The Gibraltar Magazine March 2004

inside this issue:

Diving on the Stella Sirius

A little bit.of legend

A good time for the Dukes

Gib mission for doomed sub

Gibraltar beauties & more

A fresh look at Blends

Blands Travel has delivered a world-class travel service from Gibraltar since 1810 and we are now delighted to unveil a corporate image that reflects the modern approach of a travel company which never stands stilt in seeking out the best value for our customers.

Adventure, exotic locations, luxury cruises and long haul holidays are provided by Blands Travel through its team of dedicated and,above all, highly experienced travel professionals whose world-wide contacts mean you need look no further when you want something out of the ordinary - something to remember for ever. Take the first step by contacting us at Cloister Building in Irish Town.

SeiANDS Corporate

Email and video conferencing aren't always adequate, and busy executives frequently have to pack travel into their already tight schedules. Cut the stress - delegate all the arrangements to Blands Corporate, the fastmoving business travel specialists. For the best-priced business fares, hotels, car hireand anything else you might need, wherever you must go - touch base with us on the third floor at Cloister Building in Irish Town.

For great breaks that won't break the bank, Blands Express is the short cut to all European holidays, flights and tours. From a weekend on the Costa del Sol to a fortnight in the Scottish Highlands, for romance In Paris, Prague, or Rome, we'll make your capital go further when you visit us at 220 Main Street.

b. Payment of Wages/Salaries

c. Collection Agents

d. Delivery of Wages/Salaries to on site Employees

We already provide these services to:

a. Gibraltar Government

b- Elderly Care Agency

c. Savignon Financial Sen/ices (Clerical Medical Insurance/Norwich Union Insurance)

d. ABN Amro Bank

Head Office: Eaton Park, 1 Devil's Tower Road, Gibraltar Tel: 44999 Fax: 44888 E-mail: securex@gibnet.gl

Wage Packaging

a Collection of an amount of money from your Bank or Offices and transfer it in our CIT Armoured Vehicles to Security Express Central Offices

b. Count amount of money

c. Packaging of individual wages in accordance with your instructions

d. Overnight Vaulting of money if required

Payment of Salaries

a. Payment of Wages/Salaries at Security Express Offices or

b. Delivery and distribution of Wages/Salaries on site

c. Wages/Salaries to be signed by employee on receipt

d. Arrangements for future payment to employees not meeting pay time slot

Collection Agents

At Security Express central Offices we have ample computer data base, regularly serviced and maintained by MCS,for cash,cheque and direct debit payments paid by the client. Our offices are sited out of town area but easily accessible to pedestrians and vehicles alike and open to the public between 0930hrs and 1600hrs daily Monday to Fri day,

Collection Procedures

a. Database set up and installed at Security Express Central Offices

b. Additions, deletions or alterations may be made as required

c. Client pays instalment and given receipt

d. All daily transactions by money, cheque and direct debit recorded and submitted to Bank Account or other Service

Insurance insurance cover for monies carried or handled may be through your own Insurance Company or through Security Express.

Mail Safe While You Sail Away

Mail Safe is a new servicefor travellers and yachts on the move offering a mail handling service in Gibraltar for collection on arrival or, by arrangement,forward to the next destination by a reputable courier. The Mail Safe system is organisedby Niamh Whelan (picturedabove), whohas been involved in the maritime and yacht registration industryfor over 20 years and she understands hoio difficult it can befor yachtsmen lo take careofbusiness when theyareaway atsea. Forfurther information andlist offees contact Niamh Whelan on Gibraltar: Tel/Fax: + 350 48869 Mobile: + 350 54877000 e-mail: niamhwhelan<3'gibm/nex.gi

Recycling on the Rock

The European Union policy withregard towastemanagementj is that the recycling of waste! should be maximised. With this! inmind,

andwithGovernmentas-|

sistance, Steelmac Limited will be! installingapproved recyclingbins! at various strategic locations tol^ collect plastic, glass and cans. Ini-tially 40 bins will be provided but it is the intention to increase the numbers to 70 as the population becomes accustomed to recycling, Gibraltar will reap the benefits ofcleanliness, savings in Govern ment expenditure and most im portantly it will assist the environ ment.

The complete organisation for this project will be controlled by Steelmac Ltd, working together with the Environmental Agency, Government of Gibraltar and lo cal environmental Groups.

There will also be competitions at schools to make recycling fun.

Assistance in the form of sponsor ship and in the supplying of ma terials for recycling from local companies will be of great assist ance and ensure the success of the project. Tel; Marie Walker on 74221 for further details.

Enterprises in Gibraltar are encouraged to apply to the EU Structural Funds which can be used for a wide range of projects. Gibraltar has an allo cation of Structural funds within the present Objective 2 Programme,which commenced in 2000 and will run until 2006. However, the EU rules which govern the allocation of funds under the current programme are different from the last pro gramme. Under the current rules, unless there is consistent spending on the programme tliroughout the whole life of the programme, EU funds will be de-committed and lost to the re gion in question, with effect from the end of year 3 of the programme.

The Structural Funds support earmarked for the 6 year pro gramme for Gibraltar is 8.746 million euros. Under tine rules, 1.788 million euros has to be spent by Gibraltar and claimed from the EU in respect of Struc tural Funds projects by 31st De cember 2003.

Although a number of re gions have failed to meet their spending target,and will there fore suffer cuts in EU Structural Fundssupport,Gibraltar's pro gramme has been on target. Gibraltar will not therefore suf fer any de-commitment of EU funding.

"I am pleased that our spend ing target last year was sur passed by 10,000 euros," com mented the Hon. Joe Holliday, Minister for Trade and Industry. "The significance of EU funding is that it assists SMEs in the pri vate sector to develop and, in the case of Government projects, allows the Govern ment to complete more projects for the same outlay from Gov ernment funding. There has been additional benefit for Gi braltar from EU Structural Funds in that exchange rate movements since 2000 have increased the sterling value of the ^ funds available to Gibraltar I over the period ended 31st De cember 2003 by 12%."

BARCLAYS: A GUARDIAN OF THE BANK'S REPUTATION

"In a sense, although the new technology has speeded up office functions, it has also brought new pressures which weren't there in the old days when most banking functions were conducted at a slower pace".

As Derek talks there's a sense of nostalgia, regret almost,for the days of the pen and the single cal culator.

Nevertheless, he also acknowl edges that much of the plethora of regulation is necessary,not only to protect the reputation of the bank but that of Gibraltar's finan cial services sector as a whole.

His first role at Barclays was in the bills department,dealing with bills of lading and letters of credit — often collected by hand from ships in the port or from their agents..."the way shipping was done in the 1980s" he explains.

When Derek Moreno left Bayside School more than two decades ago he would have liked to have enlisted in the police force and eventually join the ranks of the CID. Instead, he went to Barclays Bank... to be gin a career which,in "those dis tant days was deemed more re spectable", he explains with a smile.So it is perhaps ironic that — after 24 years in which he has seen a massive change in Gibral tar's banking industry — he has, in fact, become a financial "de tective". For, as manager of Barclays' compliance section, one of Derek's many duties is to protect the bank and its custom ers from financial crimes.

Over the past decade compli ance has become an "industry in its own right", as local Financial Services Commissioner Marcus Killick has pointed out,and in re cent years Derek has been at the cutting edge of the bank's imple mentation of an ever-growing mass of legislation and EU direc tives designed to prevent money laundering and fraud, and — in the aftermath of the events of II th September — to combat the flow offunds to and from terror ist organizations.

"The new responsibilities of banks and other financial insti tutions,imposed bv the FSA,the Financial Action Task Force and the EU, to report dubious finan cial transactions and to check the credentials of customers have given us a h'll of a lot of work, which is more and more related to the detection and prevention

of terrorism," he says. "And, of course, it's also given me this," he adds with a grin, pointing to his prematurely greying hair and beard.

His career with Barclays has spanned three decades during which Derek has seen a massive transformation in the way banking is conducted- And while he admits

He recalls his progress up the bank's promotional ladder:"1 had to go through each department, and,unfortunately the better cash ier vou were, the longer you stayed there. I spent quite a long time as a cashier before running the bank's old exchange bureaux at the airports."

But, recognising his manage ment skills, the bank promoted Derek to the administrative staff to deal with finance and administration and, later, human re sources before being appointed Operational Risk Manager — a post in which he clearly honed the talents he brought to his present position.

— and regrets! — that"some of the personal touch has gone", he ac knowledges that some of the changes have improved the service Barclays offers its customers and that the introduction of computers and IT have eliminated "the old pen-pushing drudgery".

"Can you imagine it! When I started with Barclays we had only one calculator — the old manual type — for the entire office," he re calls with a chuckle. "There were no faxes or e-mails and if you needed to send a letter you wrote it out in longhand and some else typed it for you. Now it's a case of using your own PC to do the let ter... in between coping with a mass of faxes and e-mails, and, in my case, keeping a-breast of all the compliance and regulatory paper work.

"Compliance was made a dedi cated function at the bank in 1999 and though initially 1 was han dling it alone,as it got bigger and bigger,a couple of years ago 1 was given an assistant. But even for two of us it's a mammoth task."...And a task which in volves many long late, hours.

Married and with two children — a daughter who is 18 and a son..."an 11-year-old going on 21" — Derek still finds time to "chill out" on long cycling trips on his custom-built bike.He is also an ac tive leader in the Scouts move ment and finds time at the week ends to coach mini-basketball teams.

"If you can'tforget the bank and compliance with 200 kids screaming around you on Saturday morning, well..." Again the smile and chuckle. Derek may bear a heavy burden of responsibility, but he's cheerful with it!

"When I started with Barclays we had only one calculator — the old manual type — for the entire office"

you'll feel ^s^at home with Leed9^ & Holbeck Mortoaqes & Savlnqs.

INTERNET BETS ON-LINE

In the past five years the numbers of Internet users has trebled and by the end of 2003 more than 600 million of the world's inhabitants were using the global web... for business, for pleasure, in lieu of 'snail" mail, or simply to browse. And then there are the Internet gamblers.

Comprising an estimated 10 per cent of all users, last year these Cyberspace punters used their credit or debit cards to part with almost $7 billion in wagers on the outcome of horse races, football, baseball and basketball games and other sporting events as well as in the 1,400 on-line casinos run by 300 companies world wide.

The latter, which give the punter all the opportunities to lose — or occasionally win — that are offered by their terrestrial counterparts, are rapidly outpacing sports-re lated betting, according to the USbased River City Group which pro-

Mail Safe A Dedicated Service for Travellers and Yachts on the Move

When you are on the move around the world,:weather, wind and will can alter your date of arrival in a pirticular destination — unfortunately all of us are sometimes regulated by correspoi^nce that doesn't share your free spirit! There is always mail that ne©^ to be attended to, both business and personal, but arranging for your mail to be in your next destination by the time you arrive is n^^lWays guaranteed,

Mali Safe offer the perfect solution. Mali Safe will provide a mail han dling service in Gibraltar for you to either collect on arrival or, by arrange ment,forwai^o your next destination by a reputable courier so that you can be confident your mail will reach you in the shortest possible time.

The Mat! Safe system is organised by Niamh Whelan, who has been involved in the maritime and yacht registration indus&y for over 20 years and she under^nds how diffitult'k can be for yachtsmen to take care of business wherf they are away at ^a.

Mail Safe can provide:

• Private Poste Rcstante mail box ^

• Collection of mail ''

• Personal private mail box

vides information and analyses to the industry. Most casinos give punters a choice of up to 78 differ ent games,ranging from fruit ma chines,dice and both types of rou lette to Blackjack, Keno and every known form of poker.All that they lack is the "atmosphere" of a real casino-and the "feel" of cash or chips, according to Ed Ware, the CEO of Gibraltar's Trafalgar Bet ting and Gaming.

years, it has gained two of the in dustry's most prestigious awards.

In January CasinoMeister,an inde pendent industry watchdog which has operated in the US since 1998, voted Trafalgar's"32Red" the best on-line casino of 2003 and a fort night later "32Red" was also se lected as the most reputable casino by a similar body in Britain.

The accolades are a feather in the cap for Ed Ware who set up Tra falgar in February two years ago, following Ladbroke's decision to "repatriate" a substantial part of its phone and on-line gaming opera tions to the UK in the wake of

\

• Mail forwarding by reputable courier

• Reliable contact in Gibraltar to aqtas^our agent

For ^rther information and list of fees contact Niamh Whelan on Gibraltar:

Tel/Fax: + 350 48869 Mobile: 350 54877000

e-mail: niamhwhelan@gibnynex.gr

The growth of Internet gaming has been phenomenal, with some of the big operators attracting as many as 200 new customers each day. And with bets ranging from as little as 25p for a whirl on Cyberspace one-armed bandits to £2,000 on a hand of Blackjack though some US companies will accept higher bets — this year punters are expected to almost double 2003's splurge, one of the industry's leading analysts, the Swedish-based firm Boss Media predicts.

Although — in terms ofstaffsize and customer numbers — Trafal gar is one of the smallest of the on line gaming operators and has been taking bets for less than two

Gordon Brown's decision to drop Britain's 9 per cent betting tax. As manager of Ladbroke's Gibraltar operation Ware had to oversee the reduction of local staff — many of whom he had recruited personally — from 200 to its present level of about 50.

"There was clearly a future for a locally-based on-line casino and I was fortunate in being able to find oversea backers which shared my view," Ware says. "We were also appreciative of the benefits of be ing licensed here in a well-regu lated jurisdiction which is highly regarded by the industry as a whole. With no links to other over seas gaming companies we like to think of ourselves as a truly Gibral tar product," he adds.

When Trafalgar began taking bets in July 2002, Ware's main con cern was to attract the"right" type of players... and not to lose his backers' cash. And he admits to some "twitchy" moments follow ing the launch of"32 Red"{a name derived from one of the numbers on a roulette wheel).In the first 24 hours of operation only 18 punt ers signed up to a web-site which

The growth of Internet gaming has been phenomenal, with some of the big operators attracting as many as 200 new customers each day

Ed Ware, CEO, Trafalgar Betting & Caitung Ltd

has been described as "one of the best kept secrets in the industry".

But the number of players has grown steadily and Ware reckons that Trafalgar is now beyond the start-up phase. "We're now into making money for our investors.

the US Gulf War Veteran who founded CasinoMelster five years ago— in making the"best casino" award for 2003.

He also cited the underlying theme of the 32Red Casino, crea tive promotions and games, the

At

we are committed

not just worrying about losing it," he says with a smile. 32 Red Ca sino has also made money for at least some of its regular punters, with its highest pay-out—the big gest for a card game — netting the player £105,000.

"Recently one of our regular players — a housewife in Scotland who has a small flutter about four times a week — hit the jackpot on the fruit machines which gave her a return of £47,000 for a single 75p bet. We were delighted for her as the win was on the anniversary of the day she first signed on as a player."

Helped in part by its alliance with the international Barclaycard operation, Trafalgar has gained a reputation for the promptness of its pay-outs to winners, with cash sometimes being credited to their accounts within minutes. This sort of "excellent" customer service was singled out by Bryan Bailey

use of the popular English actress and singer Patsy Kensit as the "voice" of the dealer, along with high quality casino software as rea sons for 32Red's success. He added that "the overall set up of 32Red — licensing jurisdiction and strength of management — cou pled with excellent customer serv ice make 32Red a clear winner".

"We are delighted to win the dis tinguished and celebrated award," Ware told me. "It is the result of a huge amount of dedication from the whole team and some very sat isfied customers who have been kind enough to pass on their posi tive feedback".

of services. So, if you are looking for a mutually

"There was clearly a future for a locally-based on-line casino and 1 was fortunate In being able to find oversea backers which shared my view"

Mediterranean

THE KEY xb COMPUTER LITERACY

The thought oflearning computing can make some people as nervous as a mouse. But Dilip Tailor makes it easy — and enjoyable.

'I'm even teaching a lady in her 80s;' Dilip Tailor told mc cheerfully when he popped into my office; 'she was worried at first, but now she's sending emails, which is what she mainly wanted to do.' He ex plained that it had come about be cause the woman's son {who lives in England) had bought her a laptop so she could keep in regu lar contact with the family via email.

Dilip has been teaching in Gibral tar for nine years, the last three years through his own business 'Training Tailor Made',and as well as giving private lessons he also teaches at Bleak House and at the College of Further Education al though he has to reduce the latter because of increasing demands on his time from those wanting private lessons.

His technical expertise is attested to by his Microsoft Certified Mas ter Instructor card, which involved him in passing five stiff exams in Microsoft Office — two of them at Expert Level and the rest at Core level — and he has to sit up-date exams every year to make sure his standards are being maintained- I was interested to hear that Dilip is the only holder of the Microsoft Master Instructor card in Gibraltar and southern Spain.

Technical ability is one thing,but it is Dilip's cheerful approach that all of his pupils find to be an en couragement right from the start. His light good humour puts peo ple at ease and in a learning mode far better than any intense burningeyed geek who thinks everyone should be born with the ability to manipulate their mouse and key

board.

Dilip studied in the UK, where he moved at age of 10 from Kenya, and, now 51, he has been in Gibraltar for 14 years. His wife, Belinda, is Gibraltarian.

His pupils are of many types and ages.'1 have man aging directors, bank staff, various individuals, small businesses, and every age from young children up to the lady mentioned at the start.

'I like to give people confi dence as well as an under standing of the capabilities of a PC,and how to get the most out of it,' he explained. His lessons encompass Microsoft Windows, Micrsoft Office, Word Processing, Surfing on the net. Email, Spreadsheets and others. 'All of the lessons are designed to lead to a certificate but that isn't necessary. Some people

are then given real-world assign ments based on the way they actu ally use their computers. This is the

quality — the first computer certi fication to do so,' he said.

Courses are also provided in the major accounting software Sage and this year Dilip is introducing A+, Networking+ and Server+ , which is also a platform to the Microsoft MCSE certificate. Other courses go into the specialities of the useful Microsoft programmes Access, Excel and Powerpoint.

Lessons are given either at your own premises or in Training Tailor Made's classroom, and classes range in size from one up to a maxi mum of six. Prices arc as interest ing as Dilip's teaching methods: a 4 hour introductory course to the internet costs £60(or £50 per head for groups of six), whilst a 5 hour Windows course comes to £100 in dividual or £70 each for six people.

Other courses are based on the same sort of hourly rate with courses taking up to 8 hours. With the more advanced courses the hourly rate is slightly higher but none of them come to more than £180 for individual lessons except the Advanced Microsoft Access which is £250, although the group rate brings this down to just over £92 each.

are happy just to learn but don't need any written qualification if they are just learning for their own purposes,' he told me, adding that he believes firmly in teaching peo ple at their own pace without be ing pushed. 'Although once they understand the concepts they start to pick things up very quickly,' he said.

I was interested to hear that the exams are conducted on-line. Can didates log on to the exam site and

procedure for the Microsoft Office User Specialist and Expert certifi cates, but Dilip also teaches the ad vanced IC3 internet and comput ing core certification course.'This is useful for p>eople who can already use computers but would iike to know more about how they work. The course leads to three exams and a certificate that is recognised in over 60 countries as evidence that its holder has met the highest pro fessional and technical standards of

At the time of writing Dilip's Training Tailor Made is in the course of moving premises, so it's best to phone or email for further details. Full and easy-to-follow course information can be sent to you by email, or telephone his mo bile 54 30 3000.

He's available from Ham until late,so you can call at a time to suit yourself. And if you're interested, ask him about the gentle martial art of Tai Chi — he teaches that as well.

Dilip Tailor of Training Tailor Made

I like to give people confidence as well as an understanding of the capabilities of a PC,and how to get the most out of it

move up new opportunities at Queensway Quay Resales

RAGGED STAFF

Superb 2 bedroom apartment on first floor. Good condition, covered and open terrace directly overlooking the marina. £300,000.

CORMORANT WHARF

Magnificent 3 bedroom apartment, on the first floor with views over the pool, gardens and marina. 151 sqm plus 50 sqm terrace. Use of pool, gardens and fitness centre. £495,000

ORDNANCE WHARF

Brand new 3 bedroom apartment having superb direct marina facing views. Air-conditioned, 129 sqm with 13 sqm terrace. Use of pool and fitness centre. Underground parking.

£425,000

DEXTEROUS HOUSE

3 bedroom duplex in Ordnance Wharf. Large master bedroom with own terrace, superb marina views, air conditioning, use of pool and fitness centre, 120 sqm, 17 sqm terrace.

£379,000

CORMORANT WHARF

Superb 2 bedroom apartment, fourth floor. South and West facing aspect. 121 sqm plus 13 sqm terrace. Airconditioned, use of pool, gardens and fitness centre. Allocated parking. £397,000

Queensway Quay

Sales & Information Centre

Queensway Quay Gibraltar.

Tel: 40550 Fax: 75529

email:

glbmag@taywood.gi m

Taylor Woodrow

Out of the Army... Into the Ocean Village

After 27 years of distinguished service in the British army — which included more than four years as Commanding Officer of the Gibraltar Regiment — Francis Brancato QBE has hung up his uniform and swapped his sword for a pen to write a new career in the Rock's business world. From April he will formally join Greg Butcher's property team handling the £35 million Ocean Village development at Marina Bay.

Though his bearing remains mili tary and the air of authority has not changed,Brancato the businessman in a smart double-breasted suit cut a different figure from the be-medalled and sword-bearing lieuten ant-colonel 1 remembered from countless parades, when we met in the Fairhomes offices where he has begun his "familiarisation" of the Butcher operation.

"The transition is not as difficult as I thought it might be," he smiles. "Greg is live-wire and energetic, everything is done at a cracking pace, but, in a sense, my last post ing prepared me for just this sort of high-powered existence."

Brancato's last posting was in Kosovo where he was military as sistant to the commander of the NATO force. "In what were often difficult circumstances, 1 had to look after a three-star general, as well as looking after myself." The smile broadens into a grin.

Gibraltar-born, Brancato in tended to read history in London after finishing his schooling on the Rock.

Instead in 1978 he went to Sand hurst where he soon distinguished himself, winning the Director of Studies prize for academic excel lence in his final year. Commis sioned into the Gibraltar Regiment, he rose swiftly through the military hierarchy seeing service in Cyprus, Belize and the Balkans as well as his spell back on the Rock when he commanded the regiment here from Oc tober 1998 to March 2003.

Highlights of these years were when the regiment mounted the Queen's guard at Buckingham Palace and when he took the regiment on ex ercises in Cyprus and Morocco.

Seconded on attachment to the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Irish Regiment, he spent two years on duties in Northern Ireland where he was the only Roman Catholic"in a body of troops which were other wise protestants to the man." It was also in Ulster, noted for the reli gious divide of its population, that his son Daniel — now 15 and al ready thinking of following his fa ther's footsteps into an army career — attended the local Presbyterian school and his daughter Stephanie

"travelled for long miles every day to attend grammar school" which was mainly protestant.

Both children adapted well to the various schooling changes — and religious challenges that accompa nied them — and these "helped shape them as strong individual characters", Brancato says. "But 1 was glad to bring them back to the Rock when 1 was posted here to command the Gibraltar Regiment. Teenagers need the stability that permanence provides and 1 didn't want to move them again. And of

have been invaluable,

"But that would have meant an other ten years away from Gibral tar, which neither 1 nor my family wanted. So 1 decided to go back to London, build up mv contacts and find something that I could do in and for Gibraltar," he tells me.

Chance — and his friend local banker Franco Cassar — put Brancato in touch with Butcher,., and the two men clicked.

"I've metsome pretty impressive people in my time and Greg is one of them. I was impressed by his energy and strategic think ing and by his very real en thusiasm for, and commit ment to, Gibraltar. So when he offered me a job I took it.

course we have the excellent schol arship scheme." {Stephanie, who will be 18 in May, plans to study engineering when she finishes school this year.)

The question of schooling — and the health of his wife who suffers from arthritis — influenced Brancato's decision to leave the army where, following his spell in Kosovo, he was scheduled to start a staff officer's job at the MoD. A post in which earlier experience as an instructor at the Army Staff Col lege at Amberley and with HQ Land Command at Wlton would

In November 1 spent a weekend with his interna tional team in Prague they meet annually to dis cuss his wide range business inter ests — and my assessment of the operation's energy and vision was reinforced.

"Of course, I miss the army,buti will retain my links with the Regi ment... and it's wonderful to be back permanently in Gibraltar."

At Ocean Village Brancato will have a wide remit. As well as liais ing with the Government he will oversee the commercial aspects and develop the management team. And although he has not started "officially" his feet are already firmly under the table.

"Of course, I miss the army, but I will retain my links with the Regiment... and it's wonderful to be back permanently in Gibraltar."

Masters at Work

2004 GibTelecom Chess Masters tournament ended on 5th February with an outright win for Nigel Short. This was a slight improvement (I) by the British Grandmaster who shared the title in the inaugural tournament in 2003.

Making up the top 10 were a col lection of players including several Indians. The Indian Government has agreed to sponsor the develop ment of chess and this has resulted in large numbers of young Indians attending tournaments.

In 1962, an eliminator for the right to challenge the World Cham pionship was held in Curasao which involved several Soviets, a couple of Yugoslavs and 2 Ameri cans,including Bobby Fischer, who had become American champion at the age of 14 and, in 1972 became World Champion and,at the time, the so-called "strongest player ever".

In 1962, he complained that the Soviets had ganged up against him by trying to beat him wWlst draw ing with other. (Disgraceful, eh? Trying to beat an opponent)!

Today's generation of Indians show none of the Soviet passivity and their uncompromising styles led to several exciting games be tween the compatriots. Mostly, these players are teenagers and some still schoolchildren.

The depth of talent suggests that a World title challenger may emerge from the sub-continent be fore many more years have passed. (China, I gather, is now promot ing the same programme so the balance of chess power may be about to move East).

Charles A.Gomez& Co.

Guide to Purchasing Your New Home

Pre-contract enquiries

Before committing to buy, ensure that the seller has the power to sell, that the property is free of debts and that there are no hidden prob lems associated with it. As your solicitors, we will carry outsearches of the Lands Registers and compile a detailed list of for mal questions for the seller to an swer. Among other things these 'enquiries' will reveal the identity of the legal owner of the property, whether there are charges or debts against the property,or there have been problems with neighbours.

Information at all Stages

We ensure that clients are kept in formed of each and every aspect of their property transachon. All correspondence and documents are copied to clients immediately, with explanations where appropri ate.

Exchange of Contracts

early rounds.

As it was Mario, Glen and 1, along with a British player, Alf Bul lock,shared a "slow starters" prize at the end of the first week. This is a sort of tournament within a tour nament for those who start off badly, thus still allowing those players to entertain some thought of a prize.

70 young players appeared on

70 young players appeared on the Saturday to play in junior age limit tournament

This year, in the Amateur sup porting tournaments, there was an increase in the number of local players. In addition to Joseph Mifsud, Manolo Matto, George White and your correspondent who all played last year, Gerard Matto, (the heir to Manolo's fortune).Glen Cano,Mario Garcia and Albert Tap per all participated.

For part-time players,as all local players are, the rigours of tourna ment play is a bit of a novelty. Mario,for instance,told me that his Round 1. game was his first com petitive game for some 12 years going back to the time when Gibral tar chess club had an annual en counter with the La Linea club.

This "ring rustiness" showed in the results and particularly in the

the Saturday to plav in junior age limit tournaments. These were largely from Gibraltar though a few Spanish youngsters turned up, principally from Algeciras, and it was they who won the prizes.

This was not surprising as most of the Gibraltarian schoolchildren had only learned to play recently.

The organisers were very im pressed and intend to continue with their coaching from long dis tance most of the time but with the help of the children's teachers.

The 2005 tournament will take place at around the same dates next year and perhaps some of these en thusiastic beginners will be entered in the Amateur tournament and, who knows,perhaps a genius lurks there to challenge for the prizes.

Until there is written evidence of agreement either party is free to withdraw from a transaction. However,once a contract has been signed or evidenced in writing you may be committed to buy or sell, as the case may be. We will need to work closely together to ensure that the contract reflects your par ticular interests and requirements.

Surveys

We always recommend that the physical structure of a property be professionally surveyed. We work closely with the most experienced qualified members of the royal In stitution of Chartered Surveyors in Gibraltar

Where a property is to be bought with a mortgage loan, the lender will normally insist on its nomi nated surveyor to carry out an in spection.

Do not sign anything before consulting a lawyer

Title

Title deeds need to be carefully ex amined. Once a sale has gone through we will attend to the stamping and registration of the document title.

Mortgages

We are on the panels of solicitors of all local building societies and most banks. As well as dealing with mortgage deeds, we will ad vise on current mortgage products and recommend lending institu tions to suit your needs.

Buying from Plans

Where a property if still not built but is being pre-sold, special care must be taken to ensure that pay ments are secured. We prepare building contracts in consultation with quantity survey ors and architects. Building con tracts must always include guaran tees of good design and workman ship and proper materials. "Pen alties" should be imposed for de layed completion. An approved surveyor should certify completion of stages of construction before monies are released.

Old Properties

Where an old property is to be bought, particularly for investment purposes note should be taken that rent restrictions apply to properties over 45 years old.

Stamp Duties and Registration Charges

The Government of Gibraltar lev ies a stamp duty of 1.26% of the purchase price of the property. In addition duty is levied at the rate of 0.13% on the amount of a mort gage loan. Where a loan is repaid and a mortgage released, duty is calculated at 0.13% of the amount initially borrowed.

The registries charge £72 on each document registered.

In addition to advice on property, Charles A Gomez Chambers provides advice and representation on dispute resolution and litigation at all levels, business set up and licensing.

We are members ofthe Gibraltar Bar Association.

New Opportunities in Trust

The improbable answer is \lonj; Kong where,despite the local pas sion for polo and other equestrian sports, residents may only own a race horse — the "cheapest" of which is likely to set them back the HK$ equivalent of £200,000 which, however, they are not per mitted to ride themselves! How ever,show-jumping enthusiasts or polo-players can sign a contract with the local Jockey Club that al lows them the exclusive use of a mount — though, again, it's not cheap.

Cm indebted for this piece of equine trivia to Sebastien Moerman whose passion for rid ing — equaled only by his enthu siasm for and knowledge of"Pur pose Trusts" — was a factor in his decision to move from Geneva to Gibraltar three months ago after being head-hunted by what was then BDO Fidecs tojoin its trust de partment.

And there's another question for the pub quiz! What is a purpose trust? It stumped me, particularly as Gibraltar has no legislation which provides for setting up such legislation — though there are moves in the local finance indus try to get the necessary regulations put in place and Moerman along with others in the trust team at Fidecs Management is drafting proposals which will be submitted to Government.

"It's relatively simple. Unlike other trusts, purpose trusts do not have any actual beneficiaries," Moerman explains. "Instead, as the name implies,they are created for a specific purpose usually of a charitable nature,though there are also non-charitable applications... they could be set up to provide funding for research or to restore historical buildings... that sort of thing."

In Britain, as in Gibraltar, trust management is an important part of the financial sector,but it is rela tively low-key in France. But it fas cinated the Lyons-bom Frenchman when he first encountered the complex workings of trusts while studying for his Master of Law de gree in international tax and com-

Sebastien Moerman

pany law at Kings in the UK. So much so that Moerman is currently preparing a doctoral thesis, to be submitted later this year,on — you

guessed it! — purpose trusts. After graduating from Kings Moorman joined a Jersey law firm to assist with the portfolios of its

says.

But Asia also has an unsavoury reputation as a centre of moneylaundering and compliance issues are a mine-field, he found. In the Philippines and Indonesia it is par ticularly "tricky", while both Hong Kong and Singapore have "extraterritorial" legislation cover ing failures in compliance outside their actual jurisdictions.

"It means, for instance, that a corrupt Chinese general or a war lord from the Golden Triangle the heartland of Asia's illegal drug industry — can take his cash to Macau, pay a five per cent 'fee' to have it 'converted' into gambling winnings and then, apparently quite legitimately,bring it to Hong Kong for investment," he explains. "Hong Kong has good compliance officers and tough legislation, but it's not alwayseasy to separate the wheat from the chaff..."

By comparison, compliance in Gibraltar is relatively straightfor ward, he believes. And the poten tial for growth in trust services is huge, particularly because of its European Union links.

French-speaking clients. But lit tle of the work was related to his passion so when he was ap proached by a Geneva bank to handle a portfolio of trusts in .A.sia he grasped the opportunity. .\nd for several years he divided his time between Singapore and Hong Kong — where he couldn't buy a horse to indulge his other passion, but signed one of those expensive "exclusive use" con tracts with the Jockey Club in stead.

"Asian clients are very de manding and very fee sensitive, nevertheless I thoroughly en joyed my time there," Moerman

"Although Gibraltar may not be as well-known or as popular as the Channel Islands or the Caribbean in terms of trusts, if you have,say, a Spanish element Gibraltar be comes an important factor. And there are plenty of opportunities to find innovative trust solutions for clients' funds. There's also the potential market of nearby Mo rocco which is virtually untapped, a starting area Fidecs Management is keen to develop."

So when, last year, the Swiss bank decided to switch its admin istration of Asian trusts to its Ge neva head office and a reluctant Moerman had to return there,Tim Revill the BDO Fidecs chairman had little difficulty in persuading the French trust expert to join the Gibraltar team. There were the challenges of new opportunities to help grow the market...and the prospect of indulging his eques trian passion to the full.

Bankers play golf but experts in purpose trusts play polo! You heard it here first.

It's the sort of question that would flummox a pub quiz ace or even the most knowledgeable player of Trivial Pursuit: Where can you own a horse but are forbidden by law to ride it?

"There are plenty of opportunities to find innovative trust solutions for clients'funds"

Guests at the launch of Taurus Insurance Services Limited Healthcare Planfor expats, held at Claus on the Rock, Queensway Quay last month

Taurus Insurance Services #Limited

TAURUS LAUNCHES A NEW CONCEPT IN HEALTHCARE PLANNING FOR EXPATRIATES

medical providers and facili ties of their choice

The plan is currently being mar keted by Taurus and other wellestablished insurance intermedi aries in Gibraltar including Callaghan Insurance Brokers, Capurro Insurance and Invest ment and Prescott Limited.

Last month Taurus Insurance Services Limited announced the launch of a new health insurance plan aimed at the growing expa triate community living and working in the Iberian Peninsula.

The key benefits of the plan de veloped by Taurus exclusively for the expatriate community are:

• Premiums reduced by up to 50% compared with other standard healthcare plans

•C Policyholders maintain cover for all serious illness and ac cidents

•Z Policyholders select the

James Cottrell, Taurus's Man aging Director, commenting on the new plan said "Many people want the peace of mind that health insurance provides when living overseas but resent paying the huge premiums which these plans cost, particularly if they only have a history of making small claims for the occasional trip to their local CP. This plan offers expatriates an alternative at much better value whilst giving people the security of knowing that they are covered for anything really serious."

"The plan has already gener ated a lot of interest among sev eral of the brokers serving the ex patriate community as many can see the real benefits of this type of cover."

Forfurther information please con tact: James Cottrell, Managing Di rector +0035052776 Taurus Insur ance Services Limited.

The Chief Minister. Hon. Peter Ceruana conyralutaies Taurus Managing Director. James Cottrell on the launch of the new health plan

DIVING ON THE STELLA SIRIUS

For some time now, members of the Gibraltar Joint Services Diving Club and the Gibraltar Museum's Underwater Research Unit have been involved in a project to catalogue the history and layout of the many wrecks found around the 'Rock'.

uring a visit to England last year, I had the opportunity to visitthe Public Records Office at Kew. London, where I wanted to find any extra information on ves sels lost in Gibraltar. Among other details, I discovered the fascinating tale of the loss of a previously un known ship called the Stel/a Sirius, which was sunk in 1940.The Board of Inquiry report into the sinking (ADM 1/10776) gave the following information:

In retaliation for a Royal Navy at tack on French forces in Dakar, Af rica,the Vichy French Air Force car ried out air raids on the naval fleet at Gibraltar on 24th and 25th of Sep tember 1940. During the second day's attack, waves of planes dropped around 300 bombs on the area and one struck the armed trawler Stella Sinus, which was moored up inside the south break water, or 'Mole'. The bomb killed some of the crew, who were shel tering in the fore-peak, and set the forward part of the vessel on fire.

Surviving members of the crew and seamen from surrounding ves sels assisted the injured and at tempted to put out the fire, but with little success as explosions had shattered the water supply pipe on the Mole and shredded the hoses.

As the fire was spreading to wards the magazine and a depth charge located in the ASDIC com partment, the Skipper took the de cision to sink her, so that she wouldn't explode and damage other vessels moored nearby. A sailor vol unteered to do this and he entered the engine room,opened the King ston valve and split the intake pipe to her condenser, causing her to quickly flood and settle on the bot tom. He and another Rating were later awarded commendations for their actions on the day.

After the attack, a survey by divers reported that the damage was not too bad and at first it ap peared that salvage rnight have been practicable.

However, unconfirmed reports later stated that the remains were towed outside the South Mole and sunk, where after the war Navy

divers used them for explosives practice.

On my return to Gib, the team carried out a series of searches in the area and located some remains. The main piece of wreckage that we found lies on the base of the outer foundation slope of the Mole, be tween 15 and 21 metres depth. It is a 12 metre long piece of the base of a stern section, with the extreme stern lying uppermost.

Dominating the wreck is a triple expansion steam engine and on the port side, abreast and behind, are two pieces of auxiliary machinery, heavily concreted, but probably generators or pumps.There is quite a lot of marine growth and smallfish life on the site and a conger eel has made its home inside the engine. Some other scattered small pieces were also found further out and these support the idea that the ves sel was dispersed by explosives.

The Stella Sirius was a 404-ton fishing trawler, built in 1934. She and her nine other sister ships, all called Stella 'something', operated out of Hull on the Icelandic fishing grounds until September 1939, when, on the outbreak of WWII, they were requisitioned by the Ad miralty and converted for anti-submarine duties.

During WWI, the Admiralty had found fishing trawlers (and their ''crews)to be a ready source of highly useful vessels in their fight against mines and U-boats,so in the inter^war years, commercial trawlers : were built to a standard design, which could be easily converted to [a wartime role. For anti-submarine ■ities, depending on what was ^Ailable, an ancient41b or 12" gun ^Bs mounted on the forepeak to Hmtgage surfaced vessels, and an ikon cannon mounted on roof of the galley at the fitrn. Thefish hold was con verted into crew accommodation and below ^ > this wdfe the maga-

I zineandanother

room which held the then revolu-

^ tionary ASDIC ap-

'' paratus, used to

^ detect sub-

■ merged vessels Ej^; and which we now know as 'sonar'. The bridge was in creased in size and on the wings, machine guns were fitted, to pro vide anti-aircraft de fence.

Down both sides, rows of depth chargesand 'throwers' were fitted and an addi tional rack was fitted at the back, to drop charges off the stern.

Following conversion, Stella Sirius was deployed around the United Kingdom until May 1940. when she was sent to the 7th Anti submarine Group based in Gibral tar, where she was kept busy on convoy escort and anti submarine patrols, up until the time of the at

Dhfiag on tb* uncJi—photo GoraUino FmlafsonI ,

We were able to survey the re* nalns and found that the dimen sions and engine size compared fa vourably with those we had located or a WWII trawler of similar age and :onnage.

Further evidence of its use as a practice site by Navy divers also same when wefound a special non-

mation on her grandfather and we were able to supply her with a lot of details on his ship.

Incredibly, we also received a let ter from Mr Peter Buttigieg, a then Merchant Seaman who's vessel,the San Claudia, was moored just for ward of the Stella during the attack. He told us how he and his ship mates assisted in the rescue of the

with

-nagnetic diver's knife, of the type ssued to clearance divers during he war,lying by the wreckage. Alhough having been submerged for almost 60 years, it was in perfect ;ondition and still mostly covered n a coating of anti-shine black }aint.

A visit to the military section of Gibraltar's North Front cemetery loeated the graves of two of the crew who died during the attack, namely Seamen Thomas Griffin and Gilbert 'homas. Later, the granddaughter ef Leading Seaman Joseph Wootton, another of the crewmembers who was lost during the attack, contacted us for infor-

crew and attempted to put the fire out with their extinguishers and de scribed the damage he had noticed on the vessel. His letter closed with 'Regret cannottell you more details after 62 years since the incident happened'I

We are continuing our research, in an effort to track down further details of the ship and have planned further searches, in the hope of lo cating more bits of the wreck.

The project has provided us with some very enjoyable diving and our now detailed knowledge of the ship's history means that this newly discovered site is a very popular one.

Global Advisory Services Limited

Health & Safety

• In-house/Extemal Training and Workshops

• Support in implementing Health & Safety Policy

• Assistance in preparing Health & Safety Manual

• Fully Accredited and Qualified lOSH Trainer

Regulatory Compliance

• Assistance in planning and implementing Strategy

• Outsourcing of Compliance Requirements

Mediation

• Advice relating to Mediation

• Fully Qualified Mediator and Member of Academy of Experts (in association with F^fessional Mediation Services Limited)

PC Box 515,Suite B, Ground Root. Regal House. Queensway, Gibraltar Tel: +350 46830 Fax:+35046840

Email: globaladv(^gibnynex.gi

Dircciors: Trevor J. Nichols, Denise B. Rose Registered in Gibraltar No.73223 r:^ij

BSG Computer Systems

EPOS point-of-Sale

SR-eOOwilh 12.1"colour-LCD, MSR and customer display

Low Cost Software

Point-of-Sales Systems, with Stock Control

Call 77386 for a full working CD and manual

Software prices from £475.00

Complete Touch Screen Systemsfrom £1,995.00

Complete installations and after sales support Interface to accounting packages

His letter closed

'Regret cannot tell you more details after 62 years since the incident happened'!

at Horse Barrack Court

THE SILVER SHOP

Silver-plated perfume bottles celebrating the unujue Gibraltar Campion

A Crime Prevention & Reduction Unit has been up set up within the Royal Gibraltar Police. The aim of this department is to offer free advice and guidance to the general community, on all matters involving Crime Awareness and Security. Likewise, our business community has much to gain from our services, which we will place at your disposal, in order to make Gibraltar a safer community to live and work in For further information or advice, do not hesitate to call either ofthe following telephone numbers:

48039 • 48041

januarfsfire at Horse Barrack Court caused all ofthe hiisinesses to close for a time, but now it is business as usualfor the Silver Shop, Monsoon and lioatshed zvhich have till now reopened, rhe Viceroy ofIndia remains closedfor the time being. This historic little courtyard,just off Main Street, has lost none ofits charm and is well zvorth a ■aisil.

THE SILVER SHOP

The Right Shoe from Paco

kIf It's special you should get it really close. You know what you want. And you want the maximum! A digital camera that offers 5 mega-pixels resolution, a 5x optical zoom and many innovative functions and features. Simply pick it up and you'll know that the new Optio 555 is for you.

Let yourself be convinced. The new Optio 555.

Great 1st Impressions

Jst Impressions Unise:c Han Salon is noxo open at 5 Convent Place offering a ivclcoming,friendly atmosphere. Hairstylists Pepi and Pili work together with Maria Elena using a wide range ofTahe products to caterfor every hair type and need. Their ahn is that you leave the salon feeling pampered and ready to make a great '1st bnpression'ivhatei^er the occasion. The salon can be contacted on Tel: 51515 and is open on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridayfrom 10am - 7pm, Wednesdays from 9am - 6pm and Saturdays Sam - 1pm.

Pictured above is Paco ofPaco Shoes, nexoly opened on the Ground Floor of the ICC. Paco specialises in children's and ladies'shoes and has a specialfool measuring servicefor children to ensure theirfeet are in the right size shoe. You uhtlfind Paco Shoes in the International Commercial Centre behind Wiz Kids in unit G4C. Tel: 73394.

THINKaboutINK

The days of expensive colour Inkjet cartridges are long gone. Recharging technology has advanced whilst Its cost has come down at Glass House Trading.

'We tend to be busiest on Mon days,'said Ian Blair.'That's because of the dramatic increase in the use of home computers,digital cameras and colour printers. Both the kids and the parents tend to spend a good part of the weekend creating colour graphics or printing out their photographs.'

So it's understandable that they, like many Gibraltar businesses, should want to save a lot of money by having their empty Inkjet car tridges refilled with the right type ofirik at Glass House in Irish Town.

'Of the right type' is the critical phrase.As Ian warned me,'Alarge percentage ofcolour cartridges that have been inexpertly recharged will not work properly afterwards. These are kits that use the so-called Urriversal Ink. However,' he contin ued,'the fact is that there is no sin gle ink that is suitable for every type of cartridge. The inks that we use are made by major companies in the USA,Switzerland and Great Britain and are specifically created to match the original manufactur ers' inks. We currently hold over twenty different types of ir\ks to suit the most popular cartridges.'

Ian and his wife Sue, nowadays assisted by Wilfred and Sue (an other Sue), are well known in Gi braltar, having been here for 20 years, although Glass House itself wasfounded 17 years ago in Horse Barrack Court before moving to its present large premises in Irish Town.

Some people may have forgotten that Ian started off with a desk on Main Street engraving people's coats-of-arms onto glassware - a service that he still provides, amongst many others. - General en graving is still something that the Glass House is best known for, a term which covers everything from brass and plastic name plates to sports trophies and retirement presents, but Ian and Sue are also the local household names for com pany seals and rubber stamps, Ian pointed out that although every-

one, including himself, still calls them rubber stamps they are no longer made of rubber but are formed — more precisely — from a polymer that is cut by computerdriven press.

The trophies section is popular

ilGlass House. These not only in clude the popular shields and cups but also Oscar-style sportsfigurines and engraved glassware such as mugs or drinking glasses. Any full colou r logo,club badge or crest can be expertly and economically put

ji lie recharges are avciiliciijiie lOr inosi popular printers and typically cost less than half the price of a new one

with local sports clubs and other associations, but a large percentage of that side of the business comes from the Forces, not only for their many sports leagues but also be cause they tend to have a lot of going-away parties complete with special mementoes produced by

onto fine lead crystal glassware, and quickly too.

While these and other aspects of the business march along at a con stant rate, it's the full colour inkjet recharges that are attracting most attention since they were recently introduced. 'We've been doing

black and white inkjet for ten years;' Ian explained,'but we have always tended to keep up-to-date and so I went on a special course in Manchester to leam about colour refills. It's a specialist job that has to be done properly. Cartridges ae recharged in the same way as that used by the original manufacturers. A vacuum is used to remove all air from the cartridge and at the same time the ink is injected at a specific rate to replace the lost air. This pre cise process eliminates the most common cause of failures — air bubbles trapped inside the fell which causes patchy printing.'

What about the claim that using refills will affect manufacturers' guarantees? - 'Absolutely not;' Ian replied without hesitation,'some like to spread that rumour for their own business interests but there is no truth in it at all, Even it were badly done it would only affect the replaceable cartridge itself, which isn't included in the guarantee, be ing a wear and tear item.'

The recharges are available for most popular printers and typically cost less than half the price of a new one. The market leader HP78, for instance, costs £13 as against the new price of around £30, whilst Canon recharges are available from £3.80. Each cartridge can be refilled four times, and there is an instant no-quibble money-back guarantee for the odd ones that can't be re charged to lan's stringent satisfac tion — he has no less than thirteen printers in the shop for testing pur poses.So there's nothing to lose and a lot to gain from having your empty colour inkjets recharged at Glass House, next to The Clipper in Irish Town.And it only takes half an hour to an hour, but, as Ian warns, bring them in as soon as they are empty,they mustn't be al lowed to dry out.

The Glass House is open from 9.30 to 5.30 straight through. Monday to Friday. They can he contacted on tel ephone 73741,fax 78686 or email glasshouse@gibnynex.gi

Sue, Ian and Sue of the Glasshouse ^

Firewall

IDP (Intrusion Detection and PreventkNi)

Anti-Virus Gateway

Anti-SPAM Engine

VPN (Virtual Private Networking)

Web Content Filtering Company Policy Management

Monitored and updated forycxi, 24 hours a day using the latest PUSH technology. Both weekly and real-time reports, sent via email, in plain English. SME Rack Mounted and Enterprise Gigabit versions ofthe Network Box are alsoavaU^le.

PRICE

£ 14S0.00 - artd up - Including the first year's license fees and on-slte service.

This Innovative solution provides a bildge between oulsoniced and la-hoase network security, and could appeal to many an SME."

MISSION TO GIB SPELLED DOOM FOR US SUB

American nuclear submarine USS Scorpion had completed her Atlantic tour and was ready to head for home port when new orders were received. Those orders sent Scorpion to the Strait of Gibraltar and extended her mission by an extra seven days. Those orders also brought destruction to Scorpion and death to all of her 99 crew.

In 1968 the Cold War ruled the waves and the US and Soviet na vies were constantly shadowing each other around the globe. Sub marines played an important part in the subterfuge as they spied on surface ships and chased enemy subs in dangerous war games. So when Scorpion went missing in May that year there was talk that she had been torpedoed by an en emy submarine.

Scorpion departed Norfolk, Vir ginia on 15th February, 1968 on a three-month mission to the Medi terranean

She should have returned home on 14th May but was instead sent to the Strait of Gibraltar to track Russian spy ships operating in the area.She wasn't ordered home un til 21st May. That seven day delay would prove fatal.

Scorpion should have reported to base on 27th May but when she didn't arrive a massive air and sea search was launched. Nothing turned up and on 5th June the 99 crew were declared dead. Had the Scorpion not been sent to Gibraltar she would have returned to base safely and then would have under gone a refit which would have made her safe for future voyages.

The search continued and the Scorpion's wreckage was finally lo cated six months later in 11,000 feet of water 400 miles southwest of the Azores.Enemy action and sabotage were then ruled outby Navy inves tigators. One possible explanation was a faulty torpedo. It was known that the torpedoesfitted to Scorpion could become 'hot' in their tubes. If this happened they would have to be fired and, as sometimes hap pened,the torpedo could turn and attack the submarine itself.

But when a proper investigation was undertaken in 1983 no explo sion damage wasfound.Somehow Scorpion had become flooded and because she did not have up-dated equipment which would have ex pelled water ballast, she sank and wascrushed by the incredible pres sure of the ocean's depths. The mighty nuclear submarine was brought down by equipment fail ure and,as it turns out, military bu reaucracy.

Scorpion was one of six US nu-

Scorpion phofogrnpheci on 27 June 1960, off New London, Conneclicut. during builder's trials. Vice Admiral Hijman G. Rickover is standing on her sailplanes with another officer.

clear submarines operating at the time but they were under pressure and finding it difficult to cope with Soviet naval expansion.

Documents show that at the time the US Navy was concerned about "...acute political embarrassment" over the serious difficulties in keep ing its submarine force at sea. The Navy was concerned that 1960s nuclear submarines spent half their service life being repaired.

The unlucky Scorpion was picked to become the subject of a reduced overinaul experiment. Eliminated as part of the experimental program was the long-overdue installation of submarine safety systems deemed essential five years before the Scorpion went down.

The Navy's repair system was so overloaded that the Scorpion's re duced overhaul was eventually

Commanding Officer ofthe nuclearpoxvered attack submarine USS Scorpion when it was reported missing in Mag 1968. Cdr. Francis A. Slatten/ took command of USS Scorpion in October 1967.

on nuclear refuelling. By compari son her sister ship USS Snook re ceived a 24-month overhaul at a cost of $22.5 million.

After two investigations the US Navy still does not know what led to the Scorpion's destruction but it is likely that it was the same fault that caused the only other sinldng ofa US nuclear submarine,the USS Thresher.

Thresher and Scorpion were launched within seven months of each other. Thresher sank on 10th April, 1963 while on exercises off the East coast of the United States and all 129 crew perished. Exhaus tive studies of the wreckage found that the most probably cause of sinking was flooding due to a break in a water pipe.

Fifteen minutes after reaching her assigned test depth,Thresher communicated with another sub marine, USS Skylark, by underwa ter telephone,apprising the subma rine rescue ship of difficulties. Gar bled transmissions indicated that — far below the surface — things were going wrong. Suddenly, lis teners in Skylark heard a noise "like air rushing into an air tank" — then, silence.

The Thresher was the first of a new class of nuclear submarine designed to dive significantly deeper than its predecessors. After nearly a year of record-breaking op erations,the submarine underwent a scheduled shipyard overhaul that entailed significant alterations to her hydraulic power plant. Because of Fleet operational requirements and competition for resources with four other submarines (including Scorpion) under construction in the same shipyard, the overhaul was conducted under tight schedule constraints.

slashed to no more than emergency work necessary to get back to sea.

The cost of the ship's last overhaul was seven times less than those given other nuclear submarines at the same time.

A 1992 study obtained from the Naval Sea Systems Command shows that Scorpion received only $3.32 million in repair work during the 8-month overhaul, with more than 70 percent of the money spent

The Navy's investigation con cluded that while the Thresher was operating at test depth, a leak had developed at a silver-brazed joint in an engine room seawater system, and water from the leak may have short-circuited electrical equip ment, causing a reactor shutdown and leaving the submarine without primary and secondary propulsion systems. The submarine was un able to blow its main ballast tanks, and because of the boat's weight

The mighty nuclear submarine was brought down by equipment failure and, as it turns out, military bureaucracy

and depth, the power available from the emergency propulsion motor was insufficient to propel the submarine to the surface.

The Thresher disaster caused the US Navy to embark on a "SubSafe" programme.In addition to detailed inspections of piping and the sub marine's hull, the specialised pro gramme provided for the installa tion of various emergency systems to allow crew members to blow wa ter from submarine ballast tanks at great depths. Scorpion was due for overhaul when she sank.

Scorpion's crew must have been aware of her shortcomings for one crew member refused to sail on that final mission and therefore saved his life.

SIGN OF THE SCORPION

WHAT'S NUCLEAR AFTER A SINKING?

The reactors used in all US Na val submarines and surface ships are designed to minimise poten tial hazards to the environment even under the most severe casu alty conditions such as the actual sinking of the ship. First, the re actor core is so designed that it is physically impossible for it to ex plode like a bomb.Second,the re actor fuel elements are made of materials that are extremely cor rosion resistant, even in sea wa ter. The reactor core could remain submerged in sea water for cen turies without releases of fission products while the radioactivity decays,since the protective clad ding on the fuel elements cor rodes only a few millionths of an inch per year. Thus, in the event of a serious accident where the re actor is completely submerged in sea water, the fuel elements will remain intact for an indefinite pe riod of time, and the radioactive material contained in these fuel elements should not be released. The maximum rate of release and dispersal of the radioactivity in the ocean, even if the protective cladding on the fuel were de stroyed, would be so low as to be insignificant.

Insignia of USS Scorpion. This emblem ivas adopted in 1960. Within the shield are four symbols, representing: Scorpion's streamlined hull design;her nuclear powerplant; the ancient rock-throwing machine known as a "scorpion"; and the stellar constellation Scorpio, the "Scorpion".

Radioactive material could be released from this type of reactor only if the fuel elements were ac tually to melt and,in addition,the high-strength,all-welded reactor system boundary were to rup ture. The reactor's many protec tive devices and inherent selfregulating features are designed to prevent any melting ofthe fuel elements. Flooding of a reactor with sea water furnishes addi tional cooling for the fuel ele ments and so provides added protection against the release of radioactive fission products.

The new Rooftop restaurant is now open at the Eliott Hotel with spectacular inews of the bayfrom the top floor next to the hotel's swimming pool. The restaurant offers international and Mediterranean cuisine along with a special set menu including winefor just £18.00. Tel: 70500for reservations.

gifts

You might expect The Nature Shop In the Upper Gallery at Casemates to be a cross between a florist and a garden centre like its branch in the Alameda. But this is different...

'We are a gift shop that special ises in gifts made from natural products — hand-made where pos sible — as well as many other prod ucts that feature a variety of ani mals or flowers/ said shop man ager Josephine Jeffries as I blinked at the dazzling display on show in The Nature Shop, upstairs at Casemates Square.

This was a complete surprise to me,as 1 had been expecting a place more on the lines of the original shop in the Alameda which does specialise in selling plants and seeds. Both shops are owned by Wildlife (Gibraltar) Ltd, under the guidance of Dr John Cortes,the gift shop having been opened five years ago in Horse Barrack Court before moving to its present situation three and a half years ago. The shop's popularity had reached the point where the original premises just weren't big enough so the newly-opened units at Casemates were just what they were looking for.

There are hundreds and hun dreds of lines to choose from, and the shop has become a great favour ite amongst local people — includ ing many tourists and schoolchil dren who have heard about the sparkling variety of unusual gifts from their friends and relatives.

There are cuddly toys of all types, including the traditional teddy bear and a variety of animals(including dogs)in a silky warm finish that I had never come across before. These range in price from £4.95 up to £70, which would get you a big cuddly dog.Popular all year round, the cuddly toys always experience a jump in sales for St Valentine's Day. Also in the cuddly range are school back sacks which are made of an exceptionally soft non-aller gic material.

Then there are the wind chimes in the form of leaves,animals,tubes and other imaginative shapes;'But the most popular of all are the dol phin wind chimes.'said Josephine. 'In fact,' she added, 'dol phins are the

Josephine

Jeffries

best-loved animals in all of our lines.'

1 looked around and saw that dolphins were to be seen in almost

of dolphins doesn't dominate the display. They just pop up all over the place, like their real versions leaping outof the water in the strait.

Of particular interest were the photo frames made of rolled ba nana leaves,and 1 was intrigued by the Mood Rings, which, Josephine told mc, were popular with girls. For only £2 you get a ring with a stone which changes colour accord ing to your mood. A chart is in cluded in the price so that you can check what your mood is and see how accurate it is.

'There's plenty for all ages, but children love it here, it's a world of magic to them.

every section — the jewellery, the carvings,glow-in-the-dark decora tions, dolphins on mugs... dol phins galore. But there is so much in the shop that the large number

There's a lot of stuff from Peru, all hand-made.This includes cush ion covers and wall hangings in Aztec designs as well as animal carvings(which also come from In

dia). The Peruvian artisans also provide the shop with plates and vases.

'T-shirts are one of our best-sell ing products, said Josephine, who runs the shop with the help of Debbie and Anita.'We have a big choice and they all feature animals or plants;they are much sought af ter by men, women,boys and girls in equal numbers.'

What else... there's so much...ah yes, something quite novel: mugs with matching stationery.'They're everybody's cup of teal' laughed Josephine.These are drinking mugs with all sorts of animals, both do mestic and wild, printed on them, and each style has the option of buying matching noteboo!^,book marks and wrapping paper.

There is a lot more, but it all needs to be seen to be fully appre ciated.'There's plenty for all ages,' Josephine said,'but children love it here, it's a world of magic to them. They come after school, but Satur day morning is the big one with them — they hurry here as soon as they get their pocket money.'They particularly like the glow-in-thedark decorations, and the pencil cases and stencils, and anything in the shape of a dolphin.

There is literally no obligation to buy; browsers are perfectly wel come in the tranquil but multi-col oured Nature Shop.'I'm happyjust seeing that they're enjoying being here,' said Josephine.

The Nature Shop is at 16B on the first floor at Casemates,and is open from 10 to 6 Monday to Friday and 10 to 2 on Saturday. The phone number is 41708.

1 haven't gotspace to mention the fossils and gemstones, the Yin Mifsud paintings, the greetings cards — including pop-up versions — the books,the tercentenary sou venirs, the variety of candles, in cense and incense holders, the snow men...

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

What's on in Gibraltar for the month of March.

Tuesday 2nd to Friday 12th Tercente nary Model Soldier Exhibition. The Model Soldier Society will be display ing an extensive exhibition of models at Casemates Exhibition Hall 1 st Floor Unit 16A Casemates. Weekdays 11 am to 7pm, Saturday 11am to 1pm

Tuesday 2nd

Gibraltar Tercentenary Day in London, including: Thanksgiving Service at the RAF Church of St Clement Danes, Strand, London. It is envisaged that the service wil be led by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Gibraltar and the Anglican Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe. The service will be attended by politi cal, military and economic dignitaries and Gibraltarians resident in the UK. Tercentenary Parliamentary Dinner. Dinner hosted by the Chief Minister at the Palace of Westminster for Mem bers of Parliament,

Thursday 4th fr Friday 5th

M.O. Productions The Gibraltar Stage Dance Festival at The John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. Tickets at £7.00. Season tickets at £10.00. Time: 7.30 pm. Tick ets on sale for the general public at the Hall's ticket office at 5.00 pm. Further information from Seamus Byrne on 79758

Friday 5th Investiture by HE The Gov ernor at The Convent 11am.

Thursday 11th

Gibraltar Heritage Trust, Heritage Talk 5 "The History of Telephone Services in Gibraltar". Speaker; Malcolm Beanland at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre.8.30pm entrance free. For info Tel: 42844

Friday 12th to Wednesday 17th Exhibition of Telephone in Gibraltar at John Mackintosh Hall, UpperGalleries. 10am to 1 pm 64pm to 8pm. Entrance free.

Saturday 13th

Sappers on the Rock Display. Display to consist of photographs, military and historical accounts, held at the Garrision Library

Monday 15th

200th Anniversary of the Opening of the Garrision Library

Tuesday 16th

GONHS monthly meeting Bolivian Amazonia, Fernando Barrios, Nature

Photographer, at John Mackintosh Hall, Charles Hunt Room 8.30pm

Friday 19th

Charity Band Concert, The Corps of Royal Engineers & The Royal Gibraltar Regiment at St Michael's Cave 8pm. Tickets £9.50 includes shuttle service to and from cave. Tickets on sale at The Jewel Box 148 Main StreetA/ijay 127 Main Street/ SSgt S Metcalfe RE Tel: 55172 or SSgt S Robinson RE Tel: 53644

Saturday 29th

GONHS monthly outing Jimena De La Frontera early spring flowers. Meet Spanish side of Frontier Sam, For info Tel: Leslie 75356.

Royal Engineers Freedom of the City Parade. Royal Engineers unit on the rock will be joined by the bank of the Corps of Royal Engineers & Royal En gineer Veterans. Salute taken by His Worship the Mayor and Chief Royal Engineer.

Gibraltar Botanic Gardens Tour. Meet ing place The Nature Shop at the Alameda cottage near the entrance at Red Sands Road 10.30am. No fee but donations are welcome,

Darts International Competition. One day event. Winner qualifies for Grand Masters at Eliott Hotel 9am - 6.30pm

Monday 22nd to Saturday 3rd April

Tercentenary Postcard Exhibition. An exhibition of Gibraltar picture post cards. A collection of Gibraltar silk post cards by a UK collector will also be dis play. Casemates Exhibition Hall 1st Floor Unit 16A Casemates Square.

Tuesday 23rd to Saturday 27th

Stylos Show "Praises"& USA Showcase at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. Tick ets from John Mackintosh Hall Ticket Office from the 15th to 27th March.

Prices: Adults £7 Children under 10 years £5. Tue & Friday 7.30pm, Wed 9pm and Sat 4.00pm. Tel Lilian 43498

Thursday 25th

Gibraltar Heritage Trust Heritage Talk 6 "The Birdmen of the Rock: History of Ornithology in Gibraltar" at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre 8.30 pm En trance free. For info Tel: 42844

Saturday 27th North Face Climb. A team of mountain-

Looking for a Home

Lull is one and half years old and extremely friendly and affectionate.She loves the company of humans but is not too fond of being with other cats. Would be perfect for a flat.

Contact Sylvia Palmer Cat Welfare Society Tel:42301

eers led by Jim Fotheringham will at tempt to climb the North Face of the Rock. This event is organised by the Rotary club of Gibraltar to mark the centenary of Rotary International.

Saturday 27th

Gibraltar Heritage Heritage Walk 2'The Heart of the Historic City of Gibraltar" 10.30am. Meeting place: Casemates Square by the Koehler Gun. For info Tel; 42844

Sunday 28th

Caipe Ramble meet Spanish Side of the Frontier just to the right of the Aduana Vehicle Exit 8am. For info con tact Mr Ray Murphy Tel: 71956

Tuesday 30th to 1st April Group 2000 "Bouncers" at Ince's Hall 8.30pm. Tick ets £5 at Ince's Hall ticket office, one hour before performance

Wednesday 31st

The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society

Mozart: Requiem Halle Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor: Johannes Debus at Sacred Heart Church. Spon sored by Barclays. Tickets £15 avail able from the House of Sacarello & Levy Estate Agent, For info contact Angelo Tel:72134

Royal Engineers statue on Main Street

Arts 6 Crafts

The Arts Centre, Prince Edward's Rd. Art classes for children(5-6pm Mon,5-6.30pm

Tues, 5-7pm Thursl, adults (Mon - Tues 6.30pm-8pm, Wed 6.30pm-8.30pm, life painting Wed 7pm-9pm). Tel; 79788.

The Rne Arts Association Gallery 1 st Floor above Gibraltar Crystai, Casemates. Open 11am-2pm. 4-6pm Mon - Fri, Sat 11am •

2pm. Arts & Crafts Gallery (next door)

opens Mon - Fri 9.30am • 5pm (summer)6pm (winter). Sat 9.30am • 3pm.

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

Church Sarvicas

Bahia Tel: 43637 for meetings.

Church of England Cathedral of the Floly Trinity. Tel. 78377. Sung Eucharist. Sunday 10.30am Sunday School.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Suite 21a Don House, 30-38 Main Street. Tel: 50433. Sundays 10am.

Church of Scotland St Andrew's. Gover

nor's Pde. Tel: 77040. Worship 6 Sunday

School 10 30am Bible Study Tues 7.30pm.

Evangelical Bretheren Assembly.

Queensway Quay. Sun 11am, Tues Bible

Study 6pm. Thurs Prayer Meeting 6pm.

Hindu Engineer's Lane Tel: 42515.

Jehovah's Vlfitness Line Wall Rd Tel; 50186.

Jewish 10 Bomb House Lane Tel: 72606.

Methodist 297 Main St Tel: 77491. Sunday

services 11 am 67pm. Midweek Fellowships,

Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned. 215 Main St Tel: 76688.

Board Gamas

Chess Club meets m Studio 1. John Mack intosh Hall 8-10.30pm Tues.

The Gibraltar Scrabble Club meet John Mackintosh Hall Mondays. Bank holidays

changed to Thursday same week. 7pm11 pm All welcome. Tel: 71967 / 54000835

The Subbuteo Club meets Charles Hunt Room. John Mackintosh Hall 7 30 - 11 pm.

Danca Modem & Latin American Sequence Danc ing Mondays Catholic Community Centre 8.30pm(beginners 7.30). Over 15s welcome, vwvw.gibnynex gi/inst/cccseqdance/

Old & Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at the Catholic Community Centre at 8pm. beginners at 7.30pm. Wednesday.

The DSA Old 6 Modern Sequence Danc ing sessions at Central Hall Fridays 8pm,be ginners 7.30pm. Tel 78282 or e-mail manvio@gibnet.gi Everybody welcome.

Senior Citizens Teatlme Dances at The Youth Centre, Line Wall Rd on Mondays 25.30pm. All seniorcitizens welcome for cof fee, tea and biscuits. Entrance free.

Classical Ballet classesfor children 4-f. Spanish dance and hip-hop at Liza School of Dance, 3rd floor. Methodist Church. 297/ 299 Main St. Classes Weds6 Fri from 6pm at Chiltern Court(4Csl. Tel: 58111000.

Line Dancing Queensway Club. Central Hall Weds8-9pm beginners;^10pm advanced. All welcome,including visitors to the Rock. Tel; Helen 50381 or 540137760.

History6 Haritaga

The Gibraltar Heritage Trust The Mam Guard. 13 John Mackintosh Sq. Tel; 42844.

The Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association

Dedicated to preservation of Rock's trans port/motoring heritage, Assists members in restoration / maintenance of classic vehicles.

Members/vehicles meet first Sunday of month,Safeway's car park from 10am. New members welcome. Tel; 72481 Fax: 72033.

Outdoor ActhfMas

The Caipe Ramblers This group walks on

the last Sunday of each month, except July and August. Meeting place is on the Span ish side of the frontier at 8am just to the right of and opposite the Aduana vehicle exit. For any information contact either Ray Murphy 71956 or John Murphy 74645, the two co-ordinators of the group.

Parforming Arts

Rock Dramatics drama group for children aged 4 -17. Rehearsals every Saturday morning at St Andrew's Hall — all children welcome. Tei: 47555 for information

Stage Musical Group meet Wed and Thurs at rehearsal room. British Lines Rd (next to Frontier loop) at 8pm. Tel: Iris 73098. Trafalgar Theatre Group meet 2nd Wed of month. Garrison Library 8pm. All welcome.

Quizzas 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 en trance but a donation to charity is requested. Tapas served after the quiz.

The Edinburgh Arms. 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: 7B142) for assistance or information.

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes(Gi braltar Provincel meets at RAOB Club. Vault 1 Jumpers Bastion on these days: Provin cial Grand Lodge, 1st Monday of month, 8pm.Executive Meeting, last Mon of month 7pm. Knights Chapter, 2nd Mon of month 7.30pm. Examining Council. 3rd Mon of month 7pm. William Tilley 2371,Thurs 8pm. Buena Vista 9975. Weds (fortnightly) 7pm. Por Favor 9444. Weds(foanightly)7pm. Fare well 10001. Tubs 8.30pm. Goldacre 10475 (social) last Fri of month 8pm.

The Tuesday Ladles' Club meets 8pm. Queensway Club on first Tuesday each month. Open to alt women in Gibraltar who enjoy making new friends. Non-profit mak ing, proceeds donated to charity. Tel: Anne 43869, or Margaret 70816.

Spaciat tntarast Clubs S Soclatlas

Gibraltar Horticultural Society meets first 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.

Gibraltar Internet Club monthly meetings held on Mondays at the College of Further Education 7-9pm. All welcome,experienced surfers or beginners. A number of comput ers are connected to the internet, others have programs for creating of web pages. A colour scanner is also available

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

UN Association of Gibraltar PO Box 599. 22a Main Street. Tel: 52108.

Sports Supportars Clubs

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Club. Comorant Wharf Boat Owners' Club. For details/fixtures Tel: Mario 40240. Michael 55185.John 43166. Tito 70410. Dick 79000. John 59804 or Raju 76176.

Sports b Fitnsss

Artistic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Artistic Gym nastics Association club for beginners, jun iors and squad at Bayside School in eve nings. Tel: Angela 70611 or Sally 74661, Athletics: Gibraltar Amateur Athletics Asso ciation holds competitions throughout year for juniors, adults and veterans. Two main clubs (Calpeans 71807, Lourdians 75180) hold training sessions at Victoria Stadium. Badminton: Recreational badminton is avail

able weekdays at Victoria Stadium (Tel: 78409 for allocations). Gibraltar Badminton Association (affiliated to IBA & EBA) has leagues and training for adults and second ary school. Tel: Ivan 44045 or Linda 74753.

Basketball: Gibraltar Amateur Basketball Association (affiliated FIBA) leagues/ train ing lor 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) rund leagues and competitions at various venues. New members welcome. Tel: Eddie 72142 or Peter 77307.

Boxing: Gibraltar Amateur Boxing Associa tion(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.

Cricket: Gibraltar Cricket Association(mem ber ICC) runs leagues/competitions at Europa Point/Victoria Stadium.Junior/senior training, Tel: Tom 79461 or Adrian 44261.

Cycling: Gibraltar Cycling Association vari ous 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. Futsal in summer months.Victoria Sta dium. Tel: 42941 vww.gfa.gi. Senior Tel: Albert 41515.Junior Tel: Richard 58654000.

Women's Tel: Brian 52299. Recreational foot ball for over 35s Tel: Richard 70320.

GoH: Med Golf tournaments held monthly. Tel: 79575 for tournament venues/dates. Gi

braltar 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 recognised instructors for all ages and lev els at Budokai Martial Arts Centre, Welling ton From. Tel: Charlie73118orPeter73225.

Ju-jitsu: Gibraltar Ju-jitsu Academy training and grading for juniors/seniors held during evening at 4 North Jumpers Bastion (Rosia Rd). Tel: Tony 79855 or club 47259.

Karate-do Shotokal: Gibraltar Karate-do Shotokai Association sessions for junior/sen iors, gradings and demos at Karate Club house.41H Town Range Tel: Andrew 48908.

Motorboat Racing: Gibraltar Motorboat Racing Association Tel Wayne 75211.

Natball; Gibraltar Netball Association (affili ated FENA 6 IFNA) competitions through year, senior/junior leagues.Tel: Moira41795 or Suzette 41874.

Petanque: Gibraltar Petanque Association plays at Giralda Gardens.Smith Dorrien Ave. New members welcome. Tel: Francis 70929, Pool: Gibraltar Pool Association (member EUKPFl home and away league played on Thurs through season. Tel: Linda 74753.

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

Rugby: Gibraltar Rugby Football Union train ing sessions for Colts (14-1-), seniors and veterans. Play in Andalusia 2nd Division Get -April. Tel: Dennis 74600 or Michael 72982. Sailing; Gibraltar Yachting Association jun ior/senior competitive programme through season (April - Oct) Tel: RGYC48847.

Sea Angling: Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers (members FIPS-M 6 CIPS) Superb calendar of events with four dubs partici pating. Tei: Mario 72622 or Charlie 74337.

Shooting: Gibraltar Shooting Federation over 14s only. Rifle. Europa Point range (Tel: Joe 74973); day pigeon, East Side(Tel; Harry 74354); Pistol, facilities near Royal Naval Hospital (Tei; Fidel 71990).

SkatingiGibraltar Skating and Xtreme Sports Association opens its Skate Park. Coaling Is land. Queensway. Mon • Fri 5-8pm. Sat 26pm. Stale of art ramps for Xtreme/aggressive roller blading /skate boarding. Leisure

skating facilities provided within excellw rink (when not used for roller hockey trait ing). Tel. Eric 70710(after 5)orjustturnuf' Snorkelling &Spear Fishing: Over 14s we' come for snorkelling, over 16s for spear fisi ing. Tel Joseph 75020.

Squash: Gibraltar Squash Association. T)t; Squash Centre, South Pavilion Road (mem bers WSF & ESF). Adult/junior tournaments.' coaching. Tel: Ronnie44922 or Barry 73260. Sub-Aqua; Gibraltar Sub-Aqua Associaton taster dives for over 14s. tuition from local ' clubs. Voluntary sports clubs; Tel: Pfiii 44606. Noah's Dive Club Tel: Leslie 79601. 888s Dive ClubTel: Martin 70944, Commer- • cial sports diving schools also available.

Swimming: Gibraltar Amateur Swimming Association(member FINA& LEN)opens its pool for leisure swimming Mon - Fri 78.45am. 12-4pm. 8-9pm. Also junior les sons (Tel: Rebecca 71342), squad for com mitted swimmers, junior and senior water polo (Tel: Chris 72869), Table Tennis: Gibraltar Table Tennis Asso ciation(members ITTA)training / playing ses sions. Bishop Fitzgerald School. Weds 610pm,Thurs8-10pm. Tel: Lisanne45071 or Eugene 58014000.

Taekwondo: Gibraltar Taekwondo Associa tion classes/gradings Tel: Mari 44142, Tennis: Gibraltar Tennis Association. Sand pits Tennis Club, excellent junior develop ment programme. Courses for adults, leagues/competitions. Tel: Frank 77035.

Ten-Pin Bowling: Gibraltar Ten Pin Bowling Association(members FIQ&WTBA)leagues at Ultra Bowl, training for juniors and squad. Tel: Gary 42447 or Charlie 71125.

Triathlon: Gibraltar Triathlon Union (mem bers ITUl Tel: Chris 75857 or Harvey 55847.

Volleyball: Gibraltar Volleyball Association (members W & EVF) training, leagues, competitiions for juniors/seniors. Tel: Tony 40478 Of Elizabeth 58306000.

Yoga: Integral Yoga Centre runs a full pro gram of classes from Mon-Fri at 33 Town Range. Tel 41389. All welcome.

Support Groups!Assodatiorts

Alcoholics Anonymous meet 7pm Tues and Thurs. 1 lani Sal at Nazareth HseTel: 73774. Citizens' Advice Bureau Late opening hours Wednesday 5 30 - 7.30pm. Open two Satur day mornings each month. Tel: 40006 Email: infotaicab.gi or visit 10 Governor's Lane. No appointment necessary, no charge.

Gibraltar Cardiac Rehabilttation and Sup port Group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 8.30pm at the John Mac Hall, except for July and August.

Gibraltar Marriage Care. Free relationship counselling, including pre-marriage educa tion(under auspices of Catholic Church, but open to all). Tel. 71717.

Hope. Support after miscarriage Tel; 41817. Narcotics Anonymous Tel; 70720

Overeaters Anonymous support group of those with compulsive overeating problem. Tel: helpline for details of meetings 42581. Psychological Support Group. Nazareth House Group therapy Tuesdays 7-9pm(so cial. crafts, games, music etc.). Workshop Thursdays 2pm-4pfn, Tel: 51623.

With Dignity Gibraltar friendly support group for separated, divorced, widowed or unattached people. Regular meetings Weds 9pm at Catholic Community Centre. Line VVall Rd. Outings and activities. Tel: Pili 71824 or Gladys on 71465.

Women in Need. Voluntary organisation for all victims of domestic violence. Refuge available Tel: 42581 (24 hours).

Women's Aid. Aims to protect women and children from violence. Tel: 41999.

Clubs and Support Groupsshould submit details to The Gibraltar Magazine.PO Box 561, PMB 6377, Suite S3D International Commercial Centre, Main Street, Gibral tar Fax: 77748for inclusion in this guide.

LEGEND TAKES THE FLOOR

If Count Julian had fathered only sons, had his daughter kept her clothes on, had King Roderic been a little more in control of his passions, it would all have been so very different. But that's the problem with history. No matter how dignified we try to make it, regardless of our efforts to turn the story of mankind into an epic of great, inspiring movements and moments, at the end of the day it all comes down to inane tittle-tattle and tatty innuendo.

That is what the public wants and has always wanted,and if the facts are too dry and dusty to fit, our old friend Legend,is ready, willing and able to step in and spice them up. Let us fill his glass, call for silence, and give him the floor.

By the start ofthe 8th Centu ry, the Visigoths had ruled Spain for 300 years.Thev were an arrogant bunch who preferred not to mix with the indigenous hoi-polloi, and their most popular pastime was known as"killing the King".The murder of the monarch at some point during his reign wasconsidered de rigueur in Visigothic society, and it was a rare king indeed who selfishly let the side down by dying peacefully in his bed.

One such, however, appears to have been King Witiza, who sur vived for an amazing ten years be fore shuffling off the mortal coil in 710AD. He wanted his son to suc ceed him, but through a cunning combination of bullying, bribery and brass-necked cheek, the throne was seized by the duke of Baetica,a certain Roderic, known to his piti fully few friends as Rodrigo."King" Roderic was,by all accounts, an ut ter buffoon. His election sparked a civil war, and in one of history's most spectacular blunders, the Witiza faction appealed to the Mus lims of North Africa to help over throw him.The North African gov ernor, Musa ibn Nusayr, was busy putting down a Berber rebellion and repelling attacks from the Byzantine navy,so he asked one of his gener als, Tariq ibn Ziyad, to pop across the straits with a few soldiers to see what all the trouble was about. Mons Calpe was about to become Jebel-al-Tariq, the Visigoths were about to exit stage left pursued by a Moor,and Spain was set to become the jewel in the Muslim crown for the next 800 years.

That, at least, is the boring "offi cial" version, penned by po-faced spin doctors,and soberly recited for ever afterwards by responsible his torians. But it is here that Legend ostentatiously rattles his drained glass, waits patiently for it to be re filled, and then leans forward with a lascivious twinkle in his eye,low ers his voice to emphasise the confi dential nature of what he is about to say, and tells you the real story.

It concerns Count Julian, an ob scenely rich nobleman who had

Fi<fure ofTarik ibn Ziyad, madefor Museo de Cera de Madrid been granted the governorship of Ceuta. It seems that the count had a daughter whose beauty was as great as her father's wealth. Of such little importance were women back then that few chroniclers bother to give her a name,and those that do prob ably make one up for the sake of the story. Legend does not bother him self with such trivia.She was young, and she was beautiful.That is all we need to know.

yers might have made much if the case had come to trial, for what selfrespecting, well brought up girl chooses to bathe naked in a river when there are soldiers about? But that is what Count Julian's daugh ter did. One hot afternoon she bra zenly cast off every stitch of cloth ing and proceeded to frolic in the River Tagus, where she was seen by King Roderic, who was passing through on his way to wage war on

Count Julian was unusually liberal in his views on the social status of women for a man of his time

It Legend is to be believed (some thing to which he is notoriously indif ferent),CountJulian was unusually liberal in his views on the social status of women for a man of his time. While most of his contemporaries consid ered the birth of a daughter to be among life's greatest tragedies, something to be hushed up and re ferred to only in whispers long af ter midnight, Julian was inordi nately proud of his beautiful off spring. He decided that she should not only be educated - itself a radi cal notion - but that she should travel to Spain to study under the most illustrious professors of the day.

So it was that she came to be in Toledo,and it was here that occurred an incident of which Roderic's law-

thc Bd.sques. Roderic's stu pidity was ex ceeded only by his lust. He was notone to pass a naked girl frolicking in a river without making something of it.

Seizing her violently, he carried her to a convenientspot,twirled his moustache in a distinctly sinister fashion, and had his evil way.

That, at least, was the girl's ver sion,and Legend seldom challenges a story so rich in those ingredients still beloved of the tabloid newspa pers of our own day: innocent girl, wicked royal celebrity,sex,scandal. That's the stuff.

News of the ravishment of his daughter by the unspeakable Roderic reached Count Julian in Ceuta. It was the perfect opportu nity to raise his social stature by in-

sisting on an immediate marriage. Perhaps he suggested it, and was robustly rebuffed by the new Visigothic king, who considered such trifles no more than his royal prerogative. Whatever the case, Julian seethed as only a wronged father can seethe, and vowed to bring down the upstart who had sullied his family's honour. Unfor tunately, he did not have the mili tary might to accomplish his ambi tion, and turned for help to the aforementioned Musa ibn Nusayr who, for the aforementioned rea sons, plus the fact that he was averse to poking his nose personally into others' domestic disputes, des patched General Tariq to give Roderic a bloody nose and keep Count Julian happy.

Back in Spain, Roderic heard of the arrival of a raggle-taggle battal ion of Moors from the dark conti nent, and with a sigh, temporarily abandoned his pursuit of the Basques to ride south and throw them into the sea.

What happened next, though it would change the face of Europe forever, was so ill-chronicled at the time that its precise location is still a matter of argument and conjecture. Roderic engaged the Moors in bat tle somewhere near Gibraltar on July 19th 711. It is said that he was so bored by the whole affair that he wore his crown and a beautifully embroidered silk robe,and watched the fight while lounging on an ivory carriage drawn by two white mules. But it soon became obvious that the Moors had been given the wrong script. They were winning. Roderic commandeered a horse, leaving its unfortunate rider to the whims of Moorish mercy,and rode off. At this point even Legend becomes con fused. While attempting to cross the rio Guadalete he either fell, or was pushed by one of his own men,into the water and was drowned.

Tariq, who had in any case liter ally burned his boats to prevent his own soldiers from deserting, was astounded by the ease of his victory, and swept north to claim Spain in the name of Allah.

Mons Calpe was about to become Jebel-al-Tariq, the Visigoths were about to exit...

But this is where we came in.

Legend is rattling hisempty glass again,and ifstime we were getting home.

Figure ofKing Rodrigo madefor the Museo de Cera de Madrid

The most imaginative gift

If nature hasn't thought of it it's not worth having, Come and enjoy

The word Casemates, meaning a bomb proof compartment, usually of masonry, to house a magazine or troop quarters, comes from the Italian 'Casamatta' i(|4from the Latin 'Casa'(house)and 'Matlo'(mad) originating from the Latin 'Mattus'(drunk)l

Handmade

l/7d Casemates Tel/Fax: 48857

E-mail: kimbel(a'gibnet.gi

Open: Monday - Friday 9am • 5.30pm Saturday6 Sunday 10am •3pm

Watergate House. Casemates Square Tel/Fax: 74982

Email: t0urism@gibraltar.9i

Website: www.gibraltar.gov.uk

One World Beat in March

One World Beat Global Music Festival is a live 3-day global music festival providing a platform for musicians of all genres to unite and convey a message of hope through their music, all to benefit the victims of AIDS.

The One World Beat Global Music Festival is not only a col laboration of musicians united in a global effort, it also serves as a platform for the thousands of lo cal and international non-profit organizations currently working for a better social environment to communicate their message to a world-wide audience. In these times of international insecurity there is a strong need to send out positive messages and allow voices of the people in need, to be heard.

Supported by the United Na tions Education Consortium Or ganization (UNESCO), and art ists such as Phil Collins, the 2003 One World Beat Festival led to a global volunteer effort.

As a result, the events helped raise money for a number of charities around the world in cluding: United Planet (USA), Children for Change (Canada),

Source of Hope Foundation (Lithuania), Here for Life Suicide Prevention (Australia), Victims of Violence (Alaska, USA), Stir Network(Nigeria), Kids Helping Kids(USA)and many others. Our local event will take place at C.A.S.A. Clubhouse on Satur day 20th March at 9;30pm. A number of local bands and art ists are already lined up to play. Any other musicians wishing to take part are welcome to contact the Gibraltar Live Music Society to arrange a performance. (glms@gibraltarlivemusic.com)

What is One World Beat?

One World Beat is an interna tional organization of musicians of all styles and levels who will organize and perform concerts as part of the One World Beat mu sic festival to raise awareness and funds for global and local chari table projects.

Pageant Entries Invited

Mount Productions will be organising three contests during 2004 subject to demand.

Miss India Gibraltar 2004 is scheduled to take place in March at a venue yet to be decided and is open to girls of Indian origin resident in Gibraltar between the ages of 17 and 26. The con test is a celebration of the Indian culture worldwide and the world final is scheduled to take place in India during the month of October. Delegates will be judged on Interview,Traditional Indian Wear, and Talent.

Mrs Globe 2004, planned for May is open to women who are married or subsequently sepa rated or divorced between the ages of 20 and 40 and resident in Gibraltar. The world final will take place in California in July 2004.

Model Search 2004 will take place in July at the Alameda Open Air Theatre.

This contest, which is open to males resident in Gibraltar be tween the ages of 17 and 30, and females, resident in Gibraltar aged between 17and 26, will give the winners the opportunity to represent Gibraltar at interna tional pageants yet to be deter mined.

Anyone interested in compet ing in Mrs Globe or ModelSearch 2004 and ready for the challenge of representing Gibraltar interna tionally should contact Mark at 40338 or pick up the relevant ap plication form at Photocentre, Portland House —by 28th March for Mrs Globe.

FORTUNES

The iMSpirAtiOMAl Centre

2/3 Casemates Square

Tel: 74195

You'll Dc FASCiHAtcb At Fortunes Lliiiisiiiil Gifts for Cvcnioiic Oil till' Ciisfimilcs Bnkomj

NEW DINNER MENU

(available 7pm •late)

8 Casemates Square Tel: 74948 Tel/Fax: 44878

(Available 9am •7pm)

From Cheese or Roast Turkey to Tandoori Chicken or Hot Chicken fr Bacon

Regular Live Music Big Screen TVs

Open 7 days 9am •late

From Soup of the Day to Omelettes with Fries. Baguettes freshly baked from Juicy Sizzling Sirloin Steak tor Honey Roast Ham)

(From Chicken Breast in Creamy Pepper fr Brandy Sauce to Succulent Chicken Curry)

(From Sausage, Mash 6 Onion in Rich Gravy to Lasagne with Beef, Tomato and Cheese)

Bhona Prawns/ Dover Sole/Swordfish /Salmon / Madeiran Fish fr Prawn Kebab/ Madeiran King Prawn Kebab 'Vesuvius'

Sr7'7'' L<; Grand Casemates Fillet Steak / Sirloin Steak/Pork Fillet Steak (Steaks served with sauce of your choice)

Chicken Stroganoff/ Chicken Portu guese / Chicken in Black Pepper fr Brandy Sauce/Jamaican Pepper Pot/ Beef in Red Wine fr Mushroom / Garlic Chicken / Tandoori Chicken / Special mixed Grill (for 2 onlytandoori fr garlic chicken, fillet pieces, prawns, swordfish,sausages, bacon, tomatoes fr peppers)

The Royal Caipe

GIBRALTAR BEAUTIES BELIE MACAULAY'S WORDS

If Rose Macaulay were alive today she would have to retract the words she wrote about Gibraltarians more than half a century ago. Beauties like Miss'Gibraltar and the many other attractive women and handsome men living on the Rock make Macaulay's writings seem a bit ludicrous now.

Greek Mariner who sailed from "The Tin in the northern seas, down the western coast of Portugal and round the Sacred Cape (St. Vin cent), and so along the southern coast of the Iberian peninsula, through the Pillars, and along the Mediterranean coast to Marseilles, his homo."

Macaulay made the trip in re verse and by car and amazingly, when you consider the hundreds of thousands of British visiting the Costas today, in the entire trip she met few other British tourists. She wrote;

"It was an odd thing: during the summer months that I spent in the peninsula 1 encountered scarcely any travelling compatriots, and saw only one GB car, and that was at the very end. Possibly the other English were all in France,Italy and Switzerland, where 1 hope they were happy, but I cannot believe that they were as happy as 1."

Before arriving in Gibraltar Macaulay spotted a pleasant beach "beyond Estepona" and decided to go for a swim.She was deterred by the Guarda Civil.

paid nothing at all."

On arriving at the border Macaulay found that there was even more hassle than there is to day.

"They (Gibraltarians] are less handsome than the Spanish;in fact they are, for the most part, not handsome at all," wrote Macaulay in her famous book Fahled Sfwre."In complexion they range from the coffee colour of Indian and Moor, through the lighter brown of the Genoese,the sallowness of the Jew, the uncertain fair-to-dark of the British-Spanish (an Irish-Spanish cross is very common) the ruddy fairness of the English.They are,on the whole, a smallish people."

Rose Macaulay wrote books(23 novels) and poetry but she is best known in these parts for her travel book Fabled Shore. From the Pyrenees to Portugal by Rood(Hamish Ham ilton 1949).One summer in the late 1940s Macaulay drove from Port Bou on the French-Spanish border all the way to Cape St. Vincent,

known to ancient mariners as'The End of the World', on the extreme west coast of Portugal. She mainly stuck to the coastline but occasion ally went inland to visit such places as Lorca, Granada and Sevilln. The

"1 thought 1 would bathe from these rocks, but a Guarda Civil[her italics] emerged from a hut on the road above and told me that this beach belonged to an English gen eral at Gibraltar, who allowed no one to bathe there. People might only bathe from the other side of the further rocks. It seemed that the general owned abouthalfa kilome tre of beach. 1 asked if 1 might swim from further down the shore and land on the rocks of the general;the guard said no, the general did not permit that one landed on his rocks.

"From the base of the San Roque hill the road forked for La Linea and Gibraltar, curving, hot and dusty, round the blue bay. La Linea was not particularly interesting,but has a good market, and a plaza with palms. Just beyond it begins the great frontier fuss,first with the of ficials of Spain, then with those of Gibraltar. They confiscate all one's pesetas, and keep them till one comes into Spain again. Only Eng lish pound notes are allowed to en ter;these can be changed for Gibral tar pound notes; the coins are the same.You also have to get a permit to stay. The Gibraltar frontier offi cials(not the La Linea ones)are,like the police, all bilingual; they speak English with a queer, clipped ac cent,rather like Eurasians. When at last 1 cleared the frontier and drove into the town, 1 felt 1 had entered a fantastic dream.Travellers have al ways said of Gibraltar that it was a piece of England set incongruously down in Spain. It is not, however, in the least like England, this ex traordinary, exotic, bilingual for tress town, yielded to the crown of Britain by the crown of Spain two hundred and thirty-five years ago, 'to be held and enjoyed absolutely with all manner of right for ever without any exception or impedi ment whatsoever.'

"Gibraltar is in fact,so as 1 know, like no other place on earth."

It's curious that Macaulay says "two hundred and thirty five years ago" because that would make her travelling time the summer of 1939, just before the outbreak of World War 11. However, her biographers say she made the trip in the late 1940s.

book is broken down into five sec tions — Catalonian Shore, Valencian Shore, Murcian Shore, Andalucian Shore and Algarve Shore.

Macaulay, who was born in Rugby, England in 1881 but spent her early childhood in Italy, was inspired to write Fable Shore after reading the tale of a sixth century

Does the general own the sea too? 1 asked.Yes,the sea also wasthe gen eral's, How far out? For two kilo metres,replied the guard — further than 1 would wish to swim, and 1 agreed. Who, I asked him, is this general,and how much does he pay for all this beach, sea and rock?

The guard did not know the gen eral's name, but believed that he

Travellers have always said of Gibraltar that it was a piece of England set incongruously down in Spain. It is not... in the least like England

In her photographs Macaulay looks a bit on the dowdy side. She never married but she did carry on a long affair with a married man. The second of seven children, a tomboy who hoped one day tojoin the Navy, she spent much of her childhood in Varezze, a small Ital ian seaside town, where she en joyed considerable independence for an English child of her era. In

known figure in London's literary world and a fabled wit. She was named a Dame Commander of the British Empire shortly before her death in 1958.

Fabled Shore is a very entertain ing read and it is interesting to see how some things have changed in the intervening years and how some things have stayed the same. Of the 200 pages in the book 10 are

'A/oo Services Ltd

For allyour Removals & Clearances in your Office or at Home Gibraltar & Spain give us a call on

Tel: 44831 Mobile: 54008490

Removal • Clearances • Small Demolition Clearance All Jobs Considered

1894,her family returned to Britain, and after studying modern history at Somerville College, Oxford, she began a career as a writer and quickly succeeded in supporting herself as a novelist,journalist,and critic. During World War I, she worked as a nurse and as a civil servant in the War Office before as suming a position in the British Propaganda Department.There she met Gerald O'Donovan, a some time Irish Catholic priest, novelist, and married man, with whom she had a romantic relationship which was to last until his death in 1942. Macaulay was the author of thirtyfive books and is best remembered for Potterism, a satire of yellow journalism;a biography of Milton; her haunting post-World War 11 novel, Tlte World My Wilderness;two travel books. They Went to Portugal and Fabled Shore; and her master piece, The Tozvers of Trebizond. A mentor to Elizabeth Bowen and a friend to such luminaries as Ivy Compton-Burnett, Rupert Brooke, E.M. Forster, and Rosamond Lehmann, Macaulay was a well-

devoted to Gibraltar,its people and its history. The book has been so popular that it is still in print today and available at Gibraltar book stores.

INTERESTED IN TRAINING IN COUNSELLING?

COUNSELLING & TRAINING SERVICES (WESTERN EUROPE) operating in Gibraltar since 1995 are offering a continuing programme of courses

The CERTIFICATES IN COUNSELLING SKILLS

AND COUNSELLING THEORY (validated and recognised by the NCFE and QCA,and leading to the DIPLOMA IN THERAPEUTIC COUNSELLING) are available as from March 2004.

For details of these and other short continuing professional development courses,contact:

Counselling & Training Services(WE)

Mark Montovio,Senior Tutor

27 Poplar Lodge, Montagu Gardens, Gibraltar. Tel/Fax:40338

Email mount@gibnet.gi

it is interesting to see how some things have changed in the intervening years and how some things have stayed the same

health fitness

Bell Pharmacy

Your Family Chemists

Here to help you by answering all your pharmaceutical questions

(.'iinsiill Lis I'll 27 Boll L.unli'l- 77284 Fax; 4J4H4

Dr Rene A Beguelin MB BS

VHw General Practitioner

^5" Sally Correa

Osteopath & Naturopath

Aylen Vielma

Clynical Psychologist Central Clinic, 1 A Centre Plaza, Horse Barrack Lane. Tel: 59955 Fax:'59495 E-mail: beguelin®gibnynex.gi

LARRY WILDING

8Sc{Hons)MChS SRCh ABAHChP

BRITISH STATE REGISTERED CHIROPODIST/PODIATRIST

180 Main Street Tel:51482 Safeway Pharmacy Tel:7576S

Free e-mailadvittline contactlarry@gn)nyne]i,gi

Qionv

5Cit\ Mill 1 ani', tiibraltar. li'l: /

Suppliers of Glucosamine, Cinkgo Biloba and all vitamins. New large range of American products now in stock.

Body Building Products (Creatine etc)

Opnii; 4arn - Ipm & Tpm • B.Tl'pni

HEARING AID

— CENTRE—

AGENTS FOR PHILIPS HEARING AIDS

Open Mon.-Fri. 10am-1pm / 4pm-6pm

2 Horse Barrack Court, Gibraltar

Chiropractic

I>r Sle\enJ.Crump

lini\h'. 72741

L-iiiail iiiloraiCQllegeclimc gi www collegeclinic.gi

I EYE STUDIO

OPTICIANS Unit 20B Grand Casemates Tel: 47800 Fax: 47801 FOR

McTimoney Chiropractor

Gende holistic treatment for all back or muscular problems and sports injuries

Gillian Schirmer MA, DC, MMCA

C'liiic (Ciatidiii'si 1si Floor, 58 Mam Street Tol 74040 or after hours' 40026

STEINER CHIROPRACTIC CLINICS

Dr Carsten Rudolf Steiner BSc DC Member of the British Chiropractic Association Back to better health with Chiropractic for headaches, dizziness, neck and lower back pain, sciatica, osteoathritis and sports injuries. College Clinic, Regal House. Tel: 75769

Samuel fhfiui HDS

DENTAL SURGEON

Bruce Hogg BUS

DENTALSURGEON

Visiting Orihodniuisi <4 Oral Surgeon 62 Main Street. Suite 6,PO Box 9(W. Gibraltar Tel: 76817

massode break

Massage for the Workplace

Indian Head Massaga • Faea, Back, Hack

Shoulders fr Scalp • Feel B Lower Leg

• Hand b Arm' Full Body

Geeta Phandy Tel 49338 Mobile: 5d008201

HERBALIFE INDEPENRENT DISXRIBUTUH

Nutrition for weight control and personal care products call me for product or business opportunity J. Mottershead

Did you know that Harvard Medical School found that in 80% of people that had a disease, like heart disease, liver disease, diabet ics that they had degeneration at the spinal level where the nerves supplied that organ or tissue?

Your spine is the biggest deter minant of how healthily you are. Your spine does so many things for you. It makes life possible and Its health ensures your quality of life.

• Your spine pro vides structural support, keeps you upright.

is interference to the(mental)nerve impulses that travel the nerves of your body. Interference is caused by: Toxins, Trauma or Negative Thoughts.

Your spine provides struc turai support

• Vur spine pro vides flexibility, allows you to move with free dom.

• liiur spine is the super informa tion highway,allowing electrical messages to correctly flow from one part of the body to another. It is light years ahead of any ex isting computer. The body is a self-repairing and self-control ling being. The electricity flow ing in your spine is life itself. What causes disease? When there

Ever had your spine checked? At school you may have had your eyes, teeth or ears tested, but who checked vour spine? Just like hav ing your computer checked for vi ruses on a regular basis, so you should have your spine checked on a regular basis. You may never know what may be found if you don't go for your spinal exam.

Chiropractors constantly check your spine for subluxations that cause spinal nerve stress which can lead to aches and pains and disease.

Chiropractors spend many thou sands of hours to become experts at detecting and correcting spinal nerve stress — Subluxations — and they are the fastest growing natu ral, druglcss profession today.

What benefits can Chiropractic bring? Millions of people world-

1st Chiropractic Centres

Massage Therapist, Geefa Phandy (pictured above) has launched a new way to relieve stress at work. Called Massage Break, the new I'enture provides massagefor the work-place and is a great wayfor employers to show they care! Geeta offers everythingfrom afull body massage, to Indian head massage, hand and arm massage (idealfor stajfdoing re^ietitiiye jobs or spending most oftheir day at the computer),soothingfeet ayid lower leg massages,face, neck, scalp and shoulder massage, and back, neck and shoulder massage (which includes wrist and hand). The treatments are z>ery reasonably priced and take between 15 minutes and a hour, so well worth calling Geeta on 49338(mobile 54008201. Geeta also offers a mobile home massage servicefor tvomen only.

wide visit Chiropractors for natu ral, self-enhancing corrective care.

Chiropractors don't treat the dis ease they treat you, so your body can be healthier and deal with any dis-ease process. Chiropractors fo cus on correction rather than symp toms suppression, specialising in correcting and stabilising the cause of your problem. A side effect of Chiropractic is often the natural re duction of symptoms, better and faster than any drug.

Having you spine checked is the most natural part of looking after your body. Anyone can have their spine checked and should do so before they feel or notice a problem.

medical directory

BIORESONANCE PRACTITIONER

Gisela Keuper-von Kader BRTRCR§FiTO Healthier Lite Clinic

252/2-11 Mam St Tel; 70421

Website: www.healthierlife.gi

CHEMISTS

Bell Pharmacy

27 Bell Lane Tel: 77289 Fax: 42989

Louis' Pharmacy Unit F12, International Commercial Centre, Casemates. Tel; 44797

CHIROPODISTS

John W Miles BSc (Podiatry), MChS College Clinic, Regal House Tel: 75769

L Wilding BSc (Hons), MChS. SRCh, ABAHChP 180 Main Street Tel: 51482 Safeway Pharmacy Tel: 75765. Free advice line: larry@gibnynex.gi

CHIROPRATORS

Dr Steven J. Crump BSc, DC, MCC ICC Suite F5C 1st Floor, Casemates. Tel: 44226

From newborns to elderly, no one is too young or too old to experi ence the benefits of Chiropractic it is one of the safest health care systems available today.

Taking drugs means you first have to get well from the condition and second you may have to get well from the side effects of the drug.

See your neighbourhood Chiropractor to find out about the powerful life giving benefits of Chiropractic. The natural,drugless health care system for today.

Written by Dr Michael Pim. For more information call:44848

JOHN W. MILES

BSC (Podiatry), M.Ch.S

STATE REGISTERED CHIROPODIST

Treatment of all Foot Problems

Ingrown Toe-nails Including Surgical Removal

• Biomechanlcal Analysis for Insoles / , Orthotics including Children v ^ Wart (Verruca) Clinic

• Diabetics

College Clinic, Regal House, Queensway Tel: 75769/77777

Dr Michael Pim DC, D'Ac

Dr Leyla Pim BA, DC

1st Chiropractic Centre

306 Main Street. Tel: 44844

E-mail: enquiries@1stchiro.com

Website: www.1stchiro.com

Gillian Schirmer MA, DC, MMCA

McTimoney Chiropractor. Clinic

(Claudia's), 1st Floor, 58 Main Street Tel: 74040 or after hours; 40026

Dr Carsten Rudolf Steiner BSc, DC Steiner Chiropratic Clinics, College Clinic, Regal House. Tel: 75769

DENTAL SURGEONS

Samuel ibgui BOS

Bruce Hogg BDS 62 Main Street, Suite 6, PO Box 909 Tel; 76817

Dr Keith J Vinnicombe BDS(Wales)LDS

RCSiEng)MFGDP(UK)

Unit F5B, International Commercial

Centre, 23 Main Street

Tel/Fax: 40747

Emergency After Hours: 78756

GENERAL PRACTITIONERS

Dr Rene A Beguelin MB, BS

Central Clinic, 1 A Centre Plaza, Horse Barrack Lane

Tel: 59955 Fax: 49495

E-mail: begueltn@gibnynex,gi

Dr J. Shelley

Dr M. Salem College Clinic, Regal House, Queensway, Tel: 77777 Fax: 72791

E-mail: info@collegeclinic.gi

Website: www.collegeclinic.gi

HEALTH STORES

The Health Store 5 City Mill Lane.

Tel: 73765

NATUROPATHS

Sally Correa BSc(Hons)Ost. Med. DO NO

Central Clinic. 1A Centre Plaza, Horse Barrack Lane.

Tel: 59955 Fax: 49495 Mobile: 67158000

E-mail: sarahacorrea@hotmail.com

OPTICIANS / OPTOMETRISTS

Eye Studio Opticians Unit 20B Grand Casemates

Tel: 47800 Fax: 47801

Cache & Co Limited 266 Main Street. Tel: 75757

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

OSTEOPATHS

Sally Correa BSc(Hons)Ost. Med. DO ND Central Clinic. 1A Centre Plaza, Horse Barrack Lane.

Tel: 59955 Fax; 49495 Mobile; 57158000

E-mail: sarahacorrea@hotmail.CQm

PHYSIOTHERAPISTS

G. Keuper-von Kader BRTP CREFITO Healthier Life Clinic, 252/2-11 Main St

Tel: 70421

Website: www.healthierlife.gi

PSYCHOLOGISTS

Aylen Vielma — Clynical Psychologist Central Clinic. 1A Centre Plaza. Horse Barrack Lane.

Tel: 59955 Fax: 49495

p-IZ'SDE. computers

13B College Lane

Tel: 50612

Tiecoratwe Crafts

•Mother Toddlers and Children's Pninfiiig Sessions, £3.00 per child throughout the week(Mon-Thurs Warn -llam or 1.30pm-2.30pm)(Tues & Fri after school 4pin-5pm)(Sat morning llam-Hpm)

• Children's project Craft Classes 6 years plus! £8.00 per session (9.30am-2.30pm)

•One Stroke Painting Lessons bp appointment £8.00 per hour

•Children's Craft Parties £8.00 per child with project

Call in at our shop/studio to see us or call Debbie 77992 19 George's Lane

Send completed crossword to: The Cannon Bar, Cannon Lane, Gibraltar. Otie entry per person.

first PRIZE; Lunch for 2 at The Cannon Bar

Winner notified in next issue of The Gibraltar Magazine. Closing date: 24th M.arch2004

Last month's answers; Acro.ss: 1. Sark, 3. Longship, 8. Have, 9. Limerick, 11. Last Exit To, 14. Exotic, 15. Torrid, 17, Minor Sport,20. Ice packs, 21. Flee, 22. Demister, 23. Ants. Down: 1. St Helier, 2. Revision,4.Olivia,5. Guest House,6. Hail,7. Poke,10.Semi-Finals, 12. Brooklyn, 13. Editress, 16. Cockle, 18. Hind, 19. Heim.

Crossword Winner

Duncan Balban, 45 Alameda House

Across

I. Where Holly Go Lightly took breakfast(2,8)

7. Male fowl(7)

8. Style of architecture (5)

10. Timid (4)

II. Town in Sicily renowned for its film festival (8)

13. Dutch navigator after whom an Australian island is named (6)

15. Sacred word on which a Hindu concentrates (6)

17. Communist who wrote with Engels(4,4)

18. Arrest(4)

21. Steps on a ladder(5)

22. Circus swing(7)

23. He might lend you money(10)

Down

1. Solo(5)

2. System of betting(4)

3. Starchy (6)

4. Senior member of a local council(8)

5. Supporter of the white rose(7)

6. Author of Dracula (4,6)

9. Sour fruitssometimes used to make jam (4,6)

12. Italian cheese (8)

14. The mock orange tree (7)

16. Hole left by, e.g. a shell or bomb(6)

19. Belonging to them (5)

20. Canine sound (4)

You couldn't fail to notice at the recent Bronze Award investiture in The Convent ballroom that all of this year's recipients were girls; everyone commented on that.

"It's just the way it worked out this time", says Award Director Michael Pizzarello.

" It has happened before and this group seem to be happy to work together, in the Open Award sec tion, in the absence of boys. This is the second year for many of them and, having completed much of their itinerary towards their Silver, they will soon (March/April) be undertaking theirSilverAward Ex pedition in the Crazalema area. Then, when they have completed their Project, we hope to see most of them back at a Convent presen tations ceremony."

The Ballroom of the Convent, completely refurbished during the Governorship of Sir Richard and Lady Luce, mustbe the finest room in Gibraltar— with the evidence of it's previous use as a badminton court long extinguished. Breaking with formality, the recent ceremony saw the young ladies facing one of their hardest challenges —treading the red carpet toaccepttheirBronze Awards from His Excellency Sir

Francis Richards before an appre ciative standing audience of fami lies, friends, sponsors, leaders and

Award is the number of young leaders, mostly female, eager to learn from their predecessors.

A noticeable advance for the Award is the number of young leaders, mostly female, eager to learn from their predecessors

the local Award members and Council, led by Chairman David Dumas.

A noticeable advance for the

There is much, voluntary, work to be undertaken—especially prepar ing for Expeditions, led by Alexis Ferrar. "Last year we took a group

of two dozen for the Gold Expedi tion (50kms in three days) in Lux embourg. The other leaders were Bianca Cohen, Michael and Paul Pizzarello."

Michael Pizzarello outlined the plans for the remainderofthe year:

"We have a practice camp in the region of Cortes at which we shall be joined by a group from the In ternational School at Sotogrande, where interest in the Award has been rekindled. There is a lot to learn about organising a challeng ing expedition — safely. It is not a question ofissuing a road map and signposts.

"Then we shall have our Quali fying Camp for the Silver candi dates, probably in April.

"Locally we shall be taking part in the Youth Forum Week for the Tercentenary, probably hosting a 'residential' for visitors. Our Gold participants will be going across to the Cheshire Home in Tangier. We shall beattending the European Re gional Conference hosted by Lux embourg, a place we are beginning to know quite well.

"Looking further ahead, we are awaiting the 'go ahead' for our HQ building which will be part of the Sport City growing at Bayside."

Conference on the wonderful flora of South Africaf5*^;^,

inciuding the

.!

-^jTv

Succulent • plants. Pari 1

Less than a vear ago, Sally and I were in South Africa and it was at the end of the trip when we were up in the Drakcnsberg Mountains in Natal by the track that leads up into Lesotho, that the seed for this idea germinated. In last month's ar ticle 'Are Temperatures Rising?' you will recall mention of various types of subtropical plants, shrubs and trees which are now quite com mon in UK gardens, particularly in the South of England. Although there has been snow in the UK this winter, it has been short-lived, also subzero temperatures have not lasted long, so the frost penetration below soil level will only have been a few centimetres. I can remember winters in the South of England, when the ground was fn.>zen solid 50cm down!

1 well remember the first morn ing climbing up the mountain slopes in the Drakensberg, which can be snow covered at limes in winter, let alone many degrees of frost and seeing Aloe straitula, a form of Cussonia paniculata, won derful bushes of Protea roupelliae, and higher up still, the dwarf Protea dracomontana. Another frost resistant species of Alw often growing in rocky crevices was A. aristata, a species I grew outside in an alpine scree bed in mv UK gar den 20 or so years ago! The slopes were loaded with Watsonias and other types of bulbs. I also saw the

£shrub Leonotis leonora in flower quite high up, this is another good prospect.

However the plant that really surprised me was a wonderful tree fern —Cyathea dregei which grew beside small streams with its roots in the water! There is a plant that can cope with wet, very cold con ditions in winter, surely that is a subject today for the UK garden. These same plants, even though we do not have frost, could be grown here in Gibraltar and on the Costa. I know of many people who live further inland along the Costa del Sol, who can get verv severe frosts at times and many Aloes and suc culent Euphorbias just die. I do know of people n the South of Eng-

land who are successfully growing the following Aloes outside with out protection from the rain inciud ing A. Arborescens, A. glauca, A. maculata and A. striatula. In some cases they are being grown in dry stone walls, whereby the rosettes cannot hold much water, in case a frost follows the rain. There are another 20 or so species which, given overhead protection from the rain in winter, will survive tem peratures down to -8°C — I grew them in an unheated greenhouse back in my UK days.

The aim of the conference from 1st - 5th May at the Rock Hotel is to attract people to grow a wider va riety of South African Plants in the UK, as well as here. With the hot ter summers everywhere, with the exception of the Tree Fern, the shrubs have mentioned along with succulents will save water too. In the gardens quite a lot of water ing is having to be done now, be cause January has been the hottest and driest for 30 years. This was the report for Malaga Province and it must surely be the same for Gi braltar, but with the availability or the cost of water it does make you think about which plants you should be growing nowadays.

Proi^isional Conference Programme, how to book etc, including special ar rangements for local people, luno avail ablefrom the Nature Shopat Casemates andfrom the Botanical Gardens.

COHEN'S CAMERA CENTRE

DisiniR rc' MOBILE PHONES

Youth Hostel Montagu Sastion,Line Wall Cd,(jibrallar I I I Family run hostel jusl a minute's walk I (rom the centre of town.

Budget accommodation for the young and young at heart.

Sfn^twin & communal rooms. Bed & breakfast Wmv bbqs packed lunches & evening meals Tel: Fax: S1106 Mobile: 57686000

GnvERNORV' Parade Giiikaltar Ti l :(.LSO) 70: r- v\:(550)7024:

lessons tuition

The Gibraltar School ofBallet

.S'/r,-(i((/(sfs in: Classical Ballet

!Mi"ii}i<ilwit.\ lichl iinilcr: The Royal Academy of Daitee

fitHf.v.v Classes S.30-9.30

l.iw /w/iiicV Acrohiis • lio<lv (loiulUlenIng

Unii F19 Europa Business Cenire Tel (tiomel 51187(studio)45145

E-mail' cbossinocg'ihoimail.com

IiTrairiing yJa i l o r iMade

Professional Computer Training

Microsoft Office Specialist IC3,Sage, A-k and many more... Tel:78714 or Mobile:54303000 Email:info@trainingtm.com

Frost Language Centre (registered in Gibraltar)

Spanish Lessons at all levels. Private or join our Evening Classes In Victoria House Main St. Please contact Margaret on 956173384 or e.mail rmf2@telefonica.net

framing photos

Macap

Photo Framing, Watercolours, Oils, Tapestry, Frame Boxes, Medal Mounting,Custom Frames 410 Town Range Tel: 72629 gibraharprints@'aol.com

mm

UIS_ .T29c Main Slreel

PHoros Tel:-MITKI Fax;5071(1

Commercial Photography Weddings. Communions. Ponraits /• ineM aAleilion of old phoio^raplL'i on the Mo,(.

newsagents

Sun Onilii iWntl Star Express Mirror

Available Daily on the Rock Every Morning from L. SACARELLO

HASSELBLAD

SPECIALISTS IN HI-FI b PHOTO EQUIPMENT CLOSED SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS

AD COHEN LTD 207 MAIN SlHfcEl TEl 74791 FAX 40907

FIOTLL

E-m.ui : 1:1 liU'KrM.lHS'Ll.iil

HTi7://www.niBKAn \K.ai/rLi(i ithutel

1st May - 5th May 2004

Conferencefoi Amateurs i&. Professionals on "The Wonderful Flora ofSouth Africa including the Succulent Plants"

To advertise on these pages contact Tel/Fax: 77748

The Picture Galley

For the largest selection of frames in Gibraltar

Mirrors, Prints, Oils and Gifts l/iijf 16, Wiilcr'i{irficn}Tcl:-l2S51

There is a distinguished list of speakers including two from famous botanical gardens in S. Africa plus oihers from the UK. Portugal and Gibraiiar.

For further information contact Brian M. Lamb(Programme Chairman), Gibraltar Botanic Gardens. Red Sands Road.PO Box 843. Gibraltar

74U22 +■ your name and address

shopping gifts

6S Irish Town

Out of Africa

Interesting Selection of Handmade Southern African Crafts from Stone Sculptures and Woodware to Bright Fabrics and Small Gifts

MOROCCAN HANDICRAFTS

SAtiDatlf - Slipper# - Baj# - Belt#CakftAM# - roMffcs - BrA#« - Pottersj

ALL AT THE BEST PRICES »#t Flr>or. F2I ICC BmI1Mm5

eiy tnosatc

The Chocolate Box

All types of Facial, Waxing, Deluxe Manicure k Pedicure, Massages,Cenllemen's

2nd

NOW OPEN at 96 IRISH TOWN next to the Art Shop opp. Pniiorama

Alternative Secondhand Bmik Exchange Service, also Greeting Cards, and Cake Decorations Exchange Video & DVDs

hair beauty salons

Sh©rt ^ ^.^3?

SHOP

6 Ocean Heights Gallery Tel: 50505 Gibraltar

Oienatjsance

Heahh if' J.ieaulu 'Safon aj'Dm

^ 1 (ohn Mackintosh Square (at the Piazza! Tel/Fax; 71582

A T IIP TO TH 50s

Recently I was offered a window onto the Gibraltar of 50 years ago. In the form of The Quarterly Official Directory of the Colony and Garrison of Gibraltar for the 4th quarter, Get 1949, Issue 424. It was priced then at one shilling (or 5p today) when a typical weekly wage was around £3. So at 20 shillings to the pound the directory's price would equate to around £4 today and just a few minutes inspection revealed a world that might seem barely credible, to anybody under 40.

Addresses occupy the first 24 pages,comprising Officers of the Royal Navy, Army, Air Force, Civil and Dockyard Services, Ex ecutive Council, Justices of the Peace,City Council,Foreign Con suls,Clergy and others having an official connection. It is immedi ately noticeable that the use of capitals is restricted to those in Imperial Service and "others hav ing official connection" are all lower case... or is that caste? Re flecting the attitude of the times; an asterisk alongside an entry de notes wife also resident, A warn ing to traders perhaps?

The residences of Officers makes interesting reading: a Ma jor Balfour, lived at Patio Momo, Scud Hill. Long gone — I think is Lieut. Ballantyne's house. Trench Hut, Signal Station Road. Major Aniey, 1/Royal Northumberland Fusiliers lived at White Rock Camp, which Tm sure is still here — but possibly camouflaged by a new name.The homeof Captain Marquis was New Bungalow, Europa which I suspect was only recently demol ished to make way for the new mosque.

Next is a 3 page business direc tory containing many well known firms and some that are no longer with us. We are informed that W J Ellicott & Son, Naval, Military and Ladies' Taylors were patronised by Royalty and that Saccone & Speed were insurance agentsfor Liverpool, London and Globe. But what hap pened to Cieves and the English Outfitters, sole agents for Austin Reed Ltd of Regent St? Well, The English Outfitters became TEG.

The next 6 pages of Boards and Committees contain many familiar names, yet the Anti-Rat Coordinat ing Committee would identify members only by occupation(Cap tain of the Port, Chief Medical Of ficer, etc). The exception being the Secretary, EH Davies Esq. who by some quirk of fate had the unfortu nate telephone number A.666.

The Resettlement Board would continue to function for several years more, as many Gibraltarian families — evacuated during the war~ had still to be returned home, though the war had been over for nearly 5 years.The attempt to excise civilians from the garrison had not succeeded butexcuses to delay their

return were still being promoted.

Issue 424 continues with a direc tory of the Armed Forces, listing of ficers' posts and telephone numbers and then separately, each RA Coast Battery and AA Battery by location and staff complement. We learn that Headquarters Royal Artillery was at 'Jaws Corner' that 21 (Gibraltar 1779-83), 28 & 150 Coast Batteries were installed at Europa. Stationed at Windmill Hill were 54 AA, 94 (New Zealand)HAA,114 HAA and 164 LAA. 43 (Lloyds Company) were at Devil's Gap.

Seven pages later we come across the first local names. If you've not

eligible for membership.

The non-militar)'clubs had differ ent selection criteria. For the princely sum of 5 shillings a year, members of the Calpe Institute might enjoy music(a full symphony orchestra, operatic and choral soci eties) photography (a fully equipped dark room)drama,litera ture,cinema,hockey,a library... and enjoy up to 75 periodicals.

Other clubs required yearly sub scriptions of £3 and limited the number of members. One at least, when referring to membership bal lots, makes the observation that;two black balls shall exclude.I wouldn't

The Anti-Rat Coordinating Committee Secretary, EH Davies Esq. had the unfortunate telephone number A.666.

already guessed they are listed in the GDF Training Establishment at West Battery, where Battery Captain CA Norton is assisted by Lieut. RJ Peliza and Lieut. JL Fabre, each destined to go on to greater things. Entries continue with details of Royal En gineers, Intelligence Officers, The Royal Corps of Signals, Officers of HM Dockyard and any amount of information which would have been classified as secret 5 years earlier and would become so again, just a few years later, during the cold war.

At page 109 we reach Sport, Rec reation and Culture, which at 29 pages is the biggest individual sec tion of the directory. Amongst the sports clubs many were militaryonly though some stipulated;Civil ians,at the discretion of the commit tee and yet others; Ladles are not

wish to add further comment.

Prominent amongst the advertise ments is AE Ferrary,Hardware Mer chants and General Contractors. As well as being contractors to the City Council, REs,Port Department and Admiralty they were suppliers of Hardware Tinware and Cutlery, Brass Steel and Copper rod and Hoop-Iron of all sizes. They were agents for Michelin tyres and tubes, Japlac, KLG Spark plugs, Magicoal fires, Lino... and my favourite; Rippingilles Stoves. Made famous before World War I(and recalled by Erskine Childers' novel Riddle ofthe Sands)the Rippingilles No.2 was a pressure stove favoured by yachts men for its reliability and universal availability.

Permits,Registration and Fortress Regulations informs us that "All ci

vilian persons in, or entering Gi braltar, shall be registered at the Police Permit & Registration Of fice, CPS,Irish Town." Residence Permits etc were also issued here but read on...Section 15 of the Al iens and Strangers Order makes it an offence for any alien to be found in Gibraltar without law ful excuse (sentence 3 months in prison). This then, was the Colo nial Administration's attitude to tourism.

If you wished to visitSpain you could present your passport to the Spanish Consulate General in Irish Town, who — for 8/4d would affix a visa for six months. For frequent daily visitors to the Campo, a Camet de Control could be purchased containing tickets for 80 entries. Unlike the visa, those en tering on a Camet had to obtain per mission from the Delegacion de Fronteras to remain overnight. Our Frontier Gates opened daily at 6am and remained so until lam, except on Saturdays when they stayed open till 2am. No person resident in the Colony will be allowed to leave through the gates after 10:45pm or enter Spain after 11pm. Slightly dif ferent times applied to Non-Residents but in all cases... No person shall be allowed to pass through the Gates, enter or leave Spain at any other time than those prescribed above unless he has previously ob tained a late pass.

A large part of the Upper Rock was open to British subjects on pro duction ofidentity card or passport. However, two main areas and sev eral smaller ones were reserved for exclusively military use. Cars were permitted on Queen's Road from 2pm to dusk but were forbidden to venture to any higher level without a special day-pass from the Defence Security Officer. All told, the Regu lations and the directory give a very clear message.

Although the days had long gone, that when a civilian approaching an officer — walking on the pavement — was expected to step off into the gutter to allow the officer to pass... little had really changed. Gibraltar remained a garrison where civilians were only tolerated, as long as they lowed the line... and frequently, tugged the forelock too.

My thanks to Joe Gomez, One Up Servicesfor the loan ofthe directory.

Year 5 for the 6s

"We will be holding our tradi tional opening event-the 'Horseracing night' at the Central Hall on 20th.of March,when all of the par ticipants, and their friends, will be having a great evening, where we shall make our presentation to the chosen charities. We will have had a meeting with the Sports captains and the committee to plan the sea son's sporting events,"

Gib.6's involves six players,from squads of twelve, competing against each other at six sports with all the proceeds going to designated charities.The sports are-Shooting, Golf, Cricket, Rounders, Pool and lO-pin Bowling,thus spreading the skills and strengths over the wid est range of sporting challenges.

"It all started in the '90s when Boyd, the golfer, suggested to Dougie, the shooter, that it would be a good idea for the two to com pete at each other's sport.Although that competition lapsed,the debate continued later, in 2000, at the Wembley Bar and we were as tounded at the reception we got from other sportsmen,and women. Several other sports wanted to be included and soon we had bowling, cricket, rounders and pool — hence Gib 6s. No one has proved more supportive than the rounders la dies.

In the beginning, thinking about the fund-raising, Alan 'Fat Boy' Sparks was instrumental in raising the interest and obtaining six ma jor sponsors, while Nigel and Deborah Bennett of the Wembley Bar were most helpful in sponsor ing our distinctively coloured polo

shirts, a different colour for each sport.

Since then the numbers of partici pants has gone up from the origi nal six to a dozen per sport to ac commodate summer holidays when the sports are competed- It

soon became apparent that some sports would incu r expenses which others didn't and our main aim is raising money for charities. After paying for their shirts,£15,all par ticipants pay £10 fee at each sport ing event, which is always sup

ported by families with entertain ment for the kids and a barbecue at the venue or back at the Queensway where Mike 'Cookie' Escott is ever-ready with his pots and pans.

After the first year, won by Bowl ing, we raised £1,300. This was fol lowed by £2,500 in 2001(also Bowl ing);£3000 the next year(Shooting) and, most recently, in 2003, £3000 (Golf), Our Treasurer is Karen Smith (Rounders) and all of the monies are equally donated to charities of the sponsor's choosing:

Shooting — On Guard Ltd.(Royal Blue), Mount Alvernia;

Golf — Cammell Laird (Stone/ Cream),Alder Hay Children's Hos pital;

Cricket — Wyse Hire Limited(Bot tle Green), GSPCA;

Rounders — Portman Limited (Purple), Special Olympics; Pool — Saccone & Speed Limited (Red), RICC;

Bowling — Ibex Insurance(White), League of Hospital Friends, Following our traditional'Horseracing' night start — you'd better be quick if you want to 'own' a horse — we shall be visiting Estepona to compete our golf and back to the Naafi Ultrabowl for the ten pin; Europe Advance for the clay pigeon shooting; the Europa Oval for the cricket and rounders and up to the FEC in Devil's Tower Road for the pool. A programme will be published shortly. We'll share out the prizes at our 'black tie' dinner night at the Gala Casino, where the photo of this year's winners Golf was taken.

to your dream home

Come to Spain,come to "Las Patmeras' Prices from only 184,451 Euros / £715,282 *

Fantastic NEW residential complex on the Costa del Sol in Santa Margarita. Less than 10 mlnsfrom Gibraltar and 5 mIns from the beach. Attractive setting with pool & gardens. De signed and constructed to a high standard with 10 years con struction guarantee. Project backed by proven British developer. 2 year construction period, (Exchange raw l,f>Eums/l£. Price excludes 7% VAT)

For brochure contact: UA.l. 5,4.PO Box 146. Gibraltar. Tel00 350 74911, Fax:00350 75428. Email:clarasol@gibnet.gi(English speaking staff)

"This year is going to be just as good, everybody is as enthusiastic as ever" I am talking, at the Queensway Club, to Boyd Wood and Dougie Young who have been in Gib 6s since the beginning.

Above: Winning golfers at the Casino

Left: Boyd and Dougie ivith the trophy

the numbers of participants has gone up from the original six to a dozen per sport

Handy Andy Services Limited is a new service offered by Andy Richards for removals and clearancesfrom offices or homes on the Rock and in Spain. Andy will tackle all sorts ofclearances including small demolition zvorks and says he will consider any job. Tel: 44831 Mobile: 54008490forfurther information.

Tyres Galore from Don Neumaticos!

15th September 2003 - 31st May 2004

holes €55 1

Neumaticas, Sierra Bermeja sin, Pueblo Buevo de Guadiaro 1131, iotogrande,is the ideal place to stop to sort outyour tyres before ajourney 9r in an emergency. Run by Peter Fake and his wife Susan, originally .■[ ^m Sussex in the UK, Don Neumaticos has been openfor a year now'^ \nd has many Izappy Gibraltarian customers. They specialise in tyre Repairs, sale oftyres, wheel balancing, 4x4 tyres, high performance low profile types and stock only the top brands. Peter also says he is never knowingly beaten on price!

Latin Spirit at Club La Habana

For drinks poured the Latin way and all the best ofLatin music visit Club La Habana at 1 Reclamation road. This neu'ly refitted club is open Monday to Thursday and Saturday 9pm to late, Friday 5pm to late, where hosts ]immy and Dave reckon they have the hottest bar staffin Gibraltar! Great placefor those with a Latin spirit!

All Change At Charlie's

Charlie's Steak House, Grill & Tavern at Marina Bay has undergone a complete refit and noxv looks more spacious and zvelcoming with its neivly positioned bar and warm colour scheme plus terrace heatersfor cooler winter evenings. There are now several wide screen TVs positioned awayfrom the main dining area and in the summer the terrace bar will be air-conditioned. The menu stays the same with all the favourites including vegetarian dishes, rolls, pastas, salads, toasties and breakfasts, plus the more substantial Charlie's big dish sizzling specials, mixed grills, Charlie Combos and Traditional Sunday Roasts. Groups and parties cateredfor. TellFax:79993 e-mail:george@gibnet.gi

Something 1 learned on the way to looking up something else...

I was discussing his many expe riences on the Rock with ex-Royal Marine John Dodd when he pro duced a humorous little book of songs,limericks and doggeral,en titled Jacksing, which had been compiled by one of his old mates.

Most of the items are related to the sea or to life in the military and most of them are fit only to be sung in the mess or at a rugby party. Some of the 174 songs listed are well known — Colonel Bogey, The Teddy Bear's Picnic, Salome, Happy Wanderer, Drunken Sailor, the Quar termaster's Store — but the lyrics have been altered to suit a some what more depraved audience.

Some of the other titles illustrate the debauched nature of the book — Jake the Necrophiliac, Chinese Maiden's Lament, Beastiality is Best. It's not a book you would be pass ing on to your in-laws or grand children.

The book was put together dur ing years of military service by one Sharkey Ward and published by Upgrog Publishing. In the intro duction Ward wrote:

"During my service in HM Forces I have accumulated a com pilation of various songs. The

songs vary from shanties to mess deck songs; from rugby songs to pub favourites,from barrack room ballads to campaign songs.

"Some of the songs I have not heard for some time which indi cates that they are in danger of be ing forgotten completely as they lose their appeal to the younger servicemen. They therefore need recording before they are lost to posterity.

"The entire collection is subjec tive and I have either heard orsung all of them... I love to sing simply because they are evocative,nostal gic and patriotic."

I think Mr. Ward's book would get a rough reception from the'Po litically Correct' today and would probably end up on the bonfire but 1 do believe, crude or otherwise, the songs have a place in history and like them or not they are worth preserving, if for no other reason than as an indicator of how things once were. (After all Carmina Burana started life as a collection of bawdy tavern songs.]

There is one song dedicated to Gibraltar — Gib Rib Song — and fortunately it is suitable(barely)for publication:

Oh please Daddy won't you take me to Gibraltar

I zvant to see the Rock and the big baboons

I want to go out there at night

I want to see if what I've heard is right

I want to see ifGib Air canfly around the moon.

Chorus:

Eros, Tivoli, Spit Roast and Pulverin

Captain's Cabin, Lotti's Bar and Oliver Twist Horseshoe and Devil's Tower, Chimney Corner after hours

Four in the morning we shall all be sh'ters.

Oh Please Daddy won't you take me down to Main Street

I ivant to spend afortune in theflashy stores

I xoant to buy a postcard ofa pretty Geisha looking neat

And ifyou tip her sidexvays she drops her draxvers

Oh please Daddy xvon't you take me to the Eros

I xoant to see the lady without any clothes

I want to see Henry in his bra and panties

I don't knoxo what they call him but I think he's one ofthose

Ob please Daddy xoon't you take me to the Ape's Den

I xvant to see the Rock Apes large and small

They say that xoe shall leave the Rock

When there's no Rocfc Apes left in slock

I think I'll take a Bren Gun and shoot them all

Be warned,the above is one of the milder tunes.I have no idea if Sharkey Ward is still in business but the address provided in the book is Upgrog Publishing 1990, 37 Portesham Way, Poole, Dorset, BH179HG.

QifflonU

I ^ J VV'hcrc your nical ■ ^ 1

+4 Cornwall '^ I.ane, C.ibrnllar Icl: 47^1 a

OOQ Ov

• Watergardsns ^ Fish 6 Chips

n.i <jMi Curries, Roast Chicken, Kebabs, Pakora, Salads

RESTAURANT TAKEAWAY

jJa/'Sar^O^pe

HHH|& Opp.Queen's Hotel Tel:44380

Open from 10am Monda\'Saturday. Closed Sunday Brc/i/ifnsJ.s • Sundmii'/ifs/Tfn.s/ii's • *

C/nh Sfi'idtcidt• • fidr frCfiips

•5(vr/'ip/• Bi(''yi'r> ♦ Sli'iik t'tc

The Venture Inn Sadie, Heniy &. Michael

Lvnch's Lane fel: 75776.44427

breakfast 4«. lunch snacks available lapas all day

darts Sl video football teain private parlies

honie-cooked lood available front I Dam - I Opm

Homcmude Foud Daily Specials

Big Screen TV live football

Open: lO-midmghi

iFn-S.ii I lam-lam)

restaurant bar guide

turn to pages 64-65 for full restaurant and bar listings

A

"Market Taver/?

Open Sam Mon to Sal, 10am Sun

Serving the best breakfast in town till 3pm Karaoke every Wednesday & Saturday from 9pm till late come and join the great atmosphere

tt>mbvir5Vi Arms

3/Naval Hosjiitii: Rd Te' 78961

Great homemade food great value!

Open MoiC'iv ffidav N)an-. Mi.'in.igh' Sai.rdav Midaav l;j-r Sjrdav M^dUiiv Vi'lm.jni

Sundays'ead't: paoeo. ove' sDecai cijnun

1

Main Street

Open: 7 day.9 - late. Sunday III • late

Homemade Food Daily Specials

Big Screen TV live fuoiball

E QUARTERDECK

QuavMile

"The Red lion"

i-f

FRESHLY COOKED MEALS £2.95

Pig <6 Whisile IJnil IS.Watergardens. Gibraltar Tel: 76167

WEMBLKY BAR

10 South Barrack Ramp. Tel; 78004

• Hot & cold bar snacks

• Function rcxtm

A\At\d2\ui,

♦ BAR RESTAURANT' 3 College Lane, Gibraltar Tel:(Gib)49184

^bEciali^ihd ih fihE faaA

ifoM ^iffgfEht cultures

TAKE-AWAY FOOD ON REQUEST

I was lucky enough recently to find myself in Southern France (on a meet-the-parents trip with my beloved) and even luckier to be in the wine-growing region of Vaucluse, in the town of Carpentras, 13 miles to the east of Avignon.

Carpentras itself is surrounded by the A.O.C. Cotes du Rhone Vil lages such as Rasteau, Baume de Venise, Sablet and Seguret and neighbours the individual A.O.C.'s ofGigondasand Vaqueras.The'ap pellations' here are distinctive be cause of the unique characteristics of the region in general and specific localities, which the French call 'terroir'. Here the soil is clayey or chalky, with little topsoil and the terrain consists mainly of stones, gravel,large pebbles and strata's of rocks. The barren plateaus, called 'garrigues' are wild with herbs, tough little shrubs and pine trees, and the level areas covered with stones and pebbles — perfect for ol ive trees and vines. The climate is of course hot and dry in the sum mer and cold but dry in the winter.

complimented by Syrah(or Shiraz) and Mourvedre(known as Mataro in Spain). Cinsault and Carrignan are two other traditional red grapes, but as the vines die off they tend to be replaced by the more fashionable other three.

Nearly all Southern Rhone reds are blends of varying proportions of these varieties, with 60-90% Grenache, 10-25% Syrah and the rest Mourvedre. Grenache can withstand extreme dryness, even drought, so it is well suited to this environment(and also why it used a lot in Spain, where it is known as Garnacha), but it's serious draw backs are its lack of acidity and tan nin and its susceptibility to oxida tion. That is where Syrah and Mourvedre come in as both are re sistant to oxidation and have excel-

Grenache lends pepper and spice characters to the blend whilst Syrah Is very aromatic and provides structure

with the occasional violent storm. What is unique here and what, ac cording to. the locals, makes the wines different, is the Mistral. This is the bitter wind thatsweeps down from the Alps in winter and funnels down the Rhone valley. The locals say that the vines must suffer to make good wines and they cer tainly do,and so do the locals. The wind chill is unbelievable and the mistral can last from 3 to 7 days or so and every one becomes edgy and tense. Maybe that's what caused Van Gogh to cut off his ear!

As in every French wine region, the Southern Rhone has certain grape varieties that that are best suited to its particular terrior, How ever this is a large area and the terrior varies from site to site,so the southern Rhone has more grape varieties than any other region. As the wine production here is 90% red,3% rose and 2% white, I'll concentrate just on the reds. The primary grape is Grenache,

lent tannin. Thus each 'vigneron' has to raise each vine type carefully and appropriately for the terrior, and combine them effectively, ac cording to his or her style or'cuvee'.

The Grenache lends pepper and spice characters to the blend whilst Syrah is very aro matic and pro vides structure, and Mourvedre gives intense fruit and earthy tones with age ing.The result of all this blending arc wines that can vary enor mously in style even when wine growers have vineyards next to each other and, because of

the complexity these blended wines make excellent food wines, complementing a wide variety of cui sines.

Having said all this, the better Cotes Du Rhone wines are sadly unavailable in Gibraltar, al though I have found a couple of wines from Safeways (Tel: 41114) that are definitely worth a mention.

Firstly Perrin 1999, ' A.C. Cotes du Rhone Villages (£5.24)from the village of Vinsobres. This is a tradi tionally made wine that is crammed with peppery spice and black fruit fla vours. It is unfiltered, which means the wine may throw sediment, which can be offputting but also means that the wine will con tinue to develop rich, complex characters and that's a good thing.

much of the fruit characters as pos sible.

Spicy blackberry flavours from the Grenache abound, with subtle plum and cherry from the Shiraz. This is a youthful, vibrant style great for barbeques when the weather gets warmer!

Staying with Australia there is also still some Rosemount G.S.M 1996 (£11.49, Anglo Hispano, 5-7 Main St Tel: 77210). The grapes for this wine are grown in the Barossa valley, which has similar climatic conditions to the Southern Rhone, and are selected from low yielding old vines, giving concentrated fla vours. The lengthy oak ageing (18 months in American oak barrels) provides well-integrated tannins and toasty flavours. This is a big, robust style, but with an elegance that could be typically French. I know stock of this is fairly limited, so hurry if you want some.

Finally, and from Spain this time, and just arrived in Gibraltar is Secastilla, Vinas del Vero 2001 (£12.95, Sacarellos, Irish Town, Tel: 70625) from Somontano in North ern Spain. This made from a high proportion of Grenache grapes, from vines grown in an cient vineyards. The

^laiacas

The place ^ of

Situafed righi on the water's edge at Marina Bay -"RiniU'Oi; offers you a full a la carte menu and exceptional daily specials

We're open all 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

Next is La Chasse Du Pape 2001, A.C. Cotes du Rhone (£3.96 from Safeways,as above). Although not strictly Chateauneuf du Pape, this little number has all the character at a fraction of the cost. It's not as robust and long-lived as its older cousin, but is round and harmoni ous with hints of spice and vanilla coming from the time the Syrah spent in new oak bar rels, and perfect with Proven cal style casseroles or roasted meat.

Luckily,this combination of grape varieties is not limited to France and there are a number of alternatives that I've found from elsewhere in the world that you can buy in Gib.

Still in Safeways is Jacobs Creek Grenache/Shiraz 2003 (£4.11). This is from Australia, where thankfully the winemakers have now em braced the fine art of blending different grape varieties in the French style. Here each vari ety is vinified separately and great care is taken to retain as

grapes were harvested as late in the year as October, allowing the fruit to reach its full potential ripeness. The resulting wine is rich and com plex, with heady bramble aromas, followed by richly spiced confec tionary flavours and absolutely de licious.The production is very lim ited, so place vour order soon!

Irish Tomi

Traditional Homemade Pub Food including Fish & Chips, Steak & Ale Pie Quiches etc

FULLY AIR-CONDITIONED

FRIENDLY FAMILY ATMOSPHERE

Food Served from: 9.30am-l()pm Mondays to Saturdays, 12am - 10pm Sundays

UChasse Duf^PE'

This is a big, robust style, but with an elegance that could be typically French

restaurants

Biancas Restaurant

6/7 Admiral's Walk, Marina Bay. Tel: 73379 Fax:79061

Popular and pleasant restaurant on (he Quayside at Ma rina Bay with large quayside terrace. Tiy chicken tikka raita, avocado & smoked salmon or fresh carrot & ginger soup to start,followed by barbecued spare ribs, beef viagra,swordfish steak,CajunCeasar salad,kuku nyama pi/.za,or chicken and smoked salmon tagliateile to name but a few for the main course. Crepes, pies, ice cream sundaes etc for des sert. Children's menu, vegetarian dishes, daily specials. Great for all the family.

Open:7 days,9am - late.

Caf6 Solo

Grand Casemates Square. Tel:44449

Modem Italian eatery set in Casemates. Everything from cajun spiced langoustines Caesar salad, or aromatic prawn salad on romainc loaves bound in wild mu,shr<H)m & sherry mayonnaise, to pastas (eg: smoked haddock risotto with mascarpone and basil oil;open ravioli of swiss chard,ba.sil, garlic and potato with parmesan cream sauce) and pizzas (eg;Quatto Stagioni topped with mozzarella,ham,chicken, pepperoni and mushroom).

Claus on the Rock

Queensway Quay. Tel/Fax: 48686

International menu served on the quayside for lunch,aftermxm and dinner. Well worth a visit, especially if you ap preciate good wines and cigars.

Open:l.unch & Dinner. Closed Sundavs.

Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant

11-13 Market Lane. Tel: 77313

Good no fuss Chinese Restaurant oft Main St near Post Of fice serving all the traditional favourites including Spring Rolls, Chicken Satay, Buddha Duck in Black fk-an Sauce, Pork Sweet and Sour,King Prawas with Spring Onion Gin ger Sauce, Shredded Crispy Beef, Special Noodles and Chicken in Black Bean Sauce on a Sizzling Plate.

Open: 12-3,6.30 - midnight every dav-

Marrakech Restaurant

9 Governor's Parade. Tel: 75196

New Moroccan astaurant situated in the quiet square next to the Eliotl Hotel. Lots to try including Bastilla(mixtua* of chicken,spiced eggs and roast nuts wrapped in filo dough, baked and served with powdered sugar and cinnamon), harira (Moroccan lentil and bean soup), various couscus. Grouper fillet Marrakech (spiced and marinated in shermoula sauce and baked, served with saffron rice and sauted seasonal vegetables). Lamb and caramelized apri cots(braised leg of lamb in honey-nutmeg sauce, caramel ized apricots, roasted almonds and sesame seeds), and Sul tan's Kebab Feast (assortment of chicken, beef and lamb kebabs, specially marinated, skewered and grilled, served with saffnm rice and chef's choice vegetables). Open; lOam-3.30,7pm-]]pm last orders.

The Rooftop Restaurant

Eliotl Hotel, Governor's Parade. Tel: 70500

The newly refurbished rooftop mstaurant of the Eliott Ho tel has spectacular views of the Bay on one side for the per fect sunset plus the pool area on the other for relaxing din-

MARRAKECH RESTAURANT

9 Governor's Parade Gibraltar

ing. The international and Mediterranean menu includes starters of tomato and red pepper crostini with mozzarella and peslt> dressing;chicken ceasar salad on coz lettuce with croutons and bacon;and baked goat's cheese with fn.'sh sage wrapped in pancetta, belle pepper glaze. For main courses try the slow roasted lamb in a rich red wine sauce with shal lots on creamed potatoes; pan fried salmon on puy lentils, red pepper reduclion;or breast of duck on egg noodles with sweet Chinese chilli and orange symp. Don't miss the des sertssuch as ba-ad and butter pudding with coftee ice caam or baked Cointreau pancakes with vanilla icecream, Thea* is also an all inclusive special menu for just £18.0(1 includ ing wine. I'arking available for diners.

Open: Monday - Sunday 7.30pm - 10.30pm.

Da Paolo

Marina Bay. Tel: 76799

Da Paolo serves a high standard of altractivolv pasonted international cuisine right on the waterfront at Marina Hay. Try baked leek & wild mushroom tartlet or lobster bisque to start, or for main course, crepe of fish & prawns glazed with hollandaise sauce; baked aubergines filled with ratatouille gratinated with mozzarella; or perhaps the loin of pork baked in cider with cinnamon. Continental/Eng lish breakfa,st, lunch,inc. light meals& baguettes, and full a la carte dinner served. Quayside terraceOpen:from 9,30am. Closed on Sundays.

The Rib Room Restaurant, Rock Hotel. Tel: 7301X1 www.rockholelgibralt3r.com

With stunning views of the bay, the Rib Room is acclaimed for its high standard of service and cuisine. Ultimate venue for intimate dinners, or larger gathering.s, the Rock Hotel rises to the occasion with style and sophistication. Glass of fino and appetiser welcome diners. Summer a la carte and daily house menu fmm £21.95 p/p specially prvpaaxi by the Executive Chef with classical cuisine and a modem in terpretation. Comprehensive wine list.Sunday lunch £14.95 for a welcome Manzanilla,4-courses always includes roast sirloin and some of best Yorkshire puds in town. Sunday newspapers. Relax afterwards to the resident pianist/gui

tarist. Air-conditioning, parking, kid's menu/high chair. Open:7pm-10pm daily. Credit cards: AE, D, E, M, V

Simon's Restaurant

44 Cornwall's Lane. Tel:47515

Excellent food in a sophisticated, intimate atmosphere. Hosts Suzanne and Simon ensure everyone receives per sonal attention. Start with Simon's own pat6 with red on ion jam an^ hot toast, or king prawns thermidor with tai^ ragon mustard, white wine and cheese cream sauce or per haps baked New Zealand mussels with garlic butter and melted camembert. Main courses include kebab of swordfish and king prawns with creamy dill sauce, breast of chicken with mushroom, bacon, rosemarv stuffing and masala sauce, and niast tenderloin of pork wrapped In ba con with apple, sage and calvados sauce. Or try the roast rack of lamb with mint, redcurrant and red wine sauce or the grilled fillet of mero with avocado and prawns. There is something to delight every palate. Fully air-conditioned.

Open:evenings (booking.s recommended)

Thyme Restaurant 5 Cornwall's Lane. Tel: 49199

Mixiem international restaurant serving dishes with a fu sion of British, Mediterranean and Eastern flavours. Try the Seafood Slammers, orange and Lime Caramelised Chicken or Thai Fishcakes. Main menu changed season ally and specials run daily. Everything made on the premises using only the best, fresh ingredients.

Open: Mon - Fri 12.30-3pm, Mon-Sat 7.30pm - 12am.

informal

AI Andalus Bar Restaurant 3 College Lane. Tel:49184

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. Trv the cuus-cous (beef, veggie, chicken or lamb)or the tapas - £1 (eg;Span ish omolette,boiled crab legs,garlic chickea cuttlefish stew).

Open:Sam - late evening. Now serving breakfa.st from Sam.

AI Fresco's 2/3 Casemates Square. Tel: 74195

Good variety of food from breakfasts and fish and chips to toasties, jacket potatoes,entrccote steak and tasty local fare such as calentita, stuffed aubergines, croquettes and spin ach pie. Definately one to try for a taste of Gibraltar!

Open: Monday - Saturday 9am - 7pm

Barbary Ape

Opp.Queen's Hotel. Tel: 44380

Homemade food, breakfast, lunch and dinner, including English breakfast, toasties, club sandwiches, salads, burg ers and fish & chips. Kid's menu. Enclosed terrace, park ing, near cable car.

Open:from 10am Monday - Saturday. Closed Sundays.

The Black Kat Bar - Restaurant

104/106 Irish Town. Tel: 47181 Fax:46645

Fully airconditioned bar-restaurant. All private parties ca tered for including kids' birthday parties-

Buddies Pasta Casa

15 Cannon Lane. Tel:40627

Tast}'Italian specials in pleasant ambience. Large selection of starters from garlic bread to caiamari. Main courses in clude fettucdne de formaggio, spaghetti alia carbonara, ftisilli al s.ilniiuii', .iiui cntrecote al whiskv to name a few. and Ben welcooje

MoRoccan ailTiiKe is Rich and diswicnve. Its cuisine is consideRed by mny culmaRy

Tasty desserts and variety of wines.

Open: Monday - Wednesday lOam - 5pm, Thursday, Fri day and Saturday 10am - 4pin and 7pm - midnight.

Qiarlie's Steak House Grill

Marina Bay. Tel/Fax: 79993

Imm

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 spe cials. Try the special sizzling mixed grill which includes tandoori and garlic chicken breasts, slices of prime fillet, king prawns,sausages, bacon, tomato and peppers. Regu lar theme nights. Quayside terrace.

Open:9am - late every day.

Le Coq D'Or

Unit 9-10 Walergardens. Tel: 43601

Eat-inortake-away at this busy eatery for all the favourites such as fish and chips,pie and chips,sausages,donner and chicken kebab.s, roast chicken, curries, pinchitos, pakoras, salads and Moroccan cakes.

Open:10am - late 7 days a week.

Just A Nibble

1st Fir International Commercial Ctt. Tel; 78052

Fullblown licensed cafeteria serving English ba'akfast, vast range of toa-sties, rolls, and other snacks. Meals include steak and kidney pie, chilli con came,cod and chips,jacket potatoes and burgers/hotdogs. Home cooked daily spe cials. Vegetarian sausages/ burgers/ English breakfast and lasagne. Ideal meeting place.

Open: Monday - Saturday from 9am.

Just Desserts

1st Floor ICC Tel: 48014

Comfortable bright and airy cafe serving vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine from breakfast and lunch to after noon tea. Homemade desserts a speciality. Eat-in or takea way at sensible prices. Outside catering service.

Open:8am - S.SOpm Mondav to Friday.

Munchies Cafe

24 Main Street. TeJ: 43840 Fax: 42390

A great sandwich bar/cafe offering an unusual range of sandwiches on white or granary bread, plus salads, ba guettes,soups,desserts,homemade ice-cream and hot/cold drinks. Business lunches, parties and kids parties also ca tered for (for party and office platters phone or fax order by 5.30pm day before - minium orders for delivery £12).

Open: Moii - Fri 8.30-7, Sat9 - 4, Closed Sun.

Piccadilly Garden Bar/Restaurant

3 Rosia Road. Tel: 75758

Pleasant bar near cable car/Queen's Hotel with lovely ter race for drink.s/meals. Tasty Spanish/English cuisine in cluding fresh seafood, breakfast,churros and hamburgers.

Open;from breakfast to late.

The Real Taste of Cornwall

16 City Mill Lane. Tel: 70737

Real pasties, handmade in Cornwall and baked in Gibral tar, are available from this Pasty Bar and Takeaway located just off Main Street near Mothercare. Go along for a quiet pint or take a pasty home for tea, many flavours available from beef & Stilton to Cheese & Bacon,Steak & Ale to Broc coli, Cheese & Sweetcorn.

Open: 10am - late Monday to Saturday.

The Rock Cafe

2nd floor ICC (next to Health Centre). Tel: 52990

Eat in (or take-away), while you wait for your number to

^tiarUe^

CSrIU & Tauem

Where people meet to eat

a fine and varied lunch menu and a comprehensive a la carte menu that complimenLs both our kitchen and our customers.Everything from toasties to b^atelle and from full Englisli breakfast to Jamaican Pepper Pol.

come up on the Doctor's Digital Appointment Screen on the cafe wall. All day breakfast, toastics, sandwiches, ba guettes, jacket potatoes, scampi & chips, cod & chips, calamarcs, steak & kidney pie, burgers, kiddies menu, homemade apple pie, cakes and pastries — milkshakes, beer, wines,spirits, tea, coffee and soft drinks. Ideal meet ing place, relaxing music.

Open:from Sam, Monday to Friday.

Roy's II Fish and Chips Cafeteria

Opposite the Convent, Main Street. This fish and chip cafeteria and take-away is located di rectly opposite the Governor's residence on Main Street. Traditional fish and chips, burgers,salads and much more.

Open: lOam-lOpm.

Sacarello Coffee Co.

57 Irish Town. Tel: 70625

Converted coffee warehouse, ideal for coffee, homemade cakes with afternoon tea, plus full menu including excel lent salad bar, specials of the day and dishes such as lasa gne,steak and mushroom Guinness pie, hot chicken salad, toasties,club sandwich and baked potatoes. Art exhibitions.

Open:9am - 7.30pm. Closed Sundays.

Smith's Fish & Chips

295 Main Street. Tel: 74254

A traditional British fish and chip shop with tables/sealing available or take-away wropped in newspaper.

Menu: Cod, haddock or plaice in batter, Cornish pasties, mushy peas etc. Also curries, omlettes and burgers.

Open: 11 am - 6pm Monday - Saturday.

Located; Main Street opposite the Convent.

Spinnakers

Marina Bay

Special teas, coffees, sandwiches and toasties. Pick & mix baguettes, cream teas, scones, ice-creams and soft drinks. No smoking inside, large terrace outside.

Open:from 8.30am

Bars / Restaurants marked have their full menus online at www.TheGibrdlLarMagazine.com

Charlies Sizzling Specials with steaks or mixed grills.

We also carry a good selection of wine, spirits and beers.

We're on the harbour wall at the beautiful Marina Bay so book a pleasant table for two or just sit watching tlie world go by while sipping an ice cold beer.

Reserve on Tel/Fax: 79993

No. 2 Admiral's Walk, Marina Bay, Gibraltar E-maii: george@gibnei.gl

We love to cater for groups and parties so why not spend that next special occasion at Charlies?

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.

bars&

All's Well Grand Casemates Square. Tel: 72987

Traditional pub in fashionable Casemates area. Named for the 18th century practice of locking the Gates to the city at night when the guard announced 'All's Well' before hand ing the keys to the watch. All's Wellserves Bass beers, wine and spirits plus pub fare. English breakfast served all day, hot mealssuch 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 expect from a British pub, but with a large terrace. Food 9.30 - 4,6 - 9.15 inc. breakfasts. (Sunday roasts II - 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 good homemade food. Outside tables available.

Open;7 days, 10-iate, food 10 -10.

The Cannon Bar mi 27 Cannon Lane. Tel: 77288

E-mail:janegib@gibnynex.gi

Still owned by Jane after 16 memorable years! Good food all day. 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 catered for.

Open:9.30am to midnight(Fri and Sat to lam). Food served 9.30am to 10pm).

Club La Habana

1 Reclamation Road. Tel:48355

Newest club on the rock promising the best in Latin music and 'we pour drinks the Latin way!" definitely worth try ing for those with the Latin spirit.

Open: Mon - Thurs, and Sal 9pm - late, Friday 5pm - late.

Corks Wine Bar

Irish Town. Tel: 75566

Under the new management of Neil and Gino, Corks is a popular and pleasant wine bar serving an excellent range of hot and cold dishes at lunchtime (12-3pm) with daily specials. Toast, coffee and scones served 9.30-11.30am, af ternoon toasties. English breakfast. Tuesday evening is Curry Night, Thursday evening is Steak night

Open:9:00am - late. Closed Sundays

Duck & Firkin

Building 6,Europort. Tel: 72745

Live football on a giant TV showing all premier league ac tion from Sky Sports plus more. Quiz machines,2 poker machines,2 pool tables. Karaoke on 2nd Saturday in month.

Steak iioa!»

Fish £r Chips Ploughman's Lunch Pastries Apple Pie Spinach Pie Stuffed Aubergines

Food served lOam - 3pm Mon-Sat.

Open:from 10am -midnight (Friday-Sat ualayllam-lam)

The Edinburgh Arms Naval Hospital Road. Tel:78961

When it's hot outside be cool inside! Excellent homemade' food from lOam weekdays, midday weekends. Snacks/ tapas available all day. Take aways available. Sundays re lax with the Sunday papers and special brunch, Sunday roasts from October onwards. Dartboard and children's activities. Monday is prize quiz night.

Open:Mon-Thurs lOam-midnight, Friday & Saturday midday-lam,Sunday midday-midnight.

The Horseshoe

193 Main Street. Tel: 77444

Right in the centre of town, the Horseshoe is a popular. lnis\ 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.

The Market Tavern Waterport/Casemates Gates. Tel: 50800

Serving good food from salads, snacks and full English breakfast (until 3pm)to burgers, toasties, curries, fish and chips, and pie, chips and gravy. P<k)1 table upstairs, l ive music Friday 9pm -late. Karaoke Wed and Sat 9pni- late.

Open:Ham - late Mon - Sat, Sun lOam-late.

Lord Nelson Bar Brasserie

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

E-mail: rcscrvations^lordnelson.gi

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

Menu: try Serrano ham plate with pistachio and roast pep pers,Greek salad -Mediterranean lOicumber,tomato& mixed leaves with black olives and fela cheese, or jacket potato with black pudding sliced and pan fried with a fried egg on top. Daily specials and snacks available. Children eat free on Sunday lunch (with their parents!), senior citizens get tea and coffee at 50p before 12 noon. Live entertainment Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.

Open:from Sam for breakfast until late.

Pickwicks

Governor's Parade. Tel: 76488

Newly refurbished and run by well-known friendly lace, Mandy, this small pub with a large terrace is situated in the new Theatre scjuare away from the traffic and safe for all the famil\. Sometimes there's live music in the summer months. Good food available. Private parties catered for.

Open:from 9.tX)am Mon - late Fridays

Location: turn off Main St at Marks it Spencer.

The Pig and Whistle

Unit 18, Watergardens, Tel: 76167

The Pig and Whistle is a comtortable pleasant pub with pixil table and terrace on the quayside. Big screen TV.

Open: 10-midnight(Fri-Sal ll-lam)

The Quarterdeck Quayside, Block 2 Watergardens. Tel: 50360

Freshly cooked filling meals fix>m a.95 at this friendly little baron the quavside at Watergardens. Happy hours5-7 Mon day - Thursday and 4-0 on Fridays.

The Red Lion Watergardens. Tel: 44392

English pub grub, sandwich bar and take-away service. Steak and ale pie, boozy lasagne, all day breakfast,

^

homemade burgers and Sunday lunches. Open:9am • 10pm. Closed Saturdays.

The Royal Calpe

176 Main Street. Tel: 75890

Comfortable traditional bar close to the Cathedral on Main Street. Beer garden at the rear. Serving good pub food all day including breakfast, omelettes,salads, jackets, toasties and main coursessuch as curry; chilli,lasagne,scampi,burg ers and fish and chips. Kiddies menu available.

Open:9pm-12 Mon • Sat, Sun llam-5pm.

Royal Oak Bar

59c Irish Town. Tel: 71708

Informal pub, popular for its pool table and sports talk. Outd<H>r seating.

Located: Irish Town, parallel to Main St.

The Star Bar

Parliament Lane. Tel: 75924

Reputedly the oldest bar in Gib, the Star Bar opens early for breakfa.st(English or toast and cereal). Lunch/evening menu includes fillet steak, fish and chips and salads. Kids menu 99p. I lomo of Med Golf (10'.';. discount on food for Med Members). Home of Leeds United FCsupportersclub.

Facilities: Outside seating.

Open:from "am every day.

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

The Theatre Inn

Governor's Street Tel: 77172

A comtortable bar liKatcd close to the Eliott Hotel and serv ing a variety of hot and cold tapas, plus bar snacks from lUam - 5pm.

Facilities; terrace seating.

Open:9.3llam - midnight Mon - Sat. Happy hoursl-2, 6-7.

Bars / Restaurants marked have their full menus online at www.TheGibrdlLarMagazine.com

The Three Owls Irish Town

The Three Owls is a traditional bar serving best of English tx-ers. Three separate bars/flcHirs;ground floor—big screen tv, piKil table, poker machines,games machines,bar—open from ll).3()am daily. First floor'Hoots' — 2 match pool ta bles, poker machines, darts board, games machine, bar open from 1pm daily. Second Hoor'Nest' — American pool table, poker machine, games machine, card table, bar open from ?pm daily.

The Three Roses Governor's Street. Tel: 51614

Dermot and Val from Scotland run this bar, known as The Scottish Embassy, serving homemade food (until 6pm). Dartboard and pool fable.

Open:all day. every day.

Toon on the Rock Cornwall's Parade. Tel: 59997

Comfortable bar,and the official home of Newcastle United supporters on the Rock. Three big screen TVs.outside ter race and bar snacks served all the time. Good bar food such as pies with peas, pasties, toasties and burgers, plus the occasional barbecue on the terrace.

Open:10- late 7 days a week.

The Tunnel 8 Casemates Square. Tel; 74946 Tel/Fax: 44878 i.arge bar located in the historic Casemates Square.

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

Facilities:Large terrace, big screen LVs, regular live music.

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

The Venture Inn Lynch's Lane. Tel: 75776

A good central meeting place, this bar serves home-cooked food all day. Terrace seating off Main Street.

Open:from lOain

Located: Main Street near Casemates, opposite the ICC.

The Verandah Bar, The Eliott Hotel

Governor's Pd. Tel;70500 Fax:70243email;eliott@gibneLgi

A sophisticated place to unwind at any time of the day.

Wembley Bar

10 South Barrack Ramp. Tel: 78004

j'opular bar for hot and cold bar snacks, function room,in south district. Fridays lOam for breakfast. Air conditioned.

Open: Dam - midnight Sunday - Thursday. 10am - lam Friday, 11am- lam Saturdays.

YeOlde Rock

John Mackintosh Square. Tel: 71804

Warm friendly pub with lots of military history in the mid dle of town. Flomemade food including specials served by hosts Eaion. and Mollie. Air conditioned, tenace.

Open:from lOam 7 days a week.

acrosstheborder

La Verandah Tel:(956)615998

km 135,Playa Guadiaro, Torreguadiaro, Spain.

Quality international food served in a friendly informal atmosphere. Excellent value. Log fire in winter.

Open: 1.unchcs: Saturday and Sunday only. Dinners; every day except Tuesday. Closed Tuesdays.

Award winning breakfastsfrom 7.30am

Great meals & snacks all day

Evening Steak House menu

Med Golf Clubhouse

Leeds United Gibraltar HQ

Parliament Lane Tel: 75924

BFBS ® different world

Last year British Forces Broadcasting celebrated the 60th Anniversary of its founding in north Africa, at Algiers, amidst Monty's' British Eighth Army. Since that humble beginning in 1943,in two portable vehicles Gladys'(the Studio) and 'Rene'(Engineering), BFBS has grown — through FBN and BFN, into SSVC — now broadcasting to 23 countries with studios in 14 of them.

Gone are the'halcyon'days ofthe romantic far-flung Empire 'on which the sun never set' — Hong Kong,Singapore, Malta — but they still have Germany,Cyprus and Gi braltar amidst the Falklands, Bal kans, Caribbean and the Middle East, including Iraq. BFBS Radio was up and broadcasting from Umm Qasr within ten days of Brit ish forces arriving for the Iraq Op eration.

Aidan Donavan has just com pleted his first year as Station Man ager of BFBS Gibraltar, having served on the Rock during the 80s up at South Barracks House, amongst a staff of twenty — distin guished names such as Brian Ham ilton, Charles Foster and others Charles is now Head of BFBS Ra dio at Chalfont St. Giles (Bucks.), where Alan Clough,another legend from Gib's past, still stalks the cor ridors of HQ,ever popping up on the'mike',although well into retire ment.Aidan has many fond memo ries of the Rock,such as the weekly gastronomic offerings of Peter Wheatley with the special '(Rich ard) Nankeville' ingredient and regular conferences at 'Studio Three' across the road (Wembley Bar). Ah, yes! 1 remember it well.

"In those days, there were two dozen of us up at South Barracks House; nowadays we have just ten down at our Rooke studios, where we are soon to be the first 'com pletely digitised' within the Corpo ration. Rupert Murdoch once said at a US conference 'the future is digital' and so it is proving. BFBS has always been at the forefront of broadcasting innovation.It's a long time since we waited at the airport for inch tape reels. It's satellite now."

"From recent press comments, we are led to believe that over 50% of the local community are listen ing to us and we know that our au dience extends as far as Marbella, and beyond,judging by the calls we receive when something goes wrong".

Four years ago I interviewed Aidan's predecessor Nicky Ness in her'state of the art'studio for'What more could a girl want?' — Nicky is now No. 2 in Cyprus. That stu dio is now bare, awaiting a com pletely digital desk operated to a

BFBS One is the pop music chan nel — a Global Juke Box. Looking at the play list some records feature more regularly than others, as de mand and fashions dictate. There are inserts in the list to accommo date the local input of news and an-

the'Movie Machine',giving screen ings of the top films daily around the Balkans.

"We are now about 80 broadcast presenters recruited over a wide field ofexpertise and receiving a full training programme in the SSVC way.

Forces broadcasting is a unique

reer, after Gibraltar, was as Station Manager at Berlin and closing down our station there, we were in the grand 'Musichalle'- an important,if sad, time.

Broadcasting within BFBS is of ten a lifeline with the troops,not so much when they are in action but during those long periods of inac tivity.

Among the entertainment,we are often called upon to disseminate vital information.Recently we were privileged to broadcast an exclu sive,live interview with Prime min ister Tony Blair."

We had started talking about BFBS 'Wireless for the Blind'. I know you have recently completed another successful campaign.

nouncements. BFBS Two provides a world-wide schedule, whether it is going to bed on the Rock or wak ing up in Belize and, for the first time ever, broadcasting to HM ships. There is also a BFBS Gurkha.

The SSVC's other arms include the two 24- hrTV channels,the CSE live entertainment arm with 140 shows a year, twenty Forces Cin emas,and now — a mobile cinema,

area and BFBS reflects that British sense of humour- you can learn 10 %, but the other 90 % is you. You won't hear a broadcaster say —'Oh, it's Monday. I have to go to work!'

One recent success story is young Nick Steele who arrived on the Rock with his army dad, came into our studios and is now a broadcaster in the Balkans.

One of the highlights of my cainner for 12' at The Convent

"Yes, it is 58 years since Gracie Fields inaugurated the first 'Wire less for the Blind' appeal on Christ mas Day. Radio is an essential con tactfor the blind or partially sighted and down the years many thou sands have benefited from the Ap peal. Gibraltar is no exception and you will remember in the old days the 24 hour phone-ins over New Year's Eve. It has changed since then and now we have a build-up campaign during December and a two-day auction.Last Christmas we raised £23,000 through the massive efforts of a lot of people. The auc tion was supported by many busi ness houses,shops and the public."

I particularly liked the idea of a lady dressed as a gnome who could be hired to follow you around— more if you wanted her to go away.

"A star prize is, of course, the 'Dinner for Twelve'at The Convent, courtesy of the Governor — who provides the food and wines.But it is the staff who give their time and services voluntarily — a marvellous gesture. For the second year run ning Geoff Holt of Ophir Insurance Services, made the highest bid to secure what he knew was'a great evening out'.

Geoff says: "It really was splen did. I've been entertained in many top-class restaurants during my travels, but this tops the lot. Head Steward Colin Charlton and his staff really pull out all the stops. 1 have no problemsin finding friends to join me on the night, all willing to pay their share.I shall be bidding again next year."

Aidan with receptionist Joanne Cartwright, Rowena McCready. Julia May-Brown, Mike Howarth and long-sen/ing engineer J.B'. universal schedule circulated worldwide from Chalfont.

"I've been entertained in many top-class restaurants during my travels, but this tops the lot"

li^t-heartcid look at Gibralta society with "H'

Peter o/Securitif Express

always think that February is a funny old month in many ways because by now Christmas is only a memory (and a painful one at that because it's generally in February when you get your December credit card bill), half people on the Rock seem to be suffering from coughs and colds, and on top of all that it's flip ping cold. In fact if it weren't for St.Valentines day the whole month would be nothing but bad news.

But back to bill paying, at least two of Gib's finest got a very nasty surprise when they eventually got around to bill paying, the first fellow to get a shock was none other than Phil Smith of Smith's chip shop who like the rest of us had a great time on New Year's Eve (in fact he was living it up on the island of Malta) and by midnight I strongly suspect that Phil had had a drink or two. When his mobile phone rang with a call from his son Kevin in the UK(who no doubt was in the same state) the boys must have had quite a chat because when Phil got his tel ephone bill he was charged £40.00 for receiving the call. The other fellow who

Vijay checking out Main Street dropped himself right in it over a bill was none other than the "Laird" of the 3 Roses Dermot, who received a huge telephone bill. Off he marched down Main Street to the Gibtel office all fired up ready for battle, he showed the young lady the bill and started to air his grievances. But the young lady stayed all calm and let him finish then gave him back the bill and said "I'm sorry 1 can't help you this is the Gibtelecom office and your bill is for water and electric. Needless to say Dermot crawled out with a very em barrassed look on his face. Incidentally I bumped into Dermot's wife Val on Main Street recently pushing baby Coleen along in a pram. Coleen was fast asleep and 1 remarked to Val what a good baby she was. "Yes" said Val "she's just like her father just sleeps and eats."

Sports Report

Towards the end of 2003 the really big world sporting event wasthe rugby world cup, and as we all know Eng land were the winners, and as I write these immortal words the Six Nations

Elka of the Gibraltar Tourist Board

Rugby Union Tournament is about to start. But jonny Wilkinson is unable to play in England's opening match against Italy and probably won't figure at all in the tournament and Martin Johnson has retired from international rugby,so will England win without them? Will the sound of "Swing low Sweet Chariot" echo around the Sladio Flamino in Rome? Who knows, perhaps "Sparky"Sparks should get his boots ready just in case he's needed, but that sounds about as far fetched as Orient winning the European Champions Cup. But should a miracle occur and Spar% gets the call he would probably have to decline the offer because he'll be too busy driving around in a car as he has at last done his time and is once again a driver.

Real football fans not just followers of Man Utd or Arsenal. Some of us who sit in front of the box on Saturday after noons anxiously biting our finger nails down following the fortunes of teams like Carlisle, Doncaster Rovers or like me the "Pride of the East End" the mighty Leyton Orient — for us the dream of a play-off place is the best we

& Rebecca ofC^altar, recently married

Ready to help

can hope for. But would you believe it after a very dodgy start to the season the Orient are challenging for such a place,in fact when the Nationwide Div 3 table is shown the Orient are in the top half, what glory.

Racing Crabs?

Sport of a different style is being tried out at the Wembley Bar where Nigel has spent many hours training a stable of live racing crabs.The first race night was a resounding success and Nigel tells me that as soon as the crabs have recovered from the exertion of racing and got their breath back there will be more live crab racing at the Wembley bar. As he was telling me all this it was chucking it down with rain out-side and quite chilly but Nigel was standing there wearing a pair of summer shorts. 1 came away shaking my head and wondering why I was talking to an absolute lunatic who wears summer shorts in the middle of winter and talks about his live crab rac ing stable.

Moroccan Mayhem

In last month's issue 1 told you all

joe ofLewis Stagnetlo about how Toby of the Rock Hotel had entertained the guests over Christmas with a very interesting display of Mo roccan dancing, well it would appear that he's obviously started a trend,be cause in late January Mr.John Harrison of Ibex celebrated his birthday in Tangiers with a group of friends. It must have been a night to remember as the guests wore hippy outfits and there was quite a bit of exotic dancing during the evening. For most of the guests it was just like turning the clock back to yesteryear, I particularly liked Gavin's pink haired look. Incidentally it took just one boat to get everyone to Tangiers but all the next day and quite a few boats to get them all back.

Legging it

1 can only grant one new member ship to the "Bad Leg Club" this month and that honour goes to Marie Smith who I saw on Main street complete with crutches. She was wearing a very brave smile as told me all about her injury and thoroughly deserves the honour. There were a couple of other entries including Martin of PC Rentals

who seen was limping along Main Street with a walking stick. He told me that he had damaged his foot play ing badminton. I can only assume he must be a fast healer as 1 saw him a couple of days later as fit as a fiddle. There was also a limping vetseen but no crutches or walking stick so 1 shall ignore that attempt.

Many Happies

Birthday boys and girls in March include Bev, Chris Bourne, Sandra, John, Val,Anna,Mark,Gary the para medic and last but not least Miss Diane Hamilton, congratulations also to Muriel and Norrie on their wedding anniversary.

Fit to Drop

Keeping fit for 2004 is the big thing for Derek of Netgear and he's invested heavily in all sorts of equipment for body building. The very thought of all that pumping iron tires me out.

Well that's about it for this month, don't forget that it's a public holiday on 8th March. See you on Main Street.

Jessica ofImage Gi

John and Lilian revisit the 70s

FINISHING TOUCHES

TARIK

YsACHT SCENE

Natural History Ct Heritage Park

Admission to the Natural

History and Heritage Park

is between 9.308m and 7pm by tickets lincludes entrance to sites within the Park including St. Michael's Cave, Monkey's Den,Great Siege Tunnels, Military Heritage Centre, 'A City Under Siege' Exhibition and the Moorish Castle).(Facilities closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day,) Adults £7,00 / Chil dren age 5-12 years; £4.00, Children age 4 years and under: free. Vehicles: £1.50, Pri vate vehicles may be restricted at cenain times and it is advisable to take a Rock Tour by taxi/mini bus. The Natural History & Her itage Park can also be reached by Cable Car (leaves from Grand Parade 9.30am-6pm Monday to Sunday, Last cable up: 5.16pm, down: 5,45pm),

Theflora and fauna on the

Upper Rock are considered to be of great conservational value. It's a perfect place for birdwatchers, as migratory species use Gi braltar as the shortest crossing between Eu rope and Africa, but botanists will also be interested to see over 600 species of flow ering plants, including some unique to Gi braltar. Watch out for colourful lizards, the non-venemous Horseshoe Whipsnake, but terflies and pipistrelle bats. Info on the Rock's flora and fauna is found at the Gi braltar Ornithological and Natural History Society's Information Centre at Jews Gate.

St. Michael's Cave: The cave consists of an upper hall with five connecting passages and drops of 40-150ft to a smaller hall. A further succession of chambers, some at 250ft below the entrance, is reached through narrow holes. The Cathedral Cave is open to visitors and is used as an audito rium for concerts and theatre. The cave was prepared as a hospital in WWII, but was never used. While blasting an alterna tive entrance a further series of chambers were discovered ending in a mini lake. These are called Lower St. Michael's Cave and can be visited with a qualified guide.

The Monkeys' Den: There are around 160 monkeys living in the Park and around 30 of these can be seen at the Monkey's Den. Often called apes, they are tail-less Barbary Macaques and the only free living monkeys in Europe, Feeding the monkeys is illegal and carries a fine of £500.

The Great Siege Tunnels: Tunnelling in the Rock began during the Great Siege(17791783) when France and Spain made an all out attempt to recapture the Rock while Britain was busy with the American War of Independence. Governor General Elliot of-

Histot7 Alive

fered a reward to any man who could tell him how to mount a gun on the north face of the Rock. It was a Sgt, Major Ince who suggested tunnelling and there are now over 30 miles of tunnels inside the Rock. Various exhibitions inside the tunnels bring their history to life.

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; The Moorish Castle is actually just part of a Moorish town and castle which was built up during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Penin sula, spearheaded from Gibraltar in TIIAD by Tarik-ibn-Zeyad ("Gibraltar" is a corruption of the Arabic words "Jebel Tarik" - Tank's mountain). The part we see today. The Tower of Homage, dates back to 1333AD, when Abu'l Hassan recaptured the Rock from the Spanish. The tower provides an excellent view point as it did for its Moorish builders centuries ago.

Natural History b Heritage Park Walks:

One walk is recommended (St Michael's Cave through to Charles V Wall) but walk ers should be relatively fit. It is also pleas ant walking along the upper rock roads. Fact Files and brochures are available free from all Tourist Board offices.

Botanical Gardens: Opened in 1816. the Alameda Botanical Gardens fell into disre pair but are currently being restored to their former glory. Visitors can enjoy a stroll be neath 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: 72639774022. Large car park available.

Nelson's Anchorage: Rosia Road 9.30am - 5,15pm Monday to Saturday(last entry at Bprn). Closed on Sunday. Admission; £1.00 (free of charge with Nature Reserve ticket. Tickets for the nature reserve can also be bought at this attraction).

Parson's Lodge: Rosia Road. A narrow limestone outcrop with a labyrinth of un derground tunnels surmounted by an im pressive 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. Adults £1.00 / Children & OAPs 50p.

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

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

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

Visitor Information

Gibraltar Museum Tel: 74289

18/20 Bomb House Lane Open 10am -6pm (Sat. 10am - 2pm). Closed on Sunday. Ad mission: Adults £2.00/Children under 12 years £1.00. Special exhibitions also held at museum premises in Casemates gallery,

Heritage Trust Tel: 42844

Registry Office Tel: 72289

It is possible to get married on the Rock within 48 hours of arrival. A fact taken ad vantage of by stars such as Sean Connery and John Lennon.

Rock Tours by Taxi Tel: 70052

As well as offering normal fares. 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

Gibraltar National Tourist Board, Arundel Court, 179 Strand, London Tel: 0207 836 0777 Fax: 0207 240 6612 E-mail: giblondon@aol.com

John Mackintosh Hall Tel: 75669

Bus Routes

Route2: Caleta Hotel-5 mins past the hour

When Sir Herbert Miles Rd is ready, the bus route will start from Both Worlds. Line Wall Rd, Cable Car, Prince Edward's Rd, St. Bernard's Hosp. 25 mins to the hour back to Caleta Hotel - down Prince Edward's Rd, Main St, Cathedral Sq,W.Churchill Ave,Dev il's Tower Rd. Caleta Hotel Monday - Friday 0830-1700,

Business

Public

Good Friday; Corpus Chrisli.

calls only;

Non-urgent

112

Gibraltar's streets are filled with military pageantry every Saturday morning when the Rock's past is brought alive by a troop of soldiers m 18th century period uniform. The soldiers march from Bomb House Lane at 12 noon to Casemates. At Casemates they carry out a "Ceremony of the Keys"routine and then march back up Main Street to the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned.

Gibraltar Services Police; Emergency N''': ..Tel:(5)5026/(5)3598

Telephone Services

Route 3: Runs between Frontier and Light house, Europa Pt. Calling at points inc. W Churchill Ave, Smith Dorrien Ave, Line Wall Road, passing Museum,Convent,up Europa Rd past Casino, Loreto Convent,Lighthouse, and Caleta Hotel. Mon - Fri 0730 - 1130 (non-stop), 1130 - 1B30 (every 15-20 min) 1830-2130(every 1/2 hour)Saturday 08001000 (every hour) 1000 -1800 (every 1/2 hour)1800 -2130 (every hour)Sunday 1000 - 1400 (every hour) 1400 - 2000 (every 1/2 hour).

passing US and British War Memorials, Mu seum,Cathedral Sq, Convent, Cable Car Sta tion, end of Alameda Estate. Rosia Rd. up Europa Rd,South Barrack Rd, KGV Hosp,St. Joseph's Sch,down S,Pavilion Rd and stops at Rosia PIz, nr 100 Ton Gun. Returns past Police Hq at New Mole House, Cumberland Rd, Rosia Rd,Boyd St, Main St, Cathedral S, down Casemates, Oueensway. up Europort Ave, Safeway Petrol Station, Watergardens, Corral Rd, Devil's Tower Rd and Catalan Bay. Mon - Fri 0730 -2130 (every 15 min. After 1645 every 30 min)Sat 0700 -2100 Su n 1000 -2100.

Route 9: Frontier to Market PI and back, stops at W. Churchill Ave and Glacis Rd. Mon - Fri 0830 -2030 (every 15 min) Sat 08301400 (every 15 min) 1400 - 1700(every 30 mini 1700 -2000 hours(every hour)Sundays (no service).

Route 4: Catalan Bay. Devil's Tower Rd, W. Churchill Ave, Glacis Rd, Queensway, Europort Ave, Safeway Petrol Station, Gib B.Watergardens, Casemates, Line Wall Rd,

S h 54 gibraltarniaga/ine March 2004