panini ■ Starters6 Side dishes (Onion Rings b Nachos to Potato Skins)• Mains (from Chicken Tikka Masala to Fish b Chips, Bangers b Mash or Quiche or Roast of the Day)• Sateds (from Chicken Caesar or Greek to Ploughman's)••lackets(ChBli b Cheese to Smoked Salmon)• Desserts • Drinks etc

Summer's lease hath all tee shert a date

Well, Shakespeare was writing in the rather colder climes of England which Flanders and Swann were later to echo in the lines: In July the sun is hot Is it shining? No it's not.

Here,we have the advantage of a rather longer lease and pretty well guaranteed sunshine — although there are times when one wishes for a bit of soft refreshing rain.

Since, in the hot weather, plenty of liquid is needed to keep the body going, it is tempting to open two bottles rather than just the one in order to keep the refreshment level high. Beware slightly — all alcohol is diuretic and therefore tends to take water out of the body rather than add it. However, an easy solution to this problem is to make a spritzer by adding soda water to the white wine(there are those who add lemonade but I have my doubts about that). This keeps both levels — of water and wine — away from a dangerous low. You can also use fairly cheap white wine.

Good old Vina Sol or Barbadillo lend themselves to it. You can then, having kept yourself healthy and wealthy (and even wise), indulge in a great pleasure of summer: a bottle of Alsace Gewurztraminer. From all stockists,and ranging from about £6.00 to £10.00, this is a real treat. If you do not already know it then get some immediately; if you do know it then get some anyway just to remind yourself of the floweriness, the tang and the faintest hint of power. On the first sip you will be immediately transported from the views of building sites currently offered by Gibraltar into a lush green meadow with summer flowers playing in a gentle breeze.

Since we are considering health matters, the UK Government re cently announced that it is keen to label all alcoholic drinks with the amount of units contained and with

strident warnings similar to those on cigarette packets. While this may have the advantage of reduc ing the space available on the label for the more extravagant claims of the producer, it does seem to be a ridiculous proposal. Those who go 'binge-drinking' will probably compete with each other to knock back the highest number of units, which rather defeats the object. Others,like me,are quite aware of what and how much we are drink ing and find this nannying both patronising and unnecessary.

However,there is an underlying point. Most alcoholic drinks have heen slowly increasing in strength over the last few years. It was rare, until recently, to find a wine with a greater alcohol content than 12% and it would often be lower. Now, 14% is common (especially from the New World). Beers were somewhere between 3% and 4%; now, no self-respecting lager will be lower than 5% and bitters are catching up. Alcopops, which have somehow become the drink of choice among the young,seem to be 5% or above. There is no moral to this story; merely an indication that you should keep an eye out on the label for the alcohol content. What was once a pleasant bottle of 11.5% or 12%,to be polished off between the two of you during an evening, may suddenly decide to give you a headache the following morning. And,of course,if young people are introduced slowly and responsibly to the pleasures of wine even they may realise how truly unpleasant alcopops are.

Old World wines have largely resisted the temptation to put

more punch in. For the summer, a Gandia (white and red)from Mor rison's, at 11.5% and £3.20, is most enjoyable. It is light and refreshing and mixes easily if you want to add to it. There are also bargains to be had on the same or similar light Spanish wines if bought in Spain — but do beware. You may well find an unheard-of bottle in the darkest recesses of a bodega (or Carrefour) which is wonderful at 2 euros,but the likelihood is that you will not. From Italy there is a white called 'Canti' — a Chardonnay but none the worse for that — which is equally refreshing and easy on the budget(£3.25).

Of course, in the heat, nothing beats a chilled glass of fizz. 1 am firmly of the opinion that Laurent Perrier offers the best value per bubble of the big names (about £20) but do not ignore Cava or a Cremant from France, especially if mixing with Cassis or orange juice. This also helps keep the alcohol level down (although fizz does not seem to have increased its levels). Asti Spumante should of course be avoided at all costs and whether mixed or not.

Meanwhile,you will be pleased to learn that, as was recently reported in the news,'the UK Govemmentis launching a public consultation on new nuclear power stations which will last until October'. So these new stations will not be in commis sion for long before they need bury ing, at heaven knows what cost. Happily, wine lasts a bitlonger and the end result is considerably more pleasant(subject to no contamina tion from a nuclear power station). Enjoy it while you can.

On the first sip you wiii be immediateiy transported from the views of huiiding sites currentiy offered by Gibraltar into a iusb green meadow with summer flowers playing in a gentle breeze

60 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • JULY 2007

We love to cater for groups and parties so wh\ nol spend thai next special occa.sion ai Charlies?

No. .Admiral's2 Walk, Marina (iihntltarBay. K-mail: gcorRe^gibnel.gi

Reserve on Tei/Fax: 79993

We're on the hartwur wall at the beautiful Marina Bay so book a pleasant t:ihle for two or just sit watching the world go by while sipping an ice cold beer

Wc also aearn' good selection of wine, spiriLs and beers.

with steaks or mixed grills.

Charlies Sizzling Speclais

Where people meet to eat a tine and varied lunch menu and a comprehensive a la carte menu thai complimenLs both our kitchen and our customcrs.Everything from loxsties to lagliaielle and from full English breakfa.s( to Jamaican Pepper Pol.

Great Unit4818S.Tel: SquareCasematesKC,7, N&xt dotyr to- Hut Lion Pub Open: Sam - Iota, •Mon Fri 12 midday - late Saturday lfi£ 3iilJ' OB tft£ cA!oek

Email: thymegib#'hotmail.com

5 Cornwall's Lane. Tel: 49199

Thyme Restaurant

(bookingseveningsOpen: a-commended).

garlic butter and melted camembert. Main courses include kebab of swordfish and king prawns with creamy dill sauce, breast of chicken with mashroom, bacon, rosemary stuffing and masala sauce, and roast tenderloin of pork wrapped in bacon with sageapple, and calvadi>s sauce. Or try the roast rack of lamb with currantredmint, and red saucewine or the grilled fillet of mero with avocado and prawns. There is something to delight every palate. Fully air-conditioned.

sauce or perhaps baked New Zealand mussels with

red onion jam and hot ortoast, king prawns thermidor with tarragon mustard, white wine and cheese cream

Hosts Suzanne and Simon ensure everyone receives personal attention. Start with Simon's own pal^ with

Excellent fcxid in a intimatesophisticated, atmtrsphere.

44 Cornwall's Lane. 47515Tel:

Simon's Restaurant

7pm-10pmOpen: daily. Credit cards: AE, D, E, VM,

lunch — welcome Manzanilla, 4-courses always in cludes roast sirloin and some of best Yorkshire puds in Sundaytown. newspapers. Relax afterwards to the resident pianist/guitarist. Air-conditioning, parking, kid's menu/high chair.

Fini.sh up with vanilla ceri pudding, quince with star anis pur6e, fig and date ice cream or one of the other delicious offerings. Comprehensive wine list. Sunday

Ultimate venue for intimate dinners, or larger gather theings, Rock Hotel rises to the occasion with style and sophistication. Glass of fino and appetiser welcome diners. Fabulous new A La Carte offers dishes such as crevicheof king prawns with lime bloodyginger, mar\' orsorbet; caramelised sea scallops dusted with orange and grapefruit powder set on cauliflower purck' with caper velout^' to start; and butter roasted lletfi of beef, gorgonzola crust, ojari and walnut jus; or marinated and scared tuna with a saut^ of caramelised radiccio and rocket, warm capsicum vinaigrette; or aubergine and wild setas souffl6 with rosemary scented char grilled vegetables — just a few of the main courses.

claimed for its high standard of service and cuisine.

With stunning views of the bay, the Rib Room is ac

73(X)0Tel: www.rockhotelgibraltar.com

The Rib Room Restaurant, Rock Hotel.

fromOpen: 9^0am. Closed on Sundays.

served. Quayside terrace.

aubergines filled with ratatouille gratinated with mozzarella; or perhaps the loin of pork baked in cider with Continental/Englishcinnamon. breakfast, lunch, inc. light meals & baguettes, and full a la carte dinner

shfi & prawns glazed with hollandaise sauce; baked

United Gibraltar HQ Parliament Lane Tel: 75924

all

Award winning frombreakfasts 7.30am lat-Uvov Take^away

Da Paolo Marina Bay. 76799Tel: Da Paolo serves a high standard of attractively pre

from Lomo de Solomillo,Alto, and T-bone to Corazon de Cuadril - tender heart of wellrump, matured). There is lots more tew — Parrillada de (forGuacho -two steak, sausages, chicken, pork and lamb), salads (try the Remolacha Tostada con Queso de Cabra - tasty goat's cheese —salad) and the desserts are to die for ttx)! They say "this w ill be a new experience for you to savour".... give it a try! Call 59700 to reserve your table.

Waterport Casemates 59700Tel: Nestled just next to Waterport roundabout within the city walls. Recently opened by renowned local restaurateur Andrc^ of the Tunnel fame, Cauchos of fers some interesting dishes with a tempting South American Gaucho theme. Try the Chorizo Criolta de Argentina sausage(spic)' grilled over coal and wood), or the Mariscos del Rio Plata or Empanada de Queso (blueAzul cheese oven baked in a black pepper pasty) to orstart, for main course perhaps the Fillet de Salmon (salmonChimichurri with grilled banana, mango and avocado sauce), or Crepe Argenteuil (with grilled as andparagus wild ormushrooms), one of thesteak.s(lots

Gauchos

Open: Lunch & Dinner. Closed Sundays.

Claus on the Rock Queensway Quay. 48686Tel/Fax: International menu served on the quayside for lunch, afternoon and dinner. Well worth a visit, especially if you appreciate good wines and cigars.

sented international cuisine right on the waterfront at Marina Bay. Try baked leek & wild mushroom tartlet or lobster bisque to start, or for main course, crepe of

Casa Pepe

foccaciagranary,ciabatta, sandwiches with suchllingsfi as pear and blue smokedcheese, bacon and cheesebrie, and honey roast ham, delicious desserts (chocolate mousse in a must). Lunch 12 - 3pm and dinner 7-lOpm includes (fromsalads smoked magret duck breast and papaya to warm goats cheese and fresh spinach), pasta (fromdishes saut(5ed spinachscallops, and mushrooms, to langostine pil pil) and main dishes ranging from lamb shoulder with rosemary and red wine sauce, to medallions of pork llet,fi and poached fresh fillet of salmon. Open: from 10am. Closed all day Sundays, and Saturday lunch.

Cafe Rojo 54 Irish 51738Tel:Town. Sleek modern comfort in this relaxing little restaurant. Red comfy arm chairs in separate area for a relaxing drink or coffee. Brunch menu includes(10am-12pm)

Open: Monday to Saturday I lam till late.

(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.

18 Queensway Quay Marina. 46967Tel/Fax: 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 stuffedham, piquillo peppers and lledfi mushrooms to start, fol lowed by a choice of salads, rice and noodles and sh,fi poultry and meat dishes which include King Prawns (cookedMacarena with fresh tomatoes,ginger, 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 lletfi steak Malaguena cooked in creamy garlic mushrooms and sweet sherry sauce topped with prawns. Wide range of tapas/ raciones also available.

square. Everything from chicory and crispy pancetta salad with walnuts, pears and blue cheese dressing, or king mozzarellaprawn, and mango salad to pastas(eg: linguine with serrano ham, king prawns and rocket; smoked salmon and crayfish ravioli with saffron and spinach tocream) (eg:pizzas Vesuvio spicy cherrybeef, roastedtomatoes, peppers and red andonions; Romana chorizo, black eggpudding, and andpancetta) pizzas

Modem Italian eatery set in the lively Casemates

Ca{4 Solo Grand Casemates Square. 44449Tel:

7Open: 9amdays, - late.

etarian dishes, daily specials. Great for all the family.

tikka raita, avocado & smoked salmon or fresh carrot & ginger soup to start, followed by barbecued spare ribs, beef swordfishViagra, Cajunsteak, Ceasar kukusalad, nyama orpizza, chicken and smoked salmon tagliatelle to name abut few for the main course. icepies,Crepes, cream sundaes etc for dessert. Children's menu, veg

Popular and pleasant restaurant on the Quayside at Marina Bay with large quayside terrace. Try chicken

Biancas Restaurant 6/7 Admiral's Walk, Marirta Bay. Tel: 73379 Fax: 79061

restaurants

mussels flavoured with ginger, lemongrass, chilli & coconut milk; hand rolled ravioli of smoked chicken, CTab, basil & marscapone, parmesan vcloute;or mains of miilefeuille of char grilled salmon & Mediterranean vegetables, seared scallops and basil pesto; charred aubergine, tomato, basil & mozzareila parcels, red pepper & olive reduction; or Slow braised Moroccan lamb shank,tabbouleh,spiced onion,almond &sultana chutney. Main menu changed seasonally and specials mn daily. Everything made on the premises using only the best, fresh ingredients. Wide range of New World and European wines.

Open;12.30 - 3pm and 7pm till late. Closed Sundays.

informaleatin^

A1 Andalus Bar Restaurant

3 College Lane. Tel: 49164

Small eatery in the centre of town serving lots of tasty food from sandwiches and baguettes to barbecues {lamb chops, fillet steak, mixed grill etc) and tajines. Try the cous-cous (beef, veggie, chicken or lamb) or the tapas - £1 (eg: Spanish omelette, boiled crab legs, garlic chicken, cuttlefish stew).

Open:Sam -late evening. Breakfast from Sam.

Buddies Pasta Casa

15 Cannon Lane. Tel:40627

Tasty Italian specials in pleasant ambience. Large se lection of starters from garlic bread to calamari. Main courses include fettuccine de formaggio,spaghetti alia carbonara,fusilli al salmone,and entrecote al whisky to name a few. Tasty desserts and variet}' of wines.

Open: Monday - Wednesday 10am - 5pm,Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10am-4pn'i and 7pm-midnight.

Charlie's Steak House Grill

Marina Bay. Tel/Fax: 79993

George and Paula are your hosts at Charlie's where you will find a wide selection of international food including sizzling steaks, tandooris and seafood dishes plus daily specials. Try the special sizzling mixed grill which includes tandoori and garlic chicken breasts, slices of prime fillet, king prawns, sausages, bacon, tomato and peppers. Regular theme nights. Quayside terrace.

Open:9am - late every day

The Comer House Restaurant

Continental Hotel

1 Engineer's Lane

Tel: 76900 Fax: 41702 Email: contiho^gibnet.gi

Ideal for a rest after shopping as it is centrally located on Main Street, this cafe serves breakfasts (all day), lunches and afternoon leas. Try the homemade mushroom soup or the roast leg of lamb demi glaze,or perhaps the fish and chips or homemade steak mince burger in pepper sauce. Kiddies menu available.

Open;7am to 7pm (lunches from 12.30)

The Country Kitchen

9/1 Horse Barrack Lane Tel:73341

Newly opened and with a variety of salads, sand wiches, cakes and ail types of preserves plus more. All the food is fresh and homemade to suit all dietry needs(including dairy and suger free cakesand gluten

free pasta and salads). Ready made meals,flat breads and dips,hummus,pate,fresh squeezed orange juice and herbal teas. Home and office deliveries.

Open: 10-4 Mon-Fri.

Get Joost

248 Main Street & Casemates. Tel/Fax: 76699

Smoothiesare vitamin packed super-food and increas ingly pc>pular for the health concious. Get Joost makes delicious fresh fruit juices and smoothies made from natural ingredients which are a meal in a cup. The top five smoothies they sell are wild strawberry; breakie on the run; energy blast; raspberry ice; and tropical surrender. Tel/fax: 76699 for delivery.

Open:8-7 Mon -Friday 10-7 Saturday, 10-6 Sunday

Get Stuffed Marina Bay. Tel: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:Bam - 6pm Mon-Fri,8am-4pm Sat.

Just A Nibble

1st Fir International Commercial Ctr. Tel: 78052

Full blown licensed cafeteria serving English break fast, vast range of toasties, rolls, and other snacks. Meals include steak and kidney pie, Bob's famous chicken curry/chilli con came,& now Kentucky-style fried chicken, plus all the old favourites-jacket spuds, burgers, hot dogs, fish and chips, and daily specials, Ideal meeting place.

Open: Monday - Saturday from 9am.

Just Desserts

Ist Floor ICC Tel:48014

Comfortable bright, airy cafe serving vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine from breakfast and lunch to aftemcx>n tea. Flomemade desserts a speciality. Eat-in or takeaway at sensible prices. Outside catering.

Open:8am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday

Munchies Cafe

24 Main Street. Tel:43840 Fax:42390

Agreat sandwich bar/cafe offering an unusual range ofsandwicheson white or granary bread, plussalads, baguettes, soups, desserts, homemade ice-cream and hot/cold drinks. Business lunches, parties and kids parties also catered for (for party and office platters phone or fax order by 5.30pm day before - minium orders for delivery £12).

Open: Monday - Friday 8.30-7,Saturday 9 - 4,Closed Sunday.

Roy's Cod Plaice

Casemates Square

Located below the clock on Casemates Square, Roy's Cod Plaice sen-es all kinds of traditional chip shop fare,including battered plaice,cod,haddock and hake with chips, breaded fishcakes, and scampi, jumbo pork sausages, mushy pease etc to eat in or takeaway Roy's also offer.s full mealssuch as pork chops,grilled mushrooms, tomatoes and mashed potatoes; mixed grill; or meal pie with mash and gravy

Open:9am-10pm Monday-Saturday Closed Sun.

Roy's Pub Restaurant

la Convent Place Tel: 75654

Situated right opposite the Governor's residence (the Convent) this eatery serves good food at reasonable prices from jacket potatoes, fish and chips, and quick snacks to chicken cordon bleu, liver and onions,entre cote steak to quiches, salads and sandwiches!

Open: from 10am

Sacarello Coffee Co.

57 Irish Town.Tel: 70625

Converted coffee warehouse, ideal for coffee, home made cakes/afternoon tea, plus menu including excellent salad bar, specials of the day and dishes such a.s lasagne, steak and mushroom Guinness pie, hot chicken salad, toasties, club sandwich and baked potatoes. Art exhibitions. Available for parties and functions in the evenings.

Open:9am-7.30pm Mon-Fri.9am-3pm Saturdays

Smith's Fish & Chips

295 Main Street. Tel: 74254

Traditional British fish and chip shop with tables/seat ing available or take-away wrapped in newspaper.

Menu:Cod,haddock or plaice in batter, Comisn past ies, mushy peas etc. Also curries, omiettes, burgers. Open:8am-6pm Mon-Fri. Breakfasts from Sam. Located: Main Street opposite the Convent.

Solly's

Salt Beef Parlour & Delicatessen

8 Canon Lane. Tel: 78511

On Cannon Lane this carvery,charcuterie and deli of fers delicious food to take away eat in or for delivery. Try the carvery (from 11am), hot or cold baguettes with fillings such as curried chicken breast, Merguez sausages, schnitzel, pastrami, smoked turkey and pressed beef. There are also salads and platters includ ing bangers& mash,lamb chops,beef burgers and hot dogs. (Glatt Kosher)

Open: 12pm-late, Sunday 6pm-Iate. Closed Satur days.

Solo Express

Ground Floor,International Commercial Centre

Sok) Express, located right next to Pizza Hut, serves a g(X")d 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,avwado and roasted red pepper. Thesalads 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.

The Tasty Bite

59a Irish Town.Tel: 78220 Fax: 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.

Time Out Cafe Bar

106 Eurotowers, Europort Rd Tel:76044 Fax: 72760

Delicious fwd from hill English breakfast to wraps, jackets, baguettesand sandwiches,plus main courses from fish and chips to banger & mash. Take-away service. Private functions. Full sports coverage on 3 screens.

bars&pubs

All Sports Bar

4 Cornwall's Lane Tel: 59997

This pub is geared up to televised sporting events with free tapas when top sports are on TV. It's not just for the football fans either, and there are even Scaletrix Tournaments for those who want to participate. Gaming machines. Terrace seating available.

Open: llam-midnight Sun-Thurs, 11am - lam Fri/ Saturday'.

All's Well

Grand Casemates Square. Tel: 72967

Traditional pub in fashionable Ca.semates 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 complimented by a range of salads and filled jacket potatoes. Large terrace.

The Angry Friar

278 Main Street. Tel: 71570

The Angry Friar is everything you'd expectfrom a Briti-sh pub, but with a large terrace. Food 9.30-4,6- 9.15 inc. breakfasts. (Sunday roasts 11 - 4,6 - 9.15pm).

Open:9.30am-midnight(Sun. from 11am)

Located: Opposite The Convent.

Aragon Bar

15 Bell Lane. Tel:78855

A friendly traditional bar serving gtx^d homemade ftwd. Outside tables available.

Open:7 days, 10-late, food 10 -10.

The Cannon Bar

27 Carmen Lane. Tel:77288

Now run by Amin, the friendly face from the kitchen for over 18 years! Good pub food served all day plus Amin makes cous cous or tajine to order.

Located: off Main St at Marks & Spencer.

The Clipper Irish Town. Tel: 79791

Large popular bar serving good homemade food from breakfast to dinner. Large varied menu. Top sporting events covered on overhead TVs. Private functions.

Open: 9.30am to midnight (Friday and Saturday to lam). Food served 9.30am to 10pm).

The Gibraltar Arms

184 Main Street. Tel: 72133

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.

Open:from Sam (10am Sundays) until late.

The Horseshoe

193 Main Street Tel: 77444

Rightin the centre of town,the Horseshoe is a popular, busy bar. Good menu from full English breakfast, to burgers and mixed grills. Curry and chilli specials on Sunday.

Open:9am to late, Sunday 10am - late.

Facilities: Main Street terrace.

Lord Nelson Bar Brasserie

10 Casemates Sq. Tel: 50009 www.lordnelson.gi

E-mail:reservations@lordnelson.gi

Attractive bar/brasserie in historic Casemates building. Done out to respresent Nelson's ship with cloud and sky ceiling crossed with beams and sails. Spacious terrace

Menu:Starter &.snacks include fresh local mussels, blue cheese and rocket bruschetta. Lordy's potato skins,spicy chicken wings and catamares. Main courses cover a range from chilli con came 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 every weekend.

Open: Irom 10am till veiy late.

Pickwicks

Governor's Parade. Tel: 76488

Run by well-known friendly face, Mandy,this small pub with a large terrace is situated in Governor's Parade away from the traffic and safe for all the family. Good food available including the best freshly made sand wiches and jacket potatoes, salads and burgers.

Open: Mon - Fri from 9.30am

Location; turn off Main St at Marks & Spencer, Pick wicks is opposite the Elliot Hotel.

The Pig and Whistle Unit 18, Watergardens. Tel: 76167

A comfortable pleasant pub with pool table and ter race on the quayside. Big screen television for sporting events.

Open: lO-midnight (Fri-Sat 11-lam)

Red Lion Pub Watergardens. Tel:44392

The Red Lion is a cosy pub in Watergardens serving fresh homemade fcxjd ever)'day for lunch and "possibly the best breakfast on the Rock". Terrace seating.

Open:Sam - late Mon-Fri, 12 midday to late Saturday.

Royal Oak Bar

59c Irish Town. Tel: 71708

Informal good local pub, popular for iLs pool table and sports talk. Outdoor seating.

Located: Irish Town, the street which runs parallel to Main St.

The Star Bar Parliament Lane. Tel: 75924

Reputedly the oldest bar in Gib, this bar opens early for breakfast (English or toa.sl & cereal). Lunch/evening menu includes'fillet steak, fish and chips and salads. Kids menu 99p. Home of Med Golf(10% discount on food for Med Members). Home of Leeds United FC .supporters club.

Facilities: Outside seating.

Open:from 7am ever}' day.

Located: first right off Main Street (walking from N to S).

The Three Owls

Irish Town

The Three Owls is a traditional bar serving best of English beers.Three separate bars/floors; ground floor — big screen tv, pool table, poker machines, games machines, bar — open from 10.30am daily. First floor 'Hoots' — 2 match pool tables, poker machines, darts board, games machine, bar — open from 1pm daily. Second Floor 'Nest' — American pool table, poker machine,games machine,card table, bar — open from 5pm daily.

The Three Roses

Governor's Street. Tel:51614

Ann from Plymouth and Stuart from Scotland run this bar, known as The Scottish Embassy. Fully airconditioned with 3plasma TVs and pixjl table. Happy hours Mon-Fri 5-6pm. Home of the Esteporkers Golf Society.

Open:every day. Mon-Sat from 11am, Sun from mid day.

The Tunnel

6 Casemates Square. Tel:74946 Tel/Fax:44878

Large bar located in the historic Casemates Square.

Menu: Wide variety of affordable food including siz zling specials from 7pm. Selection of international meals,Indian specialities, vegetarian selections, home made ice-cream. Sunday carvery served lpm-9pm (hot & cold).

Facilities: Large terrace, big screen TVs, and regular live music.

Open:7days a week 9am - very late.

The Venture Inn Lynch's Lane. Tel:75776

A good central meeting place right at the beginning of Main Street, this bar serves home-cooked food all day. Terrace seating on the edge of Main Street — perfed place to watch the world go by.

Open:from 10am Located: Main St near Casemates Sq,opp. the ICC.

Wembley Bar 10 South Barrack Ramp. Tel:78004

Popular bar for hot and cold bar snacks, function room, in south district. Fridays 10am for breakfast. Air conditioned. The home of the Real Madrid Sup porter's Club.

Open:11am-midnightSunday - Thursday,10am-lam Friday, 11am - lam Saturdays.

acrosstheborder

The Taste Indian Restaurant Avda. del Ejercito,esq. Calle Gibraltar,La Llnea

Tel:00 34 856 12 29 18 /00 34 626 88 40 38

Gcxrd Indian restaurant convenient to the frontier. All the favourites from chicken Madras to iamb channa, and king prawn vindakw. Specialities include Chicken Tikka Krahi (chicken tikka topped with fresh chillies, herbs and spices), Bhindi Ghost(lamb with okra in a spicy sauce),and Special Mixed Balti. Lots of vegetable dishes, bread and rices.

Open:every day 5pm-late, Fri, Sat & Sun Ipm-late

Located; On the comer of Plaza de la Constitudon, vs'hich is about 400m straight up from the frontier.

Pickwick's up in arms

Pickwick's is the Gurkhas' home-from-home in Gibraltar, and owner Mandy is outraged at the treatment — or lack of it — that one of them has received from Britain.

"They are really such lovely boys, with a great ser\se of hu mour," said Mandy McGill."Mind you," she added, "I only see the gentle side, and it's hard to believe they are such ferocious fighting machines."

Pickwick's lets you know it's Gibraltar's Gurkha pub as soon as you walk in. There are quite a few photos of Gurkhas ancient and modern that they have sent her from home, and other things such as collecting tins to help support them once they have retired.

"When they were here recently, one young Gurkha came in with his friends. He looked at an old family photo and exclaimed,'That's my grandfather!' Then he burst out laughing when he saw my face — he was only joking," she said.

Mandy is one of a group that aims to send enough money to Ne pal to maintain two or three retired Gurkhas a year. They aren't named or adopted; it's just the amount of

money that counts.So she was very angry to hear of an 84 year-old Gur kha who won a VC in WWII:

Tul Bahadir Pun has ex-Gurkha friends in Britain and also needs treatment for diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems and asthma as well as sight and hearing difficulties. Conditions in Nepal are basically appalling for people in his situation. He has to collect his pension in person or he won't get it — but this involves a three-hour drive and then a one-day walk — which means he has to be carried by two or three men.

British law allows for deserving cases to be letin indefinitely,but this elderly war hero was told,amongst other things, that he had failed to

demonstrate that he has strong ties with Britain; nor did they believe his health and circumstances were sufficient to allow him entry.

His London lawyer, Martin Howe,said, "These heroes should be welcomed yet they are treated like beggars and pariahs. What stronger tie is there than being prepared to lay down your life in defence of Britain?"

Mandy, who knows more due to her closeness with the regiment, has a picture ofTul on the pub wall and told me that he also saved Joanne Lumley's father's life dur ing the war.

Mandy and everyone she knows have been petitioning Downing Street and the Home Office about

Tui's case, and, along with others in Britain, they are hopeful that a solution might be found soon. She herself heard about it through an email sent to her from a former Gurkha in Nepal.

Pickwick's customers are always contributing to help retired Gur khas. They collect old greetings cards which are recycled into gift tags and sold for the cause, and there is J-Mail in the bar. Jam jars (empty and clean) are screwed to the wooden beam above the bar and belong to various regulars as their own mail box.When they pick up a message from theirjam jar they pay lOp towards the cause."People also stick bags of pennies through the door when we are closed as well as chipping in when we're open." Pickwick's also has quiz nights to raise money for the retired Nepalese soldiers.

Funnily enough, Mandy has to invent nicknames for the Gurkhas she has met as passing patrons of Pickwick's. "I can't pronounce their real names," she admitted happily.

Visiting Gurkhas apart, the rest of the clientele is a mix oflocals and tourists. It's tiny inside, of course, though very pubby, but the peace ful Governor's Parade terrace has a surprising 40 seats with tables where families can relax with their honest-to-goodness freshly made pub meals and sandwiches. There is no road and plenty of space for children; and there is another at traction: "They really come here for the insults," said Aunty Mandy, as they call her. "Some good oldfashioned good humoured abuse. I tell them all off and they love it." She also told me that it's a place where ladies can come on their own without being made to feel uncomfortable.

Aunty Mandy has been in Gi braltar for 27 years and is in close touch with Mary who ran the Star Bar until 20 years ago and was a friend of Mandy's father. Mary still lives in Gibraltar and is Mandy's co-worker in raising support and funds for the Gurkhas.

Pickwick's also supports the Gi braltar League of Hospital Friends as Mandy believes it's important to support a local charity as well.

Pickwick's is a real pub in a de lightful location, next to the Elliott Hotel in Governor's Parade. San Miguel is £2.30 a pint and spirits are £1 a shot — and there is a good variety of tasty unpretentious food. But mainly, as Mandy said as 1 was leaving,"It would just be nice if people reading this popped in g and put some money in the pot, or > brought in old greetings cards for ^ us to recycle." ^

Whatstronger tie is there than heing prepared te iay dewn yeur life in defence ef BritainP

July is the number one month of the year for time off and holidays, the kids have started their school holidays. Main Street is full of tourists, the shop keepers are all lapping up cruise ship visitors and I'm sure we won't have to wait for very long before that age old yearly discussion about the rights and wrongs of summer hours begins once again. Yes, there's no doubt about it, July has come around once again. And I'm sure it will be a warm one as well because when it comes to sunshine and blue skies July is the month when you can be almost sure that you won't have to worry about it raining. So get out the swimming gear, light up the barbie and head for the beach. But remember, be careful in the sun and make sure you use plenty of sun cream and wear a big hat, but most of all have a good time.

Tangerine Tan

While I'm on the subject of sunshine, there were quite a few good sunny days in June and on one day in particular it was so warm that up at Pickwicks Mandy became a victim of the sun in a very strange way. Mind you when it comes to "strange happenings" Mandy is very often in a class of her own. On this occasion her ears had turned a very bright orange and as she tried to rub off the streaky colouring she found out not only were her ears a very bright orange co lour but they were a bit on the sticky side as well. What happened next could only happen to Mandy, she had various people sticking their fingers into and rubbing her ears in an effort to find out the cause of the "orange phenomenon" and after much poking and rubbing they came to the conclusion that the cause of all the excitement was that the colouring Mandy uses on her hair had somehow melted in the heat and run down her head onto her ears. So for a day or two Mandy was the proud owner of a pair of bright orange cars which matched her hair perfectly. What a star.

Wedding Belles

Weddings were all the go last month and one young fellow who was a guest at a wedding almost stole the show at the reception with a display of break-dancing that amazed most of the other guests. And who was this break-dancing star? None other than old "twinkle toes" Dennis Penalver. 1 was a bit surprised to hear of his dancing skills especially at a wedding as most of the time weddings are the last thing on his mind according to his long suffering fianc^ Dominique. Who knows perhaps he's weakening and coming round to thinking that weddings are not such a dangerous idea after all, but 1 wouldn't bet on it.

Say it with Flowers

As 1 was walking along Main Street 1 spotted a man with a very guilty look on his face, rushing along with a bunch of flowers in his hand. 1 asked him if he had forgotten an important day or something and he replied that he hadn't. I didn't believe a word of it but off he flew. The next day 1 saw him again looking much more relaxed with a smile on his face as he enjoyed his morning coffee in the Piazza. "You got away with it then?" 1 said and he just smiled, the sort of smile you make when you're winning. He didn't say a word, he didn't have to. And who was the smiling Lothario? None other than Mark of Charlie's Collectables. We shall never know what it was all about and perhaps it's just as well.

Tobacco Trials

And now a sad story. 1 have to report a failure, yes one of the people who tried to

ipsllfiiii ssspsssss

Sports Report

aga.ns. Braz.l at the new Wentbley whfch ended ht a 1 ;d:aw7d cXn was the star of the England team that beat Estonia 3-0. And EnplanH

there singing along with all the other Rovers f ■ t; VVembley and Pete was the"Mighty Orient". I can ^ "P Goodnii^hl Iraie is the theme song for Bristol RLers^Tf " f"" shirt singing his heart out. And finallv i'ete in his Rovers wearing a Chelski shirt, I don't know if he was w' Manning walking about anything would be better than a Chelski shirt. ^

Legging It

Many Happy Returns

Dori"it!St at^tor'sh'h'tt"'' ^--1. half-cenJo- recently wttaken "P night they must have had because the lad . '®

*'5' l^^r brother and what a nothing ofthe nrghbsenteSnl^^^^^^ '" "P mnrembering Sister a?.? NoneSerth^Prnd i S "T

andiangsleyThorogoodwhorecen.lybecameprnt!:!':i!n°;rCh!^^^^^^^^ that's i, for fhis month but remember the ■-Beautiful Game" siarisagain next

See you on Main Street.

Arts b Crafts

The Arts Centre, Prince Edward's Rd. An classes for children (5-€pm Mon, 5-6.30pm

Tues, 5-7pm Thurs), adults (Mon • Tues 6.30pm-8pm,Wed 6.30pm-8.30pm. life paint ing Wed 7om-9pm). Tel: 79788.

The Rite Arts Association Gallery 1st Floor above Gibraltar Crystal. Casemates. Open 11am-2pm.d-6pm Mon-Fri, Sat 11am -2pm.

Arts8Crafts Gallery(next door)opens Mon - Fn 9.30am - 5pm (summer)-6pm (winter). Sat 9.30am - 3pm.

The Poetry Society meets on 20th of each month Contact Audrey Batty on 44355

Board G.inies

Chess Club meets in Studio 1, John Mackin tosh Hall 8-10.SOpm Tues.

The Gibraltar Scrabble Club meet John Mackintosh Hall Mondays. Bank holidays changed to Thursday same week.7pm-11 pm

All welcome Tel: 73660 or 75995.

The Subbuteo Club meets Charles Hunt Room,John Mackintosh Hall 7.30 -11 pm.

Dance

Modern h Latin American Sequence Danc ing Mondays Catholic Community Centre

8 30om (beginners 7.30). Over 15s welcome, www gibnynex gi/lnst/cccseqdance/

Old 6 Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at the Catholic Community Centre at 8pm, beginners at 7 30pm, Wednesday

The DSA Old 6 Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at Central Hall Fridays Spm. begin ners 7 SOpm Tel 78282 or o-mail manvio@ gibnei.gi Everybody welcome

Senior Citizens Teatime Dances at The Youth Centre, Line Wall Rd on Mondays 2- S.SOpm. All senior citizens welcome for coffee, tea and biscuits. Entrance free.

Classical Ballet classes for children 4-I-.

Spanish dance and hip-hop at Liza School of Dance. 3rd floor, Methodist Church. 297/299

Main St Classes Weds & Fri from 6pm at Chiitern Court (4Csl Tel: 58111000.

Latin Caribbean Dance Classes Salsa. Samba. Merengue. Cha-Cha. Wednesday 9pm-10pm £3. Instructor Pedro Vera. Urban Dance Studio, Jumpers Bastion, Rosia Road. For all levels, adults, singles and couples, no experience necessary, come and have fun, exercise and enjoy the rhythms.

History ft Heritage

The Gibraltar Heritage Trust The Main Guard. 13 John Mackintosh Sq Tel: 42844.

The Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association Dedicated to preservation of Rock's transport/motormg heritage. Assists members in restoration / maintenance of classic vehicles. Members/vehicles meet first Sunday of month, Morrison's car park from 10am. New members welcome. Tel: 44643.

Music

The Gibraltar Music Centre Trust Complete spectrum of instrument learning strings drums etc. Theory lessons- Five days a week 4pm-9pm. Tel 75558 for details

The Gibraltar National Choir and Gibraltar Junior National Choir rehearse on Monday & Thursday 7.30 - 9pm New singers of ail ages welcome. Tel Lili 40035, 54006727

St Andrew's Music Academy Musical Monsters Club, musical workshops Group musical activities for kids 3-7 years. Sing ing, rhythmic games etc. Tel: 42690 email: samagib@hotmail.com

Outdoor Activities

The Caipe Ramblers This group walks on last Sunday each month,except July and August. Meeting place is the Spanish side of the frontier Sam just to the right of and opposite the Aduana vehicle exit. For any information contact co-ofdinators Ray Murphy 71956 or John Murphy 74645.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is an excit ing self-development Programme available to all young people worldwide equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and the wodd. To date over 5 million young people from over 100 countries have been motivated to undertake a variety of voluntary and chal lenging activities. For further details contact The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Montagu Bastion, Line Wall Road. Gibraltar

Quizzes Cannon Bar quizzes are held on Tuesdays with at least three quizzes per night. Start ing 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. Tapes served after the quiz.

The Edinburgh Anns, Naval Hospital Road, has a quiz night from 8.30pm every Monday with prizes and free tapas.

The Tunnel in Casemates has a pub quiz and entertainment on Sunday nights.

Social Clubs

Scots on the Rock: Any Scots visiting the Rock can contact Charles Poison (Tel: 78142) for assistance or information.

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (Gibraltar Province) meets RAOB Club, Vault

1 Jumpers Bastion on these days: Provincial Grand Lodge, 1st Monday/month, Bpm Executive Meeting, last Mon/month 7pm Knights Chapter, 2nd Mon/month 7.30pm. Examining (Council, 3rd Mon/month 7pm William Tllley 2371. Thurs Spm. Buena Vista 9975,Weds(fortnightly)7pm. Per Favor 9444. Weds (fortnightly) 7pm Farewell 10001. Tues 8.30pm. Goldacre 10475 (social) last Ffi/month Spm.

The Tuesday Ladies' Club meets Spm, Queensway Club on first Tuesday each month. Open to all women in Gibraltar who enjoy making new friends. Non-profit making, proceeds donated to charity Tel: Anne 43869. or Margaret 70816.

Special Interest Clubs 6 5oc/er/es

Gibraltar Horticultural Society meets firsl Thurs of month 6pm. John Mackintosh Hall. Annual Spring Flower Show. Also slide shows, demos on flower arrangements and outings to garden centres plus annual tour of Alameda Gardens, All welcome

The Gibraltar Photographic Society meets on Mon at around 8pm, Wellington Front. Basic courses, competitions etc

Harley Davidson Owners' Club www hdcgib.com

UN Association of Gibraltar PO Box 599.22a Main Street. Teh 52108

Sports Supporters Clubs

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club meet at the Royal Calpe (Tel 758901 when Spurs games are televised - call the Royal Calpe priorto matches to check if the game is being televised. The pub does great food for a lunch if the KG is early or an early supper if the game is later. For more info on membership etc. call Mario on 56280000.

Sports b Fitness

Artistic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Artistic Gym nastics Association club for beginners,juniors and squad at Bayside School in evenings. Tel: Angela 70611 or Sally 74661.

Athletics: Gibraltar Amateur Athletics As sociation holds competitions throughout year for juniors, adults and veterans. Two main clubs iCaipeans71807, Lourdians 75180)hold training sessions at Victoria Stadium.

Badminton: Recreational badminton is avail able weekdays at Victoria Stadium (Tel: 78409 for allocations). Gibraltar Badminton Associa tion (affiliated to IBA 6 EBA)has leagues and training for adults and secondary school, Tel: Ivan 44045 or Linda 74753.

Basketball: Gibraltar Amateur Basketball As sociation (affiliated FIBA)leagues/ training for minis, passarelle, cadets, seniors and adults at a variety of levels. Tel John 77253. Randy 40727 or Kirsty(minis)49441.

Billiards ft Snooker: Gibraltar Billiards and Snooker Association (member IBSA) round leagues and competitions at various venues

New members welcome Tel: Eddie 72142 or Peter 77307.

Boxing: Gibraltar Amateur Boxing Association (member lABA)gym on Rosia Rd. Over 13s welcome to join. Tuition with ex-pro boxer Ernest Victory(75513 w,42788 h).

Canoeing: Gibraltar Canoeing Association Tel: Nigel 52917 or Eugene 58014000.

Crlcket: Gibraltar Cricket Association(mem ber ICC)runs leagues/competitions at Europa Point/Victoria Stadium.Junior/senior training,

Tel Tom 79461 or Adrian 44281.

Cycling; Gibraltar Cycling Association various cycling tours. Tel: Uriel 79359.

Darts: Gibraltar Darts Association (member WDF)adult/junior leagues/competitions. Tel

Tony 70379 or Harry (Junior darts)41798.

Football: Gibraltar Football Association runs leagues/competitions for all ages October - May. Fulsai in summer months. Victoria Stadium. Tel: 42941 www.gfa.gi. Senior Tel: , Albert 41515, Junior Tel: Richard 58654000. Women's Tel. Brian 52299. Recreational foot ball for over 35s Tei: Richard 70320.

Golf: Med Golf tournaments held monthly.

Tel: 79575 for tournament venues/dates.

Gibraltar Golf Union has competitions through year, EGU handicaps. Tel: Bernie 78844.

Hockey; Gibraltar Hockey Association(mem bers FIH & EHF) high standard competitions/ training for adults and juniors. Tel: Eric 74156 or Peter 72730.

Judo; Gibraltar Judo Association UKMAF rec ognised instructors for all ages and levels at Budokai Martial Arts Centre. Wellington Front. Tel Charlie 73116 or Peter 73225.

Ju-jltsu: Gibraltar Ju-jitsu Academy training and grading for juniors/seniors held during evening at 4 North Jumpers Bastion (Rosia Rd) Tel: Tony 79855 Or dub 47259, Karete-do Shotokai; Gibraltar Karate-do Shotokai Association sessions for junior/seniors, gradmgs and demos at Karate Clubhouse.41H Town RangeTel Andrew48908.

Motorboat Racing: Gibraltar Motorboat Rac ing Association Tel: Wayne 75211.

Natball: Gibraltar Netball Association (af filiated FENA & IFNA) competitions through year, senior/|uniorleagues.Tel: Moira41795 or Su2eite41874.

Petanque; Gibraltar Petanque Association plays at Giralda Gardens. Smith Dorrien Ave. New members welcome. Tel: Francis 70929.

Pool: Gibraltar Pool Association (member EUKPF) home and away league played on Thurs through season. Tel: Lmda 74753.

Rhythmic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Rhythmic Gymnastics Association run training sessions for girls 5-18 years weekday evenings during school holidays, Tel: Richard 70320.

Rugby: Gibraltar Rugby Football Union training sessions for Colts(14-t-), seniors and veterans. Play in Andalusia 1st Division Oct

• April Tel'James 72185

Sailing: Gibraltar Yachting Association junlor.'seniof competitive programme through season (April • Oct) Tel: RGYC 48847.

Sea Angling: Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers (members FIPS-M & CIPS) Superb calendar of events with four clubs participat ing Tel Mario 72622 or Charlie 74337.

Shooting: Gibraltar Shootirtg Federation over 14s only Rifle. Europa Point range (Tel. Joe 74973), day pigeon. East Side (Tel Harry 74354); Pistol, near Royal Naval Hospital (Tel: Fidel 719901.

Skating: Gibraltar Skating and Xtreme Sports Association opens Its Skate Park, Coaling Island, Queensway, Monday, Tuesday 6 Wednesday, from 5pm til Spm Saturday & Sun day, from 2pm til 5pm Thursday & Friday, closedSat 2-6pm. State of art ramps for Xtreme/aggressive roller blading /skate boarding. Leisure

skating facilities provided within excellent rink (when not used for roller hockey train ing). Tel: Eric 70710(after 5) or just turn up SnorkelI i n g £r

Spear Fishing: Over 14s wel-

spear fishing Tel. Joseph 75020. Squash: Gibraltar Squash Association. The Squash Centre, South Paviliof> Road (members WSF & ESF). Adult/junior tourna ments/coaching Tel. Ronnie 44922 or Barry 73260

Sub-Aqua: Gibraltar Sub-Aqua Association taster dives for over 14s. tuition from local clubs. Voluntary sports clubs: Tel: Phil 44606, Noah's Dive Club Tel: Leslie 79601,888s Dive Club Tel Martin 70944. Commercial spoas diving schools also available.

Swimming: Gibraltar Amateur Swimming Association (member FINA 6 LEN)opens its pool for leisure swimming Mon - Fri 7-8.45am, 12-4pm, 8-9pm. Junior lessons(Rebecca 71342). squad for commitled swimmers, water polo (Chris 72869).

Table Tennis: Gibraltar Table Tennis As sociation (members ITTA) training / playing sessions, Victoria Stadium, Tues 6-10pm and Thurs 8-11pm with coaching and league competition. Tel : Li2anne45071/54020477or Eugene 58014000.

Taekwondo; Gibraltar Taekwondo Associa tion classes/gradings Tel: Marl 44142.

Tennis; Gibraltar Tennis Association, Sandpits Tenms Club, excellent junior development programme. Courses for adults, leagues / competitions Tel Frank 77035.

Ten-Pin Bowling: Gibraltar Ten Rn Bowling Association(members FlQ 6 WTBA)leagues at Ultra Bowl, training for juniors and squadTel. Gary 42447 or Charlie 71125.

Triathlon: Gibraltar Triathlon Union(members ITU) Tel: Chris 75857 or Harvey 55847. Volleyball; Gibraltar Volleyball Association (members W 6 EVF) training, leagues, com petitions for luniofs/seniors. Tel: Tony 40478 or Elizabeth ^306000.

Yoga: integral Yoga Centre runs a full pro gramme of classes from Mon-Fri at 33 Town Range. Tel: 41389 All welcome.

Theatrical Groups

Gibraltar Amateur Drama Association ince's Hall Theatre Complex,310 Main Street E-mai :gibdrama(hiyahoo.co.uk Tel: 42237 www.geocities.com/gibdrama

Stage Musicals Group Tel: Trevor 73098. Trafalgar Theatre Group meet 2nd Wed of month. Garrison Library Spm. All welcome.

support i

Suppan iSiKjUfjsK:,:,tjuiaiivns

Alcoholics Anonymous meet 7pm Tues and Thurs at Nazareth Hse Tel: 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 fine for children m need. Freephone 8008 - 7 days a week 7pm - llpm.

Citizens' Advice Bureau Open Mon - Fri 9.30-12.30 and 2.30-4.30. Tel: 40006 Emai!: info@C3b.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 Arthri tis. 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; 51469 Email: copeadsuppori® hoimail.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 rela tives 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 70047 or 73465.

Gibraltar Cardiac Rehabilitation and Support Group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 8.3Dpm at the John Mac Hall, except for July and August.

Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group 3/8

Serfaty's F^ssageTel:78509 Mobile:54007924 website www.gdsgco.uk

Gibraltar Marriage Care. Free relationship counselling, including pre-marriage education (under auspices of Catholic Church, but open to all). Tel: 71717.

Gibraltar Society for the Visually Impaired. Tel 50111 i24hr answering service) Hope, miscarriage support Tel 41817.

Narcotics Anonymous Tel 70720

Overeaters Anonymous support group of those with compulsive overeating problem. Tel helpline lor details of meetings 42581.

Parental Support Group, helping parents and grandparents with restrictive access to their children and granchildren Tel Richard 46536 Jason 76618. Dominic 54019602.

Psychological Support Group. PO Box 161, Nazareth House. Weekly Meetings Tuesdays at 7pm, Fridays 8pm. Tel: 51623.

SSAFA Forces Help Gibraltar, is a national charily, to assist serving and ex-Service per sonnel and their families. Tel: (5)5481. E-mail olivero(a.'Sapphirenet,gi

With Dignity Gibraltar support group for separated, divorced, widowed or unattached people Meetings Weds 9pm, Catholic Com munity Centre, Line Wall Rd. Outings/activities Tel: Flor 54007181 or Marie 79957.

Women in Need.Voluntary organisation for all victims of domestic violence. Refuge availableTel: 42581 (24 hours).

Church Services

Bahia Tel: 43637 for meetings.

Bethel Christian Fellowship Tel: 52002. 47

Queensway. Sunday service at 11am.

Church of England Cathedral of the Holy Tnnliy Tel 78377 Sung Eucharist, Sunday lC.30am Sunday School.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Suite 21a Don House. 30-38 Main Street. Tel: 50433 Sundays 10am.

Church of Scotland St Andrew's, Governor's

Pde Tel 77040. Worship & Sunday School

10.30am. Bible Study Tues 7.30pm.

Evangelical Bretheren Assembly,Queensway

Quav Sun Ham,TuesBibleStudy6pm,Thurs

Prayer Meeting 6pm.

Hindu Engineer's Lane Tel: 42515.

Jehovah's Witness Line Wall RdTel: 50186,

Jewish 10 Bomb House Lane Tel: 72606.

Mediodist 297 Mam St Tel: 77491. Sunday

services 11am & 7pm. Midweek Fellowships.

Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned. 215 Main St Tel: 76688.

The Cityline Church 13 Castle Street Tel: 75755 email citylinegib@yahoo-com.

Men Golf News

Over60golferscompeted for the Cruz& Co.Trophy at Almenara in May,with James O'Docherty winning in a close finish from local favourite Urn Mitchell who camesecond and Frank Sam ways in third place.James also picked up his invitation for the Med Golf Masters at Valderrama in November. Top lady was Carolyn Jeffrey and there wassome consolation for Tim when he won the senior section. There was a new name on the"star quality" trophy with Bob Rowell taking this award and he completed a good day when he also won the team prize with his partner Dave Bolton, The competition in June moved to Cabopino where nearly 50 golfers competed for the Gala Casino Gi braltar Trophy. In another close finish,long standing member John Dale just edged Paul Singleton in to second place. John also took the team prize with his partner Frank Samways,Gunther Schafer was third,

aciMtyfiie

which secured him the senior prize.

Top lady was again Carolyn Jeffrey and another new name in Claudio Dasacenzi won the "star quality" award.

John now takes his place along side James for the Med Golf Masters where previous competition win ners George Desoisa, Steve Parry, Vinny Samways,John McHale and Chris Warren will join them.

After the event at Santana on 1st July, the next venue to secure a Med Golf Masters invitation is Estepona on Sunday 29th July. Tee times can be booked by ringing Johnathan on (0034) 639741886 or e-mail jg@medgolf.gi. Johnathan will also give you details of Med Golf's plans for the August Bank Holiday weekend at Costa Ballena,incorporating a round on Saturday,followed by a competition at Sherry Golf Club on Sunday, where the usual prizes will be on offer. Family rooms are available. Full details are on the website www.teetimespain.com

Gone Fishing

Dave"Fordy"Ford from Hexham,Northumberland spent rnore than 20 years working away in a chipboard factory in ihe UK beforefinally deciding to change his lifestyle for the I'etter by turning a life time's passion into a way of life.

Dave bought himself a boat, the 50ft 30 tonne MV "Co/acan" and sailed to Gibraltar's Marina Bay, where he now offers sea trips and fishing expedition.s. The boat is fully licensed and registered, and all fishing gear is supplied on board for those who fancy a few hours at sea. Taking from one to twelve people at a time,Dave is a cheer>'and friendly host willing to share his sailing and fishing knowledge with all comers.

Since Dave has become a fixture at Marina Bay he has also begun putting together a CD,along with Darren Fa,telling the history of the Rock and filming it from the sea. Keep a look out for it in the shops.

Tel: Dave on 54023397for details historical,fishing and sight seeing trips and charter options.

Junior Rugby

Gibraltar junior rugby players, aged from 10 to 13, took to the beach in June to play their first full contact game.Although it was very warm the boys got stuck into a hard fought game where both teams were desperate to win.

They started with tackle practice which they took to with glee, put ting in 100% effort to knock over the bags; they then progressed to tackling each other which they did very well, though the lack of facilities to practice this maneuver was obvious.

Training is held at Westside school on Astroturf meaning the boys can't'take to ground'. They tend to practice holding play and this is what most did on the beach

— a fault which can be easily recti fied over the coming weeks.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the day with lots of swimming and a barbecue and drinks afterwards. The boys gave a big thanks to Den

nis Lafferty of Saccone and Speed who very generously donated the drinks for the event.

Training will take place all though the summer. Forinformation telephone Allan on 54275000

►ATLAS-

PO Bin 'M.Clibr.duir

Tel: 78816 Eax: 71896 .nl;uibm<ngibteleciinijiet

Painter & Decorator

All Interior Decorating Works carried out including: Painting and Glossing

• Varnishing • Wall Papering

• Wall Preparation

Call for free Quotation

Tel: 41863 Mobile: 54023599

Email: johnneilcolgrave@hotmail.com

LARBI UPHOLSTERY SHOP

l"-C2 (".overnorS P.u.idf, (j hr.iltdr

Natural History & Heritage Park

Admission9.30amto7pm bytickets

(includes entrance to sites within the Park - St. Michael's Cave, Monkey's Den, Great Siege Tun nels, 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: Ed, Children age 4and under free, vehicles El.50. Private vehicles may be restricted at certain times and it's advisable to take a Rock Tour by taxi/mini bus. The Natural His tory & Heritage Park is also reached by cable car (leaves Grand Parade 9.30am-5.15pm Mon-Sun. Last cable down; 5.45pm).

ThefloraandfaunaontheUpperRock

are considered to be of great conservational value. It's a perfect place for birdwatchers, as migratory species use Gibraltar as the shortest crossing be tween Europe and Africa, but botanists will also be interested to see over 600 species offlowering plants, including some unique to Gibraltar, Watch outfor colourful lizards, non-venemous Horseshoe Whipsnakes, butterflies and piplstrelle 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 hail. 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 audito rium 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 sug gested tunnelling and there are now over 30 miles of tunnels inside the Rock with various exhibitions inside the tunnels.

The Military Heritage Centre: Housed in one of the Rock's many historic batteries, the Military Heritage Centre displays infor mation 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 of the earliest British building on the Rock. Original graffiti, drawn by duty soldiers to stop themselves falling asleep, is still vis ible, the earliest dating back to 1726.

The Moorish Castle: actually just part pf a Moorish town and castle which was built up during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula,spearheaded from Gibral tar in 711 AD byTarik-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'i Hassan recaptured the Rock from Spain.

Natural History Cr Heritage Park Walks: The recommended walk is St Michael's Cave through to Charles V Wall but walkers should be relatively fit, It is also pleasant walking along the upper rock roads. Fact Files and brochures are available free from all Tounst Board offices.

Botanical Gardens: Opened in 1816, the Alameda Botanical Gardens fell Into dis repair 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 environ mentally friendly gifts, plants and seeds. Tel: 72639/74022. Large car park.

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 ticketTickets 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'. Open 10am to 6pm every day except Mondays, Adults £2/ Children & OAPs £1. Cafeteria on site.

Flat Bastion Magazine Flat Bastion Road, Geological Research Station and Lithoio^ of Gibraltar. To visit contact: F. Gomez Tel. 44460. R Hodkinson Tel. 43910,

Shrine of Our Lady of Europe (Museum within premises) Europa Road. 10am-7pm

Monday to Friday 11 am-7pm Saturday, Sun day and Public Holidays. Closed 1 pm - 2pm.

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

Business Information

Gibraltar Financial Services Commission Tel: 40283/4 website: wvw.fsc.gi

Chamber of Commerce

Tel: 78376

Federation Small Businesses. ...Tel: 47722

Company Registry

Customs

Dept of Trade & Industry

Useful Numbers

Airport (general info.)

Hospital, St Bernards

Weather information

Frontier Queue Update

General Information

Gibraltar Museum

Tel: 78193

Tel: 78879

Tel: 52052

Tel; 73026

Tel: 79700

Tel: 5-3416

Tel: 42777

Tel: 74289 18/20 Bomb House Lane Open 10am-6pm (Sat. 10am - 2pml. Closed on Sunday Ad mission: Adults £2/Children under 12 years £1. Special exhibitions also held at museum premises in Casemates gallery.

Smefgenc^emces""""

Registry Office Tel: 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: 70052

As well as offering normal tares, Gibraltar taxis provide a complete Rock Tour taking in the Upper Rock, Europa Point and other sites of interest. It is the best way to see the Rock's major features in a short time.

Tourist Board Tel: 74950

GibraltarTourist Board, Duke of Kent House, Cathedral Square, Gibraltar. UK Tel: 0207 836 0777 giblonbon@aol.com

John Mackintosh Hall Tel: 75669 Centre of Gib's cultural life, includes a caf eteria, theatre, exhibition rooms and library. 308 Main Street 9.30am -11 pm Monday to Friday, Closed weekends.

Public Holidays

Gibraltar £t UK 2007 New Year's Day 1 January, Commonwealth Day* 12 March, Good Friday 6 April, Easter Monday 9 April, May Day 1 May,Spring Bank Holiday 28 May, Queen's Birthday 18 June, Summer Bank Holiday 27 August, National Day* 10 Sep tember, Christmas Day 25 December, Boxing Day 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 Concep tion 8 December, Christmas 25 December

Moveabie: Maundy Thursday, Good Riday, Corpus Christi

,. _ tpii#^:a3roop of soldiere ifi 1^.^tufVpei^fljniform. Itte soldiers march from Bomb House Lene 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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