Close your eyes and imagine a 16th century palace under a full moon from where you can look out over a good part of Malta as the island seemingly sleeps.
Verdala Palace is awash with a cluster of islands made of beautiful flowers for the Ball of the August Moon to be held on Saturday.
This is the 40th year of the ball collecting money for the Malta Community Chest Fund. Prev-iously this magnificent do was called the Verdala Summer Ball and raised funds for particular charities.
In 1971, the ball was launched as a gateway for the MCCF by Lady Mamo, wife of Sir Anthony, then Governor General and later first President. Lady Mamo had announced that in view of the growing number of voluntary organisations, the organising committee had created a fund to distribute the proceeds to those most needing help.
“Foreign cabaret artists were invited to perform at the ball, among them Italian singer Gianni Nazzaro and Dutch guitarist and singer Van Wood, who sang the popular number Butta la Chiave,” Lady Mamo’s daughter Monica Pisani said in an interview.
Where do all the flowers come from?
The woman behind the magnificent flower sculptures is sprightly Therese Sullivan, 80, who has been doing this job voluntarily for the MCCF for over 20 years.
“As a teenager I accompanied my dad, Charles Wirth who was one of the organisers of the ball, during the governorship of Sir Maurice Dorman.
“My cousin Maria, wife of President Emeritus Ċensu Tabone had asked me to do the arrangements,” Mrs Sullivan recalled.
A member of the Malta Floral Club for 40 years, she represented Malta in flower contests in England, Belgium, Monaco, Holland, Canada, Scotland and France where she landed the first prize.
“A lot of friends from the floral club help me out freely. Over 1,500 different species of flowers will decorate the palace balcony, the two chapels, the orchestra and the dancing areas. This colossal effort will take Mrs Sullivan and her helpers three days to complete.
“I do this from my heart,” she said. She has done arrangements for The Passion of Our Lord at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta, Christmas at Mdina in 1991-1993 when the silent city was bedecked with flowers and a fashion show at the Hilton for the MCCF, among other occasions.
Claude Gaffiero, who was aide-de-camp to Sir Maurice and served in that role for 17 years with the last two Governors General and the first three presidents, said Jimmy Dowling, Spiro’s, and Kirkop Brothers among others played at the ball for free.
“We advertised a tour of the castle to see the Blue Lady at midnight,” Brigadier Gaffiero recounts.
“The story goes that a niece of one of the Grand Masters was imprisoned at the castle by a knight. She despaired and threw herself into the ditch.
“During the Great War in 1917, an officer on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief was dressing up for dinner and he noted in the mirror a lady in blue walk across the room. He turned round but saw nobody. At dinner, talk centred around this apparition.
“The governor asked the officer to make a sketch of the girl’s dress. The dean of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Mdina confirmed that the sketch was of a 17th-century dress the hapless lady might have been wearing,” Brig. Gaffiero added with a glint in his eye.
According to legend, the dean called at the palace to see where the lady had ended her life. The spot in the ditch was dug up and a female skeleton was found. A Christian burial apparently resulted in the disappearance of the Blue Lady.
As most of the island would seem asleep on the night of August 6, would the lady in blue be tempted to to wander again around the palace and dance among the flowers?