The Gibraltar Magazine November 2020

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE

Artist Ca out

COVER STAR

LET’S TALK REAL TALKING ABOUT MALE SUICIDE

AUTUMN OUTFIT?

CHECK! THE LATEST TRENDS

DON’T BANK ON IT

OPENING A COMPANY ACCOUNT

IT’S A

WILD LIFE

GIBRALTAR’S FAUNA

FINDING

ZEELAND A TRIP TO THE NETHERLANDS DYSLEXIA IN EDUCATION

THE IMPACT ON LEARNING

NOVEMBER ISSUE EDITORS' NOTE

So here we are; our penultimate issue of 2020. The mornings are darker, weather colder, and future prospects still uncertain. But to keep things bright, warm and consistent, we have another fantastic issue of Gib Mag for you.

This month, we hit the soggy streets to ask you – What’s your favourite thing to do on a chilly November weekend? (p. 8)

There’s nothing like a warm, winter sopa to warm you right to your core –that’s how I’d like to spend my chilly November weekend. (p. 86)

Gib Mag starts featuring Isobel Ellul and her ‘Let’s Talk Real’ segment, based on her fly-on-the-wall recorded chats with Gibraltar individuals about taboo subjects. This month, Isobel speaks about male suicide – a topic close to her heart. (p. 26)

The idea came about after son, Simon, recognised how therapeutic opening up and talking about his struggles following lockdown could be. With the emphasis on ‘everyone has their story to tell’, Simon and Isobel went about inviting friends to talk about whatever they felt important, and shared it on social media as a way of catharsis. This in turn has empowered others to share, talk, and support each other.

One of my favourite education quotes (apparently wrongly) attributed to Albert Einstein, goes a little something like this: “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Mark Montovio writes of his experience with dyslexia as a student, and his thoughts as he now stands on the other side of the classroom desk. (p. 23)

Modern perfumers are ditching traditional marketing campaigns and bringing us a selection of exciting gender-neutral fragrances. Our resident nose features a selection to keep those Christmas stockings smelling sweet. (p. 74)

We have an exclusive interview with teacher of commedia dell'arte masterclasses and the man who trained Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) to fall off a ladder – Mitch Mitchelson; a great name and an even better collection of exuberant shirts to boot. (p. 54)

And finally, our impressive cover art this month has been brought to you by Krishna Sachanandani, winner of our ‘Artist Callout’. Delve inside for a mini interview with all the artists who entered (p. 44)!

See you in December (egad!)

54

DAYS: THE COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS HAS BEGUN!

LIFE CAN TAKE SOME INTERESTING TURNS.

EDITOR: Sophie Clifton-Tucker editor@thegibraltarmagazine.com

DESIGN:

Justin Bautista design@thegibraltarmagazine.com

JUNIOR REPORTERS:

Carmen Anderson

Gianna Stanley

SPORTS REPORTER:

Georgios Tontos

SALES: Advertising Team sales@thegibraltarmagazine.com

DISTRIBUTION: DHL martin@matrix.gi

ACCOUNTS: Paul Cox paul@thegibraltarmagazine.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Alex Orfila

Andrew Licudi

Bea Garcia

Carmen Anderson

Chris Hedley

Elena Scialtiel

Eran and Ayelet Mamo Shay

Georgios Tontos

Gianna Stanley

Isobel Ellul

Joel Francis

Jorge v.Rein Parlade

Julia Coelho

Mark Montovio

Nic Campbell

Pete Wolstencroft

Richard Cartwright

Romina Mayani-Nankani

Sophie Clifton-Tucker

Views and opinions within articles are contributor's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the magazine.

The Gibraltar Magazine is published monthly by Rock Publishing Ltd

Portland House, Glacis Road, Gibraltar, PO Box 1114

T: (+350) 20077748

E: editor@thegibraltarmagazine.com

© 2019 Rock Publishing Limited.

All rights reserved.

No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written consent of The Gibraltar Magazine. www.TheGibraltarMagazine.com Magazine

SCENE

44 Artist Callout: Local Talent in Cover Competition

48 Covid, Clay, and Creative Ceramics with Ermelinda Duarte

50 The Corn Princess: Raluca Piper’s Fairytale

54 Mitch Mitchelson: Back to his Roots

57 Roy’s Gold: Gibraltar’s Naval and Military History

61 Art Club: The Empire State Building in 5 Easy Steps

64 Book Club: 6 Books You’ll Love

66 Electrified! Julia Barea

LEISURE

68 Diary of a Wine Lover

72 The Scoreboard: Latest in Sports

74 Confessions of a Beauty Addict: The Perfume Report

79 Finding Zeeland: A Trip to the Netherlands

81 Autumn? Check! This Season’s Trends REGULARS

© Krishna Sachanandani (@instashnuu)

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING TO DO ON A CHILLY NOVEMBER WEEKEND?

Gianna Marquez Beauty therapist at

"I would like to stay at home, watch Netflix, drink a nice cup of tea and just relax! I like watching horror series, or anything to do with drama… I’m pretty open to watching anything really."

"On a chilly November weekend there’s nothing better than sitting in front of the fireplace with a nice glass of port, good company, and a great choice of cheeses."

"Stay at home, cuddled up in bed, watch movies with my family! I’d like to watch action movies, but because of my little boys we’d probably end up watching Toy Story! ”

Glamour Clinic

Nick Ramchandani Manager at Seruya (Shop 2)

Lino Bridges Business Development Manager at The Sancus Group

BAYSIDE SCHOOL WINS UK’S CYBER SCHOOL OF THE YEAR AWARD

HM Government of Gibraltar is delighted that Bayside School has been awarded the UK’s Cyber School of the Year by the National Cyber Awards.

The Chief Minister met with the teaching team behind that has put Gibraltar at the forefront of cybersecurity education, and has earned consistent success at the annual Cyber Centurion competition.

NEW BOULDER CLIMBING ACTIVITY FOR LEISURE CENTRE

A new indoor Boulder climbing facility will be opening soon at the Leisure Centre. This will replace the ice rink, which has now reached a point where it has become beyond economical repair.

This has not been an easy decision to take given that there are some 20 people a day who make use of the facility, mainly through the Gibraltar Ice Skating Association, although more than half are not

The Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, said: ‘Wow. I am extremely proud of this fantastic achievement by a dedicated team of teachers and

their talented pupils. This is excellent news for education in Gibraltar and for all our students who have a very bright future ahead.’

residents of Gibraltar. However, sadly, the operating loss and running costs to the taxpayer make it unsustainable.

The plan is to re-train the

staff to operate the new Boulder climbing facility, which will have very low running costs and no negative impact on the bowling alley below. The Government expects that this exciting new indoor activity will prove to be a very popular challenge for the community as a whole.

GIBRALTAR INTERNATIONAL DRAMA FESTIVAL 2021

Gibraltar Cultural Services, for the Ministry of Culture, is pleased to announce that the Gibraltar International Drama Festival will take place at the Ince’s Hall Theatre between Monday 15th and Saturday 20th March 2021.

The Festival is open to any drama group and will be of a competitive nature, with adjudication. There will be a main prize with a trophy of £1,000 for the Best Play. Additional awards include: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best

Director, amongst others. Noncompetitive entries will also be accepted. A small grant will be payable to each group entering the Festival, to help with expenses on props, costumes, etc.

Should COVID persist as an issue, the festival will continue as an online, live-streamed event. All performances will be required to keep to Public Health guidelines as they apply at the time.

Entry forms and full conditions are now available from Gibraltar Cultural Services, City Hall or by email: info@culture.gi or download from www.culture.gi

CLUBHOUSE GIBRALTAR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

Positive Pathways aims to provide employment and education for people affected by mental health problems, as part of

Clubhouse Gibraltar Transitional Employment Program. In partnership with Clubhouse Gibraltar, Positive Pathways

works towards decrease stigma and discrimination faced by people who have dealt with mental health difficulties.

To support their transitional employment placement, you can:

• You can provide the placement supported by Positive Pathways

• You can sponsor a placement

MEMBER'S TESTIMONIALS:

“Working in the Cafeteria gives me a reason to get up in the morning. If I didn’t come I would just sit at home and start thinking about things, then my negative thoughts begin and my depression kicks in’ as I am diagnosed with Bi-polar disorder. I know that I can ring when I am having an off day due to my mental health problems, no questions asked or risk of losing my job. When I come back to work, we can talk about why I couldn’t face work and try and put things in place so it doesn’t happen again” (TEP Placement)

How you can help:

REGULAR PAYMENTS:

Regular funding is extremely important, and we would encourage you to support us with a

• You can provide a placement sponsored by another company and managed by Positive Pathways

ORGANIZE AN EVENT OR FUNDRAISER IN AID OF A GIFT IN YOUR WILL:

Why not get together with your friends or colleagues and organize Positive Pathways. We are very grateful for those individuals, who have already done fund raising on our behalf.

As a small charity remembering us in your will can make a real continue our work. This protects your legacy and is the only happens to any money or possessions we have when we pass

For more information, contact 200 68423 or email positivepathwaysgibraltar@gmail.com

ADOPT A KITTY

Meet beautiful Tammy, a healthy 9-year-old girl who is looking for her special human. Her owner sadly passed away and she finds herself in the sanctuary. Tammy’s suited to a quiet home with an experienced cat person. A home where she’s the only cat. Somewhere she can sit quietly

WEARING OF MASKS AT SCHOOL GATES

HM Government of Gibraltar continues to work to slow the growth of numbers of cases of COVID-19 in the community and is always looking for ways to reduce ways in which the virus is transmitted from one individual to another. In this way, the Government hopes to avoid having to impose and general lockdown measures as such measures are considered to be a last resort.

The Government and the Royal Gibraltar Police wish to remind the public that, under the Civil Contingencies Coronavirus) (Masks in Public Areas) (No.2) Regulations 2020, it is a requirement to wear masks when collecting a child from school between 11.45am and 4.00pm.

In addition to being at greater risk of catching the virus, a failure to comply with these Regulations could lead to a fixed penalty notice of £100 or a fine of up to £10,000 being imposed if proven in court.

and just be herself. Tammy doesn’t ask for much other than a soft bed and some peace. At this time of her life she certainly deserves it.

If you’re willing to give Tammy a chance in life, please contact the Gibraltar Cat Welfare Society on Facebook.

In addition, parents, family members, guardians and others are

reminded of the need for social distancing at these times.

NEW TAMPIONS PROJECT

As part of its ongoing maintenance programme, the Ministry for Heritage has embarked on a new project with the aim of restoring and revamping some of its most iconic artillery assets located throughout the Rock. A number of cannons will now undergo extensive maintenance works where needed and fitted with tampions to protect the barrels from accumulating rubbish and suffering from water ingress, which has long been considered a problem for the conservation of these important historical assets.

In addition to the placement of new tampions, a number of

Casemates Square. As part of the renovation works, the wooden carriage which had accumulated years of dirt and grime has been recently jet-washed in preparation for the re-varnishing and re-painting of the entire gun piece which will also be fitted with a new tampion. 50 wines by the glass 40 small dishes of Mediterranean cuisine

artillery monuments will also undergo extensive maintenance works – these works include the repainting of gun barrels and treatment and re-varnishing of the wooden carriages where required. The first asset to be revamped in this way is the iconic Koehler Gun and Carriage at

JULIAN FELICE SIGNS WITH TALENT AGENCY

Local playwright Julian Felice has signed with North Artist Management, a talent agency that will now be representing him as his literary agents in the United Kingdom. This has come about largely as a result of Julian’s work during 2020, with him forming part of Mrs C’s Writers’ Collective, as well as working with companies such as Saw It Here First Productions, Up ‘Ere Productions, Tiny Theatre Company, The New Works Playhouse, and The Space. Julian’s work will now be showcased more directly to theatre companies, directors and publishers in the UK, with the particular aim of having his work performed professionally on a more regular basis. “This is an exciting opportunity for me to showcase my work further afield,” said Julian, “and I look forward to working with North Artist Management and exploring new opportunities with them.” Locally, Julian hopes to stage more of his own work at next year’s Gibraltar Drama Festival, with the more long-term plan of staging El Camino A La Gloria, his new musical based on the music of Gibraltarian band Melon Diesel.

DON’T BANK ON IT!

Have you got your own business, and tried to open a corporate bank account in Gibraltar or elsewhere? Then you’re probably aware of the many challenges and the bureaucratic nightmare you will get into when you start the process.

While some entrepreneurs are lucky and get their bank accounts set up in a few days, many others have had to wait for months and could only open a bank account after numerous rejections. At Benefit Business Solutions

we assist businesses to open corporate accounts both locally and overseas and can reveal some of the common ‘behind the scenes’ reasons why you may have a hard time opening a bank account, and how we can help solve that:

1) You’re not profitable for a bank

First and foremost a bank looks for profit. Sounds logical, but it’s an often-overlooked factor in the discussion on opening bank accounts. While many people think – and banks claim – that the reason it’s difficult to open bank account is because of strict risk management policies, this is only part of the story. Banks will be reluctant to go through their expensive due diligence process for a customer that is starting

up and of which it's unsure they will be successful and profitable. Therefore, often it’s a commercial decision not to onboard a startup, rather than a decision that is related to risk.

In order to overcome this, we assist businesses in preparing a set of financial projections, clearly showing how the business will be profitable and its expected growth potential in the coming years.

2) You’re not physically in the jurisdiction

Many banks have not yet adapted to the 21st century where almost anything can be done online. There are tons of entrepreneurs and digital nomads that have incorporated a company in Gibraltar, but they may not be based in Gibraltar as it’s not necessary when, for example, running an e-commerce business that can be run from anywhere in the world. This makes it harder for the banks to determine the tax residency of the business and banks may therefore be reluctant

to onboard the company in order not to be perceived as aiding tax avoidance.

Some banks allow you to appoint a local representative, and this is where we step into the picture and act as approved local representatives, providing the required level of ‘substance’ to assure the bank that there is a legitimate business rationale for the company to be operating from Gibraltar.

3) You have a complicated ownership structure

To open a bank account, a bank performs a so-called ‘know-your-customer’ process (KYC). During this process, the bank needs to verify different elements. For example, it needs to understand what the business

Automatic rejection is often the case.

does and conduct checks on the shareholders and directors. If you own a business together with one business partner and both of you own 50% of the company, the structure is simple and conducting all necessary checks will be straightforward. Some companies, however, may have multiple companies as their shareholders and the bank will need to check who the owners of those companies are (which may be other companies etc.) and the process is more complicated. So, for companies with more complicated structures, it will take longer to perform all necessary checks.

We can speed up this process by doing the initial compliance review in-house, collect all the necessary documents we know the bank will ask for, and present the bank with a completed KYC pack that meets their requirements.

4) You have an innovative business model or high-tech products

Regrettably, many traditional banks do not understand new business models very well. Because of an anti-risk mentality, paired with the uncertainty about whether the company will be profitable for the bank, they would rather automatically reject an application than spend time to investigate and better understand it. Recently, the cryptocurrencies sector has been known to suffer rejections from banks and while in Gibraltar the situation has been fairly good, with a number of crypto-friendly banks, in other jurisdictions an automatic rejection is often the case.

We assist crypto and other ‘problematic’ sectors in finding new age banks around the world

that are happy to onboard them as clients and facilitate the account application process.

5) You are not meeting the requirements required by the compliance departments

The compliance departments check all the applications received to determine if they have fulfilled all the requirements. For your application to be approved, you are required to provide a business license with the business name and the owner’s details, along with other permits and authorisations. Most entrepreneurs and small business owners do not provide all these requirements, and thus, they are not able to open bank accounts for their businesses.

We assist entrepreneurs in obtaining the necessary licences and permits from the relevant authorities in order to facilitate the opening of the bank accounts.

Worldwide, numerous regulatory bodies have increased checks on compliance and anti-money laundering, making it hard for individuals to open bank accounts for their businesses. We expect this trend to continue in the wake of the economic crisis brought about by COVID19 and are working with the banks and with our clients to make the onboarding process a smoother one.

HOW TO VALUE YOUR BUSINESS

What you should know.

In my previous article we talked about selling a business venture and some important reasons to go ahead with the complex decision of selling to a third party. In this second article we shall look into the valuation of your business and what important factors must be taken into account in order to achieve a successful conclusion of the sale at the best possible price.

First and foremost, we must understand that not every business is the same. It is one thing to sell a medium or large property portfolio which we have created and built up over a number of years to obtain a good rate of return via rental income, and selling a fashion company which operates a manufacturing base in the Far East with 25 shops spread up in a number of cities or even in different international markets. They may very well be highly successful each in totally different fields and markets but ultimately you have to work out a value.

If we take the property portfolio company into consideration, the

valuation can be in general terms fairly easy to work out. It would be a clear case of asset minus liabilities valuation, or as it is often done in the trade, one must calculate the exact yield of return to value the company. This last formula is widely used in different jurisdictions and is a good start to mark the price tag of the company.

Let us assume that the property company is yielding US$250,000 in rentals per annum. Hedge funds and investors look at a rate of return of at least 5% and in some markets, they could expect considerably more. So, the given figure of US$250,000 has to be 5% of the total asset worth minus liabilities. We are talking about US$5,000,000 minus liabilities which are normally mortgage bank loans.

If we are considering the sale of a fashion company that is a horse of an entirely different colour. There would be many more important factors to be taken into account, for example the asset value minus liabilities of any property and stocks the company may

have. But in addition, one has to think of the sales turnover of the company being sold. And the profit obtained over the last three years and a projection of sales and profit for the following five years. The famous EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) multiplied by a certain figure. It would be very complex here to tell my readers what would this figure be in real terms. It could be as little as times two or as much as times nine or more. Each trade has different ways of assuming the figure by which this is normally multiplied. And there are many more factors to be taken into account. It is one thing to be selling a successful fashion company producing garments under the labels of several well-known retailers, and a completely different ball game to own your own label which is very well established and known worldwide. This last case could achieve a much higher value as we are selling a unique product and brand.

Then we have to know the rules of the jurisdiction in which we are

selling our company. For example, in French-speaking countries like France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Morocco and Quebec, the fonds de commerce system is widely used to value a company. The value of a company in France is related to its fonds de commerce, or goodwill. Whereas in English speaking countries the method most widely used is the EBITDA times a certain figure. In reality these are general terms since other factors are taken into account like the assets minus liabilities system.

In the hospitality business a combination of both valuation systems, the fond de commerce and the EBITDA times X may be used. I remember over a decade

ago, when Pizza Express sold its three restaurants in France, they were offered to me for an extremely attractive figure. The restaurants were worth gold. There was a branch in Toulouse in the heart of the Capitol Square. That restaurant made a huge profit on its first day of operation and never looked back. In addition, the other two branches located in the heart of Paris, one in Place de l’Opera and the second one in Boulevard de Montparnasse, were also profit makers from their opening days. The English chain wanted out of France and three restaurants were a tiny figure considering they owned and operated close to 200 restaurants in those days.

Sadly, we did not have the means

to purchase the outlets in those days of the credit squeeze so we lost a unique opportunity to make an excellent acquisition. The restaurants ceased to trade eventually and were sold for next to nothing; they were worth millions if the usual valuation formulas had been used. None of the above value systems were used to value this small company which proves my point that each case can be totally different. In very general terms a restaurant is worth EBITDA times seven or more. But this is a mere assumption since there are more factors to be considered.

An old friend asked me to give her an idea of how much her estate is agency worth. I have to be honest and say that the question has many further questions to be asked before an accurate answer can be given. All that said it would not be unrealistic to use the asset minus liabilities formula and the EBITDA times X formula. And compare values. Again, this company has a very old historic name going back to the late 1880s, so that is a brand worth having, highly desirable and certainly worth investing into.

KLEINWORT HAMBROS GIBRALTAR

Please give an overview of your role

As CEO of Kleinwort Hambros in Gibraltar I have overall responsibility for running the business locally. First and foremost, this entails ensuring that our clients receive an excellent level of service and that we as a business are successful commercially and financially. My role is to encompass not just the commercial aspect of the business including client relationships, but also requires me to ensure that all risks are monitored and controlled. As well as this, it is essential that we maintain an upstanding set of values and a diverse and inclusive culture and provide a safe and enjoyable environment for our staff to work in.

What does the future hold for Kleinwort Hambros?

Aside from the obvious challenges brought on by the pandemic these are exciting times for KH. 2020 has seen the appointment of our new Group CEO, Mohammed

Choukeir, who has brought with him a wave of innovation and is driving an ambitious agenda of change and positive transformation. Prior to his appointment, Mo was Deputy CEO and Chief Investment Officer.

Following conversations with our staff, Mo has redefined our purpose - to simplify life’s financial challenges. Our ambition is to become the leading responsible bank for clients and expertise. We have a great proposition, including a breadth of solutions to meet most client needs. The current environment –combined with the sudden acceleration of change brought about by Covid-19 –has created both a need and an opportunity to create a more sustainable business for clients and staff.

Locally, we are known for providing the full range of private banking services to high net worth individuals from banking to investment management to a select mortgage offering and other credit products serviced by highly qualified and experienced staff. Due to our high-quality network, we can offer crossjurisdictional solutions, with booking abilities of both assets

strives to make a difference to

and loans in the UK or Channel Islands, depending entirely on client needs and preferences. With the proximity of Brexit, where we are unable to serve European residents we are well positioned, with clients having the opportunity to be introduced to other jurisdictions and therefore remain with Société Générale (our parent).

How would you say Gibraltar,

Kleinwort Hambros

our communities and our people.

An interview with CEO Emma Perez

your clients and your working life has been impacted over the past year?

Gibraltar was very quick to react to the onset of the pandemic, with lockdown coming into force relatively early on. At all times our primary focus was the safety of our staff and clients. We became fully operational with all staff working from home within five days, without any material impact on the service we offered our clients. Being able to service our clients seamlessly became a point of pride for us all. I think that was a great achievement which I am very proud of.

We have now returned to the office and we are meeting clients on site. The safety and wellbeing of all is our main priority. We have established stringent health and safety protocols around our client interaction. We remained close and connected to our clients and this has been key to our continued success. For example, we saw 4 mortgage applications move from initial enquiry to full completion in the midst of lockdown for both local as well as UK properties.

Working from home can be different for everyone, depending on individual circumstances. Personally, I found that I enjoyed my time at home during the lockdown, having time with my family and having the pace of life slowing down. Whilst for those living in Gibraltar it may not be an issue, the lack of commute has saved people time and money as well as releasing stress.

However, it can also be very lonely for those who live on their own. Equally, it is harder to replace the benefits of face

to face meetings or develop relationships and build trust with your colleagues in a virtual environment. Focusing on work every day when you are in your home environment takes a great deal of self-discipline and motivation.

Despite the inevitable economic impact of the pandemic, I am confident that Gibraltar will find a way to not only survive but positively thrive in the months and years ahead.

What do you think the ‘new normal’ will look like for both our work and personal lives?

In the wake of the pandemic, businesses are now adjusting to the new normal. When the pandemic struck, working from home was adopted as a precautionary measure. As the scenario continues businesses are assessing their premises footprints and transitioning to a more permanent model of home working. This provides more flexibility for their staff but also reduces the office space required. The question is not about where we work but how we work. The point is that no matter where we are, we are trusted and enabled to deliver our best work.

What are the current issues surrounding the wealth management industry?

The wealth industry has had its fair share of crises. The COVID crisis could be one of the greatest economic crises of our time and the severity of the impact will be felt for years to come. How the economic recovery will unfold is still unknown, but once again the wealth industry is facing a challenge. Lower revenue will

result in the need for finding cost savings, whilst also needing to contend with increased regulation that inevitability increases costs.

In the coming years – as technology and digitalisation develop further and become even more crucial in our day to day lives – the pool of wealthy clients will increase and will also be younger. They will be more financially and technologically aware and will expect the same from those they entrust with their wealth. Relationship managers and investment advisers will need to focus on understanding the fundamental value they provide to clients and use technology primarily to better facilitate and deliver that value rather than distract from it. Those quick to adapt to technological change will flourish.

However, the more digitalised a firm becomes, the greater the threat from cybercrime.

Those businesses who want to

remain relevant in the digital age will need to adapt and implement a comprehensive cyber strategy and clients will be mindful of that when selecting their wealth manager.

What does it mean to be a leading responsible bank?

Kleinwort Hambros strives to make a difference to our communities and our people. Building a fully-fledged responsible organisation is a fundamental part of our longterm vision. We strive to make a positive difference to our communities and for our people. We are dedicated to helping our clients build responsible legacies. New regulations will soon be enforced across the industry which will require that we ask every client for their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment criteria.

From the exclusion of ‘sin’ stocks to the direct influence of impact funds, we have embraced responsible investing principles to create a progressive, evolving proposition solely for the benefit of our clients.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it has become apparent that the social and environmental themes which underpin responsible investing have a direct influence on the future of our society.

At Kleinwort Hambros, our values are deeply rooted in the belief that investors can and should be able to engage with such themes, and that we must harness the power of capital to effect positive change. Our ethos is defined by this intent.

SG Kleinwort Hambros Bank (Gibraltar) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission for the conduct of banking, investment and insurance mediation business. The company is incorporated in Gibraltar under number 01294 and its registered address is

Line Wall Road, Gibraltar.© Aurélien Chauvaud.

DYSLEXIA IN EDUCATION

Self-esteem is so inextricably linked to happiness, fulfilment, growth and learning, that to underestimate this is to completely undervalue the learner as a whole. If we fail to understand how crucial meeting an individual’s basic emotional need is, no matter how able they are, we fail the student at a holistic level and this will impact on learning.

BY MARK MONTOVIO

Throughout my teaching career, the following quote has remained at the forefront of my educational philosophy: ‘Mother, let’s play darts. I throw the darts … and you say wonderful!’

I was fortunate; one of the lucky ones who never had to ask my mother to say how wonderful I was in her eyes. Dreadful at sports, slow at reading, timid, withdrawn in unfamiliar surroundings and generally wanting to remain in the background avoiding attention and the limelight. In the presence of my mother, I felt like a king on a golden throne and 40 years on, the way she made me feel about myself as a person is at the core of my way of being.

Diagnosed as dyslexic quite late,

at the age of nineteen, during my first year at university, everything fell into perspective and on completion of my degree, when I began training to become a teacher, raising student’s selfesteem, I felt, was one of the most important targets to be met. This had to be the starting point because there would also be areas where students may not have the capacity to excel and acknowledging this safely was very important.

There are innumerable studies linking self-esteem to learning, and dyslexic students are of course no different. Specific

teaching targeting their needs and abilities is clearly crucial but often without the sense that they can overcome many stumbling blocks progress can be slow and very painful and many learners become demotivated.

If during my schooling I learnt one thing that was crucial though, that was to accept the areas I would not excel in. I am a visual learner and take things in primarily when I see them and can visualise them. I am not good at learning things by rote and often forget sequences. My auditory skills are considerably weak and it was only when I was diagnosed, and I began to accept that I would always have difficulty remembering phone numbers, number plates, any series of verbal instructions and other meaningless sequences, that I made progress in many

Dyslexic students are of course no different.

other areas by devoting time to reinforcing my skills to compensate for my weaknesses. This of course took determination and courage which could only be driven by the sense of achievement and purpose I had developed as a young learner.

Confidence was the key, because despite the strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy, during the schooling process and a great deal of failure which could easily have devastated my self-concept and

self-esteem, I remained focused remembering that as a person I was valued and loved - and many thought I was great!

So, there is a place for praise, credits, certificates, gold stars and any other form of rewarding the effort it takes a child with learning difficulties to complete a piece of written work in class, however small the steps are. But equally as important, it is crucial that early on we understand the areas where a struggle may be inevitable, and consider whether in effect battling on is helpful. It has always been my experience that the sooner we learn that some things are out of our reach, the readier we become to give all our energy to areas where we

can achieve and our self-esteem does not suffer the devastating blow that could lead to total disengagement.

Thomas Edison was dyslexic and rejected by his teacher.

Mark Montovio with previous Governor of Gibraltar, Lieutenant General Ed Davis

Children listen to what people tell them. If they are constantly subjected to negative experiences, these become an integral part of them. Individuals who are resilient say that the most important thing that helped them through adversity was that there was at least one adult who believed in them and stood by them. And the essential ingredient here must ring true to the child even if it just is, ‘Mark you are so good with animals.’ Adults with poor self-esteem often have difficulty thinking of something they excel at or a person who believed in them.

Thomas Edison, for example, who was dyslexic and was rejected by his teacher, was taught at home by his mother. Probably the greatest benefit that he received from his home schooling was the influence that his mother had upon him,

over and above the academic material she provided. Edison later said of her that ‘… she instilled in me the love and purpose of learning.’ I know that if this remains the focus of our work with children, that if we are able to fill a child with the ‘love and purpose of learning’, we are already meeting a huge part of what they need and the benefits will be clearly seen.

Mark Montovio has a Degree in Fine Arts, a PGCE in Art, Dance and Special Needs, a Diploma in Specific Learning Difficulties and a Diploma in Counselling. This article has been provided to the Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group (GDSG) for publication to raise awareness of Dyslexia. However, the views and statements made in this article are not necessarily held by the GDSG.

ABOUT THE DYSLEXIA SUPPORT GROUP:

The Gibraltar Dyslexia Support

Group (GDSG) is a local charity which has been helping dyslexics since the early 90s. Over that time the GDSG has worked alongside many different Education Ministers and Governments. Much has been achieved but the years have passed very quickly with the improvements taking longer than expected.

The GDSG continues to promote best practices in the schools for teachers to educate dyslexic children in the way they learn best. We try to further the understanding and knowledge of dyslexia in the general public and businesses.

As a Support Group, we are here to help, support and give advice with events which assist parents, children and teacher and just a call or email away.

For further details please contact the GDSG on: +350 5400 7924, info@dyslexia.gi, or at dyslexia.gi.

Mark Montovio

Let’sTalk... Real

Real

‘Let’s Talk Real’ is a podchat page on Instagram (@letstalkrealgib), started by Isobel Ellul (ex-freelance broadcaster) and her teenage son Simon Hammond (student dancer), which posts recorded, fly-on-the-wall chats with Gibraltar individuals about subjects that may be taboo. The Gibraltar Magazine today starts featuring Isobel, where she writes about some of those taboo subjects…

BY ISOBEL ELLUL

MALE SUICIDE

Icannot pretend to know the statistics on mental health issues and suicide in Gibraltar, nor am I an expert on the subject, or a psychologist or counsellor. But what I do know anecdotally is that male suicide among men in Gibraltar has increased dramatically these last few years; indeed, it seems like the world over. In fact, it is more likely for men to attempt the act of suicide than women, who apparently think about it much more but do not act on it.

I also know, first hand, what it’s like to deal with mental health issues in the family, my own

depression and PTSD during darker times and processing the attempted suicide of my teenage son, which luckily failed. These times of pandemic crisis have pushed many of us to internally focus and self-reflect, it has made emotions more acute… the outcome for many has been depression and numbness; for others self-care, self-love, and resilience. So it’s no wonder that people have been happy and willing to talk the real stuff with us on Let’s Talk Real Gib Instagram podchats page, in order to empower others and heal from the 2020 wounds.

Let’s Talk Real Gib has given my son Simon and I an opportunity to share and chat about why we need to talk openly about male suicide, to drive home the message that it’s OK not to be OK and that we must seek support somehow and not suffer in silence. Three podchats feature on mental health/suicide. Simon talks about why he jumped off a

It is more likely for men to attempt suicide than women.

nine-metre wall in October 2016 and I talk about how I dealt with it. Tony Gaul MBE, ex-army PT and currently a police officer, who featured in a powerful GBC City Pulse programme, chats with Simon about his attempts at suicide and his PTSD. Powerful, dramatic, empowering, heavy stuff - but so necessary to hear.

And why men? What is it about men making them more likely to commit suicide, Tony asks? Apart from the drivers of his life circumstances of childhood abuse and pent up anger, the lessons this alpha male had drummed into him reflect a patriarchal commonality: that real men don’t show emotions, or cry, or show any vulnerabilities; that winning and competing with others are the most important things and everything else is a sign of weakness. Tony nearly jumped twice from the top of the Rock and was both times saved by a call from a friend. His sheer determination to overcome a life in the dark pushed him to rehabilitate through physical

training and to emotionally break down and rebuild himself through the Happiness Foundation. Tony now runs his own health & wellbeing project to empower and help others in similar situations.

And what about modern 21st century teenage boys, what drove

Powerful, dramatic, empowering, heavy stuff - but so necessary to hear.

Simon Hammond and Tony Gaul

Isobel and son, Simon

Simon to jump off a nine-metre wall? Even though the effects of a broken family through divorce, dabbling in drugs and negative social influences contributed to his feeling of loneliness, Simon got to a state of pointlessness, ennui and normlessness by not feeling he belonged in the world (anomie) any more. A month shy of his 16th birthday, Simon had it clear in his mind that suicide was the best option for him; he chose to jump off a wall and luckily, a tree broke his fall. It then took him/us three years of help, support, patience, rebellion, meditation, training hard

at his contemporary dance, which is his passion, to come out of the dark and into rebirth.

And how did I, his mother, cope with it all, dealing with second time round breast cancer as well? A mother who nearly loses her son, thinking of that tree constantly, not having seen the warning signs as triggers and blaming herself somehow, especially when a close family member said it had been my fault. How to deal with it, process it and at the same time support her son? How to accept I could not quick

fix things, it wasn’t my fault and that mental health issues have no miracle cure other than patience and time? Having to accept that my son had to heal in his own time and space, in his own way, and accept that suicide had been a choice. This was hugely difficult for me to understand and accept, but not until I did, did things start to turn around.

The help of GHA doctors and psychologists, private counsellors and close friends got us through it and often, just by being there, holding our hands, listening. This was also true for Tony. It was OK not to be OK, to have that acknowledged and it was important to speak to someone with a sympathetic ear, even if just for a rant or a cry. So let’s keep the conversation going on male suicide, let’s smash the taboo of mental health and please, don’t suffer in silence, there are plenty of charitable associations in Gibraltar that can help you and signpost you in the right direction. It’s manly to cry, to show emotions and to show vulnerabilities, that is what makes us human, sane and safe.

#LetsTalkReal

If you or someone you know is suffering and need someone to speak to, book an appointment with your GP who will refer you to the right people. HELPLINES: Clubhouse Gibraltar, 200 68423. GibSams, 116123. It’s okay not to be okay.

And how did I, his mother, cope with it all?

IT’S A WILD LIFE

The geographical location of Gibraltar at the southern tip of Europe, with Africa a virtual stone’s throw across the Strait and close to where the mighty Atlantic merges with the calmer waters of the Mediterranean, makes it a paradise for all sorts of wildlife.

BY PETE WOLSTENCROFT

The most obvious and indeed best-known wildlife spectacle is the twice-yearly migration featuring hundreds of thousands of birds; chiefly raptors and white storks that cross between Africa and Europe at the precise point where the distance between the two continents is the shortest.

I have seen the skies full of: black and red kites, three or four of the smaller species of eagle and the aforementioned white storks - with the occasional black one thrown in for good measure - and have been so awestruck, as to be dizzy with the wonder of it all. One day, workmen were doing some repairs to the roof of the Cathedral, and this avian diorama was playing out a few feet above the heads of the various masons. I am pretty certain that not a single one of them was aware of the virtual documentary being enacted overhead.

Down at ground level the wildlife was no less fecund. And there

were quite a few surprises too. I once saw a bright green lizard run upright on its hind legs - like the basilisk lizards of South America - and disappear behind a shipping container.

Gibraltar, like any other port, will always have its share of exotic visitors. My Gibraltarian colleagues were very wary of the geckos that could be found trying to hide under tree bark. The widespread belief was that if they spat at you, blindness would surely be the result.

Sometimes it was difficult to separate the myths from the real thing. Legend had it that the woods behind San Roque were inhabited by blind, furry snakes… that could fly! The top of The Rock was home to butterflies the size of dustbin lids and in the harbour, there were small golden fish that, when threatened by a predator, would form together into an immense golden sphere in an attempt to frighten the predator with their sheer size.

That last one is absolutely true; I saw it myself one day as we idly waited for a ship to tie up on the North Mole.

Where the colder waters of the Atlantic meet the warmer waters of the Mediterranean, the swirling currents are ideal breeding grounds for plankton and where there are plankton, there are predators. The waters around Gibraltar and especially those out towards Tarifa are great places to do a spot of whale watching.

Both common and bottle nosed dolphins are relatively numerous in the area. If you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of some of their cetacean cousins: sperm, humpback and long fin pilot

Not one of them was aware of the virtual documentary overhead.

whales can also be seen, but you might need a bit more patience or even luck to add these wonderful beasts to your check list.

The famous rock apes, which are of course Barbary macaque monkeys, are as symbolic of Gibraltar as the ravens are of the Tower of London. Another local legend has it that no dead adult monkey has ever been found. According to the stories, when the adults feel the approach of the man with the scythe, they flee via subterranean tunnels back to their native Morocco.

The area that surrounds the Rock - the Campo de Gibraltar - is awash with wildlife, much of it brought over by the Moors at the time of their conquest of the Iberian Peninsula. The snake eating mongoose and the furtive, elusive genet were probably kept as pets, albeit pets that paid for their lodging with their predatory skills.

The nearby Los Alcornocales natural park is one of the most bio-diverse places in the whole of Europe. From the spectacular groves of cork oak trees which give the park its name (alcornoque being cork oak in Spanish), to the animals that find both refuge and a larder among these ancient trees, this privileged place is well worth a visit.

The BBC must have recognised

that, because many years ago they filmed a documentary there about the feud between the short-toed eagle and its eternal prey - the Montpellier snake. Known as la culebra bastarda in Spanish, this two-metre monster is the largest poisonous snake in Europe. The eagle, however, is quick to strike and equipped with razor sharp talons.

I once had the great good fortune to see a short-toed eagle, hovering overhead, with just the last few scaly inches of a snake’s tail protruding from its beak. A short distance away, the instantly recognisable silhouette of Gibraltar shimmered in the heat haze, and I wondered just how many people realised what a wildlife paradise it was.

If they spat at you, blindness would surely be the result.

REFUSE AND BAGPIPES

He’s not a politician, lawyer, or school teacher but holds an equally important and essential job keeping our city free of stuffed bin bags, cardboard boxes and other forms of waste. The work takes its toll on his back and legs… but never prevents him from becoming an accomplished bagpiper!

BY RICHARD CARTWRIGHT

Brian Catania is a proud and passionate member of the Gibraltar Reenactment Society, marching down to Casemates on Saturday mornings providing a smart, eye-catching, poignant attraction not just for tourists but for the local populace also. “Absolutely, you can feel the hairs on your body stand on end when onlookers clap as you march past. It’s a wonderful feeling,” Brian declares.

At a very young age he recalls loving the music of military bands, listening to albums purchased from Teuma’s Music Store in Main Street – later Mango etc. The Scottish regiment’s blaring sound of the bagpipes particularly grabbed his attention... “Well, later on I did follow the popular trend of forming a pop group called Moon Flame and I was its singer, but that was short-lived and I was really attracted to going down to Casemates or the Convent

instead, to watch and listen to the military bands, something I truly looked forward to attending with my dad.”

However, it’s all very well keeping the bag full of air, making sure your drones are clean – all five of them – and fiddling with the chanter to produce tear-jerking tunes like ‘Amazing Grace’, but bagpipe playing doesn’t provide enough to keep the wolf away from the door! So, ‘on your bike and get yourself a job’, to put it bluntly.

“Of course, I’ve had a number of jobs. I worked as a processor at the Gibraltar Chronicle first and then... do you remember the days of sweeping the streets manually and then flushing them from water bowsers? That was

long before we had the modern equipment you see around these days. Well, I used to do that, working in the Cleansing Section of the Public Works Department - as it was known then. Then I moved to my present job as a Refuse Collector working for the Gibraltar Industrial Cleaning Company where I’ve been employed since 1990.”

It’s pretty much the norm for parents to want to see their children get on in life attracting good jobs, maybe even going off to university and returning to the Rock, but either way finding what is generally looked upon as ‘a decent, highly regarded, reputable job’. That’s a fact of life; it’s the way it is, isn’t it? You want the best for your offspring. So, does work as a waiter, bar person,

The blaring sound of the bagpipes particularly grabbed his attention.

or refuse collector address the above? I remember someone telling me he used to warn his daughter if she didn’t study she would end up getting a job in the Emporium, which was a sort of department store in Main Street (now Mothercare) …and she did! So that was a point I wanted to bring up with Brian. Did he feel his job as a Refuse Collector was demeaning and/or humiliating in a small community such as ours?

“Well, my dad used to say those things also. ‘You need to get a good, honest, proper job like a teacher, for example’. He would always come up with things like that, but I have to say I don’t have a problem with my job.” And picking up after us lot is an honest, proper job which is certainly a necessary service in our city (as is working in a department store!). Refuse Collectors are essential, undertaking a task that goes hand in hand with any job of work, be it a lawyer, school master, tug boat captain, waiter, ice cream vendor or street cleaner. It’s an important job that’s required and involves hard work.

How would it be, if our streets were left unattended? We’ve experienced it in the past!! “The only issue with our job,” Brian points out, “is to do with some individuals – not all – placing unsealed bags or overfilled ones at the point of bursting open, out for collection. Also, there are those who place bags in the street after 10pm and we get the blame for leaving them behind, when we’ve already done our rounds.” So we, the citizens, need to do our bit also! It might also be a good idea if they started their evening shift earlier to remove all those cardboard boxes put out by shops and stores at about 7pm

when they close and not have them remain there, providing an eyesore all evening and through the night... one to think about!

But the man has a passion, a real passion for everything military – whether listening to, or watching military bands, learning about their history and Gibraltar’s military past, marching down Main Street and, playing the bagpipes. “I joined St John Ambulance when I was about eight years old and played the

bugle there. As well as playing with the Re-enactment Society, I’ve played with the Gibraltar Band and Drum Association, also as a piper at private functions, like weddings, funerals and of course, the popular Burn’s Night. We’ve taken part in battle scenes in the UK and Spain with our reenactment group and performed the Ceremony of the Keys for them also, as we do here.

By and large, the re-enactment members take their Saturday

morning stint and other functions they’re called upon to do, very much to heart and take great pride in what they do. We have five or six different uniforms which we rotate every two months and we’re 13 strong. Just recently, we performed a first; our new Governor, Vice Admiral Sir David Steel asked for us to ‘halt’ outside the Convent for an informal inspection and a chat, providing us with an aperitif ahead of us marching down to Casemates. We were thrilled and felt that was a kind gesture for him to have asked us to do that.”

Of course, it has to be noted that the majority of the reenactment members have served in the military, especially during the days of compulsory conscription.

The bottom line is Brian loves it, as the others do, and at 55, after 10 years of taking part of re-enactment engagements there’s no sign of him giving up bagpipe playing (he’s had great help from Gib’s top bagpipe blower and tutor Tony Galliano), drumming and dabbling in other instruments. “And we mustn’t forget, being extremely grateful to our wives, partners and other family members,” Brian declares, “for putting up with our absence, especially as our work usually involves weekends.”

So back at home, bagpipe cleaning and a little maintenance is called for, supper, early to bed and rest, only to rise again three or four hours later to once again tackle the refuse left outdoors on our streets – yes, an essential and necessary service taken on by our refuse collectors who also were the

beneficiaries (lest we forget) of welldeserved lockdown claps a few months ago!

So, as a final thought, with Christmas coming around again in a few weeks and all the rubbish that accumulates from homes and shops that you and I put out... Who we gonna call?

...Refuse Collectors!

That’s a fact of life; it’s the way it is, isn’t it?

Gibraltar Sustainability Awards

Communities have been challenged by the UN to solve the world’s toughest sustainability challenges by 2030. Last month, Gibraltar demonstrated its contribution to this challenge through the Gibraltar Sustainability Awards.

The Awards recognise local efforts at taking steps towards a more sustainable future as they adopt environmentally-friendly practices within their respective workplaces.

ENGAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABILITY (COMMUNITY)

The finalists:

• Action on Poverty

• Sustainable Gibraltar

• Action for Housing and GBC Viewpoint

• AWCP, GHA Health Promotions and Thinking Green

The 2020 winner: Action for Housing and GBC Viewpoint Programme

SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY

The finalists:

• Bayside School Cyber Club

• Girls in Tech

• Energy Vision Group

The 2020 winner: Girls in Tech

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY

The finalists:

• Young Enterprise, Gibraltar

• St Bernard’s First School

• Loreto Convent School

• Marlene Dalli

The 2020 winner: St Bernards First School / Runner-up: Marlene Dalli

SUSTAINABLE EVENTS

The finalists:

• Calentita Festival

• BrightMed

• Gibraltar 2019 NatWest International Island Games

The 2020 winner: Gibraltar 2019 NatWest International Island Games

SUSTAINABLE FOOD

The finalists:

• Calentita Festival

• Nosha’s Healthy Options

• Vicky’s Natural Kitchen

The 2020 winner: Calentita Festival

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS

The finalists:

• TSN

• Shine Easy Ltd

The 2020 winner: Gibraltar Shine Easy Ltd / Runner-up: TSN

SUSTAINABLE ENGAGEMENT (Business)

The finalists:

• Chestertons

• Carmel Khalilian

• OTWO

The 2020 joint 2020 winners: Chestertons and Carmel Khalilian / Runner-up: OTWO.

REGIONAL IMPACT

The finalists:

• Gibraltar Morocco Business Association

• AmCham – Gibraltar-American Chamber of Commerce

• Instituto de Estudios Campogibraltareños

The 2020 winner: Instituto de Estudios Campogibraltareños

PLANNING, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION

The finalists:

• Westside and Bayside Schools

- GCArchitects, E&M Engineers

Ltd, Carduus and Casais

• North Gorge - North Gorge Ltd

The 2020 winner: North Gorge Ltd / Runner-up: GCArchitects, E&M Engineers Ltd, Carduus and Casais

SUSTAINABILITY IN SPORT AND LEISURE

The finalists:

• Europa Football Club

• Gibraltar 2019 NatWest International Island Games

The 2020 winner: Gibraltar 2019 NatWest International Island Games / Runner-up: Europa Football Club

MINISTER’S FUTURE GENERATIONS AWARD

The finalists:

• Joyful Riot Urban Garden Initiative

• #GibraltarSchoolStrike4Climate

The 2020 joint winners: #GibraltarSchoolStrike4Climate and Joyful Riot

GIBRALTAR’s 2020 YOUNG CHAMPION

The 2020 Young Champion is Iona Sacarello

To watch the Awards, visit gbc.gi/tv/programmes/ sustainability-awards-1044.

HEARTS OF GIBRALTAR

Talking to Natalie Hill…

BY ROMINA MAYANI NANKANI, CYE-CYL

From the moment we said our hellos over the phone, I could feel the bubbly nature of Natalie coming through. During lockdown back in March, I began training with Natalie via her online classes and wellness programmes. What a motivator! And now I was incredibly happy to be interviewing her. It turned out to be a complete inspiration with quite a few jaw dropping moments, I will not lie. As always, I dove right in.

Who was Natalie as a young girl?

“I was always very energetic. Everything was about where I could focus my energy next! I was active in sports such as netball and hockey, but mostly in the performing arts (dance and singing). I think my vivacious nature either made me popular with friends or it annoyed my teachers and older peers! This did not dampen my extroverted nature though.

At school, I will honestly say I was average. I tried where I could, but my interests never really lied in the academic side of life. I

was always eager to learn about life skills, sports and arts mainly. School time ended and university was supposedly the next chapter. I chose not to pursue further education and remained here in Gibraltar. I worked in an office as a company administrator and kept to my after-work activities in sports and performing arts.

Fast forward to when I was about 30 years old. Most of my friends had been to university and were excelling in their career paths. They were settling down and

looked well and happy to me (my perception of course). Sinking feelings of self-doubt and not being good enough brewed, an emotion I often felt whilst growing up.

One day, I was sitting in Alcaidesa beach and started crying uncontrollably. My partner kept asking me what was wrong? All I kept thinking was, what was I destined for? What am I here for? I kept comparing my life to others and felt empty! Even though I felt this way, I thought I needed to keep my energy going.

I decided to help a friend who was

struggling with marital problems at the time. We attended a fitness class together and it was exhilarating! Whilst everyone was busy getting the moves right and enjoying the music, I was focused on the instructor’s entire routine and delivery of the class. I am going to do this! I enrolled in courses in the UK and came back with qualifications that enabled me to train and coach people to improve their overall physical and mental health.

This felt like such a fix to my life’s emptiness. It was challenging, especially being a mum of two, a homemaker and running a

business all at once. But I didn’t surrender my ambitious nature.

There weren’t many gyms at the time, and I had a great intake of people. Almost 150 at one time. And seeing peoples’ willingness to want to take care of their health, was my biggest motivation to keep going.”

"Everything was about where I could focus my energy next!"

"What was I destined for?

What am I here for?"

“Natalie, have you been able to keep that mindset up until today?”. The next bit I did not see coming.

“Romina, I had an amazing 8 years and felt I had a great career path, always meeting such incredible people. I began noticing however, that day after day my energy levels were dropping tremendously. I tried to up my game eating right and exercising more, but it made me worse. My partner pushed me to go see a doctor. Bloods done; my results come back that I have an autoimmune disease known as Hashimoto’s Disease! It literally attacks your good cells in your body and originates from malfunction of the thyroid glands. I felt I had been hit by a storm. How would I continue training and helping people? In addition, at 41 I was experiencing ‘the woman’s change’. I was put on medication and pre-warned they take a year to come into effect.

I was going to up my game. If I felt unwell, coffee. If I felt sleepy before training/coaching clients, coffee. I kept this up for a few years and ignoring how I really felt. Finally, the body, mind as well as the emotions came to a halt. I was forced to slow down, and my mind once again spoke up. Everything became questionable. My inner energy became my biggest opponent. I didn’t feel good about myself. I struggled with many responsibilities including taking my kids out. I could not face the world or answer people.

I sat and thought one day, if I am so eager to help others, I can only do so if I truly helped myself. So, this pivotal moment was when I started my own personal development and growth journey. I embarked on a newfound course of ‘life coaching for overall health’ including mental, physical and emotional wellbeing. I have been combining these with my training ever since and I continue to study its vastness to this very day.

It’s been through my learning experiences and those moments where I was overcome by lack of self-worth, that positively drove me to keep doing what I do. I have truly learnt that the past doesn’t define you. Each phase of life requires a new version of you with a new earned mindset.

It may have taken me an awfully long time. But the assurance that my knowledge, current mindset and encouraging nature, have and are helping people to be the best they can be, is the most incredible feeling in the world.”

The interview came to an end and all I could think was: wow, this is what you call perseverance. Her nature to encourage and to inspire is transmitted so effortlessly and so humbly. I know that many of you reading and who know Natalie well, will share this feeling too.

For information on Natalie’s wellness and training programmes, contact: enquiries@nataliehillfitness. com and visit: www. nataliehillfitness.com.

"The past doesn’t define you."

Natalie Hill

A ZOOKEEPERS DIARY

BY NIC CAMPBELL

As routine returns to normal at the Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park (AWCP), the muchvalued volunteers have returned and the park can now celebrate the start of three new internships: Kayleigh, Anna and Laurie. During lockdown, interns and volunteers were not able to help out, but now staff are very excited to have them on the team once again. Kayleigh is a third-year Zoology student from the University of Exeter. She is undertaking a placement year and hopes to work with chimpanzees or lemurs once she finishes her studies. Kayleigh, like the other interns, is getting know all the animals at the park but she has a particular soft spot for the pot-bellied pig, Serranito.

Laurie was a veterinary nurse assistant in the UK before heading to Gibraltar. Her plans have taken her on a very different route than expected, but it has worked out for everyone, as she is now part of the AWCP team. There will be lots of opportunity for hands on experience with exotic animals which will help her in her future plans as a veterinary nurse. It’s hard not to love all the animals at the park, but her favourites are the family group of brown lemurs.

Anna is a qualified ecologist with a passion for teaching. This is perfect for the park as they are currently in the process of further developing their education programme. Anna started at AWCP as a volunteer, but she quickly fell in love with the work

the park does and all the amazing animals. The staff at the park were delighted to welcome her to the team.

After week four of the internship, the new interns have already settled in nicely. They are involved in all aspects of animal care with every one of the 160 animals at the park, so there is a lot to learn! Each intern is assigned to a keeper with whom they will learn all the necessary skills including proper nutrition, husbandry and enrichment. It is an exciting time for the interns and a challenging one too. The work is very physical; they are outside in all weather and they may have to overcome a few fears along the way! One particular task that gives people the shivers is dealing with bugs.

Our monthly spotlight on the superstars at the Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park… and their keepers!

Interns Anna, Kayleigh and Laurie

Insects are not everyone’s cup of tea, but the tamarins and marmosets love them, and they are an essential part of their diet, so the brave new interns have to learn to catch, handle and feed the creepy crawlies to the animals. This can take a bit of practice and quite often there are a few muffled cries of ‘eek!’ along the way, but everyone soon gets the hang of it.

A key part of zoo life is the animal training programmes and interns are encouraged to take an active role in these. Training is essential to the health and well-being of the animals in captivity and can be an important form of enrichment. Many years ago, animals were trained purely for our own entertainment, but today zoos use a technique called ‘operant conditioning’, part of which is ‘positive reinforcement’, to train animals in order to undertake medical procedures or carry out husbandry routines without the need of capturing and restraining the animal. Restraining any animal is of course highly stressful for

the animal and can sometimes lead to further complications, so positive reinforcement allows the animal to be comfortable with the situation as much as possible. It is the animals’ choice to participate or not, they are never forced. They should enjoy the training sessions, so they get lots of nice treats for their efforts. An example of a husbandry behaviour is ‘crate training’. An animal can be trained, using lots of positive reinforcement, to sit quietly and comfortably in a crate for transportation to the vet, whereas previously the animal may have been caught using a net and put into the crate or carrier. There are obvious hazards with this type of capture and restraint so it’s easy to see why zoos have embraced operant training techniques.

Head Keeper

Steve Bryant and myself (Primate Keeper Nic Campbell) wanted to further develop the

training program for the animals at the zoo. Steve has a wealth of animal training knowledge and experience from working in Monkey World in the UK and other larger zoos. We worked closely together to identify which animals were most in need of training. But how do you decide which animals need training? In theory, since training is a highly enriching activity all the animals should participate, however, in reality, time and people power are common restrictions. After an hour or two of serious thinking Steve and I came up with a plan. It is important that training is planned out well, from beginning to end, with a clear goal for each training session and also an ‘end result’. Keepers also try to do the training at a similar time each day, so the animals can expect it, and some even look forward to it!

The cottontopped tamarins were an obvious first choice for training. These ‘punk rocker primates’ would need to be caught with a net if they ever needed vet attention, and this is incredibly stressful, and potentially dangerous for the small monkeys. Cotton-tops are critically endangered in their native Colombia and are part of a zoo breeding programme. The park needs to ensure these little monkeys are in tip-top condition and living a stress-free life whilst in their care. At the back of their enclosure they have a tunnel system which links their indoor enclosure with the outside. The tamarins happily move from area to area by themselves. Steve and Nic decided to stop or ‘station’ them in the tunnels and reward

Intern team at the AWCP, with Training coordinator, Nic Campbell

them with their favourite treats for doing so. Since the tamarins were familiar with the tunnels it didn’t take them long to know the routine and hang around a little longer. The tunnel has two sliding doors and when closed it can be removed. This acts like a carry-case which can be taken to the vets. The next step was to slowly, bit by bit, close the doors. This took a couple of weeks of patience and perseverance, but the hard work paid off when they were able to close both doors and have a content, relaxed little monkey sitting eating their treat.

After lunch (keepers’ lunch, that is!) the Long-tailed macaques get a training session. There are two groups of Long-tailed macaques at the AWCP and although they are an adorable troop of monkeys, none of the keepers want to get too close or personal with them. So, in order to carry out routine husbandry, the keepers must shift the monkeys around. ‘Marvin’s group’, which consists of the dominant male, Marvin, an old boy Macho, mischievous Abu and gorgeous little old Teapot, are an easy group to shift. Lead by their stomachs, they will happily shift into another enclosure for the promise of food. But things are a little different in the other troop. Dobby, the dominate male, Peachy-Lou is the feisty female and endearing Elvis make up the other group of this Asian species of macaque. This group was highlighted by Nic as a in need of (immediate!) training because more often than not, Elvis will refuse to play the shifting game. No matter what

tasty treats were on offer, if any keeper was standing at the door he would refuse to move. It is understandable since in monkey society there is a strict hierarchy and poor Elvis is at the lower end of the pile. He is therefore not so keen to move into a smaller enclosure (even for a short while) with the two dominant animals.

So, how do you train the lowest ranking animal to do something that they are not so keen on doing? The first step is to remove the dominant animals from the equation. Both Dobby and Peachy-Lou will be kept busy in their own training programme at the back of the enclosure with one keeper, which means Elvis can relax and enjoy the treats offered to him without fear of repercussions from the other two. Bit by bit he has taken the bold steps to move through the sliding

door into the other enclosure and all without the stress and fear from previous times. This is the most rewarding part of the programme for the keepers. To see the progress of the animals and to know that they are participating because they want to and not because they have to is great to see. The keepers often find their ‘trainees’ waiting expectantly for the next session, before they have even begun!

Any animal can be part of the training programme. Phase two will include the African grey parrots, the brown lemurs and the adorable otters Dixie and Trixie. What this space for more animal training antics at the AWCP.

To find out more about the work at the AWCP, find them on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter or visit: www. awcp.gi.

Billy the rabbit receiving some training

ARTIST CALLOUT scene

Last month, Gib Mag reached out to local artists to be part of our 'Artist Callout' campaign. Bea Garcia interviewed all applicants, with Krishna Sachanandani's piece chosen to grace our November cover.

BY BEA GARCIA

This year has been a first for many. But despite the uncertain climate in which we live, one of the amazing things about this year is the number of people who have started to create art or have rediscovered their love for it. Whether it be to keep those mental health issues at bay or as a form of entertainment, this creative revolution has been widespread.

As a result of this surging interest we decided to run an artist callout to give one lucky reader the chance to have their artwork displayed on the cover of the November issue of the mag. The result was a large number of entries across multiple disciplines and mediums. Krishna Sachanandani was the lucky winner of the callout, but the high quality of all the submitted artworks made it a very difficult decision indeed.

We sat down with our artists to understand the inspiration behind their cover designs as well as the muses that inform their artistic practice.

Call Me

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

This piece was made during lockdown and people were relying on other modes of

communication rather than face to face meetings. The old telephone box seemed particularly poignant as it’s not in service anymore, and yet reminded me of a time when people were more socially distanced because technology had not developed to the extent it has now where we can (and are!) in contact every minute of the day.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

I’d say my artistic style is urban, loose (although I’m working on getting it looser!) and observational.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

I’m inspired by Gaudi’s architecture, our own Mario Finlayson and urban sketchers such as Eduardo Guille.

Mel Bosano (@melbosano)

Anna Garcia (@agarciacreations)

My happy place, the pergola in the Alameda Gardens

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

The image is the pergola in the Alameda Gardens. It is inspired by the way it looked in 1910. My drawing has been informed by my father's vintage postcard of

Ermelinda Duarte (@duarte.ermelinda)

Who Am I?

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

Throwing is one of the many skills that I use when creating my work, but I don't throw often enough.

After watching a documentary of Master Potters, I felt extremely inspired to throw and create my own collection of functional

tableware. My aim was to practice this skill as well as experiment with different techniques whilst trying to find my own personal style. After I made a few vessels I thought the very first one would be a great representation of this collection Who Am I? and something visually different for the cover of the magazine.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Organic, conceptual, fluid

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

it. This is a place where many a couple have gotten married. It is a happy place. I am interested in exploring people's happy places in a bid to enable them and I to escape the uncertainty and sadness in the world and instead celebrate and remind ourselves of the joy a place can bring.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Serene, uplifting, and bright.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

Monet, David Hockney and Van Gogh.

Lloyd George (@lidicus23)

Orange Splendens

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

Ah, although nature often inspires me to paint, this particular piece was actually created after the passing of my own little blue betta, as a sort of visual epitaph if you will. Bettas are really beautiful creatures and I wanted to bring that out in painting. In my usual way I've kept the background to a minimum to keep the viewers

Andy Goldsworthy, Lucie Rie, Mo Jupp.

focus on the betta itself, though the fish leans more towards figurative realism. It’s amazing how so little things can have such large impacts on our lives with pets becoming part of the family.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

I mostly create paintings, drawings and mixed media artworks from elements of science fiction and PC gaming, and I pursue an impressionist or conceptual outcome with a minimalist approach, providing the viewer a more open composition with the process showing through pencil or paint.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

Top 3 artists currently I would say are Joseph Zbuvik, John Berkey, and the art team at CCP games.

Cheyenne Randall (@arthouse_cr)

Firefighter 28

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

I was just getting back into art after a five-year break. I wanted to re-create myself as an artist. Before this I would obsess over perfection, so I was never satisfied. I wanted to pull away from that and express myself in a new light, with a relaxed style and actually enjoy the process. This change was extremely important to me, so I wanted the image to look different to anything I had previously done. This photo of my brother in law caught my eye because he is so laid back, however in the photo he looks so pensive and ready for action. Although it’s a still image I felt the movement and I wanted to capture that in the piece.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words

Expressive, distinctive, vivid.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

Monica

Popham (@popham.studio)

Upper Town

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

My painting was inspired by Gibraltar’s upper town. It is a part of Gibraltar which can sometimes be neglected but I love the mismatch of all the different shapes and sizes of the houses and buildings. There is so much character to this area of the rock so I really wanted to accentuate the colours using bright paint and contrasting shades.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Vibrant, detailed, and bold colours.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

David Hockney, Heather Day, and Nicolas de Stael.

Jackson Pollock, Van Gogh, and Andy Warhol are artists who really made me fall in love with art and inspired me to want to create.

WINNER

Karl Ullger (@ullger_art) Bling Bling

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

My inspiration for this cover design stems from a painting I did for a top UK fashion model, Roxy Horner who has modelled for many household names such as Tommy Hilfiger and Vogue Italia to name a couple. I worked from a photo taken by top Gibraltarian photographer, Jaydan Fa. I emphasised her luscious red lips which complemented the subdued minty green background, helping the composition sit nicely as a painting. Roxy loved the piece (which was the most important thing) sharing it across her social media platforms.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Expressive, tactile, experimental.

Krishna Sachanandani (@instashnuu)

Portrait of Judge Rinder

What was the inspiration behind your cover design?

Rinder’s portrait was painted during lockdown as part of Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Week. It was fun to revive dusty portraiture skills. Above all, I enjoyed the thought of tackling the same

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by (dead or alive)?

Hard to pinpoint such a small amount but 3 artists that have influenced my colour palette and treatment of paint is Joaquin Sorolla, Mariano Fortuny, and the third one, an artist who is very much alive and making a lot of positive waves in the international art scene, Nicolas Uribe.

Which was your favourite cover design? We’d love to hear from you! Get in contact on Facebook or Instagram: The Gibraltar Magazine.

subject as my old teacher, Karl Ullger, at least during Rankin’s portrait the previous week. It was a unique feeling to paint alongside whilst reflecting on my art journey over the last 12 years. Darth Vader’s quote - “When I left you, I was but the learner” comes to mind.

Describe your artistic style in 3 words.

Quirky, moody, dynamic.

Who are the top 3 artists you are inspired by( dead or alive)?

Hayao Miyazaki, Glen Keane, Anthony Jones.

COVID, CLAY, AND CREATIVE CERAMICS

From preparing a virtual exhibition of her students’ work to winning local competitions, sculptor and ceramics artist Ermelinda Duarte has kept herself busy during the pandemic.

BY CARMEN ANDERSON

Ermelinda began holding clay workshops for ages 6-16 as part of the local Youth Jamboree programme just before the COVID19 outbreak began to threaten Gibraltar. As the resulting lockdown eased and the summer approached, Ermelinda started up these workshops again, following, of course, COVID guidelines and regulations.

Within moments of meeting, I could tell Ermelinda was passionate about sculpting and working with clay. Her workshop, situated in Gibraltar’s South District, is lined with numerous clay creations. Works in progress catch the eye as soon as you walk in the door and the musty scent of the materials is pervasive. From this small, calm space, Ermelinda creates her pieces; work imbued with meaning, colour, texture.

Clay is such a traditional medium, as ancient as humanity. It is utilitarian and yet can be

representative of conceptual meaning. Yet, as an art form, it is perhaps a little unusual in Gibraltar. I was eager to discuss this with Ermelinda and she explained that she felt there wasn’t enough emphasis on working with this particular medium locally. Here was her motivation for the recent workshops: she wanted to offer these to show the younger generation how positive and gratifying working with clay can be.

saying: “Working with clay can be quite a long process, but once the kids get to see their creations, it can be really rewarding for them; it teaches them patience.” For Ermelinda, any way to get kids involved in the arts is positive, and introducing them to working with clay was just another way of doing so. A more physical, immersive experience, giving them ‘’something to look forward to’’ leaving them “so proud of their work at the end of it.”

During these workshops, Ermelinda also introduced the idea of how sustainable working with clay can be: “The pieces created with clay are durable and can last hundreds of years. You can also make functional products which can be used in many different ways.”

Ermelinda has a degree in ceramics and has wanted to hold these workshops for a long time. She explained that working with clay isn’t necessarily easy but that her students really enjoy it,

Initially, Ermelinda planned to show off her students’ work in an exhibition but wasn’t able to do so due to restrictions. Instead, she decided to go online and post a virtual exhibition consisting of a

Ermelinda’s work is imbued with meaning, colour, and texture.

video showcasing her students’ wonderful creations. This can be found on her Facebook page ‘Ermelinda’s Contemporary Ceramics’. This video received a great response, with people even asking Ermelinda when she would be starting up adult classes!

Whilst lockdown has been extremely taxing on the creative industries, some artists, including Ermelinda, have expressed that it has given them the much-needed time to really focus on their passion. For Ermelinda, inspiration came from the coronavirus itself. She started work to create a project based on the highest number of active cases we had in Gibraltar during lockdown. It’s taking her a while to complete but that’s exactly what she wanted; a project that was absorbing and in which she could be totally immersed. She is now working on putting all of the pieces of the project together to make a complete, final sculpture.

She also created a sculpture called ‘Stay Home. Stay Safe?’ which won her the sculpture award in the Spring Visual Arts Competition. Ermelinda had seen a video about domestic violence during lockdown which contradicted the idea that home was a place of safety since for some it was the scene of threat and danger, and the idea for her piece stemmed from this; “It really affected me,” she said. She had a limited amount of clay available and so she decided to create a

slightly smaller sculpture using a variety of different materials including plaster.

Ermelinda describes herself as a very curious person who enjoys becoming involved in multiple different projects and styles of art. It stands to reason, then, that she is currently working on a number of different sculptures at

the same time and is also creating a collection of vessels; “I want to be able to lose myself in this collection and be experimental in my techniques”. She is also trying to organize an exhibition of her work for next year. She told us that it will have a theme, but it will showcase “a bit of everything.” And we can’t wait to see her work.

"It can be really rewarding for them; it teaches them patience."

THE CORN PRINCESS

Last year, she was featured in this magazine for her novel abstract paintings of mystical globes like worlds colliding, in bejewelled and earthy colours, and vigorous strokes. Now, Raluca is back with her multimedia talent that marries illustration and narration in a children’s book titled The Corn Princess.

BY ELENA SCIALTIEL

Speaking of marriage, Miss Negus married Mr Lucian Piper, father of her fouryear-old Ana, whom the book is and dedicated to. Raluca took their surname, ‘to share it as a family’, so she is now publishing as Raluca Piper.

The Corn Princess is of course inspired by Ana: “She went through that stage of requesting stories all the time,” Raluca says. “I told her so many, that now she is inventing her own, mixing up bits of preexisting ones, all expressed in a formal story-telling tone.”

Ana steers Raluca’s storytelling towards what she would like to hear: “She gives me clues, or she sketches characters for me to build a story about, so I go ahead and

make them up on the spot.”

This is how The Corn Princess was born: “I was asked specifically for a fairytale involving a child princess and corn. I usually try to give my stories a meaning, a lesson to learn, relating to what she is going through, or something I’d like to teach her in a fun but memorable way.”

According to the author - and mum - children find growing up experiences challenging and sometimes scary, as they don’t wholly understand the adult world’s rules and cannot clearly process their own emotions, so it is important for them to realise that they are not the only ones feeling that way, or going through something. They need role models

to guide them, and hope that a solution is always to be found.

The Corn Princess is the story of a beautiful emerald-eyed and corn-haired little girl - well, a little princess… but aren’t all little girls actual princesses? - who is a bit of a spoilt brat, throws tantrums about what to wear and what to eat, and is stroppy on sharing her toys, which she keeps locked away instead. Shortly after her fifteenth birthday, this unnamed princess (her name is revealed only at the end, with poetic symbolism of rebirth) goes for a spring stroll in the forest, but snubs the animals coming out of hibernation, and refuses to share the contents of her picnic basket with them.

Later, a red robin lands on her

shoulder and she shoos it away. But the bird turns into a fairy, and the fairy turns the princess into a corn of cob! After the forest animals peck on it, and snatch it away in the depths of the forest, the princess’s tutor is left with only one kernel to return to the King and Queen for them to mourn their precious daughter.

Not knowing what else to do with it, they plant in a field. It grows in a stalk bearing more cobs. Soon, the whole field is filled with stalks bearing fruit, and long graceful blonde corn silk, just like the lost princess’s flowing hair.

The King and Queen cherish the corn field as the sole token of their precious daughter left to them, but they allow needy people to collect any cobs fallen on the ground, and cobs seem to fall spontaneously

‘on demand’, as if the Princess herself wished to share her bounty with the less fortunate. This act of kindness is repaid by the miracle of rebirth, which I can’t of course fully disclose here - you’ll have to read on! And appreciate the mesmerising illustrations that punctuate the pages.

Raluca’s painting style has matured further and has diversified. The cover art introduces the reader to a sophisticated fairytale setting with its surreal, delicate purple haze, interrupted by an assertive poppy that stabs the mist with its white stalk bursting out skywards in a flash of red. Bright colours, with a predominance of blues, and geometric lines, mostly triangular, dominate the second illustration, perhaps representing the location of the story, perhaps reminiscing Raluca’s childhood landscapes: it reminds me vaguely of a railroad village, slit by zebra and level crossings, where the passage of time is marked by the passage of trains.

My favourite picture in this booklet is the depiction of the enchanted forest, deconstructed in squiggly lines of all colours, albeit predominantly spring green, dotted with blue, red, yellow and red willo’-the-wisps that suggest fairies dancing.

Abstract is pretty much the codeword for the following picture, a starburst of primary colours joy which suggests the healing power of maize, with its golden silk, its kernels scattering in all directions, carrying a message of hope and spiritual nurture for all those who enjoy this cereal as staple food.

Finally, the last illustration is a return to Raluca’s signature atmospheric spheres: two blue planets on stark black background, connected by baby’s-breath branches, symbolising the indissoluble bond between mother and child.

“I wanted to publish this book soon, so I decided to use my current paintings for it,” Raluca says. “Ana’s birthday was coming up, and her school has the tradition that the birthday boy or girl takes a book to school as a present. I wanted to donate The Corn Princess as a gift to her friends and future generations. I don’t rule out the option of a second edition in the future, with different illustrations, and including feedback from the children. I have been invited by the school director to read the story to the children so it’s a good opportunity to see how they feel about it and improve it.”

Her target audience is age 4-10, and the story is pedagogic for girls and boys alike. “The protagonist could have been a prince, and the story would have been the same; I picked a princess for my daughter to relate more directly and take the hint. There is a lesson for parents too: the book’s ending offers a second chance to the King and Queen to raise their baby girl again, without excess spoiling.”

Raluca explains her choice of princess’s beauty: “A princess must

Raluca Piper

be beautiful in young children’s minds, according to the popular culture so engrained in them. I wonder how girls would react if a fictional princess wasn’t pretty? I am sure they would be confused. But this princess’s beauty is obscured by selfishness and bossiness. When the fairy turns her into corn, which is useful hence beautiful, she’s taught a lesson about kindness and generosity. The first is what makes us really beautiful, and the second makes us happy. The King and Queen are happy to donate their magic corn to the less fortunate, and their generosity doesn’t only break the spell, but rewards them

with a do-over.”

Raluca believes that illustrations in a children’s book are paramount to convey the core message, as they linger in the children’s mind long after having enjoyed the story. “Also, stories featuring categorised characters unexpectedly changing their behaviour to knock down arguable stereotypes are a good way to highlight and uproot those stereotypes from the reader’s mind.”

So, what’s next for Raluca? A second children’s book, The Quest for Colours, a moving love story (watch this space), and… painting, painting, painting! After having sold nine pieces of her early collection, and her recent success at the International Art Exhibition with the Urban Composition also featured in her book, and Robot in a Theatre Play, an energetic pure abstract in bold colours and even bolder block lines.

The Corn Princess is available on Kindle for £3.49 and on Amazon paperback for £6.99.

MITCH MITCHELSON BACK TO HIS ROOTS

Returning to Gibraltar for the first time since the age of 9, Mitch experienced some welcoming nostalgia. He reminisced about his days at St. Christopher’s school and the movies he would watch at one of the three (now closed) cinemas on weekends. On meeting with Mitch, I was curious to learn about his work in all aspects of theatre and acting, but also what it was like to return to our very unique culture.

BY GIANNA STANLEY

Describing himself as an almost “theatre practitioner”, his work can take many forms that involve running workshops, teaching, expanding vocabulary, training actors, and working in universities or drama colleges. Another aspect is directing plays, or also doing devised theatre. Through this form of theatre, Mitch would create a play from an idea, or adapting it from a literary sourc”. His work is mainly focused in the UK, however, he has been doing a lot of work in Ireland and Luxembourg. His impressive teaching skills have led him to hold workshops even in Italy and Belgium. “The next aspect of my work would be working as an actor and doing a lot of roleplay”. In keeping with the global situation, roleplay includes “training doctors to be empathetic” and how to deal with various circumstances. Continuing with performing, he also has

“an animation act with another man, who sort of wanders across streets and festivals”. What gives “another dimension to the work” is his training as a drama therapist.

When I asked him about Gibraltar, Mitch expressed it as “returning to his roots”. I asked him what it was like working in bigger cities like Ireland compared to smaller places

like Gibraltar. “I think Gibraltar is just such a special case. I was here when I was around 9 years old until I was 12, and I have vivid memories of it.” After visiting the two houses he used to live in, his recollection came to life; “the wall around the courtyard, the entrance and everything around it… I remember the stairs, the playground of St. Christophers, so certain things have remained consistent.” Luckily, Mitch experienced lovely, sunny weather on his stay, so he visited Catalan Bay, as that’s where he learned how to swim. As many other Gibraltarians could relate, he learned how to rollerskate along the boulevard. Visiting Gibraltar has allowed him to revisit his childhood, which he describes

Mitch Mitchelson

"I think Gibraltar is just such a special case."

as “very nostalgic without any doubt”.

Coincidentally, his interest in the arts began in Gibraltar. “When I was about nine, I wrote an adaption of Aladdin and performed it with a small cast in my basement. While I was here, I was often in plays and ‘gang shows’ as part of the Scouts. I played all sorts of characters; from the composer Elgar to an infantile grandmother, to a butler in a whodunnit.”. However, his interests swayed in his later adolescence, where he became “more interested in being in a pop band”. Taking Mitch back to drama and theatre was meeting people at university who were interested in the arts, joining a community workshop in his twenties which involved theatrics and joining a company which created international work and consisted of very “visual and experimental theatre”. He then went on to learn more popular theatre forms. “I trained in commedia, circus, puppetry, and I wanted to use

those forms and combine them with what I’d learned before.” Soon enough, one thing led to another and Mitch soon set up his own company with a colleague, which was “very viable as a living and had an international profile”.

an actor different rhythms of each character, allowing them to ‘change’. He goes on to describe it as “entertaining, but poetic; high art and low art. It's the poetry of survival for some of the characters. I could see echoes in playwrights such as Shakespeare, Molière and also the whole genre of comedy and farce makes commedia dell’arte extremely relevant to study.”

Whilst in Gibraltar, Mitch held a myriad of workshops on commedia dell’arte, and I was intrigued to ask him about this form of theatre and what intrigued him about this 18th century style. “It’s very visual, being a sort of mask theatre. To make the masks work, your performance has to be larger than life, its vitalistic; full of passion, speed and tempo.” Commedia dell’arte is also popular theatre, so its origins would be staged in a square and is “very actor-oriented”. Perhaps what interested Mitch the most was the physicality it involves; being able to physically transform offers

Undoubtedly, such a physical form of theatre must have been impacted drastically due to COVID-19 and the new restrictions in place, so I was concerned about how he and his colleagues have had to adapt. “The massive change that everybody in the creative arts in England has faced was work getting cancelled.” Mitch was fortunate enough to have been working up until March, directing a devised show in a drama school, lectures in a university, teaching in Luxembourg and had “just done a little bit of work with the actor Daniel Radcliffe”. His first time

"It's the poetry of survival."

working with Daniel involved “teaching him slapstick clowning for the film Viktor Frankenstein, and then after several years, I was asked to work with him on how to use ladders as props in the Samuel Beckett play Endgame”. Appropriately, this was his last job before lockdown, and consisted of teaching Radcliffe how to “fall off ladders safely”. This work gave him a large morale boost, which was definitely needed for this period of uncertainty. Over lockdown, Mitch adjusted, and did a few Zoom teaching sessions.

However, teaching in Gibraltar has been one of his first workshops since then, and there have been certain rules to follow, making things very different. Funnily enough, the mask wearing is very fitting with commedia dell’arte, as some actors need to adapt to mask wearing. “The strange thing was that somebody said that wearing the face mask helped them send their emotions into their body”. He linked this to the origins of neutral mask, in which Lecoq placed a handkerchief over his self conscious actor, which liberated her and allowed her to express physically the directors intention. “Similarly, we had these masks and had to amplify the physicality even more.” He is pleased that despite challenges and the new rules of social interaction, they managed to hold the creative theatre workshop.

Mitch’s work takes a variety of forms, from teaching, to acting, and directing. I wondered what his favourite features of each were and whether they all aided each other. “They are different, but they all feed into each other, for me. The teaching acts as a laboratory, allowing you to make new discoveries. I always find the

work is evolving because of what participants in workshops bring to the process, so I’m always adding new possibilities.” He encapsulates it as being a continuous research process, stating that he never sees the teaching as just teaching, but “researching”. Perhaps adding to his talent is his ability to never compartamentalise each facet of his work. “In directing, there is something very scary yet exciting about bringing a play onto the floor. I do enjoy that, but I do feel they feed into each other”. He also enjoys to keep his artistic sensibilities alive by constantly reading up about his work, watching films and performances, and let everything feed into everything else.

A recent project he devised was

past, but does not participate in performances that much anymore. However, he expresses that there is always a “great excitement when a performance goes well and you connect with the audience”.

On conversing about what led him to Gibraltar, I thought it was a very Llanito experience which ought to be told. Local talent Kaigan Garcia was one of his past students, and Mitch was shocked to learn that Kaigan was from Gibraltar - the place he spent some of his childhood years in. “There’s two links as to why I’m here: someone I’ve worked with in the past, and my own memories as a kid”, and I think this almost encapsulates the Gibraltarian identity of forming links wherever you go.

with a drama school entitled Friendly Fire in which they used grotesque body masks. Previous to this, he worked on taking science-fiction stories by the writer Ray Bradbury, set in the 1950s, but with contemporary resonance, and devising it into a play. He admits that when he is focusing on just one thing, such as directing, he misses the other aspects of his work, which I think really demonstrates his passion for the arts; he wants to continue doing it all at once. Working in Gibraltar has allowed him to do this and he described his work here as being “organic”, as it mixed the variety of his forms of work. He explained how he used to mainly perform in the

Whilst sat amidst the buzz of Jury’s cafe, with the usual loud chatter of Gibraltar, Mitch made a point about Gibraltarian culture which really resonated with me. He mentioned that “although people did not know a lot about commedia in the acting scene here, it feels to me completely appropriate to the nature of the place”. He was in a cafe earlier on in the week by the piazza, and he had “never seen such a lively atmosphere, with everybody chatting, everybody knowing each other, and that is the spirit of commedia; its a Gibraltarian thing”.

To end this wonderful interview, I’ll leave you with a comment that not only summarises Mitch’s work, but also the Gibraltarian identity. “The sort of vitality and outdoors life where everybody is interacting in Gibraltar is pure Commedia for me”.

"That is the spirit of commedia; its a Gibraltarian thing."

ROY’S GOLD

Roy Clinton unravels Gibraltar’s long naval and military history in his recent book, Eliott's Gold.

BY ELENA SCIALTIEL

It’s the 230th anniversary of the Mediterranean Steps this year. Did you know that, you jogger, stroller, tourist, huh? Did you notice the small 1790 oval date stamp that marks the date?

Perhaps you didn’t, because it is engraved in stone way higher than eye level, and it might have escaped you, while your gaze carefully minds your step. It is worth looking for it next time, though.

Indeed, it escaped amateur historian and opposition parliamentarian Roy Clinton, until it was pointed out to him. This confirmed his previous research on the origins and development of Mediterranean Steps, and his work is now being published as an article in the annual Heritage Journal.

The history of Med Steps carries a mix of military and leisure usage. The original goat herders’ path was restructured and carved under O’Hara’s orders at the end

of the eighteenth century, as a military installation leading to the battery overlooking Sandy Bay and a lookout atop Windmill Hill called St. George’s Tower, which was later struck by lightning and ruined.

Tower was later renamed) and they would ‘park’ their mules at O’Hara’s Tower and stroll down to Jews’ Gate, and pick them up again there for the ride home.”

The route was slightly different than today’s, as it led through Mediterranean Road to the area currently known as Governor’s Lodge on the Upper Rock. “There is a tunnel linking up to Med Steps called the Levant Gallery, but this is nowadays blocked by a stone building and gated, so it cannot be visited.”

“With the military technology available in those days, Windmill Hill had little strategic value as it was, because it would only allow cannons pointing down southwards to defend Europa Point, which was already properly defended from elsewhere, so it soon became a Georgian promenade for army officers and their wives to go on picnics on mule-back,” Mr Clinton says. “It was a mini-tour of the Rock, including St. Michael’s Cave, and O’Hara’s Tower (As St George’s

Roy’s interest in history is varied, and usually connected to his economic and commercial background, although he likes to go for any topic that raises more questions than answers, and inspires him to ‘connect the dots’, for personal interest, and to add a chapter to Gibraltar’s complex history.

Sometimes his research is set in motion serendipitously, as it happened with his first standalone book, Eliott’s Gold.

Their red-hot cannonballs caused huge distress.

While browsing eBay, Roy stumbled upon an original 1783 Act of Parliament authorising the Treasurer of the Navy to pay bounty money to the Garrison, as petitioned by then-Governor of Gibraltar, General Eliott, following his glamorous victory over the attack of the Floating Batteries.

Curiosity piqued again, Roy furthered his research to discover how Eliott had shrewdly petitioned Parliament for statutory relief, in order to extend to army officers the law that entitled naval prize claims only to navy officers.

In fact, under previous law, despite being victorious in quite a spectacular battle, his ‘fleet’ wouldn’t have been allowed to claim the naval prize after destroying enemy ships, because of a sheer technicality: their ‘naval’ battle had actually happened from land, and it was in fact the army’s doing!

With a strategy worthy of a

romantic novel, ten Spanish warships, purposely refitted as floating batteries, were disabled by the Army from the comfort of terra firma. Their red-hot cannonballs caused huge distress amongst the enemy attacking from these ‘floating fortresses’.

“The ships had been modified and fortified in Cadiz, but hadn’t factored in diminished manoeuvrability in the constraints of the Bay. British projectiles set them ablaze and they exploded; my book features a contemporary painting depicting pieces of ships shooting skywards with plumes of dark smoke.”

‘It must have been a sight to behold,” Roy muses, adding how the French and Spanish nobility had flocked to the opposite hills, to idly and safely watch the battle, as one would nowadays attend a fireworks display. If they expected the Garrison to be captured, though, they were sorely disappointed and instead they witnessed the destruction of their precious fleet.

Sunken ships were no value for warfare, but captured ships were indeed, for their material contents were shared as prize; in this instance, the warships were equipped with expensive cannons, whose brass was handsomely sold as scrap.

However, the participants in the battle not being sailors but infantry, they found themselves not eligible for prize money in the sum of five pounds per head of crew on the attacking – and captured - floating batteries! And here, Eliott steps in, and petitions parliament in

their (and his own) favour, landing his Garrison a total of £30,000, equivalent to over four million pounds of today.

According to documentation, Roy was able to break down how this was distributed to the army Garrison proportionally according to their rank, so that privates landed the equivalent of £150200 in today’s money – which Roy reckons was swiftly spent in the Garrison’s numerous drinking houses.

“The title should be Eliott’s Prize, more accurately, but I felt that ‘gold’ is catchier,” says Roy, who extensively researched navy prize practices and laws in place until the Great War one century ago, and a chunk of history of parliament petitions.

He hopped about the UK National Archives, National Maritime Museum and the Gibraltar National archives, scouring documents, and he performed a lot of ‘secondary reading’. The appeal of this type of research, he explains, is that until it’s finished, one doesn’t really know where it is going, as if he was following a path of crumbs leading to unexpected conclusions, as if piecing a jigsaw with no guideline picture on the box.

And there is a practical challenge as well, in accessing archives, especially during pandemic times: “There is a lot of footwork involved, a lot of paperwork to

It must have been a sight to behold,” Roy muses.

apply for access to archives, and delays expected in travelling to London, where I need to source my documents. Thankfully, I can order most literature online.”

World colonies and their trade.

Restrictions are not deterring Roy from his next project, like a mere technicality didn’t stop parliament from granting Eliott and his ‘crew’ - army - their well deserved and just reward for having valiantly defended England’s gateway to the Mediterranean and Africa, just a few years after their loss of New

On the subject of commerce in the nineteenth century, in the Napoleonic era, Roy is planning his PhD to touch upon Gibraltar’s micro-economy. “Gibraltar was extraordinarily prosperous in those times and I wondered what made it so,” he describes the question that sparked his quest. Contemporary sources report active markets of luxury goods imported by the shipload. “Auctions of wine and tobacco were held in the square outside what is now Parliament House.”

There is an abundance of unpublished material on the subject, and Roy expects his mammoth task to take some five years to complete, again scouring archives and studying

existing bibliographies. “I will apply academic rigour to my work, abiding to the science of historiography, but like Eliott’s Gold, this project will be reader-friendly.”

Scientific but not boringly scholarly is what the general public likes when it comes to get educated on another snippet of the Gibraltar mosaic, and to prove this, Roy’s book sold like hotcakes at its Heritage Trust launch last September.

Until it’s finished, one doesn’t really know where it is going.

Gibraltar was extraordinarily prosperous in those times.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

RT CLUB

How

BY BEA GARCIA

This month’s draw is inspired by the upcoming US election on the 3rd of November. This building forms part of the ‘concrete jungle where dreams are made of’, as Alicia Keys croons in her song ‘Empire State of Mind’. The world waits with baited breath to see whether dreams do come true and Trump gets ousted out of office.

STEP 1

Using dashed lines, draw a rectangle 15cm high by 4cm across. Your Empire State illustration will fit within this rectangle.

STEP 2

Let’s draw in the main body of the building. Measuring 0.4cm in from each dashed vertical line, draw another rectangle 2.2cm wide by 11cm high. See the image for reference.

COLOURING PENCILS, CRAYONS OR PAINT (OPTIONAL)

to draw the Empire State Building in 5 easy steps.

STEP 3

Next let’s draw in the decorative detail at the top of the building. Starting at the top line of the rectangle you have just drawn, draw another rectangle above it 1.4cm long by 0.6cm high. Leave a 0.4cm gap on either side of this new rectangle.

Starting from the base line of the rectangle you have just drawn, draw in 3 horizontal rectangles at 0.15cm intervals with each rectangle getting smaller as you work your way up. See the image for reference.

STEP 4

To draw in the details at the top of the building we will draw a tall bell like shape. Draw in 2 curved lines, 1.8cm in height which meet at the top of

your bell shape. See the image for reference. Draw in some horizontal lines at the top of your bell shape. Above this bell shape draw in an antennae 1.5cm tall.

STEP 5

Part of the charm of the Empire State building, besides its height, is the many tiers on the lower floors of this building. We are now going to draw in all those different levels. Starting from the top of your main building, make a mark 1cm down. Draw in two rectangles on either side of the building which measure 0.9cm across by 1.2cm down. You want to ensure that these rectangles stick out 0.2cm on each side of the main building.

For the next level down, draw 2 rectangles 1.2cm across by 6.6cm down. Again, these rectangles need to be a bit wider than the

ones that sit above it. For the tier below this one draw in two rectangles, 1.4cm wide by 2.5cm high. Draw in a vertical line to split each of these rectangles in half.

Next to these rectangles draw in 2 slim rectangles 0.2cm wide by 2cm down.

Add the final 2 slim rectangles at the base of the second tier drawing rectangles which are 0.8cm high by 0.2cm wide. Join up those slim rectangles with a straight line cutting through the central columns.

As a final touch, why not add a splash of colour?

We would love to see your finished entries! Tag @thegibraltarmagazine and @b_garcia_art on Instagram for a chance to be featured. We look forward to seeing them.

BOOKISH...

Join us for our monthly book club!

BY JOEL FRANCIS

It's almost time to start Christmas shopping, and what better gift to get someone this year than a book? This month's book reviews are shorter than usual, but there are more of them to allow you more chances to find the perfect stocking filler book!

BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY

Jay McInerney

Genre: Fiction

For Fans Of: Less Than Zero by

Bret Easton Ellis

What’s in the pages? This is the story of a young man living in Manhattan. Follow his journey as he tries to forget his bland life and his dull job by stripping his humanity through nightclubs, fashion shows, loft parties and lots of drugs; only to face it again in the stark dawn light of morning.

Why should you read it? The style of this book is unique; I don't think I've ever read anything quite like it. The reason for this is that the story is written in the second person, this makes you feel like the writer is writing about you because, well, he is kind of writing about you in a sense. By taking this approach with his characters and coupling it up with an amazing array of vivid imagery throughout the novel, McInerney creates quite possibly, the definitive book about New York in the 1980s.

DUNE

Frank Herbert

Genre: Science-Fiction

For Fans Of: The Lord Of The Rings

by J.R.R.Tolkien

What’s in the pages? Set on Arrakis, Dune is about Paul Atreides who has moved there with his family to rule over the desert planet. What makes Arrakis so special is that it is the sole provider of ‘Spice’, a drug that can extend life and enhance consciousness. When his family is betrayed, Paul has to escape into the desert and confront a destiny he would never have imagined for himself.

Why should you read it? If you like any Sci-Fi movie out now (especially Star Wars) then you are going to love Dune. Although challenging to get your head around at first, since Herbert tosses you right into the centre of this world and action with very little explanation on the language or settings of the book, this serves a purpose. It's so that you feel the same confusion that the protagonist feels throughout the book. Dune is a fantastic feat of Sci-Fi that poignantly discusses religion, imperialism and environmentalism. It's also just really enjoyable, I highly recommend reading the book before watching the movie that's coming out early next year.

POSTMORTEM

Patricia

Cornwell

Genre: Murder Mystery

For Fans Of: 1st To Die

by James Patterson

What’s in the pages? When four women are murdered with nothing in common, a serial killer is moving undetected throughout Richmond leaving chaos in his wake. Kay Scarpetta, a formidable medical examiner, is determined to figure out what happened but someone is trying to stop Kay's investigation from the inside. And what's worse, someone wants her dead.

Why should you read it? This novel is a stunning feat of thriller, suspense and murder. What makes it unique is its pacing, unlike most murder mysteries this book runs a steady pace throughout, building anxiety for the reader slowly and succinctly. You can tell Cornwell has a passion for this genre as well as the medical profession, due to the attention to detail and the insane amount of medical jargon throughout this book. It will keep you hooked till the end.

PERSEPOLIS

Marjane Satrapi

Genre: Biography

For Fans Of: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

What’s in the pages?

Persepolis tells the story of a young girl growing up in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution and the struggles that come with it.

Why should you read it? This graphic novel is a biographical masterpiece, its historical accuracy is an incredible insight into a part of history that most of us are unaware of. But it also gives a humorous view of childhood in the 80's and the fight for independence that most of us feel during our teenage years. It really is a stunning book, and remains a story that I revisit often.

A DARKER SHADE OF MAGIC

V.E. Schwab

Genre: Fantasy

For Fans Of: A Six of Crows

by Leigh Bardugo

What’s in the pages? In this world, in the early 1800s there are four London's. Four cities sharing the same name and location, but all in different planes of existence. Kell is a blood magician who travels from world to world delivering messages between them. When the thief Lila Bard meets Kell and their lives become intertwined, they must thwart a plot that plans to change the very nature of their reality, forever.

Why should you read it? This book is seriously unlike anything I have ever read before. The language is teeming with imagery which allows to jump into the world the same way Kell jumps between the different realities in this novel, it's a story full of magic; crossdressing thieves; pirates and coasts with two sides. The fact that Schwab creates her own language in this book makes it even more appealing and the characters are just perfect. If you are looking for something to transport you away from reality for a while, this is the book!

REASONS TO SAY ALIVE

Matt Haig

Genre: Memoir/Self Help

For Fans Of: Twas The Nightshift

Before Christmas by Adam Kay

What’s in the pages? Reasons to Stay Alive is Matt's life-changing account about how he overcame his depression with the help of books, writing and the love of the people around him.

Why should you read it? Yes, this is a self-help book, but it isn't patronising, it's the type of book that those with depression will read and be able to relate to. The way that Haig approaches mental illness with humour and delicacy makes this a different self-help book to any you have read before. This novel should be read by everyone who battles depression or knows someone who fights it. It will help you understand it more - this book is an absolute must-read.

ELECTRIFIED!

BY ELENA SCIALTIEL

Today, Julia Barea is back on the local music scene, her image revamped, her name shortened to the initials JB, her style rebranded as electropop, and her songs a feelgood mix of lively easy-listening with a sprinkle of food for thought, her message a positive zest for life.

With her track ‘Out of my Head’ - the Michael Crome remix, Julia points out – featuring regularly in the Radio Gibraltar playlist, JB is portraying her freshfaced, bubbly, summery, relaxed approach to music, and the reason she composes it: “I want my music to be upbeat, make you feel happy and want to dance. As soon as my song comes up, I’d like you to leave your seats and start hopping, bopping, and shaking it. I want to transmit joy and energy to my audience,” Julia says.

She is a fan of Sigala and Jax Jones’ style of deejaying and singing, describing it as ‘mainstream house’, happy-golucky floor fillers layered with meaning and technique, if you analyse lyrics and arrangements

with in-the-know ear.

“Sigala is a classical pianist by training and he went into deejaying with that background. I admire his work and went to watch him live three times, one here in Gibraltar at a past music festival.” Julia appreciates and relates to the star’s expertise in creating contemporary music on the basis of his classical foundations and sampling other artists to make them truly his.

“I like Jax Jones’ success story, since his parents opposed his aspirations to pursue a music career. I follow him on social media, and I am honoured he reposted one of my stories on Instagram,” Julia adds.

As JB, she enjoys a steady presence on music sharing sites like Spotify, where you can download her tracks: “I am planning to release new tracks on a regular basis, in the build-up to the ‘drop’ of my full album for Christmas. By then, my fans will be already acquainted with a half of the tracks lifted from it.”

She explains how releasing a song is a lengthy process: “After I have recorded it, I need to listen to it over and over again, because every time I do, I notice something different and something that can be improved.” Until she is able to approach it as if she was hearing it for the first time and finding it perfect, the song can still be polished. Only after that, the song is ready to be let loose on the airwaves.

As a music teacher at St. Anne’s, Julia was regularly on duty during lockdown, but having put her intense social life on hold, she had plenty time to work her magic on her summer releases: ‘I Know’, a song about one’s personal experiences that others cannot fully learn and understand from the outside; ‘Tell Her’, unlike the previous one, which features guitar, exclusively digitally produced music to accompany

Remember her from winning singer/songwriter at the Rock on the Rock Club when she was seventeen, and acing the battle-of-the-bands’ heydays with her band Escape Plan?

"I’d like you to start hopping, bopping, and shaking it."

Julia’s voice; ‘All the Things You Told Me’, described as a ‘typical break-up song’, scheduled for release at the end of summer.

Her playground remains deejaying and producing electronic music, which is down to experimentation and exploring the potential of computer programs: akin to photoshopping, it is about trial and error, recording a sound, adding an effect, like echo, testing it, listening to how it fits with the melody and repeating the process until it works and meshes together.

Inspiration comes when less expected: “Once I was driving near the ocean, listening to Ed Sheeran’s ‘Shape of You’, and a song about the ocean took shape in my mind; another time, I was

chilling on a boat with friends and strumming my guitar. A chord progression came along, and I started humming. I recorded the chords on my phone and later developed it into ‘Tell Her’, a song that means a lot to me personally.”

and quantity of production. However, independent artists must work harder on marketing. In this social media era, online followers can make or break an artist, and labels often scrutinise the online fan base, image and exposure of promising artists before signing them.

Another way to be talentscouted is gigging around a lot, but this option is alas limited in Gibraltar. “Often it is all down to luck, being at the right place at the right time,” Julia sighs.

During her university years in London, she gigged and participated in open mic nights with fellow singer Corinne Cooper, who is dabbling as graphic designer, and so is currently devising the smashing look of JB’s album cover and deejaying logo.

JB praises the advantages of independent music as the platform to true and free creativity, without the constraints imposed by signing for any label in terms of quality

Despite most of her music being played and recorded in her home studio with synthesisers, Julia still enjoys live acoustic gigs, and she hopes to resume them with the gradual return to social normality. “I enjoying singing with my guitar, but I reckon that the electronic versions of my songs just have a different ‘kick’ to them.”

"Often it is all down to luck, being at the right place at the right time."

DIARY OF A WINE LOVER

A month in the diary of our resident wine aficionado.

BY ANDREW LICUDI DIPWSET

Entry one

Iam determined our wine tastings should continue in some form or other even if it’s impossible for the ten of us, making up our wine group, to meet in the flesh due to ongoing restrictions. I am determined not to let the dreaded virus get in my way. Since our gettogethers involve both food and wine I’ll need to figure out if it’s possible at all. I usually get my best (and worst) ideas when I am half asleep at dawn. I’ll go to bed early tonight and see what happens.

Entry two

This morning I still had no clear ideas re the wine group tasting. Hopefully inspiration will come my way soon.

Entry three

Today I took delivery of some white Portuguese wines. We had been reminiscing about a white wine from Alentejo we loved when we were students. Unfortunately, we can’t remember what it was called. Looking at

some of my old wine tasting notes from that era for wines still available today, like Tondonia Rioja and the like, they appear to be pretty accurate so perhaps my recollection of that long-ago white from Portugal might be true and

Entry Four

not just my memory gilding the past. On that basis I ordered some white Portuguese wines at random. Mostly inexpensive ranging from £7.50 to £12.50. Fish is on the menu tomorrow at home. I’ll open one of the bottles and see what’s it like. It’s my job to cook fish in our household. Ill be cooking steamed bream with steamed carrots, fennel and straw potatoes by Martin Wishart, the well-known Michelin Star chef. It’s really is a stunning and simple dish. The potatoes and vinaigrette makes this dish come alive. I enclose a video link below for anyone interested.

www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vsggcoPyTQc

This morning, I went into my small wine room where I keep coming across wines I can’t remember having seen before. This is good and bad as not knowing what wines I have I risk leaving wines too long well past their ideal drinking window. So far it’s not happened, leading me to believe the ‘drink by’ dates by wine critics should be taken with a pinch of salt. Last week I came across a bottle of Momo Pinot Noir 2008 from New Zealand. It was £11 when I bought it and should have been drunk ten years ago according to the critics. Well it turned out to be quite stunning. Wish I had more.

Entry five

We had our first bottle (well, half the bottle as we try and limit our drinking on the basis that if we do, we can have wine with our meals most days!) of Portuguese white wine with our bream. The wine is Monte Velho 2019. I can’t remember when we had such a young wine. It was reminiscent of grapefruits and quite sharp which was far from unpleasant with the fish. Considering its £7.50 price

It turned out to be quite stunning. Wish I had more.

tag, it’s not bad. Being so young I suspect that when we drink the other half bottle tomorrow it will have improved considerably.

Entry six

Still no inspiration this morning of how to organise a wine tasting

wine

Some more than others of course. Storing wine in Gib is difficult if you haven’t a wine fridge. Anything above 18°C or so will kill wine.

Entry seven

I am beginning to think I may have a way of holding my wine tasting for ten under the current COVID restrictions. Will consult with my better half over the next few days and see what she thinks. She’s usually more sensible and practical than I am.

Entry eight

Every few years I have bought a case of vintage port in the basis that when I am old and decrepit the wine should be in its ideal drinking window and will make me merry and help me reminisce about the glorious past! The other reason is that buying relatively young vintage port is relatively inexpensive for what’s after all world class wine.

and dinner for ten with current restrictions. As I suspected the Monte Velho was a different wine today. What an improvement! Goes to show it’s could do with another year in bottle. Drinking 2019 wine now, of any ilk, doesn’t make sense. Wine needs time.

Two years ago, I bought some Graham 2000. Since then, the price has dropped. So much for investing in wine!

Entry nine

All the critics are raving about Viña Ardanza 2010 Reserva

Sherry is definitely the most underrated wine in the world.

Especial. I have recommended this wine before in this column. Today we tasted it for the second time. It’s very good. Buy before it runs out!

Entry ten

Today we had the other half bottle of Ardanza. It’s really is a good wine. It’s seems they only bring the Selección Especial on exceptional years and the 2010 is considered by the producer as the best in 77 years.

Entry eleven

Fearing I might have thrown away my favourite corkscrew I went into a mild panic. I spent ages looking for it and to my relief I eventually found it. It’s an ancient thing with a hefty wooden handle and proper screw. I bought it in the antiques shop opposite the courts in Main Street years ago. Modern corkscrews are not long enough, especially for fragile corks.

Entry twelve

Today, for some reason, I got more than my fair share of emails from wine merchants telling me about this or that wondrous wine. One of the merchants sent a round robin email thanking its customers for their trade during these difficult times. According to this merchant, trade has been like having Christmas every day. At least they are honest about it!

Entry thirteen

We’ve been baking our own bread since March. Wholemeal. When we tried to go back to supermarket bread, we didn’t feel

right so we’ve kept going. Now we just make rolls as they have a better crust ratio. We freeze them and take out whatever we need for the day.

Entry fourteen

We bought a bottle of La Ina sherry. I’ve always thought this sherry is very good. Wonderful flavour and great acidity. We had some boquerones en aceite and some olives with the sherry. Sherry is definitely the most underrated wine in the world.

Entry fifteen

I have decided to go ahead with the wine tasting. I have bought aluminium containers much as one gets in Chinese takeaways for the food. I have also bought 90 small, glass bottles with screw caps. Luckily, they were not expensive at all. Everyone will get a starter, a main course and cheese. They will also get 10 small bottles of wine. They will not know what the wines are. One of the group, more tech savvy than the rest of us, has arranged so we can eat and drink via an online link – Zoom.

Entry sixteen

Our online tasting went very well. Everybody came round to pick up their parcels, which I had left outside for them. They had enough time time to get back home and heat the stew and potatoes. The whole thing was very successful, though quite hard work. My favourite wines were two ancient Brunellos de Montalcino - one from 1975 and the other from 1978. I had bought these on Catawiki for 20 euros each. Regretfully, since the pandemic started, prices for auction wine on this site have gone through the roof.

Entry seventeen

I’ve been thinking what we could celebrate tomorrow as I am in dire need of a glass or two of champagne which I haven’t had for some time. Much as I racked my brains, I couldn’t think of anything in particular. I’ll open a bottle anyway. raving about Viña Ardanza 2010 Reserva Especial. I have recommended this wine before in this column. Today we tasted it for the second time. It’s very good. Buy before it runs out!

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

ENGLISH LITERATURE

'LONDON

BOARD'

SPANISH & ADULT CLASSES

Friendly coaches, fun atmosphere, creative content. Let's get you that grade.

Classes from just £10!

THE SCOREBOARD

Europa FC and Lincoln Red Imps out of the UEFA Europa League

BY GEORGIOS TONTOS

EUROPA FC AND LINCOLN RED IMPS OUT OF THE UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE

The European adventure is over for Lincoln and Europa. The two teams said goodbye to the Europa League campaign with their heads held high, after their defeats against Rangers FC and Djurgarden FC in Gibraltar and Sweden respectively. Early exclusion from the European campaigns for both teams, against strong opponents. Both teams managed to meet expectations, with Europa standing unlucky in Sweden as they lost 2-1, in a match that deserved much more than a defeat. Gibraltar is left without any team for the continuation of the European campaigns. St. Joseph’s was knocked out of Europe after 2-1 defeat from B36 Torshavn in August. Two wins and four defeats for the three local teams in their European adventure.

Europa were knocked out of Europa League after a narrow 2-1 away loss to Djurgarden of Sweden, in a match where Europa missed the opportunity to take the lead in the score, after Walker missed a penalty kick. A few minutes after the failed penalty kick, the Swedes took the lead in the score with 1-0.

The performance of the guests was not affected by the goal, and they got their reward in the 57th minute. Adrián Gallardo took advantage of a big mistake in the Swedish defense and persistently managed to score for Europa at 1-1. A few minutes later Europa continued the match with ten players after the red

Photo by infoGibraltar

card in a penalty by Alex Quillo. The Swedes took the lead again with a penalty kick, a score that remained, with Europa trying to get a result until the end.

Lincoln had a difficult afternoon against Rangers. The Scots got an easy qualification for the Europa League playoffs, beating the Gibraltar Reds 0-5. Lincoln were competitive in the first minutes of the match. The Reds threatened the defense of Rangers but after the first goal, the Scots took

control of the match. James Tavernier scored a free-kick to open the scoring for Rangers and doubled their lead just before half time Connor Goldson’s header. Alfredo Morelo and Jermain Defoe came off the bench to get onto the scoresheet with the former bagging a brace.

The teams will now focus on the start of the local league, which seems to be very competitive this year.

GREAT QUALIFYING VICTORY FOR GIBRALTAR

Our national team escaped with a valuable victory against Liechtenstein with a score of 1-0, making them the leader of the group stage. It was a historic result, as it is the second consecutive official victory in a European campaign. Gibraltar entered the match dynamically and found the net with Tjay De Barr's goal in the 10th minute, after an excellent pass by Casciaro. A fantastic performance from the whole team, showing passion for the victory from the first minute of the match. It was the best 90 minutes of Julio Ribas’ team. The management throughout the match shows that we have grown as a team and dreams for promotion to a higher level seem realistic. Liechtenstein pressured, but Goldwin and his teammates handled it to secure a massive victory. The important matches in November against San Marino and Liechtenstein will determine Gibraltar's promotion.

The national under-21 team lost 0-3 to Portugal at the Victoria Stadium, in a match where Gibraltar was competitive but the Portuguese were superior and in the 17th minute they scored the first goal. Portugal found a way to score two more times, clinching an easy victory. A good effort from our national youth team, who were competitive against a better opponent. The player of the match for Gibraltar was goalkeeper Bradley Banda, who made 17 saves.

CONFESSIONS OF A BEAUTY ADDICT

The perfume report.

BY ALEX ORFILA

There is no scent more emotive than that of smell, with its effortless ability to rouse distant memories. It can transport us elsewhere with great ease. A whiff of fragrant lavender can conjure up thoughts of quaint English gardens, whilst the unmistakable scent of sun lotion will no doubt summon memories of summers gone by.

It may sound a little deep, but that’s why selecting a perfume is quite an important choice. You are in a way labelling a portion of your life with a particular scent. For this reason, many brides will select a particular perfume which they will wear on their wedding day only –so that scent will forever be linked in their mind to that specific day.

Selecting a perfume is also very personal and I believe that a fragrance can say as much about your style as your clothing does. So don’t be afraid to be bold and experimental, a ‘one size fits all’ approach should not be adopted.

In recent years we have seen more perfumers release versatile scents and step away from the age-old trend of targeting perfumes to either a male or female audience. Jo Malone is probably the best known for this. All their perfumes are packaged into the same iconic bottles and the only way you are able to tell them apart is by reading the label.

Of course many of their fragrances will smell more masculine to some or more feminine to others, but they are not labelled or marketed towards any specific gender. It’s more a question of selecting a scent you absolutely love rather than being subconsciously guided by a sleek marketing campaign.

So who are the perfumers which are making waves in the industry and bringing

us the most exciting and nongender specific scents?

FREDERIC MALLE

This is one of my favourite brands. It was founded by Frederic Malle and emerged as a collaboration of renowned perfumers who wanted to essentially ‘go rogue’ and have complete creative freedom when

it came to creating fragrances. This is because creativity can sometimes be under control when working for established fashion houses where you are given a specific brief.

The brand works with heavyweights of the perfume world who have quite the repertoire, for example Dominique Ropion who is known for creating iconic fragrances such as Theirry Mugler’s Alien and Calvin Klein’s Euphoria. They also work with perfumer Carlos Benaim who is the creative mind behind Ralph Lauren’s iconic scent Polo amongst many others.

All their perfumes are packaged and presented in smart round bottles. No flamboyant marketing campaigns mean that your senses are completely free to do the choosing.

Frederic Malle, Carlos Benaim’s Music for a While 50ml, £145

DIPTYQUE

A cool French perfume house which will forever have a place on my list of favourites. Diptyque was founded in 1961 and have been delivering beautiful unisex scents ever since. Most of the brands fragrances are available in

candles too and their packaging is instantly recognisable, donning their unmistakeable French style font.

TOM FORD

Tom Ford is unashamedly inyour-face when it comes to pushing boundaries. Many of their perfume names air on the side of

risqué, although still rather tastefully so. Their latest offering is called Bitter Peach.

Admittedly Tom Ford does stock a range of masculine and feminine fragrances, however their luxury Private Blend range are all unisex and packaged in the same gorgeous glass bottles. Some of their fragrances will smell more feminine to some than others, but they too are not marketed in any specific way. Proving once again that in the world of luxe modern perfumes there are no rules.

Tom Ford Fleur De Portofino

50ml, £174

Diptyque Tempo Eau de Parfum 75ml, £120

"That scent will forever be linked in their mind to that specific day."

BYREDO

This is probably one of the most on-trend perfume brands right now. The Swedish brand launched in 2006 but has really made waves in recent years because of its Instagrammable packaging and use of eclectic names. I mean who wouldn’t want to dose themselves in some Gypsy Water or Velvet Haze?

Byredo Velvet Haze 50ml, £115

CREED

Creed are one of the oldest perfumers in existence, with a heritage spanning back to the 1700s. Although the brand do stock masculine and feminine lines they also have a range of unisex fragrances, which actually happen to be my favourites. Think classic timeless scents with an expensive twist. They do come with a hefty price tag but with their unique scents you can rest assured that you will not smell like anyone else in the room.

Vetiver Geranium 100ml, £200

Your senses are free to do the choosing.

Using ingredients that make up most of Gibraltar’s culinary melting pot, we’ve brought together a fusion of the traditional and modern. From vegetarian alternatives to adaptations of the most common dishes you can expect to find on the Rock. Mama shares some of her favourite simple recipes to inspire you back into the kitchen, so you can cook up fresh and tasty meals every day, no matter your skill level.

Buy the book and find more recipes over on

www.mamalotties.com

FINDING ZEELAND

While the weather tapers off from the blistering heat of the summer and autumn provides the cool edge we’ve all been craving, it’s easy to forget that some of our European counterparts have been experiencing less forgiving circumstances for a couple of months now. When the winter solstice plunges you into darkness next month and the cold has crept in (leaving you wondering why you ever lamented the heat of the summer) remember the stifling heat of mid-August and book your trip to a more temperate yet still pleasant climate. Coronavirus permitting.

BY CHRISTOPHER HEDLEY

Colonists lacked imagination when naming their newly pillaged lands: New York, New South Wales, New England etc. Of course we all know of the original York, South Wales, and England, so what about New Zealand? The answer lies in southwest Netherlands.

The Dutch province of Zeeland, not to be confused with the Danish island of Zealand (which despite being spelled the same as New Zealand, is not what New Zealand is named after) is what Abel Tasman had in mind when he first visited the pacific island. Apparently the tropical climate and mountainous landscape reminded him of his home country, the notoriously flat Netherlands, and he named it accordingly. It doesn’t make

sense to me either. So while we all know of the ‘new’ Zealand, what about the original? That’s enough Zealands for one paragraph.

Firstly, how do you get there? Well, the province is tantalisingly close to the fairytale city of Bruges so that’s an option. Or

Belgium in pursuit of greener pastures.

For the purpose of this article, we’ll start in Amsterdam, because flights from Malaga are cheap and easy, and there’s a lovely cycle route nearby all the way down the west coast. Once you’ve had your day or two of debauchery, avert your bleary eyes from the night workers, grab your bicycle and find your way to the LF1 cycle route.

you could fly into Amsterdam and cycle down along the coast. If you really like cycling, you can make a trip of it and start in London, getting the ferry to northern France before ploughing through

The LF1 isn’t your standard cycle route with time restrictions and bollards on Main Street. This is pure, uninterrupted (and flat!) cycling joy. Admittedly, the ride out of Amsterdam isn’t a scene from ‘into the wild’ but here’s what you can find along the way.

Making your way southwest

The province is tantalisingly close to the fairytale city of Bruges.

from Amsterdam - following the signs is easy enough - you’ll find yourself in the seaside town of Katwijk aan Zee. The local claim to fame is that this is the landing area for a lot of international and intercontinental telephone cables. If transatlantic communication isn’t your bag, there’s a nice beach, a couple of museums, bars and restaurants. There’s also one of the world's largest flower gardens, Keukenhof, where over seven million bulbs are planted each year. If you’re in the area between March and May, you can catch part of the eight week tulip display. Quintessential Netherlands.

A short ride further south will take you to the judicial capital of the world. The Hague might be popular with those that aren’t attracted to the hectic scenes available in the Dutch capital. There’s less of a cosmopolitan approach to life in the centre, meaning you can enjoy good old

garden; a Japanese garden; parks with lakes. It’s definitely a city to relax in - if you’re not convicting or defending international criminals.

The LF1 runs through the coastal region of The Hague, Scheveningen, which has a little bit of an extreme sports/party scene going on, so after you’ve spent some time being civilised in the city centre, get back to the shoreline and have a pop at something a bit different. Kayaking, windsurfing or taking a ride on a powerboat and water activities of choice. On land (if it counts as land) there’s a local bungy jumping centre. Meetup. com/sport-in-scheveningen organises an array of beach events as ecclictic as volleyball to line dancing. And if just reading about all this is making you feel out of breath, you can take a picnic onto a rowboat and enjoy life al fresco on the ponds and canals of Westbroek Park.

six-kilometre-long Brouwersdam, another fantastic spot with great views where you can stop to watch the kite surfers. There’s also a massive water slide with an eight metre drop along the way for the thrill-seekers. This also marks the end of your quest to find the promised land of Zeeland. The antiquated among us will notice I’ve been referring to the Netherlands rather than Holland. That’s because many of us ignorantly discount the ten other provinces (not just North and South Holland) that make up the rest of the country. Well ignorance be gone, now we are in Zeeland, and officially out of Holland.

conservative fun. The medieval and renaissance architecture combined with wide, cafe laden streets give the place more of a continental feel than many other parts of the country. The Plien is the square next to the Binnenhofa complex of buildings, which is kind of like a Dutch version of the houses of parliament, so from here you can either enjoy the view or partake in a little politician spotting. The city is always known for its greenery, with an abundance of parks to choose from with an array of different styles: English, with its own rose

Breezing further south, and you’ll begin to start riding over bridges between the islands of western Netherlands. When the wind is low, it’s a nice place to slow the pace, take in the waves of the North Sea to your right and marvel at the cycling infrastructure this country has to offer. More sand dunes and kite flying opportunities can be found near Ouddorp, a town best known for its picturesque lighthouse, which leads you nicely onto the 18km beachfront.

South again takes you across the

The first of the Zeelandic islands offers a smattering of the kind of villages you will have become accustomed to by now: tiny, quaint, maybe with a little church or a windmill or something stereotypical. At the bottom of this island you’ll cross the most impressive piece of hydraulic engineering you’ll see on this tripthe Oosterscheldekering (Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier). This behemoth barrier has three moving parts, and when works were finally completed, the Queen (Dutch Queen, obviously) opened it with the words ‘The flood barrier is closed. The Delta Works are completed. Zeeland is safe.’ Cracking work.

A little push further on and we reach the capital of the province of Zeeland, Middleburg. This historic city, latticed with canals is another spot with a beautiful square to enjoy breakfast and appreciate the architecture. The church tower is calling out to be climbed, and from the top you have a fantastic view over the whole of the former island of

This marks the end of your quest to find the promised land of Zeeland.

Walcheren. It’s sometimes easy to forget that the place is as much as ten thousand years old. There’s a museum to remind you.

The southwestern city of Vlissingen, a lively seaside area with a distinctly maritime character, will be your last stop on the Zeelandic (former) islands. The historic centre is compacted into the old fortress, so once you’ve ambled around the area, had a look at what some Dutch casemates are like, and visited another windmill, make your way to the longest seaside promenade

the country has to offer and watch the big ships float past, sometimes scarily close to your face. If you want to visit the mainland again, you’ll need to get a ferry, which is necessary for those finishing their trip in the Belgiun city of Bruges, and probably worthwhile even if you’re not.

Off the ferry, you’ll be pleased to know that you’re still in provincial Zeeland, in the small town of Breskens. A quick visit to the cast iron lighthouse and you’ll have time for one more charming historic town: Sluis.

Largely destroyed during WWII, Sluis has been rebuilt to retain its beauty. The belfry, windmill, and city ramparts give you a sense of the history here. Of course, it’s another place to spend the day wandering around the canals, taking in the toy town, and when

you’ve had enough tranquility, there’s a museum with a twist. The Bizarium showcases a number of weird and wacky inventions: A flying bicycle, a swimming umbrella, a walking submarine, hair helmet, and a other strange ideas from the likes of Nicholas Tesla and Leonardo Da Vinci. A fun way to end your trip. From here you can continue cycling (or get the train) to Bruges, or head back to Amsterdam for your flight home. The LF1 is only a small part of the larger, North Sea cycle route, so if you’ve enjoyed this trip, there’s plenty ore to offer.

In all, the Netherlands has more to offer than cannabis and clogs: the sea, the dunes, windmills, pristine villages and sky for days. Each town name sounds like it’s being pronounced by Pingu. As for the cuisine, it’s... ok. Well, let me put it this way, when was the last time you heard someone say “Hey! I went to this really great Dutch restaurant last night…”

AUTUMN OUTFIT? CHECK!

After endless months of bright summer dresses and bold prints, many of us use the arrival of autumn as an opportunity for a much-needed wardrobe reset, revisiting our classic cosy favourites once again. If the pandemic has contributed anything positive in a sartorial sense, it’s the heightened spotlight on our insatiable desire for newness, at a most devastating global cost. But in equal measure and as a result of this reckoning, is also the reinforcement of a most basic concept: fashion can lift our moods and can be a real force for good.

BY JULIA COELHO

so yes, this year, trends aren’t quite what they usually are and no longer seem to hold a great significance within the fashion industry at large. But there is one that seems to stand the test of time no matter what is thrown our way. There are certain prints that hold a timeless and enduring power, possessing all-year-round MVP status as opposed

fleeting trends that pop onto the scene every few years, disappearing just as quickly as they came. Checks, without a doubt, tick the former box.

Above all else, checks are versatile and adaptable; if styled in a certain way, they can give an outfit an effortlessly cool punk edge, yet on the other side of the coin, they can equally look elegant and classy, with a Chanel-esque aesthetic. The potential for variation is vast, whether checks are worn headto-toe or contrasted with pretty much any colour, the possibilities are endless. From tartan, to gingham and houndstooth, all check styles are up for grabs, making much more of a statement than checks of years past. The print has been given a vibrant makeover this season,

BELOW: WOOL BLEND CHECK OVERSHIRT, ZARA, £49.99

BELOW LEFT: SHACKET IN CHECK, URBAN BLISS PLUS, £60.00

appearing in a whole spectrum of colours across all brands, styles and price points.

SHACKETS

It's time to welcome into your wardrobe one of this year’s biggest trends. The ‘shacket’ is essentially an oversized shirtjacket hybrid that’s currently blowing up social media and

reigning supreme at all our favourite high-street shops. The best thing about them is that they are the absolute perfect layering piece throughout autumn, winter and spring, which means they offer great utility and a real bang for your buck. They’re substantially thicker than your average shirt, but more lightweight than a winter coat, so you can easily throw one over a casual t-shirt on warmer days, or layer over a polo-neck jumper when the chill sets in, with little effort required on both fronts. I’ve bagged myself a couple of them already!

BLAZERS & COATS

Checked coats and blazers will forever be some of my favourite staple pieces. They possess one of the strongest desk-to-drinks abilities; looking smart and puttogether but also slick and cool. The simplest outfits are often the most reliable, especially during autumn, where the weather can

shift pretty drastically in a matter of hours. If you’re looking for a fail-safe combo, look no further than your favourite pair of jeans, some heeled boots, a muted polo neck or knit, and a checked blazer or longline wool coat. You can’t go wrong!

PUFFER JACKETS

Still on the outerwear topic, but shifting gears a little, puffer jackets have emerged as the winter item of the past few years, and this year’s checked iterations have an innate ability to inject a dose of fun and funk to any outfit. I have a feeling I’ll be living in mine over the next few months.

TOP RIGHT: LONG WOOL-BLEND COAT, H&M, £99.99

TOP MIDDLE: BLAZER IN DOGTOOTH CHECK, MANGO, £59.99

BOTTOM LEFT: FERNIE HOODED PUFFER JACKET WITH HOOD, BRAVE SOUL, £54.99

BOTTOM RIGHT: OVERSIZED PUFFER JACKET IN CHECK, SIXTH JUNE, £100.00

TOP LEFT: TWEED BLAZER, MANGO, £89.99

They can give an outfit an effortlessly cool punk edge.

fashion

TOP RIGHT: JUMPER IN BLACK CHECK, NOISY MAY, £26.00

MIDDLE LEFT : KNITTED JUMPER IN GREEN CHECK, JDY, £25.00

MIDDLE RIGHT: WOOL JACQUARD VEST, ARKET, £59.99

BOTTOM LEFT: BLACK HOUNDSTOOTH KNITTED JUMPER, TOPMAN, £34.99

KNITWEAR

As far as autumn outfit formulas go, there's nothing quite as easy to chuck on as the classic jeans, boots and a jumper combo. I’m a huge advocate of simplicity and wearability, and tend to live in knit jumpers through autumn and winter, mixing in a rotation of my favourites alongside various pairs of comfy jeans in muted colour palettes. It's an outfit that can take you seamlessly from Sunday brunch, right to a cosy dinner, but an interesting check print

They offer great utility and a real bang for your buck.

thrown into the mix will add a little something to an otherwise plain look.

SKIRTS & TROUSERS

From work-appropriate cigarette pants to punk rock miniskirts, checked trousers and skirts have been on the scene for a good few seasons now, and aren’t going anywhere in a hurry. When temperatures drop to a certain level, it can be all too easy to lean on the same outfits day in day out; I know I definitely do. But just because autumn and winter call for more sensible choices doesn't mean you have to spend the next six months in dull and uninspiring outfits. Spice things up a bit by switching up your fave old pair of skinny jeans with some colourful checked trousers, and for a night out or dinner, consider a cute tartan skirt (don’t forget the tights on chillier days), paired with a sleek roll neck and contrasting checked blazer.

TOP: SHORT SKIRT, H&M, £17.99

MIDDLE: CHECK LEGGINGS, ZARA, £19.99

BOTTOM: CROPPED TROUSER IN PINK CHECK, Y.A.S, £55.00

HARRY’S FRENCH ONION SOUP

Recipe by The Gibraltar Vegan, follow http://www.instagram.com/ thegibraltarvegan for updates

I never met Grandad Harry, but the family always talks about how much he loved his French Onion Soup. In honour of him, I have called this warm, fragrant soup after him.

Whoever decided to make a soup better by putting cheese on it should win the Nobel prize for inventions in cooking, if there is such a thing, which incidentally, there isn’t – I checked! While vegan cheese can be difficult to melt and have the same look as dairy cheese, the taste is what is really important in a good soup, not the look.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large onions

• 2 lt vegetable stock

• 250ml red wine

• 2 tbsp plain flour

• 4 tbsp vegan butter

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbsp thyme

• 5 gloves of chopped garlic

• 3 bay leaves

• Pinch salt and pepper

• 1 French baguette

• 100g vegan mozzarella (I used Sheese which is available in Eroski)

METHOD

1. Place the vegan butter and extra virgin olive oil into a large saucepan and melt the two together.

2. Finely slice your onions and add these to the butter and oil. Make sure you mix it well so that the onions are nicely coated with the mixture.

3. Once they are lightly sautéed, turn down the heat and let the onions caramelise. This will take 15 minutes or so. Stir the onions to cook them evenly.

4. Turn the heat up and caramelise the onions further until they are golden in colour.

5. Pour in the red wine and stir. Boil this until the wine has pretty much evaporated.

6. Add the flour and coat the onions with this. Keep stirring and

cook for two minutes.

7. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another two minutes. Stir occasionally.

8. Add the vegetable stock, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper

9. Bring the soup to the boil and let it simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

10. In the meantime, slice the French baguette and toast each piece lightly under the grill.

11. Once your soup is ready, pour into a soup bowl, place the toasted bread on top and add the cheese. Place the bowl under the grill to melt the cheese. Be very careful as the soup bowl will be exceptionally hot.

12. Serve and enjoy.

*For illustration purposes the photograph of the soup does not have a complete bread ‘lid’ as you would expect. This was to show the actual soup underneath. Normally I would use more bread and certainly a lot more cheese.

BANANA PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

Pancakes

• 150G Flour

• 1Tsp Baking Powder

• 2 Soft Bananas

• 200ML Almond Milk

Topping Suggestions

• Maple Syrup / Agave Syrup

• Strawberries

• Blueberries

• Banana

• Dark Chocolate

METHOD:

1. You will need to prepare the pancakes ingredients seperately. In one bowl mix together the dry ingredients. In a seperate bowl, mash together peeled bananas, so that you have a paste.

2. Add the milk to the bananas and stir together, Once runny mix this with th edry ingredients so that you have a relatively smooth mixture.

3. It’s important you use a meidum sized non-stick pan for these. Heat the pan over a medium heat, once hot, using a ladel, spoon over a generous amount of the mixture into the centre of the pan.

4. Cook one side of the pancake, it will begin to bubble and the edges with stiffen a little. aftr a minute or so, using a spatula flip the pancake over and cook the opposite side. Leave to cook for another minute or so, so that it goes golden

5. Remove from the heat onto a plate and repeat the process with the rest of the batter to create your pancake tower.

6. The toppings can be adapted to your own liking. Using the baine-marie method, melt some dark chocolate in a bowl over boiling water, drizzle this over your pancakes. If you don’t fancy chocolate then drizzle some syrup on top, this will add sweetness to your pancakes. Finish by sparingly topping with your favourite fruit.

One of our readers has had a go at a past Gib Mag recipe for her friend Peggy. What a treat!

Send in your snaps to editor@thegibraltarmagazine.com for a chance to be featured!

Recipe featured on MamaLotties.com

Potato and Leek soup by Mandy.

Business Information

Financial Serv. Commission

Tel: 200 40283/4

Chamber of Commerce Tel: 200 78376

Federation Small Business Tel: 200 47722

Company Registry Tel: 200 78193 Useful Numbers Airport (general info.) Tel: 200 12345 Hospital, St Bernards Tel: 200 79700 Weather information Tel: 5-3416 Frontier Queue Update Tel: 200 42777

Gibraltar Museum Tel: 200 74289 18/20 Bomb House Lane 10am-6pm (Sat 10am-2pm). Admission: Adults £2/Children under 12 - £1.

SUPPORT GROUPS

ADHD Gibraltar adhdgibraltar@gmail.com facebook.com/ADHDGibraltar/

Alcoholics Anonymous meet 7pm Tues & Thurs at Nazareth House Tel: 200 73774.

A Step Forward support for single, separated, divorced/widowed people, meet 8pm Mon at St Andrew’s Church.

Mummy & Me Breastfeeding Support Group those who are pregnant, breastfeeding or have breastfed to get together for coffee / support. Partners and older children welcome. Meets 1st Wed / month at Chilton Court Community Hall at 1.30pm. Enquiries and support 54014517.

Childline Gibraltar confidential phone line for children in need. Freephone 8008 - 7 days a week 5pm - 9pm

Citizens’ Advice Bureau Open Mon-Thur 9:30am-4:00pm, Fri 9:30am- 3:30pm. Tel: 200 40006 Email: info@cab.gi or visit at 10 Governor’s Lane. Free & confidential, impartial & independent advice and info.

COPE Support group for people with Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Meetings at Catholic Community Centre Book

EMERGENCY SERVICES EMERGENCY CALLS ONLY:

Gibraltar Garrison Library Tel: 200 77418 2 Library Ramp Mon-Fri: 9am-5pm. Free Library tour offered every Friday at 11am. chris.tavares@gibraltargarrisonlibrary.gi

Registry Office Tel: 200 72289 It’s possible to get married within 48 hours. A fact taken advantage of by stars such as Sean Connery & John Lennon.

Rock Tours by Taxi Tel: 200 70052 As well as offering normal fares, taxis provide Rock Tours taking in the Upper Rock, Europa Point etc.

John Mackintosh Hall Tel: 200 75669 Includes cafeteria, theatre, exhibition rooms and library. 308 Main Street 9.30am - 11pm Mon-Fri.

Gibraltar Public Holidays 2020

New Year’s Day Monday 1st Jan

Commonwealth Day Monday 09th Mar

Good Friday Friday 10th Apr

Easter Monday Monday 13nd Apr

Workers Memorial Day Tuesday 28th Apr

May Day Friday 1st May

75th anniversary of VE Day Friday 8th May

Spring Bank Holiday Monday 25th May

Queen’s Birthday Monday 15th June

Late Summer

Bank Holiday Monday 31st Aug

Gibraltar National Day Tuesday 10th Sept

Christmas Day Friday 25th Dec

Boxing Day Thursday 28th Dec

Shop at 7.30pm first Thur of each month. Tel: 200 51469 Email: copeadsupport@hotmail.com

Dignity At Work Now Confidential support and advice for those who are being bullied at work. Tel: 57799000.

Families Anonymous Support group for relatives and friends concerned about the use of drugs or related behavioural problems. Meet weekly on Thurs at 9pm at Family and Community Centre, Mid Harbours Estate, Bishop Caruana Road. 54007676 or 54014484.

Gamblers Anonymous Telephone: 54001520

Gibraltar Cardiac Rehabilitation and Support Group meets on the first Tues of every month at 8.30pm at John Mac Hall, except for Jul & Aug.

Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group 72 Prince Edwards Rd Tel: 200 78509 Mobile: 54007924 website: dyslexia.gi

Gibraltar Hearing Issues & Tinnitus Association

Voicemail: (+350) 200 66755, Text Message (SMS): (+350) 54066055, Correspondence Charity P.O. Box 90220, Gibraltar. Email: info@ ghita.gi, Facebook: Gibraltar Hearing Issues & Tinnitus Association (GHITA & BSL Club), Our support group meets the first Monday of every month at Suite 3, Kings Bastion Leisure Centre as from 5pm.

Gibraltar Marriage Care Free relationship counselling, including pre-marriage education (under auspices of Catholic Church, but open to all). Tel: 200 71717.

Gibraltar Society for the Visually Impaired Tel: 200 50111 (24hr answering service).

Hope miscarriage support Tel: 200 41817.

Mummy & Me Breastfeeding Support: Meets every Thursday 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Narcotics Anonymous Tel: 200 70720

Parental Support Group helping parents and grandparents with restrictive access to their children and grandchildren. Tel: 200 46536, 200 76618, or 54019602.

Psychological Support Group, PO Box 161, Nazareth House. Meet Tuesdays at 7pm, Fridays 8pm. Tel: Yolanda 54015553

With Dignity Gibraltar support for separated, divorced/widowed or single people. Meet Weds 9pm, Catholic Community Centre, Line Wall Rd. Outings/activities.

Women in Need Voluntary organisation for all victims of domestic violence. Refuge available. Tel: 200 42581 (24 hrs).

NON-URGENT CALLS: Ambulance Station 200 75728 Police 200 72500

clubs & activities

Arts & Crafts

Cross Stitch Club: John Mackintosh Hall, 1st Floor, Mon 6-8pm, fee £1.

Gibraltar Arts & Crafts Association:

Children: Mon&Fri 12.30-2pm, Mon-Fri

3.45-5.15pm Adults: Wed 5.45-7.15, Sat 10.30 to 12.30, Tel: 20073865

email: gibartsandcrafts@hotmail.com

Knit and Natter Group: Tues 11am-3pm, Thurs 5.30-7.30pm, at Arts & Crafts Shop, Casemates balcony. Free to join and refreshments provided. Tel: 20073865.

The Arts Centre: Prince Edward’s Road, Art classes for children and adults. For more info call Tel: 200 79788.

The Fine Arts Association Gallery: At Casemates. Open 10am-2pm, 3-6pm Mon-Fri, Sat 11am-1pm.

The Arts Society Gibraltar: Monthly illustrated talks open to the public. Registration from 6:30pm every 3rd Wednesday of the month. Guest fee £12. We meet at The Garrison Library. Contact gibraltar@theartssociety.org or Claus Olesen on 54036666. Website with all informaiton is gibraltar.theartssociety.org

Board Games

Calpe Chess Club & Junior Club: meets in Studio 1, John Mackintosh Hall

Thursday, Juniors: 5p.m. - 7 p.m. / Tuesday & Thursday 7p.m. - 10:30

The Gibraltar Scrabble Club: Meets on Tuesdays at 3pm. Tel: Vin 20073660 or Roy 20075995. All welcome.

The Subbuteo Club: Meets in Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall.

Dance

Adult Dance Classes: Wed evenings at Kings

Bastion Leisure Centre from 7-8.30pm. Contact Dilip on 200 78714.

Art in Movement Centre: Hip-hop/Break

Dance, Contemporary Dance, Pilates, Capoeira, Acrobatics, Street Kids & Tods, Modern Dance. Performance and Film opportunities. Judo & Jujitsu Classes: Tue/ Thur with Sensei Conroy. All ages. Budokai

Martial Arts Centre, Wellington Front. www. artinmovement.net FB: Art In MovementA.I.M, tel 54025041 or 54007457

Ballet, Modern Theatre, Contemporary & Hip-hop: weekly at Danza Academy. Training from 3 years to Adult Advanced. 68/2 Prince Edward’s Rd Tel: 54027111.

Bellydance Classes, all levels, Tue 8-9pm at the Ocean Village Gym (non–members welcome). Contact 54005593.

DSA Old & Modern Sequence

Dancing: Sessions at Central Hall Fri 8.30pm, beginners 8pm. Tel: 200 78901 or tony@ gibraltar.gi Everybody welcome.

Modern & Latin American Sequence

Dancing: Mon at Catholic Community Centre 8pm. Tel. Andrew 200 78901.

Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Flexibility, Hip Hop & Dance Theatre: Classes weekly at Urban Dance Studio, 2 Jumpers Bastion. Tel: Yalta 54012212 or Jolene 54015125. Rockkickers Linedance Club: Governor’s Meadow 1st School. www.rockkickers.com

Salsa Gibraltar Salsa: Tues at Laguna Social Club, Laguna Estate. Beginners 7-8.30pm. Intermediates 8.30-10pm. Tel: Mike 54472000 or info@salsagibraltar.com

Zumba Classes at Urban Dance: Jumpers Bastion, with certified instructor Tyron Walker. Tel: 20063959 or 54012212 or Twitter: @UrbanDanceGib

History & Heritage

The Gibraltar Heritage Trust: Main Guard, 13 John Mackintosh Sq. Tel: 200 42844.

The Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association: Dedicated to the preservation of Rock’s transport/motoring heritage. Assists members in restoration / maintenance of classic vehicles. New members welcome. Tel: 200 44643.

Garrison Library Tours: at 11am on Fri, duration 1h 50mins. Tel: 20077418.

History Alive: Historical re-enactment parade. Main Street up to Casemates Square every Sat at 12 noon.

Music

Gibraltar National Choir and Gibraltar

Junior National Choir: Rehearses at the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Tel: 54831000.

The Calpe Band: Mon & Wed. For musicians of brass/woodwind instruments of all standards/ages/abilities 7-9pm. Tel: 54017070 or thecalpeband@gmail.com

Jazz Nights: Thurs at 9pm at O’Callaghan Eliott Hotel. Tel: 200 70500.

Outdoor Activities

The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Gibraltar: Exciting self-development programme for young people worldwide equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and the world. Contact: Award House, North Mole Road, PO Box: 1260. mjpizza@ gibtelecom.net, www.thedukes.gi.

Social Clubs

The Rotary Club of Gibraltar meets the Rock Hotel, 7pm Tuesday evenings. Guests welcome. For contact or info www.rotaryclubgibraltar.com

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes: (Gibraltar Province) meets RAOB Club, 72/9 Prince Edward’s Road - Provincial Grand Lodge, Thu/month, 7.30pm. William Tilley 2371, Thurs 8.30pm. Buena Vista 9975, monthly, Social Lodge. www.akearn1.wix. com/raob-gibraltar, william.tilley.lodge@ hotmail.co.uk, Clive, tel: 58008074

Special Interest Clubs & Societies

Creative Writers Group: meets up on Tuesday mornings at 10.30 in O’Reilley’s Irish Bar and it is free to attend. Tel: Carla 54006696.

Gibraltar Book Club: For info Tel: Parissa 54022808.

Gibraltar Horticultural Society: meets 1st Thurs of month 6pm, J.M. Hall. Spring Flower Show, slide shows, flower arrangement demos, outings to garden centres, annual Alameda Gardens tour. All welcome. Gibraltar Philosophical Society: devoted to intellectually stimulating debate. Frequent lectures and seminars on a range of topics.

Tel: 54008426 or Facebook: facebook.com/gibphilosophy

Gibraltar Photographic Society: Meets on Mondays at 7:00 p.m. Wellington Front. Induction courses, talks, discussions, competitions etc. For details contact the secretary on, leslinares@gibtelecom.net

Harley Davidson Owners’ Club: www.hdcgib.com

Lions Club of Gibraltar: Meets 2nd and 4th Wed of the month at 50 Line Wall Road. www.lionsclubofgibraltar.com

St John’s Ambulance: Adult Volunteers Training Sessions from 8-10pm on Tues. Tel: 200 77390 or training@stjohn.gi

The Royal British Legion: For info or membership contact the Branch Secretary 20074604 or write to PO Box 332.

UN Association of Gibraltar: PO Box 599, 22a Main Street. Tel: 200 52108.

Sports Supporters Clubs

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club: Meets at Star Bar, Parliament Lane, when Spurs games are televised - call prior to matches to check game is televised. Great food for a lunch if KO is early or an early supper if the game is later.

Gibraltar Arsenal Supporters Club: Meets match days upstairs at Time Out Café, Eurotowers. Gooners of all ages welcome. For info/news visit www.GibGooners.com

Tel: 54010681 (Bill) or 54164000 (John).

Gibraltar Hammers: Meets on match days at the Victoria Stadium Bar, Bayside Road. All league games are shown live. All West Ham supporters and their families are welcome. For details visit www.gibraltarhammers.com or gibraltarhammers@hotmail.com

Leeds United Gibraltar Supporters Club Meet at The Trafalgar Sports Bar 1 Rosia Road when live matches are on. All Leeds United supporters and their families are welcome. Join Leeds United Gibraltar Supporters club at: facebook.com/luscgib

Sports & Fitness

Artistic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Artistic Gymnastics Association. Tel: Angela 200 70611 or Sally 200 74661.

Athletics: Gibraltar Amateur Athletics Association holds competitions through year for juniors, adults and veterans. Two main clubs (Calpeans 200 71807, Lourdians 200 75180) training sessions at Victoria Stadium. Badminton: Recreational badminton weekdays at Victoria Stadium (Tel: 200 78409 for allocations). Gibraltar Badminton Association (affiliated to BWF& BE) junior club/tournaments, senior leagues/ recreational. www.badmintongibraltar.com

Ballet Barre Fitness: Adults on Wed 10am & Fri 6pm at The Arts Centre. Tel: 54033465 or pilatesgibraltar@hotmail.com

Basketball: Gibraltar Amateur Basketball Association (affiliated FIBA) leagues/ training for minis, passarelle, cadets, seniors and adults at a variety of levels. Tel: John 200 77253, Randy 200 40727.

Boxing: Gibraltar Amateur Boxing Association (member IABA) gym on Rosia Rd. Over 13s welcome. Tuition with ex-pro boxer Ernest Victory. Tel: 56382000 or 20042788.

Cheerleading: Gibraltar Cheerleading Association, girls and boys of all ages.

Cheerleading and street cheer/hip-hop at Victoria Stadium. Recreational / competitive levels. Tel: 58008338.

Canoeing: Gibraltar Canoeing Association. Tel: Nigel 200 52917 or Arturo 54025033.

Cricket: Gibraltar Cricket, National Governing Body & Associate Member of ICC. Governs International & Domestic Men’s, Women’s, Boys’ & Girls’ cricket- league & cup competitions and in-school coaching. www.gibraltarcricket.com, info@gibcricket. com, Twitter: @Gibraltar_Crick

Cycling: Gibraltar Cycling Association various cycling tours. Darts: Gibraltar Darts Association (full member of WDF & affiliate of BDO). We cater for men, ladies & youth who take part in leagues, competitions and a youth academy for the correct development of the sport. Tel: Darren 54027171 Secretary, Alex 54021672 Youth Rep, Justin 54022622 President. Email: info@ gibraltardarts.com

Football: Gibraltar Football Associationleagues/competitions for all ages OctoberMay. Futsal in summer, Victoria Stadium. Tel: 20042941 www.gibraltarfa.com

Gaelic Football Club (Irish sport): Males any age welcome. Get fit, play sport, meet new friends, travel around Spain/Europe and play an exciting and competitive sport. Training every Wed on the MOD pitch on Devil’s Tower Road at 7pm. Andalucia League with Seville and Marbella to play matches home and away monthly. Visit www.gibraltargaels. com or secretary.gibraltar.europe@gaa.ie

Hockey: Gibraltar Hockey Association (members FIH & EHF) high standard competitions/training for adults/juniors. Tel: Eric 200 74156 or Peter 200 72730 for info. Iaido: teaches the Japanese sword (Katana), classes every week. www.iaidogibraltar.com

Ice Skating: Gibraltar Rock Stars Figure Skating Club lessons every Tuesday evening & Saturday morning, all levels including adults. Contact grsfsc@gmail.com or 58700000

Iwa Dojo, Kendo & Jujitsu: Classes every week, for kids/adults. Tel: 54529000 www. iwadojo.com or dbocarisa@iwadojo.com

Judo and Ju-jitsu: Gibraltar Budokai Judo Association UKMAF recognised instructors for all ages and levels at Budokai Martial Arts Centre, Wellington Front. Tel: Charlie 20043319.

Ju-jitsu: Gibraltar Ju-jitsu Academy training and grading for juniors/seniors held during the evening at 4 North Jumpers Bastion. Tel: 54011007.

Karate-do Shotokai: Gibraltar Karate-do Shotokai Association - Karate training for junior & seniors at Clubhouse, Shotokai karate centre, 41H Town Range. Monday: 9:30 p.m. & Wednesday 9:45 p.m.

Karate: Shotokan karate midday Mon beginners, other students 8.30pm. Thurs 8.30pm. In town at temporary dojo or privately by arrangement. Contact Frankie 54038127 or info@fhmedia.co.uk.

Motorboat Racing: Gibraltar Motorboat Racing Association Tel: Wayne 200 75211.

Muay Thai and Muay Boran Club: Tues & Thur at Boyd’s Kings Bastion Leisure Centre at 6:30pm, Tel: John – 54024707

FB: Gibraltar Muay Thai

Netball: Gibraltar Netball Association (affiliated FENA & IFNA) competitions through year, senior/junior leagues. Tel: 20041874.

Petanque: Gibraltar Petanque Association. New members welcome. Tel: 54002652.

Pilates: Intermediate Pilates: Tues & Fri 9.30am, beginners Pilates: Fri 10.50am at the Shotokai Centre, 41H Town Range. Tel: 54033465 or pilatesgibraltar@hotmail.com

Gibraltar Pool Association: (Member of the

EBA) home and away league played on Thurs throughout the season, various tournaments played on a yearly basis both nationally and internationally, Tel: 56925000 gibpool@ gibtelecom.net, www.gib8ball.com

Rhythmic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Rhythmic Gymnastics Association runs sessions from 4 years of age, weekday evenings. Tel: 56000772 or Sally 200 74661.

Rugby: Gibraltar Rugby caters for all ages from 4 years old to veterans (over 35’s). It organises competitions and sessions for Juniors; 4 x Senior Clubs; Veterans team; Touch Rugby and a Referees Society. Email admin@gibraltarrfu. com or visit www.gibraltarrfu.com

Sailing: Gibraltar Yachting Association junior/ senior competitive programme (April - Oct) Tel: Royal Gibraltar Yacht Club at 200 78897.

Shooting: Gibraltar Shooting Federation. Rifle, Europa Point Range (Stephanie 54020760); Clay pigeon, East Side (Harry 200 74354); Pistol, near Royal Naval Hospital (Louis 54095000).

Snooker: Members of European Billiards & Snooker Association - facilities at Jumpers Bastion with 3 tables. Professional coaching for juniors/seniors. Organised leagues/ tournaments and participation in international competitions. Tel: 56262000 / 54000068, or info@gibraltarsnooker.com

Squash: Gibraltar Squash Association, Squash Centre, South Pavilion Road (members WSF & ESF). Adult and junior tournaments and coaching. Tel: 200 44922.

Sub-Aqua: Gibraltar Sub-Aqua Association taster dives for over 14s, tuition from local clubs. Voluntary sports clubs: Noah’s Dive Club and 888s Dive Club. Tel: 54991000. Commercial sports diving schools available. Time - Thursday 12:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m..

Telephone, Jenssen Ellul - 54027122

Swimming: Gibraltar Amateur Swimming Association (member FINA & LEN) opens its pool for leisure swimming. Junior lessons, squad for committed swimmers, water polo. Pool open Mon&Thurs: 7-10am, 12.30-4pm. Tue, Wed, Fri: 7-10am, 12:30-5pm. Sat: 3-5pm. Sun: closed. Mon to Fri from 5-6pm groups training. 6-7.30 squad training. Mon, Wed, Fri 7.30-8.30 swimming joggers, Tues & Thurs 7:30-8:30 junior Water polo. Mon, Tues & Thurs 8:30-10pm Adult water polo. Tel: 200 72869.

Table Tennis: Gibraltar Table Tennis Association training and playing sessions, Victoria Stadium, Tues 6-10pm and Thurs 8-11pm with coaching and league competition. Tel: 56070000 or 20060720.

Taekwondo: Gibraltar Taekwondo Association classes/gradings Tel: Mari 20044142 or www. gibraltartaekwondo.org

Tai Chi: Tai Chi for children and adults. MonThur 6.30-8pm at Kings Bastion Leisure Centre and Sat 9am-1pm at the Yoga Centre, 33 Town Range. Tel: Dilip 200 78714. Tennis and Paddle Tennis: Sandpits Club. Junior and adult training available. info : www. sandpits.club. Tel (Louis) 20077035

Ten-Pin Bowling: At King’s Bowl in the King’s Bastion Leisure Centre every day. Gibraltar Ten Pin Bowling (members FIQ & WTBA) leagues, training for juniors and squad. Tel: 200 52442. Triathlon: Hercules Triathlon Club organises swimming, running and cycling training sessions and competes regularly in Andalucia and Internationally. Contact chris.walker@york. gi or Facebook “Hercules Triathlon Club” Volleyball: Gibraltar Volleyball Association training, indoor leagues, beach volleyball competition, 3 v 3 competition, juniors and seniors. Tel: 54001973 or 54885000.

Yoga: Integral Yoga Centre runs a full programme of classes from Mon-Fri at 33 Town Range. Tel: 200 41389. All welcome.

Theatrical Groups Gibraltar Amateur Drama Association: Meet at Ince’s Hall Theatre Complex, 310 Main Street. Tel: 20042237.

Trafalgar Theatre Group: Meets 2nd Wed of month, Garrison Library 8pm. All welcome.

THE LOUNGE SOLO BAR & GRILL

Stylish Lounge Gastro Bar on Queensway Quay Marina serving best quality food prepared by passionate, qualified chefs. Popular quiz on Sundays from 7pm and a relaxed friendly atmosphere. A separate Lounge Bar Area serving a wide range of hot drinks, wines, beers, spirits and cocktails at reasonable prices, with large TV’s for sports and events coverage.

Open: 10am-late Mon - Sun

Be sure to arrive early to ensure a seat! The Lounge, 17 Ragged Staff Wharf, Queensway Quay Marina Tel: 200 61118 info@thelounge.gi

restaurants, bars & pubs

Solo Bar and Grill is a stylish and modern eatery — perfect for business functions or lunches — and part of the popular Cafe Solo stable. Serving everything from Goats’ Cheese Salad, Mediterranean Pâté and Cajun Langoustines to Beer Battered John

ALL’S WELL

In the fashionable Casemates square stands Gibraltar’s last historical themed pub, named for the 18th-century practice of locking gates to the city at night when the guard called ‘All’s Well’. Their food menu caters to all cravings; whether it’s fish and chips, a homemade pie, or maybe even a delicious sharing platter, they have it all. All’s Well have an amazing range of bottled beers as well as being the only pub in Gibraltar to offer craft beer on tap. Happy hour is daily from 7-9pm. Large terrace. Karaoke Mondays & Wednesdays until late.

All’s Well, Casemates Square. Tel: 200 72987

DUTY PHARMACY OPENING

Monday to Friday (7pm to 9pm)

Weekends & public holidays (11am to 1pm & 6pm to 8pm)

For updates, check facebook.com/PharmaGuide

CHESS

A sparkling conclusion! Black now resigned, for, after 25...Bxc5+, he loses at least the Bishop. Rightfully, this game was awarded the first brilliancy prize in the tournament.

Show Us Your Mag!

Little Reilley was the winner of our Show Us Your Mag competition. Congratulations, Reilley! We're glad you liked your pressies, and are looking forward to seeing you

Would you like to be in the running to win a special prize? Simply send in a photo of you, your children (furry, scaly, feathery or human!) or your friends holding a copy of Gib Mag to editor@thegibraltarmagazine.com, or send via Facebook/Instagram.

(Competition ends 20th November. Winner announced in our December issue.)

© LIZANNE FIGUERAS

thegibraltarmagazine

Liked by you and 365,999 others

thegibraltarmagazine © Lizanne Figueras . Have you taken a picture in or of Gibraltar? Snap and send to editor@thegibraltarmagazine.com!

thegibraltarmagazine #gibgems #gibraltar #thegibraltarmagazine

#gibraltarmagazine #publication #visitgibraltar #therockofgibraltar

#mediterraneanlife

The Missing Letter

Look at the pictures below. Say what you see out loud. What do you hear? Add the missing letter on the blank.

ACROSS

1. Caribbean capital; famous cigar producer (6)

4. Old coins; coronates (6)

9. Canadian city (7)

10. Having more sagacity (5)

11. Children; edition of a newspaper etc. (5)

12. Its capital is Copenhagen (7)

13. Hard sweets; big gun missiles; brass monkeys! (11)

18. Not paid (7)

20. Sweet substance such as maple (5)

22. Shot when the cue ball is potted (2-3)

23. Fighting man especially in old battles (7)

24. Author of Our Man from 1ac (6)

25. Old coin; flair (6)

DOWN

1. Device to keep headgear in place (6)

2. Corona for example (5)

3. Cotton fabric originally from China (7)

5. Mountain ash (5)

6. Festive drinking especially at Christmas (7)

7. Rower; slight touch; debilitating event (6)

8. Warm ruddy colour; title of a hit by The Stranglers (6,5)

14. Small edible sea snails (7)

15. European country the source of Viennese waltzes (7)

16. Bravado; challenging (6)

17. Ghost; rum perhaps (6)

19. Very slim; mischievously amiable (5)

21. Increase in pay; hoist (5)

& YOU COULD WIN

lunch for two at

Either SNAP and SEND your completed crossword to editor@thegibraltarmagazine.com or RETURN TO THE CLIPPER by 20 th November.

THE WINNER IS:

Maree Jackson

TALE OF TWO CITIES BY

GRANDMASTER

RAY KEENE OBE

Gibraltar, of course, is rightly celebrated as the epicentre of a world famous annual tournament, under the illustrious tutelage of Brian Callaghan OBE, proprietor of the Caleta Hotel, which acts as the venue. Brian, is ably supported by tournament director Grandmaster Stuart Conquest, who is responsible for Chess organisation and logistics. The unique feature of Gibraltar is the great prominence given to promoting female chess, with munificent prizes for the girls to attract the best possible field.

It’s my opinion that, in a chess context, Gibraltar should be twinned with Budapest, where famed organiser, László Nagy, orchestrates the monthly First Saturday Tournaments. These have become a legend and globally recognised chess institution, and have proved invaluable in providing both experience and title opportunities for aspiring chess talents.

To enter the Gibraltar Tournament

I advise you to contact brian@ caletahotel.gi, while to contact László use the email firstsat@ hu.inter.net.

This month’s game and puzzle are imperishable masterpieces from the hand and brain of one of the glorious sons of Hungarian chess, the Hypermodern thought leader, Richard Reti. Reti was born at Pezzinok in 1889, which made him a Hungarian National.

The comments this month are based on those of Alexander Alekhine, World Champion from 1927-1935 and again from 19371946 when he died in Estoril, Portugal, still an incumbent, in possession of the title.

White: Richard Reti

Black: Efim Bogoljubov

New York, 1924

Reti Opening

1.Nf3 d5

2.c4 e6

3.g3 Nf6

4.Bg2 Bd6

5.O-O O-O

White’s next move is the characteristic leitmotif of Reti’s new opening which he so dramatically introduced at the historic New York tournament of 1924. The key is the double flank development of White’s bishops.

6.b3 Re8

7.Bb2 Nbd7

8.d4 …

Best and based upon the simple circumstance that Black cannot now find a clear method for the effective development of his Queen’s Bishop.

After White’s eighth move d4.

8... c6

9.Nbd2 Ne4

If the liberating move of 9...e5, recommended by Rubinstein and others, is really the best here-then it furnishes the most striking proof that Black’s entire arrangement of his game was faulty. For the simple continuation 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Bxe5 13.Bxe5 Rxe5

14.Nc4 Re8 15.Ne3 Be6 16.Qd4, would have given White a direct attack against the isolated Queen’s pawn, without permitting the opponent any chances whatsoever. Moreover, the move selected by Bogoljubov leads eventually to a double exchange of Knights, without removing the principal disadvantage of his position.

10.Nxe4 dxe4

11.Ne5 f5

Obviously forced.

12.f3 …

The proper strategy. After Black has weakened his position in the centre, White forthwith must aim to change the closed game into an open one in order to make as much as possible out of that weakness.

12... exf3

13.Bxf3 …

Not 13.exf3, because the e pawn must be utilized as a battering ram.

After White’s thirteenth move Bxf3.

13... Qc7

Also after 13...Nxe5 14.dxe5 Bc5+ 15.Kg2 Bd7 (after the exchange of Queens, this Bishop could not get out at all) 16.e4, White would have retained a decisive advantage in position.

14.Nxd7 Bxd7

15.e4 e5

Otherwise would come 16.e5, to be followed by a break based on the advance d5 or g4. After the text move, however, Black appears to have surmounted the greater part of his early difficulty. Hence it calls for exceptionally fine play on the part of White in order to make the hidden advantages of his position count so rapidly and convincingly.

16.c5 Bf8

17.Qc2 …

Attacking simultaneously both of Black’s centre pawns.

17... exd4

Black’s sphere of action is circumscribed; for instance, 17... fxe4 clearly would not do on account of the two-fold threat against h7 and e5, after 18.Bxe4

18.exf5 Rad8

After 18...Re5 19.Qc4+ Kh8 20.f6, among other lines, would be very strong.

19.Bh5 …

Fastening onto Black’s principal weakness, the f7 square. This represents the initial move in an exactly calculated, decisive manoeuvre, the end of which will worthily crown White’s model play.

After White’s nineteenth move Bh5.

19... Re5

20.Bxd4 Rxf5

If 20...Rd5 21.Qc4 Kh8

22.Bg4, with a pawn plus and a superior position.

21.Rxf5 Bxf5

22.Qxf5 Rxd4

23.Rf1 Rd8

Or 23...Qe7 24.Bf7+ Kh8 25.Bd5 Qf6 26.Qc8, etc. Black is left without any defence.

24.Bf7+ Kh8

After Reti’s next coup, Black resigned.

Can you see what it was?

We leave the game at this moment since the situation after Black’s 24th move forms this month’s puzzle. The question is: White to play and force a quick win.

Kick-start your system

With no fillers, flavours or fluff – we combine only the finest ingredients to deliver an earthy, natural-tasting oil. Get your new, daily staple at Sasallo, 1/12 Casemates Square. x

puregenicscbd.com

noun

to change your opinion or decision completely; a turnaround

e.g. There was a volt-face about the dreaded essay once students heard there was a prize for the winner.

DHL Express is the global market leader in the international express business, so you probably already know that we can deliver your documents and parcels from Gibraltar to virtually every country in the world.

What you might not know is that we can also take care of all your importing requirements.

For further information please contact:

DHL Gibraltar

Unit 36 Harbours Deck, New Harbours, Gibraltar

Tel: 200 72210 Email: GIBSN@dhl.com