Heard in the Hive

On January 1, Austria took over the rotating six-month Presidency of the European Union and, to celebrate the occasion, the Austrian Ambassador, Dr Elisabeth Kehrer, last Tuesday hosted a reception at Palazzo Marina - surely one of the loveliest and most richly decorated palaces in Valletta - which belongs to the Bianchi Group.

Among the numerous guests were the President and Mrs Fenech Adami, the Prime Minister and Mrs Gonzi, Cabinet ministers, MPs, members of the diplomatic corps - foremost among them ambassadors of EU member states - and members of the Austrian community, among them representatives of the six Austrian banks operating in Malta.

The magnificently decorated Palazzo Marina, with its innumerable paintings, sculptures, ships' models, prints, tapestries, antique furniture and other works of art, was a suitable backdrop for the occasion and a fitting venue in view of the fact that Mr Michael Bianchi, executive director of the Bianchi Group, is honorary consul-general of Austria.

Addressing the guests, Ambassador Kehrer, after thanking the Bianchi family for lending their palace for the occasion, described the evening as "a celebration of Europe". She said Austria has taken over the EU Presidency from the United Kingdom at a time when Europe had come out of a difficult economic time, when the UK itself suffered terrorist attacks, and when confidence in the European project seemed to waver after the rebuff to the Constitutional Treaty following referenda in two member states.

However, the year ended on a positive note, thanks to the agreement on the EU budget for 2007-13, which was brought about by the British Presidency's willingness to reach a compromise.

The Austrian Presidency, she continued, hopes to promote renewed confidence in Europe, its economy and its future. A few difficulties remained, however. The first priority of the Presidency in fact was to ensure that the EU Budget would now be approved by the European Parliament. The second priority was to breathe life into the Constitutional Treaty, which had suffered a serious setback, but which was necessary for the European project.

We could all draw inspiration from the great Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the 250th anniversary of whose birth falls later this month, so that harmony can reign in the European Union. Though Austrian-born, Mozart, in fact belonged to Europe because he worked and travelled in so many countries now forming part of the 25-member EU.

The ambassador's speech was followed by the playing of the EU anthem.

The Prime Minister, in his reply, said that the 'Ode to Joy' they had just heard was appropriate because we all wish Europe to enjoy peace and prosperity.

The EU is a success story which began 50 years ago, Dr Gonzi said, and has managed to achieve huge progress and changes which no revolutions had ever achieved. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Europe had indeed come together, and within the EU rich nations help poorer nations achieve prosperity. This was solidarity in action, the underlying principle of the EU.

But Europe was not just economic progress; it was necessary to explain the vision behind the EU project. It was necessary to promote the positive aspects of what the EU is all about.

Nevertheless, the agreement on the EU budget reached in Brussels last month was a breath of fresh air, giving a seven-year perspective, enabling individual governments, not least Malta, to get down to details and do some long-term planning.

Dr Gonzi praised the role played by the British government in reaching the hard-won compromise, continuing the groundwork begun under the Luxembourg Presidency. The UK government conceded enough ground to enable the compromise to be reached, and Malta will benefit from the flexibility the EU budget provides.

Dr Gonzi agreed with Dr Kehrer that Europe needs to move forward on the Constitutional Treaty which, one must remember, had gone through the widest form of consultation possible at the convention, and at which Malta and the other nine candidate countries, had been represented even though they were not yet members. Indeed, this should be a model of consultation.

It was a source of particular pride to him, Dr Gonzi said, that parliamentary agreement on the Constitution had been unanimous, considering that Malta was probably the most divided on EU membership among the ten candidate states.

He was also pleased to see that under the Austrian Presidency migration issues will be addressed, since Malta had been particularly affected by this phenomenon. He wished the Austrian Presidency success in reaching its objectives, which included the creation of more jobs and other important issues.

Artistic birthday at Villa Tempra

It was an especially happy birthday celebration for Dame Françoise Tempra at Villa Tempra, Mgarr, on New Year's Day.

Her sister Mina had flown in from Milan the night before, as did house-guest Catherine Aureau from Paris, American artist Ronald Burns with his adorable wife Ditte and their friend Kirsten Dybbol from Copenhagen, Muriel and Samantha Barrett from Brussels, Gordana Samardziski to join her artist husband Ljupco, and many others.

Other close friends who turned up for the celebration included Fr Marius Zerafa accompanied by his brother Lawrence, Emanuel Fiorentino, Jovan Mizzi with his delightful wife and artistic son Justin (currently exhibiting at Geneva World in Switzerland as part of the Malta Biennale Under-18 group) and daughter.

Pianist, composer and teacher Norman Cristina started the party at the piano and synthesiser, improvising a musical background to novelist, poet and painter Marie Anne Zammit, who read a poem, which she will recite during a poetry evening at the 2006 Tempra Academy (March-April 1) at the Centre Culturel Christiane Peugeot, in Paris.

Marie-Therese Vassallo, soprano, composer, teacher, and director of the Malta Cultural Institute, led the party singing some highly acclaimed favourites. She was supported by Vanessa Magro (who also delighted everyone with her solo performances), her husband Charles, a powerful bass, Albert Storace and at the piano by Norman Cristina.

Marie-Therese then paid tribute to all the guests with La Vie en Rose for Mina, Catherine, Muriel and Samantha, Granada and Guantanamera for the Spanish Ambassador, Maria Rosa Boceta, American songs for Shelley Tayar, Ronald and Ditte Burns, and all the Italian favourites for everyone else.

The musical evening delighted everyone and Dame Françoise officially invited Marie-Therese, Vanessa Magro and Norman Cristina to perform at the 2006 Tempra Academy in Paris in March, when an art exhibition and lectures, Les visages de l'Inde (The Faces of India) by Milena Kunz Bijno, will be presented.

In June, also at the Tempra Academy in Paris, Dr Charlie Azzopardi will repeat the interesting lecture he gave on Salvador Dalì during a past Biennale.

But the birthday party at Villa Tempra was also the night for the artists: Ronald Burns brought his works for the Pictorial Sound of Music show which opened at the Crowne Plaza, Sliema, yesterday, and for the Eloquence of Bloom, to be inaugurated on Saturday at the Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard.

Artist and saxophonist Walter Vella showed the glass creation Maltese Goddess, which will be presented at the Tempra Academy in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA, in June, and Vince Caruana from Gozo brought a Nude Study (also to be exhibited in Greenwich) from his work at the Fine Arts Academy of Florence.

Side by Side bears fruit

Although very few children are considered to be orphans in Malta, there are many homes run by religious orders or lay people taking care of children from disturbed backgrounds, single-parent homes, unwanted children, traumatised children, patchwork families and other difficult situations. These children are eagerly waiting to share a particular love and to receive some love in return.

Since the people who work directly and are in daily contact with these children work wonders, Round Table and the Ladies Circle Malta decided to lend a helping hand and reach out to both children and carers. So at Christmas time, they treated children, carers, nuns and guardians from St Rita House, Dar it-Tama, St Joseph Home and Dar Sagra Familija to a cinema event at the IMAX Theatre within the Eden Century Cinemas in St Julian's followed by a meal at Mc Donald's in Bay Street.

The homes invited to attend this activity were those which both clubs already help through their individual community service projects.

The children's enthusiasm shown at the end of the afternoon was enough for Tablers and Circlers to know that the event had been a success.

Paramount Garage kindly offered their services for free and transported the children from the respective homes to the cinema and back. Ian De Cesare, honarary member of Round Table 2, who held various roles and high-ranking posts both nationally and internationally, helped the two organisation to co-ordinate this event, while Beppe Hili, also a past Round Table member, offered sponsorship.

This event was the result of a collaboration between Round Table and the Ladies' Circle, entitled Side by Side. Although the Ladies' Circle started out as an offshoot of Round Table, the two clubs became more distinct with time. In view of this, both international boards held a meeting last July in Cyprus and came up with a concept for both clubs to work together - Side by Side.

The latter is the new slogan for a project which may develop in clubs working together nationally and internationally on the lines of friendship and/or community service.

The Commonwealth Resounds at The Victoria

When heads of governments meet, great importance is given to such meetings. However we rarely really identify with the political magnitude of such events. Recently though, the Commonwealth meeting through The Commonwealth Resounds established some enduring cultural bonds that reach beyond a purely political perception.

Dorothea Sultana de Maria, co-director of The Commonwealth Re-sounds, has been moving to and from Malta for six months leading up to CHOGM, using The Victoria Hotel as her base.

Dorothea has organised several cultural activities in Warminster, UK, of which she is also deputy mayor. She has also worked in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority for local events.

She talks enthusiastically about how the idea was conceived, and how together with Alison Cox she designed, proposed and set up the Commonwealth Resounds event.

Put that way, it sounds simple, yet selecting, recruiting, co-ordinating and managing 200 creative individuals from all over the world was no picnic. Hitches and glitches kept emerging. A case in point was the mystery of the missing container-load of steel instruments being used by the Trinidad & Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra. These eventually turned up, literally on the night, following the non-stop help of a very efficient cargo handler, making it all right on the night after all.

From an artistic point of view, The Commonwealth Resounds was a triumphant cultural event. Dorothea Sultana de Maria commended all those who were of priceless assistance to them. This included the Minister of Tourism and his staff as well as the Manoel Theatre, in particular, artistic director Tony Cassar Darien.

She also heaped praise on the staff at The Victoria Hotel, co-sponsors of The Commonwealth Resounds, who provided complimentary accommodation for most of the cultural participants, and who, Dorothea claimed, were incredibly supportive. She said: "We were all staying there. We'd hold animated business breakfasts, and late in the evening we'd all meet once again at table for crisis management meetings."

The Victoria staff rose to the occasion and left a lasting impression on the foreign guests. One time, faced with a ravenous group of international musicians and a closed kitchen, the enterprising barman rustled up all he could find and provided a thoroughly satisfying midnight meal for the numerous party. Dorothea related how one of the participants, Dr Daniel Amponsah of Ghana, expressed his appreciation and amazement at the service, remarking that foreign hotels would just state that the kitchen was closed, and leave it at that.

Dorothea Sultana de Maria was thoroughly satisfied with the complete success of The Commonwealth Resounds. She said that all this was part of the cultural interaction that the Commonwealth and music managed to bring about in Malta. "Not only was it a showcase of international and local talent, but it has also served as a platform for friendship and understanding while conveying peace and unity. Music can really transcend cultures, beliefs and politics."

Assembly of nobility reminded of duties to society

Marquis Anthony Buttigieg De Piro, honorary president of the Association of Foreign Title Holders in Malta, recently welcomed members to the convocation of the assembly of foreign title holders by reminding them of their past, their duties and their responsibilities.

"We all have a duty," Marquis Buttigieg De Piro said. "We have a duty to our ancestors, to our generation and to our descendants. We have to embody the tradition, customs and the patrimony of the ancient nobility in Malta, and of those kingdoms and countries in Europe from which our titles derive".

Marquis Buttigieg De Piro said he was pleased to note that a good number of the association's members have proved themselves as leaders of industry, commerce, business and in the army, as well as being leaders of society. To the applause of those present, Marquis Buttigieg De Piro congratulated association member Dr John Attard Montalto, Baron of San Paolino, on being elected to the European Parliament, saying that this was an honour for the association.

Marquis Buttigieg De Piro told delegates that the council and association are propelled by the energy of a number of volunteers who offer their services and expertise at no obligation, namely the interim honorary secretary Chevalier Aaron G.P. de Giorgio, who has been the honorary press and information officer since 2000. He paid tribute to the honorary legal adviser, Dr Louis Camilleri Preziosi de' Conti Preziosi and the honorary heraldic consultant, Captain Adrian Strickland, who is Ambassador to The Netherlands.

The assembly was hosted at the Commandery of the Castello of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem, for which Marquis Buttigieg De Piro thanked Grand Chancellor Commander Geoffrey Fosberry who offered the association the use of the commandery premises. To further help the charitable aims of the order of St Lazarus, the association will make a contribution to the charity fund.

Chevalier de Giorgio said that the membership of the association had increased through much hard work and invitations tendered by officers on council to individuals who are eligible to join. The association now has 18 full members and 15 associate members. The council received and accepted six new applications for associate membership.

Aaron de Giorgio passed a vote of thanks to Marquis Buttigieg De Piro for never failing to offer the hospitality of his home to the council to hold meetings, to discuss association business, and for his unflinching generosity towards the association.

Chevalier de Giorgio concluded that with renewed energy and resolve, the new fourth council was determined to build on the success of the past and to organise more social functions and gatherings.

The council of officers for the fourth term is composed of Marquis Buttigieg De Piro as honorary pre-sident, Charles Vella Bonavita, Count of San Paolino d'Aquilejo, as honorary vice-president, Chevalier de Giorgio as honorary secretary and honorary press and information officer, Sean Sant Fournier de' Conti Fournier e dei Baroni de Pausier as honorary (administration) secretary, Stephen Sant Fournier, Count Fournier, and Baron de Pausier as honorary treasurer, Lieutenant Colonel Count Gauci as honorary archivist and honorary genealogist. Dr Louis Camilleri Preziosi dei Conti Preziosi and Captain Adrian Strickland will continue to serve in a consultative capacity.

REMPEC commemorates 30th anniversary of Mediterranean Action Plan

The Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) recently hosted a reception to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and to bid farewell to Rear Admiral Roberto Patruno, its outgoing director, who terminated his mandate at the end of the year.

A good number of guests, who included Presidents Emeriti Dr Censu Tabone and Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, members of the diplomatic corps, and government officials, attended the reception, which was held at the Hilton Malta in St Julian's.

Addressing the guests, Rear Admiral Patruno outlined the events which 30 years ago led to the adoption of the MAP by Mediterranean coastal states and, a year later, to the adoption of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution and its first two protocols, the Dumping Protocol and the Emergency Protocol. He also referred to the important role played by REMPEC within the framework of the MAP in the field of prevention of, preparedness for and response to marine pollution.

MAP is an action-oriented co-operative effort involving 21 Mediterranean coastal states as well as the European Union, aimed at protecting the Mediterranean Sea from pollution. It was the first regional programme to be established under the Regional Seas Programme launched by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1974.

REMPEC, formerly known as the Regional Oil Combating Centre (ROCC), is an intergovernmental United Nations Regional Centre operating within the framework of MAP and administered by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The centre, established in Malta in 1976, was created to facilitate the implementation of the Emergency Protocol to the Barcelona Convention, which was subsequently replaced by the Prevention and Emergency Protocol of 2002.

Round Table (Malta) 2 annual gala dinner

As the final few seconds of 2005 ticked away, all the guests attending the Round Table (Malta) 2 (RT2) annual gala dinner were already on their feet dancing the night away. As midnight struck, under a shower of balloons and champagne, the loud cheer from the dance floor of "Happy New Year!" ushered in 2006.

The black tie event was held at the Le Meridien Phoenicia Ballroom in Floriana and was attended by 170 guests. This annual event is the main fund-raising activity of RT2, during which money is also collected for charity through a lottery.

Among the prizes to be won this year was a painting kindly donated by John Martin Borg worth over Lm400, apart from other valuable prizes, which encouraged the patrons to be generous and a good sum was collected for the charity supported by the artist.

Commenting on the event, RT2 chairman Chris Vassallo Cesareo said: "After all the effort that went into organising such an event, it was great to see everyone enjoying themselves. The feedback from the guests after the event was extremely positive, and this is not only gratifying but it also encourages us to organise more of these high quality events."

The beginning of a New Year is also a time for reflection, and as Mr Vassallo Cesareo pointed out, 2005 was truly another impressive year of Tabling. "As a club we have managed to meet our objectives of fellowship, fun and meeting people. We organised a number of memorable fellowships, including visits to the airport control tower and the Aviation Museum as well as the much anticipated events such as the Cookery and Porchetta Night.

"We are also particularly proud that a number of charity organisations have benefited from our efforts, including Dar it-Tama and Dar l-Emigrant. Finally, we have also managed to build on the previous year's momentum and have a number of new members. We definitely are growing as a club!"

Looking to the future, Mr Vassallo Cesareo is confident that 2006 looks set to be another great year for RT2. Apart from a calendar chockablock with social and charity events, a number of international events are also planned.

"We constantly encourage members to travel, at least once a year, to attend international Table events, such as the Euro 2 meeting held in a different country each year, or to visit another Table during their own national AGM.

"This year the Euro 2 meeting is being held in South Africa - so it should be quite an experience! Travel subsidies are provided where possible as an added incentive to encourage members to expand their Table experience overseas."

As a final comment on Round Table in general, Mr Vassallo Cesareo said: "If you are a young man looking to join a club, which apart from being loads of fun, also promotes values such as friendship, loyalty, camaraderie and charity, you should consider joining Round Table. We guarantee it to be a great lifelong experience!"

For more information on the club and its activities, or to enquire on membership, visit their Website www.rt2malta.com.

St Julian's Choral Group's annual party

The St Julian's Choral Group organised their annual Christmas season dinner party for members and their guests on January 4 at the St Julian's parish hall, kindly made available for the occasion by Fr Ray Toledo, parish priest of St Julian's.

The event was well attended and the members and guests were treated to a sumptuous three-course meal with an open bar throughout the evening.

Adhering to tradition, a small group of choir members provided entertainment for the evening and presented a karaoke show in which most of the guests joined in the fun.

Special guests for the evening were Fr Toledo, choir director Mro J. Gatt and Fr John Galea, director of the ex-St Julian's Choir, of which many of the guests were active members.

In a short speech, Ronnie C. Galea, president of the St Julian's Choral Group, thanked all members for their co-operation and support throughout the year and presented each of them with a gift as a token of appreciation.

People

Ing. Patrick Attard was recently awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Engineering from the University of Malta.

His thesis, entitled "Ion-Current Combustion Control for Compression-Ignition Engines", was based on reasearch performed between 2001 and 2004 at the DaimlerChrysler Research Facility in Stuttgart, Germany, where he was employed as a Ph.D. student.

Experiments were carried out on conventional diesel, homogeneous-charge compression ignition (HCCI) diesel, and controlled-auto ignition (CAI) petrol Mercedes-Benz engines in order to control the engine and reduce harmful emissions and increase efficiency. The work resulted in 11 German patents, some of which are being registered in the USA and with the European Patent Office.

The work was supervised by Professor Joseph Micallef on behalf of the University of Malta and co-supervised by Dr Ing. Rüdiger Herweg on behalf of DaimlerChrysler AG.

During April and October, Dr Attard was employed at Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines Ltd (formerly Mercedes-Ilmor) in Northamptonshire, UK, to perform a study on combustion sensors for the 2005 McLaren-Mercedes Formula One engines.

Dr Attard is the son of Joseph and Vivienne Attard.

Ruth Baldacchino of Siggiewi recently graduated Master of Arts in Women's Studies from the University College of Dublin.

She pursued her research under the tutorship of Dr Mary McAuloffe, specialising in lesbian and gay studies. Her thesis, entitled "L-Ohra/The Other: Embracing Lesbian Desire", is a socio-historical research about the lives of four lesbian couples living in early 20th century Dublin.

Ms Baldacchino holds a BA (Hons) in Sociology from the University of Malta.

For your diary

A reunion is being held at Sr Adalgiza Zammit Hall of Carlo Diacono Girls' Junior Lyceum, Zejtun, on Friday at 6.30 p.m. to commemorate the school's 40th anniversary. The activity includes Mass, a short programme and refreshments. All former students and staff are welcome. Tickets, at Lm1 each, can be obtained from the reception desk (tel. 2169-4725).

Ward u Zghar is organising an outing to Limestone Heritage in Siggiewi on Sunday at 9.45 a.m. For more information phone 9947-2868.

The Maltese Psychological Association together with the Cana Movement will be organising a lecture titled "Understanding Marital Breakdown" to be delivered by Dr Jack Dominian. The seminar will take place at the Centre for Professional Bodies in Gzira on January 24 at 6 p.m.

Professionals working with couples and others having a keen interest in the matter are to register by phone on 2123-8942 or via e-mail at info@canamovement.org. A fee of Lm3 (Lm 2 for students) is to be paid at the door.

The President and Mrs Fenech Adami's engagements - January 16-22

Tomorrow
10.30 a.m. The President receives Mellieha Primary School students at San Anton Palace.

Tuesday
6.30 p.m. The President and Mrs Fenech Adami preside over a Malta Community Chest Fund board meeting at San Anton Palace.

Wednesday
11 a.m. The President receives the newly appointed chairman and members of the Broadcasting Authority at the Palace, Valletta.

Thursday
9 a.m. The President receives the Prime Minister at the Palace, Valletta.

10 Mrs Fenech Adami presides over an MCCF working committee meeting.

5 p.m. Mrs Fenech Adami meets Doris Zahra regarding the Grand Charity Ball at San Anton Palace.

6.30 The President presides over a meeting of the Commission for the Administration of Justice at the Palace, Valletta.

Friday
10 a.m. The President and Mrs Fenech Adami visit Margaret Halliday on the occasion of her 100th birthday at Villa Messina, Rabat.

11 The President receives the president and vice-president from the Amigos de Malta association and the chairman of the Juame II de Just Foundation of Valencia at the Palace, Valletta.

Noon The President receives British High Commissioner Sir Vincent Fean on a farewell call.

12.30 p.m. The President receives Mr Speaker.

4.30 Mrs Fenech Adami hosts tea in aid of the MCCF at San Anton Palace.

7.30 The President and Mrs Fenech Adami attend a reception hosted by the Floriana council on the occasion of the liturgical feast of St Publius at the council's premises.

Sunday
9.30 a.m. The President and Mrs Fenech Adami attend the consecration of Mgr Mario Grech as Bishop of Gozo at the Cathedral in Victoria, Gozo.