Gibraltar Insight™ February 2019

FEBRUARY 2019

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COMMUNITY INSIGHT

ROUND THE ROCK

by helicopter

EXCITING NEWS – it has just been announced that from May 1st it will be possible to fly Round the Rock by helicopter, a fantastic addition to the tourist trade and, many would say, a venture long overdue, as it is quite impossible to imagine a setting more naturally suited for sightseeing from the air than our beloved Rock of Gibraltar.

Norwegian company Fonnafly have been granted permission to operate the 15-minute excursions and will be based at the airport where each sightseeing flight, containing up to seven customers, will take off from and fly around the Rock twice, reversing direction to enable passengers on both sides to get uninterrupted views, plus the opportunity for cruise vessel visitors to take photos of their ship with the Rock in the background.

Details of the tour can be found at www.GibHeli.com or booking@gibheli.com.

Initially, the flights will be aimed at enhancing the cruise ship tourist experience, but the company hopes to eventually diversify, to possibly include taxi connections to Malaga airport and other destinations.

Minister for Aviation, Gilbert Licudi, warmly welcomed the new venture, saying: “I am absolutely delighted to announce this exciting addition to the Gibraltar tourist product. As a private pilot who has seen the Rock from the air on a number of occasions, I know the Tours will provide fabulous views for the passengers.”

‘HORIZON SCANNING’

to target hostile invaders

A UK-FUNDED workshop tasked to identify potential invasive species that could endanger Gibraltar’s land and marine environment is being set up in Gibraltar this week, with experts from the UK and the EU joining local scientists from the Department of the Environment, Botanical Gardens, the Ornithological & Natural History Society and the University of Gibraltar to take part in a seminar to discuss how best to combat the threat of invasive non-native species on protected categories and habitats.

The workshop will review all known non-native species that could reach Gibraltar in the next ten years and help the DoE carry out better informed forward-planning by considering the ways in which these species could arrive. A similar horizon scanning approach was first carried out in the UK in 2012 and eight of the top ten species

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identified at that time have since been detected in the UK. The Project leader, Professor Helen Roy from the UK’s Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, stated: “It’s a great privilege to work with such amazing experts in Gibraltar. Together we are considering many different plants and animals across the marine and terrestrial environments to make predictions about potential threats to biodiversity, society and the economy of Gibraltar.

At the opening of the workshop, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change, Professor John Cortes, stressed the importance for the outcomes of workshops such as these to be communicated to the public, warning: “We often don’t realise how invasive species – from tiger mosquitoes to Asian sea alga we now have around our shores, even attractive varieties such as some flowering plants.”.

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COMMUNITY INSIGHT Government Minister Hails Introduction of LNG-Powered Household Electricity Minister for Energy John Cortes has revealed that for the first time electricity generated by Liquefied Natural Gas has been used to power Gibraltar homes. In the initial test release on Saturday, 19th January, 5mw of LNG-generated electricity was fed into the distribution system and further tests are scheduled to be carried out over the coming weeks.

An upbeat Minister Cortes commented: “It is a privilege to witness the first ever generation of power in Gibraltar using LNG, the cleanest, least polluting electricity ever produced. We are proud of what we are achieving here.”

While the 5mw of electricity generated may seem tiny, but that is just the start, it is a step forward in the fight to achieve a cleaner environment - testimony to The Rock’s determination to play its part in the global effort to combat pollution.

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THE World of Chess spotlight shone brightly on the Rock when the Gibraltar International Festival got underway last week at the Caleta Hotel, with players from all over the globe taking part in the 10-day event that has now become an integral part of the tournament scene..

Chess is gaining in popularity with over 60 countries from as far apart as Australia, Mongolia and Iran, in addition to the traditional playing nations, represented here, contestants ranging in age from ten to pensioner, the sport’s burgeoning growth heavily influenced by the popularity of online participation, with tutorials freely available.

The First Move of the festival’s opening game, between top seed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave from France and Estonia’s IM Kiik Kalle, was performed with aplomb by Sir Joe Bossano, Gibraltar’s Minister for Economic Development. Sir Joe told the audience that his Ministry was delighted to be supporting the event. “Bringing chess to Gibraltar and bringing Gibraltar to world attention is hugely important,” said the minister.

At the time of writing, forecasting tournament victors is far from easy, but come Thursday 31st January, I will be keeping my eyes peeled for a certain 12-year-old lad from India atop the winners rostrum.

A quite remarkable player, displaying sublime skill and maturity here, is the Indian youngster who introduces himself as GM D. Gukesh – a Grand Master at 12, who declares with absolute conviction that the World title is his goal, and having seen the lad just once, I’m convinced that this lofty objective will be realised soon. At the other end of the age spectrum is England’s Nigel Short – good old Nige who is never short of confidence himself – after a shaky start, fancies his chances of hitting the Gib jackpot.

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BUSINESS INSIGHT

LOCAL CRYPTO

Digital Asset Management (DAM) has announced it’s to sponsor the prestigious Peter Bassill Racing team. The connection came about through business - Peter is also the founder and CEO of Hedgehog Cyber Security. The sponsorship includes prominent branding of DAM on the vehicle rear and front wings, just in time for the 2019 racing season.

FIRM IN THE

Fastlane

DATA PROTECTION DAY 2019 To celebrate Data Protection Day held on Monday 28th January this year, the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority (GRA) released a short video as part of its ‘Control Your Privacy’ Campaign, emphasising the importance of keeping your information private.

The GRA says it wants to prompt viewers to think about the personal information they publish and the recent shake-up in data protection law and how this affects people. Acting as the Information Commissioner, whose aim is to provide different sectors of the community with information about privacy rights, the video uses visual stimuli, sound effects and a clear narrative, linking the emergence of new technologies that benefit the data-driven world to the importance of protecting your personal data and exercising your individual privacy rights.

It also highlights elements of the General Data Protection Regulation and how this recent shake-up in data protection law affects individuals and their rights.

You can watch the video on the GRA’s YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter account and the Commissioner encourages the public to help raise awareness by sharing it on social media platforms.

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A factory fresh Ginetta G55 GT4 Supercup spec car in the Ginetta Supercup and will be making a number of invitational appearances in the British GT and the Britcar Endurance series.

Motor-racing fans can find out more about the upcoming races by visiting ginetta.com/ race-calendar

The Gibraltar Blockchain Exchange (GBX) has admitted Stellar’s XLM Token to its Digital Asset Exchange (GBXDAX), brought to the GBX by Sponsor Firm Rampart Corporate Services. XLM is now listed and available to trade.

Using Blockchain technology, Stellar is a distributed payment network. It allows cross-asset transfers of value, which includes both fiat and crypto currencies.

Peter Howitt, Founder of GBX Sponsor Firm, Rampart Corporate Services, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Kurt and the GBX team and Boris Reznikov of Stellar Partnerships to act as the sponsor firm for Stellar (XLM) on

the Gibraltar Blockchain Exchange. Stellar is a great brand with the potential to help bring borderless safe and lowcost payments to the world and is a great fit for GBX.” Nick Cowan, CEO of the GSX Group added, “As a blockchain exchange, GBX continues to go from strength to strength — building a better experience for our users. Stellar is an exciting and welcome addition to our already strong roster of tokens available for trading on the GBXDAX. The promise of a more liquid, frictionless payments infrastructure built on the blockchain is one that aligns greatly with our mission at the GBX, and one that we hope will help us achieve our overall goal, as an industry, to increase global and institutional adoption of digital assets as the next stage in the evolution of finance.”

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FEATURE

THE ROCK C O N T I N U E S T O TA C K L E

HEAD ON

AS THE DEADLINE OF MARCH 29TH APPROACHES, THE DISCUSSION, PREPARATION AND FRUSTRATION ON THE “B-WORD” CONTINUES APACE. EVEN IN CANADA, THE CBC REGULARLY SHIFTS ITS DAYTIME TV TO LIVE COVERAGE FROM THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. IT CAN BE BOTH FASCINATING AND EXASPERATING TO WATCH. AS EVERYONE IN GIBRALTAR IS ONLY TOO AWARE, IT HAS MANY PROFOUND AND DIFFERENT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ROCK THAN IT WOULD IN, FOR EXAMPLE, CARDIFF. HM Government of Gibraltar has intensified its contact with peers in London, including a meeting with “opinion-formers” - on both sides of the discussion - in Westminster. This coincided with the scheduled Joint Ministerial Council meeting. The Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia engaged with prominent leave campaigner Sir Bernard Jenkin MP, Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, as well as with the Chair of the Treasury Committee, Nicky Morgan MP. There was also a briefing with the Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Gibraltar Bob Neil MP. On the Labour side, separate meetings were held with Shadow Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Sir Kier Starmer MP and the Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry MP. A very useful discussion both on Gibraltar and the wider Brexit issue was held with Hilary Benn MP, who chairs the EU Exit Committee in the House of Commons.

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Back in Gib, the Chamber of Commerce used a visit

by Dr Liam Fox, UK Secretary of State for Trade, to press for Gibraltar to continue to be placed front-ofmind when the UK is making new deals. Chamber of Commerce President, Christian Hernandez and director George Desoisa also highlighted the case for more business opportunities for Gibraltar in the post-EU world now that the Rock’s economy was more aligned with that of the UK at large.

In London at private meeting with the House of Lords EU Committee, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and the Attorney General each addressed a different aspect of Brexit as it affects Gibraltar. This covered such topics as the Withdrawal Agreement, no-deal contingency planning and the legislative programme for Gibraltar’s EU departure. This comes against the backdrop of the UK’s wider contingency planning, involving stockpiling food, fuel, spare parts and ammunition at military bases including Gibraltar, Cyprus and

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FEATURE

the Falklands in the case of a no-deal Brexit. In a no-deal scenario, military sources - speaking to Sky News - suggested that supplies delivered to British troops in Cyprus and Gibraltar could be negatively impacted.

The Chief Minister commented, “The strategy of the Government in keeping parliamentarians abreast of developments in Gibraltar continues to work. Despite the intensity of the debate in the United Kingdom, key players at a national level made the time to meet with me and the

Deputy Chief Minister in order to be updated on Gibraltar issues. It is very encouraging to see the high level of political support for Gibraltar in Parliament on every side of the argument. We have met people from both front benches and from all shades of Brexit opinion on the backbenches and all fully understand the position of the Government of Gibraltar and all remain completely supportive of our plight and our work. Brexit has continued to be a divisive issue in the United Kingdom but on Gibraltar our many friends in Parliament remain strong and united.”

M Fabian Picardo & DCM Dr Joseph Garcia with ...

1 - Hilary Benn MP, 2 – Nicky Morgan MP. 3 – Bernard Jenkin MP, 4 – Emily Thornberry MP, 5 – Sir Kier Starmer MP, 6 - Liam Fox with Christian Hernandez and George Desoisa

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FEATURE IN A NEW FEATURE, PAUL ANDERSON WILL BE TAKING A LOOK AT THE MONTH’S BIG RELEASES IN CINEMA. PAUL IS AN ARTS BROADCASTER, RADIO PRESENTER, PRODUCER AND JOURNALIST. HE IS 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.

STAN & OLLIE : PG

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS : 15

COLETTE : 15

Take tissues for tears of joy and sadness. Centred on a UK tour in 1953 with their Golden Age behind them this film is a beautifully portrayed and poignant account of the double act sometimes referred to as two stupid men doing stupid things slowly. There was nothing stupid about these two especially Stan (a perfectly cast Steve Coogan) who was a comic genius and shrewd business man. Ollie’s fading health and the prospect of an uncertain future makes the pair more determined to make the tour a hit and reconnect with their fans.

The chemistry between Coogan and a wonderful John C Reilly as Ollie is palpable; the love the duo had for each other shines through and they are just so funny.

The film begins and ends with Mary’s death. Not a spoiler, it happened in 1587.

Imagine both Scotland and England simultaneously being ruled by women.

Margot Robbie is excellent as Elizabeth I, but this is Saoirse Ronan’s film.

As Mary she is beautiful, feminine and regal. The two never actually met but in movieland they do; Mary has all her own teeth and luxuriant hair and poor Elizabeth is already in fright wigs and a face full of slap on. Religion is at the heart of this story and if you like spies, then there are loads here all under the command of Guy Pearce as sneaky Sir William Cecil.

David Tennant’s wig and beard deserve some sort of award too.

Keira Knightly is Colette a mischievous teenager in rural France who marries a famous writer known as Willy (Dominic West). Soon she is amid the intellectual and artistic whirlwind of Paris.

Transforming from subservient wife to her husband’s equal Colette begins ghost-writing for him, and she’s not the first. It seems Willy’s success is all fake, he pays others to make him look good. Unsurprisingly she wants a piece of the action and demands they share a by-line on the successful series of ‘Claudine’ books she writes for him, but Willy fears this will kill the golden goose as women writers don’t sell. Tension mounts, rows are had, she dresses like a man and has relationships with other women. Knightly is terrific. West has the painful author routine nailed and it looks sumptuous. A film that is based on real events that may surprise you.

Check listings at

.com

leisurecinemas

WORDS BY PAUL ANDERSON GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

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FEATURE

THE GIBRALTAR INTERNATIONAL

CHESS FESTIVAL It’s an annual tradition that unites the chess world and celebrates the skills involved, held in the Caleta Hotel, flanked by the majesty of Rock of Gibraltar.

This year marked Deputy Chief Minister Garcia’s seventeenth consecutive visit to the Festival. He was met by tournament founder Brian Callaghan and director Stuart Conquest but it was Chief Arbiter Laurent Freyd who showed him round the playing areas including the top tables. He commented, “To have 62 countries represented

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here today is an immense achievement. I don’t believe another sport equals this in terms of participation and number of countries represented.”

As with previous years, the tournament’s “Battle of the Sexes” proved to be especially popular.

The team captains were veteran participants Nigel Short and Antoaneta Stefanova. They led their players into battle, ably aided by Stuart Conquest.

Photos: John Saunders

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FEATURE

F

ive one-act plays and a monologue by drama teacher and playwright Julian Felice and directed by his friends posed existential questions to a selected audience in two soirées held in the intimate setting of the Bayside Drama Studio last month.

Under the collective title of ‘Scratch’, thirteen actors (Sylvana Felice, Julian Felice, Laura Seed, Elainne Perez, Richard Gosnay, Erica McGrail, Christian Santos, Dulcie Edwards, Kai Nemes, Frankie Hatton, Geri Cummings, Kim Soiza, Tim Seed) brought to life a number of troubled characters, dealing with issues of the modern world like faith, privilege, health, escapism, down to a surreal analysis about stage characters’ life span.

In “Zelda 3:16” directed by Sylvana Felice, Julian imagine the second coming of Jesus as a ‘bony surfer’ stranded on a beach after he tried to walk on choppy seas.

after gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation equality was declared in the Twenty-First Century.

The auditorium doors were locked and the audience quarantined to curb the spread of a deadly virus in the paranoid search for “Patient Zero”, directed by Dulcie Edwards: patient zero is revealed to be nothing but the Guinean child who innocently started an epidemic, killing thousands. For the greater good of humankind, in an authoritarian crescendo of pastiche hospital drama and WHO recommendations gone rogue, two overzealous medics release gas to terminate the audience before they can leave and perpetuate the contagion outside.

After the smoke (and the pathos) dispelled during the interval, “The Escape”, directed by Daniel Strain-Webber, highlighted the risks of basking in escapism from dull existence, when one can no

acters trying to make the most of their fleeting time in the spotlight as well as wondering whether at curtain drop they will be translated to a new stage beyond the lights. The star lights in the sky, actually, enumerated with astronomical precision, that the pair is just about starting to know and appreciate after a quick-witted and tenderly comical purpose-searching dialogue, when their time is abruptly up.

The show drew to a close with a patriotically charged monologue about a stroll through ever-changing Main Street, starting from Charles V Gates and ending in Casemates, in which Julian proudly declares “I am Home”.

With the help of students from Julian’s drama class and deejay David Rawlinson, with Ella Vatvani and Natasha Richardson on lights & sounds, this was a fine example of contemporary theatre banking on streamlined props in favour of sterling enunciation of serrated dialogue, in the run-up to the Drama Festival.

S c r a tc h

THE HUMAN CONDITION ITCH There he meets a sunbathing mature lady rocking between her jaded and delusional stance on life as the selfstyled Queen Zelda (Sylvana Felice), who claims that you can be whoever you want to be as long as you get others to believe it. Upon arrest in a church where he is preaching peace and hope against the paroxysm of the modern world, Jesus cannot get his lawyer (Richard Gosnay) to believe him, but can only instil a shadow of a doubt - and sceptic surprise - when he heals the lawyer’s sprained wrist and turns his water into wine.

Birthright privilege takes a literal and sinister turn in the dystopia future of “Happy Birthday”, directed by Christian Santos, in which rich and poor are told apart by their birthday, whether in the first or second part of the year,

longer tell apart simulation from reality.

The best was saved for last, with “Ten Minutes”, directed

by Erica McGrail, a poignant reflection on life beyond the prop-less stage (‘Not even one chair!’ ‘There always is a chair!’ as the characters quip) for two shirtless and nameless newborn char-

WORDS BY ELENA SCIALTIEL 20

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CULTURE INSIGHT

MEET

King Calaway COUNTRY MUSIC’S MANUFACTURED BOY BAND Local popster Simon Dumas has landed himself a job in a Country band destined to shine this year. By the time you read this an EP will have been launched and Nashville will be reeling from the shock that cowboy bands might just be upstaged from now on by well-groomed pretty boys who can sing and play their way to stardom without having paid their dues in the spit and sawdust bar circuits, and may not ever have to. There’s a ticket to the top promised for this bunch of six guys who are looking to revolutionise the biggest music industry in the US. As you can’t deny talent, from what I’ve been reading these guys will come through it all and survive past the cold jealous scrutiny to which they are being exposed by the boardroom manufacturers who are behind them all the way. It won’t be easy to win respect if they have been thrust onto the hallowed ground of The Grand Old Opry amidst cries of nepotism; you

see one of the band members has a dad who runs the CMA awards show and that irks the purists more than the urge to give newbies ‘King Calaway’ plaudits, even if well-deserved, once they explode onto the scene.

I’m happy for Simon Dumas and comfortable that he will shine in his own right. This is a big adventure that may just propel him to stardom and once he’s at a certain level he will win the respect of the now reluctant cowboy fraternity. If you want to read more about this ‘project’ band go to ‘saving country music.com’ and get well informed albeit from a cyber platform that likes the ‘cowboys’ country music’ only. Better still go to a site with the band’s components’ name where the spin is more positive and informed, after all, one of our lads is poised to take a leap of faith and we owe it to him to be well informed about his new band. Good luck and inspiration be with you Simon- the force appears to be already.

WORDS BY JOE ADAMBERY GIBRALTARINSIGHT.COM

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FEATURE

A LETTER TO MY

YOUNGER SELF AS A NEW YEAR OPENS UP IN FRONT OF US, I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS WORTH SHARING SOME OLD MEMORIES SO I WROTE A LETTER TO MYSELF.

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Dear younger Joe You were once 21, over fifty years ago but a trick of time has made you 73… and counting. I now live in a better world they say, but I remember that as a raw recruit in life then you had little technical experience - but you were red hot on basic, simple things which had made your childhood beautiful. Your first scooter was made in the Dockyard foundry by uncle Anthony, a blacksmith who was also your godfather and who proudly crafted the scooter in indestructible material which a five year old could barely lift off the floor. Like a centurion tank on two wheels - made to last a lifetime - but it didn’t, of course.

You grew out of it too soon.

In those days (50s) magic was called Father Christmas and also my uncle Paul pulling a sixpence from behind my ear. A ‘word’ was something you made with letters and wrote down or spoke. There was plenty of time to speak and it was good to speak and also to write letters and keep in touch.

The waiting for a letter and opening of it when it arrived was also magical.

Weekly visits to relatives meant that we regularly kept in touch as we had no phone and it was also a good opportunity to show off newly repaired shoes or transformed hand-me-down clothes.

In the 1950s us little ones had to suck it up during house visits and sit tight lipped as grownups conversed in guarded language and hushed tones - we couldn’t understand any of it anyway. I remember the word ‘evacuation’ and stories of neighbours who had still not returned to the Rock.

When your interest in music was awakened at fifteen you had to tune into a radio on its last legs and on short wave (or was it long wave?) to try to hear the BBC World Service and Listener’s Choice. It was a trial of patience rarely rewarded by a complete hearing of any tune, as a poor signal and interference meant losing the station constantly and threatening your dreams of ever becoming a

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future music star. Your first guitar in 1961 was so unplayable that if you held down any chords on it you were body building and your hands had to be like pliers! Trying to tune it was a waste of time and it never sounded musical - more like strands of steel wool on a plank. Still it served you well and you progressed to others, one of which is now 52 years old and still plays well. I’ll tell you the story of that one to help me remember it too.

1966 was the year of The Beatles’ Rubber Soul album, also the historic England World Cup win against Germany and as your 21st birthday was coming up in September you bought yourself a nylon stringed classic guitar in London for the princely sum of twenty five guineas. That was like a week’s rent in a mews flat off Baker Street. It was the weekly wage of a young guitarist in a Latin cabaret band at the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane where you played as Los Cincos. That guitar still bears the scars of an encounter with a swing door at Grosvenor House. Battered but much loved, I still treasure it. I played it on a record that was never released. That’s another story to tell you.

‘The Green on the Hills’ was the first song I wrote on it and our record producer bandleader Cyril Stapleton was quite impressed by the Spanish style solo I plucked from its soul.

The rough masters of that recording are probably lying in some forgotten tape vault, if not erased. I remember that for a carton of cigarettes, the recording engineer’s assistant gave me a copy tape of the eleven songs we had recorded in those sessions, but alas, life has since claimed it as lost property.

Another thing lost to life is my youth (which you still have in front of you) but this loss has been gradual and can only really be appreciated from the vantage point of old age. I think I qualify for that and that‘s why I’m writing this to you as my younger self. These are just a few lines to re-

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mind myself of a younger me. Not to moan or express regrets for what might have been, on the contrary it’s a grateful nod at my younger self (that’s you!) for taking me for who I was and helping me develop into the person I am today.

At seventy three I think I’m an improvement on my former self (sorry younger Joe!). Now I’m a far more rounded person (waistline too) and others may or may not agree with my views and what I do, but life has taught me about written communication beyond my wildest dreams. I’m now better able to put into words my perceptions, emotions and fanciful notions and I think I can express myself far better than I ever could and in some modest way even get paid regularly for doing so. You would like that, but you had to be a bookworm first to master the language better.

I was always the dreamer, Joseph, and happily that has not changed because in dreams we don’t age, so 55 years (and the rest) have not really dampened your teenage spirit. Music and words are still at the centre of my life, although it must be said that as with everything else in old age, the best of both mediums will probably remain there as random access memory until I can tap into them to make sense and share them with you and the unsuspecting world. Then it will be up to others (and for you) to judge whether we have come a long way or not. If I have, please do not allow me to gloat, God forbid, should I do so from my paper tower.

I remain yours in memories.

Until the next time, maybe when we reach 75, Take care,

Joe the elder 25

SPORTS INSIGHT

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R 16 A M – 1 FEB

S N O I T NA

2019

NG A STEPPI STONE TO IN SUCCESS UP WORLD C YEAR

nship, Nations Champio urnament, the Six to the al of nu ich an wh lar sh pu at to establi union’s most po hts, ne-crunching comb rig e start of rugby bo g th al gin ut es br ag se br of l RY s ba ek UA FEBR t and bag tri e over six we emerge triumphan p nations do battl ntest has the s or Scotland will when Europe’s to ale W om. This year ’s co d, blo lan o Ire int , rst nd bu gla y En all , yer will es fin ll tri wi un er ber, and ev y pla four home co y renaissance lded French rugb Japan next Septem ra in he rt g Sun, gsta sin lon Ri to e e th th led s du of or perhap t to the Land Cup 2019, sche gh ld fli or e W th r of fo ion at ct se tra oking a powerful added at alising prize of bo cused on the tant s to offer. ha t or sp e th be primed and fo test adventure ea gr e th in ge ga eager to en

WORDS BY LIAM BEGLAN, SPORTS TRADER 26

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The 2019 sport calendar is dominated by two major events, the June finals of the inaugural UEFA Nations League in Portugal, and the September start of rugby union’s ninth World Cup Finals in Japan, the first time the tournament has been hosted in Asia. Boxing also features large on the sports schedule, with Britain boasting two of the main players in the resurgent heavyweight division.

March sees the start of qualification for Euro 2020, with Gibraltar set to tackle some of Europe’s top footballing nations. It promises to be an exciting year, so buckle up while we take an early look at how events may pan out.

The Autumn Internationals provided plenty of pointers as to which nation is best equipped to lift the Six Nations Trophy, with Ireland reaffirming their Europe No1 tag by winning all four of their games, including a comfortable 16-9 win over reigning world champions New Zealand in Dublin - the Boys in Green succeeding in denying the mighty All Blacks a single try, a phenomenon as rare as white Christmas in Auckland!

England could also take encouragement from their exciting encounter with the Kiwis, a narrow one-point defeat after having what would have been a match-winning try controversially ruled out by the TMO for the most marginal of offside decisions.

Lady Luck had turned her back on the White Rose on that occasion, but good fortune had definitely been with them a week earlier when burgling a wafer-thin victory over South Africa, both results proving that they can comfortably compete with the southern hemisphere titans, and Eddie Jones’s boys will be anxious to put the wheels back on the chariot after last year’s calamitous Six Nations performance when England concluded the campaign with just tournament whipping boys Italy between them and the dreaded wooden spoon.

Wales served potent notice that it would be foolhardy to assume that this year’s championship will simply be an Anglo-Irish affair, the Men from the Valleys for the first time winning all four of their Autumn internationals, including the double denouement of Australia and South Africa – an accomplishment made all the more meritorious because the clean sweep was achieved despite the crushing loss through injury-enforced retirement of their captain and inspirational Lions skipper, Sam Warburton.

Scotland produced their usual enigmatic bag of results in the Autumn tests, victories over Fiji and Argentina being overshadowed by defeats to Wales and South Africa. Outstand-

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ing talents Stuart Hogg and Greig Laidlaw are capable of commanding a place in any international side, but the dearth of depth in squad strength means the Scots will struggle to better their usual mid-table mediocrity.

It is nine years since France last won the championship and defeats to South Africa and lowly Fiji, with just a solitary victory over awful Argentina last autumn, scarcely suggest that Les Bleus are about to revisit past glories soon. The Top 14 league setup in France is the wealthiest in the world, attracting the planet’s stellar stars, and therein lies the problem – native youngsters, unable to match household-name foreign imports, are being denied the traditional club route to the international battlefields.

So, with a resounding ‘non’ to French prospects of adding rugby glory to the nation’s wonderful FIFA 2019 World Cup triumph and a more hesitant shake of the head towards the Jocks, this year’s winners will undoubtedly emerge from the triumvirate of Ireland, England and Wales.

The rugby gods are not smiling too kindly on Warren Gatland’s troops currently, with the loss of Warburton, the talismanic Toby Faletau and doubts concerning the participation of Lions legend Leigh Halfpenny, but both England and Ireland face the daunting task of having to travel to the Welsh capital for two of the most crucial tournament ties. Should Wales apply the coup de grace to the French in the opening game of the tournament, unusually a Friday night fixture, the white flags wildly waving when the Eddie Jones boys come calling may not be celebrating Saxon triumph, but rather Red Rose surrender in the white-hot Cardiff cauldron that is the Principality Stadium.

That would set up a likely championship decider between the Celtic Cousins – The Leek vs The Shamrock, in a mighty final-day showdown. I can picture the scene now, a sea of red and green, the stadium rocking as 75,000 throats compete in frenzied tribal warfare - Land of My Fathers attempting to drown out The Fields of Athenry – perish the thought, but perhaps a guest appearance and a medley from the greatest living Welshman, Max Boyce, could swing the day Wales’s way!

England open their campaign with the toughest test possible – a visit to Dublin to take on the rampant Irish.

Victory for the English would get those Sweet Chariot wheels smoking, but it will require a herculean effort to triumph at the Aviva fortress.

Ireland won the tournament last year in Grand Slam style, and successive victories over the All Blacks mean

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that confidence is sky high, the team is blessed to have a level-headed, uncomplicated genius of a manager in Joe Schmidt, so what can possibly go wrong?

I can hear my bookie sniggering, but undeterred and with the confidence that 40 years of gambling failure has failed to dim, I’m lumbering the Green Machine with my £20 @ 5/2 to notch another Grand Slam. Fill yer boots!

Facts & Stats The tournament became the Six Nations Championship in 2000 when Italy was admitted to the party, joining England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France. England won the championship that year.

In the Six Nations’ 19-year history, England top the title table with seven victories from France with five, Wales with four and Ireland with three.

The winners of the tournament receive the Six Nations Championship Trophy – a solid silver cup that has the capacity to hold five bottles of celebratory champagne!

Since 2000 the Grand Slam has been achieved ten times, France and Wales lead the way with three each from England and Ireland who have two apiece.

The Triple Crown is another prize up for grabs within the tournament, exclusive to the Home Nations unions and is awarded when one of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland beat all the other three sides. Although competed for since the Home Nations started in 1883, an actual Triple Crown Trophy has been presented to the winners only from 2006, and from that year Ireland have won it three times with two crowns each for England and Wales.

The team finishing bottom of the table is ‘rewarded’ with the dreaded booby prize called The Wooden Spoon.

The Farrell family will be somewhat divided when England take on Ireland, with father Andy on duty as Ireland defence coach while son Owen captains England.

Top Six Nations points scorer is Ireland’s Ronan O’Gara with 557, just pipping England legend Jonny Wilkinson who amassed 546 in his glittering career.

Top tournament try-scorer is another Irishman, Brian O’Driscoll, who scorched over the whitewash 26 times.

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SPORTS INSIGHT

LIVERPOOL DARES TO DREAM OF FIRST PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE WHISPER it softly so as not to stress the slumber of sleeping giants, but Liverpool have never won the Premier League, just a meagre return of three runners-up spots scant consolation for the once majestic Mersey men, the Rolls-Royce artisans of the old First Division, an inexplicably barren period made insufferable for Kopites as near-neighbours and deadly enemies Manchester United mopped up exactly half the championship titles during this 26-year history of failure.

How could such calamitous collapse be explained, how had the Reds who had ruled the roost so imperiously under the hallowed hand of colossus Bill Shankly and then his successors Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan for decades, suddenly become so impotent? Attempts to arrest the decline by bringing back stellar-star ex-players as managers, ‘King’ Kenny Dalglish and pugnacious Graeme Souness, ended in dismal failure, as Manchester’s United and City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers and, even Leicester, tasted title success.

However, any thoughts that Liverpool’s decline might be terminal have been well and truly quashed this year, the feeble flickering pulse at season start strengthened to a raging Mersey beat by Christmas, an unstoppable torrent that has seen the Red Army roar to the table summit and a lead of four points over their nearest pursuers who are, once again, Mancunian neighbours, but this time not the Red Devils, who are busily engaged in driving out their own demons, but the dominant all-conquering Pep Guardiola portion of the city.

A worrying trend became apparent, Liverpool stars, having achieved adulation status at Anfield, looked elsewhere however to realise their Roy of the Rovers dreams - goalscoring sensation Fernando Torres spurned the Kop to walk alone to Stamford Bridge and win the Premier League with Chelsea, human carnivore Luis ‘Jaws’ Suarez bolted to Barcelona and reaped rich rewards, Raheem Sterling achieved his championship aspirations by fleeing to the blue half of Manchester, and more recently, Philippe Coutinho joined Suarez at the Nou Camp.

Liverpool will take heart from the fact that the last four teams to lead the league on Christmas Day have all gone on to secure the title, and will be fervently hoping that that sequence continues for a fifth year. However, long-suffering Kop fans will need no reminding that on the previous three occasions the never-walk-alone side was the Premier League’s Christmas Number One, it all ended in treble heartbreak and tears.

The Spice Boys of the 1996/97 season - Stevie McManaman, Robbie Fowler and Jamie Redknapp – the Torres-inspired side of 2008/09 and the animated Suarez team of 2013/14, rocketed the Reds to the top of the festive table, but title thoughts proved premature as a combination of defensive frailties and tough winters saw the dream perish on each occasion.

But enough of the pessimism, my Scouse source informs me that harmony reigns throughout the club, the players are focussed and convinced that this is going to be the year that Liverpool reclaims its rightful place at the Premier League’s top table, so let’s look at what has brought about this welcome transformation.

It is impossible to overestimate the part played by the man with the girly-sounding name and the most expensive hands in world football, custodian Alisson, the brilliant Brazilian being essential to the Reds revival, along with Salah, who walks tall, like an Egyptian, having already bagged 16 Premier League goals in this season of discovery and recovery. Add the solid English backbone of Milner and Henderson to the classic-sounding Virgil van Dijk in defence, the busy genius that is Sadio Mané and, crucially, Jürgen Klopp, that rarest of rare creatures - a German with a sense of humour – the ever-smiling manager, who has bought into and become part of the all-embracing community spirit and psyche of the Kop. So, the time for whispering has passed, it’s time to awake those sleeping Anfield giants, spark the Spirit of Shankly, shout it loudly from the sidelines, shout it from the stands – Liverpool are back where they belong, atop the Premier League, and this time the Reds are there to stay!

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GOLF

NEWS

THE ADMIRAL CASINO TROPHY The Admiral Casino Trophy, played in an individual Stableford format, was contested on the Heathland Course at Alcaidesa on Sunday 9th December 2018. With the course in good condition, excellent greens, and a breakfast of coffee and bacon rolls, even a virtually windless day could not help many of the Med Golf members to conquer the course.

As shown below, Andrew was also the Category 1 winner, the longest drive winner and featured in the nearest to the pin list. Aidan also won the prize for nearest to the pin in 3 on a par 5.

Category 3 (handicap 23 and above): Nicholas Farr took the runner up slot with 35 points having won at the previous event, and the winner was Alex Ashmore with a score of 36 points.

Our handicap category prizes were won as follows:

Nearest the pin winners were: Duncan Hamilton twice, Andrew Shore, and Paul Nash. Matthew Bruce-Smith was nearest to the pin in 2 on a par 4 and Aidan Connelly was winner of nearest the pin in 3 on a par 5.

Prizes were presented by Tim Mitchell on behalf of Casino Admiral who sponsored the day. The scorecard draw prizes were won as follows: A one litre bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label whisky (courtesy of Saconne and Speed) was won, appropriately, by Mike Cowburn.

Mike donated 3 Copies of the New Golf Rules for 2019 which were won by Roger Griffiths, Louis Calvente and Douglas Casciaro.

The champion of the day, winner of the Admiral Casino Trophy and a â‚Ź60 Med Golf voucher was Gavin Grimes with 41 points, 2 points clear of his nearest rival.

The best gross score was 75 by Matthew Bruce-Smith, a great achievement on the day, off handicap 3. Mathew was also runner up in Category 1 with 36 points and nearest to the pin in 2 on a par 4 as shown below.

The best gross on the par 3s was won by Jordan Brown with a score of one over par and the best senior was Norman Savitz with a score of 31 points.

Category 1 (handicaps 0 to 12): Chris Warren was the winner with a score of 39 points beating Matthew Charlesworth who scored 35 points into second place.

Category 1 (handicaps 0 to 12): (handicaps 0 to 12): Matthew Bruce-Smith was the runner up with a score of 36 points and the winner was Andrew Shore with 39 points.

Guests are encouraged to join us and enjoy a great day out. While they are not eligible to win the trophy or category prizes, they can win the many mini-competition prizes and even a best guest prize if warranted by numbers, and of course the scorecard draw at the end of the prize presentation.

Category 2 (handicaps 13 to 22): Joe Sanchez with 34 points was runner up for the second event in a row and Matthew Robinson, following his success at winning the Hunter Properties Trophy at the last Med Golf event, was the winner with 38 points.

The best pair was Andrew Shore and Aidan Connelly with a combined score of 73 points.

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Behind

THE SCENES AT THE

F

or over 150 years, the Gibraltar Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) have been at the heart of the community.

Jo Ward takes a look around the station situated opposite the cable car base in Grand Parade.

The role of any Fire and Rescue Service is to save lives and property, but there is so much more that the firefighters of Gibraltar are responsible for, including enhancing community safety, quality of life and confidence by minimising the impact of hazards and emergency incidents for the people, environment and economy.

Known previously as the City Fire Brigade, a name change took place in 2014 to represent the modern and progressive role carried out by the Service. Matthew Payas, Divisional Officer Operations and Training, is a third generation firefighter. “My grandfather was in the second intake of civilian firefighters and my uncle retired as station officer,” he says proudly.

The striking art deco style building was erected in 1937, but the service has outgrown the facilities and it is common knowledge that there has been a commitment from the Gibraltar Government to relocate the GFRS to a new purpose built site more suited to a modern day fire service. “Although we try and improvise, there are certain things which we can’t implement because the building doesn’t cater for it,” Matthew explains.

Firefighters need to possess a multitude of skills and talents and if they aren’t given the opportunity to practice them frequently enough, they can experience ‘skill fade’. “We need to ensure that we have adequate levels of training to be able to

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FEATURE provide our emergency response capabilities, so we are working really hard towards getting a training complex.”

The station has sixty operational staff providing round-the-clock service, operating on a three watch system – Red, White and Blue. Each watch is comprised of twenty three individuals, three of which are control room operators. The watch also includes a station Officer (line manager), two sub-officers, two leading firefighters and 15 firefighters. “We work on a minimum manning with three appliances so that we are able to respond effectively, rotating between the three watches on a 24/7 basis, 365 days a year.” The morning shift is from 8 am to 5 pm and the night shift from 5pm to 8 am, with two days and two nights on and two days off.

“The three station officers work very closely with me to ensure that we can maintain the adequate levels of response,” Matthew confirms. Above Mr Payas, at the top of the organisational structure, are Chief Fire Officer, Mr Anthony Yusifredo and Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Mr Colin Ramirez.

“My colleague Mark Celecia is also a Divisional Officer and Head of Fire Safety and his team of four fire safety officers do tremendously valuable work, engaging with the community and educating people in fire safety related matters,” Matthew states. The Fire Safety team also consults with the Department for Planning regarding both new and existing buildings, to make sure that they protect occupants but also to guarantee that facilities are in place that will ease the operations in the event of a fire.

Of course, to make sure that the firefighters are comfortable during their shifts there are onsite resting facilities and recreation areas, including a fully equipped gym where they keep fit, and a TV and games room. Matthew shows me the kitchen: “This is ‘the engine room’, where two guys are assigned to provide the fuel for the firefighters to perform their job.” Teamwork is essential for firefighters and there is an obvious camaraderie amongst the Duty Watch as they relax together in the recreation room.

“In my opinion, the biggest milestone that the GFRS can achieve since its formation in 1865 will be the implementation of a Training and Development team,” Matthew says. “The establishment of a Training Department will enhance our response levels, because training is very much linked to operations and although we have a very motivated workforce, a new training department and new facilities will inspire them even more because they will be able to see that we are moving forward.”

The station also contains the fire appliances, offices, the control room, and is totally self-sufficient with its own mechanical workshop at the back, not forgetting the ubiquitous fireman’s pole which is still evident, but no longer used. The fleet consists of 32

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FEATURE five frontline fire appliances, one of which is a rescue unit that does not have pumping capabilities to tackle fires. Matthew explains that as well as being utilised for road traffic accidents and rope rescues, it holds diving apparatus and some medical equipment as well. There is also a ladder, which Matthew is hoping will be replaced in the near future, and lots of support vehicles, including a RHIB inflatable boat used for diver rescues.

The GFRS has its own dedicated diving teams for coastal waters who conduct maritime underwater rescues and each firefighter has a different level of competence in diving. “We have divers that can dive up to 20 metres, others that can dive up to 35 metres and then we have the more experienced - usually our instructors - who can dive up to 50 metres,” Matthew states, continuing “we can also undertake sewer rescues and hopefully next year we are developing a search and rescue team for collapsed structures.” Always identifying relevant training needs, a team of officers went to Rotterdam recently to take part in an LNG Awareness and Incident Command Course.

With the inherent increased threat of fires in the high risk season from May to October, the GFRS conducts patrols to check that firebreaks are in place and that water supplies are adequately marked. “The crews go and familiarise themselves with potential incidents and we have a very close relationship with AquaGib,” Matthew says.

Having been in the fire service for more than twenty years now, Matthew thinks that it is truly the best job in the world. “It is more of a vocation than just a job and there is a good career path if you want to take that forward.” Anybody 18 years and above with Gibraltar residency can apply to join the fire service, but so far there have not been any successful women applicants. “There is a selection process that enables us to identify who we think could be the most suitable candidates. Those who successfully get the job offer are then sent to the UK as potential firefighters to take part in an eight weeks recruit training course which, if they succeed, means that they can officially be called “firefighters” and be embraced into the fire service family.

It goes without saying that visits to schools by the Fire Safety Department are always in demand.

What child doesn’t enjoy seeing a shiny red fire engine? There could also be another generation of Payas firefighters at the GFRS. “Tianne is twelve and her brother Tyler is six - at the beginning Tyler wanted to be a policeman, but now he watches Fireman Sam… so you never know!”

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FEATURE

H I STO RIC B U S INE SS ES

GAC H E Think of `specs’ and Gache’s in Main Street instantly comes to mind. Serving the community and beyond for 189 years as the Rock’s top watchmaker, jeweller and opticians. A reputation well earned. Nowadays their business is dedicated to improving your vision...

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But going back a year or two - or perhaps many, many more - we’re reminded daily of their endeavours as we walk past the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned in Main Street and look up to see what time it is. Well, after reading this article you’ll be able to say to yourself, `I know who installed that clock, it was Gache and I don’t suppose many people know that – well now, I do!’ It was in 1874 that the Gache family installed a clock in the Cathedral tower. It stopped working during the first air raids of the Second World War, so the Gache’s set about installing a new one in 1947 – the one that stands there today - and you know what? All for just, £304 15s 4d! That included materials, installation and even a tip for the men who delivered the crates!

phies and silverware too were always a big attraction for sports organisations and other associations: Eileen recalls,” I remember when Ronnie and I had a hard time trying to convince my father to allow me to attend trade fairs and exhibitions in order to expand the business. It wasn’t easy, but we won him over in the end.” Practically every sporting and social association would go to Gache for their trophies, shield and plaques. The Convent, the Synagogue, and the Church have also been Gache customers over the years, like work undertaken on the Catholic Cathedral’s Tabernacle, producing gifts presented to Sir Winston and Lady Churchill and mementos to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s visit in 1954. They number amongst their successes.

So Gache & Co Ltd of 266 Main Street has been around since 1830, started by Joseph Gache, the great grand father of the present owners Ronnie and Eileen. During much of Gache’s business life the company sold silverware and served the community as prestigious watchmakers, jewellers and opticians. Gache first opened up shop across the road at 247 Main Street, where Exchange Travel used to be and Masbro is situated today facing ladies fashion store `Hearts.’ In the late 1920s however, Gache became bankrupt and closed down. “Running a business is a hard slog and it’s sometimes difficult to keep going - even in those days,” says Eileen Gache “Thankfully today, we have a great relationship with our customers but awkward situations can arise and in a small community like ours it’s not entirely unusual to encounter difficult moments.”

Returning to the old days, watch and clock repairs were done in the family home in George’s Lane. The opticians’ side of the operation was a much less sophisticated affair than what they offered in later years of course: something on the lines of what’s available in chemists nowadays. Tro-

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Apart from installing clocks, winding and maintaining them were also jobs that came the company’s way... “Look at this,” Eileen says with a grin, and shows me a receipt for £4 10s (in old currency 10 shillings not quite equating to 50

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pence in today’s currency). “That’s what we charged in 1970, for looking after the clock in Market Place per quarter.” They were also responsible for other clocks around the Rock, including the one on Stanley Tower (that’s the one on Lower Castle Road by Moorish Castle Estate – El reloj del Castillo.)

So time has moved on, has it not? But Gache is still there in Main Street elegantly showing off their wares.

It’s become something of an ‘institution’ as they say.

Ronnie and Eileen took over from their dad and his family in the nineties and are there running it today.

They still recall the old days with great affection. They remember when they had about a dozen staff and it was like one happy family. Amongst them was local comedy actor Nemesio Mosquera their accountant, who constantly kept them in stitches, and technician Antonio Moreno, who retired a few years ago after no less than 60 years with the company!

Over time, there’s been revamps of ideas, like opening The Trophy Shop in the late nineties: that premises has now been taken over by top ladies fashion shop Hanny’s. They also embellished the frontage and side

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of the main shop adding potted trees which they were asked to remove because they interfered with street cleaning! A few years back rumours abounded that Gache’s was closing down for personal reasons, but that idea was short lived and sent packing. “Our clients just wouldn’t hear of it, and I had to rethink taking that step,” Eileen says. The shop, it can be safely said, is one of the smartest shops in town, neatly displaying spectacles in their windows for you to admire and select whilst inside the selection is even greater making your `choosing job’ a head scratcher! Gache’s - which incidentally is a Swiss-French name, (their ancestors hailed from Mahon in the Balearics) are clearly here to stay for `another long while’ it seems. Sophisticated equipment is at hand and Helen Dobson is your `eye specialist.’ Ismael looks after `all things technical,’ and helpful Manager Tracey provides you with a pleasant smile as you enter Gache’s bright, uncluttered interior.

Eileen and Ronnie tend to be around the back somewhere, but emerge from time to time to say hello and assist when required.

So here’s to looking forward to reaching 200 years of `Gache the Opticians’… and we’re not far off!!

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Xīn nián kuài lè THIS LITTLE PIGGY GOES TO… OCEAN VILLAGE.

Ocean Village is decking the halls with red lanterns and gilded tassels on 7th February for the Chinese New Year celebrations including the Lion Dance, scheduled for 7pm.

There will be entertainment and sweet and savoury treats for the whole family, since the local Chinese community has been inviting public participation to the biggest event of their lunar for a few years now.

On 5th February in fact, Chinese people worldwide are marking the beginning of the Year of the Pig, the last in the twelve-year cycle of the animal-based zodiac.

THE PIG IN CHINESE CULTURE This farm animal represents wealth and prosperity, associated with water and night time between 9 and 11pm. In neighbouring cultures, it is replaced by the boar or the deer.

People born in this year are said to be intuitive, realistic, calm and collected, take life easy and relish simple pleasures. They can be materialistic, but this gives them motivation to work hard for their money and spend disposable income on entertainment, cultural pursuits, and possession of artistic objects.

Pig men are optimistic and focused, but they can be gullible, so they must watch out for dodgy business. They are quiet but enjoy company and learning, and because they are easy to warm up to, they can always count on others helping them out of the doldrums.

Pig women on the contrary are social butterflies, caring to the point they may come across as nosy, but never gossipy, and they are born organisers and have a knack for handling small children.

However, Pig may give in to laziness and gluttony: legend tells how Pig was the last to arrive, after a roadside meal and nap, announced by a loud

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‘oink’, at the race of animals summoned by the Jade Emperor who wanted to bestow on twelve animals the honour of guarding his palace.

Chinese zodiac is taken into account when making decisions like marriage, career moves and even for the most propitious time to conceive an heir, so Pigs are advised to marry Tigers who will give them stability, or Rabbits, attracted by their intelligence and warmth, or Goats, whom they share interests with.

Pigs and Snakes are the least compatible and their relationships will be tumultuous.

Love comes from the north to Pigs and wealth from northeast, their lucky stone is agate, and their favourite colours are yellow, grey and brown, but they must avoid wearing blue and green.

A FIFTEEN-DAY LONG PARTY Also known as the Spring Festival, as it marks the end of cold days and the beginning of nature awakening, akin to Valentine’s Day in western culture, or the Lunar New Year, because it is based on the lunar calendar and it falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, the Chinese New Year lasts two weeks.

It culminates in the Lantern Festival (Yuan Xiao) on the following full moon (19th February this year), a night dedicated to partying with friends. When girls were not allowed to go out alone at night, this was the only occasion they could do so, and enjoy the moonlight and the spectacle of the lanterns – and meet potential suitors, that’s why it is dubbed Lovers’ Day. Listed as intangible cultural worldwide heritage, the Lantern Festival sees millions of people take to the streets to release lit lanterns in the night sky, to perform the lion and dragon dances, or the stilt walk, and to eat auspicious rice dumplings.

Lanterns come in ornate and inventive shapes and different sizes, from small and portable to car-sized, and often carry a riddle printed in gilded ideograms on their tags.

After a night of partying by the frenzied drumbeat, families reunite and reconnect with themselves and the full moon, mimicked in the shape of the traditional dessert for this festival, also called yuan xiao, with a pun on the festival’s name.

Besides Lantern’s, some ethnic minorities celebrate Cabbage Day: girls steal cabbages from strangers’ fields – on this day it is allowed – and the collective loot is cooked to prepare a banquet in which whoever eats the most cabbage-based dishes will be the first to get married!

Whether with baijiu (white wine), made with fermented sorghum, or jiao, flavoured with cypress tree leaves for longevity, let’s toast gàn bēi (cheers) and gung hei fat choy (may you be prosperous and happy)!

FACTS ABOUT CHINESE NEW YEAR Fireworks have the double purpose of scaring off evil spirits and welcoming good luck. A record amount of fireworks in one night are consumed worldwide on Chinese New Year, however, because of pollution and safety concerns, many cities have banned or restricted their use. In Beijing, the ban was lifted after an angry mob demanded their return.

The first five days are concentrated on home and family, and most businesses shut down. In the run-up to the New Year, people stock up on goods and foods, spending up to twice as much as Americans for Thanksgiving.

The temporary mass displacement from cities to rural areas and vice versa is called chunyun, spring migration, which for up to a thousand train tickets are sold each second.

On the first night, families burn fake paper money and gilded bars in honour of their ancestors.

Red is the lucky colour for decoration.

Doors are festooned with strings of chilli peppers.

Children are given money in red envelopes. This act is regarded as the elderly paying forward their good fortune to future generations.

Desserts served on each day have special meanings because their names are homophones with formulary wishes.

A partner-for-hire service is available.

Men and women who cannot go home for the festivities ‘rent’ themselves out as a ‘plus one’ to singletons embarrassed to show up home on their own. While they learn about each other’s lifestyle to ace the inevitable relatives’ quizzing, often genuine relationships are forged.

Sweeping and rubbish disposal are strictly forbidden, to avoid throwing away good luck. All spring cleaning is carried out in the run-up to the festival.

Hair salons are closed during New Year because cutting hair, using scissors and knives is disallowed.

For more information on the etiquette, folklore, myths of Chinese New Year and Lunar Festival in Asia and worldwide, the symbolic meaning of desserts, and most importantly about what to eat, drink and wear, visit www.chinesenewyear.net.

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INSPIRATIONAL GIBRALTARIANS

Margaret Creswell

POSTMISTRESS OF GIBRALTAR

Margaret Susan Creswell was born in Gibraltar in 1847. Her father, Edmund Creswell, was initially the Packet Agent and after 1857, when all postal services were amalgamated into a single service, became the Postmaster of Gibraltar. He was subsequently appointed a Deputy Postmaster-General and Surveyor of the British Post Offices in the Mediterranean.

The Gibraltar Post Office at the time came under the control of London, who pocketed all the profits.

the Post Office offered Margaret the position of Postmistress. This was an astonishing achievement for a woman in the 1870s. She was the only woman to head a Government Department in Gibraltar in the 19th century and indeed in the first half of the 20th century. Margaret was also asked by the Gibraltar Government to succeed her father as Superintendent of the Gibraltar Government Telegraph.

It was in Edmund Creswell’s time that the first postage stamps were introduced in Gibraltar.

Spanish stamps were available at the Post Office in Gibraltar from 1 July 1856 to prepay letters to Spain in order to benefit from lower postal rates, a matter of importance to the local, poorer classes at the time. Un-overprinted British stamps were then introduced on 3 September 1857, and they prepaid letters to all countries except Spain.

carried out the delivery of mail emptied them before returning to the Post Office.

Local delivery of mail followed, on 1 October 1858. Prior to this, all mail had to be collected from the Post Office.

It was then decided to introduce pillar boxes. Three were originally ordered. One was positioned in the town area, close to the Garrison Library. The other two were intended primarily for the military garrison and located in the South District of Gibraltar. None of the three has survived. The pillar boxes came into use on 22 December 1858. The postmen who

Margaret would stand in for her father whenever he was away, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, carrying out his duties as Post Office Surveyor.

Towards the end of his life, Edmund suffered occasional bouts of illness and Margaret helped out on these occasions.

Edmund Creswell lost an arm because of a bite he received from Margaret’s pet donkey. When gangrene set in, the arm had to be amputated and then further amputated. He was then known in the family as One-Armed Edmund. This did not prevent him from fulfilling a highly successful career in the Post Office.

In this way, she came under the notice of the Post Office in London.

When Edmund died in 1877,

Margaret was the prime mover behind a number of important initiatives.

She succeeded in having a Savings Bank for Gibraltar created in 1882. For many years, it was known as the Post Office Savings Bank. It was a boon for small savers.

It was on Miss Creswell’s watch that the first adhesive stamps bearing the name GIBRALTAR were issued.

They were Revenue Stamps, with a face value ranging from 30 centimos to 30 pesetas.

They were placed on sale in June 1884.

After the postal service was handed over to Gibraltarian control, with effect from 1 January 1886, Miss Creswell grew the British service in Morocco, which was then under Gibraltar’s control. From 1872 to 1885, a British Postal Agency was solely located in Tangier.

During the course of 1886, however, she opened new postal agencies in Larache, Rabat and Casablanca, coastal cities on Morocco’s Atlantic coast. Other agencies followed,

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further down the coast, at Mazagan, Saffi and Mogador. An agency was then opened on the Mediterranean coast, at Tetuan. Finally, the only inland postal agency, located at Fez, was opened in 1892.

Miss Creswell was the first Colonial postal official to ask the Crown Agents to send her proofs of stamps that it was proposing to issue, in case she wished to comment on them (the proofs were then returned to London).

It was at her instigation that the currency expressed on the face of Gibraltar postage stamps was changed in 1889 from sterling to Spanish currency. Sterling currency had been used because that was the currency of the postage stamps of Great Britain that were used in Gibraltar prior to the handover of control of the postal service, from London to Gibraltar, in 1886. Sterling currency postage stamps could not, however, be purchased using sterling copper coins; Spanish copper coins had to be tendered. Indeed, Spanish currency was the only legal tender in Gibraltar at the time. This created problems. 1d was worth 10.5 centimos, but 10 centimos was accepted as payment for a single stamp. This meant that the Post Office lost money on many small transactions. It was a confusing mess, particularly as the Gibraltar revenue stamps were in one currency and the postage stamps in another!

It was in November 1897 that Miss Creswell succeeded in getting the Gibraltar authorities to agree to the legalisation of picture postcards. It meant that postcards could, from then onwards, be sent by post at the same rate as a Post Office postal stationery postcard. Originally, the message could only be written on the same side as the picture. Subsequently, it was decided that the back of the postcard should consist of two halves; one panel for the address, the other panel for the message.

between Spain and the USA over its last colonies, other than Morocco. It required a change in the postage and revenue stamps for use in Gibraltar. There was no impact on the Morocco Agencies, as they had their own stamps, and they continued to use Spanish currency there.

The control and management from Gibraltar of the British postal agencies in Morocco ceased on 31 December 1906.

London took over, and British stamps overprinted for use in Morocco were issued.

Miss Creswell then retired, on attaining age 60.

At the point of retirement she had held the positions of Colonial Postmistress, Superintendent of the Gibraltar Government Telegraph and Manager of the Gibraltar Savings Bank.

She was appointed a Companion of the Imperial Service Order by King Edward VII on 26 June 1908.

Postal Service in Morocco, nor of the Gibraltar Government Telegraph, which closed at about the time that he assumed the post. After he complained at the drop in pay, he was unsuccessful in having the salary increased; but he was given a sop. The title of his post was changed to Postmaster General.

With thanks to: Frank Bado, Special Projects Director, Royal Gibraltar Post Office

Miss Creswell had an entry in Whitaker’s Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage and in Who’s Who. Miss Creswell retired to live at 56 Calle Real, in Campamento (by the church), in nearby Spain, about 3 miles from the frontier with Gibraltar. She enjoyed her retirement. She even rode for 10 miles on mule-back into the Spanish hills, from the railway station to the town of Gaucin, which she visited for the last time in 1929, when she was 82! There she signed the visitors’ book in the Hotel Nacional. On the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, in July 1936, she returned to live in Gibraltar. She died shortly thereafter, on 4 August 1936, at the age of 89.

As a postscript, her successor as Postmaster in Gibraltar was a man, and he was incensed to find that his salary was less than that drawn by a woman!

Indeed, this was because he had less responsibility. He was not in charge of the British

In June 1898, Miss Creswell was responsible for the Gibraltar Government agreeing that Gibraltar stamps should be overprinted with the words MOROCCO AGENCIES for use in Morocco.

In this way, she was finally able to establish how much profit or loss was being made by each of the postal agencies in Morocco.

Four months later, in October 1898, there was another change; sterling currency superseded Spanish currency as the only legal tender in Gibraltar.

This was a side effect of the war waged

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FEATURE

THE ROYAL GIBRALTAR POST OFFICE ORIGINS The Gibraltar Post Office was created on 01 January 1857, when the existing Packet Agency and Overland Post Office were amalgamated under the control of the Postmaster General of Great Britain and Ireland. At the time of the creation of the Gibraltar Post Office the Packet Agency had premises at Turnbull’s Lane. The Overland Post Office operated from the office of the Colonial Secretary in Secretary’s Lane.

Edmund Creswell (Postmaster) secured funding from London for building a new post office for Gibraltar. Work on the building commenced immediately and it was inaugurated on 01 September 1858.

The site remains the Headquarters Post Office building at 104 Main Street.

On 03 September 1857 British postage

stamps, for the prepaying of letters, were first placed on sale at the Gibraltar Post Office. They were cancelled with a distinctive obliterator consisting of the letter “G” in a barred oval. Gibraltar did not issue its own stamps until 1886.

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD

GIBRALTAR STAMPS On the 1st January 1886 the Colonial Government of Gibraltar assumed control of its Postal Services. As an interim measure Bermuda stamp plates were overprinted with ‘Gibraltar’ using different colours.

These were replaced by Gibraltar’s own design in November of that year.

Gibraltar stamps had peseta values from 1889 to 1898, since local trade was carried out in this currency. Stamp designs were rather stereotyped until 1931 when, at the Governor’s request, Captain Garrood, Gibraltar’s Crown Surveyor and Engineer, produced the first pictorial Definitive.

The first commemorative issue was in 1935. Up to 1966 the release of such issues was confined to Crown Agents ‘Omnibus’ issues and marked events of international interest. Since 1966 subjects of a predominantly local flavour have been chosen, though international events are also naturally featured. The Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau is a private enterprise.

On 21 April 2001 Gibraltar achieved a Guinness World Record by issuing the fastest stamp in history. A photograph of HM Queen Elizabeth II was taken that morning at Buckingham Palace for the Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau. The photo was immediately e-mailed to the Bureau’s office in Gibraltar where the sheet was designed and then sent to the printers. The latter commenced printing at 10:00am that same day. At midday a representative of the Crown Agents flew to Gibraltar with the printed stamps and these were placed on sale that same afternoon (exactly 624 minutes after the photograph was taken). The media featured the story as follows: “Gibraltar gives Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II a World Record for Her Birthday”!

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ROCK STAMPS The 2002 Rock of Gibraltar stamps were the world’s first ever stamps to be produced with actual rock incorporated onto the stamps. Real limestone, which had been bored out of the centre of the rock whilst constructing the Rock’s World War II tunnels, was used. The limestone was first powdered and then sintered within the image of Gibraltar, thereby showing actual rock where this was being displayed on the picture. The

printing process used was offset lithography together with a thermo-graphic layer to hold the limestone. This process was also undertaken with HMS Victory stamps in 2005, where real wood from the original ship was used.

ROYAL TITLE In 2005 the Gibraltar Post Office was granted the title of “Royal” by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Gibraltar is the only British Overseas Territory Post Office honoured with this title.

GIBRALTAR SAVINGS BANK On 01 April 1872 the Currency Order in Council of 21 February 1872 came into effect and Gibraltar adopted Spanish currency. The idea of a Savings Bank for Gibraltar was then first suggested to London by Governor Lord Napier of Magdala, but this came to nothing.

When Miss Margaret Cresswell (daughter of Postmaster Edmund Cresswell) followed in her father’s footsteps and was appointed Postmistress, she eventually resurrected the idea. Lord Napier tried again and this time the Gibraltar Savings Bank opened its doors on 01 January 1882, collocated with the General Post Office at 104 Main Street.

On 01 October 1898, Sterling was adopt46

ed as the only legal tender in Gibraltar.

On 06 August 1914, timely coinciding with and countering a panic run on the bank, the first Gibraltar banknotes were issued.

During the evacuation a Savings Bank Counter was opened in the Russo Building, John Mackintosh Square, within the Field Post Office (475) there. In 1945 Stamp Savings Books, to encourage schoolchildren to save, were introduced.

These were abolished in 1961.

1988 saw the introduction of a new range of savings products, including Bank Debentures, with the Savings Bank now operating from the Treasury as well as Post Offices. In 2007 the Minister for Public Finance assumed the role in law previously exercised by the Governor and the Financial Secretary.

In 2012 the Gibraltar Government purchased the premises at 206-210 Main Street as the home of the now renamed Gibraltar Savings Bank.

THE 2003 COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT In April 2003 the then Transport & General Workers’ Union and the Gibraltar Government signed “The Collective Agreement for Postal Services”.

The proposals included the granting of “finish & go” facilities to existing postal grades and the creation of a new cadre of delivery postal staff, the SOG Basic, as well as a promise of new, modern premises and the upgrading of postal equipment & vehicles.

THE FUTURE Today the RGPO operates in an “expectant” state. A postal review has been ongoing for over eighteen months and an announcement as to the RGPO’s future and that of mail operations on the Rock is still expected. Meanwhile, the Mail Operations Centre was moved again in 2018; its fourth move and still not its last.

BRITISH FORCES POST OFFICE During WWII, after the fall of France and the loss of air bases in North Africa, Gibraltar’s Garrison not only increased but it became a major transit base for the services. Movement of mail was a problem, more so when each arm of the service operated its own arrangements and not at the same rates of postage; the RAF, for example, making ample use of the transports that they controlled!

The Navy (British Fleet Mail Offices [BFMO] 5 and 15), the RAF (Mail Room 10 but later using the Army’s 475 number) and the Army (Field Post Office [FPO] 475) all operated independently throughout the war. FPO 475 was initially established at Waterport Wharf in 1940 but then transferred to John Mackintosh Square with locally-recruited staff under the supervision of the Colonial Postmaster.

The USA also operated an American Forces Post Office in Gibraltar, APO 512, during WWII. On 03 June 1947 FPO 475 moved from John Mackintosh Square into the Main Post Office premises at 104 Main Street.

This arrangement lasted until 17 July 1957, when it was closed following the

The senior management of the Post Office, however, was devolved onto a private company, Change Management Ltd, comprising a Chief Executive Officer and three Directors. This arrangement ceased in February 2012, with the departure of the then Chief Executive Officer of the now entitled Royal Gibraltar Post Office (RGPO).

In December of 2012 the new Post Office Act, in compliance with EU legislation with regard the liberalisation of mail but leaving much to be desired with regard the practical side of local operations, was passed and in July 2013 the RGPO became a regulated body and the local provider of the Universal Service.

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withdrawal of the Forces concessional rates on 01 May. During the 1960s, in common with general policy at the time, the administrative branches of the three Services were unified. Hence, when in 1970 there was a requirement for a Services postal unit in Gibraltar, it was formed as the “Fortress Postal & Courier Communications Service” and manned by the three Services from 01 April 1970. BFPO 52 was born! In later years the unit comprising BFPO 52 changed titles to Fortress Postal & Courier Troop, Royal Engineers, and

subsequently became part of the newly formed Royal Logistic Corps, upon amalgamation under “options for change”, in 1993. The unit remains predominantly Army-manned, with local civilian support and, until recently, still had Navy personnel on permanent attachment.

BFPO 52 is the only known BFPO (other than AMF[L] operations in Turkey) to have utilised the local stamps where it was deployed. In 1994, however, the unit-inspecting Major from HQ Land Command in the UK, during a meeting with the then Postmaster General Gibral-

tar, asked why Gibraltar insisted on this.

The reply was that the revenue generated from the sale of stamps was “useful”. The unit-inspecting Major replied that it could not possibly be more useful than the air charges being incurred by the Gibraltar Government for the subsequent movement of the mail. One week later BFPO 52 were requested to utilise “English” as opposed to “Gibraltar” stamps and the air charges defaulted onto the MoD! Article supplied by History Society Gibraltar Email: historysocietygibraltar@hotmail.com

Fact is stranger than fiction 1. The Pony Express. The Pony Express can claim to be the only mail service to have never failed, against all odds. The service delivered messages, newspapers, mail and even small packages from St Joseph, Missouri, across the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada, to Sacramento, California, on horseback, using a series of relay stations. During its 18 months of operation it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days. From 3 April 1860 to October 1861, it became the West’s most direct means of east–west communication, before the telegraph was established, and was vital for tying the new state of California to the rest of the country. The Pony Express service experienced difficulties during the Paiute Indian uprising of 1860. Several express stations were attacked, some 16 employees were killed and approximately 150 express horses were either stolen or driven off. The Paiute War cost the Pony Express company about $75K in livestock and station equipment, not to mention the loss of life. During the hostilities the Indians killed one express rider, but the horse galloped on through to the next station with the mail still in the saddlebags. After the fighting ended four delayed mail shipments from the East were finally brought to San Francisco on 25 June 1860. One Pony Express mailing, which left San Francisco on 21 July 1860, did not immediately reach its destination; the mail pouch (Mochila) did not reach St Joseph and then New York until almost two years later.

2. The Cullinan Diamond. The Cullinan Diamond was the largest diamond ever found, at 3,106.75 carat rough weight. About 10.5 cm long on its largest side, it was found on 26 January 1905, in the Premier Number 2 Mine, near Pretoria, South Africa.

The largest polished gem from the stone is named Cullinan I, or the Great Star of Africa, and at 530.4 carats was the largest polished diamond in the world until the 1985 discovery of theGolden Jubilee Diamond, 545.67 carats, also from the Premier Mine. Cullinan I is now mounted into the head of the Sceptre with the Cross (Crown Jewels). The second largest gem from the Cullinan stone, Cullinan II, or the Second Star of Africa, 317.4 carats, is the fourth largest polished diamond in the world. Both gems are part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. In 1905, due to the im-

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mense value of the Cullinan, the authorities in charge of the transportation were posed with a huge, potential security problem.

Detectives from London were placed on a steamboat that was rumoured to carry the stone and a parcel was ceremoniously placed in the Captain’s safe and guarded throughout the entire journey. This, however, was a diversionary ruse. The stone on that ship was a fake, meant to entice those interested in stealing it. The real diamond was actually sent to England in a plain box via registered parcel post!

Upon receiving the stone safely in England, Sir Francis Hopwood and Mr Richard Solomon (the Agent-General of the Transvaal Government in London) travelled from London to Sandringham, Norfolk, by train, accompanied by just two experienced Scotland Yard policemen. They reached their destination safely, despite reports of a potential robbery attempt looming. King Edward VII would later that same day present Mr Solomon with the KCVO. 3. Camel Post. The US Camel Corps, an experiment in 1843 by the Americans in their south-west region to move freight and mail, was unsuccessful because the camels frightened horses, were unruly and their fimus profluens was found offensive beyond tolerance. The British Imperial Camel Corps Brigade, raised for service in the Middle East during WWI, were somewhat more successful with a military courier version, but this was perhaps more of a question of needs must.

4. Penny Black Auctions. In 2009 British stamp dealers Stanley Gibbons sold a single marginal example of the Penny Black for £250,000. This remains the Penny Black record, although other over-£200K sales have been registered.

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Malcolm Blagg Give him your time and he’ll chat you to death! He’s a champion of doing things the `right way’. He’s loyal and honest and forever ready to help the needy. He’s nuts about the army and crazy about sport, amongst other topics. You need to check him out... he’s Malcolm Blagg.

cycle shop at the end of Main St. `Helping’ has always been this action man’s staple diet.

No one should be surprised to see Malcolm dressed from head to toe in full regalia as Lord Nelson, which he dons on certain important occasions such as the Battle of Trafalgar at the Trafalgar Cemetery (the outfit cost him a whacking £2000 and now a new `Nelson uniform’ is on order!)

The only petrol station left that offers you the ‘personal touch’ is the one run

by Malcolm Blagg on Rosia Rd. Service with a friendly smile is the order of the day, whether you’re attended to by the boss himself, son Richard or, on occasions, wife Gloria. Former long-time employee Hamido - now retired - pops in for a chat from time to time. A glaring contrast from the cold, impersonal ‘do-it-yourself’ practice we’ve become accustomed to at other station outlets.

History, heritage and the Army are the other love affairs of his life. It all kicked off when he joined the boy cadets of the Leicester Regiment in the UK. “And when I came here I didn’t waste any time and joined the TA shortly after arriving on the Rock,” says Malcolm.

“The thirty years I spent with the Gibraltar Regiment were the best years of my life,” even though he’s had three nasty bayonet accidents whilst serving with the regiment. His time in the unit, as you would expect, was spent in the main as a fitness enthusiast and as an infantryman, thus marrying his two main interests - sport and the army. Malcolm loved the pomp and circumstance and anything to do with ceremonial duties, and on retirement he made it to Colour Sergeant - fulfilled and content!

But enough about greasy garages and flammable liquids and let’s concentrate on Mr Blagg. Here’s a gentleman from Nottingham who arrived on the Rock on holiday in 1969, just as the frontier was closing. Malcolm has always liked to keep fit, so working outdoors in the construction industry and petrol stations in the fresh air was right up his street. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen him out of T-shirts and shorts more than a few times, come rain or shine. To this day - he’s 74 - he’s an exercise fanatic.

Through the years he’s been involved in athletics in the main, but he has taken on almost every popular sport like football, squash, badminton, tennis, motorcycle trials and cycling, which you’ll catch him doing early in the morning or late at night: “That’s when the roads are safer,” says the man who has been run over five times (not cycling though, but at work!).

I first met this chatty fellow when he worked at the then Mobil petrol station by the Sun Dial. Always friendly and attentive as he worked away, changing and repairing punctured tyres and generally getting stuck in and doing everything else really. Always interesting to talk to and just like these days, always sensible and reasonable. Come 1989 he was offered the chance to be his own boss and take over what had become known as `Mansfield’s’ petrol station in Rosia Road opposite Armstrong’s Steps. “It wasn’t an easy move. I had to raise a few thousand pounds which weren’t easy to find in those days. With the help of the family I managed to do it and just went for it!” So that’s where

“I’ve made some great friends in sport along the way too. Charlie Flower, Tony Parody and Dennis Thorpe are just three of many that come to mind.”

Malcolm remembers spending many hours helping youngsters at Dennis’s

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LOCAL HEROES

we still find him today. “It’s a hard slog, but I’m happy.” Knowing Malcolm, I guess that’s the perfect formula for this `action man’, constantly on the go and there’s no end to this man’s interests and pastimes, when he finds the time.

He’s into nature - he monitors swifts’ comings and goings and says more money should be spent on the Alameda Gardens. Like others in our community, he reckons there’s too much construction going on, and more should be made of Gibraltar’s history. He raises funds for charity - including children’s charities, always helping the kids where he can, which we never hear about and you know what, he manages to give himself a little time to relax with Gloria, and pop off for a session or two of sequence and ballroom dancing!

planning and the latest idea involves meeting up with the Chief Minister and the Heritage Trust to take a trip up the Rock and other places around Gibraltar to see how our tourist product can be improved. That’s his plan, which will hopefully come to fruition sometime soon. Meanwhile, tonight may be a good night to go for a cycle ride or perhaps you could catch him having a dip in Camp Bay which he also enjoys regularly... so be on the lookout!

A topic of serious concern for Malcolm is family values, which he feels are always in danger of being eroded.

Malcolm says, “I believe in loyalty and supporting our children in every way, but certainly not by throwing money at them.” Malcolm’s a great believer in our youngsters’ future and is very mindful of getting across to them the right message to set them off on a right footing. He says there’s plenty to get involved in on the Rock, with a substantial variety of activities to get stuck into if you really want to, more than in most places our size. Climate change and the environment are also high on Malcolm’s agenda. Over Christmas he had a little display at the petrol station showing melting ice, together an exhibition of model cars and other vehicles, highlighting how we enjoy ourselves without caring enough about pollution issues.

Back to sport now and some years ago Malcolm Blagg had his mind set on getting involved in the 2012 London Olympics, but for a number of reasons it ended up not happening, so it was back to the `pumps’ where we find him today. But his brain keeps ticking and

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FEATURE

FOR A CHARITY THAT WAS ONLY FOUNDED FOUR YEARS AGO, SAVE GIBRALTAR STREET CATS (SGSC) HAS MADE AN INCREDIBLE DIFFERENCE TO THE STREET CATS ON THE ROCK. f you are a cat lover then you may have noticed a friendly furry feline face poking out from under a car or behind a bush and would have liked to help it, but before you could do anything it dashed away out of sight.

Susan Wink Sampere identified that there was a huge stray cat problem when she relocated with work to a new office in Town Range and a poorly street cat caught her attention. “I started treating and feeding him on a daily basis,” she explains, “and then I realised that nobody was taking care of the feral population here, so I started a Facebook page.”

A meeting advertised by Susan on Facebook brought fourteen interested people along to John Mackintosh Hall and from then on they set about orchestrating a way to organise the charity properly. At the moment the committee consists of founder Susan, Foster and Adoption Coordinator Julie Watson, Secretary Elizabeth Casciaro and Treasurer Christiana Ballester. There is also a support team consisting of active fosters, but more help is needed.

Noticing that many of the cats didn’t have their left ears clipped, Susan knew something had to be done. The clipped ear indicates whether a cat has been through the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) technique, an internationally recognised programme where the cats are taken to the

vets to be neutered and then released back into the environment.

“Out of the 183 females that Susan has trapped, all have been through the TNR programme, but if they hadn’t, those cats could have had between two and three litters a year, with maybe six kittens in each,” Julie states. “Calculating that there is a 20% death rate, then ultimately those 183 female cats could end up having 1,464 kittens and year, and so it goes on.” Up to the end of 2018, homes were found for 360 kittens that had been abandoned, some of which were friendly. Overall, 766 cats were removed from the streets for TNR and adoptions, some of which were humanely put to sleep.

The most responsible and humane approach to help street cats is to trap, neuter and return the cats to the original location. Feral cats can’t be homed but kittens can be fostered. Susan tells how they have fostered some abandoned cats that have previously been in homes.

“There are some very friendly street cats and we have some fantastic happy ending stories, with one sick, old cat that was injured in a hit and run just having been given a home after nearly twenty years on the streets.”

Thanks to Susan, Julie and the SGSC team, they have a 100% rehoming rate. “We have never failed - and that is also thanks to the foster carers that we have,” Julie says.

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FEATURE “Charlie was with us for nearly nine months in foster care before he was adopted, and now he is a farm cat living in England.”

It is obvious that both Susan and Julie are cat lovers, with twelve cats between them, but that is a drop in the ocean compared to the huge amount of stray cats living on Gibraltar at the moment.

“Luckily we have a large network of people who will let us know if a new cat appears that isn’t recognised.” If no-one claims the cat when a photo is posted on Facebook, the team jump into action.

Of course, all this involves money and an initial grant from government for neutering was used up within months. “Thankfully, we have a very good working relationship with the Gibraltar Vet-

erinary Clinic and they have allowed us to use a room where we leave our traps, and where the cats can be left overnight once we have trapped them,” Susan states.

Fundraising and donations are hugely important and vital for the team at SGSC to continue their work. Julie explains that they are working with government to get some proper feeding stations. “Thanks go to Minister Cortes and the Environmental Departments that are helping us in this respect.”

The main goal is to have an area for a cat sanctuary somewhere on the Rock donated by the Government. “We also desperately need people to come onto the support team or committee and for others to help out on a daily basis raising funds,” Susan says.

“At the moment we are spending between £1000 and £2000 per month at the vets, and it is not uncommon for us to spend more than £800 on only one cat.”

One of the main achievements of the charity is that they have managed to change the Animal Legislation Act in Gibraltar which was more than 50 years old, something that both Susan and Julie are justly proud of. “With the help of Hassans, the lawyers who represented us and donated their time, out of the six points we wanted, we achieved five of them.” The new Act came into effect in January this year, and one of the main accomplishments was for the abandonment act to become stricter and for people to be fined. Cruelty towards feral cats is now included in

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the legislation whereas previously they had no rights. “We are delighted that such a strong message is being sent to the community that cruelty to animals is not acceptable in any form,” Julie comments.

A recent meeting with Minister Cortes to discuss one of the points that he did not agree at the time of the legislation about the feeding stations has had a positive outcome, and a trial project will be starting shortly that will see a feeding station installed at Engineers Lane once a meeting has taken place with officers from the Environmental Department to discuss the best place to position it.

“We have ordered some dog kennels that will hopefully be

adapted to be used as feeding stations - where feeders can take food along at certain times,” Julie tells me. “The food has to be kept within that feeding station - we don’t want foil, paper or food on the floor - and we hope to educate the feeders and the public that if they want to feed the cats, they have to do it at the feeding station, or if they don’t they will get fined.”

Susan goes on to state that any food found outside that designated area will be considered as littering. “People think they are being kind to the cats by throwing food and leaving it anywhere but they are not, it has to be controlled because otherwise there are problems with rats and seagull.”

SGSC has been working with the Cat Welfare Society, sometimes relying on help with funding, and there may be the opportunity to amalgamate into one charity in the future. “Cats are so important in Gibraltar - they are part of what Gibraltar is - and we need to have cats in certain areas to keep down the rodent population,” declares Susan who is passionate about her feline friends.

Ultimately it is all about the welfare of the cats and working with the community to keep Gibraltar healthy and clean, with cats included! If you feel that you can help make a difference, please get in touch with SGSC via their Facebook page @savegibcats or via their website.

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FEATURE

It’s February and for some of us that means love is in the air! It’s the month of romance when high streets around the world are festooned with red and pink symbols of love and media adverts bombard us with cute pictures in the hope that we will buy their particular brand of chocolates or flowers at highly inflated prices. There are some who think that it’s a cynical and expensive con imposed upon us by greedy retailers desperate to take our money, but there are others who are in love with Valentine’s Day itself. as an improvement on the status quo?

C

elebrated on the 14th February every year around the world, Valentine’s Day is when we can express our feelings of love or appreciation for another person, reminding us that we are lucky to have so many in our lives that we care about, including not just our spouses, boyfriends or girlfriends, but our parents and siblings – and even our pets.

The good news is that singles no longer feel pressured by the display of love all around them and that there is no stigma attached to not having a romantic Valentine’s date. Unfortunately, most of us remember that time at school when we realised that nobody

had a secret crush on us and that the card on the front door mat was from our mother!

Although the history of Valentine’s Day is a bit muddled, with several different versions about its true origins having filtered down over the centuries, it seems that it wasn’t as sweet as we may think. In fact, it has a surprisingly dark past, emanating from a pagan ritual for fertility.

We’ve come a long way from Lupercalia, the fertility festival of ancient Rome celebrated every year between the 13th and 15th February, when Roman priests sacrificed a goat and a dog, using strips of the animals’ hides dipped in blood to whip women in the

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FEATURE

belief that it would make them more fertile. The ritual also included a matchmaking lottery, with bachelors selecting the names of young women from an urn which would see them ‘coupling up’ for the duration of the festival, or maybe even longer if the match was a good one.

The ancient Romans may also have been responsible for the name given to our modern day of love.

Emperor Claudius II executed two men - both named Valentine - on 14th February during different years in the 3rd century A.D. One of them, Saint Valentine of Terni, continued to perform marriage ceremonies in secret after Claudius II outlawed them to encourage men to join the army. Supposedly, Valentine fell in love with his jailers daughter Asterius, and he wrote her a letter prior to his beheading and signed it “Your Valentine.” When the Roman Empire collapsed at the end of the 5th century Valentine was declared a Saint by Pope Gelase I for his sacrifice in the defence of love.

It wasn’t until the 15th century that the practice of writing and sending Valentine’s Day cards became common practice when the Duke of Orleans sent one to his wife from the Tower of London where he was incarcerated. King Henry V soon joined the trend by hiring a writer to write a Valentine’s card for Catherine of Valois. It was during the 18th century when lovers began to exchange pretty handmade cards that the custom grew in popularity but a new tradition came into fashion in the late 19th century with “vinegar valentines”, cards which could be likened to hate mail featuring mocking insults that were also used to tell the unlucky recipient that they weren’t loved.

Eventually the industrial revolution changed everything when Hallmark Cards started mass production in 1913 and this has grown into the multi-million pound industry that we know today that now also encompasses the gifting of chocolates, lingerie and cuddly toys, and despite the onslaught of social media, most people still enjoy receiving cards. A tweet may be easier but it’s not a very romantic option.

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Say it with flowers Roses are, of course, the most popular flower given on Valentine’s Day, but did you know that you can use the language of flowers to send secret messages to your loved ones? With the art of floriography, developed by the Victorians, every flower carries a special meaning through their colour.

Red means true love, beauty, courage, respect, seduction, power and passion White symbolises loyalty, purity, innocence and new beginnings Pink communicates a gentle deep love, appreciation, grace, and perfect happiness Yellow is the colour of harmony and trust and stands for joy, gladness, friendship and delight Orange represents a fiery passion and deep desire, enthusiasm and fascination.

Peach: denotes intimacy, desire, excitement and appreciation However you mark Valentine’s Day, why not spread the love and warm the heart of someone you know?

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FEATURE

FA C T S Saint Valentine - who was he? Most probably a legend - there are in fact three saints who go by the name Valentine or Valentinius and are associated with February 14th. One was a priest and another a bishop, but all three were said to have been martyred. One of the most popular legends states that just before his beheading for refusing to deny Christ, Valentine wrote a letter to his beloved which was signed “From Your Valentine”

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Valentines, or love notes, are traditionally given to loved ones on Valentine’s Day. One of the earliest known Valentines is a love poem written in 1415 by the Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was held in the Tower of London after having been captured at the Battle of Agincourt. This is probably where the St. Valentine legend arose.

Since AD 496 the feast of St Valentine has been celebrated, some believe to suppress an older pagan fertility festival held on the 15th of February. But the feast was more of a Christian celebration rather than the romantic day we know now. The association with romance dates from the middle ages, where most of the legends surrounding St. Valentine were written.

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The association of romance with St Valentine’s Day dates from around the 14th century. One of the earliest written accounts of the romantic nature of Valentine’s Day is by Geoffrey Chaucer, in which he notes the pairing of mating birds on that day.

In Japan, women are expected to give chocolate and other gifts to men on Valentine’s Day. This tradition was started as a marketing campaign by Japanese chocolate companies. Men are not off the hook, unfortunately. They are expected to return the favour on March 14th, commonly known as White Day..

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In some countries, such as the US and Canada, St Valentine’s Day is not just meant for lovers, but is a day of friendship too, when school kids exchange cards among friend, decorate their classrooms and have a nice time. They prepare Valentine gifts. Sometimes they draw cards for their teachers.

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Many believe the ‘X’ symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times.

People who couldn’t write their names signed in front of a witness with an ‘X.’ The ‘X’ was then kissed to show their sincerity.

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People had a belief that if a robin flies above an unmarried woman’s head, then it is likely that her wedding knots would get tied with a sailor.

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CLASSIFIED SERVICES CHARTERED SURVEYOR

HARDWARE

INDUSTRIAL

ESTATE AGENT

PAINTING & DECORATING

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ON THE SPOT

GERRY MARTINEZ GRAPHIC DESIGNER / ARTIST

Where did you first start your employment?

“Many moons ago in Gibraltar at a graphic design agency, just after completing my design degree. Only lasted 6 months though, I had so much wanderlust I left to travel the world..”

How would you describe yourself?

“The quiet extrovert!

I’m friendly, determined, vivacious, courageous, passionate, a thinker and ALWAYS up for a challenge.

What you see is definitely what you get. I am true to myself and always follow my instincts. “Always have your door open to any opportunity life throws at you”, that’s my motto.”

Which person has been the biggest influence in your life?

“My parents – they were hard workers, loyal, kind, and did everything with integrity and respect… I’d like to think that they passed these qualities on to me.”

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

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

“To slow down!”

“I’ve not only visited but also had the privilege to live in Australia. It’s vast, full of opportunity, four seasons, multi-cultural (just like Gibraltar) and environmentally friendly (not like Gibraltar!).”

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

“Don’t become self-employed (I’ve been working for myself for 18 years and counting… I enjoy being my own boss )”

What makes you laugh?

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

“The banter I have with my daughter.”

“Quality time with my daughter, preferably surrounded by nature.”

What’s your greatest ambition?

Which word or phrases do you most overuse?

“To inspire young minds to go for their dreams, hard work will get you there! On a more personal level, I’d like to have a solo exhibition one day.”

“If you don’t try, then you’ll never know!

I’m also trying to live life more mindfully, so my goto phrase is to “be present in the moment”.

What keeps you awake at night?

“My overactive creative imagination!”

“Not really, I’ve always tried to live life staying true to my path. I’ve learnt so much from the good decisions and not so good decisions I’ve made (in equal measure!).

My choices make me who I am today.”

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

“Gosh, so many to choose from! Doing the murals by Chatham Counterguard tunnel last year was priceless… But being a parent ranks at no.1 ”

If you didn’t live where you are currently located where would you like to Live (Money, no object) “A home with lots of light and a huge view, inspiring conditions for my creative projects. And a very big studio! Surrounded by mountains and peace and quiet. No construction cranes in sight!”

What people historic or living would you most like to meet?

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

“Any of the modern artists living in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. I’m sure I lived there in a past life!”

“Hard question! I love many… Fiction: The Millenium trilogy; Factual: any thing to do with History of Art. At the moment I am reading ‘In Montmartre’ by Sue Roe.”

If you could change one thing about Gibraltar what would it be “One??? Let’s start with traffic!

What’s your favorite music track?

What is your favourite hobby or interest

“So many! Depends on my mood… I’m a huge 80s fan.”

“I think of myself as a mixed media artist, so I’m always experimenting with different media: digital iPad drawing, photography, computer art, oils, charcoal… whatever inspires me at the time!”

What’s your biggest fear?

“Dying young and not accomplishing my missions in life.”

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Do you have any regrets?

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FITNESS INFINITY ON THE ROCK! The Fitness Industry grows every year as more and more people of all ages recognise the indisputable benefits of regular exercise. In Gibraltar the Infinity Fitness Group consisting of the Ocean Village, Sunborn, Atlantic Suites and Reshape and Rumble fitness clubs have been helping their members to keep fit over the last 10 years.

The Infinity Group believe that they have fitness facilities for all ages and all disciplines. Each week the clubs provide over 100 Group exercise classes from yoga and Zumba to the high intensity classes of Reshape & Rumble, 2000 people every week participate in these classes.

In the summer the luxury adults only pool at Atlantic Suites opens up to the members, with regular barbecues and other events.

The most recent addition are the 3 Reform Pilates machines which enable all ages to increase muscle and flexibility with a personal trainer.

Mary Martin, Walacy Ferreria and Izzi Hanning.

Group Sales & Marketing Manager, Walacy Ferreira says: “We have 12 fitness professionals across the group and every new member receives a complimentary fitness induction with a personal trainer when they join.”

In addition to the exercise facilities the Infinity Group also operate the Sunborn and Atlantic Suites Spas who specialise in Luxury ELEMIS treatments, nails and hair dressing. These Spas offer the exclusive ELEMIS treatments and VAT free retail.

“We also provide members with free monthly seminars specialising in nutrition, exercise and life coaching.”

Izzi Hanning who is General Manager of Atlantic Suites, the Sunborn gym and all the Spas says, “we pride ourselves in being able to offer the widest range of treatments with the best trained therapists and all our members receive discounted treatments.”

“Members can join all four clubs individually although those members who join Atlantic Suites, Ocean Village or the Sunborn get complimentary access to all the Reshape & Rumble classes. Memberships are very flexible and the joining and leaving process is very easy.”

“Many people think that gyms are just for the young but this is so untrue. Today we live in a world where people are living longer than ever before

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so it has become even more important that these longer years are healthy years. Each year we announce our member of the year, the winner is simply the member who has exercised in the clubs the most often during the year. Last year our member of the year was 76 years young and in the previous year it was won by an 81 year member, both are very active members and a good example to all of us of the benefits of exercise.”

Mary Martin is General Manager of Ocean Village and Reshape & Rumble, she says “Reshape

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Many people think that gyms are just for the young but this is so untrue. Today we live in a world where people are living longer than ever before so it has become even more important that these longer years are healthy years.

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Izzi Hanning, General Manager of Atlantic Suites Sunborn gym and Spas.

& Rumble consists of 2 new state of the art studios and the addition of brand new luxury changing rooms.

The concept of high intensity exercise studios originated in the States and now similar studios are in high growth mode across the world.

The concept of great instructors, low lights and loud motivational music encourages the participants to work out harder and achieve the results they want faster and it’s great fun.”

The Infinity Group continues to expand in Gibraltar with the recently opened Supernatural restaurant at the World Trade Center offering some of the freshest and healthiest food in Gibraltar. Everyday our chefs provide a lunchtime ‘special of the day’ and of course all our members get special discounts.

Most recently the

The Infinity Group also offer corporate memberships to the many companies operating in Gibraltar.

HR executives have long realised that a healthy workforce is a more productive workforce and encourage their teams to participate in exercise with various company incentives. Walacy frequently takes his team into companies for wellness days.

Infinity Group have announced that they will be operating the new health club situated at E1 on Devils Tower Rd. Although a few years away from opening, the designs and layout are already complete and apart from a luxury gym and spa it will offer our first 17 metre indoor pool.

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HEALTH & FEATURE WELLBEING

MANUKA HONEY

Many of us turn to a warm drink of honey and lemon to help soothe a cold, but what about the buzz surrounding Manuka honey, sometimes cited as being a wonder product and one of nature’s superheroes? Does it live up to the hype?

This special honey, originating from New Zealand, is harvested from the hives around the wild Manuka bush and contains a ‘secret ingredient’ known as MGO (or methygloxal) which boosts its profile due to its anti-bacterial properties.

The honey can only be made for a few weeks a year when the Manuka plant is in flower, with the amount of honey produced varying greatly depending on weather conditions and how much nectar is produced.

Darker in colour and with a stronger taste than other types of honey, Manuka is definitely a cut above the average runny honey that we buy from the supermarket and because of this the New Zealand government has recently brought in new legislation protecting the integrity and authenticity of Manuka honey.

Essentially this will prevent people passing other honey off as Manuka and hiking up the price, and also to ensure the quality. So now, any product labelled as Manuka honey exported from New Zealand must be lab-tested. The tests check for the four active ingredients only found in Manuka honey and the DNA of Manuka pollen. Look out for labels with new authenticity stamps, showing that the honey has passed those stringent lab tests.

from Manuka bushes, so it contains only a small amount of nectar from other plants. It is classed as a purer Manuka honey.

Multifloral Manuka honey is also mainly honey from a Manuka bush, but those bees have travelled further afield so it contains a wider range of nectar from other plants.

BENEFITS OF MANUKA HONEY The antibacterial properties of honey were used by ancient civilisations and can be attributed to the presence of hydrogen peroxide, which is contained in all honey and which is often used in wound care and in the treatment of gastrointestinal problems.

Rich in amino acids, B vitamins and calcium to name but a few, it is unsurprisingly used as a key ingredient in many products such as juices, hot drinks, soaps, hair products and sweets. Historically it has also been used medicinally for aiding sore throats, skin conditions and digestion.

HOW TO USE MANUKA HONEY 1. Straight off the spoon The higher the MGO of your honey, the more potent it may be. It’s recommended to sip your honey from a teaspoon, and repeat five times a day. Hold a spoonful on your tongue and let it melt away if you feel like your mouth needs a little TLC, and avoid other food and drink for at least 15 minutes.

Holland & Barrett have also changed the potency labelling on their Manuka honey to make it simpler to understand. Previously it was measured in a range of different types of activity, like ‘TA’, ‘Active’, ‘UMF’ and ‘NPA’.

From now on, all Manuka honey stocked by Holland & Barrett will be labelled just with the amount of MGO (methylglyoxal) in the pot.

WHAT IS MGO? MGO is used to measure the anti-bacterial strength of Manuka honey. All honey contains hydrogen peroxide, which provides anti-bacterial action. However, in normal honey, the hydrogen peroxide breaks down, meaning that the anti-bacterial benefits are lost.

Manuka honey contains additional anti-bacterial properties, like MGO, which continue to work even after the hydrogen peroxide has disappeared. The higher the MGO, the better the anti-bacterial properties are.

MONOFLORAL V MULTIFLORAL Manuka honey will now also be divided into two categories: monofloral and multifloral.

2. Stirred into a smoothie Due to the honey’s sweetness, you might want to reduce the amount of berries in your smoothie. But otherwise, pick your favourite recipe, blend and you’re good to go! Avoid storing any leftovers in the fridge or the honey could begin to crystallise. If this happens, just remove the lid and gently warm the jar and stir until the crystals melt (sticking the jar in a pan of warm water does the job). Do remember that like all honeys, Manuka is not recommended for children aged under 12 months.

3. Smeared onto skin For any issues with your skin – or just to moisturise – apply directly to the skin in a smooth, even layer. It’s antibacterial and antimicrobial properties make it a soothing feast for your face. Manuka honey can also be applied direct to sore spots on skin.

4. DIY Facemask Sit back and relax with a relaxing face mask made from Manuka Honey mixed with other natural ingredients such as yoghurt or olive oil. However, if you’ve got a bee allergy, it’s not a good idea to put this on your face, so stay away from it!

(Information courtesy of Holland & Barratt website)

Monofloral Manuka honey is made by bees foraging mainly

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MUM ON THE ROCK HOW TO STAY HEALTHY AND FIT

during Pregnancy A new year often means that many of us are thinking about getting fit after the excesses of eating and drinking during the Christmas season, but being pregnant doesn’t mean that you have to stop your normal health and fitness regime.

We may not all be Serena Williams, who went on to win the 2017 Australian Open while being two months into her pregnancy, but she does remind us of just how amazing our bodies are. Obviously everyone is different, and we are not suggesting that you run a marathon if you are pregnant, especially if you haven’t done so before! If you weren’t active before you got pregnant, don’t suddenly take up strenuous exercise.

Regular physical activity during pregnancy can have health benefits and also prepare your body for childbirth. It goes without saying that you should be sensible about the level of exercise that you undertake and it is best to consult with a healthcare professional before you begin any exercise routine.

Making sure that you have a healthy diet during pregnancy is important not only for yourself, but also for baby who will benefit from the essential nutrients needed to help growth and development.

Nourishing for Two Nutritional Therapist & Eating Psychology Coach Claudia le Feuvre recommends that every pregnant woman should take a pregnancy multi-vitamin supplement tablet.

“You know the old phrase ‘eating for two’,” she says, “it should actually be ‘nourishing for two’ because the truth is that baby takes what it needs to and mum can end up quite depleted at the end of the pregnancy if she hasn’t been able to nourish herself properly.”

“It can become a vicious cycle because your blood sugar can actually change during pregnancy and unless you are eating little and often your sickness could be a lot worse, so it is really important not to leave things too long.” She also stresses that pregnant women should not do a radical overhaul of their diet because that would be a detox for the system and you don’t want toxins being delivered to your foetus through the placenta.

Folic acid is very important for neural tube development in the foetus and Claudia advocates that ideally it should be taken three months before you conceive and then for the first trimester afterwards. “During your pregnancy you could develop symptoms of anaemia and there is a strong link between Vitamin D deficiency and gestational diabetes, so it is very important to have a blood test.” Even though here in Gibraltar we have a lot of sun, Claudia states that there is sometimes an issue of conversion with Vitamin D. “If you are deficient in Vitamin D you would need a much higher dose than that included in a multi-vitamin and you would need to take it in a different form,” she says.

“Many of the multi-vitamins have omega oils now, but just check they also have the good fats because that is so important for brain development - and to take it throughout the pregnancy and also to carry on taking it during breast feeding.”

CRAVINGS Listen to your body in respect of cravings.

It is interesting to realise that these cravings are not unusual but they are your body’s way of telling you what you may be lacking.

Claudia explains: “I remember having beetroot and haloumi cravings when I was pregnant and actually my iron had dropped.”

One tip for an easy way to increase iron in your diet is to cook tomato based stews in cast iron cookware. “The acidity of the tomato leeches iron from the cookware, and in countries like Africa this is how they prevent iron deficiency,” Claudia says.

Vegetarian or vegan pregnant women can maintain their iron levels during pregnancy, but once it has dropped, it can be hard to get it back up. Claudia’s recommends eating beetroot and apricot and other iron high food.

SYMPTOMS If you are suffering with nausea when you wake up in the morning it is a good idea to have something like a plain oat cake next to the bed so that you can take something straight away. Ginger can also be very helpful, maybe in the form of a ginger biscuit or ginger tea.

Try relaxing in a warm bath and add some magnesium flakes or some Epsom Salts to the water. This transdermal assimilation is just another way of getting more nutrients into your body through a different mechanism.

NUTRITION

It’s important for pregnant mums to take care of themselves from the first week of pregnancy right through to giving birth.

Just be aware of what you do and how it may affect baby. The good news is that many women say they’ve never felt better than during their pregnancy.

Claudia advises that pregnant mums should eat on a little and often basis. It is really important to be aware of what you are eating, and to do so as healthily as possible. “As the pregnancy goes through different trimesters and phases - so too can the nourishment - and this is where taking multi-vitamins is a bit of an insurance policy, because you may experience morning sickness and also loss of appetite,” she states.

Claudia le Feuvre can be found at the College Clinic, Gibraltar.

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2019 is the Chinese Year of the Pig. The Earth Pig to be precise. This is key to understanding how 2019 will pan out for you meaning that, more than anything, 2019 will encapsulate the nature of the pig. Earth Pig is a steady creature who knows its own mind. This pig is sturdy of character, determined and very generous and these facets will be more grounded this year than they would be in a metal, fire or water year. They set high but realistic goals and rarely fail to achieve them. They do like to indulge though and so have to take care to remain healthy and active. This coming year of 2019 will bring a steady increase in wealth for the Pig than was experienced in 2018.

The Year of the Rat: 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 Next Year of the Rat. 2020 Rats will have a very good 2019 with the fruits of last year’s efforts coming to fruition in most satisfying ways. Rat and Pig make good partners in more ways than one so the energy in the Pig year works well for Rat. The keen intellect of Rat is complemented by the diligence and consistent action of Pig and this is a powerful combination.

Super compatible with: Dragon and Monkey.

Incompatible with: Horse and some Goats.

Year of the Ox: 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2008 Next Year of the Ox: 2021 Ox and Pig are quite similar in that they are both sturdy and reliable, making 2019 a good year for the Ox in terms of meeting goals and getting plans finalised. The main difference is that Ox can sometimes be a little too strong and stubborn so will need to recognise and modify this tendency.

Super compatible with: Snake and Rooster.

Incompatible with: Goat and some Tigers.

The Year of the Tiger: 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 Next Year of the Tiger: 2022 The feisty character of the Tiger will be humbled due to the grounding energy of the Earth Pig so you can expect some steep learning curves in 2019. However, as Tiger is one of the most romantic matches for Pig so you can also expect your love life and personal relationships to blossom.

Super compatible with: Horse and Dog. Incompatible with: Monkey and some Oxen.

The Year of the Rabbit: 1915 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 Next Year of the Rabbit: 2013 The Rabbit shares the gentle, kind hearted nature of Pig. They differ, however, in their level of intellect and finesse. Being at home in the earth, 2019 will have a good energy for Rabbit, who, using its natural skill and agility will be able to navigate the year with ease.

Super compatible with: Pig and some Rats.

Incompatible with: Rooster

The Year of the Dragon: 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012 Next Year of the Dragon: 2024

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2019 1ill provide a stable backdrop for the Dragon to prosper. This year of the Earth Pig has a sense of calm about it which is most beneficial for the fierce, excitable Dragon. This gives Dragon the opportunity to shine spectacularly in all it’s magical glory! Tremendous career and monetary success should be yours!

Super compatible with: Rat and Monkey.

Incompatible with: Dog and some other FEBRUARY 2019 Dragons.

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The Year of the Snake: 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2013 Next year of the Snake: 2025 Snakes and Pigs are polar opposites in Chinese astrology and there is tension between the two on almost every level! So, while 2019 promises to be a prosperous year for Snake so it will be at the expense of having to overcome obstacles at every turn. But the rewards are many and you can do it!

Super compatible with: Ox and Rooster.

Incompatible with: Pig.

The Year of the Horse: 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2014 Next Year of the Horse: 2016 Like many of the other signs the Horse will have a good 2019. Horses can become giddy and self-centred and so you are reminded to hold these aspects of your personality in check this year in order to remain balanced and reap your deserved rewards. Pig is very fond of Horse but needs the balance to keep the friendship working strongly.

Super compatible with: Tiger and Dog. Incompatible with: Rat

The Year of the Goat: 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2015 Next Year of the Goat: 2017 Like the Tiger, the Goat gets on very well with the Pig romantically! Pigs and Goats share the same loving, gentle nature. So, relationships will flourish in 2019 for the Goat. However, Goats can also be emotionally rather temperamental and Pigs has no time for moody behaviours. So be warned!

Super compatible with: Pig and most Rabbits, Snakes and Horses.

Incompatible with: Ox and some Roosters.

The Year of the Monkey: 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 Next Year of the Monkey: 2028 Pigs dislike Monkeys as much as they dislike Snakes ‌ but for different reasons. Monkeys are much too chaotic for Pig who is steadfast and prefers stability to restless energy. Pig demands patience and Monkey has none! So, 2019 is calling for Monkey to do some inward reflection for the first time in a while. This will provide the opportunity for personal growth and so it is worth the effort.

Super compatible with: Rat and Dragon.

Incompatible with: Tiger and Pig.

The Year of the Rooster: 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 Next Year of the Rooster: 2029 Roosters will indeed thrive in 2019. The year of the Earth Pig creates the stability that the Rooster needs to get off the ground. Financially, this year will give these people the solid ground they need to build their empires. The Rooster is hardworking and diligent and is naturally good at accomplishing things.

Super compatible with: Ox and Snake.

Incompatible with: Rabbit and some Rats.

The Year of the Dog: 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2018 Next Year of the Dog: 2030 If you are a Dog then you probably had a pretty challenging 2019. Life will definitely improve in 2019 but you will have to work hard to change your fortunes. There will be gradual shifts forward rather than instant change so be consistent, be determined and, most importantly, don’t give up!

The pig honours diligence and will honour yours.

Super compatible with: Tiger and Horse.

Incompatible with: Dragon and some Roosters.

The Year of the Pig: 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019 Even though this is the year of the Pig it is not necessarily a lucky one for you. We often have our greatest challenges in our own year. So, the way forward for you is to tough it out, basically.

Deal with the challenges that come and deal with them step by step. Be patient and use your solid Pig energy to move forward knowing that your time is just around the corner.

Super compatible with: Rabbit and Goat.

Incompatible with: Snake and Monkey.

For Private Readings TEL: (0034) 666 966 502 Email: katemch@gmail.com Facebook Group: Horoscopes Gibraltar FEBRUARY 2019 69

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Just Married on the Rock Melanie & John married on 10th December 2018. Photo by Radka Horvath.

Michael & Mara, married on 5th December 2018. Photo by Radka Horvath.

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Just Married

on the Rock Mobile: 58897000 Email: nicholas64@gibtelecom.net

Juani & Ian Barnes, married on 3rd November 2018. Photo by Nicky Sanchez.

Maria Gnap & Farzan Shabestari , married on 10th October 2018. Photo by Nicky Sanchez.

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