Social and Personal

BUGEJA. On November 26, at St James Capua Hospital, GIOVANNA née Fenech, aged 84, widow of Anthony, passed peacefully away. She leaves to mourn her loss her children Connie widow of Michael Cutajar, Sonny and Margaret of Canada, Charlie and Monica, Rose and Albert Agius, Paul of the UK, Maria, Rita and Tony Linstead, her grandchildren, great grandchildren, other relatives and friends.
The funeral leaves St James Capua Hospital today at 2.30 p.m. for St Francis parish church, Qawra. Mass praesente cadavere will be said at 3 p.m. followed by interment at the family grave at St Paul's Bay cemetery, Burmarrad. No flowers by request but donations to Dar tal-Providenza, Siggiewi, will be greatly appreciated. The family wish to thank all the staff at Casa Serena for the care and kindness shown.
God grant her eternal rest.

BUTTIGIEG. On November 25, at Sir Paul Boffa Hospital, CARMELO, aged 79, residing at Birkirkara, formerly of Hamrun, ex-Allied Newspapers employee, passed peacefully away comforted by the rites of Holy Church. He will be sadly missed by his daughters Mariella and her husband Jesmond Zahra, and Marisa and her husband Joseph Bonanno, his beloved grandchildren Gabriel, Corinne, Matthew and James, his brothers Joseph, widower of Annie, Lollie and his wife Liza, his sisters Gejta, widow of Dominic and Doris, widow of Frank, his sister-in-law Jane, widow of his brother Tony, and his brother-in-law Joe and his wife Celine, his nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.
The funeral leaves Boffa Hospital, Floriana, today at 9 a.m. for St Theresa Sanctuary, Birkirkara, where Mass praesente cadavere will be said at 9.30 a.m. followed by interment at Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery. No flowers by request but donations to the Hospice Movement would be appreciated.
The family wish to thank the Matron and staff at Casa Antonia, Balzan, for their care and kindness and also the staff at Boffa Hospital in Floriana and the Hospice Movement for their support. Lord, grant him eternal rest.

Appreciation - Joe M. Galea

Joe Ciliberti, president, The Malta Aviation Society, writes:

"If there were more people like Joe, this world would be a much better place." Thus opened the homily, ably delivered by Rev. Can Louis Suban during the service at the parish church of St Paul's, in Rabat. Those of us who knew Joe M. Galea can very well appreciate the exact meaning of the parish priest's few, wise, opening words.

I have had the great fortune to know Joe since my early years in aviation, precisely from 1972 onwards. I was still a Form II student and used to spend some of my after school hours at the airport watching Royal Air Force aircraft operating out of Luqa.

The sight of Joe's car approaching the undershoot of runway 24 was a daily routine at the end of each school day. Teaching at one of Paola's schools, Joe always made a short detour on his way home in Rabat to meet and greet anyone spending some leisure time at the airport.

He was a father to us all. Him and another stalwart in the aviation hobby, Joe E. Spiteri, "adopted" the younger, upcoming wave of aviation enthusiasts and taught us more than just photography, or aircraft radio monitoring, or terminology or many other subjects related to aviation.

Joe's teaching experience was all there for us to help us acquire not just aviation knowledge but, more importantly, how to properly do things in life and to never, ever hurt anybody. Joe, to me, is a symbol of human correctness, and I'm sure many of us who knew him, even remotely, will agree.

May God give Joe eternal peace and help both Josette and Robert cope with this immense and sudden loss.

Requiem Masses

A Mass for the repose of the soul of CONNIE GANADO will be celebrated tomorrow at 7.15 p.m. at the Immaculate Conception chapel, Immaculate Conception Street, Lija. The attendance of relatives and friends will be very much appreciated.

Tomorrow's 7.45 a.m. Mass at Lapsi church, St Julians will be said for the repose of the soul of SPIRIDIONE PORTELLI on his anniversary.

In Memoriam

BUGEJA - ADELGISA. In everlasting memory of a dear wife, mother and grandmother on the 13th anniversary of her demise. Sadly missed and always remembered by her husband Lino, her son Christopher and her daughter Nadya, grandchildren, in-laws, relatives and friends. Eternal rest grant her O Lord.

CAUCHI. In loving memory of my dear wife JOYCE on the 21st anniversary of her demise. Always in our thoughts and prayers. Fondly remembered by her husband Vince, her daughters Marisa, Anita, Sonia and Sylvana, sons-in-law and grandchildren. Lord Jesus grant her eternal rest.

ENRIQUEZ. In loving memory of VICTOR, today the fourth anniversary of his demise. Fondly remembered by his sons Noel and his wife Josephine, Robert, Frederick and his wife Catherine and his grandchildren. Lord grant him eternal rest.

FALZON. In loving memory of our dearest mother EMMANUELA on the ninth anniversary of her demise. Always in our thoughts and prayers. Her children Agnes, Vivienne, Lina, Joseph, Stephen and their families.

GALEA - CARMELA née Zarb. On the first anniversary of her passing away. Much loved, deeply missed and always remembered by her sons, daughters, in-laws, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Lord grant her eternal rest.

LAFERLA. Loving and treasured memories of GUIDO, a beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, tomorrow being the third anniversary of his meeting the Lord. Fondly remembered by his wife Mary Rose, his children and their families. A Mass for the repose of his soul will be said tomorrow at 6.30 p.m. at St Gregory's parish church, Sliema. May he rest in peace.

MICALLEF - SARAH. Treasured memories of a beloved, devoted mother and grandmother, today the sixth anniversary of her death. Greatly missed by her daughters, in-laws and grandchildren. May she rest in peace.

SULTANA - ROLAND. Cherished memories of a loving husband and father on the 17th anniversary of his calling to eternal life. Sadly missed and always remembered by his wife Rita and daughters Roberta and Andreina. Always in our hearts and prayers. Lord grant him eternal rest.

XUEREB - LEONE (ex-PS 646). In ever loving memory of a dear husband, father and grandfather, today the 22nd anniversary of his death. Always in our thoughts and prayers. His wife Giorgia, 11 children, in-laws and grandchildren.

Short Course On Maltese Law

A short course on Aspects of Maltese Law For Business Executives, designed for the business community and for those who wish to improve their knowledge of Maltese law, will be run at the Foundation for International Studies, St Paul Street, Valletta between January 11 and February 6, 2007.

The eight sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 5.30 and 8.30 p.m. with a short coffee break. Participants will be awarded certificates at the end of the course.

Further information can be obtained by visiting http://www.fis.org.mt/page.asp?p=9676&1=1 or by calling Cynthia Amato on 2123 4571 or on 2123 4141/s ext 232.

Telephone Disruptions

Telephone subscribers in parts of Rabat had their service disrupted on Saturday after some cables were damaged, Maltacom said.

The damage was caused by a contractor carrying out works related to Enemalta electricity poles in the locality, Maltacom said, apologising for any inconvenience caused. It said it will be doing all that is possible to ensure the service returns to normal as soon as possible, hopefully by this morning.

Christmas Pageant

The village of San Lawrenz, in Gozo, will present its Christmas pageant in the main square on Christmas Eve at 8 p.m. The pageant boasts of a cast of over 200 participants in biblical costumes performing the story of the Lord's nativity in an abandoned cave. The pageant starts off from the Genesis and travels through the history of Israel with its kings and prophets, murders and treachery.

Talk On Adolescents

Doris Cini, former head of the De Soldanis Secondary School, will deliver a socio-educational talk on the theme Challenges For Our Adolescents - Let's Help Them at the premises of the Catholic Action in Sir Arturo Mercieca Street, Victoria, on December 5 at 9 a.m.

Everyone is invited.

Gay, Bisexual Website

The official website of the University Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Society has been launched at www.ulgbts.com.

Besides providing information about the activities which the society organises, the website will also post several articles, posters, videos, links and frequently asked questions to create more awareness on certain issues.

A forum through which students can keep in touch and discuss online has been launched together with other interactive features such as weekly web polls and the opportunity to contribute articles, poetry, posters and personal stories which will be published on the website.

Elder Care Award Nominations

The Nazzareno Vassallo Award for Initiatives in Elder Care will be granted for the ninth consecutive year. Its aim is to offer recognition to individuals or organisations who have taken initiatives to improve the general well-being of older persons, either at a community or national level.

Individuals or organisations interested in sending in their nominations can obtain further information from CareMalta by calling 2145 4889.

The closing date for submissions for the 2006 award is December 12.

Lecture On Underwater Heritage

Sandra Agius Darmanin will give a lecture on the natural underwater heritage of the Maltese Islands at Heritage Malta's head office, in Valletta, on December 5 at 6 p.m.

Ms Agius Darmanin will share her experience of participation in a MarineLab programme in Florida where she explored and discussed with marine biologists the sea-grasses, mangroves and coral reefs surrounding Key Kargo. Her participation in the programme was the result of a joint initiative between Heritage Malta and Aurora Trust with the collaboration of the Education Division.

She is a biology teacher at Margaret Mortimer Girls Junior Lyceum, Sta Lucija. Her area of research includes marine and coastal ecology with a focus on environmental management.

Entrance to the lecture is free. Everyone is invited to attend.

University Meeting

A meeting for university students and staff to discuss the most urgent and important issues at the university will be held at Dar Manwel Magri today between 7.15 and 9 p.m.

University rector Juanito Camilleri; Stephanie Abood, a member of the administrative staff; David Herrera, KSU president; Peter Xuereb, a member of the academic staff and Fr Jimmy Bartolo, chaplain will be present.

Child minding services will be provided.

Pub Donation

A cheque for Lm822.19 was presented to Simon and Lorraine Axiaq by Julian Borg, the pub landlord of the City of London Bar in St Julians, after a fund-raising event was held at the Hilton Malta.

The sum raised will enable 13-year-old Cleon Axiaq to undergo an operation to ease the pain in his back.

What's On Today

Lectures
6 p.m. at the hall of Palazzo Parisio (Foreign Ministry), Merchants Street, Valletta, lecture by Ray Bondin on The Lost Treasures Of Valletta in the Malta Historical Society's series Rediscovering Valletta.

Exhibitions
8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Heritage Malta's head office, Valletta, sculptures in terracotta, Maltese stone and wood by Ganni Pace.

9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Carafa Stores, Cottonera Waterfront, 191 Children's Views Of The World, an exhibition of original drawings by children from 191 UN countries.

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Artitude Gallery, Tigné Street, Sliema, latest works by Olaug Vethal and Christine X.

At the Main Hall, St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta, abstract painting exhibition by Christopher Saliba.

At the National Museum of Fine Arts, South Street, Valletta Streetlife, exhibition of oil paintings by Celia Borg Cardona.