The Gibraltar Magazine - May 2013

18 # 07 May 2013

dining guide • business & finance • sport & leisure • property • history • community

the gibraltar magazine

May 2013 Vol. 18 # 07 FREE

Lee is Kicking it!

Glamour & The Glory Cheers to the Bag Lady We Knew This Would Happen Give Us Time?

When a Plan Comes Together

Filthy Rich at Runway

Going Green

Can You See the Patterns?

tax planning • corporate & commercial • FINANCIAL SERVICES • funds • litigation • PROPERTY • trusts

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dining guide • business & finance • sport & leisure • property • history • community

raltar

May 2013 Vol. 18 # 07 FREE

Lee is Kicking it!

Glamour & The Glory

When a Plan Comes Together

Filthy Rich at Runway

Going Green

Cheers to the Bag Lady We Knew This Would Happen

Give Us Time?

Can You See the Patterns?

18 # 07 May 2013

Cover image by Filthy Rich Drape Dress by designer William Wilde who will be on the Rock in May for Runway

The Gibraltar Magazine is published monthly by Guide Line Promotions Ltd PO Box 1124, La Bayuca, 21 Turnbull’s Lane, Gibraltar Tel/Fax: (+350) 200 77748 Email: gibmag@gibraltar.gi Publisher/Editor: Andrea Morton Forde Copyright © 2013 Guide Line Promotions Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced without written consent of The Gibraltar Magazine.

www.TheGibraltarMagazine.com Magazine & website archived by the British Library @gibmag

contents Business & Finance 8 Business & Finance Guide 9 Exchanging of Currencies 12 When a Plan Comes

18 # 07

Health & Well-being 42 Health Directory 43 Support for Multiple

Sclerosis Patients Glamour & Glory at the STM Fidecs Fun Run Here’s Health - Nailing it

Together Is it Secret is it Safe?

UK’s New Residence Tax KPMG Summit Success Investment: Stamps Reduce Employee Turnover

44

Property File 36 We knew this would happen 38 Property Directory 40 Give Us Time: Do you have

71

Arts & Lifestyle 50 Alex Menez: Bag Lady

Regulars 66 Puzzle Page 72 Images of the Month 86 Around Town

16 18 20 22 24

52 53 54

64 73

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

a holiday home with vacant time?

Bags the Prize Spring Festival Events Runway 2013 Judith Shaylor: Can you see the Patterns Body Painting Winners People & Pets

43

Past Revisited 48 The Clever Goats of

Gibraltar Gibraltar Saluted Ill-fated Emperor

Appetite 78 Strawberry Season 80 Food & Drink Directory 84 Wine Column: Maybe

Information 62 City Centre Map 73 What’s On May 90 Gibraltar Information

46

features 60 46

When a Community Cares Lee’s Kicking it!

Go Green 26 27 28 30 32

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Green Port Incentive The Super Yacht Hotel EWMS — The Green Leader It’s Good to be Green Lightening the Load: The LED Revolution Symphony in Green at 101

30

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

finance

business

The Exchanging of Currencies

words | Ian Le Breton

As this edition of The Gibraltar Magazine appears, I have just returned from a relaxing break “stateside”, or to be more precise south Florida. I used to live in the Bahamas so Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the rest are very familiar and it was good to go back. Not so attractive were the higher prices I saw for almost everything since my last visit. Whilst inflation is partly to blame, the main reason for this was the sharp reduction in value in recent years of pound sterling against the US dollar.

Most readers probably won’t be reaching for their handkerchiefs. I suppose one might argue that if I am fortunate enough to be able to sun myself on Miami Beach, then having to pay a few more pounds for my dollars is tough and I must put up with it. But exchange rates are just as important back home for anyone who commutes regularly across the border, whether it be for business or pleasure.

Who doesn’t glance at the bureaux de change boards in Main Street every time they pass? After all, the number of euro (note the plural is also euro, not euros please) we receive for our pound is generally of concern.

And it can become critical when spending larger amounts — perhaps on “white” goods or when buying property (can you remember those heady days when buying Spanish real estate seemed to be such a good idea?).

But why do rates move so violently? Isn’t the whole point of increased international cooperation — and all these supranational bod-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

ies like the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation — to reduce such movements?

Would it not be preferable to have a fixed exchange rate policy? Well yes of course but that view ignores the importance of the market — subject as it is to the economic performance, imbalance of payments, political interference and the rest.

A good example of the difficulties faced by

Considered amongst the safest global financial centres, demand led by international investors since the onset of the global recession in 2008 caused an inexorable rise in the value of the Swiss Franc

a single country in relation to sharp currency swings is Switzerland. Considered amongst the safest global financial centres, demand led by international investors since the onset of the global recession in 2008 caused an inexorable rise in the value of the Swiss Franc. After all, an exchange rate is simply the price of one currency expressed in terms of another — as with any other “product”. In September 2011, the Swiss government in Berne announced a new policy whereby the exchange rate was not allowed to rise above SwFr1.20 to the euro.

The policy — an old fashioned “peg” — has continued to this day — helping large Swiss exporters such as Nestlé and Swatch, but at enormous cost to government finances.

Of course in the eurozone — those countries that have adopted the euro as a national currency — volatility between the member states has disappeared. But the price has been enormous for many of the members. It is clear to any casual observer that the econo-

business

finance

mies of powerful states such as Germany cannot be sensibly compared to, say, the “Club Med” countries — Spain, Italy, Portugal, and Greece. But the “one size fits all” currency that entails a fixed interest rate set by the European Central Bank and then adopted across the entire eurozone has contributed to the economic downturn across Europe. Why? Because devaluation of a local currency — one of the traditional tools available to finance ministers when presented by an economic crisis — simply isn’t possible any longer for the eurozone countries. Witness the results so painfully demonstrated recently by the luckless Cypriots.

Policy makers in Gibraltar are also powerless when it comes to managing the exchange rate because we use the pound sterling. And the pound is particularly vulnerable as the UK continues to struggle with its eye-boggling deficit. But at least our currency can “float” freely — even if in Gibraltar its value depends more on what happens in London than Main Street.

In the UK, the popular press likes to use sterling’s performance as a barometer that often leads to lurid headlines. ”Pound crashes as recession bites”. “Holidaymakers win as pound soars against the dollar”. You’ve seen them no doubt. Such stories probably help to sell newspapers but the reality is generally rather more complex.

Of course currency movements are far more important than simply getting our holiday cash. Let’s face it: if one spends, say, £500 on a holiday and the currency appreciates by a whopping 10% that will only add £50 to the cost (and sometimes it goes the other way).

Much more important is the cost of imports and exports to companies, which can affect the economy as a whole. In fact in the bad times, policy makers often prefer a weaker currency. It may not feel as good to Joe Public but it will make the country more competitive — assuming, of course, that the country is exporting either goods or services.

In the first few months of this year, for example, sterling fell quite some distance against the US dollar and, until the Cyprus crisis at

least, was also significantly down against the euro. If £100 is now 5% less in US dollar terms than six months ago, that will make exports cheaper so that’s bound to be a good thing, right? Well only up to a point actually.

It depends what it is that one is exporting. In today’s global village, where so many components are imported from elsewhere, there is a risk that one will simply cancel out the other.

Sadly, I am old enough to remember the famous words of then UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson when faced with a politically explosive devaluation of the pound against the US dollar. Overnight, the rate was cut by 14% from $2.80 to $2.40 against the pound.

Wilson’s response was to remind the country that the devaluation “does not mean that the pound here in Britain, in your pocket or purse, or your bank, has been devalued”. Tell that to the voters who were also about to experience a decade in which annual inflation ran up above 20%; one can understand why politicians are not universally popular.

The exchange rate, however, is only part of the equation. I’ve always suggested people look at it another way — “purchase power parity”. This is an economic theory that considers the cost of goods and services in one country compared to another. The best example I can give is to consider what many of us do locally.

We might purchase some items in Gibraltar but others in Spain. It’s not because the euro

In the UK, the popular press likes to use sterling’s performance as a barometer that often leads to lurid headlines.

“Pound crashes as recession bites”

might be a cent or two cheaper this week but because some things are permanently “better value” either side of the border. Cross over to Tangier and see how far your pound (or relevant number of Moroccan dirhams) stretches there (but don’t forget to pay any import duty when coming back home!).

Of course there is always professional help available for individuals and businesses for whom currency movements are an important part of daily life. Banks and other financial institutions employ huge divisions dealing in foreign exchange. Sovereign works with one particular firm that is expert in its field and your bank should be able to assist you — most now offer multi-currency facilities so you can minimise the risk of being caught out by a sudden exchange rate movement.

You could go further. Combine accounts denominated in foreign currencies with more complex arrangements such as currency swaps, collars and floors, or perhaps borrowing in other currencies, and one can readily see that the “FX” industry has a whole arsenal of weaponry — and jargon! But as recent developments in the eurozone remind us — caveat emptor. Currencies are a commodity like any other, so keep a close eye on the rates and don’t take chances you cannot afford.

Now what can I do with that five dollar bill I brought home with me? I could hold on to until the next time I can afford to go travelling to the US — but should I take the risk with the exchange rate? n

Cultural Grants The Cultural Grants Committee has invited applications for financial assistance from local cultural entities or individuals.

Application Forms are available from the Ministry of Culture, 310 Main Street, from 9am - 1.15pm and 2.15pm - 5.30pm from Monday to Friday.

For any enquiries contact Tel: 20041687 or e-mail: yolanda.pilcher@culture.gov.gi Applications must be accompanied by the entity’s audited accounts for the last financial year and must reach the above address by not later than 17th May 2013.

10

Seven new recruits from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment passed out last month at the Infantry Training Centre in Catterick. Passing out were Pte Fortuna, Pte Banasco-Zaragosa, Pte Chalmers, Pte Duyanov, Pte Chrome, Pte Webb and Pte Boyd. The soldiers will now complete Driver Training in Catterick before joining the Regiment in the UK as part of Exercise Jebel Tarik.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

isolas-house-gibmag:Layout 1 10/19/12 5:21 PM Page 1

www.gibraltarlawyers.com

Moving House?

We’ll take care of all the legal matters to help make your move as easy as possible Contact Elaine Bingham at elaine.bingham@isolas.gi Portland House Glacis Road PO Box 204 Gibraltar Tel +350 2000 1892 www.gibraltarlawyers.com

When a Plan Comes Together I feel like I’m repeating myself when it comes to business plans, however I can’t emphasise how important they are for a business.

A well-drawn business plan is one which when executed can lead to success. And as important as a business plan is when starting a new company, it is just as important to keep reviewing the business plan every few years.

I have been around long enough to say confidently that some of the best business ideas are drawn up on the back of a napkin after a couple of glasses of wine - it’s just a question of when inspiration hits.

This is how the idea for the business first started for managing directors Colin White and Wendy Aird of WestEx, more than 21 years ago.

At that time Colin and Wendy both worked for different companies in Gibraltar and so decided to make that ambitious move and go out on their own.

At the beginning, the business partners could foresee a steady flow of income for the first three years, from refurbishment and maintenance work carried out by the MOD. “We knew the value of our contracts as well

12

as the purchases through our last jobs,” said Colin, “We were very lucky, and with Wendy’s management skills we were able to work on a tight budget.”

Looking back to when they started, Colin recalls the changes the business has undergone from when it was first formed. At the beginning there were external shareholders who exited the business after a few years. There was also a change in premises from the changing rooms in the Montague Sea Bathing Facility to New Harbours. The next change was to expand the retail side of the business.

The business has gone from strength to strength since it first started, and has evolved over the years.

Colin said: “When we first launched it was quite a monopolistic market, there wasn’t much competition in Gibraltar, apart from what was being brought in from Spain.

“The market was of a size that everyone could be accommodated without too much hassle.”

They provided a structured business plan and were able to get a bank loan to launch the business without any trouble.

Paul Wharton is Head of Corporate Banking at Barclays Wealth & Investment Management in Gibraltar having arrived on the Rock from the UK six years ago. Paul has over three decades’ experience gained in various roles within Barclays, predominantly in and around London and is passionate about supporting the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) market which he sees as the lifeblood of the Gibraltar economy. Paul has won several awards for his work in Small Business Enterprise markets and has served on the London Board of the Prince’s Trust.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

finance Colin and Wendy, together with shop assistant Max Bothen, have adapted the business to keep up with the state of the market, including obtaining a retail license to sell LED light bulbs, light fixtures and fittings just before the housing market was affected by the economic downturn.

The business has had to scale down from eight members of staff to three, but Colin explains that these are signs of the global recession hitting Gibraltar.

When you look back over the last 20 years it is easy to see that Colin and Wendy have been very cautious, as there have been numerous opportunities that were presented to them that would have resulted in their turnover growing substantially. During the last couple of times that I’ve spoken to Colin, he must have said “Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity” at least half a dozen times. For those of you who watch Dragons’ Den will be familiar with this saying, although do you really know what it means?

So let me explain what Colin is saying here — we can spend large amounts of time chasing that elusive contract that will see our turnover significantly increase, we become blinded by the chase, the thrill of signing another deal, or the sight of the first payment into our bank account.

What is very easy to overlook is that an increase in turnover almost inevitably means an increase in costs. There is a requirement for extra staff to deal with the increased demand, additional resources in machinery and systems that the increased workload make necessary.

So in any business it is far better to concen-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

trate on the item that really matters, the profit margin. Even after you are satisfied that this new order will be profitable, have you got sufficient cash in the business to see through the order right until you get paid? Many businesses go to the wall while apparently posting healthy profits because they have not got cash flow management in order. Forecasting is the key to avoiding this.

My key message here is just be careful not just to fund your increased working capital with a bank overdraft, because if this is going to be a permanent feature, then it should be financed by long term capital — otherwise you run the risk of the business running out of cash, and this is called overtrading.

One of the possible solutions to this problem of overtrading is to reduce the level of revenue, although in practice, very few businesses will

One of the possible solutions to this problem of overtrading is to reduce the level of revenue, although in practice, very few businesses will take this action as they have worked really hard to secure those orders

business

take this action as they have worked really hard to secure those orders.

Another solution is to ensure that you are managing debts effectively and proper control will help. You could set new payment terms, but that’s easier said than done, as your success will depend on your bargaining power. The same could be said for having these conversations with your suppliers, or maybe offering discounts for prompt payments.

The message here has to be that you must fully understand just how those new big orders will affect your cash flow and if it’s a temporary blip then get the bank overdraft in place and if it’s more permanent then you will need long term capital.

The fact remains that Colin and Wendy are obviously doing something right with their business, especially as they are looking to expand the export opportunities for the business, while using Gibraltar as a gateway to the rest of Europe.

The main concern for Colin and Wendy is what will happen next? The ideal situation would be to sell the business to someone who will be able to take it forward; someone with business and export expertise. However, while the younger generations of Gibraltar continue to focus on building a career in the financial, legal and accounting professions, I fear it’s businesses like WestEx that will fall by the wayside. n Paul Wharton is writing in his own capacity and none of the above is intended to express the views or opinions of Barclays Bank PLC.

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gibraltar the

n ADVERTISE

The quality of a magazine reflects on the businesses that advertise within it. The Gibraltar Magazine is Gibraltar’s quality magazine — packed with great, readable content. We don’t have pushy sales people, so get in touch if you have a business or strategy to promote in Gibraltar. We will explain your options within your budget and help you with artwork if you need us to. We are passionate about what we do and about our home, Gibraltar.

n GET INVOLVED

If you are an artist with an exhibition, or a club or charity with an event coming up, we’d love to hear from you. This is a community magazine and there is no VIP area. Everyone is welcome to contribute so drop a line, send an email or phone us.

n GET IN TOUCH

We’d love to hear from you. Sometimes we get a bit lonely in our office, and we like to get letters, phone calls and emails with your feedback and photos. We might even publish the best so keep them coming. This is your magazine so get involved.

Email: gibmag@gibraltar.gi Tel: 200 77748

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business

moves

Micky Swindale appointed Managing Director of KPMG Gibraltar

Due to the continued success and growth of KPMG’s Gibraltar practice, Micky Swindale is to be seconded to the practice as Managing Director with immediate effect, replacing David McGarry, who continues as Managing Director of KPMG Isle of Man. Micky has been closely involved with the Gibraltar practice since its set-up in 2008, and was responsible for the initial logistics of launching the office, recruiting staff and establishing new client relationships. Her subsequent role, focusing on the delivery of advisory services, particularly to clients in the gaming sector, saw her visit the jurisdiction regularly. This new appointment will base Micky in Gibraltar for the remainder of 2013, working to further develop and integrate the practice within the KPMG network.

Micky and Mike Harvey, KPMG Gibraltar’s resident Director of Audit, have had a close working relationship throughout the practice’s five year history, and Mike welcomed the move; “Micky is a familiar face to our clients and staff here in Gibraltar, and will be a popular appointment, helping to take us to the next level of what has proved a very successful business expansion for KPMG.” Micky, who joined KPMG in 1997, agreed; “I very much appreciate this opportunity to manage a successful practice, acquire new skills and widen my network of contacts here in Gibraltar.” n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

update

business

Gibtelecom’s superfast broadband project promotes local heritage As part of Gibtelecom’s superfast broadband rollout, and the beginnings of a new next generation network, several street cabinets housing essential electronics equipment are being rolled out across Gibraltar.

Their placement will allow for the shortening of distances between end-users in specific areas and vital broadband technical equipment, allowing higher speeds to be delivered on the existing copper access network.

The first of the street cabinets, also known as ‘active cabinets’, has already been installed in the Laguna Estate area and has been operational since October 2012.

Once the deployment project has been completed it is envisage that there will be around 30 cabinets in total around Gibraltar.

Gibtelecom customers already saw their broadband speeds upgraded in February and September 2012, and as a result of the improvements in the network more upgrades are to be announced in the future.

In an effort to blend in the cabinets with their surroundings, Gibtelecom have been working with Government planning repre-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

sentatives to beautify the cabinets, extending their use to not only provide essential telecoms equipment but additionally providing tourist information and promoting local heritage.

As the first to be installed, the cabinet in the Laguna/Glacis area has already received the beautification treatment, displaying information on the history of the area and general sites of interest in Gibraltar.

The cabinets are being ‘wrapped’ in a special type of vinyl produced

by UK company Wrap and Hide who do custom wraps for companies and city councils, including for BT Openreach’s fibre cabinets.

The cabinets also boast an antigraffiti layer to prevent street vandalism.

The majority of the remaining planned cabinets will also be beautified to promote heritage and tourism in the different areas they are to be located. n

15

taxation

finance

is it Secret, is it Safe?

With the focus of the UK HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) targeting tax avoidance and the moves in European jurisdictions to ‘out’ tax evaders and so called ‘fiscal ghosts’, Steve Bold of The Family Office Europe, a practice dedicated at assisting UK expats, explains some of the tax implications of moving abroad and living in Gibraltar and Spain.

In Lord of the Rings Gandalf, when asking about the ‘One Ring’, asks “Is it secret, is it safe?”

This phrase aptly describes the conundrum facing many UK expats in Gibraltar and Spain.

For many years now UK expats have been merrily moving to sunnier climes to take advantage of friendlier tax regimes in the knowledge that HMRC would find it difficult to impose tax on any income or appreciation in the value of their assets or investments. However, many have been living on borrowed time. So what can be done to ensure that, although their position is no longer necessarily secret, at least their assets can be made safe from unwanted raids by HMRC or even the Spanish Tax Authorities?

What has changed?

Over the past 10 years, there has been a sea change in the way HMRC and other jurisdictions have approached so called tax

16

avoidance by its citizens. In essence, a pro-active and aggressive information gathering capability has been implemented and expanded upon. Unfortunately, whilst treading this path, the policies have had unexpected and unwanted side effects on legitimate tax planning.

gains to HMRC. The European Savings Directive ensured that EU banks had an obligation to disclose account details at the request of another Member State and, more recently, the USA led Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) legislation is gaining momen-

The Spanish Authorities announced legislation in 2012 that requires any person living in Spain to disclose their worldwide assets This began with the Offshore Disclosure Facility morphing into the Liechtenstein Disclosure Facility and the Swiss Accord.

Numerous UK centric opportunities followed for doctors, plumbers, teachers and other professions to take advantage of a favourable voluntary disclosure of non-taxed income or

tum.

In the 2013 Budget George Osborne reaffirmed the UK’s policy to target non-compliant UK expats and follow the lead of the USA. The US FATCA is being mirrored by the UK in what is dubbed “Son of FATCA”. This will require foreign banks and

financial institutions to disclose details of accounts held by UK individuals including balances, receipts, and withdrawals to HMRC. Furthermore, withholding tax on income from UK financial assets held by the foreign banks or financial institutions may be levied. Failure to report these details to HMRC carry the risk of hefty penalties on understatements of income if undisclosed.

The Spanish Authorities announced legislation in 2012 that requires any person living in Spain to disclose their worldwide assets. Living in Spain simply means being physically present in Spain for more than 183 days per annum. Many expats meet this requirement despite claiming residence elsewhere.

Worldwide Assets includes a long list of bank accounts, trusts, company shareholdings, investments such as offshore bonds and so on. Pensions are exempt from reporting but if this “big

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

finance brother law” is ignored, and the Spanish Tax Authorities are being very creative in the way they are seeking out ‘fiscal ghosts’, then the penalties are substantial. We would suggest that this is the first indication of the future introduction of a new “expat tax”.

So how do you keep your assets “safe and compliant”?

In considering whether your assets are safe, ensure you have really left the UK for tax purposes. Too often, we meet high net worth individuals who, just because they have left the UK and have kept within the restrictions imposed by HMRC guidance notes, think they are safe from any further UK tax. It is not as simple as that, especially from 6 April 2013.

From 6 April 2013, the UK has introduced a statutory residence test to replace the vague and often contradictory guidance previously available. Although Royal Assent is awaited, the legislation will finally set out tests to determine whether an individual has really left the UK. The clarity is much welcomed.

The rules will set out the meaning of: Residence including how the 90 nights rule in the UK will operate and of greater importance, the use of ties to the UK as a determining factor. Prior to the legislation, HMRC used a 93 question guide to help determine whether an individual had properly broken their ties to the UK. This will have a significant effect on entrepreneurs who may still have businesses in the UK Workdays in the UK these will be restricted to 31 days per annum where an individual works for at least 5 years in the UK. In addition, the legislation contains other definitions and provisions that will seek to make it more difficult to become truly non UK resident unless almost all ties are broken with the UK. It is understood that HMRC will soon have access to passport information and from 2014 will log the arrival and departure of UK passport holders. So any thought of fudging the number of nights in the UK will become very difficult. HMRC are also monitoring credit card use to identify the location of an individual’s expenditure and whethGIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

er it is greater than any income that they are declaring.

It is vital that anyone who has left the UK or intends to leave the UK permanently seeks professional advice.

requires a different approach to tax planning. Asset protection is paramount. Professional advice should always be sought and any actions carefully thought through.

Over the past three years Inheritance Tax (IHT) The Family Office (Europe) has – Domicile not Residence! helped a number of wealthy inWhilst non UK residents are dividuals arrange their affairs not liable to UK income tax or in a manner that gives them capital gains tax, it often is an more control of their assets in a

HMRC will soon have access to passport information and from 2014 will log the arrival and departure of UK passport holders unwelcome surprise that they still remain liable to UK IHT. IHT is based on domicile status and has nothing whatsoever to do with residence. This is a very popular and often expensive misnomer. Domicile is determined with reference to the birth place of an individual’s father, and therefore for many UK expats it is extremely difficult, if not nigh on impossible, for them to lose their UK domicile and avoid IHT on their death.

Jurisdictions have different rules when it comes to succession. Most EU members have a Napoleonic succession regime which applies forced heirship rules on how a deceased’s estate is to be allocated. This is often at odds with UK IHT and as a consequence it is prudent to have two Wills, one in Spain/Gibraltar and one in the UK. This is a simple protection measure, but further steps can be taken to protect assets from the ravages of a 40% UK IHT bill on death.

Asset Protection

So how can you ensure your assets are safely held and you can sleep peacefully at night now that hiding them abroad is a thing of the past?

UK residents need to be fully aware of changes which will affect their tax position, not only whilst actually in the UK, but also if they have or intend to move.

Those who have already moved need to be aware of the implications in their chosen jurisdiction. Any pitfalls during or after the move need to be considered.

The current economic climate

protected environment. All our clients have, after some simple restructuring, become truly nonresident. Some have taken Category 2 status here in Gibraltar.

Others have become resident in Spain using a variety of tried and

Steve Bold, Partner TFO Tax LLP

taxation

tested tax compliant strategies.

Example

Richard ran a successful business in the UK and wanted to relocate to Sotogrande to educate his children in the International School, whilst his wife was a keen equestrian.

He was initially advised to take Category 2 status in Gibraltar, but it was obvious from the outset he would be living in and commuting from Spain. He had set up a new software business in Spain to mirror his UK business and was employing local people.

We advised on taking the Beckham Strategy in Spain, as his other business income from the UK, and investment income outside the UK from a previous business sale would be exempt from assessment.

By structuring his income more efficiently, we were able to ensure that he was legitimate in Spain, had left the UK properly and was able to sleep at night. n

Tim Richardson, Managing Director TFO Europe

The Family Office Europe oversees and provides comprehensive private office services including wealth management, international tax advice, generational planning and high-level advice.

The Family Office Europe aims to help high net worth individuals and their families navigate through the shark invested waters that exist in any offshore jurisdiction, where often the man in the pub has the best ideas on how to arrange your affairs.

Central to the core belief of the founders is the mantra that clients should expect the same level of service, integrity, fee transparency and professionalism that they would expect to receive themselves.

The Family Office Europe, its affiliated businesses, TFO Tax Strategies Ltd based in Gibraltar and TFO Tax LLP in the UK, and appointed Advisory Board, are well placed to help with all these client concerns.

The Family Office 15 Irish Town, PO Box 1483 Gibraltar

TFO Tax LLP Peter House Oxford Street Manchester M1 5AN

T: +350 200 62084 F: +350 200 49290 info@tfoeurope.net www.tfoeurope.net

T: +44(0)161 209 3838 F: +44(0)161 209 3836 steve.bold@tfotax.net www.tfotax.net

17

finance

tax

UK’s New Statutory Residence Test words | Lynette Chaudhary, Tax Manager, STM Fiscalis

As of 6th April 2013, a new Statutory Residence Test (SRT) came into effect in the UK. The SRT sets out the rules which determine an individual’s tax residence. The objective of this test is to replace the uncertain and complex UK tax residency rules with a clear statutory test.

Principally this test bases an individual’s residency status on their days spent in the UK and connecting factors with the UK. Essentially, the more connecting factors an individual has with the UK, the greater the length of time that individual must stay out of the UK to be non UK resident.

Residency is paramount in determining an individual’s tax position in the UK. The SRT will apply to individuals for UK income tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax and corporation tax but not for national insurance and non-tax purposes. The aim of the SRT is to be able to ascertain fairly readily whether an individual is resident or not resident in the UK and hence whether they are liable to UK tax, for example, on their worldwide income.

For residents of Gibraltar who spend time in the UK or have ties to the UK, it is recommended they familiarise themselves with the new rules, so they are aware of their tax residency position and to ensure they don’t inadvertently overstep the mark!

The intention to introduce the SRT was announced by the UK Government in March 2011. After an extended consultation period and draft legislation, revised draft legislation was published in the Finance Bill 2013, in December 2012. Until this Finance Bill receives Royal Assent this law may be subject to further amendment (although generally thought unlikely and if so, only minor changes).

183 days or more in a tax year, or There is a period of more than 90 days when they have a home available in the UK and visit that home for 30 days in the tax year, and either this is the individual’s only home or the individual has an overseas home but does not use it for at least 30 days in the tax year, or Carry out full time work in the UK, or This may be of particular importance to those Category 2 residents in Gibraltar who have a home available in the UK and do not spend more than 30 days a year in their Gibraltar home.

They may now consider spending more time in their Gibraltar home.

The Automatic Overseas Test It is proposed that an individual will be conclusively non-resident if they meet any of the following conditions: They were not resident in the UK for the previous three tax

years and are present in the UK for fewer than 46 days in the current tax year, or They were resident in the UK in one or more of the previous three tax years and they are present in the UK for fewer than 16 days in the current tax year, or They leave the UK to carry out full time work abroad, provided they are present in the UK for fewer than 91 days in the tax year and no more than 30 days are spent working in the UK in the tax year.

The Sufficient Ties Test This will apply to individuals whose residence position is not determined by the two tests above, and this focuses on the number of ties to the UK. The UK ties to consider are: family in the UK, accommodation in the UK, work in the UK, 90 days in the UK (i.e. more than 90 days in either or both of the previous 2 tax years) and if the UK is the country in which the greatest

18

• Your partner, if you are living together as husband and wife or as civil partners • Your child, if under 18 years old, unless you see your child in the UK on a total of 60 days or fewer in the year, or your child turns 18 during the year and you see your child in the UK a total of 60 days or fewer in the part of the year before their 18th birthday.

Once the number of UK ties is established, an individual refers to a sliding scale of UK days (defined in the table below) to see whether the number of days they spend in the UK will treat them as a resident or not. The factors are applied differently depending on whether an individual is an “arriver” in the UK or a “leaver” from the UK. The latter is more stringent, reflecting the view that residence has an adhesive quality.

Split year treatment Under the SRT, an individual is either UK resident or non-UK UK resident for a full tax year.

However the legislation will also provide for a tax year to be split in certain circumstances.

For example, if during a year

• The Automatic Residence Test • The Automatic Overseas Test • The Sufficient Ties Test

UK Tests It is proposed that an individual will be conclusively resident if they meet any of the following conditions: They are present in the UK for

• Your husband, wife or civil partner (unless you are separated)

Year of death There are also separate automatic residence tests determining the position in the year of death.

For example, an individual is treated as non-UK resident in that year if they spent fewer than 46 days in the UK and they were resident in the UK for neither of the two preceding tax years.

So what are the new rules?

In outline, there are three aspects to the SRT:

The Automatic Residence Test The Automatic Residence Test is met if the individual meets any of the UK tests, outlined below, and none of the Automatic Overseas Tests.

number of days are spent.

Each tie is defined. For example, you are treated as having a family tie if any of the following people are UK resident for tax purposes for the year concerned:

Days spent in UK

Arrivers in UK

Individuals non UK resident in all of previous 3 tax years

Leavers from UK

Individuals UK resident in 1 or more of the previous 3 tax years

Fewer than 16 days

Always non resident

Always non resident

16 - 45 days

Always non resident

Resident if individual has 4 ties

46 - 90 days

Resident if individual has 4 ties

Resident if individual has 3 ties or more

91 - 120 days

Resident if individual has 3 ties or more

Resident if individual has 2 ties or more

121 - 182 days

Resident if individual has 2 ties or more

Resident if individual has 1 tie or more

183 days or more

Always resident

Always resident

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

tax you leave the UK to live in Gibraltar you may be eligible for the tax year to be split in two parts, a UK part in which you are charged to UK tax as a UK resident, and an overseas part in which, for most purposes, you are charged to UK tax as a non-UK resident. There are set conditions to satisfy.

at least three years.

In the past, individuals were able to claim to be taxed on the remittance basis in the UK on the basis of being not ordinarily resident. This is no longer the case.

Overseas workday relief (OWR) is, however, retained for non-domiciled individuals. OWR is available to individuals who arrive in the UK, for the tax year of their arrival and for the next two tax years. Under OWR, overseas earnings for that time are taxed only on the remittance basis, if the remittance basis applies.

Temporary non-residence There are temporary non-residence rules for those who leave the UK for less than five complete tax years. When they apply, these rules tax certain income and gains accruing, arising or remitted in the period of non-UK residence Could the SRT affect residents to UK tax in the year of return to of Gibraltar? the UK. Yes, as outlined above, the SRT could affect many individuals, in Transitional provisions particular those who: There are transitional provi- • Are not resident in UK but visit the sions to assist in determining UK, either for pleasure of work your residency position pre com- • Have a home available in the UK mencement of the SRT i.e. before • Have family in the UK 6 April 2013.

• Are UK resident but are considering The normal position is that your emigrating to Gibraltar residence status pre SRT is deterIf the SRT is satisfied, then your mined by the rules applied in that year (explained in HMRC’s book- tax position in the UK and Gibraltar should be considered. let HMRC6).

For example, certain income However, for the purpose of and gains may be exempt from determining residency for the tax years 2013/14, 2014/15 and tax in Gibraltar, but taxable in the 2015/16 you can elect in writ- UK, or the income could be taxing to HMRC to determine your able in both countries.

There is no Double Tax Treaty residency status for a pre SRT (DTT) between the two countries. year by reference to the SRT tests.

This election applies solely for DTTs often include tie-breaker the purpose of determining your tests to determine tax residency. residency for the aforementioned They can also dictate which counyears (i.e. 2013 to 2016). It does try has the right to tax and/or not change your actual tax resi- provide a route for claiming exdence status for the year(s) to emption or partial relief from tax which the election applies nor in one country, in order to elimidoes it affect your tax liability in nate or reduce double taxation. In the absence of a DTT, a foreign tax those years. credit may be available in Gibraltar or the UK, depending on the Ordinary residence The SRT also abolishes the source of the income, to provide concept of Ordinary Residence. relief from double taxation, but There has never been a statutory advice should be sought. n definition of this concept, but HMRC guidance would define it as an individual who has always lived in the UK or an individual who moves to the UK, to live, for

finance

Micro Business Systems Ltd

PO Box 661, Unit 102, New Harbours Walk, New Harbours, Gibraltar Tel: (+350) 200 42723 Fax: (+350) 200 40612 Email: sales@mbs.gi www.mbs.gi

Providers of Records Management Services, Systems & Solutions since 1989 Digital Document Scanning Any document size up to A0, network and standalone access/retrival Document Microfilming Any document size up to A0, network and standalone access/ retrival. Long term retention over 100 years File Colour Coding & Barcode Tracking Software Eliminates misplaced files for ever!

High Density Filing Systems Huge range of filing supplies and consumables Archival Storage Services Long term and secure. Includes retrieval and collection of records.

Gibraltar’s Leading Data and Records Management Specialists

Main Dealers for

Lynette Chaudhary is International Tax Manager, STM Fiscalis Ltd, Montagu Pavilion, 8-10 Queensway. Tel: 20042686 Email: lynette.chaudhary@stmfidecs.gi www.stmfidecs.gi

Lynette Chaudhary, International Tax Manager, STM Fiscalis

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

19

summit

gaming

Micky Swindale (Managing Director of KPMG Gibraltar), Russell Kelly (KPMG’s Director of Audit & Advisory) and Archie Watt (Head of eGaming, KPMG Gibraltar)

KPMG Celebrates 3rd Gibraltar eGaming Summit Success The KPMG eGaming Summit took place at the Caleta Hotel in April, marking the third in what is becoming one of the most popular events in the Gibraltar eGaming industry calendar.

Drawing over 170 delegates from as far afield as Germany, the US, and Italy, and a selection of speakers including local government ministers, regulatory and legal experts, operators and infrastructure specialists, broaching issues as diverse as remote gambling, money laundering, UK tax law and online payments processing.

Gibraltar’s Minister for Education, Financial Services, Gaming, Telecommunications and Justice, the Hon. Gilbert Licudi, QC welcomed delegates and opened the Summit with a spir-

20

ited address which outlined the Government’s commitment to continuing to grow the sector in a manner which sustains Gibraltar’s reputation as a global leader in eGaming. Gambling Commissioner Phill Brear followed, providing an insight into the year’s activities from an

industry and regulatory perspective before moving onto the increasingly pertinent topic of social gaming, its evolution and licensing ramifications.

A truly international delegation of panellists moderated by Stephen Ketteley then took over the morning session, as DLA Piper representatives from the UK, Madrid, Munich and Milan discussed the pressing issue of pan-European regulatory cohesion and its evolution, from the perspective of various member states. Elaborating on the topic, Kevin de Haan QC, explored the European Court of Justice’s struggle to balance economic freedoms with the need to protect consumers and raise tax revenue in an increasingly diverse European online gambling market.

Following an onsite lunch sponsored by Hassans, KPMG’s Head of eGaming, Archie Watt, opened the afternoon’s session. Counting House’s Stuart Ballan then took over with a discussion concerning the fundamental changes in online payments technologies. An address by the co-founder of global firm Continent 8 Technologies followed, during which Michael Tobin discussed the firm’s significant role in entrepreneurial and economic development.

Solicitor and Secretary of the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association, Peter Howitt of Ramparts Law provided an overview of the 4th Money Laundering Directive, which will prove of great importance to operators, regulators, GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

gaming events governments and financial services providers worldwide.

The second half of the afternoon session featured a presentation from the RGA’s Sue Rossiter and KPMG’s Simon Trussler, which analysed the merits of a gross profits model of taxation on online gaming.

Peter Montegriffo of Hassans moderated a panel of four distinguished members of the eGaming community; Peter Howitt, Kevin de Haan, Michael Carlton of Victor Chandler and Adam Craig of bwin.party. Together they explored a variety of issues pertaining to the future of eGaming globally including technological innovations, regulatory challenges imposed by recent European legislation, opportunities presented by the US and the challenges and opportunities presented by the as yet largely untapped Asian gambling market.

Closing words were provided by KPMG’s Director of Audit & Advisory Russell Kelly who expressed gratitude to speakers, delegates and to the event’s sponsors Continent 8, Hassans, Counting House, Intelligent ID, Callcredit and Gibtelecom for making the 2013 KPMG eGaming Summit a resounding success.

Managing Director of KPMG Gibraltar, Micky Swindale, commented on the day’s success: “The KPMG eGaming Summit is fast becoming an essential resource for all professionals engaged in the global eGaming sector in any capacity and we are proud of its growing reputation. The eGaming industry is one of the most rapidly evolving in the world and, as such, sets

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Kevin de Haan, QC, Gibraltar’s Minister for Education, Financial Services, Gaming, Telecommunications and Justice, the Hon. Gilbert Licudi, QC and Peter Montegriffo (Hassans)

a number of precedents in terms of licensing and regulation, technological innovation, legislation and political dialogue, and skills pooling.

Our eGaming Summit series is the perfect opportunity for key stakeholders and interested parties alike to discuss the implications of these trends, challenges and opportunities. I would like to thank our sponsors, speakers, and attendees for making this one of our most exciting and informative yet.” n

The KPMG eGaming Summit “is fast becoming an essential

resource for all professionals engaged in the global eGaming sector in any capacity and we are proud of its growing reputation

”

21

business

finance

Stanley Gibbons: Investing in Stamps Keith Heddle, Group Investment Director of Stanley Gibbons, was in Gibraltar in mid-April to give a presentation to some of Gibraltar’s Wealth Managers and other interested parties on stamps as investments. Stanley Gibbons is the most famous name in stamp collecting and prestige collectibles and more information can be found at www.stanleygibbons.com/investment

Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society

Guitar Recital Fund-Raiser

photos: Mike Brufal

Gibraltar’s Nick Vasquez gave a guitar recital in April in the salon in the Schott music store in Great Marlborough Street, London to raise funds for the Friends of Gibraltar Heritage Society. n

22

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

finance

business

Stamp Investment:

Which Ones Should I Buy? When investing or collecting you need to know what you are buying. Rarity is key.

This Gibraltar 1973 125th Anniversary of Gibraltar Skull 4p is worth £1.25 This one with gold (GIBRALTAR) omitted is worth £6,000.

Only 4 mint copies of the error stamp are known to exist.

Stamps: A Valuable Commodity Did you know that stamps are the most valuable commodity by weight, 325 times per gram more expensive than weapons’ grade plutonium; or that rare British stamps, as measured by the Bloomberg-listed GB30 index, have risen in value by 10% per annum over the past 50 years?

These are just some of the facts that a group of Gibraltar’s Wealth Managers learnt at a special seminar held by premium collectibles brand, Stanley Gibbons in April.

Group Investment Director Keith Heddle came to the Rock to talk to potential investors about the growing demand for alternative investments in our turbulent economic times. As currency fluctuations, stock market woes and fears of inflation or potential bank collapses continue to be a concern,

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Keith Heddle, Group Investment Director

savvy investors are looking to diversify their portfolios says Mr Heddle, “Only a very small fraction of premium quality stamps will increase in value. These are the only stamps we offer to clients for investment, and it is these stamps which have historically gained in value.

You have to remember that supply is finite, and now we are seeing more collectors and investors coming into the market boosting demand.

There are estimated to be 20 million collectors in China alone.”

The Investment seminar here in Gibraltar came ahead of Stanley Gibbons opening new offices in Singapore and Brazil to meet the rising investment demand from Asia and South America. n Founded in 1856, Stanley Gibbons is the most famous name in the world of stamp collecting and prestige collectibles. If you would like further information email: investment@stanleygibbons.com or visit: www.stanleygibbons.com/investment

23

business

recruitment

Reduce Employee Turnover words | Sylvia Kenna The HR Dept

In a recent interview the Minister for Employment, Joe Bossano stated “Gibraltar experiences possibly the largest turnover of labour in any economy in the EU at 33%.”

One of the reasons for this is a transient workforce, however another reason is likely to be the manner in which staff are managed and rewarded.

Interestingly a recent survey

by Deloitte showed the top five reasons people seek new employment are primarily non-financial: • Lack of career progress (27%) • New opportunities in the market (22%) • Dissatisfaction with manager or supervisor (22%) • Lack of challenge in the job (21%) • Lack of compensation increases (21%)

However, the top five retention incentives for employees are primarily financial: • Additional bonuses or financial incentives (44%) • Promotion/job advancement (42%) • Additional compensation (41%)

(Taken from Deloitte’s new global talent survey, Talent 2020, September 2012) An estimate of the average cost of turnover per employee is around £5,000. This figure takes into consideration the cost of: • Recruitment, including advertising, agency fees • Using temporary staff • Paying overtime to cover additional work • Interruption of service • Induction including materials and time • Training

So you can see why keeping your staff turnover level low makes sense.

The simplest and most usual way of measuring labour turnover is to measure the number of leavers in a period as a percentage of the number employed during the same period, usually on a quarterly or annual basis. This is sometimes called the separation rate, and is expressed as follows: Number of leavers Average no. working X 100 = Separation Rate The average number working is usually taken to be the number working at the start of the period added to the number working at the end, the total then being divided by two. For example, if there are 210 workers at the start of the period being studied, 222 at the end of the period, and 72 leavers during the period, the separation rate is:

24

d

o Go

• Flexible work arrangements (26%) • Support and recognition from supervisors or managers (25%).

Measuring Staff Turnover

72 210 + 222 2 X 100

e! y b

= 33.3%

2

To keep your turnover rates beInduction Crisis - If staff leave low that of the average in Gibraltar here are five tips to improve after a short while make sure your recruitment process is working efemployee retention: fectively. Are you describing the Analyse turnover statistics so job and the company accurately? you can recognise any patterns. Make sure your induction process For example: Are your leavers is efficient, if people are not made in certain roles or working for to feel welcome and valued from a particular manager? Are they the beginning they will look for staff who have been with the or- alternate employment very soon. ganisation for only a short time? Another area to consider is the If you have the answers to these training for the role, make sure questions you can begin to look at this is not inadequate or poorly managed. possible causes.

1

An estimate of the average cost of turnover per employee is around £5,000, so you can see why keeping your staff turnover level low makes sense GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

recruitment 3whatAttitude Survey — Find out 5 Pay for results and recognise your staff feel about work- high performers and give them a ing for your organisation by carrying out an attitude survey. This should cover a whole range of work issues, such as pay and conditions, employment relations, equal opportunities, communication, participation arrangements, benefits and organisation image.

Success largely depends on good questionnaire design and how you are able to address issues raised. An important point to remember is that an attitude survey will raise the expectations of workers.

4staffCommunicate regularly with the goals, mission statement,

company culture and their part in the success of the organisation.

Share with employees why you are in business and what is important to the company. Encourage staff to be proud of working in your organisation.

The HR Dept. Gibraltar can offer support and advice on staff turnover and absence level measurement and analysis as well as providing pragmatic and tested solutions. See www.thehrdept.gi

All companies can expect a degree of turnover and this is desirable to create opportunities for staff to progress and bring new knowledge and ideas into your company

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Highlight your skills You have the skills for the job, you need to show them that. Prepare a list of your top skills that make you right for the job.

raise or a bonus and do not worry if they have only been with you a short time. If they are achieving great results, do not wait until your company review period to show them they are appreciated.

All companies can expect a degree of turnover and, to a certain extent, this is desirable to create opportunities for staff to progress and bring new knowledge and ideas into your company.

Sometimes it can be difficult to be objective when analysing the causes of staff turnover in your own company and it is helpful to involve external help and advice.

business

Know the Company A common interview mistake amongst interviewees and it doesn’t go over well with hiring managers. Make sure to research the company beforehand and be able to show them what you’ve learned.

The WOW Factor words | SRG Europe

So you’ve secured an interview for a great job.

Now is your chance to wow them, but what happens when nerves get the best of you?

It’s normal to be nervous in an interview and lose sight of what you want to get across. The goal is to try and keep your nerves at bay and the best way to do that is by being prepared. Here are a few tips on preparing for that interview:

Industry Knowledge Interviewers are impressed with those who are up to date on the latest industry news.

Referrals While you don’t want to boast, don’t be shy in dropping a name or two that can boost your profile.

Past Experience Use your previous experience to demonstrate challenges you have come across and how you handled them.

Questions Always have some good, well thought out questions for the end of the interview.

Remember these top tips for your next interview and they might just get the job done. n

25

About Green Award Foundation The Green Award foundation was established in 1994 as a global, independent, not-for-profit quality assurance organisation that works by certifying ship managers and vessels who go beyond industry standards in terms of safety, quality and environmental performance.

The Green Award certification scheme is open to oil and chemical tankers, bulk carriers, LNG carrying vessels and inland navigation barges.

Ships holding a Green Award certificate are offered various incentives such as discounts on port dues, maritime products and training courses and reimbursement of certification costs by a few banks.

Gibraltar Joins The Green Award Scheme

The Green Port Incentive In keeping with its mission to ensure navigational safety and pollution control, the Port of Gibraltar is now awarding a 5% reduction on tonnage dues to all certified sustainable ships as part of its participation in the Green Award scheme.

“The Port of Gibraltar’s view fits very well with the Green Award’s Philosophy,” said Green Award’s managing director Jan Fransen at the launch of the scheme locally at the end of March. “When such a major bunker port as Gibraltar practices its Corporate Social Responsibility through participating in the Green Award scheme, it does make a difference and motivates safe and environmentally conscious shipping.”

A total of 31 ports have now earned the Green Award. The Port of Gibraltar is the second port this year to offer new incentives to sea-going vessels holding the Green Award certificate. The port’s decision to grant incentives to ships with the highest safety standards confirmed by the Green Award certificate, is

26

expected to motivate more ship’s owners to invest in improvements onboard.

We spoke to the Minister for Tourism, Commercial Affairs, Public Transport & the Port, the Hon Neil Costa, about the Grean Award and he explained that “The participation of the Gibraltar Port Authority in the Green Award scheme as an incentive provider, furnishes one of the strongest indications yet to the international community of the priority that HM Government of Gibraltar places on improving the quality of shipping visiting the port.

By rewarding high safety and environmental standards in shipping, Green Award makes above standard ship operation economically more attractive.

Currently there are 225 sea-going ships and 440 inland barges certified. 19 maritime service providers and banks and 31 ports provide incentives to ships with a Green Award certificate.

Find out more at www.greenaward.org

“Although the Green Award scheme has mainly dealt with tankers, the portfolio of types of vessel is steadily expanding to cover other types of ships and trades. As the major Mediterranean bunkering port, this is very important to us, given that to qualify for Green Award certification, ships must successfully complete a thorough inspection to ensure that the highest standards of ship management and maintenance are achieved. This certification, in turn, reduces the risk of incident and pollution to the Gibraltar Port and, indeed, any other port being visited.”

The Minister added “This award is an important landmark and demonstrates Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar’s commitment to the protection of the environment and to the improvement in the quality of shipping visiting the Port, both of which are interconnected.” n

“It does make a difference and motivates safe and environmentally conscious shipping”

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Gibraltar Suite and terraces

The Super Yacht Hotel Sunborn, the privately-owned property development and investment company based in Finland, is setting up an exclusive Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Ocean Village.

Sunborn yachts are designed to meet EU standards as a European Green Building, and on board they feature innovative eco-friendly technology. The hotel yachts are designed with zero discharge and emission policy and will not be using engines or generators while moored. As movable properties, yacht hotels have the advantage of leaving no environmental footprint after removal.

Sunborn has pioneered the yacht hotel — a unique approach to luxury hotel development — over 15 years and has owned and operated floating hotels in London and Finland.

Custom-built for the location the yacht hotel will be 5-star, featuring extensive hotel, leisure and event facilities, and is due to open in late 2013.

The hotel will feature a panoramic restaurant with sun terraces and a glamorous outdoor bar and lounge and entertainment spaces. Banqueting, meeting and conference venues of a size presently unavailable in Gibraltar complete the list of on-board facilities.

The floating structure — subject to the Gibraltar planning process — will be attached to the dockside by mooring arms that are specially designed to hold the yacht in a fixed and solid position. Guest will access the vessel via a faced entrance and an enclosed glass bridge.

Hans Niemi, Director of Sunborn Group operations in Europe said: “Our unique con-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

cept — the yacht hotel — combines the high value associated with luxury yachts and a modern 5-star hotel. We are delighted to be working with the stakeholders in Gibraltar to bring Sunborn to Ocean Village, which we believe is the perfect home for The Sunborn Yacht Hotel, with the infrastructure and client base already in place.”

Government Minister Neil Costa said: “We

Launched in 1998 the Sunborn London (above) was the world’s first custom-built luxury yacht hotel

are delighted that Sunborn has chosen Gibraltar for their 5-star plus project. The yacht hotel will create many jobs locally, and we believe it will become an icon and attraction for Gibraltar.” n For further information visit Sunborn’s website: http://sunborn.com/yacht-hotels

Dining facilities onboard the Gibraltar Yacht Hotel

27

Environment & Waste Management Services:

The Leader in Environmental Waste Management Gibraltar’s leading hazardous waste disposal and recycling experts since 1994, EWMS (Environment & Waste Management Services) was established by Alexis Almeda (Chief Environmental Health Officer from 1974 to 1994) and Alex Trinidad (Operations Manager for Shell Co. of Gibraltar Limited until 1995), to responsibly deal with hazardous waste produced by local industries and Government departments in an environmentally friendly way and in keeping with legislation.

Until the company was formed there were no effective and ecological methods locally to dispose of hazardous waste, and much was disposed of as general refuse.

Today, due to society’s growing consciousness of environmental conservation, the legal obligations placed on industry generally and the policing of these by the Environmental Agency, a large volume of local hazardous waste is safely disposed of by EWMS.

Recycling Services

Our community is more aware of reducing its impact on the planet through environmental conservation, sustainable development and the reduction in the use of the raw materials used in manufacturing consumer goods. Recycling of used materials is a growing industry aiming to convert used

consumables into raw materials to be reused in the production of new consumer products (rather than wasting it by sending it off to landfill).

Locally, the Gibraltar Government’s Green Policies have led to a rethink of all aspects of the government’s internal processes, from Building Control (enforcing environmentally friendly and sustainable building structures), Department of the Environment (providing more recyclable waste bins for glass, cans, paper, Tetrabrik and plastics, in more locations throughout Gibraltar), Procurement (by purchasing recycled materials) and throughout government departments internally (by segregating paper, cartridges, batteries and electrical equipment for subsequent recycling).

As a result of the Government’s

Green Policies, EWMS have re- cents, battery and waste electrical cently been granted two contracts equipment collections. by the Government of Gibraltar: •

•

Collection, transportation and recycling of wood pulp products (paper/cardboard) and printer cartridges from all Gibraltar government offices and entities; and Collection and transportation to a Government approved disposal facility of small batteries and small waste electrical and electronic equipment from Gibraltar government offices and entities.

Confidential Document Destruction

A new service available to EWMS customers is the destruction in bulk of confidential documents in a high security (Level 4) industrial paper shredder.

Paper is collected in dedicated and sealed panel vans and transported to the warehouse where it is destroyed by bulk shredding.

The shredded paper is cut into small pieces (1.9 x 15mm) and made into shredded paper bails which are sent to a paper mill in Spain for recycling.

However, EWMS doesn’t just work with government, and can help any Gibraltar company achieve its environmental policy objectives.

EWMS provides a solution to of- Hazardous Waste Management fice waste by collecting paper and EWMS is fully licensed by the cardboard and printer cartridges Environmental Agency to collect, for recycling, as well as fluores- store and dispose of hazardous

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CONFIDENTIAL DOCUMENT SHREDDING (SECURITY LEVEL 4) WASTE PAPER RECYCLING GENERAL HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL Toners • computers • light bulbs flUorescents • bAtteries Environment & Waste Management Services Limited contact us &21),'(17,$/ '2&80(17 6+5('',1* - ewmsgib@gibtelecom.net or visit our website at - www.ewms.gi 6(&85,7< /(9(/

:$67( 3$3(5 5(&<&/,1* 28

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013 *(1(5$/ +$=$5'286 :$67( ',6326$/

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and non-hazardous wastes. A full description of wastes handled can be found on the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website: www.ewms.gi.

Demolition & Construction Waste

Old structures inherently contain many noxious substances, which, if not removed in a controlled way prior to demolition, are harmful to health and to the environment.

These materials, found mainly in older structures, are mostly asbestos (various types), used in wall insulation, pipes, tiles, windows, roof sheets, exterior surfaces, electrical installations, boilers and appliances.

Asbestos must be removed by licensed asbestos removal contractors, following very strict safety and contamination containment procedures. The final disposal of these materials is strictly controlled by the authorities in EU licensed and approved landfill sites.

Demolition wastes, containing hazardous materials, safely disposed of by EWMS, also include: Bitumen and tars (road surfacing, roofing, waterproofing); paint contaminated materials and paints; earth contaminated with hydrocarbons or metals or non-hazardous; waste electrical/electronic equip-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE â&#x20AC;˘ MAY 2013

ment; and fluorescents and bulbs. EWMS safely collects and ensures waste products are safely treated and disposed of, are listed below Industrial & Commercial Wastes There are many industries with- with a list of major wastes they in Gibraltar which, in common produce: with similar developed countries, Garages and Workshops: Wastes generate waste products. These, if produced at garages and worknot disposed of responsibly, cause shops safely collected and treated/ contamination and deterioration of recycled by EWMS are oily rags, the environment. In Gibraltar we waste oil, oil filters, paints and have natural habitats teeming with solvents. flora and fauna, many of which are unique to the area and endan- Photography and X-Rays: Phogered, hence the need for them to tography and X-ray wastes colbe protected and preserved. lected and treated by EWMS are Industry sectors for which developer and fixer fluids, and

X-ray plates Shipping Wastes: Gibraltar is an internationally recognised shipping hub, however the industry produces a wide range of wastes which need to be treated and disposed of through proper means and by licensed contractors.

EWMS removes/disposes of pharmaceutical wastes; hydrocarbon sludge from tank cleaning; oily rags; and asbestos. n Contact EWMS Tel: 200 44220 Email: ewmsgib@gibtelecom.net or visit www.ewms.gi for further information.

29

It’s Good to be Green The green credentials of our Minister for Health & the Environment, the Hon Dr John Cortes are beyond dispute. As long-time General Secretary of GONHS (Gibraltar Ornithilogical and Natural History Society) Dr Cortes often locked horns with previous governments on environmental issues, now as a Minister in his own right he talks to the Gibraltar Magazine about his green vision for the Rock, and why it should be a priority for us all.

Why do you want to make Gibraltar Greener?

A green environment is important both for physical and mental health. “Green” policies ultimately reduce costs, can generate economic activity, gain us international respect, and are better for the community and for the Earth.

After leading an environmental pressure group, how have you had to compromise on your vision now that you are a government Minister?

I have always believed that where there is a will, it is not that difficult to ensure that political actions are not detrimental to the environment.

As a Minister, I do recognise that I have a wider responsibility for the people as a whole. I am lucky in that all my nine colleagues are committed to the environment. So far, I am pleased to say that no decision of the Government has upset me in any environmental way and I have not had to compromise. On the contrary, I am

30

always availing myself of opportunities to get A lot of people out there were very impressed that we had the speakers of the calibre that we environmental gain from decisions. had in Gibraltar.

What positive feedback did you get from How do you see the future of Gibraltar from the 2012 Thinking Green conference at which ex-Vice President of the US, Al an environmental perspective?

Gore, spoke?

Excellent. The foundation we are buildA great deal. It served to make many people ing within Government, and by example in sit up and take notice of issues that had not the wider community will not be reversible. been brought as forcefully to Gibraltar ever Gibraltar will be greener, its biodiversity will before. A number of business initiatives have be better protected and interpreted for all to resulted from it, and Gibraltar was promoted recognise and enjoy, our children and young on a global scale. And it’s made a difference. people will be increasingly aware, and our economy will benefit from green initiatives and green industry. Our carbon footprint will be reduced, and pollution minimised. Our use of energy will be much more efficient. And all that will make us healthier. It will be something to be proud of.

“

It’s a question of us moving along together as a community. Actually, this is bigger than politics

”

What would you like to see happen from an environmental point of view during

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

your term in office?

One of the main objectives is resolving Gibraltar’s power generation. Until last year, Gibraltar had stayed firmly in the penultimate decade of the 20th century from this perspective. I’d like to see — and I am confident that I will see — a cleaner power station and increasing contribution from alternative, nonpolluting energy sources. That, together with proper, modern treatment of waste and sewage is one of the three things that I would like to see sorted out once and for all. I can’t believe that we tumbled into the second decade of the 21st century with these things still being an issue.

The people want this. Our community is well educated and wants to play its part. Look at the overwhelmingly positive response to the increased recycling opportunities we’ve provided. It isn’t a question of the Government leading or the people pushing, though. It’s a question of us moving along together as a community. Actually, this is bigger than politics.

What measures would you to like to see in Gibraltar’s long term future?

Gibraltar must aim to take a leading role in the region. Its people, its sense of community and its resilience are among its biggest assets.

We must learn to work together, rationalise our potential, and become an example, not just from an environmental perspective, but also from educational and economic ones. There are things that we will never be able to do, because of our size, like host an Olympic Games, for example. But there are many other things that we can do. Some of them we haven’t even thought of! The challenge is to identify these and go for it.

What do you see as the benefits to Gibraltar of becoming greener?

Better health, greater quality of life, international prestige, better economic status, and increased feel-good factor.

What more can we want? n

Gibraltar can play its part in global environmental issues

Is your company green enough?

Environmentally friendly credentials are influencing business outsourcing decisions.

People feel good about positive environmental behaviour, and people drive business decisions.

Consumer and investor calls for green corporate accountability and the creation of new government regulations in favour of protecting the environment have pushed green issues onto the boardroom agenda and onto outsourcing vendors’ growing plate of priorities.

We spoke to Martin Forde who represents DHL locally about its green policy and how it is driving change within this global enterprise.

“The primary focus of our environmental protection programme GoGreen is to minimise our global business operations’

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

greatest impact on the environment — CO2 emissions,” he explains. “This said, we are also aware of the many other ways our business activities affect the environment,” Martin acknowledges. “And this is something we are looking to reduce locally through recycling and procurement decisions.”

Ensuring the sustainability of the company by fundamentally changing the way it does business, helps reduce dependency on fossil fuels and improve efficiency thereby also reducing costs. “It really is a win-win philosophy and by doing this we also help our customers achieve their own environmental goals,” he emphasises.

DHL measures and reports on its environmental impacts, focusing primarily on its own carbon emissions and those of subcontracted carriers. “DHL is committed to improving the carbon efficiency of its own operations and those of our transportation subcontractors by 30% compared to our 2007 levels by the year 2020,” Martin states.

Since DHL’s CO2 efficiency target also includes the CO2 emissions of subcontractors, it has been essential for the company to gain transparency over the CO2 efficiency of transport partners. Important initiatives are e.g. aireg e.V. and Green Freight Europe.

“In 2011, DHL delivered some 1,86 million CO2 neutral shipments for our customers.

Together with CO2 neutral logistics services, the total amount of offset carbon exceeded 134,000 tonnes. We in Gibraltar are proud of being a part of that process.” n

31

360º pattern, meaning that, even with a reflector, a considerable amount of light is lost, further reducing efficiency, and the case for LED lighting is clear — reduced costs and power usage, better light, and less maintenance. LED lighting could save businesses, institutions and communities thousands of pounds annually, and improve working conditions.

As an example, Ian Dallas points to the Vineyards Estate which, over a period of six months saved £2,431 on its electricity bill to one block following the introduction of LED external lighting in June 2012. The electricity bill for the period June to December was £427, compared to £2,858 for the same period in 2011 representing a direct saving of 85% in energy usage.

Ian and his team at PCL Gibraltar continued to work with the management committee of Vineyards and at the end of 2012 fitted dual-purpose motion detector LED lights in the communal areas, which work to reduce costs through lighting the areas only when needed, as well as through LED technology — a double gain.

Plans to upgrade the remaining five blocks in the estate are underway.

PCL offers a full guarantee for five years — that means a minimum of five years without having to replace any components. This not only eliminates bulb replacement costs for this period and beyond, but also costs related labour and loss of lighting. n

The LED Revolution

Lightening the Load Let’s start with a staggering fact: if businesses and institutions in Gibraltar changed 10,000 fluorescent tubes or lamps to LED lighting, there would be a saving of 2,700 Megawatts of power annually. At today’s costs this would save £4.7 million, cutting the carbon footprint of Gibraltar by 20,000 tonnes of CO2, and significantly reducing pressure on our power generating capacity.

Businesses seeking further advice about switching to environmentally friendly commercial LED lighting should call Ian Dallas on 200 65950.

Commercial LED Lighting: The Benefits of 60% - 90% of current 1 Reductions electricity lighting bill.

Emission Reduction 2 Carbon helps businesses achieve green commitments.

performance with reduced 3 Improved noise and heat output.

LED light produce more 4 Efficiency: light per watt than incandescent and halogen bulbs

Energy efficiency has become a priority for businesses, small and large, looking to reduce energy costs as well as their carbon footprint. Over the past few years commercial LED lighting has become the most cost effective commercial lighting system capable of generating savings of over 80% on business electricity lighting bills.

PCL Gibraltar, a specialist commercial LED lighting company, can demonstrate the cost savings to any business or commercial enterprise which wishes to Go Green while significantly reducing costs.

“We can conduct a lighting audit to determine how a business can benefit from high quality energy efficient lighting. We have a mathematical formula which allows us, within an hour, to create a payback analysis predicting

32

the percentage savings for an estate, supermarket or commercial organisation,” explains Ian Dallas of PCL Gibraltar.

Ian, an Engineer and former Group MD of Hydrotech in the Far East, is well place to crunch the figures and produce the projected benefits of switching to LED — financial and environmental.

“Gibraltar’s well-documented power supply limitations are being alleviated on a daily basis as businesses and Government Departments adopt energy saving solutions,” Ian explains.

In fact, LED lighting systems have an 80% efficiency — that is 80% of the electricity used is converted to light, the remaining is lost as heat — compared to conventional lighting systems, which operate at 20% efficiency. Add to this the fact that conventional lights emit light in a

LED lights last on average 5 Lifespan: 50,000 hours, that is 5 times as long as

the best fluorescent bulbs, and up to 30 times longer than halogen bulbs

Resistance: Incandescent and 6 Shock fluorescent bulbs are fragile; LED lights are made with solid state components making them more difficult to break.

LEDs do not contain mercury, 7 Toxicity: unlike fluorescent lamps. light quality: No oscillation 8 Better issues unlike fluorescent lamps, which cause discomfort & migraines in sensitive people.

in annual maintenance 9 Reduction costs of between 70% and 90%.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Symphony in Green at 101...

There are a lot of decisions to be made with each new home or commercial furnishing project, but more and more, local companies are reporting clients requesting materials sourced from eco- and socially-responsible companies. We spoke to Myra Bromfield, at 101 Ltd about this trend and how her company is responding to this new challenge.

© The Symphony Group plc

“101 Ltd as a company is very conscious of environmental issues, and is leading the way in ensuring we purchase responsibly and provided furniture and goods from companies with strong green ethics and products,” explains Myra. “We try to ensure our products are manufactured using ‘green’ practices, and we continue to work on reducing our own en-

Commercial & Industrial LED Lighting Solutions for reduced costs and a better environment.

PCL LED Lighting For a Green Gibraltar

Unit D 66/70 Main Street, Gibraltar | Office: +350 200 65950 | Mobile +350 5490 0000 | email: pclgib@gibtelecom.net | website: www.pclgib.com

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

33

It is this kind of corporate responsibility within the supply chain that Myra seeks in her suppliers

© The Symphony Group plc

vironmental impact.

Boen is a Norwegian manufacturer of engineered natural wooden flooring which processes and manufactures it’s products with respect for nature and environmental sustainability. 101 has supplied and fitted Boen flooring in Gibraltar’s recently refurbished Law Courts and the Parliament Building which was completed in April, they have also supplied the Sports Floor at the Victoria Stadium.

“Most of our suppliers, like Boen, have green policies in place and one of the companies we purchase from in particular, Symphony Kitchens, is very conscious of the environment,” she adds.

In fact, we discovered that Symphony — a bathroom and kitchen manufacturer — looks to source cabinets made from 100% recycled materials, and 90% of raw cabinet materials come from within 30 miles of their UK office.

Even the head office in Barnsley is heated by a Biomass boiler — a renewable technology that uses wood

Available at 101 Ltd - visit our showroom on the top floor, Unit 100, Harbours Walk, The New Harbours, Gibraltar.

Or visit www.101gibraltar.com Tel: 200 41019 email: enquiries101@101gibraltar.gi

34

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

waste from a storage silo. They also have plans in place to install a two mega watt wind turbine on the site, which will make the facility not just energy neutral, but a contributor to the grid.

Symphony uses technology in its offices and warehouses which detect occupancy and operates daylight dimming to ensure best energy usage (something which is available to companies in Gibraltar through PCL LED Lighting company, see page 32).

Symphony even operates a fleet of fuel efficient Bluetec Euro 5 Mercedes Actros delivery vehicles converting nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrogen and water.

It is this kind of corporate responsibility within the supply chain that Myra seeks in her suppliers. “It is always our preference to work with responsible suppliers like Symphony.”

Although function and beauty are as important to us in our homes in Gibraltar as environmental issues, it is good to know that there are suppliers who can deliver both. n 101 Ltd, top floor, Unit 100, Harbours Walk, The New Harbours, Gibraltar. Tel: 200 41019 email: enquiries101@101gibraltar.gi Symphony Kitchens www.symphonygroup.co.uk

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

BLIND savings Reduce the carbon footprint of your home (and save money on energy bills) by having window blinds fitted.

Window blinds will save you money and create a more comfortable environment because they provide insulation which helps reduce both heat build up in summer, and so reduce the amount of air conditioning you need, and heat loss through winter, saving on heating bills.

The higher the level of insulation, the more money you save, so check with the retailer to ensure you are purchasing thermally efficient fabrics or materials.

Remember your blinds are only working for you when they are closed, so leaving them closed when you are out during the days is the best option.

Blinds are endlessly practical, allowing you to reduce or increase the amount of light entering your space, and fabulous to look at — a treat for any window. They are available in a range of contemporary colours and include blackout for bedrooms — the most energy efficient blind. n

35

© The Symphony Group plc available at 101 Kitchens

We knew this would happen words | Mike Nicholls

The other day, I was flicking through some of the back issues of the Gibraltar Magazine that I had lying around in my office. I came across my property article in the July 2010 edition, explaining the state of the property market at that time. Nearly three years on, it makes for quite interesting reading: “In 2006 and 2007, investors were lapping up off-plan investments in the Anchorage, Ocean Village phase two, Filomena House and King’s Wharf. That represented over 400 new apartments, an addition of over 3% to the number of new residential units in

36

Gibraltar. In the last 12 months all but King’s Wharf have completed and with the odd exception, the market has absorbed these apartments. King’s Wharf will complete just over 100 more apartments within a few months and I would predict that the market will absorb

these as well over a period of, say, 6 months. That means, even in this climate, our property market can absorb c 250 new apartments per annum. And this excludes the government’s own schemes.

As it takes a good three years to achieve planning consent, de-

velopment funding and then to construct anything of any size, and as there are no new large scale residential developments in the pipeline after King’s Wharf has completed, then assuming current market demand of 250 apartments per annum continues, we will

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

file

property

Tenants exist in good numbers because would be first time buyers cannot get a mortgage so are forced to rent. And there are pockets of opportunities around Gibraltar to buy at keen prices the overall price of debt remains good value. Tenants exist in good numbers because would be first time buyers cannot get a mortgage so are forced to rent. And there are pockets of opportunities around Gibraltar to buy at keen prices.

The brave, the wise, the experienced and the adequately resourced, will soon be back on the Gibraltar buy to let trail.”

Those who heeded that advice are now in a good position. Gibraltar has all but run out of (open market) apartments available to let and Chesterton has a waiting list of would be tenants longer than ever before. Rents are edging up now, starting at the lower end and this effect will move up through the price brackets over the next few months.

Mortgage opportunities are still available at historically low interest rates. return to demand exceeding supSo those who wish to, or need to ply, which tightens the market and rent for tax residency or for close forces prices higher, a key ingredi- proximity to their workplace may ent for the buy to let investor. now have to purchase instead Letting activity continues to of rent. Otherwise, they will be underpin property values. First forced to live in Spain which cretime buyers struggle to achieve the ates tax and administrative chaldeposits required, and sufficient lenges and a different lifestyle. companies in Gibraltar employ In November 2012, Chesterton overseas staff on relatively short closed on a sale of a one bed apartterm contracts, so currently there ment in Ocean Village at £215,000. are seemingly enough tenants to The buyer got cold feet and backed rent these new properties. out. That same apartment has just Meanwhile, vendors have to sold for £238,000. compete for the fewer buyers in Back in July 2010, I suggested the market. Those vendors who investors would have to be brave, can, will hold on or rent. Those wise and experienced to purchase who cannot, and must sell, have a buy to let apartment. Those who to discount a little. Therein lies did, were wise. Prices are rising at the opportunity for the buy to let the lower end, forced up by tenants landlord. unable to find a rental property.

For the experienced residential For those adequately resourced, landlord, conditions are arguably opportunities remain in the prime quite good. The low loan to value buy to let sector, but before long, given on mortgages discourage the these opportunities will be lost to amateur landlord from returning others. to the market. Interest rates are It’s a good time to buy. And at historical lows and although Chesterton can of course, provide bank lending margins are high, the buy to let guidance. n Mike Nicholls is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a member of the Gibraltar Society of Accountants, a member of the Gibraltar Funds and Investment Association and a board member of the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce. Mike operates the Chesterton estate agency in Gibraltar and runs a real estate investment solutions consultancy.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAy 2013

37

property

interiors

Yacht Scene 2013

Order your copy now!

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GIBRALTAR GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE •• MAY MAY 2013 2013

file

property

Colour Me Happy...

While everyone views colour in a different way, certain colours or groups of colours tend to get a similar reaction from most people. So when it comes to decorating, it is important to choose wisely.

Each colour has a psychological value. Think about how colours make you feel — they can enhance any feeling from tranquility to rage. Some colors in large amounts will have just the opposite affect on you and your loved ones’ moods to the peace, tranquility and harmony you wish for at home.

Red raises a room’s energy level. Yellow communicates happiness, but even though yellow is a cheery colour, it is not a good main colour scheme. Studies show people are more likely to lose their temper in a yellow interior and babies cry more in a yellow room.

Blue is said to lower blood pressure and heart rate.

Green has a calming effect when used as a main colour for decorating. Purple is associated as creativity.

Crimson can invoke feels of rage and hostility Colour choice is a very personal matter and you are the one who has to live with your new paint colour, so choose a hue that suits you, your family and your lifestyle. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAy 2013

© The Symphony Group plc available at 101

While the colours of your rooms may portray your personality, they also influence moods and thoughts.

39

The generous donation of two weeks aboard 44m mega yacht Sirius berthed in Marina Bay, got Dr Liam Fox MP’s charity Give Us Time off to a 5 star start in Gibraltar in April, and the charity was thrilled when the Gibraltar Tourist Board agreed to donate the flights for the party of 24

Gibraltar Gives Us Time...

Ex-Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox MP, who visited the Rock last month, says he would like see Gibraltar become a ‘hub’ for the Services charity, Give Us Time.

Douglas and Louise Hall onboard Sirius with three of the servicemen injured in combat, Lance Sergeant Lee Sample, Lance Sergeant Andrew Wilson and Colour Sergeant Thomas O’Donnell

40

During his time as Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox MP came to realise that while care for our injured armed forces personnel and their bereaved has improved immeasurably over the last decade, there are still some major challenges faced by all servicemen and servicewomen, and their families, when they return home after long months apart.

“One of the areas where I think there remains room for improvement is the integration of service families into this equation,” he says.

“As a doctor working with the Armed Forces I learned the importance of seeing our personnel not as isolated individuals but as members of a wider family and community dynamic.”

Thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines return from Afghanistan without a scratch but still find that the lives of their family have moved on without them while they’ve been away. All too often, this feeling of being “spare” in the life they used to know, gets in the way of reintegrating with their families.

Give Us Time, launched in 2012, provides holidays to help families readjust to life after combat. This is possible thanks to generously donated week-long holidays in second homes, holiday homes and timeshares. One of the first participants in the charity’s pilot scheme last month were Gibraltar residents Douglas and

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

“

As a doctor working with the Armed Forces I learned the importance of seeing our personnel not as isolated individuals but as members of a wider family and community dynamic

”

Louise Hall, who donated two weeks onboard M/Y Sirius, their 44m luxury mega yacht berthed in Marina Bay. The Gibraltar Tourist Board generously sponsored the group’s flights and organised Rock Tours and the Mayor, Tony Lima, invited them to a reception at City Hall.

The time was allocated to six serving service personnel, wounded veterans of Afghanistan, and their families — a group of 24 in total.

For the soldiers, it was an opportunity to spend quality time with their families and to re-establish relationships in a neutral location, as well as to enjoy the hospitality of Gibraltar.

The families returned home having re-learnt living together and reinvigorated after a difficult time apart.

Louise and Douglas said “We really have been delighted to be some of the first to help with this new charity. The service personnel and their families have been great ambassadors for the scheme and we thoroughly enjoyed having them both on our yacht and in Gibraltar.”

If you would like to help Give Us Time, and you own a timeshare, second home, hotel,

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Onboard Mega Yacht Sirius at Marina Bay — Hon. Paul Balban, Minister for Traffic, Health & Safety and Technical Services, ex-Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox MP, Gibraltar’s Mayor, Tony Lima, and Sir John Hall, former Newcastle United chairman, who visited Gibraltar to offer his support

apartment block, cruise ship, ski chalet or holiday home — no matter how big or small, near or far — consider donating whatever spare capacity you have to Give Us Time.

The charity will make sure your donation goes to a British soldier, sailor, airman or marine who has just returned from Afghanistan so they can rehabilitate with their families after a long hard tour.

Give Us Time allocates holidays to anyone

currently serving in the regular or reserve armed forces who has served on operations in Afghanistan, including those from Gibraltar.

Holidays are usually on an accommodation only basis however, the charity hopes to raise funds to provide assistance with travel costs on a case by case basis. n Donate to Give Us Time www.giveustime.org.uk To find out about chartering M/Y Sirius http://mysirius.net

41

health & medical directory

health& fitness Bell Pharmacy

McTimoney Chiropractor

Your Family Chemists

Gentle holistic treatment for all back or muscular problems and sports injuries Gillian Schirmer MA, DC, MMCA Clinic (Claudia’s), 1st Floor, 58 Main Street Tel: 200 41733 or after hours: 200 40026

Here to help you by answering all your pharmaceutical questions Consult us at 27 Bell Lane Tel: 200 77289 Fax: 200 42989

STEINER CHIROPRACTIC CLINICS

Chiropractic Health Clinic

Dr Carsten Rudolf Steiner BSc DC

Dr Steven J. Crump B.Sc, DC, MCC Open: Mon - Fri 9.30am - 6.30pm

Member of the British Chiropractic Association

Back to better health with Chiropractic for headaches, dizziness, neck and lower back pain, sciatica, osteoathritis and sports injuries.

College Clinic, Regal Hse. Tel: 200 77777

CHEMISTS

Bell Pharmacy 27 Bell Lane Tel: 200 77289 Fax: 200 42989

PASSANO OPTICIANS LTD

Louis’ Pharmacy Unit F12, International Commercial Centre, Casemates.

Tel: 200 44797

British Registered Optometrists

Chiropodists

38 Main St Tel: 200 76544 Fax: 200 76541 Email: passano@sapphirenet.gi

John W Miles BSc (Podiatry), MChS College Clinic, Regal House Tel: 200 77777

ChiropraCtors

Dr Steven J. Crump BSc, DC, MCC ICC F5C 1st Flr, Casemates.

Tel: 200 44226 Gillian Schirmer MA, DC, MMCA McTimoney Chiropractor, Clinic (Claudia’s), 1st Flr, 58 Main St Tel: 200 41733 After hours: 200 40026

Treatment of Back Pain, Neck Pain, Headaches, Limb Pain & Sports Injuries Tel: 200 44226

ICC Suite F5C 1st Floor, Casemates, Gibraltar Member of British Chiropractic Association

Dr Carsten Rudolf Steiner BSc, DC Steiner Chiropractic Clinics, College Clinic, Regal Hse Tel: 200 77777

Counselling

Patrick Gabay AQA Adv Dip in Counselling Tel: 200 59955 / 54014124 Now at Unit F5, 1st Floor, ICC Isabella Jimenez, Sports Therapist (BSc Hons) Tel: 54002226 Email: sportongib@gmail.com

Health Clubs

Atlantic Suites Health Club & Spa Tel: 200 48147

Health Stores The Health Store 5 City Mill Lane. Tel: 200 73765

JOHN W. MILES

HEARING CENTRE

BSc (Podiatry), M.Ch.S

Oigamas Hearing Centre Unit S3h 2nd Floor, ICC Casemates Square Tel: 200 63644 Email: info@oigamas.com

STATE REGISTERED CHIROPODIST Treatment of all Foot Problems • Ingrown Toe-nails including Surgical Removal

Opticians / Optometrists

• Biomechanical Analysis for Insoles / Orthotics including Children

Gache & Co Limited 266 Main Street. Tel: 200 75757

• Wart (Verruca) Clinic

L. M. Passano Optometrist 38 Main Street. Tel: 200 76544

• Diabetics

PERSONAL TRAINERS

Tel: 200 77777

Simon Coldwell Complete Fitness Unit G3, Eliott Hotel Tel: 200 51113

College Clinic, Regal House, Queensway TEL: 54029587 FOR HOME VISITS

Need somebody to talk to?

Isabella Jimenez BSc (hons) Unit 5, 1st Floor, ICC Tel: 54002226 email: jimenez.isabella@gmail.com

Physicians

Dr Norbert V Borge FRCP (London) 7-9 Cornwall’s Lane Tel/Fax: 200 75790 College Clinic, Ground Floor, Regal House, Queensway.

Tel: 200 77777 www.collegeclinic.gi

Primary Care Centre 2nd Flr International Commercial Centre Weekend & Public Holiday Opening Hours (use Irish Town entrance) Saturday: 9am - 11am, 5pm - 6pm Sunday & Public Holidays: 10am - 11am, 5pm - 6pm

42 42

SPECIALISTS

7 days a week 5pm-9pm

College Clinic, Ground Floor, Regal House, Queensway.

Tel: 200 77777 www.collegeclinic.gi

GIBRALTAR GIBRALTARMAGAZINE MAGAZINE••APRIL MAY 2013

well-being health

l MS Awareness Week 29th April - 5th May

Support For Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Here’s Health

Initiated two years ago by local MS patient Iris Guilliano as a Facebook page which grew, the Gibraltar Multiple Sclerosis Society is now a registered charity with a committee and special mini support groups within it.

The Society comprises patients with Multiple Sclerosis and similar neurological conditions and provides a local support system and patient network to promote public awareness and provide patients with information.

These conditions often strike young adults unexpectedly and can abruptly change their lives, sometimes quickly leading to some form of disability. The Society’s aim is to help patients to be as well as they can for as long as they can by providing info on helpful therapies, exercises, foods and tools.

Members keep in touch through Facebook and Twitter pages where there is always someone available to chat.

The Society puts local patients in touch with each other — before October 2010 when the Facebook and Twitter pages were started, patients were not aware of others locally with the same conditions and problems.

They are provided with links to worldwide research updates

and various relevant overseas associations some of which are also members of the local pages and are able of communicating directly with patients.

Last December the Society asked GHA for neurology patient numbers and found that there are around 210 neurology patients locally with a variety of conditions, these had not previously not been monitored. The Society estimates there are around 65 patients with MS and possibly another 30 with similar conditions.

The Society’s other long term aim is to set up a GMSS Neurology Centre, where they can provide specific helpful therapies, and access to information relevant to conditions. A meeting place where they can also organise chats from specialised professionals and other charity groups relevant to conditions and somewhere to have an informative library. n Email: GibMsSocietygibraltarmss@ yahoo.co.uk

What is Multiple Sclerosis?

Nailing it Are your nails brittle and flaking? Healthy nails are a sign of a healthy body, so if your nails have been looking on dull and ragged lately, that may be a sign you are suffering from a vitamin deficiency. Fear not, here is a list of vitamins for lovely nails...

Iron: Brittle nails can be a sign of an iron deficiency. Iron deficiency is one of the most common of the nutritional deficiencies, and commonly causes fatigue. Look for chelated iron supplements or consume more nuts and green, leafy vegetables.

Zinc: White spots on your nails, along with poor growth and inflammation of the cuticles is a sign you need to add more zinc to your diet. If you don’t want to take a zinc supplement, some foods that are high in zinc include dark chocolate (yes, we are recommending chocolate!), peanuts and turkey.

B-12: Excessively dry or darkening nails could indicate you’re not getting enough vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 also helps to maintain a healthy nervous system and the formation of new red blood cells.

You can take it as a food supplement or it can be found in cheese, eggs and crab.

Multiple sclerosis (or MS) is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system (CNS), which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Today, new treatments and advances in research are giving new hope to people affected by the disease. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

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health

& well-being

Glamour & Glory at the STM Group 2013 Fun Run Thousands raised for Wobbles children’s charity through STM Group’s Fun Run in April.

STM Fidecs CEO, Colin Porter rallied the runners at the start of the run and the seven lovely Miss Gibraltar contestants led the field off. They were followed by serious runners intent on a good time, people in fancy dress (including The Stig and a bevy of pirates), dogs set off with their owners, and finally families pushing prams trailed the field for the 5km walk.

At the finish line the winner of the 10k was Kelvin Gomez, and the fastest female was Allison Edwards.

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The spirit of the morning however was one of good humoured fun, with an emphasis on raising money for a very good cause, local children’s charity Wobbles.

Sponsorship money tumbled in after the event and reached the grand total £5,200. Lloyds TSB alone gave a generous donation of £400, in support of their team.

Well done to the STM Fidecs team for organising (and taking part in) such an enjoyable event for charity. We look forward to next year! n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

well-being &

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

health

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Affordable Tummy Tuck …reclaim your figure, and get confident for summer with an Abdominoplasty from Dr. Marco Vricella

The mercury is beginning to rise; and now that we’re in spring, it’s harder to hide our figures behind bulky knitwear and coats. It can be an unforgiving time of year; more fitted, lighter clothes, and beachwear can focus our attention on the parts of our bodies we don’t really like.

If you’re lacking confidence about the way your abdomen looks, then you might be suitable for an Abdominoplasty (more commonly referred to as a ‘tummy tuck’).

As a consequence of weight loss or pregnancies, many people suffer from excess skin and fat in the abdomen which is removed with a tummy tuck. Abdominoplasty surgery greatly improves the profile and shape of the body, and is often done in conjunction with liposuction to the hips (‘love handles’) in order to improve and reshape the waist.

It is worth noting that a tummy tuck is not a weight-loss procedure, although excess fat will be removed, giving a flatter stomach.

One inspirational story from an Aria Medical Group client is of a 49 year old woman with three grown up children.

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‘I felt I had a pouch any kangaroo would have been proud of but it was the cause of much unhappiness and depression for me. My selfconfidence was practically non-existent and my weight had crept up to a size 16/18 in clothes. Having just had my tummy tuck and liposuction with Dr. Marco Vricella, I am feeling absolutely great and looking so much better.

I can’t wait to wear all those size 12 dresses and, joy of joy, the jeans that are hanging in my wardrobe which I thought I’d never get into again! I love my new shape and my fabulous flat tummy!’

For more information visit the website and book a free consultation.

Dr. Marco Vricella is well respected in Gibraltar and has been serving the community here many years, providing regular free consultations as well as personalised after-care. ‘Together with my patient care coordinators I offer private consultations twice a month in College Clinic. In addition, as part of our unique after care service, my chief patient care coordinator and specialist nurse can offer home visits to all clients in Gibraltar during their first post-operative week’ he confirms.

Free Consultations If you want to find out more, then Dr. Vricella holds free consultations at College Clinic, Regal House, Gibraltar every 2 weeks – for dates and to book an appointment please call :

+ 34 952 895 088 or email: info@ariamedicalgroup.com

www.ariamedicalgroup.com Some of our most popular procedures: + Breast Augmentation + Breast Uplift (Mastopexy) + Breast Reduction + Tummy Tuck (Abdominoplasty) + Liposuction + Face Lifts + Eyebag Removal (Blepharoplasty) + Rhinoplasty (Nose Surgery) + Weight-loss Surgery / Gastric Band + Cosmetic Dentistry

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

a , r

Because You’re Beautiful! + Breast Augmentation + Breast Uplift + Breast Reduction + Tummy Tuck + Buttock Augmentation + Liposuction + Facial Injections + Face Lifts + Eyebag Removal + Rhinoplasty + Gastric Surgery + Cosmetic Dentistry

Book your FREE consultation

(+34) 952 895 088 in English (+34) 662 936 058 en Español e: info@ariamedicalgroup.com When choosing your surgeon check their credentials.

They should be registered with the UK General Medical Council (GMC), the Spanish CGM and also on the UK Specialist Register of Plastic Surgeons (SRPC).

www.ariamedicalgroup.com 47

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Cosmetic Cosmetic Surgery Surgery

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Gibraltar Gibraltar

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Marbella Marbella

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Madrid Madrid

Reg’s

pages from history

Nepenthes

It Makes a Bloody Good Read!

The Clever Goats of Gibraltar words | Reg Reynolds

Monkeys, although major tourist attractions, are the main animal pest in Gibraltar these days, more than a century ago the major nuisances were goats.

The problem of goats trespassing and eating up gardens became so great that in 1883 a law was passed to control illegal grazing.

Although the law was meant to cover all animals, only goats and kids were mentioned specifically.

The Act titled Impounding Goats etc, & Notice Thereupon reads: All goats, kids and other animals found trespassing or grazing without permission on any land in Gibraltar, whether cultivated or not, or whether enclosed or unenclosed, may be seized by the owner or occupier of such lands, or any person authorised by him, and be sent or taken to the nearest pound to be detained and dealt with according to this Ordinance.

Once a goat was impounded it was up to the Pound-keeper to locate the proper owner and issue a fine and collect any required damages. Notices would be posted in public places and if the owner did not come forward within seven days the captive creature would be sold at auction.

However, it must have been difficult for owners to control their animals as an old story reveals that Gibraltar goats were very clever.

In 1822 the Brighton Gleaner interviewed a soldier who had served in Gibraltar. The soldier told them that, “A great many goats scrabble about the Rock” and that, “At one point there is a goat road leading down to

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the water’s edge”.

This path was so narrow that there could be one-way passage only, any misstep or deviation to left or right would mean instant death.

One day the solider and others were watching the path when they saw two goats meet head to head — one going up and one going down. They came to a dead stop and neither could turn or step aside without falling to death. The soldier observed: “At last, after deep cogitation and much deliberation, they hit upon a scheme which even man, with all his boasted wisdom could not have surpassed; that is that the one goat lay quietly cautiously down on all fours and allowed the other to march over his body to the great delight of the persons who witnessed this singular dilemma.” n

“

At last, after deep cogitation and much deliberation, they hit upon a scheme which even man, with all his boasted wisdom could not have surpassed

”

As part of the Spring Festival 2013, the Minister of Culture Hon. Steven Linares is launching a novel, Nepenthes, by Elena Scialtiel, at the Garrison Library on 2nd May. Named after a tropical carnivorous plant, this crime novel is set in a dark and stormy Hallowe’en week, and features young, savvy and feisty female Chief Inspector Kay Xiarras of Rocky Cape Police and her fourstrong multi-ethnic Homicides Squad.

They are the protagonists of a series of books the author has published in Italy since 2010, one of which, Il Califfo di Qasbat-Al-Noor, was the winner of a nationwide literary contest. This is the fifth installment but it’s the first one to be actually written in English.

Here, new characters are introduced, such as street-smart inspectors Nacho and Macarena, and shrewd coroner Nieves, to assist in a joint investigation into gory trafficking for a new breed of biological weaponry which takes Kay and her loyal friends across barren mountains to the historical town of Vega d’Entrepinares and back to Rocky Cape just in time for a ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ themed Hallowe’en party.

It all begins when, with the excuse of a break from investigating a vampirish blood drive at Rocky Cape College, Kay accepts her old flame Gabbo’s invitation to a Goth bash in Bahía Sonrisa, which turns into a crime scene when 13 women are found dead in the toilets, their life literally sucked out of them. Off duty and out of her jurisdiction, Kay is thrown in at the deep end when Rocky Cape passports are retrieved on two victims.

This action-packed dark thriller will transport you beyond borders, to an imaginary realm of picturesque cityscapes, populated by a cast of atypical and congenial characters, as assorted as exotic plants in a glasshouse.

To reserve your copy, contact elena.scialtiel@gmail.com.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

community

update

Gibraltar Museum Lecture Series:

The History of Gibraltar in 5 Parts The Gibraltar Museum is giving a series of lectures entitled “The History of Gibraltar in Five Parts”.Various speakers will explore multiple facets of the Rock’s past which have helped create the Gibraltar of today.

The series opened on 30th April, and the next lecture in the series will be Tuesday 21st May when Dr Darren Fa, of the Gibraltar Museum will present History of a Fortress.

On Tuesday 18th June Dr Geraldine Finlayson will present a History of a Port; on Tuesday 22nd October Tom Finlayson, Local Historian, presents a History of a People; and finally on Thursday 21st November Dennis Beiso, Gibraltar Archives, presents History of an Identity.

Lectures are free and open to the public and begin at 7pm at the John Mackintosh Hall. n For information contact Marie Mosquera at the Gibraltar Museum on 200 74289 email: marie.mosquera@ gibmuseum.gi

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Take Your Numbers Please...

His Worship the Mayor, Tony Lima MBE RD, hosted a reception at the City Hall in April at which the seven Miss Gibraltar 2013 contestants drew their official numbers for the pageant. The contestants and their numbers (pictured above) are 1. Maroua Kharbouch, 2. Stacey Britto, 3. Erika Gonzalez, 4. Arian Barton, 5. Keisha Doody, 6. Jamielee Randall, 7. Anne Marie Yeo — with 2012 Miss Gibraltar Jessica Baldachino (centre). The show will be staged at John Mackintosh Hall Theatre on the 8th June 2013 and is being produced by Stage One. n

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arts

��ex �ene�

words | Elena Scialtiel

the bag lady bags the prize Winning Best Actress at the 2013 Drama Festival — an adult award for a barely 18-year-young woman — Alex Menez already has an enviable performing portfolio, and is determined to make it in the showbiz world beyond our shores.

“I was not expecting to win this cup,” admits Alex Menez naively. She’s a pretty brunette with a dazzling smile and big brown eyes framed by sculpted eyebrows. “When the adjudicator called up Demi Green as the youth award winner for her performance in The C Word, I thought that was it, there was nothing left for me. And she deserved it, young Demi, don’t get me wrong, she delivered a spotless performance... I didn’t realise I was actually running against all the great experienced actresses in adult plays until my name was called...”

The auditorium roared with applause to welcome back on stage the instantly loveable character, as layered as her outfit and as

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colourful as her pom-pom scarf. Alex played Dotty in Christopher Morgan’s one-act comedy drama Going Underground, where seven people from different walks of life sit side by side on the tube, and mull over their life hopes and disappointments in a series of bittersweet monologues.

Dotty is the first to hop on and the last to hop off, so pulling together the gallery of oddballs that sit next to her, sharing some stops on this symbolic journey. She is an ‘excitable’ bag lady in her 70s who believes she is Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz — and she is quite content in her fantasy, sparked by her watching the movie over and over in her childhood, to the point it engulfed her life.

Her blissful and oblivious expression and her matter-of-fact attitude rule out any bitterness towards having locked herself up in eternal childhood to escape her memories of an abusive household. It gets more heartwrenching as the audience realises she doesn’t acknowledge or hold responsible her dysfunctional family for her delusional state. Not an easy character to portray, especially if you are half a century younger, and yet Alex pulled it off brilliantly, both visually and vocally, without slipping out of character and rocking her hobo look like a seasoned model.

“I like playing ‘mental’ characters,” she says, “but I had never played a crazy lady before and this was my biggest role so far. Monologues

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make it easier to connect with the audience.”

She confesses with a grin she’d love to play extravagant characters like Willy Wonka, Nanny McPhee or Mr Magorium.

Last year she was part of the world premiere of the original drama, Mary Jane, by Julian Felice, the driving force behind Dramatis Personae Youth, the group Alex belonged to and is leaving now to pursue her university career.

“No, I didn’t play the title role there, I was in the ensemble, the chorus... just imagine if I had, now I could brag in my résumé I played a prostitute in an award-winning published Victorian drama!” Alex jokes. “I also played a very serious part in Hard to Swallow, where I was the anorexic girl’s sister who had to watch her die.”

Back to comedy, she was Frankenstein’s bride in the dark fantasy Twisted Tales of Terror.

“Serious roles are much harder,” she says.

“Being funny comes quite relaxingly, but when you are cast in a serious role you must feel and suffer what the character feels and suffers to portray it realistically.”

The trophy was a big confidence booster for Alex who is finishing her A-levels in Drama and Music and is planning to further her studies in Applied Theatre with the aim of getting into theatrical productions, or perhaps TV, or even cinema, both on screen or as voice talent for animated films, because she can imitate many accents and animal calls.

She is willing to put up with gruelling hours, and as long as money is no object she is ready to see her dream through — long queues for auditions and all — because, who knows? “Even if I don’t get the part, I can always end up at an audition standing in line next a future celebrity, and later boast: ‘Hey I knew them when they were just hopeful nobodies’...”

Rejection is, however, the biggest downside of showbiz for her, but she’s confident she will get a part sooner or later, and she’s determined to use her time the best she can.

She is fascinated with playing old ladies, powerful old ladies, for instance M in James Bond movies, as portrayed by Dame Judi Dench. She admires Anne Hathaway in Les Mis, for being able to realistically weep on screen, swollen eyes and red nose included,

“

I like the idea of being someone else, the more different from who I am the better. I like to walk in my characters’ shoes, but mostly I like to have all eyes on me.

I am such an attention seeker!

”

www.figgyphotography.com

but she also loves her in her debut role of the Princess Diaries.

Alex’s role model remains Meryl Streep, whom she loved in Julie & Julia and, more recently, The Iron Lady.

“I like the idea of being someone else, the more different from who I am the better. I like to walk in my characters’ shoes, but mostly I like to have all eyes on me. I am such an attention seeker!’ her eyes sparkle. Yet, she enjoys rehearsals and the cosy good vibe they entail — all camaraderie, team effort, timing and hard work.

She recently presented her A-level exam play with her eight-strong class.

A piece of ‘theatre of cruelty’ they wrote

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about the seven deadly sins.

“In this play, the boundaries between actors and audience are broken. The line between stage and floor blurred, and spectators will be scattered on stage so that they become silent characters, actual victims of our verbal abuse as we walk amongst them and shout at them and accuse them of committing a deadly sin.

We cannot touch them alright, but we can make them really uncomfortable as part of the show.

A disclaimer advises them before attending, that’s why we’re cherry-picking a certain type of audience, because this is not something everyone is ready for...”

Right on cue: experimental ‘total theatre’ may prompt mixed reactions, but a sure standing ovation for introducing Gibraltar to it. n

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� n i pr

� � s e �

Gibraltar’s Spring Festival is on from 1st May to 20th June 2013 with events for everyone to enjoy.

Here is the varied programme of events for this month.

Productions at Ince’s Hall Theatre 8pm. Tickets £12 on sale at the Nature Shop, Casemates.

Tuesday 14th May ‘Bible as Literature’ a talk by Charles Durante at Garrison Library 7pm.

Friday 17th May Spring Fiesta a dance performance organised by Urban Dance. Featuring Urban Dance and special guests, Academia Baile Eva, Metro Motel, Jujitsu Academy and the MMA Team, 7.30pm John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. Tickets £12 from John Mackintosh Hall ticket office from 6th May. Saturday 18th May Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association exhibition at Casemates 10am - 1.20pm, then Ocean Village 3pm to 6pm. Contact Howard Tel: 200 74657 or email howard@gibraltar.gi www. Gibraltarclassicar. com

Wednesday 1st May May Day Celebrations organised by the Gibraltar’s Trade Council in Casemates Square 11am - 6pm Fun Day — jumping castles, face painting, arts and crafts activities and more 11am - 12.30pm Live music & dance 12.30pm Union Rally 1.30pm - 5.30pm Rock Concert Featuring Head Wires, Metro Motel and TAXI Thursday 2nd May ‘Nepenthes’ official book launch by Elena Scialtiel 6.30pm Garrison Library Sunday 5th May IDF World Championships presentation organised

by Danza Academy, John Mackintosh Hall Theatre.

Children 10.30am, junior and adult presentation at 6.30pm. Tickets £10 from Soho Designs. Email danzagib@hotmail.co.uk Monday 6th to Friday 10th May ‘Henry VIII’ Puppet Show organised by Rock Theatre, John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. School performances only. Contact Angela Jenkins email: angela.jenkins@gmail.com Thursday 9th May Live at the Moorish Castle official launch of Music Film by Craig Macdonald, Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall, 7.30pm Saturday 11th May Awareness day and cycling for charity organised by five cyclists who have cycled from Fatima, Portugal, to raise funds for the Alzheimers & Dementia Support Group and Breast Cancer, Casemates 10am - 4pm Monday 13th May ‘Operation Tracer’ official launch of DVD documentary by Gold Productions Studios, directed and produced by Martin Nuza. Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall 6.30pm Monday 13th to Saturday 18th May ‘GIBUNGA’ a Llanito Musical Comedy by LOL

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Stand Firm CD launch, Band Corps of Drums of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment organised by Joe Brugada, Lobby of Parliament. All proceeds for RGRA Benevolent Fund and GHITA Museum Open Day at the Gibraltar Museum, Bomb House Lane 10am - 6pm. Free entrance.

Re-enactment Society march to Casemates Square 12 noon.

Tuesday 21st May ‘The History of Gibraltar in 5 Parts: 2 History of a Fortress’ museum lecture by Darren Fa, John Mackintosh Hall Theatre 8.30pm. Entrance free.

Wednesday 22nd May Spring Art Exhibition, John Mackintosh Hall Exhibition Rooms official opening & prize giving 6.30pm.

Thursday 23rd to Friday 7th June Spring Art Exhibition, John Mackintosh Hall Exhibition Rooms 10am-10pm. Free entrance Thursday 23rd May Mind to Mind organised by Levi Attias, Elliott Hotel 8pm. Tickets £10 email: 501@gibnet.gi All proceeds to RICC, AKIN and Childline Saturday 25th May Calpe Rooke Band, Parliament lobby 11am -1pm Thursday 30th May Celebration of Opera organised by the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society, St Michael’s Cave.

Featuring Soprano Elena Gorshunova, Tenor and Pianist. Tickets £20 from Sacarello’s Coffee Shop, Irish Town. Tickets £10 for Senior Citizens and Students available from the Silver Shop, 222 Main Street. Bus Shuttle available as from 8pm at Elliot’s Way and Public Market Friday 31st May Spring Festival Acoustic Night featuring Stephen Mclaren & Adrian Pozo of Area 52 and Noland Frendo and Christian Hook of Mr Darcy at the Bayside Sports Complex 8pm to midnight. Tickets £5 at the venue. Tel: 54005729

u � Fashionistas of Gibraltar — get set to see the established fashion show brand Runway arrive in Gibraltar this May!

A full programme of exciting shows and exhibitions will take place on Saturday 4th May atop the historic Kings Bastion walls and lounge terrace area. Set over a full evening, Runway will bring international fashion designers, bands, photographers, models, make-up artists and stylists and put their work on the catwalk alongside local talent.

With two different areas, set up like an international Fashion Week, Runway generates international press coverage and has a reputation as a launch pad for new designers while celebrating established ones.

The evening kicks off at 6pm with the first 200 being welcomed through the doors with an exclusive goody bag filled by sponsors and local businesses. The first show of the night at 7pm is the New Designer competition, with the Fashion Clash Holland organisers joining the judging panel on the night. Each new designer is invited to showcase three full looks on the catwalk and the winner will receive flights, accommodation and a full show at this year’s Fashion Clash in Maastricht, Netherlands, as well portfolio prints from Colorworks and their own solo show at the next Runway Gibraltar.

Fashion Clash is a premier European fashion trade show event featuring over 80 international designers in an exhibition of creative talent. Enhancing the popularity of established designers through its global media coverage and famous for launching the careers of new designers via the large network of buyers and scouts in attendence, a show at Fashion Clash provides a career portal to the world of fashion.

Runway Gibraltar’s five finalists for this season’s New Designer Competition are:Lauriane L’Eplattenier, Charlene Figueras, Christel Mifsud, Olga Farafano-

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va and Signe Roedbro.

Entertainment features British Beatbox sensation, Dana McKeon, on the stage at 9.30pm. She is currently in the top five beatboxers in Europe and can sing, play guitar and beatbox at the same time! Dana has worked with musicians such as Bruno Mars and will be doing a half hour set only in the Runway Lounge. Banging out the tunes will be DJ Jestin and upcoming local band Headwires will take to the stage at 10.30pm with all original material in anticipation of their EP release in May. Local designers Jane Langdon and MLE Swimwear are forming the Gibraltar Collective show at 8pm in the tent showing their newest collections, while high street heavyweight, Next, will have the 9pm slot presenting a men’s and women’s wear 2013 spring/summer collection.

10pm sees the guests return to the Runway tent for one of Spain’s favourite and most rock n roll designers, Gori de Palma from Barcelona. Gori is always one of the most highlighted designers to show at 080 Barcelona Fashion Week. With a massive fan base and an incredible talent to capture the essence of the old time rock scene, Gori’s show will be one not to miss!

The grand finale this season belongs to the exquisite William Wilde. Wilde is flying in from London having just showcased his latest collection at London Fashion Week in February. Worn by Paloma Faith, Tori Amos, Alexa Chung, Rhianna and American rapper Eve, William Wilde’s amazing rubber, latex and silk couture pieces are amazing.

His shows are always loud, fun and full of life and he is fast becoming one of the most successful UK designers of this generation.

The Runway set up will also include stands and more entertainment throughout the night. Look out for Marble Arc and Figgy Photography’s Styling Booth where guests are invited to style a model with the latest GIBRALTAR GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE •• MAY MAY 2013 2013

collection to win prizes.

This year sees the 30th birthday of Diet Coke and so Saccone & Speed are sponsoring the event and will be celebrating in style with special edition fashion bottles and other tasty treats.

Mercedes Benz are known globally big supporters of fashion events and keeping with this locally Gedime Motors are a sponsor of the night and are offering the chance to win a great driving experience prize.

While the majority of the models, stylists, make up artists and crew are being flown in from all over Europe, Runway has also hired locally based individuals to complete the team. Talented local hairdressers Miss Shapes will be behind the scenes lending support to the creative team by orchestrating the hairstyling and other local beauty professionals will join them backstage.

This early summer night is set to be an exciting one, so get your tickets now! Tickets are £15 (£10 for students), available from Colorworks, 104/106 Irish Town. n Visit www.facebook.com/runway.gibraltar

Photo: Kris Micallef (www.krismicallef.com) for William Wilde

�

y a w n u

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�udith �haylor

words | Elena Scialtiel

?

Can you see the pattern

Metaphorically colouring outside the lines to meticulously paint skilful and beautifully decorative pictures, globetrotting artist Judith Shaylor is bringing a breath of spring to Gibraltar, with some artwork definitely bound to raise more than one eyebrow.

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creatives arts

Whether the eyebrows are raised in rave, puzzlement or disapproval is for the art consumers to tell. And they can be frank, because Wolverhampton-born Tarifa-based Judith values honest feedback from progressive artists and fans, that’s why she’s taking her work back to British soil, after an itinerant existence in Europe.

Judith strives to be true to herself and search for the perfect fusion of colour and texture, without copying any short-lived fad, but also without shunning major trends, smugly isolating herself in an ivory tower.

“I want to bring back into fashion the value of pure painting. I want people to look at my work every day, and every day see something new and different in it, and never tire of it,” she says.

Judith is in her element with textures and patterns, alternated or superimposed on figurative, narrative or abstract subject matters.

Usually in a bold and colourful composition which, though apparently simple from afar, the works scatter in multiplicity, repetition and variation, when you step closer to appreciate the underlining pattern work.

“I used to hand weave huge tapestries worth several thousand pounds which took months and months to complete, but towards the end of my course of studies I realised that wasn’t my path,” she explains of how the textures of woven fabrics made their way into her colour palette, when her need to paint grew stronger.

No shortcuts here — no sticking snippets of textured fabrics or wallpaper on canvas and then sneakily doodling on top, not at all: the layered effect is crafted by hand painting one by one the myriad of modules, all similar, but

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She roamed the streets in search of wall cracks and graffiti, because vandalism may lead to masterpieces when viewed through an unconventional lens

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slightly different and unique.

Once the acrylics are dry and able to provide the background, Judith proceeds with the main picture which usually features abstract lines, or a painstaking pointillist technique, and the vigorous use of bright splashes of colour, to build up virtual layers and give the illusion of an old pile of peeled-off posters.

She is, in fact, very proud of her sense of colour, firstly scouted and praised by her art teacher and one of the late 20th Century’s best abstract artists, the late Sir Robin Philipson.

She marries well her innate sense of colour with her formation as a tapestry weaver and textile printmaker, and always manages to whisk up harmony of form and colour in her work, whether with the muted hues and small grain of gabardine and tweed, or the vibrant explosion of tropical vegetation inspired by silken saris.

“Through a lengthy and often slow process the artist explores the idea of how natural and man-made surfaces overlap and inspire works which often reproduces decorative chaos,” says her biography published in the Saatchi Online.

Judith often works from photographs, but she doesn’t reproduce them faithfully on canvas, because showing off how perfectly she can draw isn’t the point of her work. She uses them as a memo for expanding into something completely different, like her series of Stains that originated the day she spotted an amazing splodge on the ancient walls of a Portuguese castle. Whether it was some ectoplasmic sap or age-old dirt, it set her cogs in motion and inspired several works.

She usually shuns portraits or human forms, with the notable exception of a series titled Untitled, featuring half a face vaguely reminiscent of a James Bond movie poster, ripping through very diverse wallpaper-like layers, from monochrome pop-art to Victorian-feel florals or some cyberpunk neon flashes.

Her residence in Venice, where she staged her 2011 exhibition at Scoletta di San Giovanni Battista, Campo della Bragora, made her roam the streets in search of wall cracks and graffiti, because vandalism may lead to masterpieces when viewed through an unconventional lens.

So the Venetian series was born, but don’t expect to find cliché gondolas and canals in it: they are eccentric exercises that have nothing in common with La Serenissima but her largerthan-life flamboyance.

Judith’s major work stretches across sizeable canvases and fetches prices in the region of a handful of hundreds, but anyone can be the proud owner of her numbered prints for a fraction of it, or perhaps commission her for a pet portrait.

That’s right, Judith is a dog person and besides travelling everywhere with her Spanish water dog Fleur, she likes to capture her friends’ four-pawed friends on paper, in a slightly different style from her mainstream work. She is also involved with stray dog charities and often donates proceedings from her sideline activity.

On another side of Judith’s works sit her acrylic sketches of grinning skeletons riding turquoise waves like locks and curls borrowed from Pinocchio’s Fairy, worthy of a line of ca-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

creatives arts She has made painting her full-time job because she must paint to feel alive, as much as she needs to breathe the Strait’s briny air sual apparel, as their funky and surreal image would fit T-shirts and backpack prints for the surfing dudes who work themselves to the bone in pursuit of their passion.

Despite admitting that influential galleries can make or break an artist when they cherrypick whose work to exhibit or advise collectors whom to invest in (and lamenting that they can be ageist sometimes) Judith has had a great run so far, making last winter’s Cork Street exhibition in London for instance, shortlisted out of some 1,600 entrants, and so getting her foot in the door to stardom.

At the moment she can only wish her work enjoyed the same strike of luck of Peter Doig’s record fetching canoe. She has made painting her full-time job because she must paint to feel alive, as much as she needs to breathe the Strait’s briny air.

This will hopefully inspire her oceanic and breezy colour palette for an Andalusian second exhibition in the near future, after breaking the ice at her solo at Sacarello’s Coffee Shop, where she also hopes to network with like-minded local painters. n For more information, visit www.judithshaylor.com.

publications such as “Lee Miller - War Editor” , “ The Angel and the Fiend” and the “The Home of the Surrealists”.

Gibraltar Decorative & Fine Arts Society lecture

The speaker is well-known to Nadfas groups in Spain and on the Rock, and he will be welcomed for his unparalleled account of exciting artistic times.

Picasso, Man Ray & Max Ernst

For further information on GibDFAS news and the activities of the other four mainland groups of Nadfas, visit the website: www. nadfas.org/gibraltar.

Wednesday, 15th May 7.30pm (pre-lecture drinks 6.30pm) at the O’Callaghan Eliott Hotel

Picasso, Man Ray and Max Ernst through the eyes of Lee Miller and Roland Penrose.

The giant figures of 20th century art, Picasso, Man Ray and Max Ernst were also close friends of the Surrealist photographer Lee Miller and artist Roland Penrose. This lecture is the story of this unique friendship which spanned the last

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Picasso with Antony Penrose at Farely House Farm in Sussex

30 years of Picasso’s life and is told

by Antony Penrose, who witnessed some of the events at first-hand.

Sometimes known as the “ Boy Who Bit Picasso “, for decades Antony has been conserving and disseminating from the Farley

House Farm in Sussex the work of his parents Lee Miller and Roland Penrose which has featured in many national UK exhibitions and the V & A. Antony has lectured around the world, made TV documentaries and written

Max Ernst portrait, oil on canvas,1924

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fashion

leisure & sport

shopping & gifts

Retail& Activities hair & beauty

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newsagents/books

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travel & hotels Health & Beauty Salon

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photography

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Protect Your Dog Against Fatal Summer Diseases Heartworm, Leishmaniosis, Tickborne Diseases Phone Gibraltar Veterinary Clinic for details 200 77334 Emergency: 8977

Studio47 For information and bookings contact: www.vassalloimages.com Warren Vassallo Mobile 54176000 Spain mobile: 678158755 email: warren@vassalloimages.com

Archive editions of The Gibraltar Magazine now available online at www.thegibraltarmagazine.com

58 58

GIBRALTAR GIBRALTARMAGAZINE MAGAziNE••APRIL MAY 2013

may events

James Foot Exhibition For all culture hounds out there, there will be a fantastic exhibition of new watercolours of Gibraltar by James Foot, on at the Fine Arts Gallery, Casemates Square from 22nd - 24th May (11am - 6pm).

Classics on Show It’s that time of year again, when Casemates fills with motoring history as classic cars gather in Gibraltar for the12th Gibraltar International Classic and Vintage Car Rally.

On Saturday 18th May from 10am to 1pm Casemates Square will be filled with fabulous vintage and classic vehicles and the public is invited to go along enjoy the cars and take pictures. At 1.20pm the vehicles will leave Casemates and drive up Main Street in procession to Cathedral Square and from there to Europa Point for a photo shoot. At 2.15pm the procession will leave Europa Point and travel to Ocean Village, where they will be on show from 2.30pm to 6pm.

Learn to Paint Like James...

Get your paintbrushes at the ready aspiring and improving artists! Aclaimed watercolourist James Foot is staging two watercolour workshops in Gibraltar this month. The first from Tuesday 28th May to Saturday 1st June and the second from Monday 3rd June to Friday 7th. Beginners and experienced painters welcome.

The workshops will focus on James’ approach to drawing, composition and painting in pencil and watercolour and will focus on the themes in his work — boats, water reflections and chairs and tables. The aim is that each student will make two or

The stairway in the Garrison Library

three 38 x 28cm paintings during the week.

The workshop group will meet each day for breakfast at 9.30am at the Waterfront restaurant, Queensway Quay, after which James will begin each working day with an hour demonstration of that day’s theme at 10.30am. He will talk through his decision making/composition ideas/method and will take questions from the group. From 11.30 students will disperse to work on that day’s theme and James will circulate amongst the students offering tuition, advice and encouragement. At around 2pm the group will gather for a group criticism of that day’s achievements — a positive criticism which will lead to the next day’s work. The workshop will end each day at approximately 3pm.

The fee for the five days of the workshop is £250. This includes breakfast and all materials: Saunders/Waterford 640gm/sq/m watercolour paper, Rembrandt Watercolour paints from the painter’s own palette and a ProArte12 brush that the students have to keep. To register for the workshop a deposit of £100.00 is payable in advance. n For information or to book contact Sue McIntosh Tel: 200 44718 email: susan.mcintosh@hotmail.co.uk or jamesefoot@yahoo.co.uk

Acoustic Night An Acoustic Night featuring Stephen Mclaren and Adrian Pozo of Area52 and Mr Dacy, featuring Christian Hook and Nolan Fendo is sure to be a great Friday night’s entertainment at the end of May. The Spring Fest Acoustic Night will take place on Friday 31st May from 8pm - midnight at the Bayside Sports Complex.

Tickets are £5 from the venue (Tel: 54005729 for info).

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

59

update

community

�obert �alba�

When a Community Cares words | Richard Cartwright

Sometimes our health ‘luck’ runs out and a trip to hospitals in the UK or Spain is a must.

Apart from the inevitable traumatic experience there is a considerable personal expense to patients and escorts when travelling to appointments, and financial assistance is welcome.

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

community On the Rock we have a system in place where appointments and arrangements are made for patients to travel to their particular hospital or clinic. The GHA runs a well oiled Sponsored Patients Department (I’ve experienced it myself a few times) whose personnel are very helpful.

Flights are booked and paid for by the department and expense allowances are provided.

There is also a limited amount of accommodation for patients and escorts at Calpe House in Bayswater in London (a home from home for Gibraltarians), but often hotel accommodation needs to be sought adding to the general expenses and of course, the money available to the department is limited.

That’s where compassionate and caring individuals come to the fore. About eight years ago the Gibraltar Community Association was formed to help with a little extra cash for those in most need.

“It all started when I was approached by George Posso, who used to help out in the Youth Service when I was working there,” the Association’s main man, Robert Balban explains. “When I retired we got a group going to see how we could help those going abroad for treatment. We started raising funds with bed marathons, bingo nights and some other activities and soon word spread. In our first year we assisted 26 patients.”

Today, they have just under 600 members who pay £5 a year subscription fee and one or two private donations, plus donations from the GBC Open Day and other support groups and organisations. A GCA flag day is also held annually.

Robert was Senior Youth Worker in charge of the Gibraltar Youth Service for a number of years, so his experience in dealing with members of the community came in handy when he took on this task. “Now we have a hard working committee led by our Chairman Alfred Rumbo and myself, and we have this small office where we can meet prospective clients. I remember at first we would meet patients in a hospital waiting room, Morrison’s cafeteria and other places where it became very awkward trying to have a private conversation.

“Most of the people who come to see us are in need of some assistance. They will come on their own or with a relative or friend and talk to us. We then refer to the Sponsored Patients’ Department with whom we work really well, compare notes and usually everything is in order and we provide some financial help.

“It’s not always possible to stay at Calpe House so nearby hotels are suggested to them by the department and ourselves and there too, although the Sponsored Patients’ Department gives them an allowance towards that, it’s usually not enough. London is very expensive these days and food and other expenses have to be met. Sometimes their stay in the UK is longer than first thought and it all adds up.

“The Association’s involvement with the community has been increasing year on year.

In 2005, for example, there were 26 assisted patients and in 2012 there were 118. In total, during all those years, we’ve helped 527 individuals,” he states. Pretty good going!

But the association is not just there to provide financial assistance. It is continually monitoring the Sponsored Patients’ Scheme to see where

Members of the Gibraltar Community Association are doing all they can to assist our sick who need to travel and they deserve a great big warm pat on the back

improvements are needed.

“Since 2007 quite a number of allowances have been increased and we feel we’ve helped in some small way to achieve those improvements in the system,” says Robert.

Allowances for patients and escorts have been increased from £266 to £427 per week, for instance. Older couples with very little knowledge of London who speak little English now travel to Calpe House or hospital in a taxi straight from the airport and are returned to the airport the same way and don’t have to experience the inconvenience of chasing trains and other taxis to get to their destination.

Petrol allowances have doubled for patients travelling to Spain when using their own vehicle. An extra airfare has been introduced for patients aged up to 16 so that both parents can travel with them (in the past the allowance only

update

applied to children up to age six). And there are other improvements thanks to sympathetic ministers, the GHA and the Gibraltar Community Association who continue pressing the Health Authority for more improvements.

“We understand the difficulties and understand we can’t achieve everything we want, but we try to be reasonable when making these demands. For example, means testing should be abolished as it can turn out to be grossly unfair to many of the users. The system is cumbersome and bureaucratic and it’s not always easy to assess whose income should be taken into account,” Robert claims. “Sometimes an escort is a family friend or a relative and not a spouse or parent and means testing is assessed on the escort who, in good faith, has already agreed to help out and will run up expenses of his or her own. If unemployed, the escort’s spouse is then mean tested. So this is unfair also.”

Robert also highlights problems with paying hotel bills and other expenses, especially when travelling to Spanish hospitals that don’t have the payment facilities afforded to patients in many UK hospitals where expenses can be reimbursed. In London patients can also go to the Gibraltar Information Office at Gibraltar House in the Strand and claim assistance there.

The list goes on and slowly suggestions are taken on board and improvements introduced which all go to make life easier when on a trip which is far removed from a holiday experience.

Members of the Gibraltar Community Association are doing all they can to assist our sick who need to travel and they deserve a great big warm pat on the back.

Total expenditure for 2011 was £25,000 and between 2005 and 2012 the association has financially supported us to the tune of £126,000.

That’s a tidy amount, and every year more and more patients are assisted — on average they’ve supported one case every three day.

That means more pounds are needed to carry out the task they set out to fulfil eight years ago.

You can become a member for just £5 a year. Their office is situated in the open space between the tunnels at Casemates on route to Landport and is open on Tuesdays between 4pm and 8pm.

The Gibraltar Community Association’s Flag Day this year, takes place on Friday 31st May and they need some helpers. How about you? n

Adopt Don’t Buy

Give a Dog a Home If you are interested in adopting call the GSPCA on 540 19968 or 540 29927 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

61

That Nail Place

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Come and enjoy real Italian meals in Gibraltar’s leading pasta house

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Gibraltar Taxi Association

Gibibikes Stations

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Quality Kitchen Ware Gibraltar’s Best Stocked Cook Shop K5

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Homecooking . our speciality .

Open Monday

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M5 to Saturday K5

I4 D5 62

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S3 Accountants Durante Carboni Jardim..............X3 ESV Hassan & Co........................ I4 Business/Financial Services AI Couriers..................................K3 Barclays...................................... M4 Jyske Bank.................................. L4 Sovereign Trust...........................N4 ITMS............................................ J9 Business Services Waste Management......................a6 Business Supplies Beacon Press...............................N6 Image Graphics...........................N3 Stitch Design................................P3

Motoring & Car Sales A. M. Capurro & Sons Ltd ........ N6 Computers & Cableing Image Graphics........................... N3 Newton Systems.........................M5 PC Clinic..................................... U3 Food & Drink Amin’s The Office....................... K5 Bridge Bar . ................................ B5 Buddies Pasta Casa..................... Q4 Cafe Rojo.................................... K5 Café Solo..................................... G3 Casa Pepe.....................................Z6 Get Stuffed.................................. A3 House of Sacarello.......................L5 Just Desserts..................................I4

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

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1st - full body

2nd - full body

2nd - partial

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�ody �ainting organiser Hamish Dalmedo with Miss Gibrlatar

Pictured are the winners of Gibraltar’s First International Body Painting Festival, which took place in April and was a huge success. It will be exciting to see it develop next year.

3rd - full body

The Winners

Photographer - artist - model(s): 1st place full body: John Piris - Marina Ledesma Casas - Noelia Benitez Rios 2nd place full body: Annette Reyes - Reanne David - Georgina Caballero 3rd place full body: Bertrand Orsal - Team SkinPainter - Maxine Bettridge 1st place partial: Bertrand Orsal - Gema Larios Calderon - Alvaro De La Rosa 2nd place partial: Karon Yusifredo - Team SkinPainter - Maxine Bettridge/Cat Montado

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

openings

Fancy a Crafty Cupcake

?

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

There is some good news for lovers of lovely things — the Crafty Cupcake has opened on the first floor of the ICC and it is full of glorious goodies.

update

cupcakes and children’s craft kits to scented candles and room fragrancers to Neal’s Yard organic natural health and beauty products.

The Crafty Cupcake is the prefect place to pick up a gift, but it is so full of little indulgences you are bound to treat yourself too. n

Opened by well-known friendly faces, Located in Unit F21B, 1st Floor ICC. Pop in to Geeta Cunningham and Jane Russell, this little say hello to Geeta and Jane or visit the website to shop sells delights from Jane’s scrumptious find out more www.thecraftycupcakegib.gi

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puzzle page

by Alan Gravett

SUDOKU

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Just for fun!

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Jotting Pad Send completed crossword to: The Clipper, Irish Town, Gibraltar.

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FIRST PRIZE: Lunch for 2 at The Clipper

One entry per person.

Closing date: 16th May 2013 Last month’s winner: Mrs Janet Rawlings Both Worlds LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS: Across: Syringa, Croatia, Upright, Illyria, Eclat, Steinbeck, Banknotes, Tress, Badshot, Tonight, Lesotho, Western Down: Sauce, Rural, Nights in White Satin, Active, Rolling Stones, Starve, Damask, Cuba, Cuss, Bubble, Nudist, Tattow, Eagle.

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Across 1 For example, the yeast that makes

dough rise (6) 4 Old Chinese ceremony of touching

forehead to show deference (6) 9 West African country (7) 10 Breed of dog – favoured by Her

Majesty (5) 11 Greek letter (5) 12 Originating from, for instance,

Istanbul or Ankara (7) 13 Symbol of intense grief (6,5) 18 Distance from side to side (7) 20 Piece of furniture; list of contents (5) 22 Type of 6 (5) 23 English Premiership football team (7) 24 Globe (6) 25 Thoroughfare (6) Down 1 Distance from end to end (6) 2 Distance between two lines diverging

from the same point; to fish (5) 3 Set aside for a specific purpose (7) 5 Happen (5) 6 Breed of dog (7) 7 Heaviness (6) 8 Star of Apocalypse Now father of

Charlie who shares his adopted

surname and Emilio Estevez (6,5) 14 Adjective describing hock or other

wine from the Rhine area (7) 15 Implore (7) 16 Old counting apparatus (6) 17 Edible seed – favoured by

monkeys! (6) 19 Endower (5) 21 Take a dip; wash (5)

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

update snippets

photo: Simon Annand

Gibraltar: A Search for Truth Gibraltar, a play by Alastair Brett with Sian Evans, opened last month for a short run at the Arcola theatre, Dalston in North London.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Gibraltar is play about a journalist’s search of the truth and what happened following the shooting of three unarmed IRA terrorists by members of the Special Air Service on the Rock on 6th March 1988. It shows the different approaches of two journalists to the then burning question, were the shootings a perfect example of the British Government dispensing summary justice to IRA suspects by cold bloodedly killing them — ‘shoot to kill’ rather than arresting them and putting them through the due process of law?

The play examines the backlash to Death on the Rock a television documentary on the killings and one witness’s detailed account of how the SAS members leapt out of a police car and shot the terrorists while they were trying to surrender. Amelia, a young inexperienced television presenter is in awe of this brave witness and her account, Nick , a seasoned Fleet Street journalist living in Gibraltar, is deeply sceptical about Rosa , her background and the account she has given to television.

Gibraltar is set against a backdrop of possible IRA involvement in drug smuggling and the Costa del Sol criminal underworld. n

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photo: © DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos)

Lee’s Kicking it!

The vote on the Gibraltar Football Association’s full membership of UEFA will take place on 24th May, 2013 during the XXXVII Ordinary UEFA Congress, to be held in London, England.

It is an exciting time for the Rock and for Gibraltar FA’s forward Lee Casciaro, who was awarded GBC Sports Personality of the Year at a ceremony in February 2013, recognising his outstanding performances in 2012.

Anyone who listens to the media or is upLee, who was born in 1981, describes growto-date with football in Gibraltar will know ing up in Gibraltar and playing football with that the long awaited month of May will his brothers as “extremely memorable.” determine whether Gibraltar is granted full membership of UEFA. “This has and will undoubtedly always be Lee can honestly say he a Gibraltarian’s goal,” says Lee, “to be given has done and achieved more the opportunity to reveal our true colours and let other countries witness for themselves than he would ever have how talented we truly are. Hopefully this thought possible in terms will occur sooner rather than later so myself and all my football colleagues can experience of local football this as present players and not as retired individuals.”

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“Being the eldest of three brothers sharing the same pastimes, is something that not all siblings get to stumble upon,” he grins.

“You can only just imagine the amount of fun we had!”

Now reflecting in his early 30s, Lee can honestly say he has done and achieved more than he would ever have thought possible in terms of local football. When it comes to putting the ball in the net, Lee is the GFA’s top scorer and seems to have a natural ability to control the ball.

“Ever since I can recall I have always been involved in sporting activities, and my spe-

Gibraltar MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Gibraltar is getting tantalisingly close to becoming a full member of UEFA and for Lee this would be a childhood dream come true

Games moment to date, topping their previous best result as runners-up on home soil in 1995. “This has definitely been one of the highlights in my football career,” he says.

Receiving the GBC Sports Award was another career highlight for Lee, though he also describes it as “nerve-racking” and says it came as quite a surprise to him.

“I did not believe I would be awarded that title at that moment in time. Once my nerves had died down and I got the chance to rethink what had happened I did feel rather grateful. I have always taken part in

photo: © DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos)

ciality has always been football. It all began as a child running after a football in my district playground, then joining Lincoln Football Club at the young age of 7, participating in school sporting clubs and continuing to perform as an adult until present.

“Football always has and always will be my preferred sporting activity, however, it has not always been the only sport I have dedicated myself to. Playing hockey was a pastime that I tried and thoroughly enjoyed primarily because it is the one sport my father played and was rather competent at as a youngster. For this reason, both my brother Ryan and I chose to play hockey along with football at a young age.”

When Lee turned 16 he found himself having to choose between sports and luckily for the Gibraltar FA he opted to continue playing football.

The match Lee highlights as the most important in his career since then is the friendly the GFA played against the Faroe Islands here in Gibraltar in March 2011.

“I believe this is the most important match to this day generally because it was the first time Gibraltar played against a National team beating them 3-0.” Since then the GFA has gone on to beat the Gibraltar England C National team in November 2011 and the Isle of Man and Jersey in 2012.

And the best tournament? Lee is emphatic “Definitely the Island Games football tournament held in Rhodes 2007. At this tournament we won the gold medal beating Rhodes 4-0 in the final.” This was the GFA’s finest Island

heroes

photo: Pennie Gwilt

sporting

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE •• MAY MAY 2013 2013 GIBRALTAR

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sporting

heroes This will undeniably “ provide new gateways

for the up-and-coming generations where one day they may very well turn their dreams into a reality

photo: © DM Parody (http://dotcom.gi/photos)

”

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football not only because I enjoy it but because of the great satisfaction that comes along with it. So receiving this award has helped me to acknowledge the fact that Gibraltarians know how seriously I take this role and how committed I am towards football particularly — especially when we get to play against superior teams as this is where I try my very best to demonstrate how skilled and professional we are in Gibraltar and how much we truly want other nations to acknowledge this.”

Gibraltar is getting tantalisingly close to becoming a full member of UEFA and for Lee this would be a childhood dream come true.

“Unfortunately, I am no longer a 20-year-old football player and, whether or not I am willing to accept it, I know that my football career will soon come to an end, and I will never be given the one opportunity to sell myself as a professional player and live my dream. Then again, I am optimistic that this will undeniably provide new gateways for the upand-coming generations where one day they may very well turn their dreams into a reality.”

Lee has many people who have supported him throughout his football career, but he singles out his parents for special praise.

“My number one fans have always been my parents. They are the ones who have always been committed to sport, whether it meant driving us to training sessions, or supporting my brothers and I at local and international games.

“As you grow older,” he adds, “you also acknowledge the hard work all football managers, coaches and officials put in when arranging both local and international events to help promote Gibraltar, and they may not always receive the gratitude they deserve. So here is a ‘thank you’ to all.”

Thank you Lee for being a great ambassador for football in Gibraltar. n

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Reg’s

pages from history

Gibraltar Saluted ill-fated Emperor words | Reg Reynolds

In April 1864 Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria sailed aboard SMS Novara from Trieste to Veracruz to take up his role as Emperor of Mexico.

Most reports of the voyage of the Austrian fleet state that Queen Victoria ordered the Gibraltar garrison to fire a salute to Maximilian’s passing ship. This was duly done but the Novara didn’t just pass Gibraltar she sailed in and anchored in the harbour.

Governor of Gibraltar, General William Codrington, hosted a banquet for Maxamilian and his wife Charlotte, who was called Carlota by the Mexicans. In return the Governor and other Gibraltar dignitaries were treated to a banquet aboard the Novara.

In his historical novel Noticias Del Imperio (News from the Empire) Fernando Del Paso portrays how he feels the scenario at Gibraltar would have gone. Although the book is a novel, Del Paso’s works have been described as “encyclopaedic”.

As the Novara approached the Rock and received the salute from the Garrison, Del Paso has Maxamilian saying to his wife: “Do you see, do you see, Carlota? Perfidious Albion is paying us tribute.”

Maximilian hands Carlota his binoculars saying, “Look the famous monkeys of Gibraltar are there. I told you already... how when the last monkey disappears, the English will abandon Gibraltar.“ “They will never leave,” aide said Don Joaquin. “They would start importing monkeys from

GIBRALTAR GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE •• MAY MAY 2013 2013

One of the most bizarre stories of the European aristocracy was that of Ferdinand Maximilian Josef, an Austrian prince who Napoleon III installed as Emperor of Mexico...

Timbuktu.”

Del Paso has Maxamilian and his entourage visiting the caves and the race track where he tells another aide, “You see, Sebastian, wherever the English go they take their grass, their delicious marmalades, their curries and their teas with them.”

Undoubtedly Maxmilian enjoyed his time on the Rock and it is just as well because there were tough times ahead.

The Novara docked at Veracruz on 21st May, 1864 and Maxamilian and Carlota were greeted with wild enthusiasm from the crowds.

They then travelled to Mexico City which they had chosen to be their seat of rule. Maxamilian did have the backing of the conservatives and Napoleon III* [see note] but there was never peace during his short reign as Emperor. The Republicans under the leader-

ship of Benito Juarez maintained a constant state of warfare and it was only thanks to the French army that Maxamilian was able to remain in power.

The youngish (he was only 31) Emperor and Empress did their best to appease the people. She organised parties and fund raisers for the poor while he lowered working hours, abolished child labour, forbade corporal punishment and decreed that peons could no longer be bought and sold for the price of their debt.

Maxamilian and Carlota had no children of their own so they adopted two Mexican boys, grandsons of former Emperor Agustín de Iturbide.

It was to no avail. In 1866 Napoleon III, in the face of Mexican and American opposition and with threats from Prussia at home, withdrew his troops. Carlota returned

Napoleon III urged Maxamilian to return to Europe but out of loyalty to his followers he refused and therefore signed his own death warrant

to Europe to try and gain support for her husband from Paris, Vienna and the Vatican but her efforts failed, she fell into a deep depression and never returned to Mexico.

Napoleon III urged Maxamilian to return to Europe but out of loyalty to his followers he refused and therefore signed his own death warrant. Mexico City fell on 15th May, 1867. Maximilian tried to escape with the help of a loyal cavalry brigade but he was captured the next morning. Following a court-martial he was sentenced to death and on 19th June, 1867 he and two of his generals were executed by firing squad.

Maxamilian faced death with bravery and spoke in Spanish to his executioners: “I forgive everyone, and I ask everyone to forgive me. May my blood which is about to be shed, be for the good of the country. Viva Mexico, viva la independencia!”

The two Mexican generals died shouting “Long Live the Emperor.”

Many of the crowned heads of Europe and prominent liberals such as Victor Hugo and Giuseppe Garibaldi sent telegrams to Juarez pleading that the Emperor’s life be spared. Juarez, who liked Maxamilian as a person, refused because he wanted to send a message to Europe that Mexico would not tolerate any intervention from foreign powers.

Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph was born at Vienna on 6th July, 1832 to Archduke Franz Karl and Sophie, a Bavarian princess of the House of Wittlesbach. He was a clever and likeable boy who enjoyed the arts, science and botany but he was also undisciplined and enjoyed playing pranks on his teachers and adult relatives. Maximilian joined the Navy aged 18 and threw himself into his career.

By 1854, aged just 22, he was Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian Navy. He still held this post when, at the urging of Napoleon III and Mexican monarchists, he made the fateful decision to accept the title of Emperor of Mexico.

After his execution Maxamilian’s body was embalmed and put on display. Later the Novara returned to Mexico to retrieve the body and this time, when the ship passed Gibraltar the Emperor lay in a coffin. The coffin was placed in the Imperial Crypt at Vienna on 18th January, 1868. n *Note: There were persistent rumours that Maxamilian was the illegitimate son of Napoleon II, but a majority of historians discredit this.

71 71

photo finish

images of the month We couldn’t decide this month if we went for ‘weather’ or ‘creatures’, so we’re printing all four of our favourites. Thanks to everyone who sent them in. Keep them coming!

Clockwise from top: Rainbow, Queensway Quay Marina - Daniel Zagura; This is My Town - Pedro Salcedo Jnr; Sunshine After the Rain - Kevin Beint; Short-Toed Eagle - David Parody.

Get involved If you have a fabulous

photo taken in Gibraltar and you’d like to see it in print, send it to The Gibraltar Magazine — email: gibmag@ gibraltar.gi.

We’ll feature our favourite photo each month and you’ll see your name in lights (well ink anyway!).

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

What’s On May 2013 1st May – 20th June 2013 Spring Festival - programme of events on page 53.

Saturday 4th May Arts & Crafts Market, Casemates 10am-3pm Re-enactment Society march to Casemates 12 noon

Saturday 11th May Arts & Crafts Market, Casemates 10am-3pm Calpe Band at Parliament lobby 11am -1pm

Gibraltar Botanic Gardens Tour meets George Don Gates (at the south end of Grand Parade) 10.30am. No fee but donations welcome. Tel: 200 72639 Email: alameda@wildlife.gib.gi Saturday 11th May Gibraltar Ornithological & Natural History Society monthly outing — Valdelinfierno, Los Alcornocales woodland flowers and birds. 8am at the Spanish side of Frontier.

Contact Jill Yeoman & Michael Tiedke Tel: 54015060 Email: yeoman@gonhs.org Wednesday 15th May Art Lecture – Picasso, Man Ray and Max Ernst organised by the Gibraltar Decorative and Fine Arts Society, O’Callaghan Eliott Hotel 7.30pm. Contact Claus Olesen on 200 02024

Saturday 18th May Camino de Gibraltar Pilgrimage – Walk in Gibraltar through all Roman Catholic Churches in aid of GIBMISSION AFRICA. For team participation and enquiries contact Richard Bear Tel 54008765 or Angie Risso Tel: 54029095 Saturday 25th May Arts & Crafts Market, Casemates 10am-3pm Re-enactment Society march to Casemates 12pm

Saturday 1st June The next Craft & Collectors Fair will be held in the beautiful 150 year old St Andrew’s Church in Governor’s Parade on Saturday 1st June from 10am to 2pm. Stalls offer a large selection of vintage and antique items and collectables. As well as silver, jewellery, coins, toys, model soldiers, dolls house items and Gibraltar memorabilia, there will be the usual books and puzzles.

Hand-crafted items include paintings and pictures, cards and toys, clay models, crocheted and knitted items, and handmade bracelets. Whether you are a serious collector, a gift buyer, or just in search of a bargain, you will find plenty to choose from.

Home-made cakes and sandwiches in the lounge. Stalls £10 to including table and cloth. Tel: 540 23 166.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Peo p le&Pets This month we interview the lovely Maggie and her dog friend Chip

Maggie & Chip Maggie: Female from planet Venus Chip: English Cocker Spaniel Age Maggie: 25 Chip: 4

Sociability Maggie: I like to think I am very sociable.

Chip: I am very sociable and if I see you I will go up to even if I don’t know you.

Interesting Facts Maggie: I did an intensive 1 week dog training class and even gave my own class Likes in Fuengirola which was really fun.

Maggie: Photography, reading, drawing, Chip: I am a Cocker Spaniel and if you see dancing, singing (that’s why it rains at me you will realise I have a waggy tail. My times), dog training and watching loads of breed had their tails docked in the past animal documentaries. because we were working dogs and we Chip: Anything that resembles a ball, used to go out and hunt with our owners. opposite sex, playing, cuddles, swimming Our tails would get caught in bushes and and going for walks. brambles and we would get hurt. Good thing I don’t work.

Hates Maggie: Spiders, just don’t like them.

Usefulness Chip: Bath time, staying home alone, vets Maggie: I can cook practically anything. and having no more treats left.

Chip: I take my own lead home, or your mobile or wallet if you trust me enough.

Favourite Foods Maggie: Pasta, marisco tapas and Greatest Achievement Chinese food.

Maggie: I have a lot of achievements, but I Chip: I love sausages and chicken! seem to want more each day.

Chip: Falling asleep in the most awkward Best Trick positions imaginable.

Maggie: I can pat my head and rub my belly at the same time.

If you weren’t a dog/human you’d be?

Chip: I know all sorts of tricks, sit, paw, Maggie: I would most likely be a dog. speak, roll over. I’ll even do them all at Chip: A human who owns his own sausage once if you have a sausage for me. company.

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community

update

�isual Variety It was a packed house in April for the launch of the Visual Variety exhibition of paintings at Sacarello’s on Irish Town.

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Visual Variety is a combined exhibition of the works of local artist Willa’s art group. The paintings are colourful, vibrant and varied and make for great viewing. The exhibition is on until mid-May so go along, enjoy a coffee and some art. n The artists are Mark Baglietto, Maribel Matthews, Leon Peralta, Pauline Gomez, Anna Cavilla Latin, Valerie Cisarego, Jyotti Mahtani, Colin Scott, Divia Sadhwani, and Anna de la Fuente

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

community

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

update

75

photo

call

Happy Birthday Annabel! Annabel celebrated her birthday in style last month at Cafe Rojo.

Safe Hands

Photo Call...

Pictured above is Gibraltar Chartered Safety & Health Practitioner Richard Labrador, who was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours 2013 for services to health and safety, at the Palace with Pete Osborne, standing to his left. Pete also works as a Risk and Health and Safety Advisor, however, as an ex-serviceman and a member of the Queen’s Body Guard of the Yeoman of the Guard he attends on ceremonial events such as investitures, State Opening of Parliament, Garden Parties, State Visits and the Maundy Service.

This page is for you.

Send us your pictures of special occasions in Gibraltar and we will try to include them. You don’t have to be a VIP (everyone is a VIP to us), so snap, snap, snap away and email to gibmag@ gibraltar.gi.

By the way, we also love to get pictures of people reading the Gibraltar Magazine abroad, it makes us proud to see how far they travel (though a little jealous too!). no

Many Happies A very happy birthday to Pat Linares, pictured with dentist husband Charles, who celebrated her birthday this year with a romantic dinner for two at Cafe Rojo. Ahhhh.

76

Boys on Film Above:

Alexander Sanchez Soiza (age 6) one of the winners at the ELC Easter competition. Right: Aaron Sanchez Soiza (age 4), following his mummy’s footsteps — Melanie Soiza (Miss Gib 1998). Thanks Melanie for the great pics!

Not Just Desserts!

All smiles from the Just Desserts girls in the ICC who serve up delicious food right through from breakfast, lunch and coffee and cakes — the desserts are extra special!

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

photo call

A Birthday Trio Birthday celebrations in triplicate

this month at Cafe Rojo when Chef Norbert will be 30 on 26th May, Head Chef Luis will be 40 on 1st May and the lovely Aida will be 50 on 6th May. Annette will be taking Chef Luis to the Barcelona Grand Prix as a special birthday treat so diners please note - Cafe Rojo will be closed from 10th - 13th May, reopening in the morning on Tuesday 14th May. n Follow Cafe Rojo on Twitter @CafeRojo_Gib for updates

School Reunion A fabulous time was had by all at the recent St. Joseph’s Middle School reunion at Bruno’s, Ocean Village.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

77

�trawberr� seaso� In another bowl, beat the mascarpone with 75ml wine until light. Add the chocolate and beat until smooth. Fold in the cream.

Mix the orange juice with the remained of the wine in a shallow bowl. Dip each ladiesfinger into the juice/wine wetting them.

Arrange the biscuits in a flat square glass dish, breaking them to fit if necessary.

Once the bottom is covered, spread half the mascarpone mixture over them. Arrange the strawberries on this mixture evenly. Add another layer of biscuits, then finish with the rest of the marscapone, using a knife to smooth the top.

Refrigerate for at least 5 hours.

Cut the tiramisu into squares and serve garnished with sliced strawberries and a sprinkle of cocoa powder. n

Strawberry Barbecue Sauce

This month we thought we would celebrate that beautiful beacon of redness at this time of year — the strawberry. Whether served with cream or balsamic vinegar or in a thousand other sweet and savoury ways this fruit seems to glow with pride at the centre of any dish.

78

Strawberry Tiramisu 900g

2 tbs 200ml 500ml 2 tubs 300g 65g 2 packs 100ml

chopped strawberries (extras sliced for garnish) brown sugar sweet Marsala wine double cream Mascarpone white chocolate, melted icing sugar ladyfinger (boudoir biscuits) orange juice

2 tbs rice bran oil (or similar) 1/2 medium onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp cayenne pepper, ground salt and freshly ground black pepper Punnet strawberries, chopped 50g brown sugar 1tbs chilli powder 350g tomato paste 60ml water 115g strawberry jam 2 tbs Dijon mustard 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce Saute the onion, garlic, and cayenne, in the oil until soft.

Add the strawberries and sugar and cook until the strawberries soften. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes.

Cool then blend in a food processor, until smooth.

Mix the strawberries with the sugar and 3tbs wine in a bowl and leave to sit for at least 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, whip the double cream until soft peaks form, then add icing sugar.

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

food appetite

�trawberry �

�vocado Salsa This is a delicious salad as a side dish or a snack in its own right. Try grilling slices of Halloumi cheese to serve hot with it and some crusty bread. Add some cubes of Feta (even better if you have marinated the Feta in olive oil with crushed garlic cloves and chillies for a few days beforehand). Or grill some prawns and serve with the strawberry barbecue sauce, and a slice or two of farmhouse loaf. It is also good with thinly sliced Mojama (cured tuna) and fabulous if you include the marinated Feta too! Get creative and enjoy...

250g finely chopped strawberries 250g chopped, peeled ripe avocado 3 tbs finely chopped red onion 3 tbs chopped fresh coriander 2 tbs fresh lime juice 2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno Sea salt & freshly ground pepper Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. Simple! n

grill some prawns and serve with the strawberry barbecue sauce, and a slice or two of farmhouse loaf...

Welcome Guilliano There’s a new Chef cooking up

delicious food at Café Solo. Guilliano Olivarello — you might guess he’s Italian, from Genoa, by his name — has previously worked in swish London and Barcelona restaurants, most recently at Trillo in London’s fashionable Chelsea. The Gibraltar Magazine stopped by to try Guilliano’s specials one evening, and we were suitably impressed.

Visit Café Solo for contemporary Mediterranean dining for lunch or dinner. Grand Casemates Square Tel: 200 44449 for reservations. n

Contemporary Mediterranean Dining

Grand Casemates Square Tel: 200 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

44449 for reservations 79

appetite

e to wher drink eat & the on k Roc

Café Solo Modern Italian eatery set in lively Casemates square. Everything from chicory and crispy pancetta salad with walnuts, pears and blue cheese dressing, or king prawn, mozzarella and mango salad to pastas(eg: linguine with serrano ham, king prawns and rocket; smoked salmon and crayfish ravioli with saffron and spinach cream) to salads (eg: Vesuvio spicy beef, cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers and red onions; and Romana

Cafe Rojo

restaurants

Sleek modern comfort in this relaxing little restaurant. Brunch (10am12pm) includes ciabatta, granary, foccacia sandwiches with fillings such as pear and blue cheese, smoked bacon and brie, cheese and honey roast ham, delicious desserts.

Lunch 12-3pm, dinner 7-10pm; dishes such as Marinated Tuna Steak & Sesame Crust; Roasted Lamb Shoulder; pastas or risottos such as Roast Pumpkin, Mushroom, & Spinach Curry, Langoustine, Lime & Coconut; Pear, Walnut & Blue Cheese; and Creamy Mixed Seafood; and salads such as Warm Goats’ Cheese, Fresh Spinach & Chargrilled Aubergine; and Roast Duck, Chorizo & Pancetta Salad.

Open: 10am. Closed Sundays and Saturday lunchtime.

Nunos Italian

Overlooking the Mediterranean from Catalan Bay, Nunos’ Spanish chef with Three Star Michellin experience offers a variety of Italian cuisine. The restaurant can be found at the reception level of the hotel, where a quick peak at the menu reveals the chef’s celebrated Salmorejo is on the menu, as are his baby squid burgers (Insalata di Calamari). From the main dishes you can choose from a variety of fresh fish and meat dishes. Or you could go for the house speciality of fresh, home-made pasta where you can choose from a wide range of options.

Open: Mon-Sat 7.30pm-10.30pm (lunchtimes for group bookings).

Cafe Rojo 54 Irish Town. Tel: 200 51738

Nunos Italian Restaurant and Terrace Caleta Hotel, Catalan Bay Tel: 200 76501 Email: reservations@caletahotel.gi

Casa Pepe

The Waterfront

A delightful terrace, bar, restaurant on the prestigious Queensway Quay Marina. Wonderful location for business meetings, weddings, anniversaries and other special occasions. Specialising in fresh fish caught locally with daily specials including seabass, dorada, sole, and bream, plus a very comprehensive a la carte menu. Also available are tapas and raciones (double size tapas) to share (or not!) prior to a main course. Mixed paellas also available, as well as fish cooked in rock salt, whole suckling pig and baby lamb to order.

Open: Tues-Sat lunch & evening, Sunday lunch only, closed Mondays.

Right on the quayside at Queensway Quay Marina, this restaurant offers everything from coffee through to 3-course meals with champagne! A bar snack menu is available all day from 10.15am; the a la carte menu from midday to 10.30pm, featuring daily specials. The barbecue grill from 7pm offers sumptuous steaks aged in-house, and fab fish including dorada and sea bass. A delicious array of desserts/ice creams. Extensive terraces provide ideal location for summer dining and drinks with stunning sunsets. Caters for large parties - weddings, holy communions, birthdays etc. Est. over 16 years.

Open: 7 days a week 9am-late

Casa Pepe, 18 Queensway Quay Marina, Tel/Fax: 200 46967 Email: casa.pepe@gmail.com.

Visit: www.gibtour.com/casapepe.

The Waterfront Queensway Quay Marina. Tel: 200 45666 Visit: www.gibwaterfront.com

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chorizo, black pudding, egg and pancetta) and pizzas (eg: Quatto Stagioni topped with mozzarella, ham, chicken, pepperoni and mushroom) and specialities such as salmon fishcakes, beef medallions and duck. Daily specials on blackboard. No smoking.

Café Solo Grand Casemates Square. Tel: 200 44449

Solo Bar & Grill

Solo Bar and Grill is a stylish and modern eatery — perfect for business functions or lunches — and part of the popular Cafe Solo stable. Serving everything from Goats’ Cheese Salad, Mediterranean Pâté and Cajun Langoustines to Beer Battered John Dory, or Harissa Chicken, and Chargrilled Sirloin Steak. This is a delightful venue in Europort with a cosy mezzanine level and terrace seating. Well worth a visit, or two! Available for private functions and corporate events — call 200 62828 to book your function or event.

Open: 12-8pm.

Solo Bar & Grill Eurotowers Tel: 200 62828

Get Listed!

Do you own a restaurant, café, or bar in Gibraltar?

Get your business listed here

CALL 200 77748 for details GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Do you own a restaurant, café, or bar in Gibraltar?

Get your business listed here

CALL 200 77748 for details Amin’s Office

food & drink

directory Just Desserts

e to wher drink & eat the on k Roc

Picadilly Gardens

Sit down, informal and friendly bar with informal eating. Amin is well known in Gibraltar for his Moroccan, Spanish and international cuisine. Open early for breakfast at 7am right through the day. Try the Moroccan soups, couscous, lamb tagines and kebabs. Terrace, just off Main Street (turn left at Trafalgar Pharmacy coming from Casemates).

Open: 7am to midnight.

B r i g h t a n d a i r y, recently redecorated cafe on the first floor of the ICC. All homemade food including daily specials, vegetarian options, desserts and small cakes. Eat in or takeaway. Try their daily roast with everything on, or their all-day breakfast. Pensioner’s lunch - 2 course meal for £5.25. Friendly, cheerful and fully licensed.

Open: from 7.30am Monday to Friday

Relaxed bar restaurant located near to the Queen’s Hotel and Cable car, it has a cosy garden terrace, which is great for drinks, tapas and food al fresco.

English breakfast, tapas, hamburgers, fresh fish, paella by pre-order, prawns, squid, clams and a variety of meat dishes. Eat in or takeaway. Open: 6:30am till late.

Amin's The Office 30 Parliament Lane. Tel: 200 40932

Just Desserts 1st Floor ICC. Tel: 200 48014

Piccadilly Gardens Rosia Road, Tel: 20075758

Mumbai Curry House

Sacarello Coffee Co

At Home

Great Lavazza coffee, sandwiches, English breakfast, traditional breakfast and the ever popular churros, available at this cosy eatery located in the centre of Main Street. Just up from the Piazza, on City Mill Lane, this friendly establishment has pies, salads, homemade daily specials, selection of fish and chips, and a variety of rolls and wraps, such as Africano, Serranito and much more. As well as dining and bar area, and takeaway service, there is a delivery service, available from midday. Open: Mon-Fri 8am-4pm.

At Home 16 City Mill Lane. Tel: 54012502

Buddies Pasta Casa Italian specials in pleasant ambience. Large selection of starters from garlic bread to calamari. Main courses include spinach caneloni, spaghetti alla carbonara, fusilli al salmone, and peppered steak to name a few. Tasty desserts and variety of wines.

Outside seating too.

Open: Monday - Thursday 11am - 5pm, Friday 11am-3pm and 7pm-11pm, Sat 11am-4.30pm Buddies Pasta Casa 15 Cannon Lane. Tel: 200 40627

Get Stuffed Very popular takeaway, sandwich bar and hot food.

Serving all fresh and homemade sandwiches, salads, soups, pasta, pies, cup cakes, plus hot/cold drinks and smoothies and a different special every day. Outside catering for corporate parties.

Open: 8am - 4pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3pm Sat. Get Stuffed Marina Bay. Tel: 200 42006 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Indian cuisine, eat-in/take-away, from snacks (samosas, bhajias, pakoras) to lamb, chicken and fish dishes such as korma, tikka masala, do piaza. Large vegetarian selection. Halal food. Outside catering for parties/meetings. Sunday Mumbai favourites such as Dosa & Choley Bhature.

Open: 7 days a week 11am - 3pm, 6pm -late.

Mumbai Curry House Unit 1.0.02 Ground Floor, Block 1 Eurotowers Tel: 200 73711 Home delivery: 200 50022/33

Oasis Eatery

Located in Governor’s Parade, just across from the Elliot Hotel, and offers hot/cold drinks plus a delicious homemade selection of baked items such as cakes and quiches, also sandwiches and wraps, bagels and cupcakes. Vegan/vegetarian items. Oasis is on Facebook and Twitter and you can pre-order online which is handy for a quick lunch.

Special orders taken for a range of bakery goods.

Fully licensed for beers and wine. Terrace seating.

Open: 8am to 3pm

Oasis Eatery Govenor’s Parade Tel: 200 65544 www.oasiseatery.com

Pick a Bite Morning coffee and daily lunch specials, one of largest selections of traditional home made food, to eat in or takeaway. All the old favourites — spinach pie, croquettes, quiche, spanish omelette, shepherd’s pie and more. Delicious sandwiches, baguettes, ciabatta melts and wraps, with a variety of fillings. Salads, snacks and soups. Cakes and muffins for those with a sweet tooth. Friendly, cheerful and very reasonal prices. Terrace seating.

Open: Monday to Friday 8am - 3pm.

Pick A Bite 10 Chatham Counterguard Tel: 200 64211

Converted coffee warehouse, great coffee, homemade cakes/ afternoon tea, plus menu and excellent salad bar with quiche selection, specials of the day and dishes such as lasagne, steak and mushroom Guinness pie, hot chicken salad, toasties, club sandwich and baked potatoes. Art exhibitions. Available for parties and functions in the evenings.

Open: 9am-7.30pm Mon-Fri. 9am-3pm Sat Sacarello Coffee Co. 57 Irish Town. Tel: 200 70625

Solo Express Located next to Pizza Hut in Casemates and in Eurotowers, serves a variety of salads/baguettes (white, brown, ciabatta) filled with a deli selection such as roast chicken; smoked salmon & mascapone; ham, cheese and coleslaw; or humous, avocado & roast red pepper. Salads fresh and tasty (Greek, Waldorf, cous cous, tuna pasta etc), great value. Jackets, quiches, coffee plus cakes (flapjacks, muffins) available all day. Eat-in area. Soups in winter.

Solo Express Grnd Flr, ICC, Casemates & Eurotowers

The Tasty Bite Tasty Bite has one of the biggest take-away menus around with home cooked meats, filled baguettes, burgers, chicken and everything else you can think of! Try the quiches, tortillas and jackets spuds with all kinds of fillings. This little place gets busy with those popping out from the offices for lunch so get there early.

Open: Monday - Saturday.

The Tasty Bite 59a Irish Town. Tel: 200 78220 Fax: 200 74321

informal food

Get Listed!

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food & drink

directory informal food

Verdi Verdi All day coffee plus all homemade and delicious vegetarian and vegan dishes, fresh baked bread and desserts.

A selection of bagels (try the smoked salmon and cream cheese) and baguettes to eat in or take away. Try the light homemade pizzas, or the falafels and humous. Daily special soups are fabulous and filling. Ask for Idan's hot homemade chilli relish — sweet and scrummy.

Open: Mon/Thurs: 7.30-6, Fri 7.30-5, Sun 10-3.

Verdi Verdi ICC, Casemates Tel: 200 60733

Get Listed!

Do you own a restaurant, café, or bar in Gibraltar?

Get your business listed here

CALL 200 77748 for details All’s Well

Traditional pub in fashionable Casemates area. Named for the 18th century practise of locking gates to the city at night when the guard called ‘All’s Well’. All’s Well serves Bass beers, wine and spirits plus pub fare. English breakfast all day, hot meals such as pork in mushroom sauce, sausage & mash, cod & chips and steak & ale pie plus a range of salads and jacket potatoes. Large terrace.

Karaoke Mondays and Wednesdays until late. Free tapas on a Friday 7pm.

All’s Well Casemates Square. Tel: 200 72987

bars & pubs

Bridge Bar & Grill

Located on the water’s edge, Ocean Village, just across the bridge from O’Reilly’s.

This bar & grill is a fusion of an American themed menu with Tarifa chill out style. Open for breakfast from 9am serving healthy options, freshly squeezed orange juice and Italian Lavazza coffee. Try the spicy Caribbean rum ribs, southern fried chicken bucket, the popular Texas burger or a selection of tasty salads and homemade desserts. London Pride, San Miguel & Carling beer on draught, live sports.

Bridge Bar & Grill Ocean Village Tel: 200 66446

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Cannon Bar

Jane is still there and still packed out with tourists and regulars!

Word has it that she nearly managed to escape, but wasn’t allowed to. The famous fish and chips, the odd French speciality, there’s always something happening in the Cannon! Located between Marks & Spencer and the Cathedral just off Main Street.

Cannon Bar

Gibraltar Arms On Main Street opposite the cathedral, enjoy a meal, coffee or a cool beer on the terrace and watch the world go by!

Bar decorated with rare military plaques from regiments and navy ships visiting Gibraltar. Full breakfast menu served from 7am, draught beers on tap include Old Speckled Hen bitter, Murphys Irish stout, Heineken lager and Strongbow cider.

Gibraltar Arms 184 Main Street. Tel: 200 72133

Jury’s Café-Wine Bar

Next to the Law Courts, with a terrace seating area, Jury’s has a selection of Ciabattas, paninis, baguettes and wraps, plus popular sharing dishes, such as Your Honour’s platter. Jacket potatoes, main courses, pasta and some innocent salads too.

For those with a sweet tooth, there are tantalising homemade desserts, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, as well as Lavazza coffees and frappes.

Open: 7am-midnight Mon-Sat, 9am-midnight Sun. Jury’s Café & Wine Bar 275 Main Street. Tel: 200 67898

Lord Nelson

Bar/brasserie in Casemates.

Done out like Nelson’s ship.

Starters & snacks include fresh mussels, blue cheese and rocket bruschetta, potato skins, spicy chicken wings and calamares. Main courses from chilli con carne and chicken & mushroom pie, to crispy duck burrito and fish & chips.

Jackets, burgers and kid’s menu. Live music on stage nightly. Spacious terrace.

Open: 10am till very late.

Lord Nelson Bar Brasserie 10 Casemates Tel: 200 50009 Visit: www.lordnelson.gi

e to wher drink eat & the on k Roc

The Lounge Stylish lounge bar on the quayside at Queensway Quay with very reasonable prices and light bites from 10am until late.

Popular quiz on Sundays (from 7.30pm) and a relaxed friendly atmosphere... always plenty of people / yachties to chat to. Events (matches etc) covered on large screen TV. Great place to chill out.

Open: 10am Mon - Sat until late and from 12pm on Sun (get there early for a seat for the quiz).

The Lounge Queensway Quay Marina Tel: 200 61118

O’Reilly’s Traditional Irish bar with full HD sports coverage and Irish breakfast from 7am (Sunday from 9am). Guinness on draught. Food includes salads, jackets, beef & Guinness pie, Molly’s mussels, drunken swine, Boxty dishes (potato pancake wrapped around delicioius fillings), sandwiches, rolls, Kildare chicken and much much more. And just like in Ireland there’s no smoking inside, so a great atmosphere for all.

O’Reilly’s Ocean Village. Tel: 200 67888

Star Bar

Gibraltar’s oldest bar, just off Main St. Small cosy and famous for its full English breakfast from 7am (9am on Sunday). A full menu including fish & chips, until 10pm. The home of Star Coffee, draught beers include Heineken, Old Speckled Hen, Murphys and Strongbow cider. Managed by Hunter Twins from Stafford, England, also home to Med Golf & Tottenham Hotspur supporters club.

Star Bar Parliament Lane. Tel: 200 75924 Visit: www.starbargibraltar.com

The Three Owls The Three Owls is a traditional bar serving best of English beers.

Three separate bars/floors: ground floor — big screen TV, pool table, poker machines, bar — open from 10.30am daily. First floor ‘Hoots’ bar, two match pool tables, poker machines, dartboard, bar, open from 5pm daily. Second Floor the ‘Nest’ — American pool table, poker machine, card table, bar — open from 7pm daily and also at weekends for the Rugby Union matches. If you are looking for a sociable game of pool or darts this is the place to be.

The Three Owls Irish Town. Tel: 200 77446 GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Traditional Pub Serving Traditional Pub Fare, Bass Beers, Wines & Spirits

Visit us and step back in history

Casemates Square Tel: 200 72987

Full menu served inside or on our terrace including British Fish & Chips, Jackets, Salads, Burritos, Homemade Pizzas, our special Fresh Local Mussels and much more.

Visit us and buy yourself a souvenir, T-shirts, beer glasses, lighters etc Live music every evening, join our Jam Sessions on Wednesday or Sunday.

GLMS Music Venue of the Year.

Official Home to Gibraltar Rugby Club Free WiFi

10 Casemates www.lordnelson.gi Tel: 200 50009

• Pizza • Pasta • Salads • Fresh Juices • Cappuccino • Ice Creams

DAILY SPECIALS Grand Casemates Sq Tel: 20044449

SMITH’S

U4 FISH & CHIPS HADDOCK W4 PLAICE • COD FRESH FRIED IN CRISPY BATTER

restaurant bar guide &

184 Main Street Tel: 200 72133 open: from 8am (10am on Sun)

295 MAIN ST Tel: 200 74254

Get Stuffed!

Marina Bay Tel: 200 42006 Take-Away, Sandwiches & Hot Food Different Special Every Day salads, soups, pastas, pies, cupcakes, all home made Open 8am-4pm Mon-Fri, 8am-3pm Sat

Indian Cuisine to Eat In or Take Away Unit 1.0.02 Grnd Flr, Block 1 Eurotowers Tel: 200 73711

Casa Pepe Open: Mon-Sat 11am-late 18 Queensway Quay Marina Tel/Fax: 200 46967

BUDDIES pasta casa

Come and enjoy real Italian meals in Gibraltar’s leading pasta house 15 Cannon Lane Tel: 200 40627 for reservations

Award winning breakfasts from 7.30am Great meals & snacks all day Evening Steak House menu Med Golf Clubhouse Tottenham Hotspur HQ Parliament Lane Tel: 200 75924 GIBRALTAR GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE •• MAY MAY 2013 2013

83 83

� b ay

�

words | Peter Rodney

There is nothing more satisfying, especially to a pedant like me, than pointing out errors made by others. As a result, I have not many friends. But correct use of the apostrophe (and punctuation generally), spelling, pronunciation and accuracy in all things is important. When I remark to my beloved wife that: “I may not understand what you mean, dear, but I understand what you say,” she stamps her foot and her eyes dart fire in the most charming way — and then she refuses to speak to me. I cannot tell why this should be.

Even in ancient times there were inaccuracies. Homer described the sea as ‘wine-dark’. What a plonker. Apparently there was no word in ancient Greek for ‘blue’.

And the ancient Greeks were among the founders of modern civilisation. How on earth did they manage that, given that they were looking at the Mediterranean every day and could not find a word to describe it?

In Julius Caesar, Shakespeare has the clocks striking the hour. Clever chaps, the Romans, to have invented mechanical clocks so early.

And a recent television series, set in 1946, had London Routemaster bus No. 19 travelling to Peckham.

84

As any fule kno, the Routemaster was not introduced until the late 1950s and the 19 goes from Battersea, via the West End, to Finsbury Park — nowhere near Peckham.

Hollywood films delight in changing history, usually to the disadvantage of the Brits — see Enigma (or, if relating to British history, then to the disadvantage of the English — see Braveheart).

A recent short film posted on YouTube purported to show the history of mankind in three minutes. While splendidly produced, the final minute was taken up solely with the achievements of the USA in the last 70 years or so (including winning World War II single-handedly). Unaccountably, the great Arsenal double-winning team of 1971 and the ‘Invincibles’ of 2004 were left out.

These relatively innocuous mistakes may have be a source of mild amusement to most people. Even the great Dr Johnson, when asked why he had defined ‘pastern’ as ‘the knee of a horse’ in his dictionary, replied: “Ignorance, pure ignorance”. But these mistakes matter.

‘Residents refuse to be disposed of in the rubbish bin’ might be an interesting newspaper headline until one realises that there is an apostrophe missing.

Sir Roger Casement, the Irish nationalist was hanged by a comma: the translation into English (from Norman French) of the Treason Act 1351, under which he was convicted, included a comma where there was none in the original, thus changing the meaning.

These errors can be found in the wine world. Leaving aside mistranslations and/or ludicrous

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE MAGAZINE •• MAY MAY 2013 2013 GIBRALTAR

wine claims on label, which can cause no-one any harm and may be the source of mild amusement (‘This wine insists on being loved’; ‘This wine contains no condoms’), there are regular problems with misrepresentation and adulteration.

Some years ago Austrian wines were found to contain quantities of anti-freeze liquid, designed for car radiators, to increase the alcohol level. Sichel, the Bordeaux négociant, was discovered to be passing off Algerian wines as genuine claret.

More recently, the ubiquitous presence of sulphites and the continuing argument of screw-

The fact is that screwtops and sulphites mean there will be no unpleasant surprises in the contents — except for the possibility that you have chosen a duff wine tops versus cork has muddied the waters. Sulphites produce a clear liquid, free of lees and other possible impurities; screw-tops mean that a wine cannot be corked because of — well — the cork.

But is the taste affected? The very impurities found in the wine but removed by sulphites and the tiny amount of oxidation permitted by the cork are thought to help the ageing process.

So a 2012 claret (not a bad year) will be superb by about 2025 — or will it? The Chinese, currently buying up everything in sight at ridiculous prices, clearly think so. The rest of us will just have to stick to sulphites and screw-tops because it is all we can afford.

column

And the fact is that screw-tops and sulphites mean there will be no unpleasant surprises in the contents — except for the possibility that you have chosen a duff wine in the first place. Almost all New World production now comes in screw-tops. Morrison’s have an Argentine Malbec on offer which slips down a treat; Anglo-Hispano have a bin end of Zinfandel which is also worth a try. This leads on seamlessly into a mention of Margaret Thatcher without which no newspaper/magazine is complete over the last month or so. Should one recommend an Argentine wine at this sad time?

My mother, of blessed memory, worshipped the lady and procured me a signed copy of The Downing Street Years which I have unfortunately (?) mislaid. Actually, an unsigned copy would probably have more value as a rarity.

Mrs T had little time for wine.

She drank but little alcohol and then usually a good British product such as Scotch. This may explain a great deal. Shorn of the mellowing effects of a glass of good claret (or even Argentinian Malbec) who knows what might have been in other circumstances?

Maybe... n

r y ou Enjo side y qua ace e t rr

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

85

We are into May, the fifth month of the year and beach time has started already. It really is a time to enjoy the hot weather, relax a little and appreciate all the chances to socialise the summertime brings.

It’s an exciting month for events this month because the Spring Festival is in full swing. There is everything from an acoustic night at the Bayside Sports Complex, to Classic Cars in Casemates and opera from the Philharmonic Society. See page 52 for the full schedule of events. At the beginning of the month there will be the Runway fashion event on top of King’s Bastion which is sure to be an exciting event with UK fashion designer William Wilde topping the bill (see page 53 and this month’s cover!). And if that gets your creative juices flowing, you can learn to paint like watercolourist James Foot in workshops taking place at the end of May (see page 59).

What a great line-up of events!

Do you have a holiday home across the border? Or a flat in Gibraltar you don’t use all the time? Perhaps you would consider doing a good deed and donating a week or two to the charity Give Us Time? Give Us Time organises much needed holidays for service personnel, and their families, when they return from tours of duty in Afghanistan. The charity, which is also open to those serving from Gibraltar, is new and needs as much support as possible. See page 40 for details.

Happy birthday to the birthday trio at Café Rojo this month — Norbert, Luis and Aida (30, 40, and 50). Don’t forget that Café Rojo will be closed from 10th - 13th May as Luis will be whisked off to the Barcelona Grand Prix as a special birthday treat from Annette (who we think may be after a bit of shoe shopping in Barcelona too!).

Happy birthday also to Jonathan Goodson on 5th May and the lovely Lisa Guerrero on 25th, Orlando Yeats on 6th, Marvin Cartwright on 19th, Maryanne Beriro on 23rd, Sacarello’s art show or-

Photos: This page Visual Variety launch at Sacarello’s restaurant

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GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

ganiser Genevieve Whitleand on 29th, the same day as Craig Sacarello. MAy you all, and everyone else celebrating this month, have a fabulous day and a great year to come.

Talking about fabulous things, make sure you get your tickets for Urban Dance’s Spring Fiesta on Friday 17th May. The special guests on the night will be Academia Baile Eva, Metro Motel, the Jujitsu Academy and the MMA team, so it will be a spectacular show indeed. It starts at 7.30pm and tickets are just £12 from the John Mackintosh Hall ticket office.

Remember you can also get a CD called Stand Firm, which will be released by the Band Corps of Drums of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment on Saturday 18th May. It is bound to be a hit with military music fans, and all proceeds go to RGRA Benevolent Fund and GHITA. Welcome to Gibraltar to ex-Trillo (Chelsea) chef Italian Guilliano Olivarello who is cooking up a storm at Café Solo. We can confirm his food is delicious so pop into the restaurant on Casemates and give it a try.

On a final note, good luck to the Gibraltar Football Association on its bid to become a full member of UEFA — the long anticipated vote will be held in London on 24th May. Everyone in Gibraltar, keep your fingers, toes and everything else crossed! It could be a very exciting day for Gibraltar indeed.

Well that’s it for this month.

Have a great May and don’t forget the sun cream — you don’t want to walk around looking like a lobster right at the start of summer, do you?!

Photos: Mayor’s Reception GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

87

clubs&activities

Don’t be bored... do something fun!

Arts & Crafts The Arts Centre, Prince Edward’s Rd. Art classes for children (5-6pm Mon, 5-6.30pm Tues, 5-7pm Thurs), adults (Mon - Tues 6.30pm8pm, Wed 6.30pm-8.30pm, life painting Wed 7pm-9pm). Tel: 200 79788.

The Fine Arts Association Gallery 1st Floor above Gibraltar Crystal, Casemates. Open 11am-2pm, 4-6pm Mon - Fri, Sat 11am - 2pm.

Arts & Crafts Gallery (next door) opens Mon - Fri 9.30am - 5pm (summer) -6pm (winter), Sat 9.30am - 3pm.

Exhibition Vin’s Gallery at the Rock, The Rock Hotel. Original paintings, prints, and souvenirs

by Vin Mifsud and her pupils. Monday - Saturday 9.30-11am and 8-10pm.

The Gibraltar Decorative and Fine Arts Society Affiliated to the UK NADFAS organisation meets third Wednesday of the month at 6.30pm at Eliott Hotel - lecturers & experts from the UK to talk on Art etc. Contact: ChairmanClaus Olesen: 200 02024 claus.olesen@sghambros. com. Membership Ian leBreton: 200 76173 ilebreton@SovereignGroup.com Knit and Natter Group: Tuesdays from 11am3pm, at Arts & Crafts Shop, Casemates balconyFree to join and refreshments provided. Tel: 20073865 for more information.

welcome. Tel: 200 44643.

Board Games Chess Club meets in Studio 1, John Mackintosh Hall 8-10.30pm Tues.

The Gibraltar Scrabble Club meet at the Rock Hotel on Mondays at 3pm. For further information please ring Vin at 20073660 or Roy at 20075995. All welcome.

The Subbuteo Club meets Charles Hunt Room, John Mackintosh Hall 7.30 - 11pm.

Social Clubs Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (Gibraltar Province) meets RAOB Club, Jumpers Bastion on these days: Provincial Grand Lodge, 1st Monday/month, 8pm. Executive Meeting, last Mon/month 7pm. Knights Chapter, 2nd Mon/month 7.30pm. Examining Council, 3rd Mon/month 7pm. William Tilley 2371, Thurs 8pm. Buena Vista 9975, Weds (fortnightly) 7pm. Por Favor 9444, Weds (fortnightly) 7pm.

Farewell 10001, Tues 8.30pm. Goldacre 10475 (social) last Fri/month 8pm.

Dance Adult Dance Classes Wednesday evenings at the Youth Disco Room, Kings Bastion Leisure Centre from 7-8.30pm. Cha-Cha, Salsa and Merengue. Lessons £5 and all proceeds to GibMissionAfrica Charity. Contact Dilip on 200 78714 or dance@trainingtm.net Bellydance classes. Beginners level on Tuesday from 7-8pm at Danza Academy or 8-9pm at Ocean Village fitness centre. Tel 54005593.

Salsa Gibraltar Salsa classes held Tuesdays at Laguna Social Club, Laguna Estate. Beginners 7-8.30pm, £5 per lesson. Intermediates 8.30-10pm, £6 per lesson (all profits going to the charity Help Us To Help Them). Contact: Mike 54472000 Email: info@salsagibraltar.com website: www.salsagibraltar.com Modern & Latin American Sequence Dancing Mondays Catholic Community Centre 8.30pm (beginners 7.30). Over 15s welcome.

Old & Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at the Catholic Community Centre at 8pm, beginners at 7.30pm, Wednesday.

The DSA Old & Modern Sequence Dancing sessions at Central Hall Fridays 8pm, beginners 7.30pm. Tel: 200 78282 or e-mail manvio@ gibraltar.gi Everybody welcome.

Modern, Contemporary, Lyrical, Flexibility, Hip Hop & Dance Theatre classes held weekly at Urban Dance Studio for Performing Arts, 2 Jumpers Bastion. Tel: Yalta (54012212) or Jolene (54015125).

Ballet, Modern Theatre, Jazz, Contemporary & Hip Hop classes held weekly at Danza Academy, 68/2 Prince Edward’s Road. Training from 2.5 years to Adult Advanced. Royal Academy of Dancing and Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing examinations taken. Ample competing opportunities aboard IDF European & World Championships. Contact Anne-Marie 54027111 or Zulieka 54003973.

Aerobics, Step, Dancercise & Zumba classes for women of all ages held weekly at Danza Academy, 68/2 Prince Edward]s Road. Contact Anne-Marie 54027111.

Zumba Classes at Urban Dance Centre, Jumpers Bastion, with certified instructor Tyron Walker. Every Mon and Weds 8-9pm. Contact 20063959 or 54012212.

History & Heritage The Gibraltar Heritage Trust Main Guard, 13 John Mackintosh Sq. Tel: 200 42844.

The Gibraltar Classic Vehicle Association Dedicated to preservation of Rock’s transport/motoring heritage. Assists members in restoration / maintenance of classic vehicles.

Members/vehicles meet 1st Sunday of month, Morrison’s car park from 10am. New members

88

Music The Gibraltar National Choir and Gibraltar Junior National Choir rehearse on Tuesday & Thursday 7.30 - 9pm at the Holy Trinity Cathedral. New singers always welcome. Tel: 54831000.

St Andrew’s Music Academy Musical Monsters Club, workshops. Group musical activities for kids 3-7 years. Singing, rhythmic games etc.

Tel: 200 42690 email: samagib@hotmail.com Outdoor Activities The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is an exciting self-development Programme available to all young people worldwide equipping them with life skills to make a difference to themselves, their communities and the world. To date over 5 million young people from over 100 countries have been motivated to undertake a variety of voluntary and challenging activities. Contact Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Montagu Bastion, Line Wall Road. Tel: 200 59818 Quizzes The Lounge friendly quiz on Sundays from 8pm right on the quayside at Queensway Quay.

Special Interest Clubs & Societies Gibraltar Horticultural Society meets 1st Thurs of month 6pm, John Mac Hall. Spring Flower Show, slide shows, flower arrangement demos, outings to garden centres, annual Alameda Gardens tour. All welcome.

Gibraltar Philosophical Society devoted to intellectually stimulating debate. Frequent lectures and seminars on a range of topics. Contact 54008426 (after 6pm) or email gibphilosophy@ live.co.uk for further information.

Gibraltar Photographic Society meets on Mon at 7.30pm, Wellington Front. Basic courses, competitions etc.

Harley Davidson Owners’ Club www.hdcgib. com UN Association of Gibraltar PO Box 599, 22a Main Street. Tel: 200 52108.

Creative Writers Group meet every Tuesday at the Eliott Hotel bar at 8pm. The workshop is run

by Carla, Tel: 54006696 and is aimed at learning to write fiction and non-fiction, for pleasure or publication. Each session is £5.00.

Sports Supporters Clubs Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Club meet at the Star Bar, Parliament Lane, when Spurs games are televised - call prior to matches to check the game is televised. Great food for a lunch if the KO is early or an early supper if the game is later. For info call Mario on 56280000.

Gibraltar Arsenal Supporters Club meet on match days at the Casino Calpe (Ground Floor).

Gooners of all ages welcome. Tel: Bill 54010681 or Dion 56619000. Website: www.clubwebsite. co.uk/ArsenalGibraltarSC/.

Gibraltar Hammers meet on match days at the Victoria Stadium Bar, Bayside Road. All league games are shown live. All West Ham supporters and their families are welcome. For details visit www.gibraltarhammers.com or e-mail gibraltarhammers@hotmail.com Sports & Fitness Artistic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Artistic Gymnastics Association. Tel: 200 Angela 200 70611 or Sally 200 74661.

Athletics: Gibraltar Amateur Athletics Association holds competitions throughout year for juniors, adults and veterans. Two main clubs (Calpeans 200 71807, Lourdians 200 75180) training sessions at Victoria Stadium.

Badminton: Recreational badminton weekdays at Victoria Stadium (Tel: 200 78409 for allocations). Gibraltar Badminton Association (affiliated to IBA & EBA) has leagues and training

for adults and secondary school. Tel: Ivan 200 44045 or Linda 200 74753.

Basketball: Gibraltar Amateur Basketball Association (affiliated FIBA) leagues/ training for minis, passarelle, cadets, seniors and adults at a variety of levels. Tel: John 200 77253, Randy 200 40727 or Kirsty (minis) 200 49441.

Boxing: Gibraltar Amateur Boxing Association (member IABA) gym on Rosia Rd. Over 13s welcome to join. Tuition with ex-pro boxer Ernest Victory (200 75513 w, 200 42788 h).

Cheerleading: Gibraltar Cheerleading Association, girls/boys of all ages. Chearleading and street cheer/hip hop classes at Victoria Stadium.

Recreational and competitive levels. Contact Gina: 58008338.

Canoeing: Gibraltar Canoeing Association. Tel: Nigel 200 52917 or Eugene 58014000.

Cricket: Gibraltar Cricket, National Governing Body & Associate Member of ICC. Governs Men’s, Women’s, Boys & Girls Cricket organising league & cup competitions and in-schools coaching. www.gibraltarcricket. com email: info@gibcricket.com Twitter: @ Gibraltar_Crick Cycling: Gibraltar Cycling Association various cycling tours. Tel: Uriel 200 79359.

Darts: Gibraltar Darts Association (member WDF) mens/ladies/youth leagues/competitions.

Tel: Darren 54027171 “Secretary”, Dyson “Youth Rep” 54024149, Justin “President” 54022622 Email: info@gibraltardarts.com Football: Gibraltar Football Association leagues/competitions for all ages October-May. Futsal in summer, Victoria Stadium. Tel: 200 42941 www.gfa.gi. Senior Tel: Albert 200 41515, Junior Tel: Richard 58654000, Women’s Tel: Brian 200 52299. Recreational football for over 35s Tel: Richard 200 70320.

Gaelic Football Club (Irish sport): males of any age welcome. Get fit, play sport, meet new friends, travel around Spain/Europe and play an exciting and competitve sport. Training every Wednesday in La Linea 7-a-side pitches at 8.30pm. Andalucia League with Seville and Marbella to play matches home and away monthly. Email team@gibraltargaels.com or visit www.gibraltargaels.com.

Golf: Med Golf tournaments held monthly. Tel: 200 79575 for tournament venues/dates. Gibraltar Golf Union has competitions through year, EGU handicaps. Tel: Bernie 200 78844.

Hockey: Gibraltar Hockey Association (members FIH & EHF) high standard competitions/ training for adults/juniors. Tel: Eric 200 74156 Peter 200 72730.

Judo: Gibraltar Judo Association UKMAF recognised instructors for all ages and levels at Budokai Martial Arts Centre, Wellington Front.

Tel: Charlie 200 73116 or Peter 200 73225.

Ju-jitsu: Gibraltar Ju-jitsu Academy training and grading for juniors/seniors held during evening at 4 North Jumpers Bastion (Rosia Rd). Tel: Tony 200 79855 or club 200 47259.

Karate-do Shotokai: Gibraltar Karate-do Shotokai Association sessions for junior/seniors, gradings and demos at Karate Clubhouse, 41H Town Range Tel: Andrew 200 48908.

Motorboat Racing: Gibraltar Motorboat Racing Association Tel: Wayne 200 75211.

Netball: Gibraltar Netball Association (affiliated FENA & IFNA) competitions through year, senior / junior leagues. Tel: 200 41795 or 200 41874.

Petanque: Gibraltar Petanque Association plays at Giralda Gardens, Smith Dorrien Ave. New members welcome. Tel: 200 70929.

Pilates: Monday & Wednesday 11-12am for beginners, and intermediate classes Monday & Wednesday 9:30-10:45am, at Shotokai Karate Centre. Contact Chantal: 60618882.

Pool: Gibraltar Pool Association (member EUKPF) home and away league played on Thurs through season. Tel: Linda 200 74753.

Rhythmic Gymnastics: Gibraltar Rhythmic Gymnastics Association runs sessions for 4 years of age and upwards, weekday evenings.

For more information contact Sally Tel: 200 74661.

Rugby: Gibraltar Rugby Football Union training sessions for Colts (14+), seniors and veterans.

Play in Andalusia 1st Division Oct - April. Tel: James 200 72185 Sailing: Gibraltar Yachting Association junior/ senior competitive programme (April - Oct) Tel: RGYC 200 48847.

Sea Angling: Gibraltar Federation of Sea Anglers (members FIPS-M & CIPS) Superb calendar of events with four clubs participating. Tel:

what a page turner! www.thegibraltarmagazine.com

Mario 200 72622 or Charlie 200 74337.

Shooting: Gibraltar Shooting Federation (over 14s). Rifle, Europa Point range (Joe 200 74973); clay pigeon, East Side (Harry 200 74354); Pistol, near Royal Naval Hospital (Fidel 200 71990).

Skating: Gibraltar Skating and Xtreme Sports Association. State of art ramps for Xtreme/aggressive roller blading /skate boarding. Leisure skating facilities provided within excellent rink (when not used for roller hockey training). Tel: Eric 200 70710 (after 5).

Snooker: Members of European Billiards & Snooker Association. Own Snooker facilities at Jumpers Bastion with three tables. Professional coaching for Juniors/Seniors. Organised leagues/tournaments and participation in accredited International Competitions. Contact Sean Galligan 56262000 or Lee Prickman 54000068, email info@gibraltarsnooker.com Snorkelling & Spear Fishing: Over 14s for snorkelling, over 16s for spear fishing. Tel: Joseph 200 75020.

Squash: Gibraltar Squash Association, Squash Centre, South Pavilion Road (members WSF & ESF). Adult/junior tournaments/coaching. Tel: 200 44922 or 200 73260.

Sub-Aqua: Gibraltar Sub-Aqua Association taster dives for over 14s, tuition from local clubs.

Voluntary sports clubs: Tel: Phil 200 44606, Noah’s Dive Club Tel: Leslie 200 79601, 888s Dive Club Tel: Martin 200 70944. Commercial sports diving schools also available.

Swimming: Gibraltar Amateur Swimming Association (member FINA & LEN) opens its pool for leisure swimming Mon - Fri 7-8.45am, 12- 4pm, 8- 9pm. Junior lessons, squad for committed swimmers, water polo (Rebecca 200 72869).

Table Tennis: Gibraltar Table Tennis Association (members ITTA) training / playing sessions, Victoria Stadium, Tues 6-10pm and Thurs 8-11pm with coaching and league competition. Lizanne 200 45071/54020477 or Eugene 58014000.

Taekwondo: Gibraltar Taekwondo Association classes/gradings Tel: 200 Mari 44142.

Tai Chi: Children’s fun Tai Chi at the Yoga Centre, 33 Town Range, Saturdays 11-12am. Beginners Tuesdays & Thursdays at Kings Bastion Leisure Centre. 6.30-8pm. Adults £5, Children £2, all proceeds to GibMissionAfrica Charity. Contact Dilip on 200 78714 or rocktaichi@traningtm.net Tennis: Gibraltar Tennis Association, Sandpits Tennis Club, excellent junior development programme. Courses for adults, leagues / competitions. Tel: Frank 200 77035.

Ten-Pin Bowling: Ten-Pin Bowling takes place at King’s Bowl in the King’s Bastion Leisure Centre every day. To have a go call 200 77338 to reserve your lane. Gibraltar Ten Pin Bowling (members FIQ & WTBA) leagues, training for juniors and squad. Contact Charly on 56014000 or Paul on 54029749.

Triathlon: Gibraltar Triathlon Union (members ITU) Chris 200 75857 or Harvey 200 55847.

Volleyball: Gibraltar Volleyball Association (members W & EVF) training, leagues, competitions for juniors/seniors. Tony 200 40478 or Elizabeth 58306000.

Yoga: Integral Yoga Centre runs a full programme of classes from Mon-Fri at 33 Town Range. Tel: 200 41389. All welcome.

Theatrical Groups Gibraltar Amateur Drama Association Ince’s Hall Theatre Complex, 310 Main Street E-mail:gibdrama@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 200 42237 www.geocities.com/gibdrama Trafalgar Theatre Group meets 2nd Wed of month, Garrison Library 8pm.

All welcome.

Theatrix: Contact Trevor and Iris on Tel: 54006176 or email theatrixgib@yahoo.co.uk

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

community update

The New Gibraltar National Dance Organisation Since early in 2012, the Gibraltar National Dance Organisation President Seamus Byrne, has been working hard to revamp the whole organisation to include innovative and fresh ideas.

GNDO President Seamus Byrne said: “My aim is to take the GNDO to another level and help our dancing fraternity raise its dance standards. One way to do it will be by providing opportunities at competitions in dance

genres other than Show Dance, in Jazz, Modern and Street Dance.

And we will also provide educational development programmes through dance workshops, summer schools and the possibility of bringing professional companies.

“One of the hardest tasks since the inception of the organisation, was to set up a committee with people who have hardly any links to any local dance school or dance centre, but at the same time are pro-dance, and are able to give up their free time voluntarily for Gibraltar’s youth,” he adds.

The Gibraltar National Dance Organisation can confirm that the new committee is as follows: Executive Presidium President Seamus Byrne, Vice-President

Support Groups Alcoholics Anonymous meet 7pm Tues & Thurs at Nazareth Hse Tel: 200 73774.

A Step Forward support for single, separated, divorced/widowed people, meet 8pm Mon at St Andrew’s Church.

Mummy and Me Breastfeeding Support Group for mums who are pregnant, breastfeeding or have breastfed to get together for coffee, chat and support. Partners and older children welcome. Meets first Wednesday of every month at Chilton Court Community Hall at 1.30pm. Enquiries and support 54014517.

Childline Gibraltar confidential phone line for children in need. Freephone 8008 - 7 days a week 6pm - 10pm.

Citizens’ Advice Bureau Open Mon-Fri 9.30-4pm. Tel: 200 40006 Email: info@cab.gi or visit 10 Governor’s Lane.

No appointment necessary, no charge. Gibraltar CAB outreach clinics at St Bernard’s Hospital every Tuesday.

Advisors available at 1st floor reception, Zone 4, 9am-3pm.

Info and advice is free, confidential and impartial.

COPE Support group for people with Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromyalgia or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Formed to ease day-

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

Adrian Lopez, Secretary Belize Cortes.

Working Committee Noemi Chipolina, Wendy Garro, Shawn Gonzalez, and Alfred Rumbo. IT Support Elijah Cruz and Alan Pereira.

A new 23 page constitution has being drafted keeping in line with the International Dance Organisation rules and regulations.

The GNDO can also confirm that Paulette Finlayson-Napoli has being appointed the Gibraltar National Dance Team Captain for 2013 and 2014.

In addition, a newly revamped website has been launched. The website includes the GNDO constitution, team’s achievements, a news section, a photo gal-

to-day challenges of individuals, families and care partner.

Meetings at Catholic Community Centre Book Shop at 7.30pm first Thursday of each month. Contact Sue Reyes Tel: 200 51469 Email: copeadsupport@hotmail.com Dignity At Work Now. Confidential support and advice for those who are being bullied at work. Tel: 57799000 Mon - Thur 8pm-9pm Families Anonymous Support group for relatives and friends who are concerned about the use of drugs or related behavioural problems. Meet alternate Thursdays at 9pm at Nazareth House. For info Tel: 200 70047 or 200 73465.

Gibraltar Cardiac Rehabilitation and Support Group meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 8.30pm at the John Mac Hall, except for July and August.

Gibraltar Dyslexia Support Group 3/8 Serfaty’s Passage Tel: 200 78509 Mobile: 54007924 website: www. gdsg.co.uk Gibraltar Marriage Care. Free relationship counselling, including pre-marriage education (under auspices of Catholic Church, but open to all). Tel: 200 71717.

Gibraltar Society for the Visually Impaired. Tel: 200 50111 (24hr answering service).

lery, video clips and links to the GNDO’s Facebook and Twitter page. The GNDO invites the general public to visit the website on www.gndo.org.

“The GNDO hopes that through our recently launched newsletter and our new website, our dancing society and friends will enjoy being updated with all the work produced by the GNDO on a voluntary basis. We also look forward to working with the local dance forum to be able to raise Gibraltar’s profile in the IDO,” added Seamus Byrne. n For further information please contact the GNDO on email: gndo@gibtelecom.net.

Visit: www.gndo.org

Hope. miscarriage support Tel: 200 41817.

Narcotics Anonymous Tel: 200 70720 Overeaters Anonymous support group for compulsive overeating problems. Tel: helpline for meetings info 200 42581.

Parental Support Group, helping parents and grandparents with restrictive access to their children and granchildren. Tel: Richard 200 46536, Jason 200 76618, Dominic 54019602.

Psychological Support Group, PO Box 161, Nazareth House. Meet Tuesdays at 7pm, Fridays 8pm. Tel: 200 51623.

SSAFA Forces Help Gibraltar, is a national charity, to assist serving and ex-Service personnel and their families.

Tel: (5)5481. Email: Susan GIB-CST-JSWPA@mod.uk With Dignity Gibraltar support for separated, divorced/ widowed or single people. Meet Weds 9pm, Catholic Community Centre, Line Wall Rd. Outings/activities. Tel: 54007181 or 200 79957.

Women in Need. Voluntary organisation for all victims of domestic violence. Refuge available. Tel: 200 42581 (24 hrs).

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information

T

he flora and fauna on the Upper Rock are considered of great conservational value. It’s the perfect place for birdwatchers, as migratory species use Gibraltar as the shortest crossing between Europe and Africa. Botanists will also be interested to see over 600 species of flowering plants, including some unique to Gibraltar. Watch out for colourful lizards, non-venemous Horseshoe Whipsnakes, butterflies and pipistrelle bats. Info on flora and fauna at the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society’s information centre at Jews Gate.

St. Michael’s Cave: The cave comprises an upper hall with five connecting passages and drops of 40-150ft to a smaller hall. A further succession of chambers, some at 250ft below the entrance, is reached through narrow holes. The Cathedral Cave is open to visitors and is used as an auditorium for concerts and theatre. The cave was prepared as a hospital in WWII, but never used.

A further series of chambers ending in a mini lake is called Lower St. Michael’s Cave and can be visited with a guide.

The Monkeys’ Den: There are around 160 monkeys in the Park and around 30 can be seen at the Monkey’s Den. Often called apes, they are tail-less Barbary macaques and Europe’s only free living monkeys. £500 fine for feeding the monkeys - don’t do it!

The Great Siege Tunnels: Tunnelling in the Rock began during the Great Siege (1779-1783) when France and Spain made an attempt to recapture the Rock while Britain was busy with the American War of Independence. Governor General Elliot offered a reward to anyone who could tell him how to mount a gun on the north face of the Rock. Sgt. Major Ince suggested tunnelling and there are over 30 miles of tunnels inside the Rock with various exhibitions inside.

The Military Heritage Centre: Housed in one of the Rock’s many historic batteries, the Military Heritage Centre displays information on the development of Gibraltar’s military defences through the ages.

A City Under Siege Exhibition: Exhibits depicting the lives of civilian population during the many sieges, are housed in one of the earliest British building on the Rock. Original graffiti, drawn by duty soldiers to stop themselves falling asleep, is still visible, the earliest dating back to 1726.

The Moorish Castle: actually just part of a Moorish town and castle which was built up during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, spearheaded from Gibraltar in 711AD by Tarik-ibnZeyad (“Gibraltar” is a corruption of the Arabic words “Jebel Tarik” - Tarik’s mountain). The part we see today, The Tower of Homage, dates back to 1333AD, when Abu’l Hassan recaptured the Rock from Spain.

Natural History & Heritage Park Walks: Med Steps is a stunning walk with the steep climb at the end rewarded with spectacular views of the Rock and Spain. Another recommended walk is St Michael’s Cave through to Charles V Wall but walkers should be relatively fit for both. It

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is also pleasant walking along the upper rock roads. Brochures available free from all Tourist Board offices.

Botanical Gardens: Opened in 1816, the Alameda Botanical Gardens fell into disrepair but are being restored to their former glory. Visitors can enjoy a stroll beneath pines, dragon trees and palms, and see many of Gibraltar’s native plants as well as exotic species. The shop sells environmentally friendly gifts, plants and seeds. Tel: 200 72639/200 74022. Parking.

Nelson’s Anchorage: Rosia Road 9.30am - 5.15pm Monday to Saturday (last entry at 5pm). Closed on Sunday. Admission: £1.00 (free with Nature Reserve ticket. Tickets for the nature reserve can also be bought at this attraction).

Parson’s Lodge: Rosia Road. Narrow limestone outcrop with a labyrinth of tunnels surmounted by an impressive battery, which has witnessed the development of coast artillery over 300 years.

Housed three 18 ton 10-inch rifled muzzle loaders positioned behind a unique sandwich of armour plate/teak, known as ‘Gibraltar Shields’.

Flat Bastion Magazine Flat Bastion Road, Geological Research Station and Lithology of Gibraltar. To visit contact: F. Gomez Tel. 200 44460, P. Hodkinson Tel. 200 43910.

Shrine of Our Lady of Europe (Museum within premises) Europa Road. 10am-7pm Monday to Friday, 11am-7pm Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays.

Closed 1pm - 2pm.

Trafalgar Cemetery: Trafalgar Rd, 9am - 7pm daily (free).

Business Information Financial Serv. Commission Tel: 200 40283/4 Chamber of Commerce Tel: 200 78376 Federation Small Business Tel: 200 47722 Company Registry . . . . . . . . . . . Tel: 200 78193 Useful Numbers Airport (general info.). . . . . . . . . Tel: 200 73026 Hospital, St Bernards. . . . . . . . . Tel: 200 79700 Weather information. . . . . . . . . . . . . Tel: 5-3416 Frontier Queue Update Tel: 200 42777 Gibraltar Museum Tel: 200 74289 18/20 Bomb House Lane open 10am-6pm (Sat. 10am-2pm).

Closed on Sunday. Admission: Adults £2/Children under 12 years £1. Exhibitions also at Casemates gallery.

Registry Office Tel: 200 72289 It is possible to get married on the Rock within 48 hours. A fact taken advantage of by stars such as Sean Connery and John Lennon.

Rock Tours by Taxi Tel: 200 70052 As well as

History Alive Every Saturday morning the

Rock’s past is brought alive by a troop of soldiers in 18th century period uniform. The soldiers march from Bomb House Lane at 12 noon to Casemates. At Casemates they carry out a “Ceremony of the Keys” and then march back up Main Street to the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned.

offering normal fares, taxis provide Rock Tours taking in the Upper Rock, Europa Point and other sites of interest. It is the best way to see the Rock’s major features in a short time.

John Mackintosh Hall Tel: 200 75669 Includes cafeteria, theatre, exhibition rooms and library.

308 Main Street 9.30am - 11pm Monday to Friday. Closed weekends.

Bicycle Racks Bicycle parking is provided at the following locations: Europort Road, Casemates Tunnel, Land Port Ditch, Fish Market Road, Commonwealth Car Park, Reclamation Road (by English Steps) + Line Wall Road.

Gibibikes is a scheme for public use of bikes taken from stations around the Rock. Visit www.gibibikes.gi for info.

Public Holidays 2013 Gibraltar & United Kingdom New Year’s Day Tuesday 1 January Commonwealth Day Monday 11 March* Good Friday Friday 29 March Easter Monday Monday 1 April Worker’s Memorial Day Friday 26 April* May Day Wednesday 1 May Spring Bank Holiday Monday 27 May Queen’s Birthday Monday 17 June Late Summer Bank Holiday Monday 26 August Gibraltar National Day Tuesday 10 September* Christmas Day Wednesday 25 December Boxing Day Thursday 26 December *Gibraltar only

Emergency Services

Emergency calls only: Fire/Ambulance................................... Tel: 190 Police............................................ Tel: 199/112 Emergency Number Tel: 112 Non-urgent calls: Ambulance Station Tel: 200 75728 Police........................................ Tel: 200 72500 os Emergency N : .............Tel: (5) 5026 / (5) 3598

GibiBikes Locations • Frontier • Victoria Stadium • Waterport Road (Watergardens) • Waterport Road (Waterport Terraces) • Eurotowers • Reclamation Road (Leisure Centre) • Commonwealth Parade Car Park • Rosia Road (Jumpers building) • Rosia Road (Bayview Terraces) • Grand Parade Car Park (Cable Car) • Southport Gates (Ince’s Hall) • Line Wall Road (City Hall) • Line Wall Road (Orange Bastion) • Market Place • Eastern Beach Road (coming soon) • Catalan Bay (viewing platform) • St Joseph’s School • Europa Point • Rosia Parade Visit www.gibibikes.gi to find out more about how you can benefit from GibiBikes

GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • MAY 2013

The Gibraltar Magazine is published and produced by Guide Line Promotions Ltd, La Bayuca, 21 Turnbull’s Lane, Gibraltar. Tel/Fax: (+350) 200 77748

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atural History & Heritage Park admission 9.30am to 7pm by tickets (includes entrance to sites - St. Michael’s Cave, Monkey’s Den, Great Siege Tunnels, Military Heritage Centre, ‘A City Under Siege’ Exhibition and Moorish Castle). Facilities closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Adults £10, children 5-12 years: £5, children age under 4 free, vehicles £2.

Private vehicles may be restricted at certain times, tours available by taxi/mini bus. Also reached by cable car (leaves Grand Parade 9.30am-5.15pm Mon-Sun. Last cable down: 5.45pm). 50p per person to walk with no entrance tickets.

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