The Gibraltar Magazine November 2007

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a turbulent, fast changing world, there's a rock-solid offshore location that is costeffective. well regulated and accessible. And with the unique advantage of being in the European Union. This potent place is Gibraltar.

As a leading law firm, Hassans has steered many clients to the benefits Gibraltar offers, whether they are global corporations or private individuals of means. They find us expert, innovative, commercially-minded and client-focused.

Easy to deal with, too. There may be many miles of ocean between us but we're only a mouse-click away. Visit our website at www.gibraltarlaw.com or email us at info@hassans.gi.

Above all else we offer hospitality and service

Then there's live entertainment at the weekend,and the finest cuisine.

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BespokExecutlve is a search & selection company offering discreet and confidential recruitment services in Gibraltar and other offshore jurisdictions.

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Minister's Portfolios

A general election held in Gibraltar on 11th October resulted in Mr Peter Caruana QC and his Gibraltar Social Democrat party being reelected for a fourth consecutive term. Ministers have now been appointed to the following min istries: Ministry of Enterprise,Development & Technology and Deputy Chief Minister - Joe Holliday; Ministry of the Environment, Traf fic & Transport - E Britto; Ministry of Housing

- Fabian Vinet; Ministry of Family, Youth & Community Affairs - Jaime Netto; Ministry of Health & Civil Protection - Yvette Del Agua; Ministry of Justice - Danny Feetham; Ministry of Employment, Labour & Industrial Rela tions - Luis Montiel; Ministry of Education & Training - Clive Beltran; Ministry of Culture, Heritage, Sport& Leisure - Edwin Reyes; The Chief Minister - Peter Caruana.

Unicef launches its 46th Unlcef Christmas Cards and Gifts Campaign

Over a million Unicef (The United Nations Children's Fund) cards have been sold in the past 45 years and you can help make this year a great one for Unicef as Gibraltar will hopefully reach another goal — £300,000 sent to Unicef from the Rock.

General brochures and corporate cards cata logues have already been sent out,but if you are not on Unicef's mailing list yet, give them a call

on 72868 and they will send one immediately. Unicef stocks a variety of cards and gifts all detailed in the brochure, and available from this year's Convent Christmas Fair to be held on Thursday 29lh Novemer.

To find out more about Urricef's international work protecting children's rights, helping meet basic needs and expanding their opportunities visit www.unicef.org.

Data Protecilon Commissioner Voices Cencerns ever Identity

Theft on Social Networking Sites

Users of social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and Hi5 should consider how much of their personal information is being allowed to appear in the public domain.

Concerns are being voiced by many data protection commissioners and privacy groups about the dangers of ID theft from such sites, in particular, concerns exist about sites where photographs, dates of births and other personal details pertaining to ID theft can be displayed and accessed by registered and even non-registered users of the sites.

In small places like Gibraltar, where personal data can be obtained with far more ease than in larger countries, users of social networking sites may be placing themselves in a dangerous position by allowing much of their personal data to be posted in the public domain. Allowing access to such personal data creates a risk for the user whereby their ID can be stolen and used for the acquisition of false documentation which in turn may be used to obtain loans, credit cards etc.

The Data Protection Commissioner urges users of internet-based social networking sites to ensure that they are aware of the privacy settings pertaining to their user-profiles and in particular be aware of how much of their personal data can be viewed and by whom.

For further information please contact the Data Protection Division of the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority on telephone 74636.

Tel/Fax: +350 52474 Email:8ue@gibresources.com

comes the risks that not every newsettlement will last,that every crop sowed will yield a harvest. But what's the harm in trying?

The financial services industry has certainly matured over the last couple of decades, players have established themselves and are here for the long run. With this comes rules, procedures and the inevitable feeling of being a small cog in a big wheel with little or no innovation left to explore. Yet this bunch of settlers knows how to harvest its crops and can withstand adverse weather with the experience of many years behind it.

So what does the industry need to do make itself more attractive to the new talent ofemployees that are well educated and wanting to make a mark for themselves? Leamfrom the gaming industry.

Firms should adapt their work ing practices to embrace not only new technologies but also meet their employee's expectations.

"Facebook has become the new water-cooler," says another HR professional. "I share more per sonal experiences with my peers on Facebook than I have ever done before. I know what my colleagues have been up to over the weekend, what their causes and beliefs are., and it reminds me of their birth days in time!" Social networking is not just restricted to out of hours log-ons but can be integrated into the working day just like a team meeting. Certainly the debate in the UK recently as to whether or not employees should be allowed to log onto Facebook or MySpace shows a clear divide. I fall on the side of why not?

This article's heading was provided by a fellow HR professional when we were discussing the difficulties faced by the Gibraltar financial services industry in attracting and retaining qualified staff. The biggest threat, we all agreed, was the gaming industry which has seemingly endless pockets to lure our best people away from us and prevent new ones from taking up positions within our industry.

Yet is this the real reason? Why has financial services lost its ap peal? Why is gaming sexy? Let's face it why would a young person want to work in a stuffy office, in a suit and tie wearing uncomfort able shoes when they could turn up to work looking as if they have stumbled out of bed. Trust me I work in a building full of these people and that's how mostofthem

look at the start of their shift!

There is a spirit of the "wildwest" and the early settlers still

prevailing in the gaming sector and that freedom of a new industry does have its appeal. But with it

ButSocial Networking is a double edged sword. There is sometimes too much information available to employers, and potential employ ees should be very wary of sharing their exploits too widely on these sites. As recruitment processes become more and more restricted, employers are turning to unofficial information sources to vet potential employees. So that embarrassing photograph of a new recruit posted on Facebook could prejudice their chances of being offered a job, or make for an interesting interview.

Re-invention or re-engineering is nearly always tainted with connota tions of redundancies, change pro grammes and everything that most of us detest. However, if I were to make one recommendation on how the industry can reshape itself to make itself attractive I would most certainly recommend the Investors in People process as the enabler for this to take place.

We underwent our own trials and

As recruitment processes become more and more restricted,employers are turn ing to unofficial information sources to vetpotentiai employees

tribulations during the process with a couple of staff leaving. However wc experienced few difficulties in attracting new staff. A curious side note here is that for some reason the vast majority of applicants for our vacancies are women (women far outnumber the men in the office). Even more curious is the abnormal amount of left-handers and a dis proportionate number of Scorpios, but 1 digress.

The pilot programme of HP sponsored by the Government of Gibraltar and run by the Business School of the University of Durham provided the FSC with a framework on which its HR practices could be developed using the latest thoughts and practices. Having recently undertaken an 1509001:2000 pro gramme the last thing I thought we needed was another standard to grapple with.

Yet HP has proved itself to be more than a plaque that hangs on our wall. The mere thought processes thatsupported the imple mentation of the standard across the organisation opened up many opportunities that are too numer ous to list in an article like this. All of a sudden the organisation opened itself up, warts and all and what were previou.sly secret domains of power and informa tion suddenly were exposed to all and sundry. Everyone could see what the thought processes were, how decisions were made and god forbid that they were empowered to influence. How liberating for the

organisation at every level. Those who lake decisions can now share the weight of responsibility and those who are affected by these decisions can be responsible for their effect.

Formal communication within the office has also moved from a "push" to a "pull" environment. So rather than receiving e-mails and dictats from above, each em ployee is responsible for process ing their own information from posts on team intranet websites run and managed by each of the teams. These sites contain their business plans, work programmes, documents, links to external sites — anything they want.

A lot of effort also went into en suring that internal processes and learning and development were aligned to the business needs and the organisation's strategy. This was probably our crowning glory in the HP assessment where we are very proud of what we have achieved.

This is not to say that we will not lose staff to other players in the industry or to other industries. In fact, we have designed ourselves precisely to be able to cope with a staff turnover on a regular basis as we are never going to be able to compete on headline salary amounts alone.

What we do offer is a very attrac tive pasture.

Time to update my Facebook Status "David is... happy to have completed another article!"

A lot of money with minimal outlay can be made if you or your company are not Gibraltarresident.

"It's not a get-rich-quick scheme,"Mike Fitzgerald told me, "but with a committed long-term application there is a lot ofearning potential. Some of our affiliates, both corporations and individuals, are making up to £20,000 a month, depending on their experience and input."

Mike and his partner Graham Hampson were telling me about their three-year-old intemet busi ness which they started in Stockport, Greater Manchester in 2001 and which they have moved to Gibraltar's friendlier offshore tax regime due to the enterprise's phenomenal success.

So, what is it? "It's your ownfully-automated dating agency," explained Graham, "all you need is a website and some advertising to bring the customers to it."

That's all? "Yes," Mike con firmed, "the whole system is automatic and managed by us. You don't have any contact with the customers nor do you have to collect any money.Simply generate the customer interest and we pay out half of the income."

Although the idea has been copied in other parts of the world, it was Mike and Graham whocame up with the original concept and then set about designing the soft ware to make it all work with mini mal intervention. The two had be come friends while doing business degrees at Manchester Metropoli tan University."We weren't what YOU would call computer literate, but after a spell in the world of work we both felt we wanted to do something really worthwhile." By chance, thev read a report on e-commerce wfiich predicted that computer dating was one of the big future markets and decided to see if they could make it work.

How much does it cost to be come an affiliate? Presumably something so potentially valuable must come at a premium? But no: "There is no charge at all. You just ask to become an affiliate and we set you up. There are no monthly targets to meet either; if you make money, fine, but if you don't do anything after you've registered then someone else will."

You do need to promote the service by advertising on the inter net or in the press, although spam and other unethical methods are

not allowed. People who respond to your adverts do not have to pay anything initially (which makes it more attractive),but can look at the lists of over one million members, divided into categories such as Christian, Disabled, Forces, Gay, Lesbian, Romance, Age Groups and so on."This gives a better con version rate," said Mike,"as people can narrow their choices down and feel more confident about finding a suitable date."

It is only when the customer decides there is someone he or she would like to contact that they sign up, and it's not expensive. They pay a monthly registration or mem bership fee according to their status and category,starting at about £10 for disabled or unemployed and rising to around £30 for top profes sionals, half of which is automati cally paid to the affiliate.

The affiliate does not have to attend the business in any way, except to advertise, and payments are made automatically to their bank account in their country of residence. A reminder here: because of Dating Central's non resident tax status,they cannot take on companies or dividuals who are resident in Gibraltar except for other tax-exempt companies. But otherwise, everyone is welcome and they won't have to pay any sort of fee or commit themselves in any way to joinup. Dating Cen tral will also provide useful tips on how to promote the business under your own chosen website domain name. At present there are about 6,000 affiliates, of whom just 300 are active, working easily from home or as a bolt-on to their existing businesses.

If you have a non-Gibraltar inter net connection and bank account, you could be earning anything from a good part-time wage up to a very high full-time income simply by placing adverts and .spreading tine message. And there is the bonus of knowing you'd be making a lot of other people happy.

Full information can he obtained from the loebsite,zmno.dating-central. com, email:affiliates^dating-central. com,or hi/ tellfix to Gibraltar 40335 between 9 and 3, Monday to Friday. leading the world from Gibraltar bone-fish.com

Women far outnumlier men in the office. Even more curious is the ahnormai amount of ieft-handers and a disproportionate number of Scorpios...

Our concerns will generally be geared by lifestages, you leave school or university find yourself a job/ you have a boyfriend whom you marry, you purchase or rent a property, you have children, you look after them, you then return to work, pick up your career where you left off, career advancement once you are back in the career lad der. I know,I have been there!

Many of us feel that we're either too young to really want to think about retirement,or that we've left it too late.

The thing is,although the earlier you can start saving for retirement the better, it is almost never too late to start. And women really need to start thinking ahead as soon as possible, because although more of us are earning more than ever before, many more women than men work part-time or take career breaks to bring up children or nurse elderly relatives, which of course means smaller pension pots when we retire.

Here are some chilling facts based on research carried out re cently in the UK I

Research shows more than half of working women are paying nothing into a pension, risking an impoverished retirement unless a husband or partner is providing for them. An in-depth survey into the state of women and their pen sions reveals just how big the gap

is between them and their male counterparts, who are pumping much more into their own retire ment pots. More than two-thirds of women expect to carry on their current lifestyle in retirement, but this would be impossible given how little they are saving for their futures.

Of those women who do save into a pension,the average monthly contribution is a meagre £35 com pared with a much higher £73 for men. A total of 14% of men are paying between £101 and £200 a month into a company or personal pension, but only 5% of women do this. Research found that the average woman worker would like to retire at 58 on a desired an nual pension income of£15,570,but predicts she would have to work for an extra five years to reach that income level.

A single 30-year-old woman wanting to retire at 63on a pension income of£15,570 in today's money would have to increase her average monthly savings from £35 to about £217 — a staggering rise of more

than 600 pc. Despite this seemingly relaxed attitude to pension saving, 39% of women are anxious about their retirement planning.

Those women who are divorced or widowed are understandably more concerned about their fu tures, with 49% of this group worried about how they will cope financially. Over the past 30 years, women have definitely become more financially savvy when it comes to debt and budgeting, but 1 would urge more women to think about preparing themselves for their life after work. A good rule of thumb for women to work out how much they need to start saving into a company or private pension is to contribute, as a percentage of pay, at least half the age at which they start saving for retirement. So someone starting to save at age 20 should be contributing at least 10% of their salary while someone start ing at 30should be putting away at least 15%.

I firmly believe that the above would also apply if the research had been carried out amongst

women in Gibraltar.

What to do and when

The following is intended as a general guide. To find out what is best for you contact an independent fi nancial adviser.

In your 20s

Join your employer's pension scheme if you can. Consider a personal pension if your company does not run a scheme. The earlier you start paying into a pension the better. If you have a personal pension,remember to increase pay ments as your salary increases.

In your 30s

Pay as much into your pension as you can afford within the limits allowed by the company scheme. Do the same if you have a per sonal pension plan. Don't rely on your partner's pension. If you are taking time out to look after your children, remember to think about pensions.

In your 40s

If you are in your employer's scheme try to top up your pension through additional voluntary con tributions,or if you have a personal pension plan, contribute as much as possible.

In your 50s

Start thinking about when you want to retire. You can start draw ing on private pensions from 55, although you will usually get far better value if you hold off. Your pension provider, or an indepen dent financial adviser should be able to give you an assessment of the income that could be derived from your private pension savings.

By the way. If you are getting divorced make sure you know how much your partner has in pensions before agreeing a settlement regard less of ago.

Women make up the majority of pensioners, particularly amongst the most elderly. They also make up the majority of the poorest pensioners. We live significantly longer therefore our pensions have to last longer. For those of us with hubands or partners who are rely ing on their Gibraltar Government Scheme to fund their retirements you need to ask the question what happens to the pension if he dies. I know the answer will be the pen sion dies too.

So if you're a woman concerned about the future, and your finan cial indepedence, or you'd just like to get your retirement plans in order, then come and have an informal chat with me.

European Financial Plam thousands of clients who considering moving to the IBOUlatorv And mmrUtonr«

One thing I know bores many of my friends senseless is pensions. Well, it's not the most interesting subject in the world for anyone be they male or female. Yes, I have male friends as well!

by Trisha Parrel! Cert PS, Senior Pinancial Adviser, European Pinancial Planning Group

Many of usfeel tiiat we're either tee young to really wantto think aheut retirement,or that we've left It tee late

nvestments Pensions

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

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

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

Check out www.efpg.net for more information.

reasonable steps to ensure that employees and other people who attend the workplace are aware of and comply with the relevant data security measures in place.

Registration

It should be noted that under the Act, it is an offence for businesses to process personal data unless they have first registered their data processing operations with the Data Protection Commissioner. Registration is done by completing a form and sending it to the Com missioner.

Rights

It is also equally important for businesses to know what the vari ous rights are of the individuals whose data they are processing and how to deal with requests from people asserting these rights.

The basic rights include, among others, the rights for individuals to have access to the information your business holds about them.If the information is inaccurate, you can be required to correct this. In addition individuals have the right to object to decisions being made about them as a result of the auto mated processing of their informa tion. Breaches of these rights can lead to a complaint being made to the Data Protection Commissioner and can result in legal action being taken against the business.

Ecommerce

Most if not all businesses keep

provisions of the

te, rel

The Data Protection Act

Last summer the Data Protec tion Act 2004 came into force in Gibraltar. The Act was designed to provide rights and freedoms to individuals against businesses and other organisabons processing per sonal data. It also imposed certain responsibilities and obligations on the processors of such data. This article will highlight some of the issues businesses need to be aware of following the introduction of the Act, and serves as a reminder for the need for an effective data protection policy to be formed.

In addition it must be noted that the Act applies to all storage and re tention of data,even if it is written down and kept in a filing cabinet; it is not just information stored on a computer.

The exception to all this is when data is processed purely for per sonal reasons. Then, in such cir-

Principles

However,if your business keeps or processes any information about living people it will need to comply with the eight basic principles of data protection:

Obtain and process the informa tion fairly.

Keep it only for one or more specified and lawful purposes.

Process it only in ways compat ible with the purposes for which it was given to you initially - for example if you say it is to keep your customers up to date with new product information, you cannot then sell their details on to a telemarketer.

Keep it safe and secure - for example, your staff need to be told that that they must keep personal information securely and in accor dance with any security procedures you have established.

Keep it accurate and up-to-date

evant and not excessive.

Ensure that it is adequa some record of their individual customers, and with the use of the internet to conduct on-line transactions, more and more of us are parting with personal informa tion, leaving us exposed to the potential misuse of this information by others.

Retain it no longer than is neces sary for the specified purpose or purposes.

Give a copy of his/her personal data to an individual,on request.

In addition to these basic prin ciples, if you are processing sen sitive personal information an additional obligation of obtaining the individual's explicit consent is imposed.

Sensitive data can be classified as any information relating to a person's racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical belief, trade-union membership, health records or sex life. It also includes the commission or alleged commis sion of any offence,as well as infor mation relating to any proceedings and any sentence handed out.

Staff

In addition to the principles outlined above, the Act imposes a requirement for businesses to take

If your business operates a website or uses forms requiring consumers to part with personal information, a Privacy Statement must be prepared. The Privacy Statement must be attached to the forms and must appear also on the website. It should make clear in plain language,and with appropri ate prominence, precisely what is being consented to.A more in depth analysis of the contents of Privacy Statements will be the subject of a future article.

Checklist

There is a useful checklist put together by the Government of Gibraltar to help businesses and other organisations establish if they are compliant with the various requirements of the Act. It is well worth going through this checklist to see whether your business hasan effective data protection policy,the checklist can be accessed on-line at www.gibraltar.gov.gi

Hassans is able to assist your fJHsiness with the preparation of effective data protection policies as well as training staff as to their obligatim under the Act.

Forfurther information please con tact Stephen Forster or Michael Nahoa, Tel: 79000.

With the ever increasing use of computers in our daily lives and their ability to store and process data, the protection and safeguarding of personal data is becoming increasingly important in today's world. cumstances the

Act do not apply.

Sensitive data can be classified as any information reiating to a person's racial or ethnic origin,religious or philosophical belief,trade-union membership, health records or sex life

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GibEx Moves Ahead

The appointment of European bourse "wizard" Bernhard Sauer as CEOof Gibraltar's planned stock exchange takes GibEx a significant step nearer to fulfillment of the concept first mooted by James Levy QC and Sonja Kohn,chairman of Bank Medici more than three years ago.

Although a string of"unforeseen and unavoidable" events have delayed the establishment of Gi braltar's stock exchange — which was expected to be up and running by the fourth quarter of this year — the £4-miIlion GibEX project has taken on a new urgency with the recent appointment of one of Europe's most experienced stock exchange professionals as its CEO. Negotiations with the European bourse which is to partner GibEx are also at an advanced stage, and the dual-platform exchange is now expected to be fully operative early next summer, Sauer, who is credited with re vamping the Swiss Stock Exchange and bringing a massive improve ment to its fortunes, will be joined by the equally experienced Nick Cheronai as the chief operations officer.

"We have reached agreement,the documents have been finalised,and the board of GibEx has also given it the green light," Daniel Feetham, who has played a major part in the negotiations, explains."All we are waiting for is the final go-ahead from the board of the other ex change whose identity is being kept secret until this is obtained."

At the same time it has emerged that in December last year three major players involved in the development of GibEx joined an International Advisory Board to help develop and present to the Ukrainian Government a 'White Paper' on a development strategy for the Ukrainian Stock Market, prompting speculation that,as well as taking a European partner for its operations,GibEx also could estab lish loose but profitable links with the bourse in what was a member of the old Iron Curtain block.

The Ukrainian advisory board will be chaired by Sonja Kohn, chairman of Bank Medici in Aus tria who, along with Levy was one of the initiators of the GibEx

proposals. She was an advisor to the Vienna Stock Exchange and arranged the links between the Shanghai Stock Exchange and Dubai Financial Market.

As well as Mrs Kohn,two of the other international experts involved in preparing a development strat egy for the Ukranian Stock Market have close links with GibEx. They are Sauer and Richard van den Drijver.Chairman and CEO of Van der Moolen — the fourth largest mar ket maker on the New York Stock Exchange, a founding partner and shareholder of the Chicago Stock Exchange, and a major shareholder of Gibraltar's GibEx.

The delay in establishing the new exchange — its specially designed home in a new city-centre building was completed early this summer — was a last-minute switch from its intended partner Deutscheborse when the German exchange decided that it wanted to bring in Xtra as well, creating two different platforms — one for cash products and the other for derivatives.

The change of a bourse partner ship has not affected the decision by one of Europe's biggestfinancial holding companies to invest in and become a partner of the local exchange. The multi-billion euro Dutch firm,Moolen Holdings, will be an active partner in running GibEX.

"The participation of the Van der Moolen Group means we are definitely on track for the exchange to open next year," I was told."The group's recent move into partner ship in the new Chicago exchange — which is expected soon to rival the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street — will provide synergies which Gibraltar can tap into and is also likely to swell the amount of business to come in GibEX's direction."

An international trading group active in equities, bonds and re lated instruments (such as options

'The participation of the Van dor Mooion Group moans wo are dofinitoiv on track for the exchange to open next year'

and futures) VDM,as the group is known, is listed on both Euronext (where it handles about one fifth of all shares traded) and on the NYSE (where it handles almost 11 per cent of the volume of all stocks dealt, VDM are the fourth largest specialist liquidity provider on the NYSE,and plans to launch similar services on U.S. exchanges as well as in Gibraltar.

In Europe VDM are one of the top three derivatives specialists on Euronext, and act as on-exchange market-makers in fixed income instruments as well as being propri etary traders in Euronext equities. The group also offers professional customers an electronic and voice brokerage on a growing number of exchanges through Online Trader, which was launched last year.

Earlier this year it announced that it would join the Chicago Board Options Exchange — the biggest US market for options on

stocks and stock indices — and two other New York Stock Exchange specialist firms to establish an exchange to trade equity securities next year.

Van der Moolen Holding will have an 18 percent stake in the new market.

The proposed CBOE Stock Ex change will feature the same com bination of screen and floor-based trading that propelled its parent company to the top of the Ameri can stock-options markets. The exchange will seek to trade securi ties listed on the New York Stock Exchange,NASDAQ Stock Market and American Stock Exchange. Fees of the new exchange will be "highly competitive" compared with other markets because the CBOE doesn't need to invest in new technology to run the exchange.

A similar, though smaller, sys tem is likely to be introduced by GibEX.

VDM are the fourth largest specialist liquidity provider on the NYSE,and plans to launch similar services on II.S. exchanges as well as in Gihraitar

Working to protect your future

This year Gibraltar once again expanded the products available within its financial services community.

In January the new Financial Services (Occupational Pensions Institutions) Act came into force. This Act,which broughtinto effect, in Gibraltar,the EU Pensions Fund Directive, provides important new safeguards for people here in oc cupational pension schemes.

Whilst the new Act generally only applies to private schemes with more than one hundred members many schemes here will be covered.

As the regulator appointed un der the Act, we have been tasked with licensing those who manage these pension schemes, we are tasked with putting in place a new regulatory regime to ensure that such things as;

Monies are appropriately in vested;

Members are provided with enough information to make ap propriate decisions;and

The schemes are properly ad ministered.

The new legislation provides members of schemes with a statu tory right to a considerable amount of information. This includes the scheme's annual accounts and the annual reports together with the target level of the retirement benefits.

Members must also receive, annually, brief particulars of the financial situation of the scheme as well as the current level of financ ing of their accrued individual entitlements.

The scheme must also prepare and, at least every three years, review a written statement of investment policy principles. These principles, which are avail able for members, must contain details of:

(a) The investment risk measure ment methods;

(b) The risk management pro-

Marcus Kilhck. Chief Executive Officer.

Gibraltar Firiancial Services Commission

cesses used; and

(c) The strategic asset allocation with respect to the nature and duration of pension liabilities.

The Act also sets out the criteria we must use in deciding whether to issue a licence. We can only do so if we are satisfied that every person who is to be a manager or trustee of the institution is a fit and proper person to hold that posi tion;and in determining whether a person is "fit and proper" we must have regard to probity,competence and soundness of judgement for fulfilling the responsibilities of that position, the diligence with which he is fulfilling or likely to fulfil those responsibilities and previous conduct.

As regulator we also have a number of powers to ensure the scheme is being managed prop erly, this includes access to the statement of investment-policy principles, the annual accounts and the annual reports, and other documents necessary for the pur poses of supervision,

In extreme cases we can sus pend or cancel the licence. We can do this, for example,if any condi tions of the licence or authorisa tion are not complied with or the institution does not have sound administration and accounting procedures. The Act also gives us the power to apply to the Supreme Court for an order freezing the as sets of a scheme.

We can also remove a trustee of a scheme or transfer the powers of an institution or a trustee to someone where the institution or the trustee fails properly to protect the interests of the members.

During market uncertainties a few years ago, many pension schemes fell into deficit. The UK pensions regulator for instance has had 1,292 recovery plans

These rules are required by the Act,to eusure, ameugst other things,that the assets are invested in the best interests of memhers and heneficiarles

submitted to it. The Act expressly addresses this issue by requiring that whilst, in general, schemes must have sufficient and appro priate assets to cover the cost of the pensions they provide; if they don't (for example they are in the process of bringing it out of deficit), we must require the institution to adopt a recovery plan.

This plan must require that the institution sets up a concrete and realisable plan to re-establish the required amount of assets to cover fully the cost of pension provi sion in due time. The plan shall be made available to members or, where applicable, to their repre sentatives and shall be subject to approval by ourselves.

We have already consulted with our stakeholders on the proposed reporting rules and internal control guidance. We will also shortly be consulting on what the invest ment rules of the licensed schemes should be. These rules are required by the Act, to ensure, amongst

other things, that the assets are invested in the best interests of members and beneficiaries and that they are predominantly invested on regulated markets.

Not only does this Act help protect the position of those in occupational schemes here, but, for the first time, enables the pan European management of pen sions. Article 20 of the Directive provides for the opportunity for licensed pension funds to provide cross border services any where in the EU. This could make Gibraltar an attractive hub as the location for the pension funds of international businesses with employees in vari ous EU countries.

As with any regulatory structure, nothing can be guaranteed, but the new Act and the supervisory re gime it establishes creates a sound basis for protection. Combined with the abilty of Gibraltar to grow yet another area of its financial services industry, the new oppor tunities are considerable.

in Gibraltar

Durham Business School has been helping to develop businesses in Gibraltar since 1998, providing Business and Perconal Development for all levels of Management.

We offer open programmes for managers leading to qualifications from the University of Durham and the Chartered Management Institute.

We can also specifically design custom programs to meet the current and future needs of your business.

All our workshops are practical and are designed to have an immediate impact on you and your business. We use Business professionals with up-to-date knowledge of management best practice and theory to deliver our workshops.

This could make Gibraltar an attractive hub asthe lecatien far the pensien lends ef Internatienal businesses with empieyees inyariensEllcenntries

THE GIBRALTAR MARITIME SERVICES HANDBOOK

NFWFnmON FVFRYYFAR

Editor: Dr D. M. Sloma PQ Box 5B5 OihralTar

www.gmsh.gi Tel & Fax (35Q179:^RB.

Maritime Services in Gibraltar

Maritime Legislation in Gibraltar

Doing Business in Gibraltar

A-Z Index of Maritime & Ancillary Services

Well Deserved Retirement

The partners and staff of PricewaterhouseCoopers recently held functions to mark the retirement of Peter Gomez as the senior mes senger of the firm.

Peter joined the firm in 1990 following his first retirement as a senior postman with the Gibraltar Post Office, as it was known at the time.

Despite being a sprightly and fit 75 year old, he has decided to call it a day and has hung up his shoes and messenger bag after working

for over 60 years.

The partners and staff were sorry to see him leave the office for the last time but fully understand his desire to spend some well deserved retirement time with his family.

Peter leaves behind a fully trained messenger team and very fond memories of his 17 years of loyal and dedicated service with the firm. He will be missed by not only the partners and staff but also by the many clients and friends he met on his daily rounds.

Schedule for Hew Telephone Plan

There Is one month remaining before the first change in the introduction of a new Telephone Numbering Plan for Gibraltar. All 5-digit telephone numbers will be extended from 1st December 2007.

THE GIBRALTAR maritime services handbook

The main change will be the in troduction offixed numbers which are 8 digits long; the same length as mobile numbers. All current 5digit numbers will be extended by adding 200 in front of the number, which will make the new customer number easy to remember.

Customers will be able to dial both the existing 5-digit numbers and the new 8-digit numbers, i.e. which include the addition of200in front, from 1st December this year. The changeover will be completed to coincide with the publication of the 200812009 Telephone Directory in September next year.

Key Dates in the Change

1st December 2007 Start of"paral lel running", both old and new numbers may be dialled.

3rd May 2008 Calling Line Iden tification will show new number Directory Inquiries will reflect new numbers. "Parallel rurming" continues.

September 2008 Gibraltar Tele phone Directory published show ing new numbers.

On sale at Bookshops & Newsagents in Gibraltar at £15.00 sterling (€25.00). Airmail order service at £25.00 sterling (€35.00) from GMSH,PC Box 555, Gibraltar. Please make cheques payable to "The Gibraltar Maritime Services Handbook".

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

1st October 2008 End of "paralld running". Only new numbers may be dialled. Callers will get an an nouncement advising of misdialled number.

31st December 2008 End of an nouncement period. Number change completed. Mobile numbers will not change.

Further information is availablt from the GRA's website wvnv.gra.g^

HNWIS,Cat2s.HEPPS & all thatJazz!

income level increased by £10,000 to £60,000 p.a. The same property requirements apply as previously.

Category 3 & 4 Status

Both Category 3 & 4 status have been abolished for new entrants, but existing certificate holders may retain their status until the expiry of their existing certificate, or 30th June 2009- whichever is the later.

As of 1st July 2007 the minimum tax payable increased by £5000 to £15,000 p.a. and by £2500 to £7500 p.a.

New "High Executive Possessing Specialist Skills"(HEPPS)status

This new status replaced the Category 3&4status and is aimed at workers with specialist skills of exceptional economic value to Gibraltar, earning more than £100,000 p.a.

Those familiar with Gibraltar know all too well the importance of the finance centre to the Rock's property market and the recent budget announcement relating to Cat 2, Cat 3 & Cat 4 individuals caused many a tremor amongst Landlords and property investors!

So, what does it mean,and more

importantly will it have any impact on the property market?

Well, now that the dust has settled many property investors and landlords have realised that despite the barrage of announce ments contained in the 2007budget, the majority of which were aimed at enticing voters in forthcoming elec

HAWK MANAGEMENT

tions, the property market remains just as strong as it was prior to.

In summary, these are the changes;

HNWIs & Category 2 Status

With effect from 1st July 2007 the minimum tax payable increased by £4000 to £18,000 p.a. and the taxable

Of most important concern to landlords and investors is the same property requirements apply as did for the defunct Category 3 & 4 status, meaning that it is still a requirement to have an approved abode in Gibraltar.

Please contact us if you would tike any further information or loish to have an informal discussion — Bray Properties, 3 Market Lane Tel: 47777 Fax:47745 or visit: www.brayproperties.coni.

Nick Cruz: INTO

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Company Management,Accounting,Sales Ledger,and Payroll packages

AFRICA

Though previous efforts to forge stronger eco nomic and business links with Gibraltar's nearest African neighbour have had only partial success or have fizzled into failure — as in the case of the air link introduced some five years ago and the 'fast'ferry service which couldn't sail if the sea was choppy or the wind blew more strongly than a gentle zephyr — there now are new profession al opportunities waiting to be grasped, according to local lawyer Nick Cruz.

The changed social and eco nomic climate since Mohammed VI came to the Moroccan throne have not encouraged the expan sion of tourism but have created openings for substantial foreign investment.And Gibraltar, with its close historic and geographic links across the Strait and traditional commercial ties with the North Af rican kingdom,is ideally situated to exploit the potential.

Several Gibraltar companies have explored possible opportuni ties in the newly-modernised and expanding economy. Some three years ago,a senior staff member of what was then BDO Fidecs spent some time in Morocco looking at the prospects of accountancy and other financial services links. And others have dipped their toes into the desert sands but, until recently, with few tangible results.

However,an improved transport infrastructure and its ease of access — thanks to budget airlines—have transformed the desert kingdom into a popular tourist destination for Northern Europeans as well as wealthy Spaniards. And, because land and property in Morocco are substantially cheaper than on the Spanish coasts,there is also a grow ing demand for second holiday or retirement homes,Cruz says.

Cruz who has spent several holidaysin Morocco over the years, first looked at the possibilities of setting up representation seven years ago — but made no progress in spite of what he then saw as its "considerable potential".

"The king has introduced what it actually a good strategic plan to attract foreign investment, and has liberalised laws in a way that should also attract international capital — you can not only invest with few bureaucratic complexi ties to get in one's way, but it is also easy to repatriate profits and gains, thanks to the favourable tax regimes which Mohammed VI has introduced," Cruz says. "And Gibraltar is a perfect launch pad for Morocco — indeed, the governments of both countries are keen on closer mutual cooperation — along with Spain — at this end of the Mediterranean."

Although Cruz's initial explor atory venture was unproductive, his conviction that Morocco was a developing market with great potential remained unshaken and when last year, during talks with a Spanish associate, the possibil ity of setting up a joint SpanishGibraltarian firm to provide legal and similar services to investors or other foreigners planning to have dealingsin Morocco his enthusiasm revived.

As a result Balms & Cruz Mo rocco was formed and set up headquarters in Tangier in Janu ary this year. Already it has begun to stamp its imprint on the local financial and property scene. Both Cruz and his Spanish counterpart Juan Balmaseda de Ahumada are independently members of Balms Group International, an interna tional partnership of independent law firms represented in more than

Several Gibraltar companies have expiered pessibie opportunities in the newiy-modernised and expanding economy

20 countries on four continents.

"In an emerging country like Morocco, there are great commer cial opportunities and by provid ing the wide range of services we do, we can help foreigners to take advantage of these opportunities in safety and without qualm," Cruz explains.

"Our professionals are renowned for their familiarity with the Mo roccan's culture, its traditions and people and its administration," adds a promotional brochure. "(Our professionals] are also re nowned for speaking different languages and for finding the best legal solution in accordance with the clients' objectives."

"Cooperation between our Span ish, British and Moroccan lawyers helps to efficiently combine knowl edge of local issues with the knowhow of professionals from the entire Balms Group international network," Cruz adds.

The new firm considered both Marrakesh and Casablanca as pos-

'ttias

Barristers-at-Law & Acting Solicitors

Est. 1985. The firm combines the varied weaith of personal & collective experience of the practitioners. From its inception, a very personal service has been offered to the Firm's clients. This has underpinned the philosophy which makes Attias & Levy a solid, dependabl&and caring law practice.

sible sites for it headquarters, but eventually opted forTangiers - not only because it is the site of the new super-port which Morocco is build ing and will provide a tremendous fillip for industry and commerce, but "because Tangier has pedigree which includes a history not only of wealthy exiles but of foreign investment".

Cruz reckons he can see a devel opment pattern already emerging... first come the investors, in this case mainly drawn from northern Eu rope — with a lot of Britons and Spaniards as well

"These are followed by the de velopers who currently are drawn mainly from France and Spain," Cruz says. "The next step is for professionals to open offices, the lawyers and accountants... and they will be followed by services like the banks.

"The future really looks tremen dous... and there is room for a lot of Gibraltar firms to cut themselves a slice of the cake."

Nick Cm

"In an emerging country like Morocco,there are great commercial opportunities and by providing the wide range of services we do, we can help foreigners to take advantage of these opportunities"

New Protected Cell Company

The protected cell concept is not new to Gibraltar's burgeoning insurance sector and several years ago Bruno Callaghan suggested that PCCs (protected cell companies) would provide a significant area of growth for our finance centre and eventually might well rival jurisdictions like the Bahamas or even Dublin. streams,assets and liabilities keptseparate from all other cells," he explains.,

Similarly,Penny Hudson has long been a pro tagonist of this type of insurance structure.So it is good to find that she has not only been closely involved in setting up Martello Insurance PCC Ltd which at last has been granted an insurance licence by the Financial Services Commission for all classes of general insurance business

"As a protected cell company, Martello is licensed as an insurer in Gibraltar for all classes of general insurance," Tim Streatfeild-James who with Nigel Feetham of Hassans has been involved in putting together the new company, tells me. "A PCC is a corporate body that is segregated into legally distinct portions,known as the 'core' and underlying 'cells'. Business transacted through a cell is ring-fenced from the activities of other cells, with each cell's revenue

From its Gibraltar base, Martello can write insurance business directly across all EU and EEA countries on a freedom of services basis, Where used for risk retention, a Martello cell is separately capitalised and beneficially owned by its client through issue of preference shares and can then operate as the owner's captive insur ance facitity. Where used solely as a reinsurance fronting facility, the client can "rent" the core capital and need not own the preference shares allocated to its cell.

Though competing with Dublin and Lux embourg,as part of the EU and with insurance legislation which implements all relevant EU directives a Gibraltar licensed insurance com pany can write insurance directly into any EEA country on a freedom of services basis, without requiring any fronting or other intermediary arrangements. This gives Martello — and some of our other insurance firms — a head start over offshore jurisdictions such as the lOM, Jersey & Guernsey.

"Martello offers a complete turnkey captive insurance solution for large and medium size companies," says Feetham. "Us promoters are, we believe, correct in anticipating significant potential demand for Martello's facility across all of Europe and, as professional advisers, we are enjoying working with Martello and Martello's clients".

"Gibraltar is highly regarded as an interna tional finance centre," Streatfeild-James points out. "The FSC is committed to matching UK standards and its regulatory regime has been reviewed favourably by the IMF and the OECD. There is an established, risk based partnership model between the FSC, insurance manag ers and captive stakeholders which has been demonstrated to be responsive, accessible and flexible."

In setting up in Gibraltar Martello was ad vised by Caledonian Insurance Management Services,Penny Hudson's independently owned firm of insurance managers,and Nigel Feetham, a partner at Hassans, the leading law firm on the Rock.

"We have, over several years, noticed a de mand in the market for an independently owned and managed insurance PCC in Gibraltar," Penny Hudson told me."Marlello fills this gap and Caledonian is pleased to have been ap pointed as its insurance manager." And James Tipping, managing director of the Financial Services Centre,added;"Martello was attracted to join us because of the twin advantages of our innovative PCC legislation and our location within the EU."

Martello's PCC structure "brings all the sav ings and other advantages of traditional captive insurance at a much reduced commitment of capital and operating costs, plus some addi tional benefits that are specific to our solution," Tadhg Crowlev, Martello's MD says. "The client does not have the administrative and regula tory burden of running a subsidiary insurance company as all of those matters are taken care of by Martello.

"We anticipate significant demand for Mar tello cells, both from clients wishing to retain risk in a direct writing vehicle and also as a fronting facility for reinsurance captives or for non-EU direct writing captives. We are pleased to have joined Gibraltar's burgeoning insurance sector and look forward to working with our business partners

Tim Streatfeild-James has involved in putting together Martello Insurance PCC Ltd, a new protected cellinsurance company in Gibraltar

Martello:

"There is an established,risk based partnership model between the FSC,Insurance managers and captive stakeholders which has been demonstrated to he responsive,accessible and flexible."

If the answer is no, then have you considered the benefit to an employer and employee from setting one up.

At ECS International we have over 20 years experience in:

• Establishing pension schemes including providing the pension scheme trust deed and scheme rules

• Obtaining the approval of the scheme from the local tax authorities

• Providing Licensed Professional Pension Trustees

• Providing a full Pensions Administration Service through our computerised system, which offers comprehensive membership records combined with an extensive reporting and calculation facility.

Schroders:Banking on the Rock

After ten years of "briefcase banking" in Gibraltar — in which clients are served by managers and advisers based in a different jurisdiction and are visited periodically — Schroders Private Bank last month opened a representative office on the Rock at 24 College Lane.

The new office will be headed by Gibraltar-born Michael Cubin who after schooling here spent several years studying in Israel and who switched from a successful career in IT to banking four years ago.

"Gibraltar has great potential for further growth and we anticipate that in the not too distant future we will establish an even stronger presence," Julian Winser, CEO of Schroders in the Channel Islands, says. Winscr with Nick Bennett

(who for the past ten years has been the Guernsey-based briefcase banker to Gibraltar's wealthy clients of the bank and other inter national clients with financial and other local investment links)visited the Rock early in October to set up the new office.

\"After doing business through Gibraltar for ten years — and with Nick visiting the Rock more and more frequently — for a host of reasons it got to the point where it makes sense to have a representa tive here on a permanent basis," Winser explains. "To an extent in the past our business in Gibraltar has been transactional rather than relationship driven but there are growing opportunities to do more and more annuity business and there has also been a shift in the way that we are perceived.

Pessimists who a decade ago predicted that offshore financial jurisdictions were dying off and had no future were clearly wrong as Gibraltar's growth and strength has proved while the tightening of regulations here has enhanced the Rock's reputation.

"As Financial Services Commis sioner, Marcus Killick has done really well — not only in terms of the regulatory reputation of the jurisdiction but in creating a climate in which accessibility and quicker decisions also play a part," Winser says.

"Another major factor both in Gibraltar's success and in our decision to establish a firmer fcx)thoid here is the high quality of the intermediaries here — the lawyers accountants and financial service providers — with whom we have to work. They compare with those in any otherjurisdictions... not only offshore but in the bigger financial centres of the world. And they have an international capacity and capability which isimportant to our international clients.

"They have all been hugely posi tive in their reaction to our opening here," he added.

Julian Winser, CEO ofSchroden in the Channel islands

Protecting your business

How much is your business worth? One would normally look at the assets, less the liabilities. Perhaps even add on a bit for 'goodwill' or trading potential. If for some reason the business lost these assets, or even had their future trading potential interrupted, suddenly the business is worth somewhat less, perhaps nothing at all.

Imagine that for some reason all of these items on your 'asset list' were taken away and had to be replaced by purchasing them all again. Imagine what the impact would be of, for example, having a fire or a break-in. Overnight the business has possibly lost its assets and can no longer trade effectively. Even If the largest asset is a healthy bank balance,this isjust a target for claims for negligence.

"Stop spreading doom and gloom", I hear you say. Well the good news is that most of these

eventualities can be protected against by using insurance prod ucts. Having adequate protection

of assets and insuring against claims for negligence is just plain good sense, but what is available and how does one go about it? The information below is not designed to be a comprehensive list of all the insurance products available, but does show the more common

Property (including buildings, contents,stock,equipment)

The most obvious insurance is for "property", which actually is notjust the building(and might not even be yours), but also includes your contents, stock, equipment, improvements, etc - pretty much everything that is tangible. What would happen to your business if you were unlucky enough to have a fire, for example? Could you just open the chequebook and replace everything on day two, without a worry? Don't panic, not many businesses are able to do this.

Most standard commercial in surance policies will include cover for property for 'standard perils', for example fire, explosion, storm, flood, escape of water, theft, etc. This is pretty easy to arrange and relatively cheap to buy, but make sure that your "sums insured" are correct.

Business Interruption (consequential loss)

If your business was to suffer a 'standard peril' as above, for ex ample a fire, how long would it take you to be up and running again and how much trading profit would be lost? Cover for the lost profit as a consequence of an insured peril is often available as an optional add-on to a commercial packaged insurance.

Crime Cover

Designed to cater for many criminal exposures faced by every business. As criminals and their methods of defrauding and em bezzling from businesses become ever more sophisticated, this com prehensive package provides vital protection.

Liabilities

As society becomes more liti gious and the public increasingly give serious consideration to the active and frequent pursuit of claims against companies and other individuals, the failure to protect against the consequence of claims for negligence may prove to be disastrous, even for the largest of corporations. The 'blame and claim'culture has certainly reached Gibraltar. Just the costs involved in defending such actions or allega tions can have a serious impact on the profitability of a company, if

Coverfor the lost profit as a consequence of an Insured peril is often available as an optional add-on to a commercial packaged insurance

these exposures are uninsured. Some examples of these expo sures are:

a)Public Liability — for example,a customer walks onto your premises and trips over a cable that you have put there temporarily. Once upon a time, this would just be put down to an accident and taken no further. These days this could actually be quite a substantial claim for negli gence if you can be blamed. Well, do not panic, public liability cover is available either on its own or as part ofa package. This is also pretty easy to arrange and relatively cheap to buy, but do get some help from a good broker.

b)Employers'Liability — a similar situation as above, but this time it is a member of staff rather than the public. Employers' liability cover is also available either on its own or as part of a package and is easy to arrange and relatively cheap to buy.

c) Professional Indemnity (aka Professional Liability or Errors & Omissions Insurance) — to cover your negligence, for example mis takes made by staff, whilst provid ing a professional service to clients. Luckily, not all businesses have this exposure, only those providing professional services. Policies are tailored to meet the specific require ments of the various professions in respect of their liability to other parties for claims that arise out of wrongful acts committed by em ployees whilst providing a profes sional service to clients. This cover is somewhat more complex, so a good broker should be involved. It is also relatively more costly, so your good broker had better do a good job for you.

d) Director's & Officer's Liability — this provides Directors and Of ficers with a personal indemnity against a wide range of potential legal actions which they can face in the course of carrying out their du ties as Directors. Cover would also be provided to the company against related costs and expenses incurred where it is permitted, under its ar ticles of association,to reimburse its Directors and Officers. This cover is also somewhat complex but is not necessarily costly.

Life and Health

If any of your key personnel were to suffer a major health problem or even death,whatimpact would this have on your profitability? Key Person cover is designed to be able to minimise this impact, allowing you to find a replacement and train them, by paying out a lump sum on death (or critical illness)for the benefit of the company.

Conclusion

The cover is available out there to allow you to protect your business. However,there are some complica tions in arranging these covers, so a good broker should be involved. Once you have the correct cover available at a fair premium, just pay it and then you can lessen the worry!!

Capurro Insurance & Invest ments Limited is an insurance intermediary in Gibraltar, autho rised and regulated by the Financial Services Commission. Capurros have been active in the insurance market for over 100 years, offer ing clients a high level of service, which they are proud of and eager to maintain. They offer personal lines and commercial insurances, as well as financial planning advice to private clients and employee benefits for corporate clients.

Capurro

Developing Managers

Since October 1998 Dr Bill Snaith DBA, MSc, BA(Hons), CEng, CITR a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and Member of the British Computer Society, has been working with the Government of Gibraltar to deliver management development programmes to Gibraltar's public and private sector organisations.

Bill is Director of the Manage ment Development Centre at Dur ham Business School, part of the University of Durham. Durham University is said bv young stu dents to be the third choice to Oxford and Cambridge for AAA intake in the UK. The Manage ment Development Centre which has a remit to deliver management development programmes world wide,are working in UK,Gibraltar, Jordan and Australia. Bill and his colleagues visit Gibraltar for some times up to two weeKs in a month, and they are well recognised in Gi braltar's community,especially by those who have attended Durham's programmes.

For the record Bill Snaith was born in Sunderland on Wearside. With a background and educa tion in l.T. he became a Director of British Coal's Management Devel opment College at 29. After five years he became the Commercial Manager of a software company finally becoming a Director at Dur ham University.

1 caught up with Bill during one visit and talked about what he and his team do here, their achieve ments and their aspirations for Gibraltar.

Bill described the history of the relationship with Gibraltar; "Our relationship with Gibraltar began when the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) asked us to visit back in June 1998. We were asked to run a Management Development Programme with a Chartered Man agement Institute accreditation. The.se courses are a year long and offer a lot of practical learning for individuals and their organisation. After three very successful private sector courses the Gibraltar Gov ernment Education and Training Department asked for a similar course to run for senior managers in the civil service. To this end we developed the'Senior Management Programme' for the civil service. As they progressed we then got asked to extend the courses for the middle management in the civil service so specially designed a new course called the 'Professional De velopment Programme'."

1 asked Bill "What areas of Gov-

ernment or what businesses took you up on these courses?"

"Ruth Halsall the HR Director of Victor Chand ler has been very sup portive of the programme from the start and has provided several can didates to these first programmes. Many other companies provided one or two candidates and some

even more such as Bassadone. Also, we have since designed and run specialist courses with the Customs Department,Housing and Building and Works, Gibtelecom, GHA as well as many other private sector businesses. Since 1998 we have delivered eight private sector courses, five public sector senior

management courses and eight middle management Professional Development programmes, all of which offer the highest level quali fications"

"What exactly do these courses consist of?"

"Well everything you might expect in a management course. They are year-long courses match ing business skills with business needs.

"We start with a workshop ex ploring and evaluating participants as people and as managers. We then cover managing people, man aging operations, managing finance and managing marketing. Partici pants also learn aboutcommunica tion, dealing with staff issues, and customer needs and service — we believe making good managers makes for good staff and so good customer service. We deliver these topics in lively interactive work shops where open questioning and debate are encouraged — these are not lectures.

"All the participants — these people are often senior managers having been in business for years — get full course notes, text books, tutorial support in Gibraltar, and e-support access to Durham Uni versity's library and many industry databases. They learn and practice within the workshops then apply this learning in their own organisa tion to develop further what they have learnt."

Why do people already running businesses need management de velopment?

"Learning from experience is valuable but it does not always lead to the 'best way'. Also most successful companies know that we can all learn all of the time and companies who do not learn lose competitiveness. You have to be bold and innovative to gain ad vantage over your competitors. We hope to help businesses understand their customers and employeesand improve what they do.

"The Management Development Centre specialises in 'distance teaching' — we come to you. For participants, this minimises time away from work,they gain top Uni versity qualifications and get our,

»«You have to be bold and Innovailvo to gain advantage over your competitors. We hope to help businesses nnderstand their customers and empioyees and improve what they do**

advice and tutoring locally — this is hugely beneficial and a great advantage over distance learning. It is a hands-on approach making us available to current participants and completed participants who want more advice or develop ment.

"Chris Wilson of the GHA has worked with us to design and deliver a Management Develop ment Programme for their first Ime management. Also, Tim Bristow has worked very closely with us to run a Management Development Programme for directors and senior managers and we are now running the Gibtelecom Development Pro gramme for other staff,

"As well as the GHA and Gibt elecom more organisations and government departments are ask ing about our programmes all the time. Each area has its own unique challenges so more and more companies want to get these accreditations and give their staff recognised quality development and qualifications."

What has been your biggest chal lenge to date?

"Three years ago I was asked by the Government to look at 'Inves tors In People'(IIP)for companies in Gibraltar, but this was not pos sible unless Gibraltar gained ac creditation asan IIPcountry. IlPisa quality accreditation for a company. So, working with the Government for the last two years, we have been running a project to gain Gibraltar accreditation with IIP UK with ten companies involved. Already three companies — Bassadone Motors, the Financial Services Commission and Redwood International — have worked hard to show how good

Gibraltar's companies are, and are the fi rst to gain IIP accreditation as part of this project.

"Our colleague Mandy Serra works with us on IIP to help local businesses achieve this recognised quality status. The project contin ues and we have more companies interested as word spreads in Gibraltar about this opportunity.

I am very proud to have managed this project as it is something for Gibraltar and for the companies involved.

"A further major achievement I'm proud of is my colleague Jane

Walker and I delivered the very first Masters degree in Enterprise Management taught completely in Gibraltar. The participants were public and private sector people and 27 passed the course — nine with distinctions — again an excel lent result for Gibraltar.

"Mr. Ernest Gomez,the Director of Education and Training went to Durham University to see everyone with their cap and gown receiv ing their Masters certificates. Bill Bryson, the author, is Chancellor of Durham University and kindly spent all his time in-between cer-

emonies chatting to the Gibraltar candidates and having photo graphs taken.

"In February this vear, we also launched our first Masters degree course in Leadership and Manage ment for Teachers. 23 are on this fi rst course and a further 23 will start in October.

"We are hoping to offer an other Management Development Programme for the private sector and another Masters in Enterprise Management course for all sectors soon."

You must have seen a lot of changes in your time visiting us?

"Definitely, in the last 10 years Gibraltar has improved economi cally, socially and technologically. Once the business community and society changes, the civil service changes too. We all want better service and to get that we have to have better qualified people.

"The closeness of Gibraltar's people is one of the things 1 love about the place but that closeness also has a negative side. How do you tell a relative that works with you, and who you've known all your life, that they have to change the way they do things or how do you discipline a friend for not do ing what you want at work? It is difficult but it isn't always about confrontation. Our courses help people become better managers of themselves as well as their team and so to perform better together for the organisation's benefit."

Ifyou or your hiishiesf has an interfsf in Bill Snaith's proj^rammes then please contact Durhatn University's Mana^^ement Dei'elopment Centre via email on william.snaith@durham.ac.uk or visit the website www.dur.ac.uk.

In the last10 years Gibraltar has improved economically,socially and technologically.Once the business community and society changes, the civil service changestoo««

Dr John Cortes, Director ot the Gibraltar Botanic Gardens, was interviewed live for 30 minutes on Sunday morning in mid-October. The interview was conducted by Johnnie Amos on BBC Radio Northampton, in the second in stalment of a new weekly series dedicated to Botanic Gardens of the Commonwealth.

John answered questions on the

history, plants and work carried out on the Gardens, as well as on the importance ofa Botanic Garden for Gibraltar, and on the future of the gardens.

The Botanic Garden team was congratulated on its work and in how the Alameda gardens are becoming increasingly known by garden lovers around the world and particularly in tlie UK.

Friends Provident and Resolution Merger

Two of the UK's most promi nent life insurers. Friends Provi dent and Resolution, are plan ning to merge this month creating a firm. Friends Financial, with a market value of £8.6bn. Both companies' EGMs will be held on Monday 5th November 2007, with the expected effective date of the merger set for Thursday 29th November 2007.

Friends Provident and Resolu tion are continuing to prepare for implementation of the merger and discussions have been held with rating agencies. The Boards of both companies believe the merger to be in the best inter ests of the shareholders of each company.

Mike Biggs, Group Chief Ex ecutive of Resolution, said:"The work we have done in recent

months,combined with our track record of delivery,reinforces our confidence in the strong growth and value we expect to create from Friends Financial."

Philip Moore, Chief Executive of Friends Provident,added;"We are looking forward to the suc cessful completion of the merger with Resolution.All the work we have done on the merger over the last couple of months gives us every confidence that the com bination of these two businesses is the right thing to do, because we expect the merger to create significant value opportunities for shareholders and customers from the combination of Friends Provident's product and service expertise. Resolution's cash flow and our broad, combined distri bution capabilities."

Friends Provident Prospectuses Received from UK

Lloyds TSB Registrars (UK) have issued a prospectus with regards to the floating of shares for Friends Provident and infor mation about an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held on 5th November2007 / associated voting.

The Royal Gibraltar Post Of fice received a considerable amount of individually ad

dressed prospectuses as "M" bags via La Poste. Given the size and volume of these items, notification cards are being de livered (commencing Monday 22nd October 2007) for collec tion of the prospectuses at the Parcel Post Depot, Smith Dorrien Avenue.

The RGPO thanks the general public for their cooperation.

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Hassans attend La tinea Forum

Gibraltar as the finance centre serving Spain was the vision expressed by the Mayor of La Linea, Juan Car los Juarez, in his opening speech at a Forum organ ised by the Small Business Federations of La Linea and Gibraltar earlier this year.

Ian Felice of Hassans was invited to deliver a presentation setting out the formalities that a Spanish business would need to comply with in order to set-up in Gibraltar. The Sevilla office of the prestigious law firm Cuatrecasas was invited to give a similar presentation set ting out what a Gibraltar business would need to carry out in order to set-up in Spain.

Hassans' talk focused mainly on the practicalities of setting up a business in Gibraltar — explain ing the differences between setting up as a limited company, as a sole trader and as a partnership and the issues that arise in matters such as employment, tax, property, licens ing and bank accounts.

At a more global level, Hassans' talk focused on how Gibraltar's position as part of the European

Union, and with the dawn of the anticipated tax reforms could re sult in Gibraltar being the natural jurisdiction of choice for Spanish businesses seeking to invest both in the EU in non-EU growing markets such as Morocco or Latin America.

Everyone involved agreed that the Forum had been a good op portunity for businesses on both sides of the frontier to learn about the intrinsically different aspects they would need to consider when setting up in each other's jurisdic tions.

It was generally felt that con ferences such as these helped to dispel myths and generally fill an important void of knowledge in how businesses operate in such geographically close conceptually but different jurisdictions.

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No Battle with Trafalgar...

motor insurance policy includes a courtesy car from our approved repairer if yours needs accident-damage repairs."

I was talking to John Harrison, chairman of the Ibex Insurance group about the companv's citv centre retail division, Trafalgar Insurance Brokers. I learned that whilst all such repairs to local cars are carried out by an approved

Trafalgar Insurance provides all types of personal insurance,including vehicles, homes,holidays,travel, pets, marine and family legal protection

workshop in Estepona, the garage will bring the courtesy car to Gi braltar and take your damaged vehicle back with them. Once repaired, they bring your car back and collect the courtesy car.

1 thought that wasan impressive

Bmma Charrington(Marketing Manager)and Richard HUl(Managing Director) ofIbex — Ibex and the company's Trafalgar Ins^a^e Brokers, fioUcy aniiae before you buy

"Our

piece of service, but John told me thatTrafalgar Insurance,run by Bill Pisani, assisted by underwriter Er nest Reeves and three other mem bers of staff, (all local people) are completely at one with the group's belief in making their customers happy and easing things for them when disaster strikes.

There is a lot to the Ibex group, which has a long personal history of insuring in Gibraltar, and some of John's father's staff from 30 years ago are now working in the organisation.

Trafalgar Insurance provides all types of personal insurance, in cluding vehicles, homes, holidays, travel, pets, marine and family legal protection;and John is proud of the total dedication to good, friendly, efficient service provided by Bill Pisani and his team in dealing with the public.

The commitment to general insurance is helped by the fact that they stick to that side of insurance and have not strayed into such ar eas as life, pensions or investments. They are insurers, not financial advisers

If you have internet access, you don't even need to go to the shop. Ibex have an excellent website where you can obtain a vehicle quotation in just 30 seconds and any other quote in a similar sort of time.Then it is a very simple matter to complete the on-line form and make your payment before printing out the policy.

This raises another important aspect of Trafalgar: many people find it annoying when dealing with other insurers that they don't really know what they are getting until a week or so after paying the premi um. That's when the policy arrives and they find out that there are all sorts of conditions, exclusions and excesses which make the appar ently low price less attractive.

With Ibex and Trafalgar, on the other hand, you can have a look at the policy on-line before you buy, which makes a major differ ence. It also makes a big difference that all their policies are written in Plain English, without any baf fling insider jargon, long convo luted sentences or legalisms such as"whereby and whereas the party

of the third part..."

Ibex Insurance Services Ltd. has a strong background.As the largest insurer of expatriates throughout Iberia, in Spain and Portugal they deal almost exclusively with the expatriate market of resident and non-resident property owners who are able to arrange all oftheir insur ance through the one company.Ibex Group also have offices in Sotogrande including Iberian Expatriate Agencia de Suscripcibn SL who are underwriting agents for a syndicate of Lloyds underwriters.

Like his father,John hasspent all his life in insurance. He started at the age of 16,serving an all-encom passing apprenticeship with War wick Insurance Co Ltd, spending three months in each department in turn. "My original speciality was insuring oil rigs," he told me at the Marina Bay administrative office where some of the group's 60 members of staff work.

He also worked for his father's Gibraltar business J. A. Harrison Brokers Ltd. This company owned the well know Rock Insurance Company, which they later sold to Norwich Union.

John worked in Lloyds ofLondon for several years and spent time in Bermuda managing captive insur ance funds for large companies.

He was a founder member of Gibraltar's Round Table,along with Reggie Valarino and others; and was a local diving instructor, win ning the Underwater Photography Award in the 1970s. "It's now over 45 years since my father started in insurance here," he told me.

The website has the full story and everything you could want to know. Very clear and very easy to use, with nothing missed out, you can go to www.ibexinsure.com and be fully covered in minutes. Or if you prefer the human touch, call in at Trafalgar Insurance Brokers at Suite IC in Centre Plaza, Horse Barrack Lane. They also have their own website where you can get a quick quote and instant cover — www.trafalgardirect.com — and are the only brokers in Gibraltar to provide such a service.

Open from 9 to 5.30, Monday to Friday, the telephone number is 44628, email info@trafalgardirecet.com.

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Corporate Services In Giiiraiiar

Gibraltar's reputation as a well-regulated financial hub from which to transact many types of international business continues to grow around the world. A robust banking, insurance and investment centre, as well as being one of the world's leading offshore gaming jurisdictions, the Rock has taken huge strides in recent years.

Another area where Gibraltar has developed into a market leader is the provision of trust and corpo rate services. In this article we will examine what Gibraltar has to offer in this market,and what to look for when choosing a corporate service provider?

Trusts and companies can be used in many different situations. Some of the most popular reasons for using these "structures" include tax planning,succession issues(e.g. inheritance tax), wealth manage ment, property ownership and,in creasingly, cross-border business.

Tax saving or deferral is usu ally cited as the principal reason. But it should be noted that ever more complex anti-avoidance laws passed by many countries, espe-

cially in the EU, mean that great care should always be taken or the opposite result may be achieved. I always recommend that profes sional advice be obtained from the outset.

Why Gibraltar?

Assuming then that you have legitimate reasons to consider using an offshore structure, why might you choo.se Gibraltar when there

are so many alternatives? After all there are many "offshore" centres (or jurisdictions), from Alderney to Vanuatu,that offer such services. Gibraltar competes with all of those but especially, perhaps, with the other British territories. In Europe, these include the Channel Islands and Isle of Man,while further afield there is Bermuda,the Bahamas,the British Virgin Islands (BVI)andthe Cayman Islands. It is a long list and

the competition is fierce. Why would one choose Gibral tar? There could be many reasons but what follows is my take on why 1 think the Rock performs so well in this area.

First is our fortunate geographi cal location. For many centuries, Gibraltar has been strategically im portant. This is also true in today's round the clock international busi ness network. Europe is halfway between the tiger economies of the Far East and the US. With a Central European Time Zone, Gibraltar is well placed to work with clients from all over the world for at least part of anyone's working day and regardless of where they happoj to be.

Perhaps of more importance <

With a Central European Time Zone, Gibraltar is well placed to work with clients from aii ever the worid for at ieast part of anyone's working day and rogardioss of whore they happen to ho

Intelligent offshore planning is effective, legal and compliant. It can save you money and bring added freedom and security to your affairs.

Since 1987, the Sovereign Group has been designing and implementing fully compliant offshore strategies to meet the specific personal or business needs of our clients, such as tax and estate planning, wealth protection, foreign property ownership or cross-border business.

We can incorporate structures in all jurisdictions, and our worldwide network of offices provides global coverage from a local point of delivery. We also offer a wide range of supporting services including asset management, yacht registration and credit cards.

Intelligent offshore planning can reduce your personal or business expenses. Contact Sovereign and let us put you in the picture.

- Company incorporation and management

- Trusts and trustees

- Personal and corporate tax planning

• Insurance Broker services

- Succession planning

- Offshore banking

• Accounting

- Trade services

• Offshore credit cards

- Property holding structures

- Asset management

- Trademark and intellectual property registration

- Yacht registration

corporate services

is Gibraltar's status within the European Union. We joined the EU in 1973 along with the UK. We are not part of the Customs Union — hence there is no VAT — but EU membership means that Gibraltar firms are able to "passport" their services across the 27countries that make up the EU trading bloc. This is something that is not available in the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

It is often said that, per capita, Gibraltar employs more lawyers than anywhere else in the world. Whilst this may be an exaggeration, it is true that world class law firms are found here. In addition some of the top banks and accountancy firms are represented locally, and more are on the way. Couple this with an active corporate service sec tor and clients can be assured of a professional service no matter how sophisticated their international business requirements. Gibraltar "know your client" rules are very strict, and everyone working with local firms will be required to pro vide full details relating to their background and proposed use of any international structure being considered. However, complete client confidentiality is always assured.

This is not a new phenomenon. From experience, I know that cli ents look to a track record. Some of the firms in Gibraltar have been here for many decades and indeed my own company has been here for twenty years. The experience built up over this time is priceless and shows that locally based firms have been able to withstand and adapt to whatever changes have been wrought on our industry by external bodies such as the EU and OECD.

Electronic communication is in creasingly important in the on-line world in which we live, Gibraltar benefits from a state of the art tele communications network — with out it we could not have built a world-renowned offshore gaming

industry in recent years.

Track record, a well-recognised name and longevity are therefore important. But this is not all. The way a finance centre is regulated is an increasingly significant factor for clients because reputation is allimportant,notjust to them but to all those they are doing business with around the world. Again Gibraltar is second to none in this regard.

The Gibraltar Financial Services Commission has been recognised as first rate by no less an authority than the International Monetary Fund. All financial service com panies must be regulated — in advance of setting up shop — and are regularly monitored. The FSC actively encourages dialogue and the result is a well (but not over)

regulated jurisdiction in which clients from all over the world may put their complete trust.

How to choose a corporate ser vice provider?

So Gibraltar is being considered by a new client because they know it is a well regulated and dynamic jurisdiction. But setting up a cor porate or trust structure requires a local specialist provider and how should you go about selecting the right one?

First of all, you must check that the firm you are considering is licensed by the Gibraltar FSC. This can be done at their website www. fsc.gi. A check on the firm's own website, assuming they have one, will provide some use^l informa tion on services offered. Look for

experience—notonly how long the firm has been established, but the services it can offer and the breadth of knowledge and professional qualifications of its staff.

For many international clients, being able to discuss complex, per sonal affairs in their own language might be important. Most Gibraltar firms will be truly bilingual with staff speaking Spanish as well as English,but many other languages can also be heard on our little rock. You should also always check that the firm has Professional Indemnity Insurance. This will protect you in the unlikely event that something does go wrong.

I have gone into the reasons why Gibraltar is one of the best offshore jurisdictions. But it may well be that, within the corporate or trust structure being considered for your particular situation, companies es tablished in other jurisdictions will be required.You should check then that the service provider you plan to use can also offer these services. An international network is always a good sign and this should be one of the first questions you ask of any potential firm you might consider employing.

Minimising fees and other costs is of course important but 1 sug gest that this should not be your overriding consideration. It's an over-used phrase but"you get what you pay for" is not a bad point to remember.

So in summary,Gibraltar is an ex cellent place in which to place your international business operations. There are a range of firms compet ing here for your business. Welook forward to seeing you here soon!

Ian Le Breton

Managing Director

Sovereign Trust (Gibraltar)Limited

Suite 2B Mansion House, 143 Main Street, Gibraltar

i}ebreton@Soi^ereignGroup.com

www.SovereignGroup.com

Tel: +350 76173

EU memhership means that Gibraltar firms are able to"passport"their services across the 27 countries that make up the EU trading bioc.

This is something that is not avaiiabie in the Cbannei islands or the Isle of Man

An Innocent presumntlonP

by Stephen L ffrench Davis, Barrister

Would it be better if we had a professional class of jurors? Trained in body language, un derstanding the significance of speech patterns and linguistics, they might well achieve appar ently better results. After all the conviction rate in certain areas in English speaking countries in incredibly low — lower than would perhaps be expected, I refer here to crimes against the person — rape, sexual assault,etc.

1 do not believe that this would necessarily assist the development of justice, given that it would further remove the ordinary man from participation in the justice process.

Like most lawyers I have not infrequently heard judges,in cases where there was a conflict of evidence between the police and defence witnesses, inviting the jury to consider what the police witness would have to gain by lying, thereby "putting his career on the line", or some such phrase. And frequently there appears to be this assumption on the part of the magistrature that "there is no smoke without fire" and that an accused person is charged with reason. That this is not always the case is evident in cases where a long period of detention in custody or remand on bail — or both — is followed by a withdrawal of charges without any explanation to the formerly accused person as to why he has been put through all of this.

It is right that in a society that espouses the presumption of innocence that not only should there be redress for persons"unlawfully arrested or detained"(article 3(5)Gibraltar Constitution Order)but also for those who are charged when there is insufficient evidence to found a reason able belief in the guilt of the accused.

"Honouring the presumption of innocence Is often difficult; sometimes we must pay substantial social costs as a result of our commitment to the values we espouse. But at the end of the day the presumption of innocence protects the innocent; the shortcuts we take with those whom we believe to be guilty only injure those who are wrongfully accused and ultimately ourselves."

— Mr. Justice Thurgood Marshall in U.S. v. Salerno 481 U.S. 697

It is often said that the presumption of inno cence is the"golden thread" that permeates the criminal law. In order to give effect to it we have an elaborate edifice composed of procedural safeguards — such as the right to silence, the right to an attorney,the whole system of adver sarial justice. However, underlying the modem criminal justice system there is a safeguard which is found in the European Convention on Human Rights and in the United Kingdom, in the Human Rights Act. The embodiment of the presumption of legality in criminal matters is that in the investigation of criminal conduct the agents of law enforcement will not themselves break the law.

When it comes to all but summary offences (sometimes referred to as "minor crimes") the individual has the safeguard of a jury of his peers. In Gibraltar that means nine ordinary citizens (except on a charge of murder or a capital charge, when the number is twelve)who will not include practising lawyers among their number, by reason of the fact that lawyers are exempt from jury duty under section 20 of the Supreme Court Act.

But to be a juror is by definition an amateur role.Jurors are not elected or appointed to office, butselected for a short period or the duration of the trial in which they are involved. They are drawn from the community at large — subject to certain fairly easily understood disqualifica tions. Their collective level of ability to distin guish between truth and fabrication is unlikely to be markedly different from the average. Nor is their aptitude for bias. For this reason pros ecution and defence have each limited rights to exclude jurors during jury selection. There are those who hold that jury selection is amongst the principal skills required of the criminal advocate.

If after a lengthy remand in custody or on bail the prosecution elects to withdraw the charges against an accused person, the question must logically arise, why was he ever charged in the first place?

If we are conditioned to accept that we shall each of us have to meet the standard enshrined in the famous "neighbour principle" of Lord Atkin,that we owe a duty of care to any person so immediately within our contemplation that we ought to bear his interests in mind when acting or refraining to act, then what sort of a society do we create when we allow the very agents of law enforcement to adhere to any lesser standard?

There are those Who hold thatjury selection

Is amongstthe principal skills required of the criminal advocate

Stephen L. ffreneh Dams, BarnsteratLawtm

Take the meney- a or epenihe bellies'

Returns on investment in wine can be spectacular, but not in the short term. You are looking at 10 years minimum, possibly longer. And, as with investment in the stock market,there is no guarantee of a gain. But with careful choice, a trusted cellar and some patience you will be rewarded. If the wine has not increased in value as much as you had hoped, it is still there for you to drink and, unless you have been very unlucky — or cho sen very badly — it will be worth drinking. There is not much you can do with shares bought on the market which have not increased in value except frame the share certificate.

There are various methods of investment available. The simplest is to get on to a wine merchant(by telephone or internet), order the wine you want, pay for it and the merchant will keep it for you (in bond) for a small fee each year. When you want to sell, you tell the merchant and he will sell it — with a commission,ofcourse. You never see the wine, but it is there;and you could have it shipped over if you decide not to sell. Berrv Bros & Rudd of London,Avery's of Bristol and Adnam's of Southwold all of fer this service, as do many others. Any return on the investment is not guaranteed and you pay the fees regardless of the (notional) value. But their advice,at any rate for a newcomer and even for an experienced investor, will usuallv be worth the fees. It is exactly the same as using a financial adviser when investing in the stock mar ket except that you still have the wine and not just a certificate. The wine will also be carefully kept in a proper cellar and you do not need to worry about it.

Alternatively, you can buy it — probably through a merchant — and keep it yourself. This re quires a proper cellar, away from daylight in a lowish and fairly con stant temperature. This is not easy to achieve in Gibraltar although Anglo-Hispano may be prepared to rent out a bit of space in Sandpits Vaults. But if you have access to some (preferably underground) storage area — the Dudley Ward tunnel springs to mind until it is reopened — then you can have the

pleasure of watching your wine mature, turning the bottles every now and then, while it increases in value. This method has the disad vantages that you have to pay the duty on the wine immediately on purchase, and also creates tempta

tion in your path as you may want to try a bottle every now and then to see how it is getting on. Before you know it the wine will have disappeared, but you will have enjoyed your investment.

Thirdly, you can deal direct

with the grower. This is likely to be cheaper than going through a merchant but you will not get the benefit of any advice (except from the grower himself who is of course keen to sell). So you must trust your own nose. Once again, you can keep it yourself with those advantages and disadvantages outlined above, or some grow ers (especially in Bordeaux and Burgundy) will offer to keep it for you — for a fee. It is possible to do this over the telephone,or even the internet, but nothing actually beats going to see the grower in person and building up a relationship with him. You can combine it with a short holiday touring the area, and perhaps discovering another grower who has an undiscovered delight. And the initial cost of the holiday will eventually be offset by the profit on the wine.

Then comes the essential ques tion: having decided which method of investment to use, what do you Invest in? The greatest returns arc likely with the big names of Bor deaux and Burgundy—a grand cru or premiere cru classe — but these will also involve the greatest initial outlay. Look out for something lesser. A Sancerre from the Loire (or Pouilly fume) will improve no end and probably show a higher percentage return. A Ribera del Duero, bought relatively young even after cask storage before bot tling, will also improve. Finally, do not forget port. It must, of course, be a vintage-declared year and the outlay will still be quite high, but your newly-christened Godson will bless you a thousand times over in twenty years' time, whether he drinks it or sells it.

As all those tedious financial advertisements are obliged to say: 'The value of your investment may go down as well as up'. But this investment depends on your own nose and expertise and not on some sharp-suited youth persuading you that Acme Industries pic are bound to double their share price within a year—and then getting you to sign the disclaimer. Have a look round, take advice,taste and trust yourself. It is much more fun than wearily opening the financial pages to see that the price of Acme Industries pic has gone down yet again.

A difficult choice. It usually depends on what you have bought in the first place.

Before you know it the wine will have disappeared,hnt yon will have enjoyed yenr Investment

European Financial Planning Group to take over Quest Life insurance anii Pensions dusiness

Quest Financial Services Limited, which began to develop a life insurance book of busi ness in June 2005, has announced a strategic alliance with EFPG with regards to the provision of advice on its clients' life insurance, pensions and investment needs.

Steve Quinn, CEO of Quest Group said "this action makes a lot of sense as it enables us to con centrate on our core business of Insurance Managementand Fund Administration. It also makes a lot of sense for our clients, whose interests will always be our first consideration,as EFPC are, in our opinion, the leading providers of financial planning advice cur rently operating in Gibraltar."

Tom Fraser, CEO of EFPG com mented "We see this very much as a joint enterprise. It is our inten tion to have an EFPG Financial Adviser based at Quest's premises in Main Street, which is an ar rangement that has worked very successfully with the Newcastle Building Society. From the clients' perspective, the transfer will be seamless. It is our intention to contact all the clients' whose poli cies are being transferred within the next couple of weeks."

Steve Quinn added, "Quest's other business lines will benefit from the additional management

time made available, enabling a relaunch of its general insur ance offerings. The two other companies in the Quest Group, Quest Insurance Management (Gibraltar) Limited and Quest

Fund Administration Limited, have seen continued success over the last few months with consider able and significant opportunities expected to reach a conclusion very soon. This will result in a

number of nevs insurance compa nies being established in Ciibraltar in the next few months,as well as several new Experienced Investor Funds, all of which require addi tional resources locally.

Questfor"Unique Giebai Preducf

by Peter Schirmer

A new Gibraltar-based Insurance company with a "unique global product" is to be managed by the Quest Group the management and broking business set up In July three years ago by Steve Qulnn and Chris Wawn and which has grown from a small two-office operation to a major player and the only Insurance operator with an office on Main Street.

"There are big opportunities in Gibraltar in both fund and insurance management," Quinn told Gibraltar Maj^azwe."And we intend to grasp both. The insur ance company which is coming on stream — we're just waiting for final FSC approval — will offer a product which is not only a world first, but which has the enthusiastic support of the British

Government... Something vitally exciting for Gibraltar and for the insurance market as a whole. It has evoked massive interest includ-

There are big opportunities In Gibraltar in botb fund and insurance managemenf

ing approaches from companies which are household names in Britain and Gibraltar."

Last year Quest established a fund managementarm and this is also growing apace, Wawn says.

"As this and other aspects of group's activities have grown stronger we have had to look at our energies and decide where they should best be placed."

THE GIBRALTAR FINANCIAL SERVICES HANDBOOK

Editor: Dr D. M.Sloma

PC Box 555, Gibraltar

www.gfsh.gi Tel & Fax (350)79385.

Information on the Rock's off-shore advantages in Taxation, Law, Banking, Company & Trust Formation, Insurance, Business, Property and Financial Services. Comprehensive A-Z Index for the visiting professional or businessman and the discerning investor.

Detailed appendices on relevant Gibraltar Government legislation.

240 pages providing a practical guide to doing business and working in Gibraltar.

Dreamflight Sponsors Needed

As a British Airways longhaul stewardess Sarah Merkell is involved with Dreamflight, a registered UK charity the purpose of which is to send seriously ill and disabled children on their 'Holiday of a Lifetime' to the theme parks in central Florida. It is impossible to describe what the trip means to children with such disadvantaged lives.

The children who benefit from Dreamflight live in the UK and British Overseas Territories. With the blessing of the founder of Dreamflight, Patricia Pearce MBE, Sarah has permission to raise awareness in Gibraltar. She would like to make a dream come true for two special children who live on the Rock.

he GIBRALTAR INANCIAL SERVICES handbook

All the children are aged 8-14 and are seriously ill or in remission. CPs and carers in Gibraltar are invited to nominate children who they feel will benefit from Dream flight. Naturally, there are more nominations than places therefore the charity's Medical Director, a pediatric consultant, ultimately decides who will be offered a place on the trip. The two children from Gibraltar will be selected in April 2008, assuming funds are raised locally to cover their cost. Then in October 2008, they will fly to the UK with their medical escort, joining 190 other children and an

experienced team of volunteers.

The lifeblood of Dreamflight is the army of fund-raisers, for with out these people the trip would just not be possible. The costs are considerable,including the charter of a Boeing 747, accommodation in London prior to the trip, hotels in Orlando,transport to and from the theme parks daily and, of course, the entry fees for over 300 people! Although many suppliersoffer gen erous discounts,it still costs at least £3,000 per child or around £600,000 for the complete trip.

There arc many ways to help; the simplest way is to donate via the fundraising website: www.justgiving.com /dreamflightgibraltar. Cheques payable to Dreamflight, can be sent to Dreamflight,PO Box 561, Suite 6/606 Icom House, 1/5 Irish Town, Gibraltar.

For more information visit www. dreamflight.org or email: office® dreamflight.org (quoting Dream flight Gibraltar).

On sale at bookshops and newsagents in Gibraltar at £15.00 (€25.00). Worldwide airmail order service at £25.00 sterling (€35.00) or equivalent from GFSH, PO Box 555, Gibraltar. Please make cheques or money orders payable to "The Gibraltar Financial Services Handbook".

imnisH

Warners on the Rock

On the Rock since October 2006, Warners is a mechanical and electrical company established in the UK in 1845 with a turnover in excess of £10m.

The company has a wealth of experience in every area of me chanical and electrical services — from heating and ventilation, air conditioning, piped gas, hot and cold water and compressed air to industrial pipework, control and lighting installations,electrical mains distribution, general power, emergency lighting,fire alarms,se curity and standby power systems, testing and maintenance. All this experience it brings to its Gibraltar operation.

Warners M&E (Gibraltar) Lim ited provides a complete and professional service for all building systems. The company's expertise in specialist services, managed by trained and qualified staff,ensures that customer needs are always

met — from conceptual design to installation, through to the planned and preventative maintenance of services.

Michael Harvey, who has been on the Rock for 5 years, took over as Warners Gibraltar's Operations Manager in January this year. The Gibraltar team he heads has been working hard on electrical services at the New Harbours car park and the Sand Pits Tennis Club, as well as undertaking other mechanical and engineering projects such as Cumberland Terraces and Nelson's View. Currently they are looking at the market potential of the new Airport Terminal and Hotel.

Warners M&E(Gibraltar)Limited, Suite 19, 1st Floor, Wafergardens 6, Gibraltar. Tel: 48774 Fax:45249.

The company's expertise in specialist services, managed by trained and qualllled stall,ensures that customer needs are always met

Trico's — from humble beginnings:

How Does My Business GrowP

They are a quiet family, quietly getting on with their printing business — a business that's been around for well over 50 years. Charles G.Trico (Printers) Ltd are tucked away,out of the limelight in Devil's Tower Road, getting on with what their really good at... "quality printing".

import duty on raw materials and again, the 'Spanish' dimension, — Spanish printers come over to offer their services — they are very proud of their work and although you may pay a little more,service is guaranteed and the quality is there for all to see.

"So what kind of work do you do?" I asked. Charles senior was quick on the mark and showed me some of the government work which does come their way from time to time; really professional book binding of the register of Gibraltarians and repairing and binding of local newspapers.

"We've also printed Gonzalo Arias's book on the Gibraltarians, (he's the guy that jumped over the frontier gates once or twice)."

1 always remember Trico being and better printing machines,guil lotines, offset machines, darkroom cameras and much more.

the printers that instantly came to mind,and still does, when thinking or chatting about these things. Not surprising, 1 suppose, given the many years they've been around,

Charles senior recalls it all started as a hobby, way back in 1952.

"I used to read a lot and I started printing letterheads and things like that in a bedroom in Witham's Road,"

Before that Charles had qualified as a mechanic during the war. He spent five years in the UK work ing in aircraft production in the ministry's engineering department. He returned to Gib fully trained — something that must have come in handy later in his chosen busi ness, when dealing with failing printing equipment.

As with most business ideas it started on a modest footing and slowly made its way up the 'busi ness ladder.' So when Trico was ready to launch sometime later, they set up shop in Rodger's Road (where Wellington Stores used to be).

"There we started selling statio nery in the front of the shop and had our printing equipment in the back. It was all quite basic com pared to today's operation, We had a hand-fed Adana machine which required all the necessary sets of type and accompanying tools,"

As business increased,so did the acquisition of equipment — more

During this time there seemed to be quite a bit of competition. Beanland Malin was another of the local printers around at the time. Then there was Belloti, L. Calderon and all the newspapers of the day — El Calpcnse. El Anunciador, Vo.v and of course the Chronicle — whose printing equipment was there, ready, willing and able to take on whatever jobs came their way. Charlessenior remembers working 80 hours a week, because of the workload. "1 remember we nearly got the 'lottery' job, but in the end it went to the Chrotiiclc."

It was 1962 when Charles ju nior, or Charlie came on board at Trico's.

"It more or less coincided with my being called up to do military service," Charlie tells me. "It was not easy,I can tell you. We had four employees at that time, had moved to South Barrack Road and with my military duties and printing responsibilities, it was hard!"

By 1972,they'd moved to Devil's Tower Road, where Edding's Mo torcycle shop used to be.

When the frontier closed in 1969, many of the other printing works closed down, including Beanland, but Trico soldiered on, and were able to expand despite the fact that the Chronicle had something of a monopoly on Government work. But the firm was doing well.

"We had 15 employees then and bought more equipment."

Louis Francis's garage and com pound(remember The Green Line) premises further along Devil's Tow er Road came on the market."We had to buy the whole plot and build flats as well as our printing works if we wanted to move there. That was the deal. We went for it and this is where we are today, with Carltree House (a play on words of Carlos Trico)situated above us. We got it for about £25,000 or £30,000!"

Today, competition is tough ag*ain, with most of their com petitors printing in Spain at cheaper rates. "In the early '90s we had Caxxon, Easiprint, 123 and Gibsport. Some of those are still around today," Charles explains.

I can see that Trico Printers con sider their product to be second to none. All of their work is done locally and despite having to pay

They also print personalised calendars with family photographs and so on. Orders come in from wholesalers, commercial compa nies, banks and builders, "And of course, just recently we've been printing posters and ballot pafjers for the election."

The business also includes the stationery shop in the front of the building. Enough to be getting on with, you might think. But no, the Tricos also branched out into selling top quality British office furniture in the '90s and they're still at it, Charles, Frances, Peter, Anna, Lee and Joseph are busy getting on with the business of being printers and it doesn't look as if they're giving up. Hard work is not something this family withdraws from. They are already thinking about how to tackle a problem that may come their way sooner rather than later — when Devil's Tower Road becomes a dual carriage way, potential customers will not be able to simply park outside and'pop in,' I'm told. Brains are already busy, trying to come up with a solution. Free deliveries for some orders could be an answer. One of the family members voiced the'wishful thinking'opinion that the workson the roads may never happen!

I'm sure that those would-be clients wanting to buy the sharp ener or note pad of their choice will find a way, but it is something for them to think about. However,for the time being, down at Trico's it's business as usual.

Charles Trice sar supenrising the arrival of new equipment for the printing works

Orders come in from wholesalers,commercial companies,banks and builders.'And of course, just recently we've been printing posters and ballot papersfor the election."

Aromatherapy:

On the Right Scent

Aromatherapy,the use of essential oils from plants, is certainly not new, although we hear far more about it nowadays than in the past. The life force of the plant is thought to be in the essential oils contained in the leaves, flowers, and bark, and in the peel of various fruits. The use of oils from plants dates back at least 5,000 years and was Initially used by the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Aromatherapy is used for different things such as massage treatments, cosmetic products and within the medical field as an alternative or complimentary therapy. Many books have been written on the topic and we talked to Gibratar resident Anita Phillips who has already published three books on the subject.

Anita's first book, published in the United Kingdom, sold out so quickly that she decided she would produce two others. The second book explained the essence of aromatherapy and its connection with health, lifestyle and the treat ment of minor ailments, while the last one was in poetic format with poems written by her as well.

Anita has had to face cancer within her family on various oc casions, her parents both died of this illness and her husband is also diagnosed with cancer so she has always contributed part of the pro ceeds from her bool« to this cause. This year she will be at the Christ

mas Fair to be held at the Convent on 29th November to once again donate 50% from the sale of her books to cancer, this time round to Breast Cancer Support Gibraltar.

Anita is a charming and kind person, who has a lot to say and who feels empathy for those suf fering around her. Her interest in aromatherapy arose by chance

when she was going through a period in her life were she suffered from insomnia.

This was 1970 and she read an article about the advantage of lav ender oil and how it helped people to sleep. Her insomnia enticed her to try it out on herself and only days later she saw the wonderful effects that this essential oil produced. Her

interest widened from lavender to peppermint, eucalyptus to rose mary and so on,and she was soon using essential oils on members of her family and friends and learning all she could about the benefits.

Many of these people were cured of sore throats, headaches, hay fever and athlete's foot, and helped with stress. From then on Anita knew this was the career she wanted and years later, having studied at the Shirley Price School of Aromatherapy, she opened her own business.

Her decision to use aromather apy in the cosmetic field by pro ducing her own range of products

On one of our visits to the Rock we feii in iove with the piace,the peopie and a house and since then we have heenhappiiyiivinghere."

was extremely successful and she never stopped attending courses on nutrition, lifestyle and health. Her philosophy remains the same, she says: "It is as important to take care of what goes into you, as to what you put on your skin, to stay healthy."

As I spoke to her I could sense her enthusiasm.

"I have never gone along the conventional massage route. I was more interested in skin care, diet and lifestyle.

"Luck was on my side when I met a well known journalist from the Daily Mai] newspaper who had contracted chicken pox. I of fered to make her a special lotion with peppermint oil as its base and this not only alleviated her ir ritation but she was so impressed she wrote an article about it in her female column. That resulted in me receiving over 3000 letters and a substantial amount of phone calls that made my business boom in a few months.

"I had to extend my range of products to over 50 and with my husband's help(he was a pharma ceutical manufacturer in Canada)I was suddenly supplying my range of products to Harrods in London and then to a series of beauty salons around the Country.

"The products were promoted overnight by a series of BBC in terviews in the Woman's Hour on radio and later by articles I wrote in two national magazines where I had been given a column to talk about my products. The moment I decided to publish my first book Aromatherapy and Health I was sell ing them and even lecturing about aromatherapy on the QE2."

When I asked her what she was now doing in Gibraltar,she smiled and said:

"Weil I retired and sold my busi ness in 2003and we wanted to retire in the sunshine,that is my husband and I. Wespenttwo months in Italy, another two months in France and then we moved to the Costa del Sol in Spain. On one of our visits to the Rock we fell in love with the place, the people and a house and since then we have been happily living here."

She sounded as if she was now relaxing in the sun with nothing to do, but they spend a lot of time travelling as it is another of her hobbies.

"1 love travelling but 1 do not like flying and since 1967 I have not flown again. We wanted to find a comfortable way oftravelling without flying and we decided to cruise instead. I have done over 2,000 days of cruising around the world — we are devotes of the QE2 and next year we will be cruising it for the last time,not because we are going to stop travelling but because the QE2 has been sold to Dubai to become a floating hotel. Our next trip will take us to South America and the Antarctica and I am really looking forward to being in Rio de Janeiro for the Carnival."

I wished Anita an enjoyable trip but before we parted she mentioned that she would love to sell her books in Gibraltar. I am therefore leaving the door open for anybody who is interested in con tacting her to sell her books about aromatherapy and health, with the added bonus that part of the proceeds will be donated to cancer charities locally. Tel: 54023391.

si lver shop

ented campaigns.

Although in the 26 years gap between her first and last daugh ter she has seen drastic advance in child-geared facilities, she has recently been in the spotlight battling for public playground refurbishment, as a follow-up to the sterling job carried out at Camp Bay and Westview Park,and also for the introduction of indoor rainy-day supervised recreational areas for under-sevens in the new leisure centres, modelled on other countries'shopping malls.

The unresolved topic of chil dren's safety the GWA is bringing to the fore once again with the new academic year is the school-gates opening-time conundrum. Under the current arrangement, most pupils are dropped at shut gates by working parents and left there to wait unsupervised, perhaps in the pouring rain, until the school opens just ten minutes ahead of thebell. TheGWA would like new regulations to be implemented for all primary schools to allow at least a 30-minute bracket for parents to stagger their school-run at their convenience, with the added bonus ofsome relief on the early morning traffic congestion.

WOMENII

They account for half of the population and are zealous in raising issues that affect the other half: no wonder that the Gibraltar Women's Association is a successful pressure group with important achievements in their palmares — and many more to fight for.

They hit the headlines locally and abroad,and raised many eyebrows when they eventually made one of the last strongholds of masculine civic pride capitulate: it seemed spookily anachronistic if notsimply unbelievable that a 21st Century western democracy like Gibraltar hadn't yet bestowed on post-suf fragettes the duty of jury service!

Actually, some of the most mi sogynist must still have their eye brows permanently tangled in their toupee contemplating the scenario of having one day to stand trial before an all-women panel...

Strictly apolitical, the former Gibraltar Housewives'Association,

co-founded in 1966 by Mariola Summerfield and Angela Smith, now chaired by Cathy Earle who took over from Rosemarie Peach when she joined the newborn Progressive Democratic Party, has voiced and still voices to the authorities social concerns that touch in diverse ways women's

everyday life — from pensions to playgrounds, from psychiatric inpatient care to school hours, from comfortable buses to Government creches.

Homemaker, cadet of seven sib lings and mother-of-seven herself, Cathy has all the numbers to steer the committee through family-ori-

Again with the interests of our society's foundations at heart, Cathy is the paladin of modern nurseries, with ampler playing areas and superior carer-to-toddler ratios. "1 learned that in some UK model kindergartens there's a teacher to every three kids," she explains, but obviously this requires an important economical effort from parents as well as Gov ernment and many Gibraltarians cannot afford to pay top dollar for state-of-the-art baby-sitting, espe cially when they can often rely on handy attentive grandparents.

The ultimate health crusade, doomed to be very unpopular with many people for many reasons, is the one the GWA has launched against underage smoking and drinking. Backed by the scientific evidence that if teenagers don't pick up the habit before coming of age, there are less chances they will do so in their late teens and early 20s, Cathy calls upon Government to go the extra mile and,after having dis played in all bars and tobacconists the sign warning everyone off from selling or purchasing alcohol and cigarettes on behalf of under-16s, ban it altogether for anyone not old enough to vote.

Other hot potatoes the GWA is handling are maternity/patemity leaves and broken-home children's maintenance: when the very nu cleus of society, a family, disbands, divorced parents are of course still required to support their children,

Homemaker,cadet of seven siblings and mother-of-seven herself,Cathy has all the numbers to steer the committee through family-oriented campaigns

but since law enforcement seems to be lax, according to the GWA, many mothers feel that their exhusbands get away with paying erratic allowances.

However,Cathy reckons that for this specific, associations already have, or must be, created and she doesn't want to "step on anyone's toes"; but she is ready and willing to hoist the flag and join in the war if any organisation dealing with mat ters ofinterest for the GWA requests her help and support, whether for sports, disabilities, senior citi zens or environmental protection — actually, the GWA worked very closely with the Environmental Safety Group during Rosemarie's era,and many GWA members took part in last September's"Clean Up The World" drive.

Cathy doesn't picture herself and the women joining the association as any of those stereotypical '60s' feminists revelling around bra bon fires in the public square, but they demand equality and fairness in the workplace and at home, where

behind closed doors too many wives still work double or triple shift — waged career and unwaged housekeeping and childminding

— as if "it came in their job descrip tion" or worse, still suffer some kind of domestic abuse.

And because there's no use in just sulking about and have some cheese with your whine,any woman can contact the GWA and express distress about something bother some:strength is in numbers and if the matter needs investigating, the GWA won't shy away from jetting offon fact-finding missions, writing letters,or having meetings at minis terial level in order to straighten out as many shortcomings as possible for the betterment of the commu nity at large.

The committee meets weekly to brainstorm and outline where further elbow grease is required and who's the right man... er... woman for the job.

Voice your concerns or gratitude to: gibraltarwomansassociation&hotmail. com or to Gerry on 72233.

Cathy doesn't picture herself and the women

Joining

association as any of those stereotypical'60s'feminists revelling around

uld Mother's nuinP

Tom sat at his desk motionless, and although his bloodshot eyes were stgring at the window, they hardly acknowledged anything that was going on outside - people talking, vans and scoot ers whirring past his office as traffic rush hour was coming to an end."Twenty past nine and I feel as though I've been here 3 hours" he sighed as he reached for his third coffee. Physically, he felt as though his body belonged to someone else - the pounding head,the paralysis he felt in most of his body, after yet another night of heavy drinking with the lads. He searched for some extra strong mints in his pocket in case the boss came in and smelt something.

Tom had started to drink while he was still at school aged 15 or 16. He and his friends would go into town at lunch time and a couple of times in the evening every week. This was the centre of his social life where he met most of his friends and spent whatever pocket money he had on drink and cigarettes. However when he left school and got his first job, "pub crawling" with his friends became a regular pastime to see who could drink the most in the shortest possible time. Tom's job as a sales rep involved a lot of travelling and entertaining clients,so alcohol was always easily available in pubs and restaurants. From time to time his wife Janet would comment on his drinking and driving, to which he'd reply: "You worry too much, I only had the one, part of the job." Although Janet was not convinced,she knew how aggressive he could get if pushed.

For many years Tom could con trol his drinking, but he needed increasing amounts of alcohol to get the same effects. He now downed at least a bottle of whisky a day, arguments at home had escalated because each time Janet voiced her concerns, he accused her of nag ging and would start shouting.The children would cower upstairs until they heard the door slam as he went out again.Janet had started finding hidden bottles of beer around the house but left them there to avoid trouble. Tom's work had started to suffer as he missed whole days and did not attend for work. His boss gave him a warning and told him to seek help.

The American Medical Associa tion tells us that alcoholism "is a disease that can be arrested but not cured",and that it's main symptom is an uncontrollable desire to drink. Fishbeiti's medical and health encyclo pedia describes it as a "chronic or periodic condition caused by the compulsive drinking of alcoholic beverages," and that it is insidi ous and progressive, leading to irreversible damage of body tissue and eventually, death.

The generally acceptable defini tion of an alcoholic is: any person whose compulsive drinking leads to an inability to hold down a job, carry out normal daily functions without first having a drink, is unable to maintain normal human relationships and, eventually, is

will obtain it by any means at all — woe betide anyone who dares to prevent him. He requires everincreasing amounts to satisfy him, this is called tolerance. Most of us are familiar with the classic senti ments:"He likes his drink/ he can hold his own" etc.

What causes it?

Until recently, there has been no clear-cut physical explanation for alcoholism. It was seen to develop as a result of stressful life events — marital breakdown, job loss, bereavement, financial problems — or, possibly, learned behaviour from family members,peer groups etc, especially where drinking is seen as manly/machismo/sophisticated, or when parents are in conflict as to whether any drinking at all is acceptable.

Other theorists argue that, psy chological factors such as feelings ofinadequacy and self-hatred,and problems like poverty, loneliness and various life difficulties can all become the reasons for using alco hol to mask emotional/mental pain rather than deal with reality.

unable to take a responsible role in the community.

As with most forms of addic tion, the individual progressively loses his power of self control whereby he might break the habit. With alcohol addiction, he has a compulsive desire for drink and

In the'70s, Dr. Max Glatt,one of the gurus on alcoholism stated that the man in the street will regard it as a weakness of character, the moralist sees it as a vice, the law yer as crime, the psychologist may see it as a symptom of underlying personality difficulties, the sociolo gist will see a social problem, and possibly the clergy will regard it as a sin. Thankfully, newer schools of thought including Alcoholics Anonymous treat it as a disease. Futhermore, the tendency to alco holism is now linked to physical, psychological and biochemical characteristics,but it would take an age to then debate these theories.

What are the signs?

The physical signs and symp toms are not always obvious, especially in the early stages. As time progresses — the flushed face, chronic gastritis,numerous bruises on the body, cigarette burns, high blood pressure, heart problems,

alcoholism

"Is a disease that can he arrested hut net cured it's main symptom is an uncentreiiabie desire to drink

blackouts, increased infections, acute or chronic pancreatitis, poor diet leading to malnutrition and weight loss, the ever present smell of alcohol on the breath, - and this list is not exhaustive.

On the psychological and behav ioural side — regular drinking, gulping drinks and not bothering to eat because you need the effects of alcohol on the system very quickly, drinking in the morning, drink ing at work or whenever there is opportunity, taking drinks before going out, lying about drinking habits, reacting aggressively if anyone raises concern, behaviour problems in the family, changes in social and business relation ships, poor performance at work or increasingly failing to turn up for work,and eventually losing the job, paranoia, jealousy, outbursts of rage, resentment,loneliness,de pression,threats of suicide — again the list goes on.

Compulsive, excessive drink ing eventually results in damage to the brain and central nervous system, inflaming the nerves and reducing brain functions, leading to neuritis, stupor, hallucinations, delirium tremens (D.T's), loss of control and coordination, never mind the effects on the liver, di gestive tract, heart, kidneys and so forth. Korsakov's Syndrome is a chronic mental disorder due to chronic alcoholism, and its two main components are dementia and peripheral neuritis.

Usually the person will have been drinking heavily(and perhaps secretly) for many years. The de mentia is severe, with progressive memory loss to the point where he/she cannotremember anything at all,and unfortunately, will annoy those around him/her by asking the same question several times in a short space of time. Other times, they will fill memory gaps by making up a whole story about something that never happened (confabulations).

The psychological effects on fam ily are tremendous, particularly on young children witnessing sudden mood changes,arguments,aggres sion,violence,separation and disin tegration of a stable family life.

can be done?

What

One of the main things to re member is that no alcoholic can be treated against their will. The first step is for them to admit and ac cept that they have a problem that

requires professional intervention.

There has been extensive research over the years on alcoholism and its effects, and one thing is clear: there is no cure, but the damage can be arrested by total abstinence — as a first step — mainly because, in the majority of cases, by the time the alcoholic seeks help,he/she is in an advanced state of intoxication and therefore needs to sober up.

In the past, drugs such as Antabuse were used. This alters the metabolism of alcohol, producing substances called "aldehydes" in the bloodstream.These cause great discomfort, stomach cramps, nau sea, vomiting, and to avoid these horrible effects was meant to be the motivation to stop drinking. Also, full consent had to be obtained from the person to be treated, hav ing informed them of the effects. Thankfully this is not used as often — nowadays,hospitalisation in the first instance, followed by a care fully planned detoxification pro gramme, with supervised admin istration of medication to alleviate any withdrawal symptoms,a good diet,continued supportfrom family and friends, are the order of the day, and then when the patient starts to improve physically,the psychologi cal therapies can begin in order to address the problems.

(I have grossly simplified the above for the purposes of this article.)

Treatment of alcoholism is never a simple,straightforward affair, nor is it the responsibility of one person. It requires a multi-agency approach including a medical team, nursing staff with specialist training,Proba tion services if appropriate. Social Services, Alcoholics Anonymous, family and friends, as well as the person's employers.

We have been told over many years that "...the recovered alco holic is always one drink away from disaster," but rather than lose hope, I suggest the following:

To the person with a drink prob lem: Take responsibilit}' for your self. Be totally honest with your self and with those close to you — admit there is a problem. Seek help before it's too late — there is a LifeLine.

To us as society — understanding instead of condemnation, tomor row it could be you or me.

• Written bi/ jenny Ndiweni, Life Line Counselling Services,3l2nd Floor 29 City Mill Lane Tel: 54002090

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

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

OOUMSELLQRS

Jenny Ndiweni Lite Line Counselling Services 3/2nd floor 29 City Mill Lane Tel: mobile 54002090 email: jennyndiwenitghotmail.com

DENTAL SURGEONS

Daniel N. Borge BDS MSc MFDS RCSIEng) Borge Dental/Medical Centre

7-9 Cornwall's Lane Tel; 75790

Mike Clark BDS

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

Keith J Vinnicombe

BDS(Wales) LDS RCS(Eng) MFGDP(UK) Unit F5B ICC, 2a Main Street Tel/Fax: 40747 Emergency: 78756

PHYSICIANS

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

HEALTH STORES

The Health Store 5 City Mill Lane. Tel: 73765

OPTICIANS / QPTOIVIETRISTS

Cache & Co Limited 266 Main Street, Tel: 75757

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

PERSONAL TRAINERS

Simon Caldwell

Complete Fitness

Unites. Eliott Hotel Tel: 51113

Isabella Jimenez BSc(hons)

216 Main Street Tel: 54002226

email: jimenBZ,isabeila@gmail,com

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Equipmentfor Psychological Support Group

The Psychological Support Group is the latest to benefit from an Alwani Trust Award.

In this case it was equipment rather than cash that the group was in need of,following a burglary at their premises two years ago.

When Kishin Alwani heard of their plight he immediately volun teered to replace the stolen music centre and fax machine with the latest models from Carlos, a shop owned by his Alwani Group.

By coincidence — or divine intervention — the date of the presentation was 10th October, which also happened to be World Mental Health Day.

The Psychological Support Group's chairperson Emily Olivero and treasurer Yolanda Pilkington were delighted with the award.

The music centre is a Sony Minichaine Hi-Fi with 155 watts per channel output, whilst the fax is a Brother Inkjet machine which also functions as a phone, colour printer, scanner and copier.

The need for the fax is obvious.

but the music centre was equally vital for the group's self-help ses sions, in which music plays an important role. Emily explained that since the robbery they had to scrape by with short-term loans of equipment, not always in the best of condition.

Yolanda and Emily are both qualified consultants, whilst Emily is in the process of completing a Masters degree in psychology.She became involved with the group several years ago as she suffers bi polar depression; whilst Yolanda was a relative of a mental health sufferer. "1 asked the group for help," she said,"and 1 stayed!"

Presenting the equipment, Kishin Alwani said that his Trust was committed to providing as sistance to the local community in a variety of deserving cases, and he felt that as a businessman(with five Main Streetshops)he believed firmly in giving something back to the community-

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GIBRALTAR

The Gibraltar Citizens Advice Bureau is a registered charity that offers free and independent information & advice.

All welcome,whatever the problem,the Gibraltar Citizens Advice Bureau is here to help you. Wf don't tell! We don't charge! We don'tjudge!

Contact the Bureau at tel: 40006, Fax:40281,email; or visit our web pages at www.cab.gi

ffs/u Ahufani; Yblaada Pilkmgtoa; KMtin Atwani; Emily Olhnm

Kishln Alwani said that his Trust was committed to providing assistance to the local community in a variety of deserving cases

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Offairies and angeis

"My customers are all local people," said Sue Esserti. "They know where I am and what I sell." Recently moved from the ICC to the cosier surroundings of the patio off City Mill Lane, Sue's specialities have never been of use to tourists, mainly because it wasn't practical to carry some of the goods around, nor were they prepared for some of the services. They would browse with fascination but not buy.

by Brian McCann

Services such as highly person alised candles; choose your candle and Sue knows how to add any photograph and message onto it, to make a very special gift. Some of her regular clientele even have them made up to commemorate a beloved pet that has passed on.

Similarly with the handmade greetings cards: she writes the verse, incorporating any personal details that are required - such as the person's name - and adds a photo or any other graphic that is brought along. Sue said she has to take particular care not to acci dentally repeat the verses as most of her customers are people who keep coming back. They can be for any reason - regular occasions or something purely personal, and cost only £3.50. The personalised candles are also exceptional value for money at £5.99, which includes gift wrapping; and verses can also be supplied in frames.

Now then, here is something you don't find in many places: amongst all the figures of fairies and butterflies,Sue arranges for her friend Lorraine to carry out Angel Readings.

I had to ask what that was, exactly. "We all have a guardian angel," Sue explained. "Sometimes there are two. Lorraine has the gift of being able to tell you what your angel is saying to you — usu ally it is guidance and inspiration. She is very good and impresses everybody;she's very genuine and totally sincere.'

1 mentioned fairies and but terflies, and there is a delightful selection to choose from (as well as dragons),including those that hang from a cord, or clip onto curtains or fix to walls. As well as those there are,in this action-packed little shop, collectable figures of Native Americans in traditional dress and poses.

"A lot of my local customers come to me when they can't find something special. I can very often help them out," said Sue,who origi nated from Liverpool but who has been here for 20 years. "It might be a gift idea they have thought of themselves,or seen in a booksomewhere, for instance. I can either produce it myself, or give them a good service in locating it."

While her customers are almost exclusivelv local, the age range is all-embracing, from little children to the older citizens. It's normalfot a group of schoolgirls to come in after school for a fairy or a beauty product — or anything else.

My eye was attracted to a ran^ of beauty products called Sea of Life, which, surprisingly, come from the Dead Sea. Apparently the salts and minerals from that highly

briny sea are very beneficial. There are hand lotions, toot creams and massage oils as well as bath salts and natural mineral Dead Sea mud for face packs. Sue believes she is the only one selling this range in Gi braltar,and told me it is brillitmt for removing all the roughness from skin,leaving it beautifully smooth. "It is also excellent for psoriasis and skin conditions — the moisturising cream in particular is very good for acne," she said.

My eyes were still taking in the variety of stock in Candle Fantasy. "Wedding favours are popular," said Sue, to help me out. "And that big arch there is a wedding arch for the bride and groom to walk through. I completely cover it with flowers in colours of their choice and deliver it, all for a rental of£75." A lot of couples have been unable to resist the romanticism of this unusual item in an unusual shop.

I'm nearly out of space and I've hardly got through the shop door. Sue also does flower arranging and gift baskets; and, linking candles

and weddings, there are wedding unity candles which can be incor porated in the marriage ceremony, complete with the names and pho tos of the bride and groom, or any other graphic.

There are church candles,scented candles, candles that burn for 105 hours and even smoke-eating candles that clean up the air in a room.

"People like the friendly warmth of the shop," said Sue, being a bit modest about her astonishing selection of goods and services; and in order to encourage people to find her in her new shop, she is giving a gift(chosen from several) for every £5 spent in this month of November.

The shop is tucked away but easy to find: near the top of City Mill Lane, you will see Stitch Design and a shoe repair shop. Between them is the entrance to the patio (number 56) and Candle Fantasy is just inside on the left.

Open from 10 to 6 Monda}/ to Fri day, the phone numberfor any ettquiry is 46546.

A lot of couples have been unable to resist the romanticism of this unusual item in an uuusuai shop

Learning the Artof Violin

Local violinist Francis Imossi has been actively coaching violin students of all ages in Gibraltar since October 2004. Now working under the auspices of the King's Chapel, his strings programme will very soon be completing its first year at this venue. Students both young and old are discovering the wonderful art of playing the violin under Francis's careful direction.

speaking of his strings programme, Francis had this to say:"We've had a great response so far; Gibraltar has a lot of musical talent and we must ensure that we nurture it well. Musical education has many benefits. It teaches selfdiscipline; it instils confidence, increases op portunities for social interaction and promotes creative thinking. The music student learns that patience,concentration and perseverance bring with them great rewards. Music-making also presents a wonderful opportunity for relaxation and just plain fun. And all these benefits seep into other areas of the music student's life as well."

Francis first started making music at home, at the age of eight, and was enrolled on formal music lessons soon after that. He obtained his Music Diploma in 2004. Apart from his current teaching practice, Francis is also an active performer frequently involved in local concerts. His performance experience ranges

from wedding functions through to the annual investiture ceremony and the Gibraltar National Day Concert. He has also recorded with several local artists(providing violin /string tracks and keyboard backing),and frequently collaborates with local bands in rock, pop and cross-over music.

Francis's strings programme offers quality string instrument tuition at very competitive rates. If you would like more information about the strings programme, including details of enrolment, send an e-mail to: violinsounds® gibtelecom.net.

Francis has also set up a website, called 'Violin Sounds', which has a special page dedicated to the Strings Programme; the site also offers information on the violin in general. So direct your browser to www.gibconnect. com /-violinsounds/ and discover the wonder ful art of violin playing for yourself or for your child — many already have.

New Scout Band Formed

The creation of a new Corps of Drums by former members of the 1 st/4th Scout Group lias now been formalised, and an agreement signed with the Scout Association and the Group.

To be known as the 1st/4th Veterans Corps of Drums,the aim is to perform at events during next year's 100th anniversary of the Group and of Scouting in Gibraltar, and beyond.

Band Practices started on 22nd October, and will be held every Monday and Wednesday at 7.30pm at the Group Headquarters at Wellington Front. All 1st/4th veterans are welcome.

David Power to Play at Holy Trinity

David Power is an English organist who hasset himself the task of playing in all 44ca thedrals of the Church of England on behalf of Cancer research under the auspices of the Macmillan Cancer Society. The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Gibraltar is the only Church of England Cathedral which is not in England, and he has included it on his tour schedule for 14th November 2007.

David explains; "It has been a lifetime ambition to play all the cathedral organs in England and I am about to fullfil that ambi tion and also raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. Having been organist at Salisbury Crematorium for the last 6 years I realise this particular charity really deserves publicity and money."

David has been organist at St. John's Church Tisbury, in the Salisbury Diocese for 37 years, and since retiring from teaching, joined the Crematorium.

The tour starts at Salisbury Cathedral on Saturday 13th October. "I have had a long as sociation with that cathedral,having learned the organ there under the late Christopher Dearnley. I was also a cathedral server. In recent years my choir at Tisbury has sung many times in the cathedral when we depu tise for the cathedral choirs."

David intends playing ateach cathedral for about 20 minutes and 50 minutes at Gibraltar. At each place he will play pieces specially written for him by Dr. Richard Shephard of York and by Colin Appleton (a member of the choir at Tisbury). David will also be playing music by Barry Ferguson, a friend who lives locally and who was organist of Rochester Cathedral. In addition he will honour the 300th anniversary of Buxtehude's death by playing a different piece of his in each venue.

David concluded; "I very much appredate the support given me by every cathedral making it possible for this dream to come true. It will be fun but very challenging."

The concert will take place at 3pm on Wednesday, 14th November and all are welcome to attend.

Born with a Giftfor Music

She started young, as early as three years of age, when she had her very first piano lesson — not just hitting the keys but being told where and how to do it.

she always loved music and had watched her grandfather play the violin, something she learned to enjoy at an early age too. Her desire to study in this field was immense and as soon as she was old enough she went to London to study and qualify as a piano teacher obtaining the Certificate of Teaching of the As sociated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (CTABRSM), after having worked intensely with professors from the Royal Academy — no mean feat.

The lady in question is none other than our very own Gibraltar National Choir Musical Director,Lillian Olivero, who founded the Choir in 2003 — something which turned out to be a dream come true.

To get the ball rolling Lily, as most of her friends call her, put an advert in the local press looking for singers who would like to attend rehearsals and join. The result is a joy to all who have the privilege of listening to the wonderful combination of male and female voices. It was and is a huge success.

Lily not only teaches singing, she chooses the repertoires for each concert and directs and organises these events together with her Choir Committee.

"It is sheer hard work! Undoubtedly enthu

siasm is also essential but nothing comes easy in life and you have to work at it and dedicate yourself to it fully."

It is clear how fully Lily is dedicated to her job. She ensures the rest of the choir is as dedicated and rehearsals are always attended, which is why they sound so professional — they rehearse and perfect every number under the baton of the lady in question.

Christmas is around the corner and the choir has many functions planned. Their first perfor mance takes place on Saturday 24th November at 4.30pm at the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned for the "Candle light" Mass organised by the Breast Cancer Support Croup.The Choir has pre pared a beautiful selection of Christmas Carols for this occasion and mulled wine and mince pies will be served. All are welcome to attend free of charge. (If you have not bought your Breast Cancer Christmas cards by then it will be your chance to give £7 for a pack of 10 cards plus a Gibraltar Government Christmas Lottery ticket which could win you a lot more than you are donating for this cause. Good luck!)

The National Choir is also giving a concert at Mount Alvernia on Saturday 15th December at 6.15pm for residents and their guests, and this is also free of charge.

The Christmas Concert on Tuesday 18th December is at 8.30pm at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and will feature special guestTenor Arturo Garralon. Tickets, £10, can be obtained from Sacarello's coffee shop and Levy Estate Agents.

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told him,"1 am going to send you to the Technical College because the Brothers are not keen on employing civilians" (despite the fact civilian Maurice Xiberras was already em ployed as a history teacher). This was reported to the Headmaster who swiftly over-ruled the wishes of the Director and he joined the staff for 12 years of which three were as deputy headmaster.

Canepa and Xiberras set about obtaining recognition for the Teach ers' Association. This was anath ema to the mindset of the colonial mentality in the Civil Service whose view was that all civil servants were represented by the Civil Service As sociation. This came about after the successful campaign for parity of wages with teachers in the UK. For that to happen many teachers led by Michael Carroll left Gibraltar to take up positions offered by the Luton Teaching Authority.

At this time all civil servants were bound by the restrictive regulations which certainly did not allow for anything which might be considered political activity,

Canepa's Story...

Adolfo Canepa has dedicated the majority of his life to local politics and remains a potent force in his continuing work to improve the quality of life for his fellow Gibraltarians. His distinguished political career includes the pinnacle of achievement when for a short time he was Chief Minister.

He was bom in London on 17th December 1940 — an evacuation baby. Upon his return to the Rock he attended the primary school at Castle Road and in 1952 having passed the 11+ he moved to the Gibraltar Grammar School which had just moved from Plata Villa to the Sacred Heart. Canepa was the first pupil to be appointed head boy of the Grammar School for two years.

In the sixth form he opted to take physics, chemistry and maths at A level. Many will have forgotten that in those days none of the teach ing staff at the Grammar School were qualified to teach A level Maths and Chemistry but staff at the Technical College were, so the members of the sixth form Maths group would up sticks and walk to the College where Gordon Harvey

and Harry Hind taught them.

A natural mathematician, bv the age of 16 he knew his vocation lay in teaching and the trek to the Col lege clearly pointed to there being a vacancy for a Maths teacher at the Grammar School.

During his gap year he taught at Kineton High School, UK (there was a family connection as his father was stationed there during his service with the RAOC). After obtaining his degree at Leicester University he spent a year at St

Mary's College, Twickenham ob taining the diploma of education before he returned to Gibraltar.

But all was not plain sailing and for the first time in his life he came up against the obduracy of the Civil Service. Brother Finnegan, then headmaster, had told Adolfo that upon qualification there would be a job for him at the Grammar School. This was confirmed by his succes sor, Brother D'Arcy. However this was not the intention of Belshaw, the then Dimctor of Education who

It had always been the objective of the Christian Brothers to educate a generation of Gibraltarians who would eventually take over the administration of Gibraltar from the Colonial power. And look ing back, so it has come to pass, although time has slipped by and the last of the Grammar School Old Boys are enjoying a well earned retirement. It would be invidious to mention names but a moment's reflection will bring the illustrious names to mind.

Canepa had shown an interest in politics even before he went to the Grammar School and remembers the first election to the Legisla tive Council in 1950. No surprise as his uncle, also named Adolfo Canepa, was a founder member of the AACR. Maurice Featherstone was a close friend while Aurelio Montegriffo was a neighbour and became a political mentor.

In 1963 having finished his stud ies Adolfo returned to the Rock and, in the same week as President John Kennedy was assassinated, was elected to the executive committee of the AACR. At the time it was the nearest a Civil Servant could get to being a politician and he had absolutely no intention of standing for election either then or in the future. Today a Civil Servant can stand for election by taking an up to eight year sabbatical.

When the time came for the Brothers to leave Gibraltar, had Canepa been appointed headmaster he would not have entered politics and stood for election. However fate intervened and it was decided Gibraltar would follow the UK,

it had always been the ohiective ofthe Christian Brothers to educate a generation of Gihraitarians to eventuaiiy take over Gihraitar's administration from the Coioniai power

abolish Grammar School education and introduce the Comprehensive system.

This was decision time, Mau rice Xiberras had left the teaching profession and had been elected in the 1969 election. Maurice's decision and result fired Canepa's imagination.

In 1964 Adolfo had married Julie Dobinson and they went on to have three children. She was fully behind his decision to enter politics and advised that now was the time to stand for election. This would mean considerable fi nancial sacri fice as his resignation from teaching meant no salary but Julie was a teacher and they reckoned that with her salary and the modest stipend paid to elected representatives they would be able to survive.

So he stood in the 1972 elections and much to his surprise came in second after Sir Joshua Hassan. His reward was to be appointed Minister for Labour and Social Security and he confesses his heart was more inclined to Social Security than Labour. Aurelio Montegriffo was deputy leader.

In the 1976 election Canepa came third with Maurice Xiberras (Independent) coming in behind Sir Joshua. He remained in the same ministerial job. Adolfo was also appointed fourth Mayor of Gibraltar 1976-1978.

The 1980 election saw him elect ed third in the rankings with Joe Bossano splitting the AACR vote. This time his brief was extended to include Economic Development. Aurelio Montegriffo, the deputy Chief Minister, did not stand and so Canepa succeeded him and was deemed to be the Chief Minister's successor whenever Sir Joshua decided to retire.

Then followed a few months of hard work when the British Gov ernment announced the closure of the Royal Naval Dockyard. This included two meetings with the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, after the Gibraltar Government held a series of inconclusive meet ings with British Government ministers.

Adolfo recalls with a wry smile that the first meeting on 29th April 1983 with the Iron Lady did not go well and was so frosty that the two Gibraltarian politicians did not even drink their tea. But she had sent to the Rock the Minister for Procurement, Ian Stewart, and there were almost four days of solid negotiation. From the outset Ian was pro-Gibraltar and very sym pathetic to Gibraltar's case. Adraft document was agreed and present ed and accepted by cabinet.

Sir Joshua and Adolfo returned for a final meeting with the Prime Minister on 26th July. During the

meeting she said: "I am doing this for you Salvador and for you only. 1 would not have done it for any other Gibraltarian politician".

Canepa considers that although Sir Joshua is the father ofthe Gibraltarians, his greatest tangible politi cal achievement was the securing of the Dockyard Agreement — so much land, so many millions of pounds, It did go sour but that is another story.

Margaret Thatcher was so im pressed she decided to make an official visit to Gibraltar which was duly carried out to the satisfaction of both Governments.

As Deputy Chief Minister Adolfo also accompanied Sir Joshua to all meetings which led up to the Brus sels Agreement. Indeed he is the only living Gibraltarian who can make such a claim.

Adolfo,at this time, was the only elected representative who lived from politics alone. At this point in Gibraltar's political evolution he did not consider it necessary for politicians to be full time although it was moving that way, when in 1988 Joe Bossano declared that his party's elected representatives would be full time. But it was not until Peter Caruana became Chief Minister that all elected representa tives earned a salary commensurate with their work load.

On 9th December 1987Si r Joshua

Hassan resigned and was suc ceeded by Adolfo Canepa as Chief Minister. He remained in the post until the 1998 election which was won by Joe Bossano.

There are many who believe that Sir Joshua Hassan should have re signed much earlier and given Ad olfo the opportunity to mould the AACR into his image thus allowing him to contest the election on a level playing field. However that is a conjecture which will occupy the minds of countless Gibraltarian political scientists. Canepa is not prepared to discuss the matter.

Abraham Serfaty is one of Adolfo's heroes and he regards him as being an outstanding visionary who 30 years ago thought about many of the exciting architectural projects,such as Casemates, which have now come to fruition.

Adolfo is a devout Catholic and although during his life has experienced tragedy this has never led him to doubt his faith. It was the Christian Brothers who sowed the seeds of his faith and he was fortunate that his Religious Instruc tion teacher was a young Brother who provided a first class ortho dox grounding complimented by Monsignor Orfila who used to give Religious Instruction at the Gram mar School.

Adolfo is proud to state that God has always been the centre

of his life. During the period of his life which was filled with dif ferent tragedies he felt first hand the words of St Paul in which he warns that we shall be knocked about. He admits to being on his knees but feels he was "carried by Jesus Christ" through the crisis and difficulties.

Canepa found considerable com fort in joining and working in the Cursillo movement to which he was introduced by Aurelio Montegriffo and which has totally changed his life. He says:"Through the move ment I have seen God's work at firsthand and how His spirit moves people and on occasion opens up their hearts". He is also an Eucharistic Minister and as a young altar boy he never thought that one day is would be administering Holy Communion (Vatican 11 had yet to take place).

He hopes when the Diocese convenes a synod, consideration will be given to the introduction of married Deacons as this may well be the answer to the shortage of priests.

For the last 15 years Adolfo has worked in the Legislation Unit, the prime function of which is to scruti nise all EU documents and see how they might affect Gibraltar. Joe Bos sano asked him to join the unit and when Peter Caruana became Chief Minister he asked him to continue which he did but part-time.

He is the Chairman of the Public Services Commission the function of which is to advise on appoint ments and promotions. He will also join a new body under the chairmanship of the Deputy Gov ernor who will recommend specific appointments such as the Attorney General and the Auditor.

Adolfo was an active member during 2001/2002 of the External Affairs Advisory Committee, cre ated by the Chief Minister, and he backed Peter Caruana all the way in the lobbying campaign and the Gibraltar Referendum of 2002 which successfully derailed the joint sovereignty proposals of the Blair Government,

One of the extra curricular posi tions which gave him the most satisfaction was being invited to be a member of the Constitutional Re form Committee and to see its fruits emerge as the new Constitution.

Adolfo Canepa has experienced a full life in which his priorities have always been his family, Gibraltar and ^e Gibrallarians. Had events turned out slightly different he might have been Chief Minister for a full term and brought perhaps more of his radical ideas to fruition. But he is a happy and contented man who has many years ahead to continue his service to the Rock he loves so much.

Adolfo recalls with a wry smile thatthe first meeting en 29th April 1983 with the "iron Lady"did not go weil and wasso frosty that the two Glhraltarian politicians did not even drink their tea

There's always a catch

"The favourite fishing ground is the reef two miles off the east side — it runs the length of the Rock," said Fordy of Cozacan Charters.

Now,whilst it can get a bit rough in the Bay and the Strait, it's noth ing to what Fordy (Dave Ford) was used to on his fishing trips in the North Sea; and after most of his life skippering his small fish ing club's boat in those massive waters as a hobby, he threw up his longstanding job at a chipboard factory and sailed to Gibraltar to turn professional.

His mix of skill, experience and friendly good humour soon caught on,and now he does regular fishing and other trips around the Rock. Other trips? Well, when we hear of Rock Tours we automatically think of taxis, but Fordy had the innova tive idea of doing Rock Historical Trips, on which he sails along the seaboard sides of Gibraltar- point ing out places of historical interest throughout the ages, from the caves to Rosia Bay and its Nelson connection.

This popular tour is heightened by a recorded full commentary from local historian Professor Dar ren Fa.

Fishing, though,is the main part of Fordy's business, which is called Cozacan Charters. That's because the superb boat is called Cozacan. but does that mean anything? "Ay," said Fordy,in his Northumberland accent, similar to Geordie. "It means 'cos I can,' as in 'I've gone fishing C02 a can'."

Linguistics aside, Fordy and MV Cozacan are both well equipped for the fishing trips. The smart, attrac tive British-built steel vessel is 50 feet long and weighs 30 tons. It's designed for fishing in the North Sea, so is very stable and has a lot of deck space.

The skipper himself is at least as qualified as the boat. Coming from Hexham, close to Hadrian's

Wall, he was only a short drive from both coastlines and there was no stopping him as soon as he left school at 16.

"I formed a sea fishing club with some friends and we used to go out on chartered boats," he told me. "But we really wanted a boat of our own,so we got together and converted a fishing boat for our own use." So far he has spent a total of 35 years deep sea fishing, from the age of 13.

In his spare time he obtained a Yachtmaster Certificate from North Shields Marine College and was also involved in sailing off the west coast of Scotland on a friend's yacht.

Deep sea fishing was always his

by Brian IVIcCann

true love,so when he could no lon ger stand the dust and monotony of the chipboard factory where he worked for 22 years as a supervisor, he decided to put his main hobby to good use, bought the boat and sailed it himself from the Tyneside boatyard

On reaching Gibraltar he ob tained a Coxswain's ticket to add to his qualifications and set up the charter business in Marina Bay. Now he has a regular clientele of lots oflocal fishermen and plenty of people from the gaming companies as well as passing tourists who see his board and climb, well, aboard. Mostly though, people book in ad vance for trips of up to eight hours, as individuals or for groups of up to twelve people. He has built up several monthly regulars as well.

Fordy ("even my mother calls me that") adds to the attractions by having Super Sunday Specials, which include a five-hour fishing trip with a bacon roll and tea, then back to a roast lunch at The Ship tavern on the quayside. "That really is popular," Fordy assured me.

So, what's the catch? "There are fish in abundance in these waters," he replied. "Bream, bass, grouper, conger, mackerel, octopus and many more.Someone even caught a John Dory a while ago."

Rods and lines are included in the price—basically £30 per person for a four- to five-hour trip with discounts for parties of eight or more people. The lines provided can take catches of up to 251b, but customers are welcome to bring along heavier equipment if they wish. With the help of crewmen Mick or Shane, the hours are to suit the customers—any time from dawn to dusk. Tuition is also given freely if required.

Fordy also runs the Marina Bay Laundry. It's all service washes, with ironing smoothly carried out by the friendly and efficient Conchi and Tammy if required. This is a boon to yachtsmen and also gaming industry employee.s,especially the ironing. "In the summer they can get through two shirts a day," said Fordy. "Also a lot of local families with limited line space take advan tage of the ironing facility."

At 8a the Square, Marina Bay, the quick-service laundry and dry cleaner's is open from 8am to 6.30pm straight through,Mondays to Saturdays,but will open on Sun day by arrangement for crew and owners of larger vessels. Oh,and in the laundry there is also internet access(two machines).

For information on thefishing(and diving)trips or the laundry,call47559 or 54023397; email cozacan_ssr® fsmail.net

With the help of crewmen Mick or Shane, the heurs are to suit the customers— any time from dawn to dusk. Tuition is also given freely if reuuired

Mario Finlayson

Filling Life's Canvas

Mario Finlayson has lost count of the number of paintings, etchings and drawings he has produced and which otherwise might mark the milestones of an illustrious artistic career that has spanned more than six decades of dedication to brush and pencil. At 80, he Is not only the Rock's best-known and oldest practicing painter but for more than 20 years he taught and was mentor to generations of Gibraltar artists — initially as a teacher in the Rock's school network and then to other, more dedicated wielders of brush and palette.

And, greying hair showing the first signs of white but a youthfully puckish twinkle in his eye, he still offers weekly private classes to a small band of gifted amateurs in the stone-walled catacombs of the Art Centre in the narrow streets of the old town.

His own professional studies came later than for most — he was 36 when he took his first formal lessons in art from a recognised institution.

The son of a Naval Dockyard model-maker and plumber, Fin layson was initially self-taught — learning his craft with pencils and scraps of paper during lessons and after school; and later, dur ing Britain's war-time blitz when with his parents he was evacuated

from Gibraltar, sketching the RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes in their aerial dog-fights above London with Messerschmitts,Dorniers and other Luftwaffe aircraft.

"1 wish 1 had some of those sketches now...just to remind my self how my work has developed," he says.

Though he was in his early teens when war broke out and the bulk of Gibraltar's civilian population was evacuated one senses a certain nos talgia for those years of drama and

privation. Even before the long sea journey up the Atlantic and then the Channel, Mario had mapped out his plans to become an artist.

"I had needed to draw and paint for as far back as I can remember, and knew deep down that what I wanted to be was an artist," he recalls. "But my mother was less than enthusiastic. 'Painters are always hungry,' she warned me. 'It is better that you should learn a trade like your uncles'."

As a 14-year-old evacuee Finlay-

son joined the"War Effort" taking a job on the assembly line of an elec tronics factory... until the family's home in an Oxford Street hotel was destroyed by a German bomb and Finlayson and his mother moved out of London to Richmond.

"I had quite enjoyed the work in the electronics firm — earning my own money for the first time and being able to help my mother and contribute to the family up-keep — but when we were forced by the blitz to move away from London,1 hated my next job. It wasin a muni tions factory near Richmond and its first storey had a large glass-fronted drawing office where the draughts men worked...1 wanted to be there, rather than on the factory floor. But every time 1 asked for a transfer 1

During Britain's war-time biitz he sketched the RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes in their aeriai dog-fights ahoue London with Messerschmitts, Oerniers and other Luftwaffe aircraft

was given the answer: 'This is a war, you have to work where you are told'."

Nevertheless, Finlayson put his spare lime in Richmond to good use, studying technical drawing, science and physics at evening classes at a college next door to the factory. Persuaded by his mother to acquire a training other than in art, the young teenager had decided to study and qualify as an architect and these were the subjects he had been told he would need. (The technical drawing skills he gained have stood him in good stead, for the mature artist has a grasp of per spective which many of his peers might envy.)

"But I still wanted to join those draughtsmen in their glass-walled office on the first floor," he recalls with a wistful smile. "And I pes tered and pestered the manager."

Finally the authorities relented and agreed to give the young Fin layson a draughtsman's post — in Coventry.

"My parents had given the neces sary permission and signed all the papers for me to move there when the first V-2 flying bomb landed in Coventry — devastating the ca thedral and the heart of the city... so that was that," he shrugs his shoulders in a fatalistic gesture.

"Soon after that we were moved to Northern Ireland to do farm work,and though we had no elec tricity in the camps I remember the time with great affection." And behind the glasses his eyes take on a brief, misty glaze. "Ah... I think the age of 17or 18 is the best time in a young man's life. There was the healthy outdoor life and the Satur day night dances in Ballymena... and, of course, the girls..."

Through all the upheavals Fin layson had continued to draw and sketch, and his burgeoning talents were put to good use in the evacu ees'camp where his father and oth ers had built a stage,complete with proscenium arch, at one end of the camp's dining hall. He decorated the proscenium and also painted the huge backcloth for the stage.

"It was a painting of the Rock and also showed HMS Ark Royal... and drew a tremendous cheer from the audience whenever the curtain rose for one ofour entertainments," he recalls proudly.

Repatriated along with other

evacuee families in 1947,Finlayson threw himself into art "buying any art book I could lay my hands on... though I realise now that a lot of this was wasted cash and effort..."

He was also called up for military service, conscripted into the GDF, serving briefly for 50 days as a soldier before volunteering to enlist in the police.

"It was a way to get out of the army, which was proving pretty horrible," he laughs. "But it was certainly a case of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire. I am someone who likes to be do ing something all the time, and in those days police duties seemed to involve standing about a lot and doing a lot of nothing or walking about on one's own waiting for something to happen.

"Also,1 don't like telling people what to do — apart from teaching, of course — or getting people into trouble, and so 1 was frequently in trouble myself with one of the sergeants who was not impressed

by the fact that 1 seldom issued warnings or arrested anyone."

From the police Finlayson moved to the fire service where,though he regularly excelled in exams,he was never made up to leading fireman though with hindsight he admits that the authorities were right not to have promoted him.

Nevertheless, he found time to paint and draw with "a ready supply of models" among his fire service colleagues on night duly and "plenty of time to paint during the day." Another job switch took him to Capurro Motors where he worked for the next 15 years. He had joined the Caipe Artists' So ciety and his paintings had begun to win prizes in local and Spanish competitions. And his works had begun to sell...

"1 would get as much as four guineas for painting — slightly more than the £4 a week I earned in wages from Capurros — and there are still people who come up to me today and tell me they bought one of my early paintings in those days. Today you have to charge £1,000 — but you also have to remember that a tiny tube ofoils can cost £20," and he brings index finger and thumb of his right hand together to indicate just how small these tubes of costly pigments are...

"Ah...I think the age of17 or 18 is the hesttime in a young man's life. There was the healthy outdoor iife and the Saturday night dances in Baiiymena...and,of course, the giris..."

Rock Sciiooiiioy bacaine Silent Screen Star

The Creature was released as a 'B' film in 1954 but has gone on to achieve cult status. Film fans today,and even in the 1950s,would not have been familiar with Anto nio Moreno who played Dr. Carl Maier,leader ofan expedition to the Amazon that is ambushed by the Creature, but he was a handsome leading man of the silent film era and has his own star on the Hol lywood Walk of Fame.He was also a central figure in two mysterious deaths — the murder of the famous director William Desmond Taylor and the car crash that killed his own wife.

Antonio Garrido Monteagudo Moreno was born in Madrid on 26th September 1887 to the wife of a soldier in the Spanish army. The family moved to Seville where An tonio was very happy but his father died when he was just nine years old and his mother took him to live inAlgecirasand a few monthslater to Campamento, Life was hard and Antonio had to leave school and go to work in a shop to help support his mother.In his autobiography Antonio wrote:

"In Campamento we lived in a cottage near the church and I, with another boy, was taken into the choir.

This event was one of the very few bright spots in my poor moth er's life at that hard time. Her de vout soul was thrilled at the happy circumstance.

"I then became an assistant to the padre and helped him in his duties of preparing for the masses. While there was no remuneration, it so greatly pleased my mother to think that I was helping at the church that mere money,greatly as we needed it, didn't seem to matter.

"It was my mother's great ambi tion that I, in time, might aspire to become a priest."

Antonio was not interested in the church, however, and without her knowing he had found an Interesting way to supplement his income.

"IfI must,and I know that I must, tell the truth, I was always look ing for a chance to get away from ecclesiastical duties and studies and go among the Englishmen's polo ponies at Gibraltar.

"My greatest pleasure was to be asked to hold the player's extra po

nies for which duty I was more than recompensed by a shilling."

During the winter wealthy tour ists visited Campamento and the young Antonio enjoyed talking with them and learning about the world, particularly America.

"These tourists became my friends. Many a tale of many a far land did I hear from the lips of someforeigner wintering it there in sunny Campamento.

And instead of these tales mak ing me more content with my native land and my allotted life, I became more and more restless, more and more eager to get away. As far as possible. I felt that I would never live my life in Spain.

"In exchange for my conducting

them about Campamento, they, in their turn,conducted me, mentally, around the portions of the world from which they variously came. I would go home fired with tales of London and Paris, Chicago and New York,Berlin and Vienna."

Two tourists who became es pecially fond of Antonio were Americans Benjamin Curtis and Enrique Zanetti.

Curtis was the nephew of Seth Lowe,the Mayor of New York,and Zanetti was a graduate of Harvard University. The two stopped at Campamento during a 'World Tour'. Antonio so convinced them of his desire to travel to America and his willingness to go to any lengths to get there that they de-

cided to help him achieve his dream. But first Curtis wanted Antonio to get an English education and insisted that he attend school at Gibraltar.

Having lived a free life for so long Antonio was not a good student.

"But I didn't like the routine and confinement of the school. I had lived my own life, as it were, too long for me to accept grace fully routine and schedule. I was miserable, stupid and unhappy. 1 wanted to be with my American friends. With them, 1 felt, I could leam far more than ever I would learn at Gibraltar."

Antonio quit school in order to act as a paid guide for Curits and Zanetti on a tour ofSpain. When the tour was over Antonio returned to school and studied with a renewed enthusiasm. Seven months later, aged 14, he would be on a boat to America. His mother broke the news to him:

"My mother smiled, that sadwise smile of hers and told me that Mr. Curtis had cabled for me to join him in New York. All this had been arranged before he sailed for America, unbeknown to me. 1 was to prove my mettle, prove the reality of my desire to go and then, if I gave evidence of making good, I was to be sent for."

Antonio finished his education in Northampton, Massachussetts and developed an interest in the theatre. Upon graduation he found work at the Electric and Gas Company and it was through this job that he got his first show biz break. One day he was sent down to the theater to fix the lights. Maude Adams, Antonio's favourite actress, was headlining in a theatre company presenting "The Little Minister."

Antonio applied to the manager for work and was given a small part. His debut was a success and he basked in the glory of it.

"I went home in a perfect glow of triumph, told Mrs. Morgan [the housekeeper and his English teacher] with shaking voice, wrote letters to Mr.Curtis,Mr.Zanetti,my mother and Conchita (his Spanish girlfriend)and slept the sleep ofthe gods that night."

Antonio completed the run of, The Little Minister and performed in several other plays around the

When I was a youngster one of my favourite horror films was The Creature from the Black Lagoon. So it was a surprise to learn recently that one of the main characters of that film had once been a big silent screen star and a Gibraltar schoolboy.

"I was alwayslooking for a chance to getawayfrom ecclesiastical duties and studies and go among the Englishmen's polo ponies at Gihraltar'

country.

In 1910 he sailed to Spain only to find that his beloved Conchita had become engaged to a rival. Broken-hearted he returned to America and pursued his acting career with a fresh zeal.He worked in Shakespearean repertoire in summer stock and even dabbled in vaudeville. In 1912 he was advised by an elderly producer to try films and so he moved to Hollywood and signed a contract with Vitagraph. He later jumped to Pathe and then Famous Players.

The little boy from Campamento would go on to act in the weekly serials so popular of that era and in more than a hundred silent films. He performed with all the great stars of the day including Mary Pickford, Greta Carbo,Pola Negri, Blanche Sweet, Gloria Swanson, Clara Bow and Dorothy Gish. He was pals with Roman Novarro and Rudolph Valentino and a good friend of William Desmond Taylor the mostfamous and talented direc tor in the business. Antonio was one ofthe last people to talk to Taylor on the night he was murdered.

The body of Taylor was found inside his Hollywood bungalow on the morning of 2nd February, 1922. The 49-year-oid director had been shot in the back. Among the suspects were his butler, a former handyman and his lover the actress Mabel Normand.She left his home at 7.45pm the previous night and was the last known person to see him alive.

When he was interviewed a few days after the murder Antonio said he had talked with Taylor on the telephone at about 7 o'clock, around the same time that Nor mand would have been there. He said that Taylor was in good spirits and had arranged to meet with him the next day at the studio. He finished by stating:

"I feel that in Mr. Taylor's death I've lost one of the best friends I've ever known. And I'll do everything in my power to run down the man who killed him."

A year after Taylor's death An tonio married Daisy Canfield Danziger the daughter of a wealthy oil magnate, but ten years later she died when the car she was a pas senger in plunged off Mulholland Drive and down to the bottom of a 250-foot cliff.

The car was Daisy's but it was

HAYMILLS (HI build

driven by a Swiss man named Rene Dussac who survived. Dussac claimed that he was driving be cause Daisy had an injured arm and while trying to adjust the lights in the dark and in fog he ac cidentally turned them off. There were rumours,however,that Daisy hadn't been killed in the crash but had died when Antonio pushed her down the stairs of their home. Her body was then placed in the car and Dussacjumped clear before it went over the cliff.

Antonio and Daisy had split ten days before the crash and it was said that Daisy had threatened to cut him offfrom her oil money.Also Dussac was a friend of Antonio's and there were suggestions that Antonio was bisexual and had only married Daisy,a well-known party girl, at the urging of the studio to protect his 'Latin lover'image.

Daisy was cremated and buried at home by her fishpond. Antonio eventually sold the house to the Catholic Church, some said, to atone for his sins.

Antonio made two other 'B' films in the 1950s that 1 remember watching at the cinema — Saskatcheioan (Chief Dark Cloud) and The Searchers(Emilio Figuera). His last film was a stinker called Catch Me If You Can in 1959. Antonio never re married and died on 15th February 1967 of heart failure. He is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery,Hollywood a long way from Campamento.

In 1910 he sailed to Spain only to find that his heloved Conchita had hocomo engaged to a rival.Broken-hearted he returned to America

For the third year running, pre-teen girls will be able to 'live the dream' with Glamour Creations' pageant Dream Girl of the Year 2008,to be held,so appropriately for blooming beauties, on the first day of spring, Friday 21=» March 2008.

Given the contestants' young age (10 to 13X the show is more geared to fun than competi tion and 20 'girly girls' — as organiser and director Bianca Chiara, herself protagonist a model and glam princess, likes to describe the main requisite to participate — will take part in several social activities before wowing the John Mackintosh Hall audiences.

Most girls seem to be interested in entering only if one or more friends do the same,so"they already know someone" on the first day when they would be too shy for venturing on stage amid "strangers", but Bianca assures potential candidates that they are bound to meet and make new friends in no time,when she takes the the whole party out for lunch together!

'Educational'shopping sprees will be focused on the ABCs of fashion, learning how to look 'flashy but not tacky', glamorous but not try ing too hard, dressed for the occasion without overdoing it with lengths, splits and d^collet^s in their evening wear,so that it is kept fresh and appropriate for their age. Other no-nos are of course stiletto heels and heavy makeup — just a touch of lip-gloss and blush to shimmer in the spotlight!

Every girl will be required to provide her own casual and evening wear, perhaps with some advice from Bianca — the first to express her personality and the second to look her prettiest for the grand finale.

Without disclosing to other contestants too many details on each girl's style hot picks—one of the best kept secrets in pageantry — Bianca will also make sure no two of them are embar rassed by appearing on stage in the same or similar colour or outfit.

Girls will also be issued with a'uniform',jeans and tee-shirt,for their opening number,and take centre stage one by one to introduce themselves by name,age,sponsor and other small talk so the judgescan evaluate their confidence and person ality. It is a daunting prospectto have to own the stage and speak up in front of the full house,but it is indeed the now-or-never confidence-booster — the very point of the whole exercise!

Bianca always makes sure that each contestant gets plenty of'air time' to parade alone or with the group, for proud parents to admire and cheer their girls.

Dream Girl can be a one-off experience for youngsters to learn about femininity and poise, or a valuable springboard for an amateur mod elling career locally, or even more ambitiously, the first step on the ladder of the many pageants organised in Gibraltar, the winners of which often represent their country with outstanding success at larger affairs abroad.

This is the case for Miss Glamour 2007 Leigh Neish,cover girl and beauty queen of the 14-17

age bracket crowned in another popular show Glamour Creations organises yearly: she was selected as the Gibraltarian delegate to Nuestra Belleza Mundial in Peru. Bianca is mentoring Leigh in her journey,being herself the delegate to the Over-26 category. They will lake this op portunity to donate some medicines,clothes and money fundraised in previous shows for Peru vian hospitals and underprivileged children.

Back from the land of alpacas and after the Christmas break, rehearsals will get into full swing with chorus-line dance routines and choreography by Bianca with the help of the girls'suggestions,so their dance performances on the big night can be truly 'theirs'.

Alluring awards in cash and vouchers are in the pipeline for the winner and the two prin cesses, who will be crowned, as the protocol requires, by previous winner Stephanie Perez. Special prizes are reserved for Miss Friendship, elected by the contestants. Miss Elegance, Miss Catwalk, Miss Personality, picked by the panel of expert international adjudicators, and Miss Cover Girl, the most photogenic in the eye of the photographer.

Although details are still sketchy, enter tainment on the night will be as explosive ^ local productions have accustomed us to: Bi anca discloses she has a couple of aces up her sleeve. And if her aces are as flamboyant and unique as the sleeves of the 'Dorcas original' designer gowns she models, well, expect the unexpected!

Strictly on a first-come first-served basis,Fri day 2"=' November is the closing date to submit your daughter's application form and the £30 commitment fee to Blossoms, V floor,ICC.

Bianca assures potential candidates thatthey are heund to meet and make new friends In no time, when she takesthe the whole party outfor Innch

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Bird of Prey Migration may be Affected by Ciimate Change

Scientific paper by GONHS reveals changes in migration trends.

A paper entitled Trends in ahiindanceofmigrating raptors at Gibraltar in spring was recently published In a high-profile Dutch omithologica! journal, Ardea.

Authored by Drs. Keith Bensusan, Ernest Garcia and John Cortes of the GONHS(Gibraltar Ornitho logical & Natural History Society), the paper examines trends in num bers of a range of species recorded at Gibraltar from the early 1970s to the 2000s. Species studied were the Honey-buzzard, Black Kile, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Montagu's Harrier, Marsh Har rier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk,Com mon Buzzard, Booted Eagle and Short-toed Eagle. Of these. Black Kites, Eurasian Sparrowhawks and Booted Eagles were found to have increased on passage across the Strait, whereas Honey-buz zards and Common Buzzards have decreased. All other species were

found to have remained stable.

Eurasian Sparrowhawks suf fered severely from the use of organochlorine pesticides from the 1950s to the 1970s and have shown a recovery in Europe since these pesticides were banned. The trend detected at Gibraltar reflects this.

The decline in Honey-buzzards could reflect slight declines in parts of the species' range. However, other factors may be involved.

Larger numbers of Honey-buz zards have been recorded crossing at the Strait of Messina between the Italian mainland and Sicily, and it may be that Honey-buzzards are shifting their route to Europe from Africa.

The decline in Common Buz zards is most surprising as the species increased in many Euro pean countries during the late 20th Century. These results suggest that many Common Buzzards are no

longer flying as far south for the winter, quite possibly as a result of climate change.

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While living in London, Americans John Copley and John Trumbull painted beautiful works of art depicting historic events at Gibraltar.

Copley contributed The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar while Trumbull painted The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar.

There is no record that either of these men went to Gibraltar so how did they manage to capture these battles with such authenticity? The explanation is that in London both of them studied under another American, Benjamin West, and he definitely spent some time in Gibraltar.

Benjamin West was born to Irish parents at Springfield, Pennsyl vania in 1738. He showed a talent for art from an early age and by 22 was so accomplished that a wealthy businessman sponsored him on a trip to Europe.

West spent time at Gibraltar sketching the Rock before sailing on to Italy where he further enhanced his skills by imitating the works of Italian painters such as Titian and Raphael.

From Italy West travelled to Eng land where ho was commissioned by King George III to paint portraits of the royal family.West painted the King twice and together with Sir Joshua Reynoldsfounded the Royal Academy of Arts in 1768. His most

famous and influential painting was The Death ofGeneral Wolfe com pleted in 1770. Although initially criticised as overly ambitious it became one of the most reproduced images of the period. Heroic deaths were a recurring theme with West and another of his best works is his The Death of Nelson. This painting shows the great British naval hero Lord Nelson on the deck of his ship Victor}/ at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. He lies dying after being shot by a French sniper. The painting is not completely accurate,as Nelson died below decks, where he was carried after being wounded.

Crowds flocked to see this work when Westexhibited it in his house a few months after the Battle of Trafalgar.

West was the first American artist to achieve an international reputation and to influence artistic trends in Europe.He was Surveyor of the King's Pictures from 1791 until his death in 1820, During his lifetime he taught dozens of his countrymen including Copley and Trumbull who followed his tradi tion of painting what he called'epic presentations'.

In fact Copley's The Defeat of the Floating Batteries at Gibraltar cov ers 456 square feet and is one of Britain's largest oil paintings.It was commissioned in 1783 by the City of London to commemorate the defeat of the Spanish floating batteries at Gibraltar in September of 1782. The floating batteries were built of wood and the British artillery

destroyed them by pre-heating cannonballs to temperatures so high that they set the timbers on fire

The painting shows General George Elliot riding at the edge of the battlements directing the rescue of Spanish sailors. It was originally hung in the Common Council Chamber at Guildhall but was later transferred to the Guild hall Art Gallery. During the Blitz it was removed and stored outside London. Just three weeks later the gallery was destroyed by German bombs. In 1993 the painting was exhibited at Gibraltar Museum but today it is at the new Guildhall in London where it occupies the entire back wall of the main exhibition space.

Copley is considered the great est and most influential painter of colonial America but he suffered financial difficulty in his later years and his son, who became Lord Lyndhurst, had to settle his debts aher his death on 9th September 1815. He is buried at London's Highgate Cemetery.

Unlike West and Copley, Trumbuli returned to live out his life in America and his The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Artin New York City.

Trumbull was an officer in the American army and he aided the revolutionary cause by sketching the British defences at the famous Battle of Bunker Hill. In 1780 he travelled to London to study under West and it was at the latter's sug gestion that he painted The Sortie, which he completed in 1789.In the painting Trumbull focuses on the death ofSpanish officer Don Jose de Barboza who had been abandoned by his own troops but who never theless attacked the British column and thereby earned their respect. The actual sortie took place on 26th November 1781 at the height ofthe Great Siege when British troops in the dark of night made a success ful surprise attack on the Spanish trenches.

Although General Elliot played no part in the attack he was the Governor and Commander of the Garrison at the time and Trumbull shows him offering assistance to Barboza. In reality Barboza, abandoned by his troops, attacked the British alone, was mortally wounded, refused all offers of as sistance and died at his post.

Trumbull had been told of the sortie by his friend and fellow artist Antonio de Foggi who had been at Gibraltar during the Siege.

On his return to America Trumbull was appointed president of the American Academy of Arts and he held that post from 1816 to 1825. He died 10th November 1843 aged 88.

Trumbull had beau told of tbo sortlo by his frioud and follow artist Antonio do Poggi who bad boon at Gibraltar during tbo Siogo

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The Pea Family — this large family of plants is represented in Gibraltar by 91 different species, and so forms the largest group within the over 600 species of wild plants found on the Rock.

The largest ofthese flowers is the Spanish broom {Spartium junceum). This is a fairly large almost leafless shrub, up to 3 metres tall. It has erect, rush-like stems, and spikes of scented yellow flowers around 2cm across.In Gibraltar they are lo calised in southern parts,especially around Windmill Hill.

The smallestflowers ofthe family belong mainly to the clover group. In this group the tiny flowers are generally grouped together toform rounded heads of many flowers. Such is the case of the reversed clover {TrifoUum resupinatum). This is a rare species, usually found

as a weed in cultivated areas, but can also be found at North Front Cemetery. The name refers to the fact that each flower in the head is held upside down when compared to all others of the family.

The southern milk vetch {Astrag alus baeticus)is a common plantthat can be found in most places around Gibraltar, especially the North

Front Cemetery and the southern flats of the Rock. The distinctive fruit pods are 2 to 4 cm long, and are arranged in upright clusters as the photograph shows.Thisspecies is closely related to the plant from which liquorice is obtained.

The small or bur medick {Medicago minima)is the smallest of the 11 species in this genus. It is not very

common, and is mainly found in the Willis's area of the Upper Rock, growing on dry stony ground.The flowers are 3 to4 mm long,and the spiny fruit pods are coiled tightly to form a spherical shape some 7 mm diameter.

Perhaps the most striking mem ber of the family is the Tangier pea {Lathyrus tingitanus). It is a rare plant, though it can form exten sive cover wherever it establishes itself. In Gibraltar it can be found at Europa Foreshore, and around Ince's Farm on the Upper Rock. The flowers are 2 to 3 cm across, and the fruiting pods can be up to

The tiny flowers are usually grouped together to form rounded heads of manyflowers

10 cm long.

The common birdsfoot trefoil (Lo/us cotliuus) is one of the most widespread ofthe family. It is found in all habitats throughout the Rock, but especially growing from crev ices in limestone outcrops on the Upper Rock.The yellow flowers are around 1 cm long,and form clusters of between 2 and 5. The leaves are grey-green.

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2 weeks unlimited gi^f^ , 360.

1 months unlimited golf' ^-480.'

2 months unlimited^oif 650.'

3 months unlimitA golf 820.'

6 months unlimitH golf 1.050.001^-^

1 years unlimited -1,500.001^

Sundayt.imch every SefnJay^^j^urt only 18.00C - bookings eesential

Sufiday Lunch Menu

Gazpacho

Another common and wide spread species is the horseshoe vetch {Hippocrepis multisiliquosa). The yellow flowers are about 6 mm long, and form clusters of from 3 to 7. The name refers to the shape of the seed sections of the curved,flattened pod.Each section is shaped like a horseshoe,open on the outside of the pod's curve. The pods are 3 to 5 cm long.

The name refers te the shape of the seed pods—each section is like a horseshoe, open on the outside of the pos's curve

Fresh homemade chilled soup with tomato, garlic & onion

Chefs Special Salad

Crispy salad of lettuce, blue cheese and chopped bacon

Smoked Salmon

Scottish smoked salmon salad

Lenguado

Baked whole Dover sole with lemon and thyme

Supreme Of Chicken

Saut6d supreme of chicken, with mushrooms, lemon juice b parsley

Cordero en Salsa de Ajo y Miel

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

All served with a selection of garden fresh vegetables

Walnut And Honey Ice Cream

Delicious!

Hot Apple Pie

With vanilla ice cream

A Selection of Fine Farmhouse Cheeses

Served with walnut bread

€18

Please call 95 2937605 to reserve your table

lost world, and just as James Dean and Buddy Holly liked the 1950s so much that they decided to stay there, his characters are destined forever to live and relive their battles and adventures beneath the sun that could never quite set on the British Empire.

Frederick Marryatt was born, in London, on 10th July 1792. The plainly mad George III was on the throne, and the future Queen Vic toria still 30 years unborn.

Strangely, Marryat owed his rock-solid Englishness to the reli gious intolerance of the French.

Two centuries before his birth, the streets of French towns ran with the blood of murdered Huguenots — persecuted Protestants accused of everything from plots against the state to playing their lutes too loudly after midnight. The climax came with the St Bartholomew's Day massacre of 23rd August 1572, which began in Paris and flashed like lightning across the country leaving thousands dead. Wisely, those Huguenots lucky enough to survive the homicidal frenzy of their pious Catholic neighbours took to their heels and ran. Many, including Marryat's paternal ances tors, ran to England.

His father,John Marryat,became exceedingly wealthy, putting this down to hard work and the sweat of his brow (he was a "merchant" — whatever that means).He poohpoohed as irrelevant trifles the fact that he had inherited a fortune,and astutely married a rich American from a prominent Boston family.

He was also a Member of Parlia ment, Chairman of Lloyds, and Agent for the West Indian island of Grenada. Suggestions that he was occasionally seen shining shoes and dancing for pennies in Paternoster Row may be safely discounted.

need for wonder and mystery. It was not always so.

Until at least the middle of the 20th century,the world beyond the horizon was as alien to most of us as the deserts of Mars, or the clois ters of Hogwarts school. A sailor's life was imagined to be an endless voyage of romantic discovery, and

the stories of men returned from the sea were listened to with slackjawed awe.

If video killed the radio star,com puters have crushed the life out of the traveller's tale.

The novels of Captain Marryat (he seldom used the "Frederick" when writing) are products of that

There is this to be said for Harry Potter — were it not for J K Rowling's bespectacled boy wizard, children's literature might now be extinct. But even Potter's gallant rearguard action may not be enough to save books — those glued-together bundles of word-covered paper — from becoming mere museum curiosities to the under twenties within a generation or two. Potter may yet turn out to be not the saviour of the book, but its glorious Captain Frederick Marryat did not initially set out to write books for children, but his rollicking tales of adventure on the high seas were just the stuff to fire the imaginations of boys before the world became too small to hold them. "Remote" is, today, a redundant word. From the Matto Grosso to the tip of Ant arctica, wanderers merely have to flip open their laptop computers, or take up their mobile phones, to wave birthday greetings back to Mum in Brighton.So children must reach beyond the real world,to fan tasy realms of dungeons, dragons and wizardry to satisfy their eternal

From his earliest days,John Mar ryat's son,Frederick, yearned to go to sea. Several times he ran away, determined to achieve his ambition, though whether he carried his pos sessions wrapped up in a spotted handkerchief on the end of a stick is unrecorded. Again and again he was dragged reluctantly home, but by the time he wasfourteen his father knew it was hopeless.

It was 1806, the year of Nelson's state funeral, and the nation was navy mad.In September,Frederick finally got his wish. He signed on aboard the frigate Imperieuse as a midshipman under the command of Lord Cochrane. His naval career was to last 24 years, during which time he came to know Gibraltar and the Mediterranean well enough for both to feature frequently as a backdrop to his novels.

He was soon in the thick of the action. Cochrane was either con stantly under orders to engage the

If Video killed the radio star, computers have crushed the life out of the traveller's tale

enemy, or could not resist picking a fight with anyone whose face displeased him.

Consider theevidence. Marryat's first winter at sea with the noble lord saw him involved in an attack on a French fort that netted a haul, not of enemy prisoners and muni tions, but, fortuitously for a noted gourmet,copioussupplies of butter, cheese and wine. Soon afterwards his Lordship lost several men in an attack on a Maltese privateer that he "mistook" for an enemy war ship. A familiar Saturday night ploy for the man itching for a fight but lacking a legitimate reason to start one: Hey, you,take THAT!Oh,I'm terribly sorry, I thought you were somebody else. Don't move — the ambulance is on its way.

For his part, young Fred Marryat soon developed a penchant for leap ing into the sea,though for a nobler, more humanitarian purpose. Time and again he plunged overboard to save the life of drowning sail ors. So frequently indeed that his fellow crewmen were surely either constantly drunk and congenitally clumsy(as well as unable to swim), or he was giving them a helping hand (or foot) over the side in or der to perform his party piece. An especial temptation, perhaps, for a dreamy young lad with a clutch of unwritten novels of derring-do rolling like loose cannons through his brain.

No matter. His flamboyant acro batics at least got him noticed.

In 1812 America declared war on Britain, unconvindngly alleg ing that the British were forever capturing passing American ships and forcing their crews to accept

the King's shilling. It was prob ably more to do with settling old scores.

The revolution had ended untidi ly in 1883,and many citizens of that beacon of the new democracy had not yet exercised their hard-won constitutional right to shoot a Brit. Marryat,no longer to our surprise, distinguished himself consistently throughout the conflict, not least by refusing to get his uniform wet in order to save a drowning ex-colonial.

Soon after the American war ended, Marryat showed the first flashes of his literary genius, but he did it in a strange way.A system of flag signals for use by merchant ships had been devised around 1800 by a man with the wonderfully improbable name of Rear Admiral Sir Home Popham.Marryat refined the system, and produced a handy code book that instantly became the must-have accessory of that, and all subsequent seasons. In rec ognition, he was elected a member of the Royal Society in 1817, and of the French Legion d'Honneur, but not until 1833. Presumably it took the French 16 years to decode the code book, but they were, after all, foreign.

In 1818, says Posterity, Marryat "invented a lifeboat". Since life boats certainly existed before 1818 (Lionel Lukin patented one in 1785), this has the ring of a man rushing breathless into the street and shout ing, "Embrace me, citizens, 1 have invented a bucket!" But Marryat's presumed improvements to inferior earlier designs were impressive enough for the Royal Humane Society to award him a gold medal in acknowledgment. Maybe,given Marryat's history, they included a retractable diving board.

Frederick married in January 1819, and in time his wife, Catha rine, bore him four sons and seven daughters. However, the boys did not fare well. Only one outlived his father, and he by only seven years.

Frederick Marryat's distin guished naval career ended abrupt ly with his resignation in 1830. In giving his reasons, he spoke of "private affairs". Our attention is sudderdy riveted. We want to know more. Here, we sense, is the salsa picante that will add spice to the stew, but History disappointingly turns its back and says no more.

However, his decision may have

been prompted by the success in 1829 of his first book — the plainly autobiographical The Naval Ojficer, or Scenes and Adventures in the Life ofFrank Mildmai/.He was paid £400 for it, and given the choice of earn ing vast sums for scribbling words on paper,or somewhatlessfor risk ing his life daily at sea, he wasted no time searching his pockets for a coin to toss.

Four more books swiftly fol lowed: Newton Forster(1832), Peter Simple (1834), Jacob Faithful (1834) and The Pacha ofMany Tales (1835). In writing them, Marryat drew heavily on his years of experience in the Mediterranean,and Gibraltar featured frequently.

He became editor ofthe Metropol itan Ma^^azine,in whose pages many of his stories first appeared includ ing,in 1836,his most popular novel to date, Mr Midshipman Easy.

By his mid-40s, Marryat was an enviable figure. In addition to a considerable fortune inherited from his father, he was earning huge sumsfrom his writing,of which the public could not get enough.

Once again, comparisons with the current success of Harry Pot ter are justified. And Frederick Marryat was not a man to leave his money in the bank and live frugally. He stayed for a time in Brussels and then spent a year or two travelling in North America, spending freely along the way. A property investment in the West

Indies failed disastrously, but he seemed not to care. Whenever money got tight, he wrote himself out of his difficulties.

Late in his career he finally turned to writing specifically for young readers, producing his most durable book. The Children of the Nexv Forest. It appeared in 1847, the last of his novels to be published in his lifetime, and it remains a much-loved staple of children's literature.

Marryat finally gave up his expensive wanderings to settle down on a Norfolk farm in 1843, but years of adventure, high living and extravagance had taken their toll. His health deteriorated and, like many a man in his position, he looked wistfully at his youth and refused to consider it gone.He tried to return to the navy but the Admiralty said no.

He should not have been sur prised,but apparently he was. Not only surprised, but so outraged by the unspeakable rebuff that he fell into a fit of apoplexy and burst a blood vessel in his lungs. When,in addition,his eldest son drowned in a shipwreck off the coast of Africa in December 1847, it was all too much.

He slid deeper into bad health and despondency, and died, still dreaming,on 9th August 1848. He is survived by Frank Mildmay, Mr Midshipman Easy,and innumerable Children ofthe New Forest.

Captain Frederick Maityat NEWTON FORSTER ooTlie Merchant Service

By his mld40s.Nlarryat was an enviable figure,in addition to a considerabie tortune inherited trom bisfather, be was earning huge sumstrom bis writing

Monday 5th November

The Gibraltar Philharmonic Society Concert. Rossini: Barber of Seville; Adrian Erod (Vienna State Opera); Elina Garaca (Vienna State Opera); KS Alfred Sramek (Vienna State Opera); The European Sinfonietta Conductor: Karel Mark Chichon. At St Michael's Cave. Tickets £50.00 includes a re turn shuttle service departing from Ince's Hall at 8pm available from Solomon Levy Estate Agent, Convent Place 8 Sacarello Coffee Shop, Irish Town. For info and credit/debit card purchase contact Angelo Tel: 72134 Email: tgpsociety@gibtelecom.net

Tuesday 6th to Friday 16th November

International Art Exhibition at Case mates Exhibition Galleries. Entry forms and conditions available from The Ministry of Culture Tel: 47592 Email: minculture@gibtelecom.net

Thursday 8th b

Friday 9th November

^ Autumn Festival 2007 - Zarzuela "La del Manojo de Rosas" (Pablo Sorozabal), Teatro Lirico Andaluz at John Mack intosh Hall Theatre. For info contact Ministry of Culture Tel: 48063

Saturday 10th November

GONHS Outing. Sierra Del Bujero Ramble — woodland and views. Meet Spanish side of frontier at Bam. For further information contact John Cortes Tel: 72639 Email jcortes® gonhs.org

Saturday 10th November

The Gibraltar Heritage Trust - A look at our "Patio Culture" led by Jenni fer Baliantine Perera. Meet at John Mackintosh Square (In front of the Gibraltar Parliament) at 10.30am

Sunday 11th November

Armistice Day ceremony at The Gi braltar Parliament 11am. For info con tact HQBF Tel:53624

Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cross of Sacrifice 12.00 noon. For info Tel: 53624

Monday 12th to Friday 16th November

Watercolour Exhibition by James Foot at John Mackintosh Hall Gallery 10am to 9.30pm. Entrance free.

Tuesday 13th November

GONHS meeting — Planning for Trees, at John Mackintosh Hall The atre 8.30pm. Entrance free. For info contact John Cortes Tel: 72639

Wednesday 14th November

Autumn Festival 2007 - Jazz, Jl# Elie Massias at St Michael's Cave. For info contact Minis-

try of Culture Tel: 48063

Organ Recital by David Power at Ca thedral of the Holy Trinity 3pm

Friday 16th November

Autumn Festival 2007 - Dorcas Hammond New Collections 07/08 at the Caleta Ho tel 8pm. Tickets £22 include drinks and canapes, on sale at Solo mon Levy Estate Agents, 3 Convent Place. 9am - 1pm, 3pm - 6pm from 1st November.

Saturday 17th November

Autumn Festival 2007 - Opera "Le Nozze de Figaro" (Mozart), Teatro Lirico Anda luz at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. For info contact Ministry of Culture Tel: 48063

Autumn Festival 2007 - Rock Concert - Breed 77 - Spectacular Live Return. For info contact Ministry of Culture Tel: 48063

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

Wednesday 21st to

Friday 23rd November

Gibraltar Bird Breeders AssociationExhibition of Live Birds at John Mack intosh Hall Lower & Gallery Rooms 10am to 9.30pm. Entrance free.

Wednesday 21st November

Mini Miss Gib at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre 8pm. Tickets: £8.00 Adults. £6.00 Children ages 2 to 7 years b se nior citizens. For info contact Jackie Tel: 58298000

Saturday 24th November

Gibraltar Breast Cancer Support Group - an a wareness morning. Christmas Cards & Calendars on sale. At the Piazza 10am. Also our "Light a Candle" Mass with the Gibraltar National Choir (mulled wine b mine pie to be served after the service) at Cathedral of St Mary's the Crowned 4.30 pm

Sunday 25th November

Caipe Rambles meet Spanish Side of the Frontier just to the right of the Aduana Vehicle Exit at Sam. For info contact Ray Tel: 71956 or John Tel: 74645

Thursday 29th b

Friday 30th November

Tarik School of Dance "Fern Gully" at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. For further info contact Derek Tel: (H) 77758

NGL50N CASeMATGS

a nlilli- wiiir. furiic,and a(Tr«n)aaurr. ynrd nith crli^ br^

rhickrii lllirt coAicfl in brt'ddmimhR and pnn-l^ed. afmb lomMu ami moxz.BivlUi KoJad and cfinpv potato wt*dAM

Chicken & Mushroom Pie £5.50

(Jlicfi. Iiiiiiirniailr mi^l\ liipppd pip aervnd willi honifinailir rJiipa

Admirals Ihinie Fillet Steak % £11.50

-Spnpd ivllh Miinlirooni. rppppr. Rrandy or Bnurten aauw.h^pinadp«Mp»aiwiii]gami'.li

Fillet Of John Dorv £7.25

Krrsli nilp( id John Don cooked In a green pcMq UUCP and topped niih Cheese M gralln

(Jillli Con Came £5.75 f ftimfiniidt* chilli mi a b^otrice

Spaghetti BoUisiiaise i ; £5.25

'IV|ii( u1 ilnllan pnsui dish h ith minced meat In loniato uuce ,.£5.50

I.H(sagne L, ttic llaliaii raviiuctlp.linn's <>r|ia.<ila and mimed bref,anred tiomcmiidc <dU^-

IIMS Breakla.sl ....£5.00

i rug.i saiisagi"..i rasUrrs or baron,loisl. masbronma.Inmalocs. baked bca^ apd cliipt

\egetarian Pasta Baked £5.25

.SfiaSirui itsikrd In a rh'ti Inmalo saooe.topped ollh rtierer and bofccd hi(he oren.

Steak & Ale Pie £ 5.50

Our iinii sirak A. ah- file scrrcd nith homemade chips

Swordfish £7.75

Scncd ritlier plain grilled, nlUi garitcbuRer or wUha loinalu and basil unce tbe ciiulrc is yours.

Chicken curry(m) £5.50

llumciiiiHte chicken curry served on a bed of rice, niinlhpr iironrciiera apedail hsiiii llir Star Bar.

Breaded Scampi £6.75

Snii'iilnii scamjil iiri-ds iiii Inlnxloction. scrvrd with iiurliomeoudc ctilps and a ulail aamtsh

The chefs spedal of Uie day please ask your waller

VVe also serve a range of Home made hzzas, Burrilos, Jacket Potatoes, Burgers & Sizzlers

Gibraltar Live Music Society

Venue of the Year

All Matches Live Huinr Id Ihc Oibrailflr Kiigliy (!;iub

FREE NEW Ice Cream

giBRMiTar A

i i i at the I/ordy Exciting NEW Menu laullch<^d at the Star Bar ™ Vnv,v.!ordnelson.ei Ut 4KIT fVitiUs tiMd to ifKtOM* ^Hir patty menu OReiHu's Heoit Island, Glbialtar^ OihralUir'.s Only Aulhenlic iri.sh Bar. Opening Aiilumn 1^7 85

ets accessories

Protect Your Dog Against Fata!Summer Diseases

Heartworm, Leishmaniosis, Tickborne Diseases

Phone Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic for details 77334

Emergency:8977

Leighton is a very relaxed and chilled out young cat who would suit someone living on their own.

Cat Welfare Society

Tel: 42301

hobbies'' pastimes

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Alberton—A little Town with a Big Book Store

We were driving through the badlands of Montana when high on a hillside a sign appeared that declared that at the next stop up the highway there was a book store with more than 100,000 used books for sale.

Intrigued I pulled into the little town of Alberton (pop. 400) and found the Montana Valley Bookstore in an old, wooden,three-storey house.

The door was open so Maggie and I wandered in and began browsing. There were books ev erywhere, all over the main floor and in the basement below, I could hear children running around up stairs but no one came to serve us. Behind a sales counter there was a yellowed newspaper clipping tell ing the story of this odd bookstore in the middle of nowhere.

The proprietor was a man named Wales who every year bicycled around the country buying up all the old books he could find. He would then have them shipped off to his bookstore in Alberton.

We browsed for about fifteen minutes and I found several books to my liking, including one titled The New Mediterranean Traveller, which featured an article about Gibraltar complete with photos and a map. The book was published in 1930 and it was amusing to read the criticism and advice it offered for visitors to the Rock three-quarters

of a century ago.

"Appearance - Gibraltar is unique in position in picturesqueness (sic) and in history.It is at once a fortress, a colony and a prison. From a dis tance the Rock appears like a huge crouching lion, in form somewhat like the statue in Trafalgar Square, London. Although from a distance the Rock stands out grim and bare, a closer approach shows it to be covered with luxuriant vines and shrubbery, as though Nature were trying to belie the Rock's warlike reputation.

"The Town-On entering the city (population 27,460) the traveller is impressed with the absence of

solidity and beauty in the architec ture. This is owing to the fact that, as Gibraltar may be the scene of war and bombardment at any time, it is scarcely worth while to build costly and impressive structures. Some quaint Moorish and Spanish buildings and remains, however, give some variety to the otherwise unattractive town.Outside the gate is the Alameda or Public Garden, a most attractive park, a portion of which is used as a parade ground.

"People-The streets of the town present a remarkably cosmopolitan appearance. The Barbary Moors with their snow-white turbans, the Arabs with hooded garments.

bare legs and yellow slippers, the Highland soldiers in their brightcoloured characteristic uniforms, long-bearded Jews in gabardines, Turks in their baggy trousers, together with a mingling of Span iards, Portuguese, Africans, Mal tese, Levantines and picturesque Moorish beauties — all serve to make a bizarre and memorable pic ture in its strange mingling of the twentieth and fifteenth centuries.

"Hotels- The best hotels are the Cecil, Bristol and Europa. Charges from 25 pesetas per day upwards.

"Transport -The charge for car riages is ^ree shillings an hour for two persons, with extra charge for every additional passenger. A ride around the southern end with a jaunt across the 'neutral' ground to Linea, will be found most en joyable.

"The Apes-These apes are so in telligent that the natives assert that they can speak but hide the fact lest they should be made to work.

"Administration - Smuggling is countenanced, passing steamships are given short measures of coal, and there is a multiplicity of evil resorts that endanger the health as well as the morale of soldiers.

"Climate - While the weather in early spring is usually balmy and delightful, storms accompanied with the cold windsfrom the moun tains sometimes make sight-seeing far from agreeable. At such times extra wraps are indispensable. In summer the heat at noonday is trying.

"Customs- Firearms and liquors are prohibited and tobacco is heav ily taxed."

As for Gibraltar's overall value the book cited the Fortnightly Re view of February 1893 "...makes a strong argument to prove the uselessness of Gibraltar even in case of war. While doubtless it could withstand the most terrific and prolonged siege, it is really valueless as a naval base."

Well they got that pretty much wrong as Gibraltar certainly proved its value in World War II and since.

Eventually one of the youngsters from upstairs came down and we paid for our purchases. I asked the boy, who was about 12 years old,if 1 could speak to the owner,the smil ing man pictured in the newspaper clipping.

"Oh he's dead," said the boy. "My uncle shot him."

Well I did say we were in the badlands.

"Alihouglifrom a distance the Rock stands out grim and bare,a closer appreach shows it to he covered with iuxuriant vines and shruhhery,as though Hature were trying to heiie the Rock's wariikeroputation"

Since the beginning of thyme,four years ago, Stephen Clayton (chef/own er) has been introducing Gibraltar to new concepts in dining in the tastiest way, and built up an enviable reputation for top class dining.

another new concept to Gibraltar.

The upstairs dining room is non-smoking so you can enjoy the thyme experience without cigarette smoke from a neighbouring table intruding, allowing you to savour the delicious aromas drifting from the open kitchen.

Then the downstairs dining room allows you to have your cigarette at the table without fear of offending other diners. Of course for those smokers who prefer to leave the table for that mid-course ciggie he has provided comfortable seating round the bar area so you can enjoy the best of both.

Now he has returned to his roots in the kitchen Stephen has handed over front of house affairs and reservations to Melanie who will be happy to welcome you to the thyme dining rooms experience for both lunch and dinner.

thyme is now open seven days a week, serving Sunday lunches, two courses for £17.50, showing live sports in the downstairs bar area on a 42" plasma screen,and is open Sunday evening serving the full a la carte menu.

He has recently returned to the kitchen, joining Head Chef Jeff O'Donohoe to indulge in his love of cooking and is once again creating smoking dining roomsintroducing

the mouth watering dishes thyme in thyme though. Believing there is has become famous for. a thyme and a place for everyone, Stephen changing back into his he has created smoking and nonchef's whites is not the only change

This year thyme will also be open Christmas Day and New Years Eve. For details contact Melanie on tele phone 49199.

sway Quay. Sun 11am, Tues Bible Study 6pm, Thurs Prayer (vieeting 6pm, Hindu Engineer's Lane Tel: 42515. Jehovah's

72606.

Methodist 297 Main Street Gibraltar Tel/Fax 40870 email minister@methodist-org.gi

Minister: Revd Fidel Patron, Sunday 11am

Morning Worship. 8pm Evening Service.

Prayer meetings Monday and Wednesday to Friday 7pm and Tuesdays 8pm. Com

munion celebrated on 2nd and 4th Sunday mornings of the month, and other special occasions. Alpha Course: held Thursdays 8pm. House Groups meet for Christian fellowship, prayer and study on a regular basis Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Sunday School meets Sunday mornings alongside morning worship. Roman Catholic Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned, 215 Main St Tel: 76688. The Cityline Church 13 Castle Street Tel: 75755 email: citylinegib@yahoo.com.

Meeting: Tues 8pm.Sundays 11am.

Gauchosfor Lunch anyoneP

Due to many many requests from the business community,Andre and Lyn of Cauchos are now opening their restaurant and terrace for lunches Monday to Friday 12.30 to 3.30pm.

The kmch menu,created by Head Chef Danny, includes delicious starters such as tempura prawns, homemade pampas style soup, and homemade terrine of liver and pork; mainsfrom fillet of Scot tish salmon to The Gaucho Burger (made from prime steak specially

seasoned and grilled to your lik ing), and from Cazuelo Vegetal (chick pea and seasonal roasted vegetables with a light proven^ale sauce topped with a courgette fan) to grilled lamb cutlets "Guard of Honour"(on crushed new potatoes with mintchimichurri and red wine sauce).

And as Andre and Lyn well un derstand that sometimes business lunches can linger on a little, they will stay open until 5pm for diners who enjoy a leisurely lunch.

Happy staffat Gauchos

Geographical Variations

Thank Heaven we drive on the right hand side of the road,because in Morrison's car park the Rules for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea apply and so it is 'Port to Port' for all motorised vessels. The whole of Europort could be cordoned off tomorrow and a nuclear submarine parked there. This is because the legal definition in Gibraltar of'Ad miralty Waters' has not quite kept up with reality. Sadly, Morrison's were not amenable to the argument that since they are in Admiralty Waters any Gibraltar Government imposed tax on their goods did not apply - and my wine should therefore be cheaper. I will take this to the highest court.

This anomaly brings me to the importance of the sea to winemaking and the wine business. A Manzanilla would not have its salt tang. Claret,Port and Sherry would not be the global products they are without British naval superiority and trade. The New World wines would never have started as early as they did without the transport of the vines by sea - and America returned the compliment when the French vines were virtually wiped out by phylloxera in the late nine teenth century. Going back a bit, the Mediterranean sea routes under the Roman Empire (and before) spread the vines and the know-how around Southern Europe. As you sit in Marina Bay or Queensway Quay with a pleasant glass of house wine in front of you (I can recommend the Boatyard), ignore the ghastly motorised gin palaces in front of you and contemplate the wider canvas: the sea and the wind in the sails originally brought you the wine.

One can become ridiculously romantic-of course winesfrom the New World are now transported to us in massive container ships, carefully temperature controlled and protected from anything the sea can throw at them. That is why they now taste good at this end; a bottle of Australian Shiraz would not survive the journey under sail and a bottle of Chilean Cabernet would be undrinkable after going round Cape Horn. Incidentally, it is a pity that the container ship recently wrecked off Europa point was carrying nothing more than scrap metal. It would have been fun to re-enact Whisky Galore in modern times(as they did, off the

Devon coast, recently).

By a curious route, the subject of the sea brings me back to house wines in restaurants. Sitting on an aeroplane recently I grinned across at the stewardess, after she had finished her safety briefing, and remarked that 1 always enjoyed the bit about lifejackets being available 'in the unlikely event of a landing on water'. I received an earful

to the effect that 1 should not be laughing atsafety; my protestations that I was laughing at the language used (a landing on water is indeed unlikely)were ignored and 1 got no service for the rest of the flight. (By way of digression, the announce menton the London Underground: 'The next station is oval'always has me in fits of laughter but everyone else in the carriage clearly thinks I

am bonkers and moves away from me.) A kind-hearted fellow passen ger on the flight gave me a glass of the airline's wine. Dear me. While there are extra costs involved in producing plastic bottles of 18.75 cl, this was truly awful and my fellow passenger had paid £4.00 for it.

A house wine, whether of an airline or a restaurant, should be reasonably priced and the equiva lent of what you would buy for yourself for everyday drinking although, since you are in a res taurant - or on an aeroplane - it will be more expensive. Since we are on the Southern tip of Europe, Spanish wines(which do not travel well to the cooler and wetter areas of Northern Europe) are an obvi ous choice. Do not worry about the name; just look for the grape. Tempranillo and Garnacha are usually reliable (for reds) and the under-appreciated parellada (for whites). The geography and the climate do matter both for grow ing and tasting and these grapes flourish in the hotter weather. But the moral of the story is not to pay for wine at 30,000 feet, whatever the weather.

As you wheel your trolley around Morrison's(remembering that you are in Admiralty Waters and there fore still need to obey the 'Port-toPort' rule when negotiating your way past the people who should never have been allowed to drive a trolley in the first place — and who have probably never heard of the Collision Rules)look out for a de lightfor November as the evenings draw in and it becomes a bit cooler. Faustino Vll is ordinary, drinkable and perfectly pleasant. But Faus tino 1(£13.49)is lovely and will put off all those seasonal affective disor ders. It is long matured,has a nose the size of a Roman Emperor and a backside that an elephant would be proud of. There still remain a few of the Garonne Ste Gemme(£8.69)for those who want a treat at a lower price - not as powerful but not all November evenings require central heating.

Finally, the arrival of Christmas is getting ever nearer. Consider getting in your wines now. You are likely to be able to negotiate a better discount than nearer the time. Charlie at Stag Bros is often open to offers and, happily, knows his geography;he kept hisshop out of Admiralty Waters.

As you wheel your trolley round Morrison's, you may.not realise that you are doing so by kind permission of the Queen's Harbourmaster.

I am concerned that its production,transport and the effort involved in removing the cork will have increased sea levels or caused more rain. But a second glass reassures me...

restaurants

The Boatyard

Queensway Quay Tel: 50540

Stylish dining righton the quayside at Queenway Quay. Lunch and dinner served including appetisers of honey roasted figs, blue cheese & walnut stuffing, or warm tiger prawns, avocado & red onion salsa, lime ginger & palm sugar vinaigrette;salads such as Thai poached chicken breast, Asian herb slaw, toasted coconut'nuoc cham' dressing, and mains to tempt you including crab crusted seabass fillet, sweetcom and chive mash, steamed asparagus,fennel& watercress salad,or grilled rack of New Zealand lamb, cumin roasted chorizo & potato,steamed green beans,flamed peppers,rosemary & red wine jus. Sharing plates for 2 people include Australasian, Thai/Asian and Modem European (ie; spiced lamb cutlets,chorizo & beefskewers,warm tiger prawns with avocado salsa, chicken and mushroom risotto balls.

Open: 12 noon to 12 midnight.

Cafe Solo

Grand Casemates Square. Tel:44449

Modern Italian eatery set in the lively Casemates square. Everything from chicory and crispy pancetta salad with walnuts, pears and blue cheese dressing,or king prawn, mozzarella and mango salad to pastas(eg; linguine with serrano ham, king prawns and rocket; smoked salmon and crayfish ravioli with saffron and spinach cream)to pizzas(eg:Vesuvio spicy beef,cherry tomatoes,roasted peppers and red onions;and Romana chorizo, black pudding, egg and pancetta) and pizzas (eg: Quatto Stagioni topped with mozzarella, ham, chicken, pepperoni and mushroom) and specialities such as salmon fishcakes, beef medallions and duck. Good daily specials menu on blackboard.

Cafe Rojo

54 Irish Town.Tel:51738

Sleek modern comfort in this relaxing little restaurant. Red comfy ami chairs in separate area for a relaxing drink or coffee. Brunch menu (10am-12pm)includes dabatta, granary, foccacia sandwiches with fillings such as pear and blue cheese,smoked bacon and brie, cheese and honey roast ham,delicious desserts(choco late mousse in a must). Lunch 12 - 3pm and dinner 7-lOpm includes salads of coconut coated langostines (deep fried in a coconut batter, sweet chilli and ginger dressing); and warm goats cheese & fresh spinach with sauteed mushrooms, croutons, basil & balsamic dressing;pasta dishes such as langostinepil pil;saut^ed chorizo, chicken and langostines; and fresh salmon & spinach; and main courses including chargrilled fillet steak; wrapped chicken; lamb shoulder; and fresh salmon fillet with sesame crust. Open: from 10am. Closed all day Sundays, and Sat urday lunch.

Casa Pepe

18 Queensway Quay Marina. Tel/Fax:46967

Situated right on the water front at Queensway Quay, Casa Pepe has a comprehensive a la carte menu which includes dishes such as melon & Serrano ham,stuffed piquillo peppers and filled mushrooms to start, fol-

lowed by a choice of salads, rice and noodles and fish, poultry and meat dishes which include King Prawns Macarena(cooked with fresh ginger,tomatoes,mangos and bananas served with basmati rice, fried bread and bananas). Medallions of monkfish cooked with white wine and lobster sauce, duck breast Armanac-style (with Cognac, mushrooms and pine nuts). Medallions of pork loin cooked with Serrano ham and dry Jerez sherry, and fillet steak Malaguena cooked in creamy garlic mushrooms and sweet sherry sauce topped with prawns. Wide range of tapas/raciones also available. Open: Monday to Saturday 11am till late.

Claus on the Rock Bistro

Unit 14 Queensway Quay. Tel:48686 www.cIausontherock.gi

Bistro, grill and lounge with international menu served on the quayside for lunch and dinner. Try Lebanese mezza plate (humous, eggplant, tomato, onion and pita bread),Scottish smoked salmon with toast,capers and onion, or sashimi as a selection from the starters, or from the grill how about fillet of beef, entrecote, brochette of salmon or king prawns,or mains of Thai red chicken curry, Mauritian chow mein or Indonesian chicken sat^. Delicious desserts include French creme brulee and baked banana flambe with ice-cream. Defi nitely a pleasant place to dine.

Open:Lunch & Dinner. Closed Simdays.

Gauchos

Waterport Casemates Tel: 59700

Nestled just next to Waterport roundabout within the city walls. Recently opened by renowned local restaurateur Andr4 of the Tunnel fame, Gauchos of fers some interesting dishes with a tempting South American Gaucho theme. Try the Chorizo Crioila de Argentina (spicy sausage grilled over coal and wood), or the Mariscos del Rio Plata or Empanada de Queso Azul (blue cheese oven baked in a black pepper pasty) to start, or for main course perhaps the Fillet

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

Salad'£t SandwCclv'Bar

Fat-wvor Take'-away Tel:4818S,Unit7,ICC,Casemates

de Salmon Chimichiirri(salmon with grilled banana, mango and avocado sauce),or Crepe Argenteuil(with grilled asparagus and wild mushrooms), or one of the steaks (lots from Lomo de Alto, Solomillo, and T-bone to Corazon de Cuadril - tender heart of rump, well matured). There is lots more too — Parrillada de Guacho (for two - .steak, sausages, chicken, pork and lamb),salads(try the Remolacha Tostada con Queso de Cabra - tasty goat's cheese salad) — and the desserts are to die for too! Now also open lunchtime Monday - Friday 12.30-3.30pm. They say "this is a great experi ence for you to savour".... give it a try! Call 59700 to reserve your table.

The Rib Room Restaurant, Rock Hotel Europa Road Tel: 73000 E-mail: rockhoteI@gibtelecom.net www.rockhotelgibraltar.com

With stunning views over the bay,the restaurant at the Rock Hotel has gained two coveted AA Rosettes for its food. High standards of service and cuisine but you won't need an arm and a leg to be waited on hand and toot! A glass of Manzanilla and an appetiser welcomes diners and the 'house' and a la carte menus offer a range of dishes that reflect Gibraltar's British heritage, as well as her location betwixt Spain and north Africa. Current temptationsinclude Gibraltar Bay Sea Bass on a Chorizo Ragout with Pickled Lemons and Baby Clams; Lamb Loin with Slow Braised Shoulder and Aubergine 'Caviar'with Ras el Hanout or how about Argentine

Beef Fillet with Potato and Rosemary Rdsti with Pan Seared Foie Gras and Madeira Jus? Vegetarians will enjoy Wild Mushroom and Maris Piper Pithivier on a Leek and Black Olive Fondue or for pudding why not consider Lime Leaf Cr^me Brulee with a Salad of Blackberry and Moroccan Oranges? There is also a 'house' menu which changes daily and during the cooler months traditonal Sunday lunch. The wine list, amusingly written, makes no excuses for majoring on Spain and the house wine is excellent. Fully air-condi tioned, non-smoking policy, children welcome, high chairs. Restaurant Manager, Mohamed Youznassi. Head Chef, Alfred Rodriguez. For large parties and celebrations call Toby or Nina or e-mail.

Open: Dinner only - 7pm-10pm daily(Sunday lunch from mid October until early April)

Credit Cards: All major credit and debit cards

Simon's Restaurant 44 Cornwall's Lane. Tel:47515

Excellent food in a sopliisticated,intimate atmosphere. Hosts Suzanne and Simon ensure everyone receives personal attention. Start with Simon's own pate with red onion jam and hot toast,or king prawns thermidor with tarragon mustard, white wine and cheese cream sauce or perhaps 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, rosemary stuffing and masaia sauce, and roast tenderloin of pork wrapped in bacon with apple,sage and Calvados sauce. Or tiy 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(bookings recommended).

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Thyme Restaurant

5 Cornwall's Lane. Tel:49199

Email: Ihymegib^ohotmail.com

Open for 5 years, this modern wine bar serves refresh ing cocktails and a wide range of New World and European wines in a c<x)l lively atmosphere,and on the 1st floor above is the restaurant serving bistro cuisine with a menu featuring dishes from all over the world. Try one of these dishes from the wide selection: start ers include Buffalo Mozzarella, Plum Tomato, Grilled Chilli & Landcress Salad, Basil Oil & Balsamic; Crab & Coriander Spring Roil, String Hopper Noodle Salad, Cucumber & Chilli Salsa;Steamed Mussels flavoured with ginger. Lemon Grass, Chilli & Coconut Milk; try main courses such as Grilled Salmon Dame,Crisp Pancetta. Thai Spiced Lentils, Cool Mint Yoghurt Dressing; Confit of Lamb Shoulder Shank, Warm CouscousSalad, Chickpea &Coriander Salsa,Onion & Sultana Chutney; or Open Ravioli of Slow Roast Squash, Basil & Ricotta, Roast Garlic Cream Sauce. Everything made on the premises using only the best, fresh ingredients. Two seperate dining rooms - smoking and non smoking. Menu changed seasonally, daily specials. Open 7days a week. Closed Saturday lunchtimes.

informaleatinj^

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. Try the cou.s-cous (beef, veggie, chicken or lamb) or the tapas - £1 (eg: Spanish omelette, boiled crab legs, garlic chicken, cuttlefish stew).

Open:Sam -late evening. Breakfast from Sam.

Buddies Pasta Casa

15 Cannon Lane. Tel: 40627

Tasty Italian specials in pleasant ambience. Large selection of starters from garlic bread tocalamari. Main courses include fettuccinede formaggio,spaghetti alia carbonara, fusilli al salmone,and entrecote al whisky to name a few. Tasty desserts and variety of wines.

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

Charlie's Steak House Grill

Marina Bay. Tel/Fax: 79993

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

Open:9am - late every day.

The Comer House Restaurant Continental Hotel,1 Engineer's Lane

Tel: 76900 Fax;41702 Email: contiho<Pgibnet.gi

Ideal for a rest after.shopping asit is centrally located on

Main Street,this cafe serves breakfasts(all day),lunches and afternoon teas. Try the homemade mushroom soup or the roast leg of lamb demi glaze,or perhaps the fish and chips or homemade steak mince burger in pepper sauce. Kiddies menu available.

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

Get Joost

248 Main Street & Casemates. Tel/Fax: 76699 Smoothies arc vitamin packed super-food and increasingly popular for the health concious. Get Joost makes delicious fresh fruit juices and smoothies made from natural ingredients which are a meal in a cup. The top five smoothies they sell are wild strawberry;breakie on the run; energy blast; raspberry ice; and tropical surrender. Tel/fax: 76699 for delivery.

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

Get Stuffed

Marina Bay. Tel: 42006

Take-away, sandwich bar and hot ftx)d. Serving all homemade sandwiches, salads, quiches, pasta, pies, muffins, plus hot and cold drinks and smoothies and a different special every day. Outside catering for corporate parties.

Open:Sam - 6pm Mon-Fri,8am-4pm Sal.

Just A Nibble

1st Fir International Commercial Ctr. Tel: 78052

Full blown licensed cafeteria serving English breakfast, vast range of toasties, rolls, and other snacks. Meals include, Bob's famous chicken curry/chilli con carne, and a great new range of pies — from Bob's chicken and leek to steak and kidney plus a whole range of tasty alternatives — plus all the old favourites;jacket spuds, burgers, hot dogs, fish and chips, and daily specials.

Ideal meeting place.

Open: Monday - Saturday from 9am.

Just Desserts

1st Floor ICC Tel:48014

Comfortable bright, airy cafe serving vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine from breakfast and lunch to afternoon ^ea. Homemade desserts a speciality. Eat-in or takeaway at sensible prices. Outside catering.

Open:Sam - 4.30pm Monday to Friday.

Munchies Cafe

24 Main Street. Tel;43840 Fax:42390

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

Open: Monday - Friday 8.30-7, Sat 9-4,Closed Sun.

Roy's Cod Plaice

Casemates Square

Located below the clock on Ca.semates Square, Roy's Cod Plaice serves ail kinds of traditional chip shop fare, including battered plaice, cod, haddock and hake with chips, breaded fishcakes, and scampi, jumbo pork sausages, mushy pease etc to eat in or take away. Roy's also offers full meals such a.s pork chops,grilled mushrooms, tomatoes and mashed potatoes; mixed grill; or meat pie with mash and gravy.

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

Sacarello Coffee Co.

57 Irish Town.Tel:70625

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

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

Smith's Fish & Chips

295 Main Street. Tel: 74254

Traditional British fi-sh and chip shop with tables/seating available or take-away wrapped in newspaper. Menu:Cod,haddock or plaice in batter,Cornish pasties, mushy peas etc. Also curries, omlelles, burgers.

Open:8am-6pm Mon-Fri. Breakfasts from Sam. Located: Main Street opposite the Convent.

SoUy's

Salt Beef Parlour & Delicatessen

8 Cannon Lane. Tel: 78511

On Cannon Lane this carvery, charcuterie and deli offers delicious food to take away eat in or for delivery. Try the carvery (from 11am), hot or cold baguettes with fillings such as curried chicken breast, Merguezsausages,schnitzel, pastrami,smt)ked turkey

and pressed beef. There are also salads and platters including bangers & mash,lamb chops, beef burgers and hot dogs. (Glatt Kosher)

Open: 12pm-late,Sunday 6pm-late. Closed Sat.

Solo Express

Ground Floor,International Commercial Centre

Solo Express, located right next to Pizza Hut, serves a gcwd variety of salads and baguettes(white, brown & ciabatta) filled with a wide deli .selection of things such as roast chicken; smoked salmon & mascapone; ham,cheese and coleslaw; or hummous,avocado and roasted red pepper. The salads are fresh and tasty and include Greek, Waldorf,cous cous,tuna pasta,etc and are great value. Jacket potatoes, quiches, tea, coffee etc plus cakes(such as flapjacks and muffins) are also available throughout the day. Eat-in available. Soups in winter months.

The Tasty Bile

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 everj'thing else you can think of!

Open; Monday - Saturday.

Time Out Cafe Bar

106 Eurotowers, Europort Rd Tel:76044 Fax: 72760

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

bars&pubs

All Sports Bar

4 Cornwall's Lane Tel: 59997

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

Open:llam-midnight Sun-Thurs,llam -lam Fri/Sat.

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 handing the keys to the watch. All's Well serves Bass beers, wine and spirits plus pub fare. English breakfast served all day, hot meals such as pork in mushroom sauce,sausage & mash,cod and chips and steak & ale pie are complimented by a range of salads and filled jacket potatoes. Large terrace.

The Angry Friar

278 Main Street. Tel: 71570

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

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

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-late, food 10 -10.

The Cannon Bar

27 Cannon Lane. Tel: 77288

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

Located: off Main St at Marks & Spencer.

Da Vinci's Queensway Quay Marina Tel:50859

Located right on the waterfrontDa Vinci's is now imder

the managementofSam who welcomes you to enjoy the large terrace and comfortable interior. Sunday is sports day so go along to watch what's on.

Open:9am to late 7days a week

The Gibraltar Arms

184 Main Street. Tel: 72133

Good food served all day at this typical pub right on Main Street. Everything from all day breakfast to Irish fillet steak roll, burritos, and the popular fresh local mussels. Draught lager, bitter, cider and Murphys plus free WiPi. Terrace seating right on Main Street.

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

The Horseshoe

193 Main Street. Tel:77444

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

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

Facilities: Main Street terrace.

Lord Nelson Bar Brasserie

10 Casemates Sq. Tel: 50009 www.lordnel9on.gi

E-mail: reservations@lordnelson.gi

Attractive bar/brasserie in historic Casemates building. Done out to respresent Nelson'sship with cloud and .sky ceiling crossed with beams and sails. Spacious terrace Menu:Starter & snacks include fresh local mussels,blue cheese and rocket bruschetta, Lordy's potato skins,spicy chicken wings and caiamares. Main courses cover a range from chilli con carne and chicken and mushroom pie, to crispy aromatic duck burrito and Briti.sh fish and chips. Try one of the salads or Nelson's platters. Jacket potatoes, burgers and children's menu. Credit cards accepted. Live music every weekend. Open:from 10am till very late.

Pickwicks

Governor's Parade. Tel: 76488

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

Open: Mon - Fri from 9.30am

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

The Pig and Whistle

Unit 18, Watergardens. Tel: 76167

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

Open: 10-midnight(Fri-Sat 11-lam)

Red Lion Pub

Watergardens. Tel:44392

The Red Lion is a cosy pub in Watergardens serving

fresh homemadefood every day for lunch and "possibly the best breakfast on the Rock". Terrace seating.

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

Royal Oak Bar

59c Irish Town. Tel: 71708

Informal good local pub, popular for its pool table and sports talR. Outdoor seating.

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

The Star Bar

Parliament Lane. Tel: 75924

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

Facilities: Outside seating.

Open:from 7am every day.

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

The Three Owls Irish Town

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

The Three Roses

Governor's Street. Tel:51614

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

Open:every day. Mon-Sat from llam.Sun from mid day.

The Venture Inn

Lynch's Lane.Tel: 75776

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

Open:from 10am

Located: Main St near Casemates Sq, opp. the ICC.

Wembley Bar

10 South Barrack Ramp. Tel: 78004

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

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

acrosstheborder

The Taste Indian Restaurant

Avda. del Ejercito, esq. Calle Gibraltar, La Linea

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

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

Open:every day 5pm-late,Friday,Saturday &Sunday Ipm-late

Located: On the comer of Plaza de la Constitucion, which is about 400m straight across from the fron tier.

This summer it was students back for the holidays who discov ered that the Three Owls was the place to be for a fantastic night out; they even formed the Three Owls Fan Club and put a rave review on the internet Facebook.

And so Gibraltar's students join the pub's list of local drink ers, sports fans, gaming machine enthusiasts, pool players and lov ers of friendly banter and witty barmaids — including some local ladies in their seventies. I'lus the British forces - visiting and resident — and the American fleet when it's in town, because this is the only pub on the Rock with an American nine-ball pool table.

"They know about us even be fore they dock in Gibraltar," said Walthamstow-born landlady Val. "Nine-ball is a fast exciting game that's as good to watch as it is to play."

Yet another new group ofdevotes are the pool enthusiasts from the betting companies. TheThreeOwls has always been a pool players' delight, Val's partner Dave Jarvis is a former Gibraltar champion who is still considered one of the best players around, and Val told me that he is always happy to demon strate how nine-ball pool is played if anyone asks.

Val is a noted player herself, as are mo.st of the girls behind the bar. They too will happily give you a game if it's a quiet part of the day. The pub itself fields four teams playing in the Gibraltar Pool Association League — one of them from the gaming company 32 Red, and well over twenty of the Gibraltar National Squad have come from the Three Owls teams over the years

Val is on the committee of the Gibraltar Pool Association, so players can register with her. She and Dave also organise Three Owls tournaments — two eight-ball and two nine-ball every year.

The nine-ball table is on the top floor, where Val and Dave have cre ated a cosy club atmosphere, with countless pieces of pool memora bilia decorating every available space,often broughtfrom overseas by regulars or sailors. The bar at this rare-air level is usually run by Mav,whilst a floor below,the drink

ers and players are under the wing of Sarah, also an eight-ball player of some note.

Many people think that the ground floor Irish Town level is all there is to the Three Owls, and if they were right it wouldn't matter because that part alone is a com plete pub in itself — and a very lively pub too.

Much wit and friendliness from the highly sociable Jan, Beth and Rita sets the tone as soon as you step in off the low-traffic street,but there is plenty more to do. Drink, of course — it's a drinking pub so Val doesn't ser\'e pub grub — and, naturally, another pool table where fun gamessuch as'Killer'are often played by the regulars. But also a big screen tv for all sporting events, and a separate back room dedicated to gaming machines, including poker and spot the difference. The latter two are also found on the higher levels as well.

Val loved being the students'

favourite, a trend that seems set to stick. "They are a lovely bunch," she.said,"and it's great that I have seen many of them grown up from toddlers over the years. It's like a family, and they respect the place, not putting drinks or cigarettes on the pool tables, for instance."

There were special student hap py hours throughout the summer — called Wild Wednesdays, fol lowed by Throbbing Thursdays — and the regular happy hour still takes place from 10.30 to 11.30 every night. Real boozers' bargains are available at these times,such as double Jack Daniels and coke at just £1.50 instead of the normal £4.10.

(It wasn't the drink made me fall over,officer;it was the staggeringly low prices.)

As Val summed it up,"It's three pubs in one, each with a different atmosphere and different music. If you don't like one then you just take your drink to another, no problem."

So if you're a pool player or just a drinker who loves a good pub atmosphere,you'd be wise to check out the Three Owls in Irish Town. The main bar opens from 10.30am to midnightSundays to Thursdays and stays open until 1.00am on Fridays and Saturdays. Hoots and the Nest open at 5pm.

The Three Owls is a unique pub - it's on three floors, and the number of groups it attracts keeps on growing

"It's three pubs in one,each with a different atmesphere and different music.If yen don't like one then yon just take your drink to another,no prohiem."

I always think that October is a funny sort of month,its one of the few months of the year that not a lot really happens,summer is all over and done with, and it's just a bit too early to start thinking about Christmas. Mind you when I had to do a bit of shopping a couple of weeks ago in Morrisons you would have thought that Christmas was practically here.' I could hardly see a shelf that didn't seem full of boxes of Christmas crackers or mince pies. I'm told that the reason for the lack of meal and cheese is all down to the foot and mouth out break in the UK. I can only hope things get back to normal in time for Christmas or it could be a bit tricky getting enough turkeys to go round and that would be a disaster.

Of course there was one event in October that kept everyone talking and that was of course the general election. The result kept us all guessing right up until the very last moment,but the eventual winners were Mr. Peter Caruana and the GSD who will now govern us for the nextfour years. We'll have to keep an eye on them to make sure they keep all their promises.

The Main Street Adventure

If I've said it once 1 must have said it a lOtX)times — a walk up Main Street is always an adventure, and during October it was a bit like an obstacle course as well. Due to a water leak a great big hole had to be dug at the beginning of Main Street and for reasons I don't understand halfthe population of Gib,including myself,felt compelled to block up the street staring at those poor blokes down the hole working. Why we do it 1 don't know but we do. Mind you, because of the road works 1 think that there were less delivery lorries about and that was a bit of a bonus because most mornings between 9-10.30am it's a bit like the M25 on our Main Street.

I've been walking up and down Main Street nearly every day for the best part of 20 years and like most people at some time or other 1 pop into Sacarello's to pick up my morning paper and it has always been a pleasure to see the two Tonys and say hello. But at the end of ^ptember the two Tonys decided to take a well-earned retirement and hand over the reigns to Tony's son Craig so the shop will stay in the family. 1 expect his Dad will keep an eye on things for a week or two and then enjoy retirement...

Legging It

There was only one entrant for the "Bad Leg" club in October and that was none other than Mr. Chris Johnson musician extraordinaire — apparently he has to have chiropractic treatment. But I have to say 1 saw him in the Cannon Bar recently and there didn't look a lot wrong with him to me, even his wife jane thinks it's more a case of old age rather than injury and maybe she's right after all he was 46 in late October,so I'm afraid membership is refused on this occasion.

Love Bite

Another fellow who reached a fine old age in October was Angie Smith's other half, the long suffering Colin, who notched up a half century. But when it comes to suffering Colin is in a class of his own. In just one week in early October poor old Colin got bitten by a mosquito. Now you may think that's not very much to complain about and you'd be right, but where he was nipped would make anybody's eyes water. I won't tell you where it was but he didn't want to rub lemon juice on it to stop it itching. Then a day or two later after a night out he woke up with a wicked hangover and spent most of the day in bed. I don't suppose he got much sympathy for that after all it was self inflicted — some people never learn.

Electronic Whizz

Today because of the wonders of science we live in an electronic age — computers, digital HD televisions,internet, mobile phones and goodness knows what else. 1 sometimes think you almost need a degree in electronics just to work out how to turn on all these electronic gizmos. 1 have to confess that I'm not particularly technically minded but 1 can usually manage to switch on my TV and DVD player, so I was a bit surprised when a mate of mine bought a second-hand DVD player and then couldn't get it to work. He called in the lady who he brought it from and told her it

It'ro -™8h i.would no. reveal a lack of batteries. When some were out in it Jl w i! have seen his face it was a picture but thev afl had a cr iT course. You should didn't realise it needed batteries laughed more than ?nvonra^ d "and the gentleman who None other than Mr. Chris Eggleton 'nyone,and who was the electronic genius?

Many Happies

Biancas and to celebrate she's off on t Carihhoa °• October is Debbie Thorns of a lady named Martine from the UK. I don't even wTnUo'dJink S'lTh tth°'' was a sailor on the ship I'd be terrified I've seen snm^ nfVb m "P '

Hitched

Simon on .heir recen. getting to the church but this time it wasn't piall^ed^'X 'f

alry'hiTfor

.he car a,Casenfates Ev^uallvS wprr.. "'.f""''u'""?"'''' I'" >0 meel going s.rong die next morning,but what Sarah Jas dmn" ^'*'^'^.''"'1''"' "as still trousers that ntoming will hav^.to remain a mt".; ®

Monkey Business

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Sporting Heroes

See

Arts 8 Crafts

The Arts Centre. Prince Edward's Rd. Ad classes for children (5-6pm Mon, 5-6.30pm lues, 5-7pm Thurs), adults (Mon - lues 6.30pm-8pm,Wed 6.30pm-8.30pm,life paint ing Wed 7pm-9pm). Tel : 79788.

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

Board Games

Chess Club meets In Studio 1, John Mackin tosh Hall 8-10 30pm lues.

The Gibraltar Scrabble Club meet John Mackintosh Hall Mondays. Bank holidays changed to Thursday same week.7pm-11 pm All welcome. Tel: 73660 or 75995.

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

Dance Modern 6 Latin American Sequence Daneing Mondays Cathollo Community Centre 8.30pm (beginners 7.30). Over 15s welcome. www.gibnynex.gi/inst/cccseqdance/

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

The DSA Old £r Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at Central Hall Fridays 8pm. begin ners 7.30pm. Tel: 78282 or e-mail manvio@ gibnet.gi Everybody welcome, Senior Citizens Teatime Dances at The Youth Centre. Line Wall Rd on Mondays 2-5.30pm. All senior citizens welcome for coffee,tea and biscuits. Entrance free.

Classical Ballet classes for children 4-i-. Spanish dance and hip-hop at Liza School of Dance. 3rd floor. Methodist Church, 297/299 Main St. Classes Weds & Fri from 6pm at Chiltern Court(4Cs). Tel: 58111000.

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

History 6 Heritage

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

The Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association

Dedicated to preservation of Rock's trans port/motoring heritage. Assists members In restoration / maintenance of classic vehicles. Members/vehicles meet first Sunday of month. Morrison's car park from 10am. New members welcome. Tel: 44643.

Music

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

The Gibraltar National Choir and GibraHar Junior National Choir rehearse on Monday & Thursday 7.30 - 9pm New singers of all ages welcome. Tel: Llli 40035. 54006727

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

Outdoor Activities

The Caipe Ramblers This group walks on last Sunday each month,except July and August. Meeting place Is the Spanish side of the frontier 8am just to the right of and opposite the Aduana vehicle exit. For any information contact co-ordinators Ray Murphy 71956 or John Murphy 74645.

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

Tel: 59818 Fax: 51971 Reg. Charity No: 61

Quizzes

Cannon Bar quizzes are Held on Tuesdays with at least three quizzes per night. Start ing with a warm up. then two other quizzes, including a theme quiz. Starts at 8.30pm. all welcome and prizes are given. Free entrance but a donation to charity is requested. 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: 78142) for assistance or information

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

1 Jumpers Bastion on these days: Provincial Grand Lodge. 1st Monday/month, Bpm. Executive Meeting, last Mon/month 7pm. Knights Chapter. 2nd Mon/month 7.30pm, Examining Council, 3rd Mon/month 7pm.

William Tilley 2371. Thurs 8pm. Buena Vista 9975. Weds(fortnightly)7pm.Por Favor 9444, Weds (fortnightly) 7pm. Farewell 10001.

Tues 8.30pm. Goldacre 10475 (social) last Fri/month 8pm.

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

Special Interest Clubs b Societies

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.

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

Harley Davidson Owners' Club www hdcgib.com

UN Association of Gibraltar PO Box 599.223 Main Street. Tel: 52108.

Sports Supporters Clubs

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club meet at the Royal CaIpe (Tel: 75890) when Spurs games are televised - call the Royal CaIpe prior to matches to check if the game is being televised. The pub does great food for a lunch If the KO Is early or an earlysupper if the game is later. For more info on membership etc, call Mario on 56280000.

Sports b Fitness

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

Athletics: Gibraltar Amateur Athletics As sociation holds competitions throughout year for juniors, adults and veterans. Two main clubs(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 Associa tion (affiliated to IBA & EBA)has leagues and training for adults and secondary school. Tel: Ivan 44045 or Linda 74753.

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

Billiards b Snooker: Gibraltar Billiards and Snooker Association (member IBSA) round leagues and competitions at various venues. New members welcome. Tel: Eddie 72142 or Peter 77307.

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

Tel: Nigel 52917 or Eugene 58014000.

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

Tel: Tom 79461 or Adrian 44281.

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

Darts: Gibraltar Darts Association (member WDF) mens/ladies/youth leagues/competitlons.Tel: Darren 54027171 "Secretary". Dy son "Youth Rep"54024149.Justin "President" 54022622 Email: lnfo@gibraltardart5.com

Football: Gibraltar Football Association runs leagues/competitions for all ages Octobei - May. Futsal in summer months. Victoria Stadium. Tel: 42941 www.gfa.gi. Senior Tel: Albert 41515. Junior Tel: Richard 58654000.

Women's Tel: Brian 52299. Recreational foot ball for over 35s Tel: Richard 70320. Golf: Med Golf tournaments held monthly. Tel: 79575 for tournament venues/dates.

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

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

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

Ju-jitsu: Gibraltar Ju-|itsu 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 Shotokai: Gibraltar Karate-do Shotokai Association sessions for junior/seniors, gradlngsand demos at Karate Clubhouse.41H Town Range Tel: Andrew 48908.

Motorboat Racing: Gibraltar Motorboat Rac ing Association Tel: Wayne75211.

Netball: Gibraltar Netball Association (af filiated FENA 8 IFNA) competitions through year, senior/junior leagues. Tel: Moira 41795 orSuzette41874.

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

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

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

Rugby; Gibraltar Rugby Football Union training sessions for Colts(14-t-). seniors and veterans. Play in Andalusia 1st Division Got - April Tel: James 72185

Sailing: Gibraltar Yachting Association jun ior/senior competitive programme through season (April - Get)Tel: RGYC 48847.

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

Shooting: Gibraltar Shooting Federation over 14s Only, Rifle, Europa Pointy range (Tel: Joe 74973); clay pigeon, East Side (Tel: Harry 74354): Pistol, near Royal Naval Hospital (Tel: Fidel 71990).

Skating: Gibraltar Skating and Xtreme Sports Association opens its Skate F^rk. Coaling Island. Queensway. Monday.Tuesday&Wednesday. from 5pm til Spm Saturday & Sunday, from 2pm til Spm Thursday & Friday, closedSat 2-6pm. State of art ramps for Xtreme/aggressive roller blading /skate boarding. Leisure skating facilities protnded within excellent rink(when not used for roller hockey training). Tel: Eric 70710 (after 5) or just turn up.

Snorkelling & Spear Fishing: Over 14s wel come for snor kelling, over 16s for spear fishing. Tel: Joseph 75020. Squ a sfi: Gibraltar Squash Associa tion. The Squash Centre. South Pa

vilion Road(members WSF 8 ESF). Adult/juniortournaments/coaching. Tel: Ronnie44922 or Barry 73260.

Sub-Aqua: Gibraltar Sub-Aqua Association taster dives for over 14s. tuition from local clubs. Voluntary sports clubs: Tel: Phil 44606. Noah's Dive Club Tel: Leslie 79601.888s Dive Club Teh Martin 70944. Commercial sports diving schools also available.

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

Table Tennis: Gibraltar Table Tennis As sociation (members ITTA) training / playing sessions. Victoria Stadium, Tues 6-10pm and Thurs 8-11pm with coaching and league competition. Tel: Lizanne 45071/54020477 or Eugene 58014000,

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

Tennis: GibraltarTennIs Association. Sandpits Tennis Club, excellent junior development programme. Courses for adults, leagues / competitions. Tel: Frank 77035, Ten-Pin Bowling; Gibraltar Ten Pin Bowling Association (members FIG & WTBA)leagues at Ultra Bowl, training for juniors and squad. Tel: Gary 42447 or Charlie 71125.

Triathlon: GibraltarTriathlon Union(members ITU) Tel: Chris 75857 or Harvey 55847.

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

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

Theatrical Groups

Gibraltar Amateur Drama Association Ince's Hall Theatre Complex.310 Main Street E-mail: gibdrama@yahoo.co.uk Tel 42237 www. geocilles.com/gibdrama

Stage Musicals Group Tel: Trevor 73098. Trafalgar Theatre Group meet 2nd Wed of month. Garrison Library Spm. All welcome.

Clubs, Associations, should submit details to The Gibraltar Magazine,S3DICC,Main StFax: 77743 for inclusion in this guide.

support activities

Support Groups/ Associations

Alcoholics Anonymous meet 7pm lues and Thurs at Nazareth Hse Tel: 73774.

A Step Forward support group for single, separated, divorced or widowed people. Meet 8pm Mondays at St An drew's Church.

Childiine Gibraltar confidential phone line for children in need. Freephone8008

-7 days a week 7pm - 11pm, Citizens' Advice Bureau Opert Mon-Fri 9.30-4pm, Tel: 40006 Email: info® cab.gi or visit 10 Governor's Lane. No appointment necessary, no charge. Gibraltar CAB outreach clinics at St Ber nard's Hospital every Tuesday, Advisors available at 1st floor reception. Zone 4, 9am-3pm. Info and advice is free, confiderttial and impartial.

COPE Support group for people with Multiple Sclerosis. Fibromyalgia or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Formed to ease day-to-day challenges of individuals, families and care partner Meetings at Catholic Community Centre Book Shop at 7.30pm first Thursday of each month. Contact Sue Reyes Tel: 51469 Email: copeadsupport@hotmai(.com

Dignity At Work Now. Confidential support and advice for those who are being bullied at work. Tel: 57799000 Mon - Thur 8pm-9pm

Families Anonymous Support group for relatives and friends who are concerned about the use of drugs or related be havioural problems. Meetings are held alternate Thursdays at 9pm at Nazareth House. For more details Tel: 70047 or 73465,

Gibraltar Cardiac Rehabilttatlon and Support Group meets on the first Tues day of every month at 8.30pm at the John Mac Hall, except for July and August.

Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group 3/8

Serfaty's Passage Tel, 78509 Mobile: 54007924 website: www.gdsg.co.uk

Gibraltar Marriage Care. Free relation ship counselling, including pre-marriage education (under auspices of Catholic Church, but open to all). Tel: 71717.

Gibraltar Society for the Visually Impaired. Tel: 50111 (24hr answering servicel.

Hope, miscarriage support Tel: 41817, Narcotics Anonymous Tel: 70720

Overeaters Anonymous support group of those with compulsive overeating problem. Tel: helpline for details of meetings 42581.

Parental Support Group, helping par ents and grandparents with restrictive access to their children and granchildren, Tel: Richard 46536. Jason 76618, Dominic 54019602.

Psychological Support Group.PO Box 161, Nazareth House. Weekly Meet ings Tuesdays at 7pm, Fridays 8pm. Tel: 51623.

SSAFA Forces Help Gibraltar, is a national charity, to assist serving and exService personnel and their families. Tel: (5)5481. E-mail olivero@sapphirenet.gi

With Dignity Gibraltar support group for separated, divorced, widowed or unat tached people. Meetings Weds 9pm, Catholic Community Centre. Line Wall Rd. Outings/activities. Tel: Flor54007181 or Marie 79957,

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

Messing about on the water...

Dolphin Adventure^ a company which charters dolphin watching trips in the Strait of Gibraltar, gave

the residents and service users of Dr. Giraldi Residential Services a real treat recently. The clients, who

Men Golf News

are all Gibraltarians with learning disabilities and some physical dis ability, were invited for a free trip out into the Strait. They enjoyed the sea air and saw the magnificent sea life that live off our shores, not to mention the stunning views of North Africa. Many of the service users' parents came along to help, along with many of the staff who volunteered their free time to make the trip a success. The yellowcatamaran which took them to sea was purpose built for whale watch ing and complies with UK safety standards. The boat is wheelchair friendly, and despite the various physical challenges that many of the service's users face, they were able to access the boat with the help of Dolphin Adventure's friendly crew and enjoyed the day. A great time was had by all.

'l^cT GotFMaftters at Valderrama in September 2008 will not emerge. Howevet leading the way at present are Steve,Josh and Chris,followed by Andy Ferguson, Frank Samways, John Hunter, George Lee, James O'Docherty, Gareth Vincent and Gary Edwards.

The Med Golf tournament at San Roquc on Sunday 16th Sep tember,sponsored by Prime Trust Corporation, attracted nearly 70 golfers and in another very close finish, the consistent Steve Parry took the honours,closely followed by young Josh Jones and Chris

Junior Rugby News

Warren. Along with the sponsor's crystal vase,Steve wins a weekend for two at the magnificent5-star La Cala Resort.

It is early days in the "player of the year" rankings and un til 5 events have been played, a true reflection of the "top 10"

November is a busy month for Med Golf with Valderrama on 11th as the focal point, as all the quali fiers prepare for the prestigious 2007 Med Golf Masters. This is closely followed by the Aage Hempel International Trophy on Sunday 25th at Estepona — again a weekend for tvk'O at a top resort will be on offer, along with all the other usual crystal trophies and prizes.

Tee times should be booked asap Tel: Johriathaii (0034) 639741886 or e-mail jg@medgolf.gi. Med Golf 7vebsifeunow.tcetimespain.com

1 he winner ot the special edition Heineken rugby ball raffled by the All Sports Bar Gibraltar Dragons Junior Rugby Club was Steve Noble director of Topgem building company and in a wonderful gesture he gave the ball back to the kids as their first trophy. Steve turned up to watch the boys training and to have his picture taken with the boys(above)

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Natural History & Heritage Park

Admission9.30am to7pm bytickets

(includes entrance to sites withm the Park - St. Michael's Cave, Monkey's Den, Great Siege Tun nels, Military Heritage Centre,'A City Under Siege' Exhibition and Moorish Castle), (Facilities closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day,) Adults £7/Children 5-12 years: £4,Children age 4 and under free, vehicles

£1 50- Private vehicles may be restricted at certain times and it's advisable to take a Rock Tour by taxi/mini bus.The Natural His tory & Heritage Park is also reached by cable car (leaves Grand Parade 9.30am-5.15pm Mon-Sun, Last cable down: 5.45pm).

ThefloraandfaunaontheUpperRock

are considered to be of great conservational value. It's a perfect place for birdwatchers, as migratory species use Gibraltar as the shortest crossing be tween Europe and Africa, but botanists will also be interested to see over 600 species of flowering plants,including some unique to Gibraltar. Watch out for colourful lirards, non-venemous Horseshoe Whipsnakes, butterflies and pipistrelle bats. Info on flora and fauna is found at the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society's information centre at Jews Gate.

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

The Monkeys' Den: There are around 160 monkeys in the Park and around 30 can be seen at the Monkey's Den. Often called apes, they are tail-less Barbary Macaques and Europe's only free living monkeys.£500 fine for feeding the monkeys - don't do it!

The Great Siege Tunnels: Tunnelling in the Rock began during the Great Siege (1779-17831 when France and Spain made an attempt to recapture the Rock while Britain was busy with the American War of Independence. Governor General Elliot offered a reward to any man who could tell him how to mount a gun on the north face of the Rock. It was a Sgt. Major Ince who sug gested tunnelling and there are now over 30 miles of tunnels Insidethe Rock with various exhibitions inside the tunnels,

The Military Heritage Centre: Housed in one of the Rock's many historic batteries, the Military Heritage Centre displays infor mation on the development of Gibraltar's military defences through the ages.

A City Under Siege Exhibition: Exhibits depicting the lives of ihe civilian population during the many sieges, are housed in one of the earliest British building on the Rock. Original graffiti, drawn by duty soldiers to stop themselves falling asleep, is still vis ible, the earliest dating back to 1726.

The Moorish Castle: actually just part of a Moorish town and castle which was built up during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula,spearheaded from Gibral tar In 71 IAD 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 Spain.

Natural History £r Heritage Park Walks: The recommended walk is St Michael's Cave through to Charles V Wall but walkers should be relatively fit. It is also pleasant walking along the upper rock roads. Fact Files and brochures are available free from ail Tourist Board offices.

Botanical Gardens: Opened in 1816, the Afameda Botanical Gardens fell into dis repair but are currently being restored to their former glory. Visitors can enjoy a stroll beneath pines, dragon trees and palms,and see many of Gibraltar's native plants as well as exotic species The shop sells environ mentally friendly gifts, plants and seeds. Tel: 72639/74022. Large car park.

Nelson's Anchorage: Rosia Road 9.30am - 5.15pm Monday to Saturday (last entry at 5pm). Closed on Sunday. Admission: £1.00 (free of charge with Nature Reserve ticket, Tickets for the nature reserve can also be bought at this attraction).

Parson's Lodge: Rosia Road. A narrow limestone outcrop with a labyrinth of underground tunnels surmounted by an impressive battery, which has witnessed

the development of coast artillery over 300 years. Once housed three 18 ton 10-inch rifled muzzle loaders positioned behind a unique sandwich of armour plate and teak, known as'Gibraltar Shields'. Open 10am to 6pm every day except Mondays. Adults £2/ Children 6 OAPs £1. Cafeteria on site.

Fiat Bastion Magazine Flat Bastion Roafl. Geological Research Station and Lithology of Gibraltar. To visit 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, nam-7pm Saturday. Sun day and Public Holidays. Closed 1pm -2pm.

Trafalgar Cemetery: Trafalgar Road, open Sam • 7pm daily(admission free).

Business information

Gibraltar Financial Services Commission Tel: 40283/4 website: www.fsc.gi

Chamber of Commerce

Tel: 78376

Federation Small Businesses. ...Tel: 47722

Tel: 78193

Company Registry

Useful Numbers

Airport (general info.) Tel: 73026

Hospital, St Bernards

Weather information

Frontier Queue Update

General Information

Gibraltar Museum

Tel: 79700

Tel: 5-3416

Tel: 42777

Tei: 74289

18/20 Bomb House Lane Open 10am -6pm (Sat. 10am - 2pm), Closed on Sunday. Ad mission: Adults £2/Children under 12 years £1. Special exhibitions also held at museum premises in Casemates gallery.

Registry Office Tei: 72289

It IS possible to get married on the Rock

within 48 hours of arrival, A fact taken advantage of by stars such as Sean Connery and John Lennon.

Rock Tours by Taxi Tai: 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 Tourist Board. Duke of Kent House, Cathedral Square, Gibraltar. UK Tel: 0207 836 0777 giblondon(@)aol.com

John Mackintosh Hail Tel: 75669 Centre of Gib's cultural life, includes a caf eteria, theatre, exhibition rooms and library. 308 Main Street 9.30am-11pm Monday to Friday. Closed weekends.

Bicycle Racks

Bicycle parking is provided at the follow ing locations: Europort Road, Casemates Tunnel, Land Poa Ditch, Fish Market Road, Commonwealth Car Park, Reclamation Road (by English Steps) and Line Wall Road,

Public Holidays

Gibraltar b UK remaining 2007

Christmas Day 25 December

Boxing Day 26 December

Spain Fixed: New Year's Day 1 January, Epiphany 6 January, St Joseph's Day 19 March, Labour Day 1 May, St John 24 June, St James 25 July, Assumption Day 15 August, National Day 12 October, All Saints 1 November, Immaculate Concep tion 8 December, Christmas 25 December

Moveable: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday. Corpus Christi

ICtth century pma

march from Bomb House Lane at 12 noon to Casemates. At Cas^ates they carry out a "Caremony of the Keys" and then march back up t^ain Street to the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned

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info@sapphire.gi

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