Heard in the Hive

Abdelkarim Soliman, Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Mrs Solilman, last Tuesday hosted a reception at their residence, Villa Misr in Kappara, to celebrate Egypt's National Day.

In the pleasant surroundings of their pool, the guests were headed by President Eddie Fenech Adami and Mrs Fenech Adami, Cabinet Ministers, MPs from both sides of the House, members of the diplomatic corps, the business community, academics and other guests.

Speaking mostly in fluent, clear Maltese, Mr Soliman recalled July 23, 1952, the date of the "revolution which changed the face of Egypt" 54 years ago.

This, he said, had brought free education and healthcare for all, and equality at the world of work. The revolution also led to other countries in the Middle East and Africa obtaining independence.

Despite having been in Malta for less than a year, Mr Soliman said he felt accepted and one of us, with the Maltese being very close to the Egyptians in tradition and culture. The Egyptians and Maltese shared a history of having suffered under various rulers.

In the past 10 months, he said he had worked to strengthen bilateral and business relations between the two countries. There had been business, ministerial and other visits which he augured would continue to improve the good relations between the two countries.

In his reply, President Fenech Adami agreed that there were many common characteristics between the two countries. The revolution in Egypt had led to many countries in the Arab world and Africa obtaining independence and gaining social progress.

Turning to English, the President said everyone is extremely worried about the turn of events in the Middle East. He augured that the Rome meeting would lead to a speedy ceasefire, since the tragic situation was going from bad to worse.

"It is about time we all do our best to find a permanent solution," President Fenech Adami said. He saluted former President Anwar Sadat's courage in making peace with Israel. That was thought to be the end of hostilities.

He urged Egypt not to give up in its efforts to promote peace and to continue to play a role in obtaining peace in the Middle East.

Working with Armani's top team

From the early hours of the afternoon on June 8, the Sala dei Congressi in Taormina was transformed as backstage was buzzing with activity. The hairdressers of Freestyle Club by Matrix prepared over 77 models for the event of the year in fashion, Le Kore.

Joseph Buttigieg forms part of this club, and along with his Maltese, Italian, Canadian and Portuguese counterparts worked hard on the event.

The designers themselves were not only presenting their autumn/winter collections but also receiving the Oscar for their achievements in the industry.

"I was lucky enough to work on the Armani models. Little did I know that, surrounded by his bodyguards, he was coming to check each and every model," Mr Buttigieg said.

"I was doing the finishing touches on my model and when I looked on over to some stations, saw that the best and perfect was not good enough. My adrenaline ran high. I had to maximise the perfection of the style; thank God he was very happy with what I presented and even discussed the position of the diamond-studded headdress that had to go on my model," he said.

"My total satisfaction came when I saw my model work the catwalk so gracefully with Taormina as the backdrop with the beautiful Teatro Greco. I could not have done it alone; it was a constant battlefield backstage. I went with the idea that I was going to be working backstage and in the preliminary days qualified to work on Armani's as his works were the more complicated.

"The constant help, support and numerous long meetings that Claire Sciortino and Alfred Martin, who not only represent Collis Williams (the company who brought Freestyle to Malta), but also acted as our agents over there, was unparallelled.

"You have to realise that lots of Freestyle Club Matrix hairdressers flew in from everywhere, and they all wanted to be part of it, especially since it was going to be aired live on Rai Uno. I can only say a very big thank-you to Claire and Alfred for working so hard to secure my place," Mr Buttigieg said.

Diamonds International add sparkle at Fashion for Passion

It was a truly glittering night at Fort Manoel on Saturday week, when Fashion for Passion, Malta's first ever international fashion show, kicked off under the twinkling summer night sky.

The added magic of the lights of the magnificent capital city in the background, and the shimmer of the beautiful designer evening-wear made this a truly memorable event. This was all made possible through the organisation and collaboration of Renaissance Productions Ltd, TV Moda and the MTA.

An additional touch of refined sparkle to this fantastic event was provided by the exquisite jewellery supplied by Diamonds International. The fashion show also featured models on the cat-walk wearing a dazzling array of diamond and pearl jewellery by Damiani, Valente and Mikimoto, and fine watches by Cartier, Piaget and Zenith.

A stunning display of jewellery by Diamonds International was exhibited during the after-event party held in the dramatic setting of Fort Manoel's Polverista, generating much interest and admiration from the many local and foreign guests present.

Guests at the party were welcomed by the chairman of the Classic Group, Paul Fenech, and his wife. Guests of honour included Tourism Minister Francis Zammit Dimech, presenter Jo Squillo and the directors of TV Moda.

Investiture ceremony of the Order of St Lazarus at the Commandery of the Castello

The investitute ceremony of the Commandery of the Castello - Malta of the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem, held at Torri Lanzun, San Gwann, was presided over by deputy commander Chevalier Geoff Fosberry, GCLJ, KMLJ. He was the presiding officer, by the authority vested in him by the Grand Master, Prince Don Francisco de Borbon y Escasany, Duke of Seville.

The ceremony started by the entry of the cross, the sword and the commandery's banner, followed by the postulants, officers and commanders, knights and dames of the commandery and Grand Priory, the deputy commander and the two chaplains, Rev Colin Westmarland and Rev. Canon Tom Mendel.

Following the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer and the Prayer of the Order, the chaplains blessed the insignia.

Postulants Felixa Abrahams, Rosanne de Giorgio, Wendy Halanen and Diana Wayne were inducted in the rank of member, while Captain Garth Halanen was inducted in the grade of officer. Fr Charles Carabott was inducted in the rank of chaplain. They received the cross as the symbol of charity and the mantle of the order, the symbol of knightly brotherhood. Confrère Charles Gatt was created a knight of grace.

Based in Malta, the Military and Hospitaller Order of St Lazarus of Jerusalem dates from the 11th century and has a long and chequered history. The order is both international and ecumenical in character and gives humanitarian aid to many countries in the Third World, particularly to leprosy clinics. Members are committed to work for Christian unity.

International Bianchi family reunion

Over a hundred descendents of Filippo and Carmela Bianchi, spread around the world, gathered for the first international Bianchi family reunion yesterday week in the Ballroom of the Radisson SAS Bay Point, St Julian's.

Each member was given a name tag with different colours to denote the different branches of the family. All those gathered descended from Filippo Bianchi from Imola, in Italy, who in 1862, at the age of 40, married 18-year-old Carmela Caruana of Valletta. Together they had eight children.

The highlight of the memorable evening was a powerpoint presentation prepared by Madeleine Bianchi, BA, MA, wife of Dr John Paul Aquilina, MD, FRCA (London), FACA (USA), of Houston, Texas, with photographs and information on the various family histories. Madeleine is the daughter of the late Dr Marcel I. Bianchi, LLD. and Maud Bianchi.

Jonathan and Audrey, the children of Madeleine and John, played a significant role in compiling the family history and images for the visual presentation. Madeleine gave a three-hour running commentary on the pictures she had collected over the years and also invited various family members to give anecdotes and experiences of their own family branches.

Everyone was invited to check a detailed family tree, prepared by Nicholas Bianchi, and cards were distributed to collect information on all the family members present.

Attending were numerous Bianchis living in Malta, as well as members of the family from different parts of the United States, Tunis, France, Italy and Switzerland. There was a suggestion that another reunion should be held in five years' time in New York.

Lions Clubs' handover

The five Lions Clubs in Malta held a joint handover ceremony to inaugurate the new "lionistic" year at the Coastline Hotel, Salina.

During the evening, Tom A. Restall took over as Zone chairman - Malta from outgoing chairman Charles Pace.

The incoming presidents are Michael Cassar (LC Malta - Host), Chris Borg Cardona (LC Sliema), Michael Sheppard (LC St Paul's Bay) and Mr Pace (LC La Valletta). Isabelle Coppini will be president of LC Mdina for a second term.

Mr Restall stated that he would be endeavouring with the help of all Maltese Lions to increase membership.

The newly elected Zone chairman said that the zone will also be doing its utmost to fulfil its obligations towards the Lions International SightFirst 2 Campaign, which is aimed to help people all over the world suffering from diseases affecting eyesight and to help blind people. He recalled that the Maltese Lions Clubs had contributed to these worthy causes.

The Maltese Lions had also donated glaucoma-screening facilities to the Department of Health. These facilities have been of great help to the Maltese community.

He said this project could be further expanded and hoped that funds could be obtained from LCIF. He said that Lions in Malta have now also established a cornea bank, which has been of great help to people requiring a cornea transplant.

During the evening, past Zone chairman Patrick Frendo presented the Melvin Jones Fellow award to outgoing Zone chairman Charles Pace.

New Training Dynamics celebrates first anniversary

To celebrate the first year of operation, New Training Dynamics (NTD) recently hosted a lavish cocktail party for their customers at the exclusive surroundings of the Westin Dragonara Hotel.

The anniversary party was also an opportunity for clients and NTD officials to get to know each other in a relaxed and informal atmosphere away from the office environment.

While thanking the company's loyal customers for their business, NTD managing director Larissa Redaelli said: "Our first year of operation was an extremely successful one, where we saw the business grow from strength to strength.

"This wishes well for the future and for this I would like to thank our customers who have continuously recommended our training methods to other organisations, due to the astounding success reaped. Today we can say that we have customers in every sector of the Maltese economy, including industry, banking, insurance, hospitality and parastatal companies."

Ms Redaelli added: "Because of our innovative training approach, we have attracted a large customer base, who were receptive to our methods of communication. The feedback is also very positive because our methods are completely new to the island."

Ms Redaelli announced that next year the company will be launching a powerful transformational training programme together with image consultancy and wellness programmes. Throughout the summer months, Esmeralda Micallef Zarafa, master practitioner of NLP and head of training, will be overseeing operations, while Ms Redaelli will be conducting training overseas.

She also introduced Kathleen Vella, master NLP practitioner, HR and training consultant, who joined the team earlier this year.

British High Commission salutes scholars

At a highly entertaining event celebrating the continued success of the Chevening Scholarship Scheme, British High Commissioner Nick Archer praised Maltese students who have followed Chevening-funded post-graduate studies in the United Kingdom.

The High Commissioner presented certificates to returned scholars, and wished good luck to those students who will be undertaking Chevening-funded study in the United Kingdom over the next year.

He was speaking following a well-received recital of modern poetry by the British performance poet Zena Edwards, who entertained those present, including the Minister of Education, Youth and Employment, Louis Galea. The performance, featuring a multicultural outlook on various issues, helped to underline the social, as well as educational, value that the High Commissioner hoped all past and future scholars would get from their period of study in the UK.

The High Commissioner paid tribute to those companies whose continued sponsorship of the Chevening Scholarship Scheme has made it possible for the High Commission to send over 120 scholars to study in the UK over the past 10 years.

Eleven Maltese students have just returned from their Chevening-funded post-graduate study, while another eight will be on their way to various parts of the UK in September.

De La Salle College 1981 class reunites

A group of ex-students from De La Salle College, Cottonera, recently reunited to celebrate the 25th anniversary since leaving Form 5.

The idea had been brewing for some years and finally took off early this year when an organising committee, made up of Ray Baldacchino, Ian Crockford, Alex Grech, Tonio Piscopo, Sandro Schembri and Chris Sciberras, started working on this challenging project.

Great effort was put in to trace as many past students as possible and attempts were also made to contact those who had settled abroad. Since De La Salle College was a boarding school in those days, many boarders who returned to their homelands unfortunately could not be traced. However, the team managed to get hold of the contact details of around 90 per cent of all Maltese students.

A considerable number of teachers were also tracked down, some well into their seventies and bubbling with health. Several enthusiastic e-mails were circulated prior to the actual event and the expectation for this encounter increased day by day. Contact was made with students from around the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Holland, Germany and Belgium and a good number of these made it on the night.

The event took place over two days. The former students and their teachers from the past gathered at the school's main entrance, where they were greeted by the headmaster, Bro Martin, as well as Brothers Edward, Saviour, Edwin, David and Patrick. Each student was given an adhesive name tag to be able to identify himself with his fellow students and teachers, not that many faces really changed. It was really a question of same faces but more weight and less hair as the norm!

A good vibe could be felt when everyone started mingling again after so many years and updating each other of their achievements - social and professional. It was remarkable how despite living on such a tiny island many had actually never met since leaving school 25 years ago.

The evening started off with Mass in the school's modern chapel, celebrated by Fr Joe Borg, who had taught the congregation in the Seventies. Fr Borg's main theme was the importance of treasuring the Christian, and indeed Lasallian, values of union and solidarity among all people. Hymns aptly chosen by the organising committee were sung by all and accompanied on the keyboards by Tonio Piscopo. Jesmond Cutajar and Chris Sciberras read the bidding prayers and readings.

After Mass, Bro Martin welcomed the past students in the traditional assembly parade beneath the famous platform on the school grounds and everyone lined up in the Form 5 class rows they used to occupy as students, under the watchful eyes of their ex-teachers and Brothers.

An open-air reception was later held in the lovely school grounds decorated especially for the occasion, where everyone could reminisce on the very spots they used to enjoy their break-time moments many years ago. The party was entertained with appropriately selected Eighties music provided by ex-student and popular DJ, Alex Grech of Reflex fame.

The gathering enjoyed a multimedia show featuring old school photos and a DVD was handed out to each student individually by Bro. Martin as a memento of the occasion. Live telephone contact was also made with two ex-students living abroad who could not attend.

The guests were later treated to a dance spectacle by the Aceline dancers from popular TVM Saturday night's Show Time. The event went on until the early hours of the morning.

A sweltering Saturday afternoon sun did not prevent students from gathering once again on the school grounds, this time accompanied by their families. A guided tour of the school, including the new Junior School building and the gymnasium, was led by Bro Edward. The students had the opportunity to re-visit their old classes and actually sit on the very chairs they used to occupy in their childhood days.

The tour was followed by fun and games for all, and students attempted to re-activate their football, basketball and hockey skills.

The Brothers' support for this event could be felt throughout and was paramount in its success. Just before sunset, Brothers Martin and Edward finally bade farewell to the students and their families, and a promise was made to reunite again, this time before the 50th anniversary!

A special Website commemorating this occasion, with all the event photos and photos from the past, has been set up at www.reflexmalta.com

Photographic society awards photographers

After a successful season of events and competitions held by the Malta Photographic Society, which came to end with the annual competition and exhibition, it was time to get together to dine and relax.

The society held the annual presentation dinner at the New Dolmen Hotel in Bugibba. The guest of honour of this special evening was Mark Cinatar, manager of the Agfafilm Laboratories of Floriana representing Messers Attard and Co. Ltd.

Following a buffet dinner in the cool surroundings of the hotel's swimming pool area, the presentation of the trophies brought the evening to a close. Trophies sponsored by various firms and individuals supporting the society were presented to the winners of the competitions held throughout the season.

Steve Galea won the Photographer of the Year Award which was presented by Mr Ciantar. John Testa won the Amadeo Buontempo Award which was presented by Mariella Azzopardi, managing director of O&V Photographic of Valletta. The John D. Nunns Memorial Award for Progress was won by Christopher Azzopardi. The award was presented by Mr Ciantar.

For more information on the activities of the society visit the official Website www.maltaphotographicsociety.org

HSBC supports St Joseph Home

St Joseph Children's Home in St Venera has upgraded its computer room with personal computers and other equipment and furnishings, following a donation by HSBC Cares for Children Fund.

The donation, running in to thousands of liri, was presented to the home's director, Fr Silvio Bezzina, by Mrs Jania Geoghegan, the wife of HSBC Bank plc CEO Michael Geoghegan, during their recent visit to Malta.

The funds donated covered the expense for the purchase and installation of air conditioners, aluminium partitions and soffit ceilings. The HSBC Cares for Children Fund had already contributed an initial instalment for the setting up a new computer room for the boys resident at the home.

In addition, HSBC's deputy head of human resources, Dominic Lewis, had last year been seconded to St Joseph Home for a period of three years.

Through this placement, HSBC is directly contributing towards the holistic development of the home's caring programme and the co-ordination of several new and on-going projects, many of which are already being funded by the HSBC Cares for Children Fund.

"Part of my work at St Joseph Children's Home is that of identifying projects that contribute towards the development and empowerment of the children in care. HSBC rightly believes that access to technology is a basic need in the development of lifelong skills and, in this respect, our bank has made a valuable contribution for the benefit of the children," said Mr Lewis.

Volksbank's traditional Austrian evening

Volksbank Malta recently treated key personalities of the business community and authorities to a traditional Austrian evening. The beautiful gardens of the residence of Volksbank chairman Maurice Mizzi were transformed into a traditional "Heuriger" with wooden tables and benches.

"A Heuriger is an typical Austrian outdoor restaurant, open for a limited time of the year, and serving only its own wine and a limited selection of food," managing director Herbert Skok explained.

"The tradition goes back to August 17, 1784, when Austrian Emperor Joseph II issued a decree that permitted all residents to open establishments to sell and serve wine. In Austria, these locations are marked by hanging some twigs over the entrance, which indicate that the restaurant is open."

Following the Austrian tradition, Volksbank presented each guest with a typical wine glass, and even imported wine from Austria for the event. A typical buffet was set up, with a selection of cold meats prepared according to original recipes, a variety of cheese and meat based spreads and brown bread.

Live music was provided by the Austrian singers Elisabeth-Joe Harriet and Willi Beranek, who were accompanied by Georg Farthofer on the accordion. The singers presented a selection of traditional Viennese songs, some of which were translated into English, which mainly referred to the wonderful taste of the wine, the art of drinking and the consequences, but also to the beauty of Vienna, memories of the Austrian Empire, and any other themes ranging from love to life in general.

"This event was a wonderful occasion to bring a little bit of Austrian culture to Malta," Mr Skok said. "We see Volksbank as a Maltese bank with an Austrian background, and events like these clearly show our bank bridging Austria and Central Europe on one side, and Malta on the other side."

Volksbank Malta, a subsidiary of Österreichische Volksbanken AG, offers its customers access to over 600 branches in Austria as well as 178 sister banks in Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Romania, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, with a representative office in Italy.

People

CHARLES GALDIES, of Naxxar, has recently obtained his doctorate degree in Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems from the University of Durham, England. He obtained his Ph.D. after graduating from his first and second degrees from the University of Malta in 1991 and 1995.

The research work submitted for his doctorate degree investigated the use of novel remotely sensed data and geo-spatial analysis to improve and verify weather and ocean forecasting in the central Mediterranean. His findings have been presented in a number of international conferences and will be published in scientific journals.

Dr Galdies is currently working with the International Ocean Institute (Headquarters) as programme manager and is a freelance consultant on Remote Sensing and GIS applications.

ADRIAN MIFSUD, B.E.&A. (Hons), M.Sc.(Lond), DIC, A&CE, was recently awarded the degree of Master of Science with Distinction in Soil Mechanics, from Imperial College, London.

The course covered aspects such as geology, the engineering behaviour of clays, granular materials and rocks, the influence of groundwater, the stabilty of slopes, the design of foundations and retaining walls, numerical modeling of geotechnical problems, and methods of investigating natural deposits to obtain their engineering properties.

At the end of the course, Mr Mifsud presented his dissertation entitled "A parametric study on the behaviour of a geosynthetic-reinforced granular fill as voids develop directly below". This study was part of a wider research programme aimed to refine methods of constructing buildings on ground that is prone to mining subsidence.

At the graduation ceremony, Mr Mifsud was also awarded the Soil Mechanics Prize, given annually by Imperial College to an M.Sc. student displaying excellence in the advanced MSc course.

Mr Mifsud received his primary and secondary education at De La Salle College, Cottonera, and at the New Lyceum, Msida. In 1995, he graduated as an architect and civil engineer from the University of Malta, with first class honours. Since then, he has been employed with Bezzina and Cole, architects and civil engineers, with whom he has worked on a number of large projects on the Maltese Islands.

Mr Mifsud is the son of Mr and Mrs Anthony Mifsud of Fgura. He is married to Nathalie née Calleja and they have a daughter, Marija.

SERGIO VELLA has been appointed as general manager of Actavis in Malta. Steinthor Palsson, who has held that position since 2002, will be moving on to another position in the Actavis Group.

Mr Vella joins Actavis from the Malta Baxter manufacturing facility, a local subsidiary of the American Baxter Healthcare company, where he served as general manager of Baxter Malta, as well as covering additional international management responsibilities for different Baxter facilities in Italy, France and Tunisia.

Prior to joining Baxter, Mr Vella occupied different management positions within the Edible Oil Refining Group of Companies between 1976 and 1990. Mr Vella graduated in chemistry and biology from the University of Malta in 1974. Mr Vella has also served on a number of government boards including the Malta Transport Authority, Malta Development Corporation and Malta Shipyards Ltd. He is married and has two children.

DR BROCK FRIESEN is the new chief officer commercial of Air Malta. He will be working under the direction of CEO Joe Cappello and will be responsible for organising, directing and controlling all the operations of the Commercial Division with the specific task of increasing revenue for the airline.

Dr Friesen has been engaged from outside the organisation. He brings with him over 20 years of senior international airline management experience in most aspects of commercial. Dr Friesen joins Air Malta from Star Alliance, a major global airline alliance, where he was vice-president, finance and strategy. Prior to Star Alliance in Frankfurt, Dr Friesen was vice-president with Canadian Airlines International in Vancouver (now merged with Air Canada), among his various executive positions. Earlier in his career, Dr Friesen was senior energy policy advisor with the Government of British Columbia.

Canadian-born Dr Friesen is a Ph.D. graduate of the University of Waterloo in Canada and has an MBA from IMD in Switzerland. He has lectured at university level on energy and natural resources economics, and invented and patented the first single-engine hovercraft. Dr Friesen is married with one daughter and is a keen sailor.

Degiorgio - Dingli

St Paul Shipwrecked Church, Valletta, was recently the wedding venue for AnnaMaria Degiorgio, daughter of Mr and Mrs Alfred Degiorgio, of Qawra, and Dr Alexei Dingli, son of Mr and Mrs Paul Dingli, of Valletta.

Nuptial Mass was celebrated by Fr Ray Francalanza. The ceremony was witnessed by Rita Galea, the groom's aunt, and John Vella, the bride's uncle. John Dingli carried out the duties of best man.

The bride, who wore an ivory-coloured beaded gown and carried a bouquet of roses, was attended by her sister Stefie Meekers as maid of honour, and by Leah Meekers, Emma Muscat and Lara-Marie Pisani as flower-girls.

A reception was later held at Villa Arrigo, Naxxar. The couple are spending their honeymoon in Spain.

Vella - Gatt

Our Lady of Sorrows parish church, St Paul's Bay, was recently the wedding venue for Bernice Vella, daughter of Emanuel and Pauline Vella, of St Paul's Bay, and Christopher Gatt, son of Emanuel and Agnes Gatt, of Mosta.

Nuptial Mass was concelebrated by Mgr Joseph Carabott, Fr Elias Vella and Fr George Buttigieg. The ceremony was witnessed by the bride's uncle, Anthony Vella, and the groom's sister, Maria Magro. Saviour Gatt carried out the duties of best man.

The bride, who wore an ivory laced gown, was attended by Elaine Vella, Susannah Vella and Krista Farrugia Galea as bridesmaids, and Greta Tanti as flower-girl. Matthias Azzopardi and Gabriel Falzon were ring bearers.

A reception was later held at Palazzo Promontorio, Wardija. The couple are spending their honeymoon cruising the Mediterranean.

For your diary

A day's outing in aid of the Little Sisters of the Poor will be held at the Cavallieri Hotel, St Julian's, on Wednesday at 10 a.m. For bookings and information phone Blanche Martin on 2133-0387. Please book early.

Every month, the Richmond Foundation is organising self-help group meetings for persons who are experiencing mental health difficulties. The aim of these groups is for people to support and encourage each other on their road to recovery. The first meeting is being held in Maltese at the Despot Hall, Education Department, Floriana, onWednesday at 5.30 p.m.

The second meeting will be held in English at the Richmond Foundation, 433, St Joseph High Street, St Venera, on August 9 at 5.30 p.m.

For further information contact the Richmond Foundation on 2148-2336 or 2144-0324 or send an e-mail to info@richmond.org.mt.

The Malta branch of the International Al Jolson Society is organising a barbecue/buffet in a four-star Gzira hotel on Saturday at 8.30 p.m. For more information phone 2189-6936 or 9988-0489.

The Friends of the Little Sisters of the Poor are organising a Midsummer Evening Cruise on the Fernandez on August 9. Departure is at 8 p.m. from the Strand (opposite Pebbles Bar). Tickets cost Lm12.50 per head and include buffet dinner and wine.

For more information phone Christine Debono on 7944-4135 or 2133-0453, Madeleine de Domenico on 7926-0965 or 2133-5334 or send an e-mail to cmdebono@hotmail.com. Cheques are to be made payable to Friends of the Little Sisters of the Poor, 50, Windsor Terrace, Sliema, SLM 09.

The Special Rescue Group - St Lazarus Corps is organising another course for prospective members, starting in September. Applications from prospective members will be received by August 18. Interested persons can obtain an application from the Commander-in-Chief, Special Rescue Group - St Lazarus Corps, 369, Triq il-Fortizza, Pembroke STJ 07 or by e-mail at cic@srgmalta.org. The course is free of charge for new members. For further information call 2137-5353, 2138-8919 or 9947-5536.

The President and Mrs Fenech Adami's engagements: July 31-August 6

Tomorrow
11 a.m. The President receives Australian High Commissioner Richard Palk on a farewell call at the Palace, Valletta.
5.30 p.m. Mrs Fenech Adami presides over a Ball of the August Moon committee meeting at Verdala Palace.

Wednesday
10.30 a.m. The President receives Mgr George Frendo, auxiliary Bishop of Durres in Albania, at the Palace, Valletta.

Saturday
8 p.m. The President and Mrs Fenech Adami host the Ball of the August Moon in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund at Verdala Palace.