Gibraltar Insight™ August 2019

AUGUST 2019

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IGLESIAS CONFIRMS CALLING TO THE ROCK

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AUGUST ISSUE 39

Contents

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26

Business Insight 10

BUSINESS NEWS

Sports Insight

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Features 15

THE REPRESENTATION IN WESTMINSTER CAMPAIGN INTENSIFIES

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FILM REVIEWS

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MARITIME WEEK

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ON-FIRE ENGLAND’S BURNING QUEST TO RECLAIM THE ASHES

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AIDAN CLEVERLY

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RANGERS FC COME TO TOWN

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THE FRIENDLY GAMES SET TO DAZZLE IN GIBRALTAR SUN

50 HOBBY OR PASTIME… GO FOR IT!

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GOLF NEWS

30 GIBRALTAR 2019 NATWEST INTERNATIONAL ISLAND GAMES XVII – A BEACON TO FOLLOW

Culture Insight 52

MIDWEEK SUMMER NIGHTS

History Insight

40 ENRIQUE IGLESIAS HEADLINES GIBRALTAR CALLING

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SPIRIT OF THE ROCK ONE MINUTE OFF THE WORLD RECORD – NATHAN PAYAS

Regular Features 6 COMMUNITY INSIGHT 36 ARMED FORCES INSIGHT 48 MOTORING INSIGHT 55 VET COLUMN – GET YOUR DOG’S SPLEEN CHECKED!!!!

59 ON THE SPOT: NATHAN GREEN 61 MUM ON THE ROCK – HELPING CHILDREN DEAL WITH GRIEF 62 HEALTH & WELLBEING INSIGHT 68 HOROSCOPES

44 BARROSA – A STORY OF THE PENINSULAR WARS

69 MAMA LOTTIES RECIPE 70 WEDDING INSIGHT 74 SM SERUYA CROSSWORD

Gibraltar Insight Magazine July 2018. Editor: R Ford. Printed & published by GBZ Media Limited, Suite 1, 77 Main Street, Gibraltar GX11 1AA. +350 200 40913. hello@gibraltarinsight.com Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. The names Gibraltar Insight, Bermuda Insight & GBZ Media are marks of GBZ Media Limited. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

Gibraltar Insight places great importance on the accuracy of the information contained within this publication, but cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. Views expressed by contributors and correspondents do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. Gibraltar Insight or GBZ Media Limited are not responsible for any claims made, or material used in advertisements. Deposito Legal CA-955/07

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COMMUNITY INSIGHT

NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS August

September

FRIDAY 23RD AUGUST TO SATURDAY 31ST AUGUST 8.30PM ONWARDS

TUESDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER 8PM

ANNUAL GIBRALTAR FAIR Rooke site Queensway For further information please contact email: info@culture.gi WEDNESDAY 28TH TO FRIDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 8.30AM TO 9.30PM ‘OUR GIBRALTAR’ PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION ORGANISED BY THE GIBRALTAR PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY LOWER EXHIBITION ROOM John Mackintosh Hall Entrance Free FRIDAY 30TH AUGUST 8.30PM IN THE ARMS OF AN ANGEL A song and dance production organised

by M.O. Productions John Mackintosh Hall Theatre Tickets priced at £10 On sale as from Monday 15th July at www.buytickets.gi All proceeds to the Gibraltar Community Association FRIDAY 30TH AUGUST 4:00PM GIBRALTAR WINE FESTIVAL Organised by My Wines Gibraltar Ltd Chatham Counterguard For further information call 20069463

NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS CLASSICAL CONCERT St Michael’s Cave Organised by the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society.

Featuring the European Symphony Orchestra and renowned international performers Tickets priced at £20 on sale from Friday 19th July at Sacarellos Coffee Shop, Irish Town, the Silver Shop at 222 Main Street and online on buytickets.gi Tickets priced at £10 for senior citizens and students are available at the John Mackintosh Hall reception at 308 Main Street.

Tickets include a return shuttle from the Public Market and opposite the Cable Car. For further info contact the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society on telephone: 20072134

FRIDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 6.00PM BOAT PROCESSION From Coaling Island to South Mole For further information contact the Rector at the Shrine of our Lady of Europe on email: rector@ourladyofeurope.net SATURDAY 7TH AND SUNDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER GIBRALTAR CALLING MUSIC FESTIVAL Europa Point Sports Complex Featuring Take That, Liam Gallagher, Tom Walker, Enrique Iglesias, Rick Astley, Melanie C, Goldirocks, King Calaway, David Essex, 10cc, Slade and many more For further information visit: www.gibraltarcalling.com MONDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER 6:30PM

WEDNESDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER & THURSDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER 2ND GIBRALTAR BACKGAMMON OPEN TOURNAMENT Organised by the Backgammon Association of Gibraltar

NATIONAL DAY THANKSGIVING MASS Shrine of Our Lady of Europe For further information contact the Rector at the Shrine of our Lady of Europe on email: rector@ourladyofeurope.net

Latinos’ Restaurant

8PM

For further information please contact telephone: 20047755 or mobile: 58772000

ANDREA BOCELLI CONCERT EUROPA POINT SPORTS COMPLEX

THURSDAY 5TH SEPTEMBER TO FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBER 10AM TO 6PM GIBRALTAR THEME PAINTING EXHIBITION ORGANISED BY THE FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION FINE ARTS GALLERY Entrance Free

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For further information please contact mobile: 57857000 or Facebook page: Fine Arts Gallery Gibraltar

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TUESDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER 2019 NATIONAL DAY EVENTS At Various Venues Full programme of events to be released shortly

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COMMUNITY INSIGHT

A proposal for a significant development in the Marina at QueenThis development proposes to remove a number of berths from sway Quay was presented at the Gibraltar Development and the marina, and if successful will disrupt the water’s edge views Planning Commission in May 2019. of Spain and Morocco plus obThis proposal envisages building scure the striking sunsets across across three sites, with building the bay. works planned to start from April Finally, marina waters between 2020. The Commission will soon be meeting to consider a planning ONE OF GIBRALTAR’S MOST PICTURESQUE AND SERENE The Sails and Cormorant Wharf will be reclaimed to accommodate application to construct a 6,200 sq PLACES COULD BE UNDER THREAT. a two and half storey building for m platform in the marina to accomcommercial use and apartments. modate a 120 room hotel, 45 serviced apartments and 1080 sq m of commercial floor space, connected to land via a road bridge For more information visit savequeenswayquay.com link. In addition, an 11 storey building is included in the plans in close proximity to Gibraltar’s historic city walls.

QUEENSWAY QUAY

BEACH ACCESSIBILITY Gibraltar’s beaches are busiest at this time of year, and a special efforts continue to be made to make them accessible to all.

Catalan Bay, Eastern Beach, Camp Bay, the Bathing Pavilion and Western Beach offer accessible toilets whilst Eastern Beach, Camp Bay and the Bathing Pavilion offer “changing places” toilets. The beaches also provide beach attendants in order to provide assistance as and when required.

Minister for Equality, the Hon. Samantha Sacramento, MP, said: “The wide-ranging accessible facilities available at Gibraltar’s beaches mean that Gibraltar is at the forefront of beach accessibility and they give the user with mobility impairments different options to attend a variety of beaches. I am very happy that these improvements have made Gibraltar even more inclusive and especially happy that the Gibraltar beach experience has been extended to all Gibraltarians. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in making the accessible beaches project a reality.”

The Minister for the Environment, the Hon. John Cortes, MP, said: “Our beaches are for everyone to enjoy. Summer is very special in Gibraltar and we are committed that it continues to be special for all.”

The fascination with the Moon landing hasn’t diminished with time, and 50 years on from this unprecedented achievement, Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau have issued a miniature sheet of six stamps to commemorate the event.

The stamps have been produced by local designer Stephen Perera and portray the following: • 22p: Launch of Apollo 11 • 40p: Apollo 11 lifts off • 64p: Apollo 11 lunar module in space • 78p: Lunar Module at Tranquillity Base

PS M A T S 1 1 APOLLO

• £2.18: Astronaut Buzz Aldrin’s boot print in the lunar soil • £3.40: Apollo 11 returns home A special First Day Cover, which features a sliver foil postmark, has also been issued.

The stamps and related philatelic products are now available for purchase from the Philatelic Shop online at www.gibraltar-stamps.com

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BUSINESS INSIGHT

MEETING WITH NEW UK PM The twists and turns of Brexit continue unabated, and on a recent trip to London the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister met both runoff candidates for the Conservative party leadership. Both high-profile individuals had Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary experience and were abreast of matters of importance to Gibraltar. In the end, Boris Johnson was the victor and the Chief Minister wrote to him to congratulate him on his success.

CHALLENGING CLIMATE CHANGE HEAD-ON A world-leading authority on climate change visited the Rock at the invitation of the Department of Environment and Climate Change.

Arne Vogler is Senior Research Engineer in Marine Energy at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) in the UK. He spent several days in Gibraltar and met with Minister for the Environment, Energy and Climate Change John Cortes, as well as with representatives of the Department of the Environment and Climate Change, the Gibraltar Electricity Authority, the Gibraltar Port Authority and Civil Aviation. Among the topics discussed were the possibilities in Gibraltar for marine and wind energy and a number of studies will now be carried out in order to determine the viability of differing technologies and approaches.

Minister John Cortes commented, “We are stepping up the quest for carbon neutrality, and this is one of the strands that we are developing. While marine current solutions are still in developmental stages, we want to be certain of the possibilities for these in Gibraltar waters. Wind is also a potential solution, which we are studying. I am now certain that we will meet our carbon neutrality targets in the timescales that the Law and the Climate Emergency require.”

A partner at local firm Isolas LLP has been shortlisted for a prestigious global award, after a thorough selection process made by industry experts.

Emma Lejeune, has been developing a private client practice for over 12 years. Previously a partner at another offshore firm, Emma went on to establish her own boutique private client and family office practice, before joining the Isolas.

She also has expertise in the distributed ledger technology (DLT) sector, assisting the growing industry with their DLT applications in Gibraltar, as well as ensuring regulatory compliance.

Citywealth’s Future Leaders Awards champion young professionals in the wealth sector and highlight the leaders under forty of today and tomorrow. The philosophy of the contest is to support future leaders who excel at work but who also make an important contribution to society.

Emma has been shortlisted for 2019 for Lawyer of the Year IFC, Partner.

Emma said, “I’m thrilled to be shortlisted in Citywealth’s Global Future Leaders Awards, especially so soon after being honoured on their list of 100 Future Leaders. Citywealth is such a respected

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publication and to be nominated with other, world-class peers is fantastic - I would like to congratulate them on their nominations too.”

Peter Isola, senior partner of Isolas LLP added, “I am delighted that Emma has been shortlisted by Citywealth. It is recognition of all the great work she does at ISOLAS delivering for our clients.

This really does consolidate her position of one of the leaders in her practice area.

“She is an extremely valuable member of the team, so we wish her the best of luck and I hope she gets as many votes as possible.”

Voting is online and can be found here: https://www.leaderslist.co.uk/ leaderslist/emma-lejeune

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FEATURE

THE REPRESENTATION IN WESTMINSTER CAMPAIGN

I N T EN S IF I ES INSIGHT LAST REPORTED ON THE REPRESENTATION IN WESTMINSTER CAMPAIGN IN OCTOBER 2018. SINCE THEN, AT THE END OF FEBRUARY THIS YEAR, A PETITION CALLING FOR REPRESENTATION FOR GIBRALTAR IN WESTMINSTER WAS DELIVERED BY SIX MEMBERS OF THE REPRESENTATION IN WESTMINSTER GROUP IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS AND TABLED BY CONSERVATIVE MP ANDREW ROSINDELL.

The petition consisted of 14,000 signatures, more than 11,500 of which were those of Gibraltarian citizens, representing 70% of the electorate of Gibraltar.

“As you will know, the people of Gibraltar are proudly British, and they would like to be represented in this place as all British citizens expect to be,” Mr Rosindell told Parliament.

“They will be losing their representation by Members of the European Parliament, so they feel that the time has come for them to have their own Member of Parliament here in the sovereign Parliament of our United Kingdom.”

The petition, supported by the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, and the Deputy Chief Minister, Joseph Garcia, reads as follows:

mmons To the House of Co nts of Gibraltar, The petition of reside ter objective is entation in Westmins “Declares the Repres liament with all its Par n ow ar’s ralt Gib aimed at securing t Constitution, ers under the presen relevant Devolved Pow e-lock guarantee on sovereignty, ubl Do together with the ht to be a new resentation. This oug but with extended rep Gibraltar becoming h wit ure fut the and stable status for ful entitlement to of the UK, with law a Devolved Region ter. ins stm representation in We Gibraltar be given refore request that The petitioners the representation in and ons of Comm a voice in the House in international ish abl est uld This wo Region, conthe House of Lords. ved vol De a ng ilst bei of Commons law that Gibraltar, wh use (Ho .

UK part of the stitutes an integral Hansard)

The following day the same delegation, along with Craig Mackinlay, another supporting UK MP, visited the office of the Prime Minister in 10 Downing Street where another volume was accepted.

Representation in Westminster committee member Wilfred Stagnetto comments that “we need to remove the colonial stigma that we carry by becoming an autonomous region of the UK and keeping our constitution.”

“We are leaving the EU even though the vast majority wanted to stay because we are considered part of the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the Spanish Government has already stated that if the UK ever wanted to re-join, because we have been labelled a Colony by the EU, we would not be able to re-join with the UK. So we would have to come under Spain or stay out. We call that ‘Checkmate’. With some foresight this can be avoided by first achieving representation in Westminster and then becoming an autonomous part of the UK,” Wilfred states.

“If we are full British Citizens why do we come under the Foreign Office? We are not foreigners; we are part of the British Family, so let’s tie the knot and create a safe future for the generations to come. It is undemocratic for a Parliament to be discussing issues that affect us directly or indirectly whilst we, as British Gibraltarians, are not officially represented there.”

WORDS BY JO WARD GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

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FEATURE

Following this, on the 12th July, referred to by Wilfred as “an important part of the Representation in Westminster campaign”, the petition to the Gibraltar Parliament was presented to the House. It reads as follows:

INSIGHT TOOK TO THE STREETS DURING THE ISLAND GAMES TO GAUGE THE OPINION OF VISITORS TO THE ROCK ABOUT THE IDEA OF GIBRALTAR HAVING ITS OWN MP AT WESTMINSTER: GUERNSEY

To The Honourable

Gibraltar Parliament : “The under-mentioned signatories of this pet that Gibraltar British ition believe Citizens should be democratically represented in Westm inster. Furthermore , we believe that this is a right that all Citizens should have, to be democratically represent ed in a Parliament where at times issues that concern us are being debated.

Your petitioners’ req uest all members of support the right of Parliament to all Gibraltar British Citizens to be democratically repres ented in Westmins ter, to keep our attained autonomo us powers as per our 2006 Constitution, our double loc k on sovereignty and our Chief Minister will continue to be our spokesperson . Moreover, we ask the Honourable Members of the Gib raltar Parliament to debate our petitio n and to include a member of our movement in the nex t Constitutional Ref orm so that the wish of ele ven thousand five hun Committee ries are respected and dred signatolistened to.

Furthermore on beh alf of our signatori es we present to all the Honourable Me mbers of the Gibralt ar Parliament a petition supported by 14,000 signatori es of whom 11,500 are from Gibraltar British Citizens and 2,5 00 are mainly from British visitor s to Gibraltar. A cop y of the petition was handed to Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar on the 10 January 2019 and 27 February 2019. The to the House of Commons on the original was handed at 10 Downing Street on 28 Februa ry 2019.”

“We are in a similar situation in Guernsey - we have a representative who represents our interests, but they are not an MP” “Speaking from a Guernsey point of view, if we had a Member of Parliament they would want to dominate us more than they are trying to dominate us now, so I am happy without one. We are as independent as you are and have been for hundreds of years.”

“I think it is a great idea - it wouldn’t do any harm and it would be good to have someone there to stand up for you. In Guernsey we have a good relationship with the UK – and I think it would benefit Guernsey to have representation in Westminster as well.”

HITRA “It would be a good idea for Gib to be represented in London - I don’t see why not? I think you should have someone from Gibraltar to speak for the people in Westminster.”

CAYMAN ISLANDS “Westminster governs Britain and as Overseas British Territories we should have a say in what goes on, so there should be a side arm that represents each island.”

JERSEY “Here in Gibraltar you got to vote on the Referendum – we didn’t have a say. In Jersey we have our own government and don’t have representation in Westminster, so it is up to you, but we are happy to be autonomous.”

ISLE OF MAN “We are not part of the UK, we are autonomous, but having an MP in Westminster can’t be a bad thing and more representation is always a good idea.”

SHETLAND ISLANDS “We are governed by the Scottish Parliament, so ultimately by London, and the Shetland Islands MP has just resigned, so do we think this is a good idea for Gibraltar – no comment!”

(Contributors asked to remain anonymous)

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TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT

APPLE GOES

Apple recently gave two of its laptops a refresh, just in time for the new academic year.

The MacBook Air, has been enhanced by adding True Tone to its Retina display for a more natural viewing experience, In addition, the entry-level 13-inch MacBook Pro has been updated with the latest 8th-generation quad-core processors, making it twice more powerful than before. It also now features Touch Bar and Touch ID, a True Tone Retina display and the Apple T2 Security Chip.

“College students love the Mac — it’s the notebook they rely on from the dorm room to the classroom, and the No. 1 choice among higher education students,” said Tom Boger, Apple’s senior director of Mac Product Marketing. “With a lower student price for MacBook Air and the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with faster performance, Touch Bar and Touch ID at a lower price for students, there’s never been a better time to bring a Mac to college.”

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Both models are part of Apple’s Back to School promotion, which includes a pair of Beats Studio 3 Wireless headphones with the purchase of a qualifying Mac notebook or iMac, from participating retailers.

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TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT

INDUSTRY-LEADER BELKIN, HAS JUST RELEASED SOME ULTRA-DURABLE CABLES FOR PORTABLE DEVICES. They’ve been engineered from the groundup with strength and durability in mind, featuring aramid - a material normally reserved for use in protective clothing and products such as tennis racquets and surfboards. Double-braided nylon on the outside adds to the robustness.

The BOOST-CHARGE™ made with DuraTek™ collection is available in three colours and lengths.

The company that practically invented portable music devices, Sony, has added a new wireless headphone to its collection.

The 1000X range has a new member the WF-1000XM3. Featuring a dedicated noise-cancelling chip and sensor, the new buds also feature 24-bit signal processing and upscaling to get the best audio possible, no matter how it was encoded.

Bluetooth latency has also been minimised, meaning that if you decide to use them to watch films, the audio will sync with the video on the paired device.

Ergonomics haven’t escaped attention-to-detail either. An ‘ergonomic tri-hold’ design holds earbuds in place, complimented by four sizes of hybrid earbuds and three sizes of triple comfort earbuds.

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FEATURE PAUL ANDERSON IS AN ARTS BROADCASTER, RADIO PRESENTER, PRODUCER AND JOURNALIST. HE’S KNOWN FOR WORK ON BBC 6 MUSIC, XFM, CAPITAL AS WELL AS HOSTING HIS OWN ONE-HOUR FILM SHOW ‘AT THE MOVIES’ ON SMOOTH RADIO. PAUL IS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE LONDON FILM CRITIC’S CIRCLE. FOLLOW HIM ON TWITTER @AFILMGUY.

TOY STORY 4: 12A

SPIDERMAN FAR FROM HOME 12A :

Arriving nine years after Toy Story 3, the latest in Disney-Pixar’s hit animated series is a bright and shiny, whizz bang and fast paced entertainment for kids.

They say it’s the last one, but they’ve said that before.

There’s a recap on how we got here at the end of the last one when Andy grew up and Woody and Buzz and the gang were nearly binned but ended up with the cute and delightful Bonnie. These days Woody hangs out mostly in a cupboard until needed. Then she makes a new toy by putting goggle eyes on a spork, - a cross between a spoon and a fork – that she calls Forky, and this is her new favourite toy.

Here we go again with the flashback generations.

The 19-year-old, 12 film franchise comes to a substandard halt with this saga of Jean Grey (Sophie Turner). Teenage Jean’s mutant gifts inadvertently caused the fatal car crash that killed her mother, landing her in the care of wheelchair-bound Professor Charles Xavier (James McAvoy), who recognizes the traumatized orphan’s telepathic/telekinetic skills. Enter a shape-shifting alien entity named Vuk (Jessica Chastain) who begins twisting Jean’s mind by asking, ‘Are you a scared little girl who answers to the man in the chair, or are you the most powerful being on the planet?’ So, then we get the whole, ‘You’re stronger than you know. You’re special’ malarkey which inevitably leads to disaster, causing grumpy Magneto (Michael Fassbender) to resurface in his remote, rural hut. There are Fleeting visits from Hank/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Nightcrawler (Kobi Smit-McPhee), Quicksilver (Evan Peters) and Storm (Alexandra Shipp) and a prolonged appearance from empowered Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) notes that the X-Men should become the X-Women because “The women are always saving the men around here.”

Woody makes it his mission to keep the two together. That isn’t easy, because “Forky” voiced brilliantly by Tony Hale identifies as trash and not a toy, and he likes being trash, jumping into waste bins whenever he gets the chance.

Chasing ‘Forky’ takes Woody to a town where he finds old friend Bo Peep and Gabby Gabby voiced by Mad Men’s Christina Hendrix who is so in need of love from a child, she will hurt other toys to get it.

Of the many new characters, the best, and if used more they would have stolen the film, are Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as Ducky and Bunny who are hilarious. Integral to the story is Duke Caboom a motorbike stunt rider voiced by the suddenly everywhere Keanu Reeves. Most of the last act takes place at a carnival and kids will love and grownups will get the grownups gags. A sure fire hit for the summer

WORDS BY PAUL ANDERSON GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

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SPORTS INSIGHT

ON-FIRE ENGLAND’S BURNING QUEST TO RECLAIM

THE ASHES

WORDS BY LIAM BEGLAN, SPORTS WRITER 24

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uphoric celebration followed England’s incredible victory over New Zealand at Lord’s last month and decades of dismal failure at last faded from memory when the country that had brought the great game to the world finally fired the 44-year-old monkey from its back and claimed the World Cup for the first time - an epic encounter at the home of cricket that for sheer drama has never and, surely, can never again be equalled. The pantheon of giants - Botham, Boycott, Gower, Gooch, Lamb, Hussain, Flintoff, Pietersen, stellar names all, ghosts from great eras past, all tried and all failed to stride on to the winner’s rostrum, but this team of hungry young Lions, indisputably the world’s top one-day side over the past four years, are hot on the scent of further prey, and all around, there is the rich aroma and promise of many more glory days to digest.

the youngster later tearfully claiming he had been instructed to do so by senior players, including captain David Warner.

Quite why cheating and skullduggery caused such outrage in Ozland - is a bit of a mystery, considering that not that long ago the requisite green card for admission into the country was a criminal conviction, an entry requirement that saw thousands of convicted felons from the British Isles banished to the Land Down Under. Alas, nowadays, even evidence of a youthful experimentation involving a spliff sees the no-entry signs go up. But blubbing Aussie cricket players - can our colonial cousins really be going soft? I’m indebted to that great Barry Humphries creation, Sir Les Patterson, when commenting on how tough both the Aussie male and female genders are, the great statesman took us on a brief intimate visit to the boudoir, revealing that foreplay Down Under consisted solely of the tender yell of: ‘You awake, Sheila?’.

Now it’s time for the bat to be passed to the Test side as the War of The Ashes, cricket’s oldest and most fiercely fought contest, is set to rage on England’s green and pleasant playing fields this summer when the Wild Colonial Boys of Australia come calling, grittily determined to retain the sport’s most cherished prize - a tiny bowl of ashes - won so convincingly 4-0 by the Aussies last time, when only the intervention of the rain gods in forcing a tie in the 4th Test saved the Poms from a humiliating whitewash in the fivematch series.

Joking aside, of course the Aussie spirit and will to win remain undimmed, the Red Roses have been put to the sword, petals scattered to the wind, in brutal fashion in the girly version of the Ashes and the male counterparts, still smarting from that eight-wicket semi-final collapse to the old enemy, are back in Blighty mightily resolved to hold on to that tiny precious urn that means so much to the cricket-loving populace of both countries. Newly-crowned world champions England will field the bulk of the successful one-day side, with the captain’s role being entrusted to 28-year-old Joe ASHES TIMETABLE Root, who along with the mesmeric firebrand Ben Stokes and 1ST TEST - AUG 1-5 - EDGBASTON Jason Roy, who was my pick as 2ND TEST - AUG 14-18 - LORD’S the star of the World Cup, are 3RD TEST - AUG 22-26 - HEADINGLEY three musketeers striding man4TH TEST - SEPT 4-6 - OLD TRAFFORD fully on the road to cricketing 5TH TEST - SEPT 12-16 - THE OVAL greatness.

The origin of the legend that is The Ashes goes all the way back to 1882 when a touring Australian side sensationally beat England at The Oval, causing jubilant rejoicing Down Under - the prison colony had walloped the game’s lord and masters and the dastardly deed had been done in their own backyard. The backlash at home to this momentous result was intense, the country was stunned and English press reports bordered on hysteria, vilifying its own players and headlining the demise of the great game. The Times carried an amusing obituary announcing the death of English cricket, stating that after cremation “the ashes would be transported to Australia”, and so was born the Legend of the Ashes, the series taking place usually every two years on an alternating home and away basis. Of the seventy series since inception, honours are almost even, with the Aussies shading it with 33 victories to England’s 32 and five ending in a tie.

The Three Lions will regain the Ashes - of that I have no doubt whatsoever, but at the skinny odds of 4-5 I will not burden them with my pony (£25) from the winnings on our successful World Cup punt on England.

Jason Roy played a phenomenal part in the success of the one-day side and it was noticeable that the side struggled in the group games where injury ruled him out. At a much more palatable top price of 7/1, I will be lumbering Jason with my 25 quid to be Top Series Batsman. That still leaves a chunk of bookies money for some summer Cider in the Sun at Casemates - Howzat! Bring it on!

Since Australia’s steamrolling of England in the last series, the sport has seen contrasting fortunes for the two great cricketing nations, the Red Rose one-day side soaring to the top of the white-ball game, their dominance finally rewarded with that momentous first world title success last month, a victory made more special by thrashing the Kangaroos in the semi-final. Australia, on the other hand, were rocked by cheating allegations, highlighted by the “Sandgate” scandal when tv cameras captured rookie player Cameron Bancroft scuffing the ball with sandpaper in a Test match against South Africa,

WAGER:

£25 JASON ROY (ENG) TO BE TOP SERIES BATSMAN (7/1)

TV COVERAGE: ALL TESTS LIVE ON SKY SPORTS

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FEATURE

Although it wasn’t meant to be across the two legs in the Europa League qualifier, St Joseph’s showed it is an ambitious club and continues to develop - and coincided with two new commercial deals with Lollipop Enterprises Ltd. and M Price Ltd.

For the first leg, Gibraltar welcomed Glasgow Rangers fans who turned up in their hundreds to the Rock for a day or two in the sun, some even driving all the way from Glasgow itself.

Meanwhile, the reverse side of the fixture saw the Forever Blue team head to the iconic Ibrox Stadium, where they

may have seen a familiar sight...

Speaking after the match, St Joseph’s director of football John Paul Hendrick said, “Meeting Steven Gerrard was great, but most importantly I enjoyed the Rangers FC experience - the city, the staff, the directors and fans - that was the best part of all. The history around Ibrox is amazing and I will certainly be back for a game, this time as a Rangers fan.”

Photograhy © Willie Vass

Lollipop Enterprises Ltd. is a Gibraltar-based project management and cost consultancy company in construction and engineering procurement.

Based in London, M Price Limited is a

market leader in the aluminium curtain walling, window and multi-lateral façade industry.

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GOLF

NEWS

THE GEDIME MOTORS TROPHY The final event of the Med Golf 2018-19 Season was the Gedime Motors Trophy tournament held on the Alcaidesa Links Course on Sunday 7th July 2019.

The Links is renowned for its spectacular views, not only of Gibraltar and the African coast to the South, but also the coastline of Spain to the North as far as the Sierra Nevada when they are topped with snow. Valued as a fair test of golf, the course was well prepared following a recent 2 weeks of maintenance with greens that were of a manageable pace. The wind was little more than a stiff breeze which, although affecting the ball flight, did little to dampen the scores.

The best senior was Eddie Diaz with 38 points. Eddie was also the runner up in Category 3. The longest drive was won by Javi Hunter.

The best pair was Roy Azopardi and Kevin Jones with a combined score of 72 points. Kevin was also the Category 1 winner.

Med Golf were delighted to welcome 12 guest players and a one year free membership was awarded to the top three guests as follows.

First place: Ross Harkins with a score of 38 points.

Second place: Bill Fletcher with a score of 37 points.

Third place: Danill Pogba with a score of 36 points.

OUR HANDICAP CATEGORY WERE WON AS FOLLOWS:

PRIZES

Category 1 (handicaps 0 to 12): Roger Griffiths was runner up with 36 points losing by one point to Kevin Jones with 37 points.

Category 2 (handicaps 13 to 22): Anthony Bull, the winner last time out, was runner up this time with 36 points to Joe Sanchez on handicap, also with 36 points.

In addition to finding the winner of the Gedime Trophy, the event would also determine the Player of the Year and the top ten players in the Hunter Properties Order of Merit who would qualify for the Med Golf Masters.

The Champion of the day, fresh off a second place in Category 2 last outing, and winner of the Gedime Trophy with 43 Stableford points off a handicap of 13 was Paul Nash.

Category 3 (handicap 23 and above): Once again the winner of the last event, Eddie Diaz, had to settle for second place this time out with 38 points behind Hans Henrik Jensen with 39 points.

Nearest the pin winners were: Simon Dyson, Roger Griffiths, Julian Valverde, Daniil Pogiba and Louis Calvente. Richard Atkinson was nearest to the pin in 2 on a par 4 and Ben Helme was nearest the pin in 3 on a par 5.

Gedime Motors were thanked for sponsoring the event and the prizes were presented by Sales Manager Paul Lopez. Med Golf Director John Hunter thanked his Med Golf Staff for keeping events running during his unavoidable absence for a while during the season, and also thanked the members for their support.

Paul also struck a blow for Category 2 players by posting the best gross score of 77, winning the coveted prize normally only in the reach of Category 1 single figure handicappers! A timely strike perhaps as Paul’s handicap adjustment will move him up into Category 1.

The best gross score of level par on the 6 par 3 holes was Roger Griffiths. Roger was also the Category 1 runner up and appeared on the nearest to the pin prize list.

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FEATURE

a beacon to follow After a successful six days in July, the Gibraltar 2019 NatWest International Island Games XVIII closing ceremony was a time to reflect on the incredible achievements, not only of the competitors, but also on the remarkable accomplishment by the organising team from the Gibraltar Island Games Association and the Gibraltar Government in the completion of the magnificent state-of-the- art sports facilities that will leave a lasting legacy for the people of Gibraltar to use and enjoy..

“Chairman of the International Island Games Association (IIGA) Jorgen Pettersson praised Gibraltar in his closing speech saying that it had “inspired and encouraged others for generations to come”, and that it was “now the beacon to follow”.

The Games provided a spectacle of sportsmanship, unity and collaboration between the 22 competing islands, and a special camaraderie that bonded the hundreds of spectators as they watched events and cheered on the athletes, no matter which Island they were representing.

From young children for whom the Island Games will be an event to reminisce about in years to come, to the older generation who remember the ‘Sunshine Games’ of 1995, this was a fantastic opportunity to bring together the whole community, made possible by free entrance to all the sporting events.

Competitors and supporters were seen wandering up and down Main Street and in Casemates Square, renamed ‘Games Square’ for the duration of the event, soaking up the atmosphere, enjoying the live entertainment on the Summer Nights stage, and relaxing at the bars and restaurants.

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THEA AND ANNA FROM THE NORWEGIAN ISLAND OF HITRA: “We are part of the team from Hitra playing Beach Volleyball and it has been a great experience. Gibraltar is a really nice town and a very ‘cool’ place, especially with the Rock that seems to divide the Island. It is different from Norway; this is a lot smaller and a lot warmer! We had a fun time seeing the monkeys and we are planning to see the dolphins and go to St. Michael’s Cave later on. Everyone has been very welcoming, especially as we are from Norway – and we are very different – people don’t talk to strangers in Norway, but they do here, especially when we are wearing our Island Games passes!”

MARK FROM THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

Tracey Skelton and Matthew Roosen are competitors from the Isle of Man. “It is very sunny, warm and windy – and because we are rifle shooters the wind counts – so it is a bit of an issue! It’s been quite hard figuring out the buses, but we have enjoyed eating out and the steaks are great!”

“I am here supporting the teams from the Cayman Islands, and I have never been to Gibraltar before but it is a beautiful place. The Cayman Islands are flat, coral islands, with no mountains or rivers, so this is unique – with a big Rock and hills and valleys – and I have managed to see the Island from one end to the next as I travel from one event to another.

We are all so impressed with the

CARMEL O’CONNOR Frida Eriksson and Amanda, part of the shooting team from Gotland, commented that the people are nice, the weather is good and the facilities are great, but they didn’t enjoy meeting the apes: “They are too scary – they jumped up and sat on my head and I was really scared!”

Eric Legg and Amanda Hibbs: Amanda is from Guernsey, the venue for the 2021 Island Games, and is on the organising committee. “It is a very friendly place,” she says. Eric has visited Gibraltar once before when he came to the ‘Sunshine Games’ in 1995. “There has been a heck of a lot of change,” he tells us. “One thing that really has made an impression is the facilities, which are fantastic.”

NIKKI TREBERT IS A PISTOL SHOOTER, ALSO FROM GUERNSEY. “This is my first time in Gibraltar and it is beautiful and the facilities are great - it has been a fabulous and successful week, so we are very happy. Compared to Guernsey, Gibraltar is a lot warmer and a lot smaller, even though Guernsey is not a big island, so it is weird to find somewhere smaller, but the good thing is that everything is in walking distance, although it is quite hilly!”

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is a team official from Jersey who came to the Island Games in Gibraltar in 1995. “I have seen a huge change; everything is bigger and better, including Ocean Village which wasn’t here before. I have to say that the facilities are fantastic and the Sandpits Tennis club is really good.”

Carmel was accompanied on her walk down Main Street by Gibraltarian Frank Costa who organised the tennis in 1995 and still coaches.

new facilities, something that Gibraltar can use for a very long time to come. We have been out enjoying the live entertainment at ‘Summer Nights’ and eaten at several different restaurants, although the food is not quite the same as in the Cayman Islands, but the people are very friendly.”

We caught up with parents Paula Spence from Orkney, supporting her two children competing in athletics, and Janis Nicolson from The Shetland Islands, who is on the officiating team and whose son is taking part in the swimming, as they arrived in Main Street having walked down from the Lathbury Sports Complex. “It is very hot compared to where we are from – 12 degrees to this heat – but it is the friendliest place we have ever been to, whether it is because it is the Games or whether it is always like this, but it is just lovely.” However, the ladies were slightly critical of the buses which they said could have been more frequent. “We are struggling with walking and the buses always seem to be full, but other than that the organisers have pulled out all the stops to get everything ready on time.”

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From 24 - 28 June the inaugural Maritime Week Gibraltar was staged, with the conference and 5 receptions during the week being hosted at both the Sunborn and Rock Hotel and various local venues. On the last day there were technical site visits offered at some of Gibraltar’s maritime facilities and a Maritime Week Gibraltar Exhibition at the Cruise Terminal. An audience of over 250 delegates comprising leaders from all sectors of the international shipping sector from 19 different countries, were in attendance.

Llewellyn Bankes-Hughes, Managing Director of Petrospot commented ‘Gibraltar is already well-known worldwide for its exceptional bunkering facilities which have made it the top refuelling location in the Mediterranean. However, Gibraltar’s thriving maritime sector has so much more to offer the global shipping community, from drydock and agency to legal services, slops and debunkering facilities, hull and tank cleaning, crew change, training and so much more. Maritime Week Gibraltar is designed to show to the world what Gibraltar’s maritime sector is capable of.’

will have to use fuel oil on board with a sulphur content of no more than 0.50% (current limit is 3.50%). The majority of the industry is expected to adopt the compliant fuels option. Scrubbers were also discussed as they can capture and remove up to 99% of Sulphur Diozixde, up to 94% of particulate matter and up to 60% of black carbon from ships’ exhaust gases, generating cleaner air emissions.

Given that 1 in 8 premature deaths in the world are linked to air pollution (7 million deaths in 2012) this new legislation will bring major health and environmental benefits for the world, particularly for populations living close to ports and coasts.

This major new biennial event was hosted by the Gibraltar Port Authority together with HM Government of Gibraltar, Gibraltar Maritime Administration and a wide range of sponsors, and was staged

by Petrospot to great success.

HM Government of Gibraltar’s Minister for the Port, the Hon Gilbert Licudi QC MP, added ‘This event will provide a fantastic opportunity for local organisations to engage with the international maritime community, offering them the perfect platform to show the very best of what Gibraltar has to offer.’

Photograhy © Petrospot Ltd

The objective of Maritime Week was to reinforce Gibraltar’s status as the Mediterranean’s premier bunkering hub as well as highlighting the maritime expertise and facilities available locally, including legal and financial services.

One of the many hot topics included climate considerations and international shipping’s decarbonization. With the the IMO 2020 Global Sulphur Limit just around the corner a lot of the conversation was about the likely new bunkering industry we will see emerging. Under the new global limit from January 2020, ships

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Aidan Cleverly WELL, IT’S THE SEASON... EURO ELECTIONS, CALLS FOR BRITISH ELECTIONS AND AROUND THE CORNER, THE ROCK’S ELECTIONS, AS OUR PRESENT PARLIAMENT IS SOON TO BE FOUR YEARS OLD, READY FOR RENEWAL, AND VOICES AMONGST THE ELECTORATE ARE ALWAYS KEEN TO WELCOME `NEW FACES!’ And we just witnessed another election, that of the newly crowned 2019 Miss Gibraltar, ready to represent us at this year’s Miss World pageant in Thailand! But that’s where the similarity of the `choice by ballot’ – of sorts – ends. Beauty with a purpose and politics don’t really mix!

Insight’s May and June editions carried articles of, perhaps, future politicians belonging to two of the three political parties that’ll soon be contesting Gibraltar’s Parliament `seats of power’ in the former House of Assembly building in the centre of town. And that’s where we’re at in this article also... Yes, it’s politics once again.

However the GSLP’s Aidan Cleverly thought he might want to be – wait for it - a butcher! “That’s right, I don’t know why, I was just fascinated as I watched meat being cut by butchers going about their work.” But Aidan also enjoyed watching films about debates.

Presumably those held between lawyers in court room scenes as well as politicians endeavouring to get their arguments across the floor in the House of Commons and other places. However, the present Chairman of the GSLP’s Youth Section `political’ bug did not germinate then, no, it came long before when he was just four or five years old. 26 year old Aidan’s granddad was none other than former GSLP Government Minister, Robert Mor who would take him down to the Piazza and meet other party activists and high ranking executive members and politicians. Juan Carlos Perez, Pepe Baldacino and others were often there, not least Chief Minister at the time, Joe Bossano. “I recall repeating slogans and political phrases in parrot fashion. I particularly remember chanting, `Bossano, amigo, el pueblo esta contigo!’ and I had a badge with Joe’s face on it. My mum Catherine, my grandfather Mor’s daughter, was also quite involved with the party helping out whenever she was required, so the influences were certainly there and as I grew up and became more interested in politics, I began to understand the GSLP philosophy and joined the Youth Section.”

busy as he is with work and politics, he still finds time to keep fit three times a week, looks after his baby daughter with partner Samey-Jo and maintains an interest helping students going off to study to the UK or elsewhere (or whilst they’re there), advising on the do’s and don’ts when living away from home missing the `comfy good life’ on the Rock! In the Youth Section he became Vice Chair in 2015 and involved in promoting the `Remain’ choice when the Brexit issue was thrust upon us in 2016. Nowadays as Chairman of the Youth Section, Aidan also has a seat in the senior GSLP Executive ensuring the concerns of younger members of our community are heard and hopefully acted upon. “As far as politics in Gibraltar goes, I’m happy we don’t have extreme right or leftist factions to speak of in our community.” On the issue relating to Gib being a small place and wouldn’t it be better to have the best brains and not separate political parties, Aidan claims Jersey and the Falklands have individuals voted in to run affairs and not parties, and having spoken to politicians from those territories, some say they’d prefer to engage in a party system where members would have to follow the party whip.

“That’s correct, they tell me when constituents come to see them with their concerns it’s easier to agree with the individuals and tell them what they want to hear, with maybe the matter not then being followed up.

Locally, I can see politics can be tough with politicians being very exposed, stopped in the street and easily approached anywhere. There’s a lot of pressure from the public, and government needs to be on their toes especially now with a third party.” The GSLP will no doubt be hoping for a third victory after two terms under their belt. “Of course our party has been extremely busy for the past two or three years with the Brexit issue and that means some domestic issues may not receive the attention they would otherwise get. I know ministers have been working very hard to get us through this period. You could say Brexit has taken over really. Winston Churchill won the war and lost the following election because dealing with the war effort took priority over domestic issues and you could say he paid for that, which shows you can never underestimate the electorate.”

Aidan highlights Joe Bossano’s scrapping of the point system to attend university as one of a number of achievements that’ll be remembered as a GSLP legacy. Adding to that, reforms for education extended to post graduate degrees have been introduced by the present GSLP Government. “Now I think it’s important to encourage more of our own culture in education by creating more local qualifications offered in our own university and whilst keeping to the UK curriculum, tweaking here and there to tailor qualifications to suit our needs, in that way bringing Gibraltar culture more to the fore.”

So what of the future for the Chair of the GSLP Youth Section Aidan Cleverly? Is there a politician in the making? There is always a need for new blood coming forward with fresh ideas and fire in their belly! “This is not something I think about now. That may be in the future but I’m still young and concentrating on my career as a barrister.”

Despite being a little rowdy in school, Aidan ended up in three universities studying to become a lawyer. Whist still at Bayside and enjoying being involved in drama, his work experience stint was at Hassans law firm. Clearly it appealed and he went on to study at Sunderland University, Northumbria University and Newcastle University. Now he’s hard at work as a young lawyer in Hassans’ new offices in the Midtown development. Before moving to Hassans, he worked at the Economic Development and Employment Department (EDEC) at New Harbours. Now,

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Clearly he’s keeping his hand-in with the party, doing all he can I’m sure, attending monthly meetings of the youth committee and with the big boys in the main executive also, so the political bud has taken root coupled with enthusiasm to help make Gibraltar a better place, so time will tell if it’ll finally encourage the Chairman to take another seat in the Parliament building as a political Gibraltar lawmaker. He’s very young and it’s said, `a week in politics is a long time’.... he’s got hundreds of those to choose from before he decides to dive in!

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ARMED FEATURE FORCES INSIGHT

WRAF

visit the Rock

Nine representative of the WRAF Branch of RAFA made a visit to Gibraltar. Three of the group had travelled quite some distance from North America. Amanda Meehan from Toronto, Sarah Musson from Yellowknife and Nicola Willis-Jones from Washington.

Affectionately known as ‘WRAFs on Tour 2019’, the group met Wing Commander John (Kano) Kane and his staff at RAF Gibraltar and were given an overview of current activities and an opportunity to see some of the historical artefacts and photographs. BFBS were on hand to record some of the memories of those who had served at RAF Gibraltar.

Wing Commander Kane said, “It was an absolute pleasure for us to host the WRAF group and for us all to be able to share our collective experiences from over the decades.

I hope that you and the WRAF continue to do these kind of trips for years to come. You are an extremely important part of our heritage”.

The group were fortunate to be able to visit the MOD WW2 tunnels, and walk along The Great North Road deep inside the rock.

The tour was lead by Major Simon Andrews, Royal Engineers, whose knowledge of the tunnels was exemplary. After writing on social media about the visit, one of the group discovered there was something

extra special to add to the history.

Nicola Willis-Jones said, “I talked to an old school friend who told me her father was a Royal Engineer with the Stafford Regiment in the war - and previously a miner - and they were chosen for tunneling and he was with the group which broke through to the famous St Michael’s caves. It seems that the front row in all the official photos were actors because the tunnelers were so emaciated and it wouldn’t look good in a photo. As a tunneler he did not feel he had done his bit for the war, but with hindsight he surely did ... helping tunnel something so strategic”.

Highlight of the visit was attendance at the Queen’s Birthday Parade on Casemates Square on a sunny and warm evening, in the presence of Senior Military Officers and the Governor of Gibraltar.

Project Lead for the Group, Trishia Welsh, said, “We were in awe of the Parade, the Ceremony of the Keys woven into the evening and the precision of the Gibraltar Regiment and the Military Band. For all of us it was a truly memorable occasion.”

As well as being a successful visit interspersed with sightseeing, it proved a wonderful opportunity for the Branch to highlight its existence and forge new relationships with the RAF overseas.

Words: Trishia Welsh

AWARDS CEREMONY The Commanding Officer Royal Gibraltar Regiment, Lt Col David King, recently presented a number of awards at a ceremony at Grand Battery House. The awards included a Long Service and Good Conduct medal, the Willie Thomson Key and four Commanding Officers’ Coins. The recipients included two members of the Regiment’s permanent cadre, two Reservists and a civilian member of the Regimental family.

The Long Service and Good Conduct medal is awarded to soldiers who have served a minimum of 15 years of exemplary service. On this occasion it was awarded to Sgt Aaran Ives.

The first Commanding Officer’s Coin was awarded to Miss Maite Nuñez, who is the senior ranks and warrant officers mess manager.

The second Coin was awarded to LCpl Amanda Peach.

Amanda was instrumental in supporting a local charity drive to create patches as part of the “Flags of Thanks” initiative aimed at supporting homeless veterans.

The next Commanding Officer’s Coin was presented to Colour Sergeant (CSgt) Russell Evans, who is a Reservist and long standing member of the Royal Gibraltar Regimental Band.

The final coin and the Willie Thomson Key was presented to Pte Ethan Webster-Valerio. The Willie Thomson Key is the oldest silver article owned by the Regiment, having been donated by Major Willie Thomson in 1953.

In addressing the audience at the award ceremony the Commanding Officer said, “Pte Webster-Valerio’s performance exemplified the spirit of the Barbarians and has set the standard that all soldiers should aspire to”.

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Rightly called ‘The King of Latin Pop’ and ‘The King of Dance’ by influential music magazine Billboard, Enrique Iglesias is coming to the Rock and will headline the first night of Gibraltar Calling on Saturday 7th September at the Europa Point Sports Complex.

released a week before the tragic events at the World Trade Center on 11th September. It was one of the few songs chosen

by NY radio DJs shortly after the attacks and the song was later remixed with audio from NYPD police officers, firefighters and others involved with Ground Zero.

The bilingual singer, who sings in Spanish and English, is no ordinary music artist. In fact, he holds the record for having 25 number one singles in the Spanish language and has successfully crossed over to the English-language market as well, which is no mean feat and one where Enrique has succeeded where other Latin artists have failed. Overall, the Grammy winner has sold over 100 million albums, with over 40 million of those in the English-language market, making him one of the most successful singers in the world.

“Bailamos” released in 1999 (not to be confused with “Bailando”), was featured in the soundtrack of ‘Wild Wild West’, the film starring Will Smith. It was Enrique’s debut crossover hit and was recognisable for its strong Latin influence. The song holds the record for most weeks at Number One on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart for 41 consecutive weeks.

Born Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler in Madrid, Spain in 1975, Enrique is the son of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and Isabel Preysler, a former model, journalist, socialite and television host who was born in the Philippines. The youngest of three children born to the couple who divorced when he was three, Enrique spent most of his formative years in Miami where he was sent to live with his father when he was just seven years old in 1982 after the kidnapping of his grandfather by Basque terrorists. “I feel that I’m Spanish,” he says, “but at the same time I feel like I grew up in America, so I think I have the best of both worlds.”

Apart from his solo chart-topping hits, Enrique has also teamed up with top artists on some unforgettable collaborations; notably with Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Kylie Minogue and Nicole Scherzinger, and some other cleverly chosen mainstream artists such as Usher, Kelis, Ciara and rappers Lil Wayne and Pitbull.

Voted the sexiest man in the world by People en Español, is Enrique the Latin lover that he is made out to be in those hot, steamy videos that accompany his songs? Apparently not! He claims that in reality he is shy, and although there are a few ex-girlfriends, including Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Love Hewitt, he has settled down with retired professional tennis player Anna Kournikova whom he met after she played his love interest in the music video for “Escape”.

The couple, not yet married, gave birth to twins Nicholas and Lucy on 16th December 2017 and Enrique is the epitome of a proud, doting dad, often posting pictures of the twins online. There’s a great video he shared on Instagram showing that the twins are his harshest critics so far.

They giggle adorably in their buggy as he runs back and forth making silly noises. The best part, however, comes when one of the twins fears it’s all over and a visible look of distress comes across his face. In his caption, Enrique wrote, “Tough audience to entertain”!

ENRIQUE IGLESIAS

HEADLINES

Not wanting to be seen capitalizing on his father’s name, Enrique enrolled at the University of Miami to study business.

However, he catapulted to fame after making a demo of songs in Spanish and English under the alias Enrique Martinez from Guatemala and went on to sign a multi-lingual contract with Universal Music Group.

Destined to become a heartthrob, when he broke on to the music scene it was no surprise that the tall, muscular and handsome Enrique charmed fans with his seductive charisma, just as his father Julio had, but in a more contemporary style. He’s outlasted Ricky Martin, the Backstreet Boys, ’N Sync, and the Spice Girls, all from the same era, and shows no signs of stopping. In fact, his youthful looks belie his 44 years of age.

What makes Enrique happy is going into the studio and writing songs, so much so that he considers himself a songwriter first and singer second. Asked if he writes his songs in Spanish or in English, or both, Enrique replied: “There’s no formula. Sometimes Spanish, sometimes English. One day the music might come first; it’s like riding on a roller coaster”.

In recent years he has turned down multimillion-dollar deals to appear as a judge on American Idol, The X Factor and the original cast of NBC’s The Voice, stating that he was on tour at the time and there were too many conflicts with his schedule.

Known for the unforgettable ballad “Hero” (2001), it didn’t in fact reach No. 1 but only peaked at No. 3 on the charts, it was

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It’s not just his voice or his songs that make his fans swoon.

Enrique is well known for inviting members of the audience up on stage. “I remember growing up and watching Bruce Springsteen or Tom Petty or Bono, some of these acts that were unpredictable. They would bring someone onstage, and you never knew how that person was going to react. You could tell it wasn’t rehearsed. Sometimes it would go well, sometimes it doesn’t,” he said in an article in the Daily Beast.

Now he’s fitting Gibraltar in as part of his 2019 Tour that takes in Slovakia, Romania, Las Vegas, Mexico and Monaco, amongst other places. There is no doubt that international superstar Enrique Iglesias is still going strong and that Europa Point stadium will be dancing and singing along, sometimes swooning, with fans hoping that they will be the one to get called up on stage!

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SPI RI T OF THE ROCK

There has been a huge resurgence in the juniper flavoured spirit recently, but not the gin of old which we remember from our youth or our parents’ era, often referred to as ‘Mother’s Ruin’, when it was only served on ice, with a slice of lemon and maybe a splash of tonic. Gin has become the ‘on-trend’ drink and now Gibraltar has its own small batch distillery, the only one of its kind.

Professional golfer Peter Millhouse extended his passion for golf into a passion for artisan gin. Learning the ropes from scratch, and working alongside a master distiller from London to perfect the Campion blend, he is now the distiller and distillery manager at Spirit of the Rock.

“We wanted a blend that reflected the historic links with the UK armed forces but with an added twist that is uniquely Gibraltar.

We had to therefore launch with a traditional London Dry Gin (no crazy flavours or added colourings), strong in character at 48% ABV but smooth enough to be sipped with just ice and orange zest. Adding rose buds from Morocco, local lemongrass and oranges and those few Campion seeds that really add that ‘spirit of the rock’. For tonic lovers Campion and Fever-Tree Clementine & Cinnamon Tonic is a match made in heaven,” Peter explains.

Peter pours me a tasting glass of Campion on ice with orange zest. Wow! It is strong, intensely flavourful and smooth enough to sip on its own with the orange giving that added subtle citrus hint. A balanced drink, definitely best sipped and enjoyed slowly that changes dramatically with a dash of tonic which loosens it down and changes it quite considerably.

“The gin is not aggressive because of the other magic ingredient which is Carob from our very own Carob tree. We are one of a very few gin distillers that use this in their blends but we find it smooths the gin and gives a really rounded mouth feel. A lot of people who ordinarily don’t like gin have succumbed to the delights of Campion because it was in fact the tonic water that they disliked.”

Campion can be mixed though, and it is excellent in a Negroni as it has enough punch to carry its flavour through in this classic Italian cocktail (one part Campion, one part Vermouth Rosso and one part Campari). “We created a fantastic cocktail for the Calentita Festival in June by adding infused rose syrup and red berries with lemonade or Prosecco to make a long and refreshing summer cocktail, it went down a storm,” Peter says. “We want people to be creative.”

DISTILLERY TOURS Athena the copper still stands proudly in the centre of the distillery at 8 George’s Lane overlooking all proceedings. The building itself dates back to the 18th century and has in its day been used as a lemonade factory, so it’s now making the grown up equivalent of lemonade. It is believed that the Lane was named after Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt who was the first governor of Gibraltar in 1704.

Distillery tours are now available to see how Campion is made, with an explanation about the raw botanicals, the distillation process, bottling and labelling and then a tasting of six different types of gins together with historical facts relating to gin through the ages and its links with Gibraltar. Tours cost £20 per person and need to be pre-booked online. There is a maximum of 25 people per tour and private tours can also be booked (minimum 10 people).

The history of Gin dates back for centuries, and Peter explains that primitive stills were found in 200 BC. It is clear that he is passionate about his subject as he goes on to explain that Coffey stills were invented by tax collector Mr. Coffey who noticed as he went around collecting taxes that pot stills were very inefficient and of poor quality. “This led to the design of the Coffey Still in around 1850 which is basically a still, on top of a still, on top of a still – which made the purification process continuous, and this is what we have got here,” he says pointing to the gleaming stills that were especially handmade for Spirit of the Rock.

Plymouth Gin was first made in 1793 and it was the first time that citrus was ever introduced into gin. “Before that gins didn’t really have the citrus note, but now people almost think it natural to have citrus in gin.

Bathtub Gin is made with very high quality copper pot-still spirit, infused with juniper and other botanicals, so Bathtub is a sort of homage to the old days in London, but actually it hails from the 1920s when prohibition hit America and they ended up using really bad spirits just to make anything as quickly as they could.”

This brand new and vibrant company ‘Spirit of the Rock’ has two fundamental principles at its heart and that is to produce premium products that Gibraltar can be proud of and in the most environmentally attentive way possible.

“Our gin is not cheap but it is a high quality, hand crafted product and unique, retailing at £30 per bottle, something to savour and appreciate. We avoid single use plastics whenever possible, our bottles are returnable and reusable and we recycle our fresh water saving approximately half a million litres a year. We also have very little waste as our

“We did think about not calling it Bathtub gin because the reason it got its name is not because they made it in a bathtub, but because the bottles were too tall to be filled at the sink so they used the water from the bathtub to force it. We should call it Bath Tap,” he jokes.

At the moment Campion is sold in Gibraltar in some of the bars and shops, at the airport and the cruise terminal, and is promoted as a local gin. “The next gin we will make is called Candytuft which will have a more floral taste.”

Looking to the future, Peter would like to export Spirit of the Rock to the UK and the USA, if there is enough demand, but at the moment he knows that they are on the first rung of something very exciting.

spent botanicals are used for composting,”

So raise a glass to this new small batch craft gin made exclusively in Gibraltar. Cheers!

Peter says.

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FEATURE

BARROSA A STORY OF THE PENINSULAR WARS

Previously Spain had been his allay, Gogoy, the Spanish Premier had invited French troops through Spain to march across the North West Provinces into Portugal.

Ostensibly to implement the “continental blockade,” a system set up by the Emperor to deny all seaports to the Royal Navy. The scheme intended to starve Britain into submission. Once in the Peninsular however Napoleon was reluctant to withdraw his forces from Portugal, or Spain for that matter.

The Bonaparte family was on the ascendancy all over Europe.

Its scions occupied thrones of most countries on the Continent.

Seemingly it was now Spain’s turn to undergo a “regime change” and become part of the Bonaparte Empire. In order to “avoid the Emperor’s displeasure,” the King, Carlos IV, his son, Fernando and the hapless Godoy were all went into exile and Napoleon’s brother Joseph was placed on the throne.

THE BATTLE A STRATEGIC OVERVIEW This article serves to commemorate the 200th anniversary (1811 -2011) of the battle whilst paying tribute to the part played by a Gibraltar based battalion.

Before setting off for Spain, Napoleon addressed his troops thus:

“We will carry our triumphant Eagles as far as the Pillars of Hercules”

Unfortunately for the Spanish, these troops, so devastatingly outclassed, were meant to aid Sir John Moore’s contingent of British soldiers on their way to help the local forces relieve Madrid.

Now Moore stood alone. Chased by the French, he withdrew to La Coruña. The French forces followed close on their heels for fear that the Royal Navy would allow them to escape his grasp.

At this point the French cavalry alone outnumbered the British.

Napoleon returned to Paris at this point to meet the threat from the Austrians that had invaded Bavaria by defeating them at Wagram. He never set foot again in Spain.

Two of the Marshals took over the command in the southwest of the peninsular, they were Massena and Soult Massena now led the Having said so, by December 1808 he entered Madrid so called “Army of Portugal” and with 20,000 men of the Grande Armee. headed for Lisbon. He was defeated on the way by Wellington at Busaco. The allies then withdrew behind massive defensive forts surrounding the capital. The lines of Torre Vedras were a magSpaniards retaliated with insurgency and rebellion, directed at their nificent feat of military engineering. They forced Massena to doffed former allays. his hat at the enemy and withdraw, realising that the lines were all One particular act of rebellion infuriated the Emperor more than but impregnable. any other. This being the defeat of General Dupont at Bailen; where That winter the French army had to forage far and wide stretching its 20,000 French troops surrendered to the Spanish General Castaño. lines of communication and risking surprise attacks by Spanish and It was partly to avenge this humiliation, that Napoleon brought his Portuguese guerrillas. elite regiments with him and was able to inflict singularly heavy defeats on the ramshackle Spanish armies led by Generals Cuesta, Further south Soult was preparing to storm Cadiz where five of the Beake and La Romana.

Central Junta, including Castaños, hero of Bailen, had taken refuge.

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FEATURE

They formed the Regency Council, which ruled Spain till the Bourbons returned. Soult received fresh orders just as he was preparing to invest Cadiz and ordered to go north to the aid of Massena at Badajoz. After withdrawing from the outskirts of Lisbon, Massena felt threatened by the Spanish garrison sallying forth from Badajoz endangering his rearguard. Soult brought most of his corps into Estremadura to reinforce Massena. He left behind three divisions in the region. General Victor was now entrusted with the blockade of Cadiz.

The stage was set for the Battle of Barrosa. Victor found himself in a most invidious position. He had 19,000 men, including engineers and artillerymen to contain. The allies within Cadiz, with

creeks slowed the expedition down considerably, likewise General Zayas, due to sally from Cadiz in support of La Peña, found it difficult to get his force across the fast flowing Sancti Petri River. By the time the engineers bridged it Zayas’ men had missed their rendezvous with the General. Beguines, who led the third prong with the “Serranos” down from Ronda had difficulty negotiating the treacherous mountain passes so typical of the Sierras de Ronda. The plan was finally blocked by information obtained from captured French prisoners, who divulged that Victor’s flank commander had learned of the Allies plans and reinforced Medina Sidonia.

This gave La Peña cold feet as he feared that his force would be sandwiched between the forces of Victor and the French in Medina Sidonia.

He was unaware that the Serranos under Beguines had already retaken Medina Sidonia and without any attempt to contact them or Zayas in Cadiz, he ordered his force to abandon the intended route and head down the coast road to Vejer and thence to Cadiz and safety.

This sudden need for urgency in the Spanish General’s plans prompted him to issue orders to the effect that the expedition should continue the march all through the night.

This proved counter productive as the guides often lost their way making it necessary for the troops to retrace their steps in the dark.

Soult gone, were numerically greater which would endanger his forces if they decided on a series of sallies or landings further down the coast. In fact, such a moved had been contemplated by the Allied Command and was to be put into effect.

A large force was assembled under the watchful eye of the Royal Navy and sailed towards Tarifa. Gusty levanter conditions sent the transports further down the coast than envisaged. Eventually the troops disembarked at Algeciras.

The situation turned farcical. Some of the Spanish troops told to remove their boots and socks to carry officers across streams on their backs. Graham was aghast and so requested to go next. The Brigade led the way, wading across as if on parade. When a gun got bogged down in mid stream, Graham and his officers helps his men to bring it safely to the bank. La Peña and his men were dumbstruck.

In the meantime, French scouts reported back to Victor that the Allies were on the coast road and that they were vulnerable on the landward flank and could be easily driven into the sea. Victor felt that he had his enemy just where he wanted them. He placed Villet’s division by the bridge, outside the walls of Cadiz to prvent any sally from the Spanish garrison. Laval and Ruffin’s divisions were hidden in the woods above the beach road. It seemed clear that who ever held the high ground would have the advantage.

General Campbell, Lieutenant Governor of Gibraltar, saw this not as a setback but as an opportunity for his men on the Rock to support the venture and despatched some Gibraltar based troops to augment the expeditionary force.

General Campbell led an independent command on the Rock, quite separate from the Duke of Wellington’s. Campbell came under the aegis of the Secretary of State for war in London, so he could and did deploy troops without Wellingtons consent. The Duke never forgave Campbell.

The main objective of the expedition was the capture of Medina Sedonia in order to threaten the Victor’s rear thus forcing him to raise the siege of Cadiz.

The Spanish division, designated to do this task was under the command of General Manuel de la Peña, a parsimonious character known as “Lady Manuela” to his men. The British contingent was led by General Grahamii with a force was made up of troops from the Cadiz and Gibraltar battalionsiii, with a few hundred Portuguese Light Infantry known as Caçadores. In difference to the Spanish, who were operating in their own country, La Peña was given overall command by the Junta.

The plan was for a three pronged attack on Victor which needed careful timing and co-ordination. The weather, however was an imponderable not bargained for and this proved to be foul as they began their thrust towards Medina Sidonia. Torrents and swollen

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this was the Barossa Ridge. The French columns marched resolutely towards it, believing the Allies would defend it just as robustly.

It was March 5th 1811. The British rear guard crested the ridge, but instead of preparing to make a determined stand as was expected, they simply marched down the other side and abandoned the hill, for they were under the orders of La Peña to march along the coast road to Cadiz.

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Graham, with 5,000 men was concerned, fearing that his rearguard could be overwhelmed by the French cavalry in the open ground along the beaches, a ready made killing ground. He made the decision to disobey orders and head inland through the pine forest which would afford some protection for his infantry. This action probably saved his command from annihilation.

Cadiz. This he managed only with the help of Zayas who sallied from Cadiz in his support. Zayas actually requested permission to go to Graham’s assistance but La Peña refused. It seems that he assumed that Graham’s force would have been crushed by the two French divisions and feared that their force would suffer the same fate.

Already Ruffin’s troops were swarming over the now empty ridge hardly believing that it was undefended. In the meantime

What followed proved to be an extraordinary affair. There was much recrimination on both sides of the Allied expedition. La Peña accused Graham of disobedience, whilst Graham blamed La Peña for being such a ditherer. La Peña was eventually relieved of his command, but in a typical Quixotic gesture was later decorated by the Junta with the Grand Cross of Carlos III. Graham was also rewarded by the Spanish with the grandiose sounding title of “El Duque del Cerro de la Cabeza del Puerco” or the “Duke of Pigs Head Hill.” One wonders what Graham would have made of this.

The Prince Regent managed to bring some degree of sanity to these rewards when he conferred on him the simple title of Lord Lyndock.

Whereupon Graham resigned his command and went off to join Wellington in Portugal. For him to remain in Cadiz would have been imprudent given the stained relations which existed. The title of “Prince of Wales Own” was conferred on the 87th Irish Regiment and the “Eagle” was to be borne on the Regimental Colours.

Victor was mystified as to why the Allies never gave chase after Barrosa. He wrote to Sault “I do not understand, the Allies know we are weaker.”

Within three days the French returned to their former positions. Barrosa had proved a tactical victory but strategically nothing changed. The siege of Cadiz was back on track.

Laval’s force was about to flank the van of the van of the British column. In these adverse conditions it seemed logical to ward off the French before proceeding to Cadiz. Graham ordered Wheatley to deploy his brigade against Laval and Dilkes. To face Ruffin’s division he needed time to get his men into battle formation.

He began despatching the flanking company of each

When the triumphant troops returned to Gibraltar, Campbell ordered a “Fer de Joie” fired from King’s Lines along Line Wall right up to Europa Pass in honour of those men who ensured, though their supreme sacrifice at Barrosa that the “Eagles” never came close to “The Pillars of Hercules.”

battalion to engage the enemy at once, exhorting his junior officers to delay the French as long as they possibly could.

The five hundred flanker under Colonel Brown of the 28th Regiment and seven hundred under Colonels Barnard and Bushe set out through the trees to face the French infantry descending towards them. They had now been without rest or food for over seventeen hours.

In Brown’s case, the odds were stacked 8:1 against him as he faced the enemy of 7,000 seasoned fighters. At the same time the 95th Regiment with three hundred Portuguese skirmishers, threw themselves at the French through heavy shot and shell.

This gave Wheatley time to mount his artillery driving Laval’s troops from the field of battle after fierce hand to hand fighting. The 78th particularly engaged the 8th “Régiment de Ligne” which lost half of its strength. A bayonet charge by the Irish Regiment, yelling their fearsome war cry ”Faugh a Balagh” or “Clear the Way” broke through the French lines to the sound of the Irish Regiment’s fife and drums playing “Garryowen.” In the charge, Sergeant Masterson of the 87st Regiment seized the much vaunted “Eagle” from an Ensign. This was the first French “Eagle” taken in battle. The enemy lost 2,000 of their crack troop.

As expected, Brown’s column suffered considerable losses as the men scrambled up the Barrosa Ridge but their action gave Dikes time to deploy his men as he had intended. At this point Graham sent in his reserves, consisting of the Guards and the 69th Regiment of Foot to take the pressure off his commanders in the field. Ruffin also sent in reserves, but a series of well directed volleys from the ranks of the “Red Line” stopped the French in their tracks. The failure of Ruffin’s attack on the ridge effectively signalled the end of the battle. Mopping up was left to the RGL ?? whose ferocious cavalry charge had the French Dragoons turn tail and flee in panic, often riding down their own infantry.

Victor eventually regained control of his troops and expected the Allies would be on his tail following their victory so he ordered his engineers to blow up bridges and forts as far back as Seville.

Unbelievably the Spanish cavalry did not move from the coast in pursuit as La Peña feared being flanked by Victor’s reserves and insisted in staying put after disposing of Victor’s division outside

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Article supplied by History Society Gibraltar.

Email: historysocietygibraltar@hotmail.com i Wellington’s despatch to the Secretary of State, Feb 1812 stated ”he (Campbell) is is about to improve the defence of the place (Tarifa) which he considers to be under his orders” ii Graham’s wife , a renowned beauty, had her portrait painted by Gainsborough. iii The Gibraltar battalion was a composite one made up of Light Companies from the 28th, 87th, 47th Regiments. It suffered severe casualties during the assault on the ridge under Brown. A collection was held in Gibraltar for the widows and orphans of the fallen when the battalion returned.

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MOTORING INSIGHT

MINI ELECTRIC

MINI has joined the volume manufacture of electric vehicles with the launch of the MINI Electric. After a trial in the London area a few years ago, and expressions of interest from 15,000 customers, the new 3-door hatch has opened its order book.

First deliveries are expected in spring 2020.

It will be made in Oxford, MINI’s spiritual home.

Oxford managing director, Peter Weber said, “This is such a proud moment for every single one of our team.”

The MINI Electric aims to have comparable performance with the MINI Cooper S, accelerating 0-62 mph in 7.3 seconds.

The original Mini, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis, was born out of the Suez crisis oil shortage and the demand for more affordable motoring. The first cars rolled off the line at Oxford in the summer of 1959 and began a six-decade long global success story.

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PORSCHE PETRO-SURF

It might seem like an unlikely combination, but the small German island of Sylt recently played host to a Porsche and surfing festival.

Visitors showed off many different eras of Porsche along different ways to ingeniously carry surfing paraphernalia.

The Petro-Surf Experience Talk was devised by Ken Hake and Angelo Schmidt.

Both connoisseurs of surf, art and Porsches, Hake was even the German surfing champion at one point. The unique combination and setting drew the attention of Porsche Deutschland, who’ve become the event’s main sponsor.

Marketing director Bastian Schramm said, “It’s exciting to see what’s happening on the scene right now. At Petro-Surf we meet an audience that passionately likes to drive air-cooled Porsche cars. At the same time, the cool surf lifestyle is celebrated here. Both worlds embody a common attitude towards life that fits perfectly to Sylt.”

Silver jubilee for the Audi Sport RS models For some of us, it seems not that long ago that Audi was pushing performance and manoeuvrability with the Quattro. Now, another milestone has been reached with the RS range celebrating a quarter-of-a-century since being launched.

“Every RS model expresses the passion that we put into developing our high-performance cars,” Oliver Hoffmann, Managing Director of Audi Sport GmbH. commented. “For 25 years, our customers have been experiencing the RS models as masterful companions for everyday life that convey pure emotion and maximum driving enjoyment.”

Two completely new models are due to be launched before the end of 2019, and a special exhibition of RS rarities is on now at the Audi Forum in Neckarsulm, Germany. https://www.audi.de/de/foren/en.html

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FEATURE

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Hobby or pastime...

GO FOR IT! You’re home from school, work – part-time or full time – retired or semi and find you have time on your hands that needs filling. Visit the library, join a club or association, take up a hobby, go to the cinema, attend events, or shows. They’re all out there and you can take your pick!

It doesn’t matter whether it’s summer or winter, most are ongoing all year long and the list is endless of what’s on offer out there from which to choose. For the very young, teenagers and young adults, getting involved physically could be your choice... you name the sport and we probably have it up and running somewhere on the Rock. Dance groups and academies abound with shows being staged not just at Christmas but at other times too during the year. The Drama Festival offers a variety of plays including comedies. Also during the year, Yanito presentations are offered. Musical theatre and pantomimes appear in any twelve month period year on year. Pop, Rock and classical music, Zarzuela (Spanish Operetta) and choir concerts are spread throughout from January to December at different venues with the Three King’s Cavalcade kicking it all off at the beginning of the year. There are now three or four other beauty pageants joining the traditional Miss Gibraltar show adding their take on the `Beauty with a Purpose’ theme. The variety of activities you can take part in is plentiful: there’s Tai Chi, Marshall Arts and so many other different sports you can take part in, go for walks up or around the Rock or further afield, join the Scouting, Girl Guide movements, St John Ambulance or the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. Then, for those seeking a more relaxed pastime whether young or not so young, there’s photography, reading at home or at the John Mackintosh Library, painting, visual arts and visiting art galleries, taking up some form of cottage industry, model soldier building, painting and displaying. Why not join the model War Games group and re-enact battles of the past, of the futuristic kind or, how about joining the Model Flying fraternity with their impressive model aeroplanes? At a certain age you might want to become a member of a Senior Citizen’s Club, help at the Cancer Centre, Clubhouse Gibraltar or at other services or charities. You could also get together with a couple of friends and set up a stall at one of the weekly or monthly markets or car boot sales, we’ve all got stuff at home we don’t need taking up precious space! The Heritage Trust is a good one to join for those interested in the Rock’s past to learn more about our military, social and political history. Take up gardening with the Gibraltar Horticultural Society or go for a regular dip in our local swimming pool at GASA at any time of the year, become a ballroom dancer, or just relax in the afternoon or evenings rolling balls whilst making new friends playing... Pétanque! On a more serious note there are conferences, talks and exhibitions at all our popular venues including the Gibraltar University. So there certainly seems to be a lot you can take part in or attend, but only if you’re really interested, want to and are truly inclined to make that move and get involved. You need to psyche yourself up and adopt the right mindset to take whatever you choose on board.

The list of events and activities happening at one time or another is very long. Stroll along Main Street and casually glance at the variety of posters in shop windows or adorning business facades as you go. Future performances are splattered all over the John Mackintosh Hall entrance and poster cabinet at Ince’s Hall. In summer, the Alameda Open Air Theatre is more than likely fully booked for performances and other events and there’s the MUGA arena by the Tercentenary Hall (loads of sports and the Song Festival) and the Victoria Stadium, historically home of all manner of sports from badminton to athletics, with football and hockey thrown in for good measure. St Michael’s Cave is up the Rock where many performances are held. So what comes to mind and in real need of with so much going on? Producers and directors of all our concerts, recitals, presentations and shows are crying out for a new, all purpose theatre. How about a fully refurbished Queen’s Cinema?

That would do the trick!

We wait with baited breath!

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CULTURE INSIGHT

Summer

Photos by Gibmedia - Marcos Moreno ©

NIGHTS

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CULTURE INSIGHT id -week summer night at ‘Games Square’?

You could have fooled me and the rest of those who braved the chilly ‘Levante’ and like me found themselves involuntarily shivering as the scourge of Casemates found a way to chill to the bone. The music billing by Gib Media was designed to please; Ethan Rocca on acoustic guitar with well -chosen covers and some originals was first on with the sun hitting his eyes and playing havoc with his guitar tuning, but he soldiered on and won the respect of the many diners and curious passers-by.

es confidence every time. The band was short staffed of keyboards but you wouldn’t have known as the two guitars from Layla’s dad Jonathan Bugeya and ‘Jade’ veteran Chris Cavilla were taking no prisoners.

This band always delivers a polished set of originals but they threw in some clever covers too. ‘Need you Now’, ‘Shallow’ and ‘We’re never getting back Together’ all got their LRB versions but the roar went up for the dad/daughter duet on ‘Shallow’. Their new single ‘Get Out’

the crowd onside. ‘Delta Blues’ is a great new video and an original which worked really well and ended sharply as the guitar riffs from Aaron Ignacio made a strong statement. ‘Tainted Love’ a guaranteed crowd pleaser (cover of ‘Soft Cell’) set the stage for a new song from ‘Jetstream’ which had been released on the day and whose title was ‘Worth the Wait.’ It was reinforced by the thumping heartbeat drums at the intro and outro. It’s a really well-crafted song and front man Nolan Frendo was selling it like no there’s tomorrow. He

Some Games Islanders were settling down early to refreshments and some Layla Rose school fans and their families dotted the stage-front area. At a few minutes past nine Ethan Rocca announced his last song and got a hearty cheer for braving the windswept square. He did well and in a more intimate setting would be the ideal troubadour. My bench neighbour had already slipped away to fetch a ‘cardigan’.

is a rocky and gritty track, perhaps the heaviest you will have heard from LRB, but it worked well and we all needed to stamp our feet to unchill.

The Layla Rose Band went on next with a spirited opener called ‘Run’ and as I had prior notice of their set list I knew that they would be airing their two new songs from the EP launched a few weeks ago. They were also to be playing a brand new unrecorded song ‘I’m Alive’ and they had promised a nine song set which they delivered in style.

Layla gets more stage savvy and ooz-

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‘Tore it Up’ has been their usual ‘anthemic goodbye’ song but their great new single ‘I Stopped Fighting’ has now overtaken it. This is the best country song Layla has written and the band breaks into ‘Bluegrass’ rhythm as it builds up. It crowned a great set in daylight and unpleasant windy conditions.

Their sizeable fan complement making approving noises was testament to another successful live gig under their belt. Mission complete, LRB were bang on track - so well done. ‘Jetstream’ came on at 10pm with the lights and smoke now working their magic. They tore into their set with a strategic classic cover ‘Crazy’ and immediately had

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worked hard with no supporting vocals and loving every minute of the spotlight which he well deserved.

Guitarist Stu Whitwell told me that he would have liked to feature less covers and more originals but as Nolan said onstage to the crowd: “It’s all about you” and he was right in this case. The kudos kept coming with an Ed Sheeran classic ‘Shape of You.’ An excellent crowd pleaser and we were invited to chant ‘Come on be my baby Come On’ which we all did to shake off the cold! ‘Maniac’ from the film ‘Flashdance’ followed on with the great guitar solo from Stu Whitwell and the ‘Jets’ who were well into their groove.

Three originals ‘Where did you Go’ and ‘Story of my Life’ where followed by ‘Starlight’ (the Song Festival winner) a pillar of ‘Jetstream’s’ catalogue. From then on it was a win-win as Bruno Mars covers and ‘Star Boy’ pleased the crowd again until their last song ‘F5’ (contender for shortest song title). It didn’t end there. Of course they were called back for encores! Nolan followed by Aaron came down to the crowd for ‘Uptown Funk’. Here’s a band which regularly plays abroad in summer festivals and are always chalking up credits whenever they do. They have a solid fan base here and you’re always guaranteed a good show with ‘Jetstream. ‘ All I can add is ‘Rock on Guys’ and credit to all artists, stall owners and sound crew who braved the chilly ‘Summer Night’ and kept up our spirits with good entertainment for the Island Games week which will not be forgotten for all the right reasons.

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This Month’s Featured Dog:

Rodolfo Meet Rodolfo. He is only 3 years old and has spent far too much time behind bars. He is a husky cross with the most beautiful eyes. He is gentle, very loving and adores cuddles! He is also great with female dogs. Please consider adopting Rodolfo and changing his life forever!

To adopt Salvadora or one of the many dogs awaiting their forever home: https://www.ainf.gi Facebook: Animals In Need Foundation (Adopt a Rescue Dog Gibraltar) If you would like to make a donation to our society, please see info below:

ANIMALS IN NEED FOUNDATION (AINF) GIBRALTAR ANNOUNCES NEW CORPORATE PARTNERSHIP

WITH CURRENCY.COM AINF is a locally registered charity which cares for abandoned and stray dogs in Gibraltar and surrounding areas where there is a link to Gibraltar. It is funded by donations and is a not for profit organisation. In the last four years it has arranged the rehoming of 700 plus dogs to loving homes and monitors these adoptions.

Eugenie Cottrell of AINF announced an exciting corporate partnership for the locally based dog charity. “AINF is proud to welcome Currency.com as its new corporate partner for the year 2019/20. Currency.com has offered to provide not only financial help but help with our social media presence and to provide us with support in any way possible throughout the next twelve months.

AINF understands the importance of corporate partnerships and understands it is a part of the community. It can only continue its work whilst working hand in hand with the businesses and individuals throughout Gibraltar, and looks forward to a fruitful partnership with the exciting locally based business that is Currency.com” Nigel Crome of Currency.com said: “Currency.com takes our obligation to protect those animals that have no voice very seriously and we have staff members whose families work very closely with animal charities across Europe. We are very happy to offer what help we can, practical or financial to help AINF as their corporate partner. We are very conscious of the stray dog and abandonment problem in Gibraltar and surrounding areas and we are particularly happy to support AINF’s international efforts to rehome those stray dogs not only to homes in Gibraltar but also to Germany, Finland, Holland and Sweden. This trans-European effort is brilliant to see, people cooperating across national boundaries.”

Eugenie Cottrell went on to state that AINF was so happy to be approached by Currency.com. “It is a locally established business working in the same community we are and contributing to Gibraltar’s success from animals to employment and technology. We would love to develop corporate partnerships with other brands in Gibraltar and look forward to working with Currency.com for the next 12 months.”

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Get Your DOG’S SPLEEN CHECKED!!!!

Article by Mark Pizarro

Your dog’s spleen is an organ in the abdomen that has several functions; its most vital functions are the production of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell and also the storage of blood. Therefore it is a very vascular organ, it has a thin capsule and it sits on the left hand side of the abdomen but it is not fixed tightly like the kidneys or the liver allowing it to expand and contract so that it can fulfill its functions.

T

he spleen is one of those organs that is commonly forgotten, it sits quietly performing its functions hidden away in the abdomen. One of the main reasons that the spleen is so mobile is to actually protect the organ. As it is a very vascular organ with a relatively delicate capsule it is susceptible to blunt trauma that could result in its rupture. It sits tucked in the abdominal fat that also provides it with a degree of protection.

Unfortunately its structure does predispose it to problems, and more often than not they are veterinary emergencies.

In the older dog, usually from 8 years of age onwards, the spleen is very susceptible to vascular tumours because of its highly vascular structure heavily interlaced with immunomodulating regions. These tumours tend to grow slowly and in my experience tend to be benign at the start of their development. However as they grow their structure changes and they become malignant, they become haemangiosarcomas in the majority of cases. These growths are extremely vascular and grow rapidly. The dog will be totally asymptomatic during this phase in the majority of cases, clients often attribute a slightly larger ‘tummy’ to the dog getting fatter as it ages. I have removed tumours weighing up to four kgs where the owner as been oblivious to the existence of the mass. This is because of the mobility of the spleen, so expansion will be into the peritoneal cavity in the abdomen and nobody is none the wiser that this monster is growing inside your pet.

innocuous of traumas e.g. jumping on a sofa. This is usually the point that the animal is presented to me for examination, the dog is usually in loads of abdominal pain and it is pale and weak as the animal bleeds out into its abdominal cavity. As I mentioned previously these tumours are really vascular so once the mass ruptures the blood loss is rapid. Unfortunately in most cases the owner is unaware that their dog is bleeding out as there is no external signs of blood loss.

Early diagnosis and emergency surgery are necessary for a successful outcome, often there is no time for niceties, no time for blood tests etc, and aggressive surgical intervention is required to stop the bleeding. The quicker the diagnosis, the quicker the surgery the better the chances of your pet’s survival.

Unfortunately once the mass has ruptured and even after successful surgery the chances of the tumour reemerging in another part of the abdomen are very high. The rupture releases millions of cancer cells into the abdomen, so despite abdominal flushing and irrigation it is very probable that one of these cells will settle on another abdominal organ and regrow. The time taken for the cancer to reoccur does vary between different animals and obviously the degree of malignancy of the original tumour, it can vary from approximately 3 months to a year.

So early diagnosis of a splenic growth is vital, this can be done using an ultrasound of the spleen, an experienced veterinary surgeon will be able to detect early changes in the organ’s structure.

I have removed spleens from dogs with early changes, and these animals live for many more years and pass away from unrelated conditions. If you have an elderly dog then get that spleen checked , you could save your best friend’s life

What happens is the expanding haemangiosarcoma stretches the thin capsule of the spleen until it ruptures, often with the most

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FEATURE FANCY A SWIM AROUND A BEAUTIFUL ISLAND? DISTANCE TO SWIM 66KMS AND TO BREAK THE WORLD RECORD YOU HAVE TO DO IT IN LESS THAN 9 HRS 26 MINS AND 5 SECS. OUR NATHAN PAYAS TOOK IT ON RECENTLY (JULY 6TH) AND CAME IN AT NINE HOURS AND TWENTY-SEVEN MINUTES, A MERE 1.01 MINUTE OFF THE RECORD! HOW CLOSE IS THAT? WELL HE TOLD ME THE STORY AND PERHAPS IF HE HADN’T BEEN STUNG BY JELLYFISH TWICE OR HAD DONE A QUICKER STOP IN ONE OF HIS FEEDS, HE MIGHT HAVE SWUM 75 METRES FASTER AND BEATEN THE EXISTING WORLD RECORD FOR THE BIG SWIM. “The open water swimming community is very small and we all follow what other ultra-marathon swimmers are doing. In this way, I met a lady called Sally Minty Gravett who’s a well-known open water swimmer from Jersey who invited me to do the round Jersey swim. I liked the idea because I like coastal swims especially since in this one you swim in an anti-clockwise direction and, as I breathe to my left, I would always be able to enjoy coastal scenery.

To me this was like an extended version of our own round the Rock swim which I have enjoyed many times. I had done a lot of cold water swimming this winter, so I knew that I was well prepared even if it was cold in Jersey.”

Nathan inquired and organised his swim, and recently went to Jersey with his family for a week’s trip where he did a few lengthy training swims with the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club, waiting for a weather window which came at nearly the end of his trip there. All the big swims have charter pilot boats and associations which ratify the swims, but these things come at a cost which Nathan meets himself before the event.

He has then more often than not raised funds for different charities by undertaking these challenges. “There’s the boat charter and pilot with crew to pay, the subscription to the relevant local association, chiropractor and physio fees during training plus the travel and lodging - so it does get quite expensive for me and my family”.

“On all the big swims there’s an observer on the boat who takes notes and sees that the open water rules are adhered to. These big swims get very painful at times and you ask yourself why am I doing this to myself? You don’t want to quit but you want to stop the suffering. It’s best not to stop except for programmed feeds and taking a few breaths. You’re not allowed to touch the boat at any time. Feeds include warm drinks, bananas or cereal bars. This swim was very tough because my crew knew that I was within the record after eight hours. However, if I wanted to break the record and come in at under 9 hrs 26 mins I would have to go even harder. I normally go as hard as possible in any case and was concerned about pushing any harder and increasing the risk of not completing the swim. You forget the pain between big swims but when it sets in, for me usually after six hours, you remember how bad it can get. However, I was quite confident that I would complete the swim. I finished it in 9hrs 27mins and 6secs.”

The feeds and drinks were planned at two hours, then an hour later and every forty-five minutes thereafter. There is also the drawback that you must force yourself to drink and pass water to get rid of body toxins that build up during the swim when you are cold, tired and in pain and all your effort is needed just to keep concentrated and move water back with each stroke. Another problem is what can best be described as osmosis. “If you see my pictures when I finish a long swim you’ll see I swell up all over. I notice the salinity burning my tongue after any four-hour plus swims. I feel fortunate that I have a good pace and can do these long swims in under ten hours but since I go hard, the effort takes a huge toll on my body. I admire those swimmers who attempt longer swims or who spend much more time in the water for the same swims, because I can only imagine that all these problems increase if you are in the water for twelve, sixteen or twenty hours.”

Nathan’s analysis of the Jersey swim is that if only he’d encountered ever so slightly more favourable currents he could have shaved considerable time off the record because he felt strong and was in very good condition before the swim. “It was very choppy on the north eastern side of the island on the day and the previous day the currents had been better, particularly on the western coast according to the pilot. So, had I swum then I might have broken the record, but I was second on the list for the tidal window so had to wait. But all that is speculative. These swims are challenging and unpredictable in many other ways. Your heart rate is elevated well above what is normal for nine hours. That is

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a very long time and is risky. You may also be stung by jellyfish and their toxins can build up. After you’re stung you automatically start looking out for them to avoid further stings and that disrupts your pace and gives you neck pain. In this swim I was stung twice but carried on without any further incidents.”

When Nathan Payas did the Double Strait of Gibraltar swim, he spent the night in St Bernard’s to monitor him after the difficult and long swim. He was re-hydrated with saline to promote a quicker recovery. The next day all the tests were positive, and he was released, but that episode shows the risks of brutally punishing your body in the name of sport. Long swims are definitely not for the faint hearted.

If you ever go to St Helier, Jersey, beside the lido you will come across a bar called the ‘Prince’s Bar’ where the successful Round Jersey swimmers record their names and timings on the wall once their swims have been ratified. You will find Nathan Payas and his details populating part of the famous wall. You can also check out his swims on websites such as the LongSwims Database by the Marathon Swimmers Federation and see how competitive his timings are for all the swims done to date. Nathan holds the 8th fastest Triple Crown (aggregate time for English Channel, Catalina Channel and Round Manhattan, NY) out of 215 swimmers recorded as having achieved the Triple Crown.

Last April, Nathan hosted two Jersey swimmers here and swam the Strait with them. It was his fourth swim across the Strait and the two ladies, Sally Minty Gravett and Jenny Fitzgerald, both ultra-marathon swimmers from the Jersey Long Distance Swimming Club were on-board Nathan’s pilot boat to support him round the island swim, together with his dad and his wife, Ariella. As Nathan said earlier, it’s a small world that makes up the open water swimmers who take on the big swims. “I was glad to do that swim in April as it was a cold-water swim (14 degrees) and good preparation for the cold water in Jersey.”

On Nathan’s ‘to do’ list is the North Channel swim (from Ireland to Scotland), the Kawai channel in Hawaii, the Cook Strait in New Zealand and the Tsugaru swim in Japan. “Now I’m still in recovery mode and it takes a while to get back to full strength. I also have a family and work which I enjoy tremendously.

If I had three lives I would dedicate one to swimming for sure. I also want to get back to singing which I miss and haven’t had time for. I would like to take my family on other fun holidays and not only swim holidays. I have enough on my plate to keep me challenged at present but who knows what will happen in six months or a year from now?”

I came away in awe of this bubbly accountant who is also a local swim legend and a fine opera singer to boot. In fact he intimated that there is a strong possibility that in the next twelve months he may well sing here. I know he has things in mind, but for the time being and although he is in no way unwell, I have to wish him ‘a speedy recovery’ from the round Jersey swim which he did so well in and hope that he continues to inspire our sporting community, who have done so well themselves at the recent Island Games.

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ON THE SPOT

NATHAN GREEN THE LIGHT & POWER SHOP Where did you first start your employment?

“I had a Saturday job when I was 14 at Bejam Frozen Food shop, I had a great time there and I was getting paid for it too…”

How would you describe yourself?

“Genuine but with more than my fair share of sarcasm.”

Which person has been the biggest influence in your life?

“My boss from my first “proper” job, he had a great work ethic and was an absolute perfectionist.”

was the year it didn’t run, we worked out that we missed out on about £250K.”

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever been given?

“Getting told to put my burning hand in a fish pond to cool it down. One word ‘INFECTED’.”

What makes you laugh?

“Live comedy.”

What’s your greatest ambition?

“To live a long, happy and healthy retirement.”

What’s the best country you’ve ever visited and why?

“Iceland, because you can see the power of the earth and Mother Nature. It’s also absolutely stunning.”

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

“Laying in bed on a Sunday morning only having to worry if the patio door is open for the dog.”

Have you had any embarrassing moments?

“Lots when I was younger, they usually involved me showing off and coming to a less than elegant finale. Thankfully I tend to think first nowadays, usually

What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

“I don’t read fiction, every time I try I just fall asleep and forget what I’ve read.”

Which word or phrases do you most overuse? “‘To be honest’ - which is in fact generally followed by something honest.”

Do you have any regrets?

“No - everything I’ve done has brought me to where I am now.”

What keeps you awake at night?

“An active mind and indigestion because I eat late.”

What’s the best experience you’ve had in life so far?

“Seeing the Northern Lights with Sonya while in Norway.”

If you didn’t live where you are currently located where would you like to Live? (Money no object)?

“Norway, though Sonya doesn’t like the cold so I may have to rethink that one.”

What’s your favourite music track?

“I’d like to be cool and pick something from at least this century but I think in reality it has to be Peaceful Easy Feeling by the Eagles.”

What person historic or living would you most like to Meet?

“George Carlin - look on YouTube for him, though not if you’re easily offended.”

What’s your biggest fear?

“Losing everything that I’ve worked hard for.”

If you could change one thing about Gibraltar what would it be?

“Get people off their phones while driving.”

If you could change something about yourself, what would it be?

“Not to trust people so much.”

What is your favourite hobby or interest?

“Photography.”

Have you ever been given advice that you wished you had acted on?

“Yes; in 1993 a friend said we should bet on no horse winning the Grand National… That

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anyway.”

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MUM ON THE ROCK

HELPING CHILDREN Dealing with death can be hard for anyone, let alone a child who can find it to be a difficult concept to understand. Grief is how people process their thoughts, feelings, and emotions and although the pain of loss can feel overwhelming, children need to grieve just as much as any adult. Whether a child loses a sibling, friend, parent, grandparent or other relative, death may be sudden, expected, prolonged or accidental, but children need to know the truth and it will depend on their age as to how to talk to them in a way that they will understand about what has happened.

Kath Temple, the Psychologist at the heart of Gibraltar Charity The Happiness Foundation has within the Foundation a project dedicated to helping children deal with bereavement and loss.

The Serenity Project – Navigating Through Grief and Loss was set up following a request from a young mother and teacher in Gibraltar, Natalie Abudarham, whose beloved husband Marcus died aged just 36. The couple had two young children and found there was little support for the children and so she asked Kath if she could offer it as part of her vision for The Happiness Foundation. The Serenity Project is dedicated to and honours the memory of Marcus Abudarham who ran Alameda Gardens here in Gibraltar.

Kath says: ‘Fewer things impact a family more than the death of someone they love. Grief is a very normal and a very necessary process and a child’s feelings need to be expressed and their questions answered. I have 10 practical and powerful ways that parents and grandparents can use to help children with grief.

• Be honest – children are much more able to deal with things if you share the truth with them in a loving supportive way, and in language they understand.

• Reassure them – let them know they are lovable and that they are loved and that, although this time isn’t easy, you will all get through it together.

• Honour the daily rituals and rhythms – a sense of order and continuity is vital at these times and gives your children a sense of security and stability which maintains their equilibrium, steadying them and reducing any fear or sense of being out of control.

• Keep connecting and communicating and answer their questions.

Reassure your children that it’s ok for them to ask you questions.

Give them clear and honest information and remember to check their understanding so that you truly know they understand what you’ve shared with them. When you talk with them use straightforward language i.e. saying the words ‘death’ ‘died’ rather than ‘lost’ or ‘passed’ as children can take language very literally and may think the person can be found again.

• Create a supportive network - let them know who else is around to support them so they know they have a network of loving caring people to call on. This help gives them an ongoing sense of belonging. Within this network of support may be other family members, friends, teachers, school support assistants, youth leaders, activity group leaders etc.

• Help them remember the person – be open and tell them stories to help them remember, help them create a Memory Jar and a Memory Box, do drawings or paintings, and write a letter to their loved one expressing their feelings and their love. These provide healthy ways of expressing their feelings.

• Allow anger – let them know it’s normal to feel anger when someone dies. However show them ways of being able to emotionally self- regulate so that they have strategies to help them deal with their feelings healthily.

• Encourage them - time and energy are the greatest gifts you can give your children. Ask them their opinions, listen to them and validate them, give them a sense of significance and a role within the family so they know they are needed and valued. Let them know you believe in them and that they matter and what they say and do and feel matters too.

• Let them know it’s ok to laugh and have fun – this is important so they don’t feel guilty and that laughter and fun don’t mean they’ve forgotten. Indeed the person who has died would want them to live their best life as their best self. They have their own life to honour and to fully live.

• This isn’t easy for you as a parent either, so be kind and gentle and understanding with yourself too. You matter, you count, so remember what they say on the plane: ‘Put on your own oxygen mask first and then help others.’

It is really important to support children through this difficult time, to help them to understand and find healthy ways to manage and express their grief.

There are breathing techniques that children can learn through The Happiness Foundation, and a simple but powerful tapping technique called EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) which dramatically shifts anger and anxiety to reduce the stress hormone cortisol and restore peace. These are empowering techniques that the children will have for the rest of their lives. Kath is hoping to share these techniques with children at school assemblies in Gibraltar in the autumn, through some autumn teacher training, and in workshops for parents as well.

Videos will be available over the coming weeks on the website www.thehappinessfoundation.gi and on The Happiness Foundation Facebook Page.

If you need further help with helping children deal with grief, contact Kath Temple at: kath@thehappinessfoundation.co.uk

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HEALTH & WELLBEING

BEAUTY The cosmetics industry has often been accused of not being environmentally friendly in their use of chemicals and also in the amount of packaging they use in their products. Over the past few years, a parallel beauty industry has exploded alongside the traditional one and beauty brands are now finding innovative ways to reduce packaging waste and are beginning to examine their environmental impa The way beauty products are sourced and produced can have a big impact on the planet. There’s no doubt that we all like beautiful packaging – it entices you to buy a product even if it is something that you hadn’t put on your shopping list.

However, the legacy that beauty packaging leaves behind is far from pretty. Zero Waste Week is an annual awareness campaign, this year being held from 2nd-6th September. Last year it was reported that more than 120 billion units of packaging are produced every year by the global cosmetics industry, most of which are not recyclable. The cardboard that is used to wrap beauty products such as perfumes, serums and moisturisers contributes to the loss of 18 million acres of forest each year.

Ethique is an award-winning beauty brand from New Zealand that has set a new standard for sustainable beauty with its pioneering range that has been hailed as the world’s first ever zero-waste beauty line.

Created by Brianne West, whose background in biochemistry has given her an intimate knowledge of the science behind great beauty products, it was her love for the environment in New Zea-

land that she encountered as she grew up that led her to producing a range of eco-friendly skincare and haircare beauty bars. Brianne says: “Despite our best intention as consumers, just 9% of plastic is recycled worldwide, with the rest piling up in landfills or making its way into our oceans. By creating solid bars of beauty products with the water that makes up to 90% of a traditional liquid product, we hope to help combat the plastic pollution problem by providing consumers with a zero-waste alternative. After all, there’s water in your shower – why would you need more in your shampoo?”

Ethique uses only 100% sustainably sourced ingredients that are vegan, cruelty free, paraben and sulphate free. As the world’s most sustainable lifestyle brand, they have prevented over 3.4 million plastic bottles, jars and tubes from being made and disposed of, with the aim to reduce plastic waste by ten million by 2025, a goal it promotes through the hashtag #giveupthebottle.

What makes Ethique different is that they are making products that look like traditional bars of soap, which are activated like soap and dry back to a solid bar. They are made from the same ingredients that liquid, salon quality shampoos are made from, without the water (and therefore the preservatives.) Their shampoo bars contain a mild blend of coconut derived surfactants (ingredients which make things foam), oils, butters, clays and other actives. They are balanced to a pH of 5.5-6 so they don’t cause the hair cuticle to open and stick out.

Each bar is hyper-concentrated and is the equivalent of three bottles of the equiva-

lent product and, because they’ve done away with unnecessary water, they take up next to no space, which makes them great to travel with and which means that they are airport security friendly! Perfect for hassle-free packing and the wrappers are 100% dissolvable, compostable and biodegradable.

The shampoo bars have great names, including; Frizz Wrangler for Dry &/or Frizzy Hair with Samoan Coconut Oil and Cocoa Butter, Heali Kiwi for Dandruff or Scalp Problems with kiwifruit oil, coconut oil, neem oil, oatmeal and karanja oil, and Pinkalicious™ Shampoo Bar For Normal Hair which smells like pink grapefruit and vanilla.

How great to have a multi-tasking product – two for the price of one! Tip to Toe is a shampoo & shaving bar is an all-in-one solution for hair that also makes shaving a pleasure! The bar combines kaolin clay, cocoa butter, glycerine with orange, lime and mint oils for a zesty, clean scent.

Change is definitely happening in the beauty industry, and brands are becoming more aware and looking to sustainable, eco-friendly packaging and ingredients that can eventually help to make a big overall difference.The majority of beauty products come packaged in plastic, which is light and cheap, but which can take nearly 1,000 years to decompose. Not forgetting the paper inserts, cardboard sleeves, foam, mirrored glass and more, sometimes all of which are present in one product which ultimately goes into landfill. So give up the bottle and reach for beauty bars instead.

Ethique, the world’s first zero-waste and vegan beauty brand will be available soon from Holland & Barrett.

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FEATURE& HEALTH WELLBEING

Get ill soon

FACTITIOUS DISORDERS: WANTING TO BE SICK AND WHY DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO LOOKS FIT AND WELL, REASONABLY YOUNG AND ACTIVE, WHO HOWEVER IS REGULARLY TRAVELLING TO AND FRO THE LOCAL SURGERY PRACTICE OR HOSPITAL WITH SERIOUS, BUT NOT CHRONIC OR TERMINAL, AILMENTS – AND SEEMS TO ENJOY DISCUSSING THEM AT LENGTH WITH EVERYONE, TO TICKLE THEIR SYMPATHY? Particularly if they are women aged between 20 and 40, with some medical training or experience in healthcare, or unmarried men aged 30-50, with a tendency to tell fisherman’s tales on their flamboyant lifestyle and alleged travelling, they might be suffering from ‘factitious disorder imposed on self’, also known as Munchausen’s syndrome, named after the fictional baron protagonist of a classic German novel.

This psychological and sometimes psychiatric disorder where someone deliberately and lucidly makes him or herself ill, fabricating or inducing symptoms with the main aim of wallowing in compassion, must not be confused with hypochondria (health anxiety), when a genuine worry for any small pain makes the patient seek medical advice more than objectively necessary; or malingering, when one feigns sickness for monetary gain, like social security or disability benefits, insurance swindling, or just to pull the good ol’ sickie.

Munchausen’s syndrome goes well beyond this, with sufferers going to great lengths to doctor (excuse the pun) their lab tests by adding blood drops, egg white, ammonia to their urine samples, or taking laxatives to prompt a diarrhoea diagnosis, and even putting their lives at risk by pill bingeing or ingesting large quantities of salt prior to a blood test, or injecting insulin to cause themselves a hypoglycaemic episode, or gashing their skin and rubbing dirt in the wound to get it infected and spark a trip to A&E. In extreme cases, Munchausen’s patients may undergo unnecessary surgery, despite knowing it is life-threatening or disabling; and if they have their condition diagnosed by clinicians warning them of their self-destructive behaviour, they might move elsewhere and seek medical attention afresh.

It is not excluded that Munchausen’s can be a form of sociopathic behaviour, directed solely to clinicians for specific reasons or no reason at all, which for the patient enjoys manipulating doctors and nurses, enjoying their sense of helplessness before their laboured recovery or relapse while experiencing a sense of full control over both the concerned people and the symptoms.

If the disorder is complex to diagnose, describe and profile, its triggers are yet unclear, since most sufferers paradoxically refuse treatment for Munchausen’s syndrome itself, but its probable causes are to be identified in underlying personality disorders, emotional trauma or ill health during childhood which required prolonged hospitalisation or institutionalisation, and even a twisted spiral of grudge against healthcare professionals, perhaps on personal grounds, such as an estranged parent/spouse being a clinician.

Children who experienced long or frequent hospitalisation may develop Munchausen’s in adulthood, because it takes them back to their comfort zone, a sense of reassurance and protection from real illness, should it strike again.

The most common cause is believed to be a childhood trauma resurfacing in adult age: unresolved issues may compel the patient to either punish him/herself for having been made to feel, or feeling, unworthy and having been a burden to their parents, or to punish their parents for having neglected them earlier, guilt-tripping them to attend their bedside.

Other personality disorders may contribute to triggering Munchausen’s: playing sick is a tool to attract acceptance and support from their peers and to legitimise their place in society, otherwise undermined by the sense of worthlessness, often linked to bipolar and narcissistic personality disorders, but mostly due to low self-esteem, lost identity and loneliness. This may push the patient to misconstrue any medical attention sought and obtained for social interaction and even personal relationship with clinical staff.

Munchausen’s by proxy happens when someone calculatingly fakes or induces illness in someone in their care, a vulnerable adult or minor. Most cases involve mother and child, and are red flags in divorce custody battles or a muffled cry for help in suicidal patient.

It is unclear why the syndrome features prominently in the above mentioned age/gender range, but speculation draws towards the notion that these sectors of the population are usually at their healthiest and in the least need of medical care, so when they do seek it exceedingly often, they don’t go undetected in statistics, while over-50’s are more prone to attend a variety of health check-ups on a regular basis – which begs the question: how many of these are genuine and how many ought to be filed under Munchausen’s syndrome?

This article is aimed at being informative only with no medical or diagnostic pretenses. Consult your GP if you suspect someone is suffering from the condition described.

Whether treated through psychoanalysis or cognitive behaviour therapy, the cooperation of the family is pivotal: they must apply ‘tough love’ and quit enabling the patients to their scheming.

Because patients can be lucidly skilled in their exploitation of family and friends and the healthcare system, diagnosing Munchausen’s syndrome isn’t straight-forward. Telltale signs are unusually lengthy medical records and inconsistencies in clinical history.

Treatment is challenging because the patient simply refuses to heal. Professionals must keep in mind that these are genuine mental health patients who nevertheless only admit to physical albeit fabricated illness, so the most common solution is to refer the patient to a psychiatrist, while others more radically claim that ‘fibbers’ must be confronted and their lies exposed for breach of doctor-patient trust.

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Aries (Mar 21 – Apr 21) August is a month for sharing old memories, Aries. Looking back to good times gone by and taking the energy forward into the future to make new ones.

Taurus TAKEAWAYS

(Apr 21 – May 21)

VEHICLE REPAIRS

You have an important decision to make Taurus and you really can’t put it off any longer. So just go with what feels right and take the plunge! You won’t regret it.

Gemini (May 22 – June 22) You will be asked to step into the limelight this month, Gemini.

Whatever your reservations, just do it because you will love it and those who matter will be right behind you.

Cancer June 23 – July 22) Last month was a period of big change for you Cancerians and this month is the time to follow on to the next stage. Life happens in stages and it is important to go with them even when it gets a bit scary.

Leo July 23 – Aug 23) It seems that this is going to be a month filled with opportunity, Leo. Be open to what comes your way . . . you’ll know if the time is right and if it’s not. Be patient and don’t be tempted to rush.

Virgo (Aug 24 – Sep 23)

BARS / PUBS

If you find yourself running out of energy this month, Virgo, then it is time to cut back on what you are doing! Simple really. But do take some time to re prioritise your time. Remember – you matter.

Libra Sep 24 – Oct 23) Decisions made recently will start to come to fruition this month, Libra. You will be able to confidently explain to people about the changes you are making and they will honour you for doing so.

Scorpio Oct 24 – Nov 22) You need to allocate some time out for yourself this month, Scorpio. Apart from anything else you need some thinking time without other people offering their well - intentioned opinions.

Sagittarius Nov 23 – Dec 21) August is a good time for you do some pretty deep self - talk Sagittarius. Allow yourself to make decisions based on your feelings rather then what seems the ‘right’ thing to do.

Capricorn (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

INDUSTRIAL

You are certainly full of beans this month Capricorn and expecting everyone else to feel the same. But they don’t! Ah well, life’s like that so just get on with your own plans and they will eventually follow.

Aquarius Jan 21 – Feb 19) Your life will be a social whirl this month, Aquarius. If you can’t manage to honour all these invites then choose the ones you fancy the most and enjoy!!

Pisces Feb 20 – Mar 20) What goes around comes around. Pisces, as you know. The wheel of karma seems to be turning in your direction this month and so life will flow smoothly with some pleasant surprises.

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Email: katemch@gmail.com Facebook Group: Horoscopes Gibraltar

Growing up mac and cheese was an exciting simple dinner that we enjoyed. What’s great is that we don’t actually need to use cheese to make this. Did you know that cashews give make a great alternative?

Serves: 3 | Cooking Time: 30 Minutes Ingredients • 225G Macaroni. • 100G Raw Cashews • 200ML Coconut Milk.

• 2 Large Potatoes

• 3 Medium Carrots. • 1/2Tsp Paprika • 2 Tsp Wholegrain Mustard. • Pinch Nutmeg • 2Tsp Cornflour (optional) Method You will need two pots for this. Place your pasta in one of the pots and cover with water, leaving them to boil until aldente.

Dice the potatoes and carrots and place them into a large pot with the cashews, covering them with water and leaving them to boil over a medium heat until tender.

INDUSTRIAL Once the potatoes and carrots are soft, drain all your vegetables and nuts and pass them over to a food processor with a spoonful or two of the water you used to boil them in.

Blend all the ingredients in the food processor, and add the paprika, mustard and nutmeg. Blend all your ingredients together a final time. If you find the mixture too runny slowly add in some cornflour and mixing it in sufficiently bit by bit until you have a consistency you are happy with.

Drain your pasta and transfer into an oven dish. Cover with the sauce you prepared and place in the oven for 10 minutes at 200C until golden on top.

For more delicious Mama Lotties recipes visit: GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

www.mamalotties.com

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Just Married on the Rock

Adrianna & Karl, married on 25th May 2019.

Photo by Radka Horvath.

Andrea & Grant married on 20th March 2019.

Photo by Radka Horvath.

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Just Married on the Rock

Mobile: 58897000 Email: nicholas64@gibtelecom.net

Bridgit & Paul McMahon, married on 21st July 2019.

Photo by Nicky Sanchez.

Sophie & Kevin Gascoigne, married on 25th July 2019. Photo by Nicky Sanchez.

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