The Voice of the Maltese No.287

The Voice of the Maltese The Voice of the Maltese

November 15, 2022

On October 30 thousands of On October 30 thousands of candles lit up the church candles lit up the church squares of the towns and vil squares of the towns and vil lages of Gozo for the third lages of Gozo for the third edition of the so called edition of the so-called Mixgħela tal Qaddisin (the Mixgħela tal Qaddisin (the All Saints Illumination). Pic All Saints Illumination). Picture shows the illumination in ture shows the illumination in front of the Għajnsielem front of the Għajnsielem cchurch. hurch. (Photo: Charles Spiteri) (Photo: Charles Spiteri) (Report in Maltese on page 19 (Report in Maltese on page 19

Joseph Calleja’s tour of Australia and New Zealand T h e f i n a l c o m m e n t s from Joseph & Amelia

The final curtain on the first grand concert tour of the Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja came down on the 5th November at Perth Concert Hall The Andrew McKinnon promoters did a fantas tic job, resulting in a very successful tour of Australia and New Zealand Our contacts at each performance reported huge audi ence participation by the Maltese Ron Borg our man on the spot in Adelaide Town Hall, which is ranked second nation ally for its acoustics well above the Sydney Opera House, reported that the enthusiastic, sustained stand up ovation that followed the end of the performance did not cease until there was a well received encore.

This was also followed by a very enthu siastic applause that echoed throughout the theatre. Joseph Calleja, Amelia Farrugia and pianist Piers Lane were really appre ciated and enjoyed, especially by the good number of Maltese that attended

During this hectic tour, Joseph Calleja even found time to speak to the readers of The Voice of the Maltese during a short in terview He told us that he was very proud of the Maltese living down under and their achievements He did not speak Maltese during the concerts because, as he said, “I had to respect the fact that my colleagues and many in the audience are non Maltese speakers; however, I spoke plenty of Mal tese to the patrons after the concerts dur ing the signing sessions”

Will he come back we asked. “Can’t wait

for the next time Andrew Mckinnon Promotions made a very difficult schedule easy thanks to their professionalism, not to mention the troupers of my colleagues, Mro Lane and Amelia Farrugia”.

Finally His last remark to the Maltese down under was, “I love you all”

The Voice also contacted soprano Amelia Farrugia for her final comment about the Australian/NZ tour. She told us: “I’ll never forget this experi ence Being half Maltese, I’ve dreamed of singing with Jos eph Calleja for a couple of decades

“To Andrew McKinnon I owe all my gratitude, for taking the risk and bring ing JC to Australia for his debut performance After a sensational tour, I hope it won’t be long before Joseph returns Piers Lane was the glue that held the show together, with stellar solos and sen sitive accompaniments, one of the world’s best A shout out to James Gruzman , who sailed the ship smoothly. A million thanks

Meanwhile, impresario Andrew McKinnon who brought Joseph to Australia, and was the pro ducer/presenter of Joseph Cal leja’s Australian & NZ Tour told The Voice of the Maltese that the first Australian and New Zeal and tour by Joseph Calleja has been a wonderful success.

He went to say that the world renowned singer brought great credit to his native Malta, for whom he is the country’s first ever cultural ambassador.

“The Maltese Tenor captivated audiences everywhere with his magnificent voice and engaging stage presence, ” he said

During

tured

The Commissioner was given the opportunity to hear about the CMLA members’ committed work for the community and was also inter ested to listen to their views on Malta and Australia through their eyes.

“Joseph was a delight to work with, both on and off stage My associate producer James Gruz man, who acted as tour man ager, and I are very much looking forward to the next op portunity to bring one of the world’s greatest tenors back to our shores”

to all the people who came to the concert! I’m such a lucky soprano, ” she said

the recent two day meeting of the Council of Maltese Living Abroad (CMLA) that was hosted by the Minister for Foreign and Eu ropean Affairs and Trade Ian Borg, Australian members of the committe were invited to share a meal with the Australian High Commission to Malta Her Excellency Ms Jenny Cartmill (pic

above foreground) at her residence in Targa Gap.

Joseph Calleja and Amelia Farrugia

‘Joseph a credit to his native Malta’

D o I n e e d t w o Wi l l s ?

by PaulSANT

We were recently asked whether a client should have two Wills if they own property both in Australia and in Malta, or any other country for that matter

Generally, the answer will depend on your circumstances

Wills often commence by revoking any previous testamentary dispositions so that a latent Will always supersedes and re vokes a previous Will

This is something that you need to be careful about, as a later Will made in an other jurisdiction or country revokes an earlier Will no matter where it was made

Marriage also revokes or cancels an ear lier Will. However, there are exceptions:

A Will made in contemplation of mar riage and stating that it remains in force whether or not the marriage proceeds is not revoked simply by marriage A Will declaring that it only relates to assets in one country may not be revoked by a subsequent Will created in a different country, which declares that it only re lates to assets in that country

The laws in Australia were relaxed some years ago so that documents that do not strictly comply with the laws of a state as to the formal requirements for a Will can nevertheless be admitted, and a formal grant of probate can be obtained so that ef fect can be given to the testamentary in tentions contained in that document These documents are called informal Wills

We have recently been able to obtain a grant of probate in respect of a Will made in Malta, even though that document did not comply with the requirements of a formal Will in New South Wales

Difficulties that arise with obtaining a grant for Maltese Wills in Australia in

clude: Wills in Malta are not required to appoint an executor or trustee (in Aus tralia they are); the original signed Will being unavailable (stored in the Public Registry of Malta), and practical difficul ties or impossibilities in obtaining evi dence from required witnesses

In this case, the deceased died in Malta but left a property in New South Wales, and although he had made a Will in New South Wales, he made a subsequent Will in Malta, which revoked previous Wills and was accepted by the NSW court for probate purposes

Automatically accepted

Prior to Malta becoming a Republic, it was a full member of the Common wealth and Wills made in countries that are full members of the Commonwealth are automatically accepted and can be re sealed in the states of Australia.

If you have properties in countries that are full members of the Commonwealth, only one Will would be necessary (sub ject of course, to such countries becom ing Republics)

On a number of occasions, we have had to provide a certified copy of the grant of probate for a person who died but left real estate or bank accounts in Malta These documents were forwarded to the notary who was dealing with the de ceased’s assets overseas.

Unfortunately, there have been many times when someone has died in Aus tralia, having no or minimal assets in their sole name and of course, no real es tate in Australia and a grant of probate was never required or applied for Many years later, it was discovered the de ceased had an entitlement to a share of the property of a relative in Malta who had predeceased him

The relatives in Malta now want to sell

the prop erty and r e q u i r e his au t h o r i t y a n d

agreement, which of course, cannot now be obtained. It is thus imperative to thor oughly investigate any entitlement of a deceased person, particularly to an asset from a relative overseas

We have, in these cases, nevertheless been able to convince relevant parties overseas to accept documentation sub mitted as to entitlements to the de ceased’s assets according to the laws of the state in which the deceased was domiciled

On the other hand, we are currently dealing with a Maltese Will, which leaves a gift of funds held with an Aus tralian bank to an entity in Malta

Because of peculiarities with the matter, we have not yet been able to obtain the grant and are receiving numerous requi sitions from the probate office that has al most made it impractical to continue with the application.

An Australian state will not make grant of probate or administration, which deals with the assets of a deceased, without there being property in that state upon which the court can base its jurisdiction

So, returning to the original question, it is our general advice that it is simpler and cheaper to make two Wills, where a de ceased owns property in two countries, both countries not being full members of the Commonwealth, provided that each Will clearly states it relates to both real properties such as real estate and per sonal property such as bank accounts only in that country in which it was made so that there is not an unintended conse quence of revoking the earlier Will in the different country

If you would like legal advice specific to your circumstances, please contact Paul Sant of Longton Legal and our team will be happy to assist

Please note:

F

rom Monday, 28 November 2022, our Parramatta office is moving to Level 4, 87 Marsden Street, Parramatta NSW 2150 Please direct all relevant cor respondence to the new address

Our office will be closed for this holiday season from 6 00pm on Friday, 23 De cember 2022 and returning at 9 00am on Monday, 16 January 2023

We have provided you with an overview of the topic above but you should consult a professional for advice specific to your circumstances

John Winston Howard, whose ances tors were Scottish, English and Irish, was also known in his youth as "Jack” One of his descendant was a con vict named William Tooley who was trans ported to New South Wales in 1816 for stealing a watch Howard was raised in a Methodist family His mother was an office worker and his father, an ex AIF (Australian Infantry Force) in WW1, who ran two Petrol Sta tions at Dulwich Hill, where young How ard worked as a boy

He received his first education at the Gov ernment Primary School and later at Can terbury Boy's High school, where he took an interest in rugby and cricket, which re mained his lifelong hobby

He was only 16 when when his father died in 1955, leaving him in his mother's care In his youth he suffered a hearing impairment that left him with a light speech impedi ment causing him to also wear a hearing aid.

After gaining his School Leaving Certifi cate, he studied law at the University of Sydney and graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1962 He began working as a junior solicitor for the firm of Stephen Jaques & Stephen

He soon became deeply in volved and committed to the Liberal Party, and in 1963 be came the State Vice President of New South Wales

In 1971, he married a fellow Liberal Party member, Janet Parker, with whom he had a daughter and two sons

In 1974, he was elected to Parliament as a member of the Liberal Party under Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser and served as Minister for Business and Consumers affairs, a posi tion he held for three years

At the age of 38, in December 1977, he replaced Phillip Lynch to become the youngest Treasurer since 1904. He held this position for more than five years, and also held the posi tion of Deputy Leader of the

1980s picture of John Howard and his wife Janette relaxing at Hawks Nest with their three children, Melanie, Tim and Richard

Liberal Party until the Liberal Government lost the election to the Labour Government led by Bob Hawke on the 5 March 1983

In the ensuing 13 years during the Labour Party administration, Howard held key po sitions in the shadow ministry as Treasurer and Deputy Leader of the Party and also re placed Andrew Peacock as Leader of the Liberal Party in September 1985 He con tinued to lead the Liberal & Country Party coalition to a narrow loss at the next federal election in July 1987

These were turbulant years for John Howard because of the continual 'In Party' rivalry from Andrew Peacock On the other hand the public support for the Hawke Labour Party was getting stronger, while Howard's ratings were dropping in the face of the "public manifestation of disunity' with the infighting between the Howard and the Peacock supporters.

Howard received another setback when the federal Nationals broke off the Coali tion agreement in support of the "Joh for Canberra" push The end of the Coalition agreement led to a large number of three cornered contests The Coalition's prospects of an electoral victory over Labor had been severely damaged by the failed at tempt of Queensland National Party Pre mier, Jo Bjelke Petersen, to enter federal Parliament to seek the premiership

Howard Govt limits individuals' rights to gun ownership

Howard retained leadership of the oppo sition for nearly two more years, but the Howard Peacock rivalry smoldered, and then erupted again in May 1989, when Pea cock secured sufficient votes to regain the Liberal leadership from Howard After that Howard spent the next five years, (1989 to 1995), filling a series of shadow ministry portfolios and other opposition positions

Three Liberal MPs crossed the floor, and two abstained in response to a motion put forward by Prime Minister Hawke to affirm that race or ethnicity would not be used as immigrant selection criteria Many Liberals later nominated the issue as instrumental in Howard subsequently losing the leadership

In a 1995 newspaper article, Howard re canted his 1988 remarks on curbing Asian immigration, and in May that year, a sur prise leadership coup was launched, oust ing Howard as Liberal leader

The loss of the leadership to Peacock deeply affected Howard, who later admitted that he would occasionally drink too much Declining Peacock's offer of Shadow Edu cation Minister, Howard went to the back bench on a new period of party disunity. When Hewson lost the 1993 election to Paul Keating, Howard unsuccessfully chal

ernment deci sion to limit i n d i v i d u a l s ' rights to gun o w n e r s h i p and to buy back guns from existing owners. How e v e r , Howard's fed eral govern ment secured the coopera tion of the state and ter ritory govern ments to pass uniform gun control legislation.

With John Howard as leader, the Liberal Coalition won the general elections of 3 October 1998, 10 November 2001, and 9 November 2004 After the 2004 election, for the first time since 1981 the government parties gained a majority in the Senate

During his first term in office, Howard faced a number of challenges, including the creation of a new One Nation Party led by Pauline Hanson (A disendorsed Liberal Party candidate), which tested his authority, and national debates on immigration quotas and race relations

He gained re election in 1998 with a nar row margin, and in 1999 Howard's govern ment sent troops to East Timor as part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission to end fighting between pro Indonesian forces and island nationalists

In a referendum held in November 1999 to determine whether Australia would cut its historic ties from the UK and become a republic, the referen dum failed, and vin dicated Howard, who had opposed it

In 2000 Howard oversaw the implemen tation of a new taxation system that was un popular with the public

laws that would have extended the offshore processing of asylum seekers.

In October 2007 Howard called for gen eral election that was held the following month His bid for a fifth term as Prime Minister was unsuccessful when Kevin Rudd‘s Labor Party defeated the Liberal Party He also lost his seat of Bennelong tand became only the second Prime Minis ter to do so.

Shortly after that election, Brendan Nel son succeeded him as Liberal Party leader.

In his first year out of office, Howard trav elled extensively overseas In Januart 2009 in Washington DC he received the Presi dential Medal of Freedom He was also awarded the Irving Kristol Award for con servative leadership from the American En terprise Institute, and in the Queen's Birthday Honours ihe was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia

John Howard wrote his personal and po litical autobiography, Lazarus Rising which was released in October 2010 In 2014, he published his book The Menzies Era, about Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies In 2014 and 2015 he featured on the Seven Television Network and Sky News Aus tralia in the series, "Howard Defined"

On the 26 January 1995, Downer resigned the leadership and Howard was elected un opposed to replace him The Coalition sub sequently opened a large lead over Labor in most opinion polls, and Howard eventu ally overtook Paul Keating as the preferred Prime Minister

Under his revitalized leadership, the Op position coalition began campaigning on the promise of drastically reducing the Commonwealth's increasingly heavy debt burden And at the 2 March 1996 federal election the Liberal National Party coali tion under Howard was swept in to power with an enormous 45 seat majority the second bigg est majority in Australian his tory in the House of Representatives

Three weeks after Howard took office, a gunman murdered 35 people at Port Arthur, Tasmania It prompted a controversial gov

In the early 21st century, illegal immigra tion also became a key issue as an increasing number of foreigners sought asylum in the country Howard's strict immigration policy, which included a ban on boat refugees, proved popular with Australians and played an important role in his re election in 2001

Then in 2003, amid growing opposition to the war, John Howard committed Australian troops to the US and British led war in Iraq

A report was released in 2004 that criti cized the pre war intelligence deliberately but cleared the government of any wrong doing Later that year Howard won a fourth successive term as prime minister

In 2006 he introduced several controver sial labour relations reforms, including the abolition of unfair dismissal laws in work places with up to 100 employees, but that later that year he also suffered one of the biggest defeats of his prime ministership when he was forced to withdraw proposed

Since leaving office, Howard has in creased his own prosperity by joining other fee charging former world leaders on the international talk circuit

They have three children: Melanie, 40, a lawyer, Tim, 36, who works in digital start ups in Los Angeles, and Richard, 34, a hedge fund strategist based in Dallas

He continues to follow politics avidly and still holds the Liberal cause close to his heart Perhaps one of his most memorable state ments when he was out of office was, “I left a country that was stronger and prouder than it had been when I came to power”!

*The next Prime Minister in the series in the next issue will be Kevin Rudd who served as Prime Minister of Australia on two occasions in 2007 and 2013; it was a tumultuous time both for the Labor Party and Australia, with Climate change and the Kyoto Protocol high on the list

lenged Hewson for leadership and he was again passed over for leadership, which went to Alexander Downer

Howard (left) maintained his frienship with US Pres George W Bush

Howard (left) being awarded the 2009 Presidential Medal of Freedom by then United States President George W Bush

Malta’s HC to Australia makes first o f f i c i a l v i s i t t o P e r t h i n WA

The High Commis sioner of Malta, in Australia, HE Mario Farrugia Borg recently em barked on a four day official visit to Perth, Western Australia. On this his first there, he met officials of the Government of Western Australia and the Maltese Community in Perth.

Accompanied by Malta's Honorary Consul for Western Australia, Mr Joseph Calleja, the HCs visit started with a meeting with the Chief Justice, the Hon Peter Quinlan at the Chief Justice’s Chambers, who was keen to find out more about the history of Malta and Maltese migration to Australia

He spoke at length about how the Maltese in WA have integrated with the most mul ticultural society in the world, and how the Maltese communities managed to keep their culture and values alive

The next visit was to the Council House, to meet the Rt Hon Lord Mayor Basil Zem pilas where the discussion was focused on further cooperation between Malta and Western Australia, mostly in the tourism in dustry and working holidays

The Lord Mayor pointed out that recently direct flights have been introduced between Perth and Rome, facilitating travel to Eu rope and, thus, the Maltese Islands

Mr Farrugia Borg next paid a courtesy call on the Hon Alanna Clohesy MLC, Presi dent of the Legislative Council, and the Hon Michelle Roberts, MLC, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of WA at Parlia ment House They discussed the excellent relations between the two countries and how they could be further developed, en hancing cooperation

The High Commissioner ’s penultimate meeting was with the MLA State Minister for Finance, Aboriginal Affairs, Racing & Gaming, Citizenship & Multicultural Inter ests Hon Dr Tony Buti who was nterested to know about Malta's political system and its economic status. He wanted to know how in spite of the current international scenario Malta has been able to reduce its deficit

Another meet ing was with the Hon David Honey MLA, who was repre senting the Leader of the Opposition in WA Discus sion centred on the working holiday agree ment between the two countries

Additionally, Dr Honey was also very keen to know more about the excellent Maltese educational system, which was their main topic of discussion

On the second day, the High Commissioner and Honorary Consul had a meeting with the State Director, Department of Foreign Af fairs and Trade of WA, Ms Sally Dawkins (pictured above) who was briefed about the latest developments in Malta, including Malta’s new budgetary measures for 2023.

Another meeting was with the Executive Director, of Invest and Trade WA Depart

ment of Jobs, Tourism, Science & Innovation Ms Daisy Pope. She gave him an overview of WA's economy They also talked about the trade figures between Malta and WA, and any possible future avenues, especially in re search and innovation.

A courtesy call was also made on the Governor of Western Australia, HE the Hon Chris Dawson APM where the two sides discussed Malta and Australia's people to people links, the Maltese diaspora in Aus tralia and current issues presently affecting Malta, such as the war in Ukraine illegal mi gration, and Malta’s budget for 2023

Malta’s High Commissioner also visited Fremantle the first point of entry for Mal tese migrants in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s, including the Hon Consul Joseph Calleja’s family

Mr Farrugia Borg paid homage at the Wel come Walls and the Monument to the Child Migrant which has a plaque with the fol lowing inscription “To Maltese Boys and Girls who left their homeland to brave an unknown future in Western Australia”.

The High Commissioner ’s visit to Perth concluded with an afternoon tea hosted by the committee and members of the Maltese Association of Western Australia (MAWA), led by their President, Dr Anthony Sciberras The Mayor of Bassendean and Councillor Kathryn Hamilton also attended.

The HC at the MAWA with Dr. Anthony Sciberras, (front, 3rd left), the Mayor of Bassendean (4th from right), the Honorary Consul (Back 1st from right) and members of the Maltese community

High Commissioner Mario Farrugia Borg with (from left): Chief Justice Peter Quinlan, Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas, and Speaker of Le gislative Assembly Michelle Roberts, President of the Legislative Council, Alanna Clohesy MLC, and Honorary Consul Joseph Calleja

The NSW Lieutenancy of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem (EOHSJ) re cently received a generous bequest of $200,000 from its late Lieutenant of Honour Dr Glenn Coorey

A new Australian connection to the Holy Land

KGCHS and his wife Suzanne Coorey DGCHS for a project to assist Christians in the Holy Land This is the largest be quest in the Order ’s history in Australia

The EOHSJ is a Papal Order dedicated to supporting the Christian presence in Pales tine, Israel and Cyprus. A benefaction of this size meant that, for the first time, a substantial specific project could be funded by an Australian lieutenancy.

The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem H B Pa triarch Pizzaballa was contacted for his as sistance in identifying a suitable project Identifying the project was progressed by the happy coincidence of a visit to the Holy Land by recently appointed EOHSJ NSW Council Member, Dr Hugh McDer mott MP KHS, where he was able to con tinue the discussions with the staff of the Latin Patriarch in person

The project that was ultimately selected was working at the sanctuary of Our Lady Queen of Palestine at Deir Rafat, Israel

The Rafat Convent, which was built in 1923, is rich in Church and biblical history as it is the shrine of Mary, Queen of Pales tine, Patron Saint of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

The sanctuary is a former Palestinian vil lage, 36 kilometres west of Jerusalem, and the seat of a Catholic monastery The fa cade of the convent church bears the Latin inscription “to the Queen of Palestine” and carries a six metre statue of the Virgin

Mary The church ceiling is decorated with a painting showing angels, carrying ban ners with the first words of the Hail Mary prayer in 280 languages

During the 1948 war the Israeli army took over the site and it was closed until 1975. Due to the ongoing political distur bances, the convent was transformed into a modest guesthouse and a youth centre to serve the Christian youth of the Holy Land

The Latin Patriarch decided to expand the Latin Patriarchate mandate to include the Hebrew speaking Catholics as well as the migrates and asylum seekers’ congrega tions amounting to over 100,000 faithful The envisioned impact of this decision will be enriching the spiritual formation, especially among youth since the Rafat Convent acts as a meeting point between the different youth groups in the region.

By realising this project, Rafat Convent’s identity will be revitalised into a Christian haven for youth that will play a pivotal role in their spiritual and human growth

It is intended that a formal dedication cer emony attended by the Patriarch and reli gious and civil authorities, including Australian and Israeli representatives, will take place during the NSW EOHSJ Lieu tenancy’s pilgrimage in May 2023

The extraordinary generosity of the Cooreys will be permanently acknowl edged, together with the broader connec tion to Australia

It is hoped that this important sanctuary will become a point of connection with the Holy Land for all Australian pilgrims, making it a stopping off point for pilgrim ages and, perhaps, specific financial sup port for the Christian community in the Holy Land.

*Dr Hugh McDermott is the State Member of the NSW Parliament representing the electorate of Prospect

Dr Hugh McDermott

The Our Lady Queen of Palestine Monastery at Deir Rafat, Israel

The Voice of the Maltese

is is a bi lingual (in English and Maltese) fortnightly mag azine that specifically targets all Maltese living abroad with emphasis on the Australian and Maltese scenes.

e magazine can be read in flip book or PDF format online. A pdf copy is sent via email on request. Hard copy subscription is also available at a cost.

Editors: Malta: Joseph Cutajar Australia: Lawrence Dimech: MOM, OAM, JP Rt email address: maltesevoice@gmail.com

How

James Zammit from Bondi Junction NSW writes: Ihave copped it both ways Medibank and Optus. They have been hacked, and the criminals responsible are releasing personal data obtained in the hack on the dark web.

The ones who have conducted this mali cious activity on Medibank’s network are the ones who have posted the samples of data on the dark web I do not understand all this

They say the crooks are Russian. All I know is that we, in a supposedly safe coun try, are left exposed Being old is not enough. Having to face the new technology has made me sick, now this is too much

We used to be worried because they robbed

Carm

Borg mill Mosta, Malta jikteb:

Malta mhix perfetta. imma mqabbla ma’ ħafna pajjiżi oħra kważi tista’ tgħid li hi ġenna tal art minn kull lat Sirna pajjiż fejn tista’ jgħix u mhux biss teżisti Minbarra s sbuħija naturali, f ’Malta tista’ tgħix bla biżá, fejn ix xogħol jiġri warajk mhux tfittxu int L ekonomija hi fost l aqwa fl Ewropa b’inflazzjoni ferm baxxa Xi ħaġa li nnutatu wkoll l IMF, l Unjoni Ewropeja u aġenziji ta’ kreditu Il ħajja f ’Malta sssoktat titjib bil miżuri li l gvern ħa biex jilqa’, l ewwel għall pandemi ja, u issa għall gwerra fl Ukrajna, bid de ċiżjoni li jissussidja b’miljuni kbar il prezzi jiet dinjin tal enerġija, il fjuwil u ċ ċireali

Din mhix politika imma veritá. Grazzi għas sussidji u l għajnuna finanzjarja (ink luż transport b’xejn għal kulħadd) li l gvern ta fl aħħar baġit, fil familja tiegħi magħmula minni erba’ min nies u b’karozza, nikkalku law li f ’sena se ngawdu u niffrankaw b’mad war €2,800

Liema pajjiż qed jieħu ħsieb niesu hekk?

your house, but there is insurance to cover that The big companies are making millions of profit, but they refuse to pay ransom.

There is no need for wars, as we know them anymore They will fight via comput ers. No wonder I am worried.

wars are now fought Why not Cringila?

M Marks from Windang NSW writes:

There are some strange changes hap pening down Cringila’s way The president of the George Cross Fal con Club, Louis Parnis declared that the name “George Cross Falcons Club” is not going to be changed, but he went on to say that the organisation would now be referred to as the Maltese Headquarters NSW & Friends and not Cringila Why not Cringila?

Cringila is the location, the centre where the Maltese migrants settled in the forties, fifties, sixties and so on. The centre, where the Maltese came from the neighbouring areas such as Lake Heights, Warrawong, Port Kembla, Berkeley, Dapto, Windang and as far as Shellharbour

Cringila has a glorious history amongst the Maltese migrants of the Illawarra and the South Coast where so many called it home The George Cross Falcons Club of Cringila is a living monument to these people and to the foundation members of the time.

The club is looking good and going strong but there is no need to call our club any thing else except George Cross Falcons Club of Cringila

*Editor ’ s note: Cringila has a population of 2,198 (2016 census). It was established in 1928 and is 6km from Wollongong Berke ley, Unanderra, Lake Heights and Warra wong bound the suburb

Mifsud from Pendle Hill NSW writes:

Legacies are inherited from one genera tion to the other I remember little about Parramatta Melita Eagles or the Melita Stadium As a little boy, my dad took me to the games and instilled in my mind his love and affection for Melita

When I go to funerals, I see how this “ob session” is not only for the aged but their offspring Indeed Melita Eagles built a tremendous legacy that one experiences when bidding farewell to persons like Sam Vella, Lino Vella, and Joe Caruana

When they play “ ma tagħmlu xejn” the gathering joins in, and there is plenty of clapping even in church. You feel emo tional, part of history

Joe

P o s t f e j n t i s t a ’ t g ħ i x u m h u x b i s s t e ż i s t i

Young Maltese pianist distinguishes himself

Ali Pulis Shlaibeq (left) an 18 year old Maltese pianist resid ing in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria, has received with distinction the Licentiate in Music Australia award for “his overall and generally impressive musical performance”. This follows last year ’s achievement when he attained the Associate in Music Australia diploma in piano per formance

Ali Pulis has studied the piano for the last three years under locally ac claimed teacher Judy Hall who this

Second highest number of graduate doctors

During 2020, Malta had the second number of newly graduated doctors and pharmacists in Europe, wuth figures released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicating that for every 100,000 persons that graduated during 2020, 32 of them were doctors

The highest rate was registered in Kaza khstan with 42 new doctors for every

100,000 graduates.

The same statistic shows that Malta also had the second highest number of pharma cists for the same number of inhabitants, with 14 pharmacists for every 100,000 res idents.

Only Monaco, with 24 pharmacists for every 100,000 residents, had a higher per centage than Malta

year celebrated her 100th birthday, and re cently under esteemed Timothy Young, a student of Mrs Hall’s who has been teach ing since 1946 and has produced some of Australia's leading pianists

He has also competed in numerous eisteddfods, receiving a number of first places and scholarship awards

Ali has been active as a volunteer for the Maltese Community Centre & Museum in Morwell, assisting the committee at each weekly gathering, as well as a number of functions throughout the year

In turn, the Centre has sponsored Ali to participate in a Maltese language course that is conducted virtually

The youngster also participated in the first Maltese Youth Forum entitled ‘I Want to Connect,’ ’ targeted at younger Maltese living abroad who wish to acknowledge and discover more of their Maltese her itage

Ali says that he found the forum both en couraging and insightful and hopes to par ticipate in subsequent forums

Meta ngħid li fir Rabat ta’ Malta hemm il ġid ma nkunx qed ngħid biss għall pastizzi li wieħed isib f ’wieħed mill ħwienet ewlenin u li sar anke magħruf mal barranin, fosthom mal eks Kanċellier Ġer maniż Angela Merkel li waqt żjara f ’Malta, l eks Prim Min istru ta’ dak iż żmien, Joseph Muscat kien ħadha biex idduq l aktar snack favorita mal Maltin Kienet faħħret it togħma tal pastizzi L akbar ġid, u rikkezzi fir Rabat huma l fdalijiet storiċi u re liġjużi, li hemm minnhom fi kważi kull rokna . Tant hemm li jekk wieħed ikun jixtieq iżurhom biex jissodisfa din ix xewqa, jkun jinħtieġ mill inqas jum wieħed biex jiskoprihom kollha Illum se nittratta biss naħa waħda tar Rabat, li man nies hi l aktar waħda popolari, għax minbarra l ġonna li fiha, hemm ukoll bini storiku li jiġbdek għall arkitettura li fih. Qed ngħid għal minn nofs it telgħa tas Saqqajja sas Saqqajja nnifisha li tispiċċa qabel tidħol l Imdina

Ta’ min jgħid li għalkemm fir Rabat mhemmx baħar,dawn l in ħawi kważi dejjem, imma l aktar fil Ħdud u l festi pubbliċi jkunu miżgħuda bin nies jippassiġġaw fil ġonna tar Rabat u magħhom iżidu l belt antika ta’ Malta, l Imdina żewġ postijiet ta’ minn żmien il ħakma Għarbija u li qatt ma tilfu l attrazjoni

Xi ħaġa ta’ min japprezzah il fatt li l gvern ilu s snin jirrestawra dawn l inħawi u l binjiet li bih huma fornuti Qabel tibda t telgħa (il wieqfa tas Saqqajja) tkun diġa’ skoprejt il binja tal Casino, li ġieli semmejniha f ’din ir rvisita u beħsiebna nerġgħu aktar fit tul ‘l quddiem

Se niffukaw fuq il Funtana tat telgħa (minn fejn jixorbu ż

żwiemel) li ilha mibnija sa mill 1890. Qabel xejn ta’ min jgħid li għalkemm ngħidu Saqqajja r Rabat dawn l inħawi, li għandhom ħajt mal Imdina, huma fil fatt amministrati mill Kunsill Lokali tal Imdina.

Il kelma Saqqajja ġejja mill Għarbi u tfisser funtana ta’ ilma ġieri Kienet xogħol il Granmastru Alof de Wignacourt meta kien beda jiddisinja s sitema tal akwadott li tieħu l ilma mir Rabat għall belt Valletta

Jingħad li fl 1449 il patrijiet Agostinjani kien partu xi art li kell hom il Mellieħa ma’ biċċa barra l Imdina u li kienet tinkludi s Saqqajja Hemmhekk kienu bndew kunvent u ċimiteru li aktar tard kienu ġew meqruda biex l art ġiet żviluppata għal għanijiet oħra

In niċċa ta’ San Pawl li hemm fin nofs tal post kienet ġiet mib nija fi żmien il Granmastru António Manoel de Vilhena fl 1727. Meta l Maltin sofrew il ġuħ, il pesta u soffrenzi oħra, in niċċa kienet isservi ta’ devozjoni reliġjuża

Meta mbagħad Malta ġiet taħt l Ingliżi sar aktar żvilupp fis Saqqajja b’bini residenzjali mill isbaħ, fosthom Point de Vue u Villa Fringila, u fil fatt, jekk wieħed iħares sew lejn fuq tal istampa ewlenija jista’ jara l bini ta’ Point de Vue li wara anke beda jservi ta’ lukanda Illum għadu hemm

Il-Quddiesa tal-mejtin fiċ-ċimiterju ta’ Pinegrove

Il Ħadd 6 ta’ Novembru saret il quddiesa għall erwieħ mejtin li jinsabu midfuna fiċ ċimiterju ta’ Pinegrove fi Triq Kingston, Minchinbury NSW Qaddes Fr Tarcisio Micallef MSSP li gie apposta mic City għal din it tifkira reliġjuza li ilha ssir 40 sena Assista Lawrence Falzon L ewwel quddiesa f ’Pinegrove saret bħala inizjattiva tal mibki Fr Paul Baron OFM Cap, li sab ko operazzjoni kbira mid diret tur tac Cimiterju. Kienet isir fil miftuħ taħt altar magħmul apposta mdawwar b’bal dakkin Kien hemm il kor tal La Valette u kienet tindaqq il Last Post. Il Banda Mal tija OLQP dejjem tat sehemha Dis sena kienet taħt id direzzjoni ta’ Charles Simi ana

L attendenza bdiet tikber minn sena għall oħra. Illum, 40 sena wara, l atten denza ċkienet xi ftit għalkemm kienet ta’ madwar 200 persuna imma d dinjitá ta’ dan l avveniment reliġjuż xorta baqa’ l ist ess

Niftakar lil Fr Paul Baron, fl għeluq tal quddiesa, b’daħka sarkastika f ’wiċċu, javża biex meta jaqsmu l Great Western Highway, isuqu lejn djarhom bil mod, inkella jerġgħu jiġu lura f ’Pinegrove

MarkCARUANA

FUQ: Fr Paul Baron, Fr Frank Delia, Fr. Anthony Aquilina, Fr Ugolino De Maria, b’ Noel Micallef fuq il pjanu XELLUG: Is-surmast Charles Simiana jidderieġi l banda tal OLQP waqt iċ ċerimonja, u wħud minn dawk li at tendew

Roundup of News About Malta

Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela tells COP2 in Egypt

When he addressed the 27th Con ference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Con vention on Climate Change (COP27) in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela stated that measures that truly address climate change must now be implemented

He said that this could be done by means of robust policies that incentivise invest ment in the digital economy together with policies that encourage greater use of alter native energy

During his address to the atten dees, that included over 100 world leaders, the prime minister added that Malta is implementing its decarbonisation strategy that will lead to carbon neutrality by 2050, and announced that just like last year in Glasgow, Malta would be doubling its contribution to the International Climate Fund

He pointed out that the Govern ment has also focused on a struc tured stakeholder dialogue with the private sector, and that this has generated a crucial momentum to drive the green and just transition.

While Malta's presence at COP year after year is a manifestation of the country's commitment to the Paris Agreement, as well as its resolve to keep the 1.5 degree target alive, Malta is committed to the EU's ambitious Fit for 55 package that is aimed at reducing emis sions to thus mitigate global warming

“We must go beyond statements of good will, as only actions will deliver results that safeguard our environment, and this must be done with commitment and ambition, Dr Robert Abela said

‘ M e a s u r e s t h a t t r u l y address climate change must be implemented’

for new technologies that can make a difference

He also mentioned Malta's will ingness to provide assistance to Small Island Development States (SIDS) by sharing best practice, including on water management It would also be offering scholar ships to students from these is lands, to undertake climate related studies at the University of Malta.

Furthermore, Malta is also sup porting other countries in their decarbonisation efforts, and re cently sent medical assistance to Pakistan following the devastat ing floods as part of our support to countries experiencing climate related disasters

He stated that this phenomenon is impact ing every corner of the world, and despite the fact that small islands have least con tributed to the release of carbon over the years, they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change

Dr Abela maintained that going forward, the future should be based on the equality of na tions, without disparity, and added that Malta is probably best placed to serve as a test bed

The Maltese Prime Minister said that the sea level rises caused by climate change should not affect any rights which islands and coastal nations currently have over their land and maritime jurisdiction

Dr Abela concluded that the green revo lution would lead to shared benefits includ ing affordable clean energy, healthy air, and enough food for all, and that “this transition must be delivered for our people and our future”

Malta lays out its sustainable vision in key sectors

In a conference at the end of the second five month #ClimateOn campaign, re ducing emissions from road transport, mo bilising funds towards sustainable inves tments and increasing energy efficiency in buildings emerged as the three main prior ities to speed up Malta's transition towards a green economy that combats climate change

The conference, that brought together government, agencies, and private stake holders on activating real change to address climate change, was held on the eve of the COP27, in preparation for Malta's partici pation through Prime Minister Robert Abela, to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt (see report above)

Malta is implementing the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) a plan that puts into action the island's commit ments in line with the European Union's Fit for 55 package

The Ministry for the Environment, Energy

and Enterprise together with Prof Simone Borg, Malta's Ambassador for Climate Ac tion, organised a series of stakeholder dia logue meetings on Sustainable Mobility in Road Transport, Sustainable Finance and Energy Efficiency in Buildings

The Environment, Climate Change and Enterprise Minister Miriam Dalli reiterated the government's commitment to achieve climate targets and to move towards cli mate neutrality She said that government’s investment in the families and businesses would continue to support them towards the green and just transition

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects Aaron Farrugia and Min ister for Public Works and Planning Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi also took part in the dis cussion

Minister Farrugia highlighted govern ment's commitment to continue investing in an improved transport infrastructure, while Minister Zrinzo Azzopardi explained that knowledge and capacity building are

two challenges that Malta is striving to ad dress as it supports the economic pillar to decarbonize and transform into a more sus tainable construction industry

During the seminars, participants dis cussed the major challenges and how these could be addressed A corporate EV train ing course that offers businesses and pro fessionals with knowledge on electric vehicles, their impact on the environment and how to phase out conventional vehicles was also launched

Stakeholders highlighted the increased need for more awareness to enable better commuting choices, the enabling of infra structure that favours a modal shift, and the need for efficient mass public transport They said that Malta has the firepower of private capital that can enable the country to achieve its green ambition.

On energy efficiency, they referred to Malta's energy vision, direct electrification, and the government's plan to increase cleaner sources of energy

Malta Prime Minister Robert Abeal addressing the COP27 at Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt

Roundup of News About Malta

E C f o r e c a s t s t h a t M a l t a w i l l h a v e s e c o n d h i g h e s t economic growth next year

With a GDP estimated at 2.8%, next year, Malta’s economic growth will be the second highest among EU member states It would also be one of only four whose economies would be growing by more than 1%. The others are Ireland (3 2%), Romania (1 8%) and Bulgaria (1 1%)

This indication is pointed out by the Eu ropean Commission (EC) in its autumn forecast. It also forecasts that the Maltese economy would grow to nine times the Eu ropean average

Other EU member states will register GDP growth of 1% or less next year The Euro area and the EU are expected to grow by 0 3%, respectively in 2023

Due to domestic demand and tourism, the EC forecasts that this year, the Maltese economy will grow by 5 7%

Economic growth should be more moder ate next year, with the Commission’s econ omists forecasting that the Maltese economy would grow by 2 8%

The indications for 2024 are, that Malta would experience a 3.7% economic growth

In the past two years, Malta managed to maintain strong employment growth by limiting the impact of the pandemic through fiscal support Employment grew by 2 9% in 2021, with the

wage support measures remaining largely in place The island’s unemployment rate is forecast to decline to 3.2% in 2022 and to decrease further to all time lows in 2023 and 2024

The European Commission says that de spite the government’s intervention to keep energy prices unchanged, inflation in 2022 is expected to rise to 6 1%

These factors will continue to drive price increases in 2023, with inflation expected at 4% At the same time, wage growth is expected to remain moderate *In the meantime, the international Fitch Ratings agency has confirmed Malta’s rat ing at A+ level with stable prospects. Fitch experts attributed this rating to the Malta Government’s interventions to keep energy prices stable despite inflation caused by the war in Ukraine Fitch economists are fore casting that Malta’s economic growth for next year will exceed the average for euro zone countries

In a tweet (below), Prime Minister Robert Abela welcomed EC’s forecast

Malta attracts 246, 000 tourists in September

Figures released by the National Sta tistics Office (NSO) indicate that in September over 246,000 tourists (mostly in the 25 to 44 age group) visited the Maltese Islands, with 223,714 of them visiting for their holiday and 14,666 on business.

The most significant was the Italian mar ket, followed by the French and the Ger man markets, with 82% of them staying in rented accommodations, spending €253 4 million (€128 per night on an individual basis during their stay

During the first nine months of the year, the number of tourist visitors to Malta ex ceeded 1 7 million They are estimated to have spent €1.5 billion overall.

MTA wins Most Desirable Island Award at World Travel Market

Meanwhile, at the Wanderlust Travel Awards at the 43rd World Travel Market in London (WTM), the Malta Tourism Au thority (MTA) won the Silver Most Desir able Island Award

This year ’s edition of the Market, which is the world’s largest Tourism Expo in the heart of London was characterised by meet ings with operators, agents and airlines, in cluding Jet2 who announced a four year growth plan for flights to Malta

Foreign Ministers of Malta and France meet

During a bilateral meeting with the Min ister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Catherine Colonna in Paris, France, Malta’s Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg said that as two integral countries in the Mediterranean re gion it was essential that they engaged in strong dialogue in order to experience a stronger region

They also discussed the immigration sit uation in the region,with Minsiter Borg sayng that the relocation system was im portant for Malta. He thanked France for the assistance Malta has received and would keep receiving in this aspect next year.

Being the only two countries members of the European Union on the United Nations Security Council for this term, the two min isters also discussed in detail their collabo ration Minister Borg explained Malta's priorities for this term and how Malta be lieves in the need for dialogue for more peace and security around the world

Malta also participated in the celebration of the 104th anniversary of the Armistice during which, Minister Borg also met French President Emmanuel Macron

From the opening day, the Malta Stand at the WTM, which has long been known as a meeting place for the global travel trade responsible for reconnecting, rebuilding and innovating the industry, was buzzing with activity with back to back meetings for trade representatives from Malta includ ing Heritage Malta, Air Malta and Visit Gozo, all busy meeting people involved in travel

Malta’s Minister for Tourism, Clayton Bartolo, together with Dr Gavin Gulia, the Chairman, and Mr Carlo Micallef, the CEO of MTA, were all actively present on the Malta stand

Imut Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici –xempju ta’ rġulija u onestá

Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, eks Prim Ministru ta’ Malta, ħalla din id dinja nhar il 5 ta’ Novembru fl etá ta’ 89 sena Veru li wara l mewt l eloġji ma jonqsux, iżda ma niftakarx li qatt kien hawn xi ħadd, l aktar jekk imdaħħal fil politika, li qatt kellu eloġji f ’mewtu daqs kemm kellu u għadu qed ikollu dak li kien id disa’ Prim Ministru ta’ Malta

L eloġji ndirizzati lejn Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, affezjonalment magħruf minn ħafna Maltin bħala Karmenu jew KMB ġew minn diversi oqsma, kemm reliġjużi, ċivili, trejd unjonistiċi u saħansitra politiċi kemm tal istess partit li kien iħaddan, il Partit Laburista, kif ukoll avversarji, fos thom mill Partit Nazzjonalista

L aktar li spikkaw fost l eloġji, li soktaw waqt sessjoni apposta dwaru fil Parlament, u li dwarhom kien hemm qbil unanimu dwarhom kienu, l irġulija, l umiltá u l imħabba li kellu għall ħaddiem u l batut Mhux ta’ b’xejn li fil kummenti tiegħu, il Prim Ministru Robert Abela qal li t telfa ta' Karmenu hija telfa ta' ġentlom li tul ħajtu ta kontribut enormi favur il kawża tal ħad diem, bis sehem tiegħu fil politika, fit trejd unjoniżmu u l professjoni tiegħu ta’ avukat

L umilta’ tiegħu spikkat saħansitra wara mewtu, meta l familja għarrfet lill Gvern li Karmenu kien ħalla bil miktub li ma riedx funeral statali kif is soltu jsir meta jmut xi eks Prim Ministru Minflok, il funeral tiegħu sar fil paroċċa li kien jagħmel minnha u li kienet

ftit passi l bogħod mid dar tiegħu, dik tal Immakulata Kunċizzjoni tal Ħamrun Karmenu twieled, tgħam med u għadda parti minn tfulitu f ’Bormla imma fi żmien il gwerra l familja marret tgħix il Ħamrun Għalkemm il funeral li sar jumejn wara mewtu u waqt li Malta kienet qed tosserva jumejn ta’ luttu nazzjonali ma kienx wieħed statali, il quddiesa tal funeral xorta ġiet im mexxija mill Arċisqof ta’ Malta Charles Scicluna akkumpanjat mill Isqof Awżiljarju Joe Galea Curmi, li jiġi n neputi ta’ Karmenu u li għamel l omelija Għall quddiesa attendew l ogħla awtorita jiet, fosthom, il mara tal President tar Re pubblika, il Prim Ministru, il Kap tal Op pożizzjoni, l Ispeaker, il Prim Imħallef, l eks President, Ugo Mifsud Bonnci (kuġin ta’ Karmenu), l eks Prim Ministri Lawrence

M i n k i e n K a r m e n u M i f s u d B o n n i c i ?

Karmenu twieled fis 17 ta’ Lulju 1933 minn familja b’għeruq fil Partit Nazzjonalista Ħuh Antoine kien Segretarju Parlamentari fi gvern Naz zjonalista, filwaqt li l kuġin tiegħu, Ugo mhux biss kien Ministru mal PN, imma saħansitra President ta’ Malta.

nħatar konsulent legali tal General Workers' Union bħala parti mill ġlieda tagħha kontra l Gvern ta’ dak iż żmien li permezz ta’ Abbozz ta’ Liġi Indus trijali kien qed jipproponi l artiklu li seta' jfisser li ħaddiema li jistrajkjaw jispiċċaw il ħabs

L

e l o ġ j i

Huwa studja fil Liċeo u ggradwa bħala avukat fl 1954. Bejn l 1967 68 studja t tassazzjoni u l liġi in dustrijali fil University College ta’ Londra Wara laħaq lettur fl Uni vesitá ta’ Malta fil liġijiet indstrijali u fiskali

Semmejt l Eloġji lil Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici Naħseb li dawn kollha ġew riflessi f ’dak li qal neputih, l Isqof Awżiljarju Galea Curmi fl omelija tiegħu waqt il funeral.

Mons Galea Curmi qal li Karmenu kien bniedem ta’ ġenerożità kbira, li l imħabba lejn il fqir ma kinitx għajta li kien jużaha għal xi skop imma realtà li għexha “Ma baqax passiv quddiem il ħtiġijiet tal oħrajn imma kien bniedem li lest li jagħti minn tiegħu lil ħaddieħor”.

Semma li kien hemm klijenti li minflok ħallsuh, tahom hu biex jgħejxu lill familja, u li ken hemm ħafna nies li għen fil kwiet u skiet minn butu u mingħajr daqq ta’ trombi.

Huwa nnota li l karità kbira tiegħu kienet imsieħba ma’ ħidma ma taqta’ qatt fejn uża l intelliġenza kbira tiegħu lejn il ħaddiem u d drittijiet tagħhom

Irrefera għall kontribut li Karmenu ta f ’diversi oqsma fos thom fil professjoni tiegħu ta’ avukat, lettur l università, tredjunjonista, u aktar tard fil kamp diffiċli tal politika

*Ikompli f ’paġna 15

Hu kien bniedem re liġjuż F’żogħżitu kien membru attiv tal Azzjoni Kattolika u wkoll fiż Żgħażagħ Ħaddiema Nsara, u fis sittinijiet kien ap poġġja lil Ġunta Djo ċesana li dak iż żmien kienet qed topponi b'qawwa lil Dom Mintoff u fi żmien meta l Arċisqof Mik iel Gonzi kien saħan sitra ddikjara li vot għal Labour kien dnub mejjet Fl 1969 Karmenu

Dan qarrbu sew lejn il moviment tal ħaddiema u meta l Perit Mintoff kien qed ifittex lil xi ħadd biex jeħodlu posta, għajnejh waqgħu fuq Karmenu Mif sud Bonnici, F’Mejju tal 1980 il Perit Mintoff ħatru deputat mexxej tal Partit Laburista u waqt konferenza ġen erali f ’Ottubru 1981 innominah bħala s suċċessur tiegħu Sab post fil Parlament f ’Mejju 1982 per mezz ta’ co option wara li d deputat Laburista, Pawlu Xuereb irriżenja mill Parlament biex ħoloq vaganza fil Parlament.

Fl istess ħin Mifsud Bonnici ngħata l kariga ta’ Ministru tax Xogħol u s Servizzi Soċjali, imbagħad f ’Settembru 1983 inħatar Ministru tal Edukazzjoni u fit 22 ta’ Diċembru 1984, wara r riżenja ta’ Mintoff inħatar Prim Ministru Fl istess ħin baqa’ jżomm il Ministeri tal Intern u l Edukazzjoni

It tmexxija tiegħu kienet karatterizzata minn progress u suċċessi f ’diversi oqsma Kienu wkoll snin diffiċli, l aktar minħabba il kwistjoni dwar l iskejjel tal Knisja, li l Gvern ried li jkunu b’xejn Huwa tilef l elezzjoni tal 1987 bi ftit voti, u sar l Kap tal Oppożizzjoni, kariga li żamm sal 1992 meta rriżenja Bħala Kap tal Oppożizzjoni, fl 1990 kien anke żar l Awstralja

Gonzi u Joseph Muscat, Ministri u membri Parlamentari miż żewġ naħat tal Kamra Min naħa tal familja ta’ Karmenu kien hemm fost kulħadd, iż żewġ aħwa minn fost ħamsa li għadhom ħajjin, Antoine, eks Segretarju Parlamentari Nazzjonalista u l eks Arcipriet, Mons Gużeppi

I va a n ke l-bagalja

Ara f ’Malta l politika tassew tel għet għal rasna, b’uħud, u mhumiex il ftit, idaħħlu l poli tika, direttament jew indirettament kważi f ’kollox

Dis sena l Ministru tal Finanzi, Clyde Caruana ddeċieda li ma jibqax juża s soltu bagalja sewda li ta’ qabel biex iġorr il kopja tad diskors tal baġit, mhux biss bidel il bagalja, imma minn sewda għamilha ħamra Fi żmien l Ingliżi l bagalja tal baġit kienet ukoll ħamra u din għadha hekk f ’għadd ta’ pajjiżi li jiffurmaw parti mill Commonwealth

Il bagalja għandha fuqha l arma ta’ Malta flimkien ma l żewġ kitbiet fuq quddiem ‘Ministru għall Finanzi’ u fuq wara fiha vers mill Innu Nazzjon ali Malti, ‘Saħħa lill ħaddiem’

Hija drawwa li l bagalja li fiha jinġarr i diskors tal baġit tingħata lill Ministru tal Finanzi meta dan jispiċċa minn din il kariga Dan wassal biex Caruana jix tri din il bagalja minn butu

Imma kienu kien jaqbillu li ma għamilx hekk, għax din daħħlitu f ’bawxata bil periklu li jiġi mmultat Dan minħabba li fil Parlament tqa jjmet il kwistjoni jekk il Ministru Clyde Caruana kienx kiser il liġi billi minn mistoqsija li saret lill Prim Min istru kien irriżulta li Caruana ma kienx talab il permess meħtieġ biex fuq il

L - e l o ġ j i l i l K M B

*Ikompli minn paġna 14

Qal li l intenzjoni tiegħu kienet li jkun ta’ servizz għan nazzjon u qatt ma fittex li japprofitta ruħu mill pożizzjoni tiegħu. ̉ Żied li Karmenu kien xhieda ħajja tal valuri tal onestà, tal ġenwinitá u l in tegrità u li ma ħalla lil ħadd jixtrih

“Kien lesta li jibqa’ leali lejn il kon vinzjonjiet u l ideali tiegħu. Ħadem b’de terminazzjoni għal dak li jemmen li hu s sewwa Kien lest li jmur kontra l kur rent fejn jidhirlu li ried jibqa’ leali Ma kienx qasba tixxejjer mar riħ u jbiddel dak li jemmen skont x’jaħsbu n nies. Kien eżempju ta’ xi tkun bniedem ta’ konvinzjoni u mhux ta’ konvenjenza”

L Isqof Awżiljarju qal li Karmenu kien xhieda ta’ umiltà, li ma fittix l unuri, il prestiġju,il preġji tad dinja, dak li jagħmel ħoss u li jolqot l għajn, u d dik jarazzjoni li ma riedx funeral statali u li tant insista fuqha kienet tipika tiegħu u tesprimi dak li kien

bagalja tiegħu (għax kien ħallas għal iha personali u mhux minn fondi tal Gvern) ipoġġi l arma ta’ Malta

Jidher li din l arma ma setgħetx tin tuża privatament jekk ma jkunx hemm permess li jsir dan, u fil każ li wieħed jinstab ħati li għamel l arma mingħajr permess seta’ jingħata multa li titla anke sa €2,300

Għalhekk, fil Parlament, il Ministru Caruana ġie mistoqsi taħt liema aw torità uża l arma ta’ Malta fuq propr jetà

tiegħu

Il Ministru b’nofs daħka kien pront iwieġeb għal din id domanda u qal li jieħu pjaċir li l kritika tal Oppożizzjoni tiffoka fuq il bagalja li uża għall istess baġit aktar milli fuq il baġit innifsu

“Nifhem li n nies li jkunu qed jarawna, probabbli anke huma għand hom tbissima fuq wiċċhom, nispera li l Oppożizzjoni fid dibattiti li qed ikollhom filgħodu u filgħaxija (dwar il Baġit) jkomplu jiġu b’dawn it tip ta’ argumenti ħalli verament il poplu jagħraf liema naħa tal Kamra tieħu d deċiżjonijiet li hemm bżonn sabiex inkomplu nħarsu l interess tal Maltin u l Għawdxin”, saħaq Caruana Kien aħjar li l Ministru ma xtarax il bagalja minn butu, imma xtraha bi flus il poplu, għax kieku kien jista’ jpoġġi l arma ta’ Malta bl ebda problema u fl aħħar mill aħħar barra li jiffranka l flus u l periklu li jkun immultat, kien xorta jieħu l bagalja meta jtemm il kariga tiegħu

R i f o r m a

Fl aħħar ħarġa ta’ The Voice issemmiet il Laqgħa Annwali tal Kunsill Għall Maltin li Jgħixu Barra minn Malta, li propju twaqqaf permezz ta’ Att li sar fl 2011

Dan ifisser li dan l Att sar ħdax il sena ilu, li għalkemm ma jidhrux daqshekk snin, fil ħeffa li biha d dinja qed tinbidel, fil fatt huwa żmien twil biżże jjed biex wieħed jistaqsi wasalx iż żmien jekk dan l Att għandux jiġi aġġornat għaż żminijiet tal lum meta tant affarijiet inbidlu anke fil qasam ta’ dik li kienet magħrufa bħala l emigrazzjoni

Illum naqsu sewwa dawk il Maltin li kienu jħallu pajjiżhom biex ifittxu xogħol f ’pajjiżi bħall Aw stralja, l Istati Uniti u l Kanada u pajjiżi oħra minħabba nuqqas ta’ xogħol f ’Malta jew għax jix tiequ jfittxu avventuri ġodda

Illum għandna għadd kbir ta’ Maltin li jħallu Gżir itna għal ftit tas snin, ħafna minnhom f ’pajjiżi qrib ta’ Malta, fosthom f ’pajjiżi tal Unjoni Ewropeja Uħud minn dawn għax propju jsibu xogħol ma’ enti tajiet li għandhom x’jaqsmu mal Unjoni Ewropeja Oħrajn jitilqu biex ikomplu jistudjaw u għall mitt raġuni oħra.

Dan qed jibdel sewwa dik li ħafna drabi tissejjaħ id diaspora Maltija Mhux ta’ b’xejn li qed tikber sewwa l idea ta’ dik li bl Ingliż hi magġrufa bħala “Greater Malta”, li tilqa’ fi ħdana lil dawk kollha li għandhom demm Malti jiġri f ’ġisimhom.

Għalhekk tajjeb li f ’dawn iċ ċirkostanzi, filwaqt li wieħed jibqa’ jagħti mportanza kbira lid diaspora stab bilita’, jiġifieri dik li hija magħmula minn dawk il Maltin li ħallew Malta bħala emigranti u d dix xendenti tagħhom, ma jinsiex il mewġa ta’ Maltin u Għawdxin li ħallew u qed jħallu Malta mhux għax ma jsibux xogħol f ’Malta imma għall raġunijiet oħra Wasal ukoll iż żmien li l Gvern jieħu in kunsider azzjoni dawk il Maltin li għamlu isem f ’diversi oqsma fosthom tan negozju, fl arti u l kultura, fix xjenza u saħansitra l politika

Jinħtieġ li l Gvern mhux biss jagħraf il ħiliet ta’ dawn in nies, imma wkoll joħloq qafas biex il Maltin li jgħixu barra minn Malta jikkontribwixxu aktar lejn Malta fid diversi oqsma li tant eċċellaw fihom.

C y b e rc r i m e i s o n t h e t h e r i s e i n A u s t r a l i a

An incident is reported every seven minutes, according to The Australian Cyber Secu rity Centre (ACSC) The ACSC's Annual Cyber Threat Report has shown the agency re ceived more than 76,000 cybercrime reports in the 2021 22 financial year, an increase of nearly 13 per cent from the previous year

It comes after high profile data breaches at Optus, Medibank and real estate agency Har courts. The defence minister and deputy prime minister Richard Marles said there were many fac tors driving the increase in cybercrime reports “In part we're living more of our lives online, and the pandemic has accelerated that but cyber crime is now big business, the average impact for a small business is $40,000 per incident, and something like $88,000 for medium businesses, so you can see there's a lot of money to be made by cyber criminals,” he said

Mr Marles said the Optus data breach was a re minder for both individuals and businesses to be more vigilant

Following the Optus and Medibank data brea ches, the Albanese government introduced new legislation, increasing penalties on companies for serious or repeated privacy breaches.

Under the new legislation, penalties will rise from $2 22 million to whichever is the greater of $50 million, 30 per cent of the company's turnover in the relevant period, or three times the value of any benefit gained from the stolen data

When it comes to individual protection, ACSC rec ommends setting up secure passwords and setting up multi step authentication whenever possible.

It also suggests regularly updating apps and sys tems to ensure you are up to date with security upgrades, and backing up files to external devices in case your accounts are ever compromised

C h a n g e s t o c o m b a t g a m b l i n g p r o b l e m

In the same week that Australians watched the 'race that stops the na tion', the Melbourne Cup, a range of proposed changes to combat prob lem gambling were announced. At the federal level, there may soon be new and improved warnings for everyone watching gambling ads on TV.

In NSW, facial recognition technol ogy will prevent self identified prob lem gamblers And the state govern ment says a cashless card for poker machines is on the way.

From March next year, betting com panies like Ladbrokes, Sportsbet and TAB will ditch the well known "Gam ble responsibly" slogan at the end of advertisements and replace it with new, government approved ones

The new mottos include “Chances are you're about to lose”, “You win

d M P

some You lose more ” , “What's gam bling really costing you?” and “What are you really gambling with?”

A free, national gambling self exclu sion register is also set to be rolled out by the end of the year to help people manage their access to betting services, and in October, the Australian Hotels Association NSW and ClubsNSW an nounced they would implement facial recognition technology in 2023 to fight problem gambling

The NSW government was reliant on gambling tax revenue from pokies in pubs and clubs It is estimated to ex ceed $2.4 billion in 2025/26. But Na tionals Leader David Littleproud said the government's changes did not go far enough, and that the focus needs to be on whether gambling advertise ments should be played on TV at all

Cost-of-living pressures

The central bank of Australia added around 0 25 percentage points to its peak inflation forecast, and now expects it to reach 8 per cent before the end of the year. The last time Australians faced an in flation rate that high was 35 years ago

In a statement, RBA governor Philip Lowe said the central bank had already lifted interest rates "materially" since May and that it would take time for higher in terest rates and inflation to bite.

The RBA is doing so to temper inflation, which hit 7 3 per cent in the September quarter

The latest 0 25 percentage point increase was in line with what the majority of Aus tralia's big four banks has predicted

Minister for Communications Federal Member for Greenway

The pokies machines so popular in Australian pubs and clubs

Climate Solidarity or a Collective Suicide Pact

At the UN COP27 summit in Egypt where developing countries reeling from global warming demanded more action from rich polluters, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned that nations must cooperate or face “collective suicide” in the fight against climate change

Over 100 heads of state and governments recently met in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el Sheikh, facing calls to deepen emissions cuts and financially back devel oping countries already devastated by the effects of rising temperatures

Guterres told the summit, “Humanity has a choice: cooperate or perish. It is either a Climate Solidarity Pact or a Collective Suicide Pact We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator ”

A salvo of crises from Russia's invasion of Ukraine to soaring inflation and the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic has raised concerns that climate change has dropped down the priority list of governments. COP27 is scheduled to continue through 18 November Australia is represented by Chris Bowen, Minister for Climate Change and Energy

Many live below the poverty line

The St Vincent de Paul Society has called on the Australian Albanese Government to provide urgent help to the growing num ber of Australians struggling to survive amid surging inflation and interest rates

Vinnies' national president Claire Victory said the latest decision by the Reserve Bank of Australia to increase the official rate by 25 basis points to 2 85 per cent would hurt Australians already doing it tough

The seventh interest rate increase in as many months is another blow for many struggling Australians disappointed by the lack of support with cost of living pres sures in last week's federal Budget

“JobSeeker, at $48 a day, consigns around 830,000 Australians to live below the poverty line and should be unacceptable in Australia, which prides itself on being the country of the 'fair go'

“Working age payments have not kept up with the cost of living, and Australians' un employment payment rates are among the lowest out of 37 members of the OECD

“This situation is getting worse every day the Government fails to act, as inflation, in terest rates and the cost of living surges higher," Ms Victory said

C r u e l t y t o h o r s e s , p ro t e s t a t t h e M e l b o u r n e C u p

Animal rights protesters sporting inflatable Tyrannosaurus rex costumes descended on Flemington in Victoria, which marked the first with full crowds since the COVID 19 pan demic calling for an end to horse racing

Puzzled onlookers watched on as a group of dinosaurs holding signs reading 'Horse Racing Is Prehistoric' (pictured below) converged on the 162th Melbourne Cup

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) along with the Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses (CPR) organised the protest to encourage a boycott of the race

CPR says 139 racehorses died on Australian tracks in the past year, in addition to the thousands of horses that die every year off the track from racing related injuries or are killed for not being profitable

“The Melbourne Cup and all other events that cause horses to sustain catastrophic injuries and even die in the name of greed deserve to go ex tinct,” PETA's Emily Rice said

Meanwhile, in front of more than 73,000, the Melbourne Cup was won by Gold Trip that was ridden by Mark Zahra (a jockey of Maltese descent)

B e a c h s a f e t y s i g n s i n o t h e r l a n g u a g e s

With overseas born beachgo ers making up almost half of the coastal drowning fatalities in Australia, a University of Adelaide researcher is calling for safety signs to be written in other languages Al most half of the Australian and overseas born beachgoers either misunderstand or do not read standard beach safety warnings.

According to the research, approximately 50 per cent of overseas born beachgoers and 40 per cent of those born in Australia rarely or never read beach safety signage

While (beach flags) represent 'always swim between the flags, more than 30 per cent of overseas visitors and residents be lieve they mean only good swimmers should be between the flags.

Another common flag instruction is 'no flags equal no swim' almost 50 per cent of Australian and overseas born beachgoers interpret this as meaning you cannot swim, but you can go into the water playing, walking, and standing, but the actual mean ing is that you shouldn't go in (at all).

Shane Daw, of Surf Life Saving Australia told SBS News: “I think we need to be a lit tle bit careful about which way we go with this. I think there needs to be better intro duction and awareness that when people are coming to Australia, they are aware of what they may be exposed to.”

Ta g ħ r i f d w a r i l - k i t b a b i l - M a l t i

Fl aħħar ħarġa ta’ The Voice tajt tifsira tal kelma Etimoloġija u bħala eżem pju anke xi kliem li daħal fl ilsien Malti. Illum mhux biss se nagħti eżempju imma wkoll eżatt minn fejn ġejja l-kelma grokk.

L - o r i ġ i n i t a l - ke l m a g ro k k

Djoħroġ jiddeverti mal ħbieb, għax qisu ma ħariġx jiddeverti jew jiċċelebra jekk ma jixrobx (ħafna drabi xorb alkoħoliku).

Għalkemm ħafna mill kliem Malti għandu l oriġini tiegħu mill Għarbi, u hemm ħafna oħrajn li jafu l bidu tagħhom mit Taljan u mill Franċiż, il kelma grokk daħlet Malta fi żmien l Ingliżi u saret parti mill vokabularju Malti Il kelma grokk taf il bidu tagħha f ’nofs is seklu tmintax lil laqam tal Viċi Ammirall Edward Vernon,

‘Old Grogram’ jew ‘Old Grog’ għax dan kien jilbes mantar ta’ drapp oħxon li l In gliżi jsibuh bħala grogram.

Għall Ingliżi, grog kien terminu li jużaw għal taħlita ta’ xorb alkoħoliku Għall ewwel il kelma kienet tirreferi għax xarba tar RUM imħallat bl ilma li jingħad li Ver non introduċieh waqt vjaġġi twal fuq il baħar bl iskwadra li kien imexxi fil West Indies fil 21 ta’ Awwissu 1740

Minn xi daqqiet ir RUM kien anke jiġi mħallat mal meraq tal lumi u frott ieħor taċ ċitru

Kien hemm ukoll xi tifsir differenti għat terminu grog f ’kulturi differenti, bl aktar li jintuża fl Awstralja u New Zealand li jużawha bħal f ’Malta bħala kelma laxka għall alkoħol

F’Malta x’aktarx li daħlet fi żmien l In gliżi meta l Maltin u l Ingliżi kienu jitħaltu biex jiddevertu Imma x xorb ma baqax biss RUM imħallat bl ilma imma sar xorb spirituż li kien jinxtorob ftit f ’ tazza u wara anke nħolqu t tazzi żgħar tal grokk.

Għal dawk li jixtiequ jiktbu bil Malti fil mezzi diġitali (mobile, tablet, lap top jew kompjuter), il Kunsill Malti għadu kif aġġorna l manwal tal kompjuter bl istruzzjonijiet li jiggwidaw lil dak li jkun kif jagħmel dan

Bla problema Dan jista’ jitniżżel minn hawn: http://www kunsilltalmalti gov mt/ file aspx?f=302

Kif jgħid il Kunsill, illum m'għadhiex problema biex wieħed jittajpja l ittri tal Malti (Ċċ, Ġġ, Ħħ, Żż, Àà, eċċ.) kemm jekk fuq kompjuter jew laptop bis sistema Windows, kif ukoll bis sistema Mac M'hemm il ħtieġa li wieħed iniżżel u jin

stalla xejn Kemm wieħed jattiva l Malti bi proċedura sempliċi ta' darba, u jkun jista' jibqa' jikteb bl Ingliż ukoll

Il fatt, tista' tikteb bil Malti wkoll minn tablet jew smartphone Android jew iOS bis saħħa ta' żewġ apps li nħolqu apposta

B'hekk wieħed ikun jista' jikteb bil Malti f'kull programm diġitali u fil posta elet tronika wkoll, mhux fid dokumenti biss, u jibqa' juża t tipi li mdorri/ja bihom bħall Calibri, l Arial, it Times New Roman, l Andika, il Comic Sans, il Helvetica, u l bqija

Il manwal il ġdid jinkludi s sistemi Win dows 8, 8 1 u 10, il Mac, l iOS u l An

droid Għal sistemi aktar antiki, wieħed jista’ jirreferi għall manwal ta' qablu Fuq: http://www kunsilltalmalti gov mt/file asp x?f=202.

F'dan il manwal hemm ukoll għadd ta' mistoqsijiet komuni, tal pubbliku imwie ġba

Wieħed jista’ wkoll isib tagħrif ieħor, bil filmati, fuq istazzjon tal YouTube tal Kun sill, fuq https://www youtube com/user/ kunsilltalmalti.

Il qarejja ta’ dan il magazine li jinteresa hom l ilsien Malti, u l aktar u l aktar kif jikteb il Malti, huma mħeġġa biex jagħ mlu użu mill mezzi disponibbli

onnu li wieħed isibha diffiċli li jevita l grokk meta

It tazza tal grokk għal xorb alkoħoliku

Il Viċi Ammirall Edward Vernon

I l - M i x g ħ e l a

t a l - Q a d d i s i n I l - M i x g ħ e l a t a l - Q a d d i s i n

Nhar il Ħadd 30 ta’ Ot tubru Għawdex kien imdawwal b’eluf ta’ xemgħat għat tielet edizzjoni tal mixegħla tal Qaddisin li ssir fil Parroċċi kollha tad Djoċesi Għawdxija, ġeneral ment fuq iz zuntier tal knejjes, billi jinxtegħlu mijiet ta’ xemgħat li joħolqu atmosfera ta’ riflessjoni Attivitá bħal din, li tibda fi nżul ix xemx u tibqa’ sejra sa madwar nofsillejl tinħtieġ l at tendenza u l parteċipazzjoni ta’ għadd ġmielu ta’ voluntiera.

F’kull każ, i x x e m g ħ a t ħadu forma relatata mal qaddisin patruni tal parroċċi rispettivi. Il mixgħela ssir fuq l inizjattiva tad Direttorat għall Wirt Kulturali fi ħdan il Ministeru għal dex, f ’kollaborazzjoni mad Djoċesi ta’ Għaw

Mill Gżira Għawdxija

Charles Spiteri

l-Isqof Teuma jemfasizza l-ħtieġa tal-Azzjoni Kattolika

Waqt l omelija fil quddiesa li ċċelebra ma’ As sistenti Ekklesjastiċi fl Assemblea tal Azzjoni Kattolika, l Isqof t’Għawdex Anton Teuma emfa sizza l ħtieġa tal Azzjoni Kattolika fis soċjetà tallum u ħeġġeġ lill membri jqawwu l isforzi tagħhom biex ikunu ta’ servizz.

Huwa ta ħajr lil Antoine Vassallo li temm il kariga wara ‘l fuq minn għaxar snin bħala President, kif ukoll lil ħafna li jidħlu għal impenn bħala diriġenti.

Il President Djoċesan il ġdid Carmel Attard (lemin) ta ħjiel dwar il miri li għandu, filwaqt li anke l Pres ident Ġenerali l ġdida Marija Cachia li kienet qed tmexxi delegazzjoni minn Malta għamlet kelmtejn u ppreżentat ikona u ktieb bħala apprezzament għal ħidmietu lil Vassallo. Qabel il quddiesa ġie ppreżentat feature fl okkażjoni taċ ċentinarju mit twelid ta' Santa Gianna Beretta Molla li l Azzjoni Kattolika xxerred id devozzjoni lejha, anke permezz ta' relikwija.

Jiġi mfakkar il-Jum dinji tal-puplesija

Bħala parti mill Jum Dinji tal Puplesija, u bil għan li titqajjem kuxjenza dwar sinjali u s sintomi tagħha, f ’kumpless ewlieni tax xiri f ’Victoria, l Isptar Ġener ali t’Għawdex ospita attività pubblika fejn membri tat tim taw spjegazzjoni dwar kif jitnaqqas ir riskju u semmew il benefiċċji ta' aċċess f'waqtu għall kura medika ta' emerġenza Minbarra l ispjegazzjoni dwar saħħit hom, il membri tat tim ippruvaw ukoll il pressjoni u l livell taz zokkor fuq il per suni li aċċettaw l istedina u qassmulhom ukoll fuljetti b’tagħrif importanti dwar il puplesija.

L istess tim organizza wkoll taħdita fl Università ta' Barts għall Professjonisti Mediċi fejn il kelliem kien il konsulent tan Newroloġija Dr Adrian Pace

Membri tat tim, Antonella Garzia, Lorna Grech u Jenny Xerri jiċċek jaw il pressjoni lil persuna li aċettat l istedina tal isptar t’Għawdex

TAĦT (xellug), Marija Cachia tippreżenta apprezzament lill eks President Antoine Vassallo, u (taħt) uħud milli attendew għall Assemblea tal Azzjoni Kattolika

The Life of Sister Catherine Buhagiar (14/5/15 -18/9/2005

The Maltese nun who worked in many different countries

Sister Catherine was born on 14th March 1915 to Veneranda Zammit and Joseph Buhagiar, who had seven children They were a close knit, loving Maltese family that lived close to the Mosta Rotunda Church She recalled that she looked at the Blessed Sacrament as a procession went by and felt ‘the vocation, grace and strength’ to serve God by be coming a Missionary She never regretted that decision Catherine joined a Convent at Hal Balzan

On the 18th September 1935, aged 20 years, Catherine went to Italy to start her Pre Novitiate at Grotta Ferrata Those early days at the convent were hard as she had never left Malta

She missed her family Catherine recalled the Italian Convent nuns were rowdy of speech and laughter compared to the Mal tese nuns. She spoke Italian fluently but felt lonely She wrote letters and phoned her family often in Malta “God give me strength” she prayed.

Convent life was not for the faint hearted but she adjusted to postu lants and nuns from various na tionalities, personalities, etc in convents she lived in.

Catherine trained in Rome for two and a half years and kept fo cused and persevered for the love of God to do good and save souls She professed and spent six months assisting pilgrims and tourists and was assigned various Convent tasks

Sr Catherine worked in a board ing house in India and enjoyed su pervising children, teaching catechism, dressmaking and reli gion She spent ten years in India imparting Christian values and en joyed seeing the results She became tired and unwell and asked per mission to re turn to Europe

She also spent 25 years as a Welfare Worker and other various assignments in France, and also travelled to Spain and did welfare work with various nationalities She became multi lingual being fluent in Maltese, English, Italian, French and Spanish She sought permission to emi grate to Australia

On the 6th January 1975, Sr Catherine

Nancy Serg nee Borg OAM

worked ver y closely with Sister Cather ine, therefore this special ar ticle, writ ten by her, reminds us about this respected and dedicated Maltese nun

arrived in Sydney aged 59 years, when most women reached the age of retire ment As a member of the Maltese Com munity Council of NSW she carried out Welfare work once weekly at the Maltese Phoenician Club, George Street Sydney. Sr Catherine visited Maltese families on farms and homes at Blacktown, Pendle Hill, Wentworthville, Quakers Hill etc. She travelled by public transport as she did not drive In her advancing years, she walked rain, hail or blazing sun, which was hard going at her age Most women felt isolated on farms and yearned to talk with someone

tion ‘MAWA’ members and others who called for her advice

During MAWA bus trips she made ap pointments for welfare visits as some mem bers where not so good in English. Sister counselled on varied issues i e adult chil dren, coming home late, marriage break ups and separation from grandchildren, loneli ness, mental health issues, a retrenched hus band with bills mounting up etc

During this demanding period I started working closely with Sister Catherine as I was also involved in welfare work. In work and relaxation, we enjoyed each other ’s company She was always cheer ful, polite and thankful and had a great sense of humour

Sister Catherine Buhagiar celebrated her 60th Diamond Jubilee on 13th March 1996 She completed seventy years in con vents around the world, and never regret ted her decision

Over the years, we kept in touch by tele phone. As sister aged, she looked forward to my regular Sunday morning tea visits with my husband Felix at the convent

The Men met in sheds, smoked, played billiards etc , but there was nothing organ ised for women Sister ’s work consisted of advocacy, counselling, moral support, reading letters, filling forms, translating, and attending to lawyers and doctors with people as an interpreter. She was frustrated travelling from Point Piper Convent to the Western Suburbs some 50 km St. Catherine’s welfare work extended to the Maltese Australian Women’s Associa

She always enquired about my family and the Maltese Community in general I took her, The Maltese Herald newspaper to read, which she enjoyed

As a Broadcaster on SBS Radio, in Au gust 1996, I interviewed Sr. Catherine Buhagiar FMM for the Maltese Radio Pro gramme NSW Sr Catherine Buhagiar died at the age of 91 on 18th September 2005. Mass and Funeral service were conducted at Our Lady of Consolation, Rooty Hill NSW

Maltese Nuns played a very active part in social and welfare areas, especially in the early sixties and seventies. One of these is Sister Catherine Buhagiar FMM. She stands out and is well remembered.

A young Catherine Buhagiar

Sister Catherine Buhagiar on welfare duty

New life members for GC Falcons Club of Cringila

GeorgeBARTOLO OAM

Life Membership is the highest award available to recognise the ex ceptional contribution of individu als to an organisation and only to be awarded in exceptional circumstances

Mr Peter Micallef and Mr George Dingli fall in this category. They deserved the ho nour of being granted Life Membership of the George Cross Falcons Club of Cringila at the recent AGM for their exceptional contribution, continued dedication, sup port and voluntary work as individual Members of the club of Cringila

Peter Micallef joined the George Cross Club in early 1961. He was always a staunch supporter and one of the first on the scene when there was work to be done In the Sixties when there was a soccer team going Peter used to volunteer his ve hicle to cart players to away games

When work on the club’s building started, from the foundation to the struc ture of the hall and extensions to the kitchen and office, later on, he had a hand in all

Peter was a member of the committee for a number of years and worked behind the bar for a week at a time to keep the club’s door open. Even after all these years, Peter

is still a staunch supporter of the Club

George Dingli has been a member of the GCFC for over thirty years and in all these years he has shown what a true member of the organisation he is

When he became a member, the club was going through extensions to the front of the club He put his heart and soul into it and stayed with it from start to finish He was and still is a member of the commit tee

George is one of the volunteers in the kitchen for the seniors’ s lunch every Mon day, serving lunches and washing dishes besides helping in any way when there is something needed to be done in case of a breakdown to the equipment

During 2020, Malta had the second number of newly graduated doctors and pharmacists in Europe

Figures released by the World Health Or ganisation (WHO) indicate that for every 100,000 persons that graduated during 2020, 32 of them were doctors.

The highest rate was registered in Kaza khstan with where 42 new doctors for every 100,000 graduates

The same statistic shows that Malta also had the second highest number of pharma cists for the same number of inhabitants, with 14 pharmacists for every 100,000 res idents.

Only Monaco, with 24 pharmacists for every 100,000 residents, had a higher per centage than Malta

Reacting to this statistic, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne stated that these figures show that Malta had the second highest numbers of phar macists and graduates in medicine in Eu rope and Asia

Queensland has five of Australia's eleven World Natural Heritage areas

These include the Scenic Rim National Parks, Fraser Island, Riversleigh Fossil Fields, the Wet Tropics (including Dain tree National Park), and one of the Won

ders of the World, the Great Barrier Reef.

The 2,300km reef has seen five mass bleaching events in 1998, 2002, 2016, 2017 and 2020 all caused by rising ocean temperatures driven by global heat ing

It is facing a range of threats and the cumulative impact of these threats has the potential to further weaken its resilience This is likely to affect the Reef's ability to recover from serious disturbances, such as the major coral bleaching events, which are predicted to become even more frequent in the future.

Corals can recover from mild bleaching if cooler conditions return quickly

George Dingli (left) and Peter Micallef, recipients of GCFC ’s life membership award

Malta with second the highest number of graduate doctors and pharmacists in Europe

O n e o f Wo n d e r s o f t h e Wo r l d t h e G re a t

B a r r i e r R e e f f a c i n g a r a n g e o f t h re a t s

Forever in our hearts

Michelina (Lina) Borg 10/4/38 13/10 2022

Mi c h e l i n a arrived in Australia in 1963. She was married to An gelo Borg, a vet eran director of the La Valette Social Centre in 1966

They have two boys, Ray and John, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren RIP

Vale Joseph Caruana 1941 2022

It is with the deepest sorry to announce the death of Joseph Caruana (known as Iż żojja) on the 1st of November Joe was a colourful personality most associated with the Parramatta Melita Eagles Foot ball Club where he served for many years as a director

Dedicated and fanatical, Joe’s associa tion with Melita spanned some 30 years. His other passion was Chelsea FC Joe was born in Msida Malta 81 years ago (2/1/41) and arrived in Australia in 1964 to work in the cane industry in Northern Queensland.

Eventually, he settled in the Western Sub

D r S c i b e r r a s i s M AWA’s n e w P re s i d e n t

The Maltese Association of Western Aus tralia, with its club premises at I May Holman Drive Bassendean WA 6064, has ap pointed Dr Tony Sciberras as its new Presi dent, taking over from Steve Cauchi, who held the position since 2015

The new President has been on the commit tee as Vice President since last November. His place as V/President has been assigned to Mario Vella, while Steve Cauchi will re main as a committee member

Dr Sciberras has a long and deep connection with the WA Maltese community, previously holding both the offices of Honorary Maltese Consul and patron of the Maltese Association of WA

The other five committee positions remain unchanged for 2022/23.

The full committee consists of Dr Anthony Sciberras (President), Mario Vella (V/Presi dent), Yola Codispoti (Secretary), Charles Sultana (Treasurer), and Greg Sultana, Vince Debono, Zaffer Soemya and Stephen Cauchi

(members)

Tony Zammit is the Club Patron. Western Australia’s Hon Consul is Joe Calleja malteseconsul perth@gov mt

urbs mostly in G r e y s t a n e s where he mar ried Doris, a vet eran stage ac tress and former President of the Cittadini The atrical Group of NSW.

Joe and Doris Caruana are well well known for decorating their home in Cumberland Road Greystanes during the Christmas period.

They have three daughters Gaye, Cath leen and Charmaine and six grandchil dren His funeral was held at OLQP Catholic Parish in Greystanes

Maltese Senior s Social Welfa r e Day Gr oups

Llandilo Maltese Seniors

Meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Llandilo Community Hall, 257 Seventh Avenue, Llandilo 11am to 1 00 pm Group holds regular Informa tion Sessions/Workshops & Bus Trips

Group Leader: Helen Azzopardi

Merrylands Social Maltese Seniors Meets every second Friday of the month Miller Room, Memorial Avenue Merrylands from 10 30am to 12 30 pm

Group Leader: Salvina Falzon

Fairfield Active Maltese Seniors Meets on the last Tuesday of the Month Group meets in St Theresa’s Parish Hall, cnr of Stella Street & The Boulevard, Fairfield Heights from10 am to 12 noon

Group Leader: Dorothy Gatt Maltese of Bankstown

Group meets 3rd Wednesday of month in the Bankstown CBD area. Every other 3rd Thursday an outing Enquiries call: Sam Galea 0410 269 519

Daceyville Maltese Seniors

Meets the last Wednesday of the month in Meeting Room One, No 3 General Bridges Crescent, Daceyville Note: The Groups also arrange regular Bus Trips. Join us and make new friends.

Group Leader: Doris Scicluna

The

Sutherland & St George Maltese Group

Meets every first Wednesday of the month in July, September, November & December and in February, April & June 2023 From 10:00am to 12noon at the Miranda Community Centre 93 Karimbla Rd cnr Kiora Rd Miranda Meetings are interesting & informative Membership is free, so is Morning Tea/Coffee/Cake

*(All Groups are coordinated by The Maltese Community Council of NSW) with a sponsorship from Multicultural NSW. Contact the MCC Welfare Offi

Outings every other month Come & make new friends. For more information contact our Coordinator: Charles Mifsud JP Phone (mb 0421 662 298)

Greystanes Maltese Seniors

Meets on the second Monday of each month at the George Preca Parish Cen tre Our Lady Queen of Peace (OLQP) Church, 198 Old Prospect Road, Grey stanes from 10 am to 12 noon

Group holds regular Information Ses sions/Workshops & Bus Trips Gro up Leader: Frances Montesin Men’s

Group

Meets every last Tuesday of the month at the MCC Centre at 59b Franklin Street Parramatta West (next to the Pri mary School), from 10 to 12 noon. Dis cussion, information and renew friendship Pastizzi, Kinnie etc avail able Contact Fred or Laurie 9631 9295

cer: Marisa Previtera JP on 0414 863 123. The MCC offices are at 59b Franklin Street (Cnr Young St) Parramatta West NSW.

The MAWA President: Dr Tony Sciberras

o m m u n i t y N e w s

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We offer legal services in Melbourne (Lt Collins Street) and Werribee

Family law is our specialty

• wills, powers of attorney,

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MALTESE COMMUNITY COUNCIL OF NSW

• child support, intervention orders.

• Maltese Wills, Powers of Attorney

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Marlene Ebejer (speaks Maltese)is an accredited family law specialist

Phone: 03 9741 1722

www ebejerlawyers com au) email reception@ebejerlawyers com au

We get to the point, provide the right ad vice and get the work done at a reason able price.

Listen live on www.northwestfm.org/ ethnic radio/ 97 9 FM Melton: Tuesday 6 00pm to 8 00pm Maltese Program Presenter: Miriam Vella Live streaming on www.979fm.com.au

NSW

2GLF FM 89.3 Maltese Voices with Marthese Caruana: Sundays 10:00 am to 11:00am One hour of Maltese talent, songs from Maltese artists

2GLF FM 89.3 Maltese Community Council programme: Sundays 11 00am to 12:00pm News from Malta, music, information, culture, in terviews, community notices and top ics of interest. Listen live on

www 893fm com au or On Demand on www 893fm com au/on demand/ WOW-FM 100.7: Tuesdays 6pm to 9pm Maltese program with Joe Borg and Michael Mallia. Listen live on www wowfm1007 com au

VOX FM 106.9: Mondays 5pm to 6pm Voice of Valletta Illawarra Mal tese program presented by Louis Parnis Live streaming on www voxfm org au

QUEENSLAND

4EB FM 98.1: Tuesdays 6:00am to 8:00am; Presenter: Lucy Stewart Music, news from Malta, topics of in terest, song requests, community an nouncements Live streaming on www 4eb org au or On Demand on www 4eb org au/shows/program bill malti global maltese/

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

5EBI FM 103.1: Maltese Community Radio Program from Adelaide Sun day: 7 00am; Monday: 8 00am; Mon day: 6 00pm Presenters: Bernadette Buhagiar and Ron Borg. Listen live or On Demand on www 5ebi com au

S p o r t s S p o r t s

D e v i s M a n g i a s t e p s d o w n a s n a t i o n a l t e a m h e a d c o a c h

Malta national team’s Italian coach Devis Mangia has stepped down from his post. He is being investigated following allegations by two national team players of improper behaviour last September

Gilbert Agius leads Malta team against Greece and Ireland as interim coach

Following Devis Mangia’s resig nation, the MFA has appointed Malta Under 21 national coach Gilbert Agius (left), as the national team interim coach for the upcoming two friendly internationals against Greece this Thursday and Ireland on the 21st at the National Stadium Both matches will serve as warm ups for the Euro 2004 qualifiers against North Macedonia (March 23) and Italy (March 26)

Zebbuġ ‘shock’ Hamrun but rain stops play

Zebbug Rangers were surprisingly lead ing leaders Hamrun Spartans 2 1 at halftime on the 10th day of the Premier League in Malta when the heavy rainfall that hit the Maltese islands on Saturday af ternoon waterlogged the pitch at the Cen tenary Stadium and left the referee no other option but to abandon the match However, despite having a game in hand to be played on the 27th of this month, Hamrun Spartans still enjoy a six point lead over their nearest challengers Gzira United (28 to 22) in the league ladder as on the same day Gzira dropped two impor tant points in a 1 1 draw against Birkirkara Gzira’s advantage in the runner up position

Agius, a former Valletta footballer and skipper, is not new to the national team as he was a regular participant during his years as a footballer He is joined in the senior national team set up for the warm up games by Davide Mazzotta, and Alessandro Zinnari The latter is working as a Technical Coordinator and Scouting in the MFA Technical Centre

Once these matches are over, the Malta FA will step up its search for a new national head coach to fill the void left by Mangia

The MFA said it is committed to finding the right person to lead its project forward

LATEST RESULTS Day 11:

Ħamrun S v Zebbug aban Gzira U v Birkirkara Hibernians v Pieta H Floriana v Gudja Mosta v Balzan Valletta v Sta Lucia Sirens v Marsaxlokk Day 10

Ħamrun v Balzan Hibernians v B’kara Gzira v Mosta Sirens v Gudja Floriana v Sta Lucia Valletta v Zebbug R M'Xlokk v Pieta H

1 1 2 1 3 0 2 1 2 0 2 1 1 0 1 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 1 1

is now threat ened as defend ing champions Hibernians de feated Pieta 2 1 to leapfrog over Birkirkara who are on 21 points How they stand: 10npts Hamrun 22 Gzira U. 21 Hibernians 19 Birkirkara 18 Floriana 17 Mosta and Gudja 15 Valletta, Sirens 14 Balzan 13 Marsaxlokk 5 Sta Lucia 4 Zebbug Rangers and Pieta Hotspur.

Malta and Greece have met on ten previ ous occasions. Their first meeting was his toric as Malta secured its first ever competitive victory, a 2 0 result in a Eu ropean Championship qualifier at the Sta dium on February 23, 1975

In the other matches, Greece won on seven occasions The other meetings were drawn The last time the two sides met was during the European Championship qualifier on June 4, 2011, when Greece won 3 1 Gilbert Agius and his assistants Davide Mazzotta and Alessandro Zinnari will choose the team from a 28 man squad blend of youth and experience, with five players born in 2000 or after

The FIFA World Cup: the most prestigious football

Most domestic foot ball competitions, particularly in the 32 countries whose na tional teams are directly involved, would take a break as they make way for the most prestigious tournament in the world, the FIFA World Cup, that kicks off this coming Sunday, 20 November and ends on 18 De cember

tournament kicks off Sunday in Qatar

ber to mid December, making it the first tournament not to be held in May, June, or July and to take place in the northern au tumn; it will be played in a reduced time frame of around 29 days.

one city

The tournament organised by the Interna tional Football Federation, FIFA, which takes place quadrennially, sees 32 nations competing against each other for the prize in Qatar, which is hosting the 22nd edition of the tournament that started way back in 1930 in Uruguay

It will be the first World Cup held in the Arab world and the second World Cup held entirely in Asia after the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan In addition, the tour nament is scheduled to be the last with a 32 team field; the field is slated to increase to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada

Due to Qatar's intense summer heat, this World Cup is being held from late Novem

Qatar is the smallest nation by area ever to have been awarded a FIFA World Cup the next smallest by area is Switzerland, host of the 1954 World Cup, which is more than three times as large as Qatar and only needed to host 16 teams instead of 32 Qatar also became only the second country (not including Uruguay and Italy, hosts of the first two World Cups) to be awarded a FIFA World Cup despite having never qual ified for a previous edition: Japan were awarded co hosting rights of the 2002 World Cup in 1996 without ever having qualified for the finals However, they subsequently did qualify for the 1998 edition.

Of the eight stadiums used in the tourna ment, six are located in the Doha metropol itan area; therefore, it is the first World Cup since 1930 in which most stadiums are in

The opening match of the upcoming competition on Sunday, after the opening ceremony, will be con tested between host nation Qatar and Ecuador at Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor The final is due to be held on 18 December 2022, Qatar National Day The reigning World Cup cham pions are France

The participating nations

The 32 competing teams are divided into eight groups of four teams They are:

GROUP A: Qatar, Ecuador, Senegal Netherlands

GROUP B: England, Iran, United States, Wales

GROUP C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland

GROUP D: France, Australia, Denmark, Tunisia

GROUP E: Spain, Costa Rica, Germany, Japan

GROUP F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia

GROUP G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon

GROUP H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, Sth Korea