AQUILINA. On July 13, at Zammit Clapp Hospital, EMMANUEL, known as Ciklamanet, of Mellieha, aged 79, passed peacefully away. He leaves to mourn his loss his wife Pauline, his children Jane and her husband Brian, Maria and her husband Joe, Karmenu and his wife Sylvia, Joseph and his wife Maria, Twanny and his wife Eunice, Sr Rita, Grace and her husband Philip, Ernest and his wife Carmen, and Helen and her husband Joseph, his grandchildren and great-grandson, his brother Joseph, his sister Sr Antonia, other relatives and friends. The funeral leaves Zammit Clapp Hospital today at 3 p.m. for Mellieha parish church, where Mass praesente cadavere will be said at 4 p.m., followed by interment at Mellieha cemetery. No flowers by request but donations to Dar tal-Providenza, Siggiewi, will be appreciated. Lord, grant him eternal rest.

BONAVIA. On July 13, at Boffa Hospital, ANGELA, aged 60, passed peacefully away comforted by the rites of Holy Church. She leaves to mourn her great loss her devoted husband Onorato, her beloved children Mark and his wife Irene, and grandchildren Claudine and Jessica, Denis and his fiancée Daniella, Dorianne and her fiancé Colin, her brothers and sisters Joseph, Carmelo, Paul, Zaren, Tony, Mary, Violet, Saviour, Peter and Christine and their respective spouses and families, and her in-laws Ìu&a, Leli, Rose, Salvinu, Annie, Tessie and their respective spouses and families. R.I.P. The funeral leaves Boffa Hospital today at 8.15 a.m. for Our Lady of Victories parish church, Naxxar, where Mass praesente cadavere will be said at 8.45 a.m., followed by interment in the family grave at St Andrew's Cemetery, Zebbug.

BORG. On July 13, at St Luke's Hospital, INES née Triganza, of Floriana, aged 84, comforted by the rites of Holy Church. She leaves to mourn her loss her children Godfrey, Vince, Charlie, Wally, Mary, Anna and Jane, their spouses, grandchildren, other relatives and friends. - R.I.P. The funeral leaves St Luke's Hospital tomorrow at 8.30 a.m. for St Publius parish church, Floriana, where Mass praesente cadavere will be said at 9 a.m., followed by interment at Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery.

CASOLANI. On July 13, at Dar Pax et Bonum, Mosta, LILIAN, at the venerable age of 101, widow of Sergt Maj. Richard Casolani, passed peacefully away comforted by the rites of Holy Church. She leaves to mourn her loss her daughter Ann, her daughter-in-law Clodagh, her grandchildren Catherine Casolani and Marcelle Young, her great-grandchildren, other relatives and friends. - R.I.P. The funeral leaves Dar Pax et Bonum today at 2 p.m. for St Gregory's parish church, Sliema, where Mass praesente cadavere will be said at 2.30 p.m., followed by interment at Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery (top gate). Donations to Dar Pax et Bonum will be appreciated. The family wishes to extend a special thank-you to Sr Giuditta and the helpers at Pax et Bonum.

GREENFIELD. Suddenly, at his residence at Il-Kortin, Mellieha, PAUL, aged 57. He leaves to mourn his sad loss his beloved wife Gail Patricia, his son Ashley and Mandy, his granddaughters Alicia and Mercedes, his best friends Ben and Maria Muscat and their family, and many friends in Malta and Sheffield, England. The funeral service will be held today at 4.30 p.m. at Mellieha cemetery. A prayer is solicited. May he rest in peace.

In Memoriam

BOOKER JOSEPH D. Fondly remembered by his sons, daughters and family.

BORG OLIVIER. In loving memory of our dear father EDGAR on the 39th anniversary of his death. Gloria and George.

CIANGURA. In loving memory of CARMELO, today being the 17th anniversary of his death. Sadly missed but never forgotten by his wife Georgina, his children Doris, Victor, Lina, Fr Anthony Ciangura, OFM Cap., Rose, Violet and their families, relatives and friends. Lord, grant him eternal rest.

de DOMENICO - ANTHONY H. Sadly missed by all the family, today being the 19th anniversary of his death. Yvonne, Andrew and Madeleine, Kathleen and Norbert, Elizabeth, Nathalie, Sandy and Henrik

EMINYAN - DAVID GEORGE. Remembering a beloved husband and father on this sad day. May he rest in peace. Monica and Janis.

EMINYAN. Treasured memories of our beloved DAVID, today the 29th anniversary of his death. Fondly remembered by his sisters Maryse, Simone and Yvette and their families.

FARRUGIA - LEWIS. Lovingly remembered by his children Johanna, Marisa and Louis.

GALEA. Treasured memories of a dear sister, MARIA TERESA, on the anniversary of her demise. Always in our thoughts and prayers. Her brothers and sister.

LEAVER. In ever loving memory of my dear husband WILLIAM, today the sixth anniversary of his passing away. Always in my thoughts and prayers. Mary.

NICOLAS - Dr EDWARD JOHN NICOLAS, MD. Today the anniversary of his death. Sadly missed by his wife Mary, his daughters Amy, Freda and Joanna, sons-in-law and grandchildren.

STIVALA - EMANUEL, husband of the late Maria Dolores. In never fading memory of a dear husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, forever in our thoughts and prayers, always thinking of you and deeply missing your caring warmth, especially today, the 18th anniversary from your passing to eternal life. Your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and in-laws. We are all so grateful to you. Dear Lord, keep him with You in Your divine embrace.

Appreciation Philip Nicholson

Revel Barker writes

Philip Nicholson used to sit with both elbows on the bar of Gleneagles, his favourite watering hole in Gozo, and watch with amusement as tourists entered in search of the best-selling author who used the nom-de-plume A.J. Quinnell. Often, an English or American tourist would put himself forward, sometimes it would be a local Gozitan fisherman; Mr Nicholson would keep quiet, although chuckling with joy as the pretenders wrestled to answer intricate and detailed questions from his passionate readers.

Mr Nicholson, born in Nuneaton during an air raid and educated mainly at Queen Elizabeth's grammar school, Wakefield, had adopted an alias chiefly as a means of distancing himself from the public in the event that his books became successful. As a teenager spending holidays with his parents in Tanzania he had met a party of white hunters surrounding his then hero, Ernest Hemingway. When he asked to meet the great man he was rebuffed with the message: "I have no time for ******* kids".

Young Mr Nicholson considered this to be bad form. Already convinced that one day he too would be an author, he decided on the spot he would never behave in a similar way with his public.

But first he had to earn some money. After school he worked for a shipping company in Liverpool and at 20 became a trader in textiles working out of Hong Kong. It was there that he met the characters who would form the basis for his thrillers - mercenaries, former members of the French Foreign Legion, journalists and crooks.

Once, on a flight between Tokyo and Hong Kong, a fellow passenger, an Italian, suffered a heart attack. The crew was about to order an ambulance from the general hospital but Mr Nicholson intervened and told them to contact a private hospital, where he had connections, and where he convinced the stricken man's associates he would receive better attention. The following day he was visited by a group of Italians who expressed their eternal thanks and promised him help if ever he needed it.

When he started researching the plot for Man On Fire, a book based on the increasing number of Mafia kidnappings in Italy, he made contact with the man's family. They were eager to help and provided introductions to lawyers, anti-Mafia investigators and Mafiosi who were happy to assist and who even asked to be named in the novel. Published in 1981, it became an immediate best-seller.

Searching for a nom-de-plume, and looking for an unusual name, he took the surname of Welsh rugby player Derek Quinnell and the initials, A.J., from the son of his local barman.

In 1987 the book was made into a lack-lustre movie starring Scott Glenn and Joe Pesci with Jade Malle as the young kidnap victim. The screenplay went through several transitions under Italian-French direction. At one stage, reading the script, Mr Nicholson mentioned that it did not appear to be following the line of the book. The script-writers replied: "You mean, there's a book...?"

Mr Nicholson, who had imagined his hero as looking like Robert Mitchum, was unimpressed by the outcome, as was the majority of the cinema-going public.

When Hollywood remade the film last year, director Tony Scott cast Denzel Washington as the hero and Dakota Fanning as the young victim but he used Mexico as the location because of the inordinately high number of kidnappings in Mexico City. It received high critical acclaim, not least from Mr Nicholson himself who was happy that it used a lot of his original dialogue.

By this time the book had sold more than eight million copies in paperback and had been translated around the world. The most ardent fans emerged in Japan where readers admired the samurai-style dedication of the hero. Although the book notes said only that the author lived "on an island in the Mediterranean", Gozo figured extensively as Creasy's home base. His local was named as Gleneagles and many of the local fishermen in the bar - many of whom could not read fluently in English - had cheerfully agreed to be featured as characters. The Maltese Islands thus received their first influx of Japanese tourists, who came on specially organised literary jaunts in search of the author, and Mr Nicholson (as Quinnell) was invited several times on lecture tours and book signings in Tokyo.

Many of his novels are now out of print and early copies are much sought after and highly prized. Paperback copies of Snap Shot are offered on the internet at more than £130; Message From Hell at £68, an early edition of Man On Fire at £63.

Mr Nicholson, married to Danish novelist Elsebeth Egholm, was working on what he had already decided would be his last novel, a "prequel" to the Creasy saga, when he died at home in Gozo where he had lived since the early 1970s.

Philip Nicholson, best-selling author as A.J. Quinnell of Man On Fire and a number of best-selling thrillers based on a former Legionnaire and mercenary, John Creasy. Born in England on June 25, 1940. Died in Gozo on July 10, 2005.

Canoe waterpolo

The Daniel Delicata Memorial Foundation is inviting the public to the Exiles Waterpolo Club in Sliema on Saturday to play canoe waterpolo and at the same time to contribute to its fund to buy equipment for children in hospital.

A display on how the game is played will be given at 3.15 p.m. The public would then be invited to play between 4 and 6 p.m.

Steven Delicata, representing the foundation, said that canoe waterpolo is played by teams of four players.

Participation is against a donation of Lm3.

Anyone wanting further information can contact Mr Delicata on 7949 6960.

Contest rules

The Maltasong Board within the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts said the regulations for the Maltese selection for the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2005 have been issued.

Regulations are available from the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, 230 Republic Street, Valletta during office hours, between 8 a.m. and noon, or from the website www.maltasong.com.

The closing date for submissions is noon on August 3.

Song contest

The Maltasong Board within the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts is inviting songwriters and singers to apply for participation in the Universetalent Festival Prague.

The song contest will be held on November 5. It runs in two categories - for the best singer and for the best song.

Applications must sent to the organisers in Prague by August 15.

For further details, regulations and entry forms contact Martin Gauci on 2123 2515.

Power cut

The electricity supply will be suspended in the following localities today: St Julian's, from 7.30 a.m. to noon in parts of High Street and George Borg Olivier Street and at Gudja, from 7.30 to 11 a.m. in Palm Street and parts of Joseph Gravina, Il-Barjola and Guzeppi Vella Streets.

Road closed

L-Imgarr Street from Mgarr side will be closed to traffic from today until further notice, the Malta Transport Authority said.

Traffic coming from the Mellieha/Xemxija/Manikata/Zebbiegh/Bidnija and Golden Bay area will be diverted to St Paul's Bay bypass.

Traffic coming from Mosta in the direction of Mgarr will not be affected and will proceed via Triq il-Haddedin as per existing traffic management scheme.

What's On Today

Film
9 p.m. at St James Cavalier, Valletta, film Enduring Love, starring Daniel Craig.

Exhibitions
8 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. at Heritage Malta's head office, Valletta, landscapes in oils and acrylics by Richard Saliba.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at Gallery G, Lija, paintings by Dazie Kirk, Ruth Ripard, Joan Scicluna, Jacques Savona, Olga Avramov, Jasmine Modi, Marianne Aquilina, Karl Consiglio and Debbie Caruana Dingli.
At St James Cavalier, Valletta, the Euro Coin Genesis Exhibition, a series of panels and displays of the euro coins.
6 to 10 p.m. at Valletta Waterfront, Six Generations of Maltese Contemporary Artists, a collection of visual arts by 43 artists.

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