Heard in the Hive

Following Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts' integration into the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Group last year, Le Meridien Phoenicia and Le Meridien St Julian's together with Westin Dragonara Resort have been working ever more closely.

The Starwood Group is now the largest five-star hotel operator in Malta, managing over 750 five-star bedrooms.

As part of a team-building exercise the management teams of the three properties recently got together in the relaxed environment of a day on board the Hera II. Attendance was high and all those invited met in Sliema early in the morning to set sail.

The general managers - Hans Cauchi of the Westin Dragonara Resort, Ben Sington of Le Meridien Phoenicia and Michael Shannon of Le Meridien St Julian's - toasted their teams for all the efforts made this year with the integration.

The Hera II proceeded to Gozo and once she was anchored, most of the guests jumped in for a swim to beat the heat, and the occasional floating board meeting!

The day was organised by Roman Schwaiger, director of operations at Le Meridien Phoenicia and scrumptious food was prepared by Victor Borg, executive chef and his team.

On the way back to port the boat stopped in Comino where the guests were surprised by the breakfast chef of Le Meridien Phoenicia who arrived with his jet-ski and took many of them (mostly the ladies!) for a ride.

All agreed that the day out was a great opportunity for all to bond and celebrate the success of the hotel's performances this year.

New street-wear shop

Former XFM DJ Caroline Eckett saw a dream come true as she opened her first shop, Funky Monkey in Ta' L-Ibrag, with a champagne and sushi themed party on August 23. Among the guests were TV personality Moira Delia, singer Miriam Christine and DJ/TV presenter John Bundy.

The shop was officially declared open by the guest of honour - the mayor of Swieqi, Alfred Curmi, who wished the store every succress before proceeding to cut the red ribbon.

The shop boasts a number of big internationally renowned urban street-wear brands, namely Bench, Boxfresh, Golddigga, Hooch, Fly 53 and David & Goliath, which are new to Malta and are exclusive to Funky Monkey.

BOV donates new hoist to Dar il-Kaptan

Bank of Valletta has financed the purchase of a brand new hoist for Dar il-Kaptan. The bank's donation was presented by Joe Borg, manager of BoV's Rabat branch, to Harry Fenech, administrator of Dar il-Kaptan, during a courtesy visit at the respite home.

Thanking BoV for its support, Mr Fenech emphasised the usefulness of the hoist in the operations of the home. "The hoist is essential in the handling of residents with severe mobility problems as it takes off the entire weight load from our care-workers," he explained. "The philosophy of the foundation is based on the individual's right to dignity, respect and privacy. By adhering to these fundamental principles, we provide services that enhance the individual's potential with a view to enriching the quality of life."

Mr Borg said that Bank of Valletta, through its Community Programme, supports valid projects undertaken by philanthropic organisations to improve the quality of life of those who are most in need.

HSBC sponsors book distribution

HSBC Cares for Children Fund has supported the distribution of books by the Royal British Legion to every primary and secondary level student participating in the legion's English language summer courses.

The books were given out to students during a presentation ceremony at the Gozo Ministry by HSBC's area director for Gozo, Stephen Pandolfino.

"Education has always been a central theme in HSBC's commitment to the Maltese community. Over the past year, HSBC Cares for Children Fund has been distributing books to primary and secondary schools on a regular basis.

This specific initiative reinforces HSBC's support in the fight against illiteracy and the determination to help provide all children in Malta with the opportunity to be educated, which will inevitably also benefit the Maltese economy," Mr Pandolfino said.

Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono, who presided over the prize-giving ceremony, remarked that the level of English among Gozitan students had risen and that the Royal British Legion's effort must have influenced this satisfactory result.

Minister Debono emphasised the need to read good quality English literature, as the language remains one's principal passport to most of the main economic activities that students will be pursuing later on in life.

Minister Debono presented the top prizes to students from years four to six and forms one to four, including special prizes to Francesco Caruana (primary) and to Massimo Grech (secondary).

Resounding success for AX Foundation's Caritas event

The recent barbecue in aid of Caritas organised by the AX Foundation turned out to be a complete success. Over 300 guests attended the barbecue, which was held at the Sunny Coast Resort in Qawra.

The guests included Acting President George Hyzler, Anglu Fenech and Marcette Busuttil from Caritas, and AX Foundation members William Spiteri, Oswald Tanti, Frederick Clark and Mario Fenech.

The chairman of the AX Foundation, Josephine Xuereb, was full of praise for all those involved in making the Caritas event a success. She said that the high turnout was evidence of this, and for such an achievement she had to acknowledge the involvement members of staff from AX Group of Companies.

Mrs Xuereb added: "They really lived up to AX Group's well-proven standards by going all out to cater for an excellent gastronomic event. The quality of the food, the presentation and the service were all superb. The event wouldn't have succeeded without the organisational support of the entire team".

She expressed her particular appreciation to all sponsors, suppliers and staff members from the Suncrest Hotel, AX Construction, and the Sunny Coast Resort, who gave their services voluntarily and without remuneration. She said that this support offered formidable encouragement for future fund-raising events in aid of worthy causes.

SAKS hair seminar

The SAKS addict collection is the latest signature collection from the SAKS art team. SAKS addict cuts and colours are the most desirable trends of the season influenced by global fashion media and celebrities.

SAKS addict reflects a modern identity and offers the consumer a personalised style whether hair is long or tousled, short or neat, and the collection allows hairdressers to experiment and explore creatively.

The collection combines sharp edges, look finishes, is alive with intricate craftsmanship and celebrates an individual style and look that clients are addicted to.

Adam Kemmy, an art team member from the SAKS London Academies, shared the inspirational collection with a team of highly enthusiastic students form the International School of Hairdressing of St Venera and stylists from top Maltese salons. He shared four hair cut and four colour techniques from the addict collection.

The International School of Hairdressing runs City & Guilds courses in hairdressing at Certificate, Diploma and Advanced Diploma level. Tel: 2144-0424 or 7945-9021; Website: www.iihmalta.com.

Farewell party for Richard Palk

Outgoing Australian High Commissioner Richard Palk's term of office, recently ended with a farewell barbecue at the Marsa Sports Club.

The barbecue was hosted by the Friends of Australia, the Maltese-Australian Association, and the Maltese-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Culture. Also present was Mr Palk's wife, Helen.

Mr Palk built the most humane relationships with all associations and individuals here in Malta. His personal involvements in all activities organised by the associations and the chamber give tribute to his dedication and commitment.

Trade delegations from Australia were welcomed and assisted to maximise business meetings and conferences organised by the Maltese-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Culture and the Australian-Maltese Chamber of Commerce.

His Excellency also took a personal interest in the pensions issue with regard to Maltese Australian pensioners, after it was brought up by the Friends of Australia Association. Thanks to his intervention pensions started being credited directly to the beneficiaries' bank accounts in Malta.

Mr Palk endeared himself to all and always delivered the goods and much more. He and his charming wife also warmed immediately to the local people and proved to be real friends.

On his part Mr Palk thanked Fr Alfred Vella, director of Dar l-Emigrant, Chev. Tony C. Cutajar, president of the Friends of Australia Association, Nick Bonello, president of the Maltese-Australian Associa-tion, Julian Holland, president of the Maltese-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Culture, and Emanuel Pisani, president of the Australian-Maltese Chamber of Commerce and Culture of Australia.

He also said that being in Malta was the peak of his career and that he was sad to leave as he had fallen in love with the island, where he had seen how generous the local people are. He promised to return to Malta to meet the many friends he and his wife made during their time here.

Among the many guests were Mgr Philip Calleja, Frank Micallef, Social Services assistant director, Josephine Zammit Cordina, Jeremy Houseman, Lino Vella and Laurence Dimech, the last two familiar journalists here on their regular holiday from Australia.

Spirit of Skål Award

The president of the National Committee of Skål International Malta, Frans Camilleri, recently rewarded a long-time Skål member, Anthony J. Gatt, with the Spirit of Skål award, during the traditional August barbecue that was held at the Mellieha Holiday Village.

The award is given to a deserving member of the Club who has worked to promote the ideals of the international organisation and contributed to its growth.

Mr Gatt is a past president of Skål Malta and also served as president of the Mediterreanean Area Committee. A raffle was also held, with the proceeds going to charity.

Star to B talent contest winners

Lyndsay Pace is this year's winner of Bay Street's Star to B talent contest. Prizes included a Mediterranean cruise for two courtesy of SMS Travel, a one-year scholarship at Masquerade Theatre and the Arts School, one week's exposure on Calypso Radio Breakfast Show, a special invitation to the TV programme Showtime, broadcast on TVM, a weekend break at the Bay Street Hotel, an MP3 player courtesy of Matrix, a Lm20 voucher from Exotique, and a special Overall Winner Trophy.

The Star to B 2006 contest, which was held on Saturday, August 26, had an expert judging panel including Voices producer Adrian Mamo, Richard Rogers, who owns his own record label and is a BBC consultant, Tony Dyson, creator of the popular R2D2 of Star Wars fame, Fazila Sciberras, a UK media presenter and stylist, local soprano Rosabelle, Kim Spiteri, Msida Dance Centre owner and teacher, and Medee Darsha, solo artist and former singer with the well-known UK pop group Steps.

A trophy was also presented to each winner in all the categories and overall winners were presented with a trophy sponsored by KYS Trophies.

Each finalist was given a Lm5 voucher from Exotique record stores, while all applicants received a pizza voucher by Arena Bar & Restaurant and glass tokens provided by Paul Target.

This popular event, which has again had a large turnout in terms of talent and potential stars, is now in its fourth year and offers those aged six to 18 the opportunity to perform live.

In the six- to 11-year-old category, the Aqua Blue Dancers (group 1) won first place and Celaine Borg came first in the singing competition. The Aqua Blue Dancers (group 2) came first in Category B (12 to 15 years) and Damien Buhagiar placed first for singing. Miranda and Tina won first place in Category C - Dancing (16 to 18 years) and Lyndsay Pace came first for her singing efforts.

FELTOM familiarisation visit

FELTOM have organised a familiarisation visit of 15 agents to Malta, at the end of the International Languages and Education UK Fair in Brighton.

The agents, hailing from Spain, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Turkey, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Estonia, Croatia, Lithuania and Japan, had the opportunity to visit some of the member schools as well as some cultural sites in Malta and Gozo.

The agents were invited to a reception on Friday, September 1, at the Sir Walter Scott Roof Terrace, Victoria Hotel, Sliema. FELTOM school members and other distinguished guests, including the new MTA chairman Sam Mifsud, and the English Language Teaching segment head at MTA, Alexandra Abela, were also present.

All agents agreed that taking part in this familiarisation visit was essential for obtaining first-hand experience of the destination and centres they are promoting to their clients.

People

Andrea Mallia-Milanes was recently awarded a Master of Pharmacy degree from the University of Wales (Cardiff).

The research work submitted examined the quality systems of major pharmaceutical regulatory authorities, focusing on the review and decision-making processes. Data were collected from authorities in Europe, the US, Canada, Japan and Australia.

Such insights into the workings of well-established authorities, which are not typically available in the public domain, have shed light on current practices and developments.

Ms Mallia-Milanes's research also proposed the measures that are critical for quality reviews and high quality decision-making.

Her findings were recently presented in the annual meeting of the Drug Information Association held in Philadelphia, USA, and will be published in scientific journals.

Ms Mallia-Milanes graduated from the University of Malta in 1998 with a Bachelor of Pharmacy (Hons.) degree. She is currently working as a quality assessor with the Medicines Authority.

The President's and Mrs Fenech Adami's engagements - September 18-24

Tomorrow
10 a.m. The President receives Malta's honorary consul in Cape Town, John Saliba, on a courtesy call at the Palace, Valletta.

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
11.30 a.m. The President receives members of the Youth Exchange Programme entitled Youngsters with Intellectual Disability on a courtesy call at the Palace, Valletta.

Thursday
9.30 a.m. The President and Mrs Fenech Adami attend a Pontifical High Mass on the occasion of Independence Day at St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta.

11.15 The President presides over a conferment ceremony of the National Order of Merit on honorary consuls at the Palace, Valletta.

Noon The President lays a bouquet of flowers at the Independence Monument in Floriana.

7 p.m. The President and Mrs Fenech Adami attend a concert by the National Orchestra on the occasion of Independence Day at the Palace, Valletta.

8.50 The President and Mrs Fenech Adami attend a reception hosted by the Prime Minister and Mrs Gonzi on the occasion of Independence Day at the Upper Barracca Gardens, Valletta.

Friday
10 a.m. The President receives a group of experts on the Equal Asylum Seekers Project at San Anton Palace.

6 p.m. The President and Mrs Fenech Adami attend Mass followed by a reception for residents of St Vincent de Paul Residence at Verdala Palace.

For your diary

A bazaar is being held at Stella Maris parish centre, 50, Cathedral Street, Sliema, from Tuesday to September 27 from 9.30 a.m.

Soroptimist International of Malta is organising a sponsored walk for women to mark the international day of peace and to raise awareness of women war survivors. Participants are to meet outside Fra Ben Restaurant, Qawra, on Saturday at 9 a.m. The cost is 50c and proceeds will go to Soroptimist International's Project Independence - Women Survivors of War.