talent in focus
A photo of Carmen Gomez on stage from Evening Standard
Carmen Gomez
by Mike Brufal
Life in the Spotlight Carmen Gomez is one of the most multi-talented Gibraltarians of her generation and today leads a quiet life in semi-retirement. In her time she has been Miss Gibraltar 1970, singer, writer, artist, composer, guitarist, restaurateur, politician, fashion model and actress. In fact, she has accomplished so much in her life it is difficult to know where to begin. Carmen was educated at St Mary’s School where she made her first subconscious venture into public service when in 1960 as head girl she organised a collection for the Agadir disaster in Morocco. The next year she recorded the Christmas Eve message for Gibraltar broadcast on the BBC radio programme Children’s Hour. The 11 plus examination was passed and
46
she entered the Loreto Convent School and by 1965 was captain of the ‘Blue Stars’ basketball team and a member of Gibraltar Basket Ball Association (GABBA). Her talent for singing was recognised when she sang On the Horizon in the 1966 Gibraltar Song Festival. The next year she was awarded a Gibraltar Government bursary to study in the UK but
she went before the Head of the Board of Education with her request to study and teach Drama — her request was denied and she was refused the bursary. Her entry a year later into the world of entertainment came with an job on local radio which led to being appointed the presenter of Romper Room by the head rep of Talbot TV, at the fledgling Gibraltar Television station, and then as a bi-lingual presenter on Radio Gibraltar. Elected Miss Gibraltar in 1970 she represented Gibraltar in that year’s Miss World competition. All did not go smoothly during the Miss World competition. Upon arrival all the contestants were told by Julia Morley (still running the competition 31 years later) that no one would be given special press coverage. Carmen shared a room with Miss Israel and for political reasons many photographers kept coming to the door of their room to persuade Miss Israel to pose for photographs. This upset Carmen and she complained to the formidable Mrs Morley who resolved the matter by taking Miss Israel out of the room. Amazingly when Jon Joe Gomes, manager of the Gibraltar Tourist office in London, came to call on her he was refused admission as was her brother Robert. It turned out to be an exciting Miss World as feminists publicly protested and threw ink bombs at the compere, Bob Hope, while he was on stage at the Royal Albert Hall. On her return to the Rock, Miss Gibraltar was interviewed on GBC and provided a summary of events that had upset her, in a desire that no future Miss Gibrlatar would suffer a similar fate. The next day a senior Gibraltar Tourist Office executive telephoned, said she had been a naughty girl and put the phone down. GBC sent Peter Plant to investigate and when interviewed live from London on the news by Clive Golt, he confirmed everything said by Carmen was correct. Perhaps as a result Carmen’s photograph never appeared in GTO publicity. That year she was honoured by the Commander in chief of the troops Brigadier Birbeck and the Governor, by having a newborn monkey named after her. 1959 saw her make her debut as an actress appearing as Herod’s wife in a St Mary’s Junior School production. In the same year she was the Virgin Mary in the St Bernard’s Catholic Social Club’s float in the Cavalcade procession. In 1964 she was the first recipient of the trophy for best actor in the Drama Festival’s junior section. Then followed a series of roles in drama festivals in Group 56 and St Joseph Drama Group productions until 1972 when she decided to seek fame and fortune in London. Carmen arrived in London with no contacts at possible agents or managers and so had to find work to survive. She started with the British Airways Travel division as a ground hostess at the West London air terminal. Naturally as a former Miss World contestant she was much in demand for promotional photographs and a front cover shot in the British Airways magazine resulted in coverage in the national and travel press. 1977 saw a breakthrough when photographs of her were on the front page of Anthony Bailey and Patrick Litchfield’s 6th edition of their Ritz newspaper. Work in television was found when she
GIBRALTAR MAGAZINE • FEBRUARY 2012