Olive Press Gibraltar Newspaper - Issue 29

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Crunch talks

THERESA MAY is set to thrash out the UK’s position over Gibraltar at a high level meeting with Mariano Rajoy tomorrow.

The UK Prime Minister will meet Spain’s acting leader in Madrid to also discuss Brexit.

The meeting follows a telephone call the two shared in July in which they both agreed that no Spanish or British citizen should be ‘harmed’ by the Brexit result.

The pair met at the G20 summit in China in September but they have yet to discuss the sovereignty of Gibraltar.

The Rock is expected to be a talking point on Thursday given the recent inflammatory comments from Spain’s foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo (see below).

The conservative official has attempted to lobby EU leaders to support his quest for joint Sovereignty, and most recently said ‘we will see the Spanish flag on Gibraltar very soon.’

No, not him!

HE is one of the most unpopular figures in Gibraltarian history.

Now, the fiercely controversial PP foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo is heading down this way for crunch talks on the region.

The outspoken minister is set to meet Andalucia leader Susana Diaz in the Campo de Gibraltar area on October 18.

He wants Diaz’s to back his joint-sovereignty plan, as he continues to link the issue to Brexit.

The Rock’s original community newspaper

Vol. 2 Issue 29 www.gibraltarolivepress.com

Oct 12th - Oct 25th 2016

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October 12th - October 25th 2016

www.century21gibraltar.com Century21 Tel: 00 350 200 51020 202-204 Main Street Mob: 00 350 56523000 Gibraltar info@century21gibraltar.com

EXCLUSIVE

Hassan Nahon: My plans for credible new opposition

Hot shots

Miss Gibraltar gears up for Miss World competition with photoshoot Page 3

Team marlene-Page 2

Shot in the foot

By Joe Duggan

POLITICIANS and Unite the union have rounded on ‘immoral’ Ministry of Defence (MoD) job cuts.

They have slammed a decision to lay off 85 staff, which could see the number of jobless on the Rock soar by more than 50%.

Fabian Picardo has called on the MoD to reconsider plans to cut civilian posts by 15%, seriously adding to unemployment figures, which stand at around 160 people.

The Chief Minister said it was ‘wrong to proceed’ without considering the effect that Brexit could have on Gibraltar, particularly in terms of ‘longterm’ strategic needs.

“We will continue to work to ensure we protect jobs, rights and the longterm interests of Gibraltar,” he added.

Tel: 00350 200 65154 or 00350 200 65155 sales@gibfibrespeed.com www.gibfibrespeed.com

‘Immoral’ MoD job cuts could raise unemployment by 50%

Meanwhile, opposition leader Daniel Feetham has lashed out at the ‘immoral’ cuts so soon after the Brexit vote, which has caused the ‘most difficult moment in our political history’.

“This has created significant uncertainty and potential economic problems for Gibraltar,” he said.

Commander of British Forces Gibraltar, Commodore Mike Walliker, called the plans last week ‘as good an outcome as we could have hoped for’.

Staff at risk will be informed after a consultation period ends on Novem-

Homesick!

Lee Casciaro among footballers calling for home internationals on the Rock Page 7

What has Jamie Oliver’s paella recipe and an infamous botched fresco painting got in common?

Jamie’s 30 minute mess Page 22

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Green light signalled THE Gibraltar Parliament has given the green light for the establishment of a new Select Committee on the effects of Brexit.

Here for all CHILDLINE Gibraltar has vowed to expand its services after revealing half of its callers are adults who have struggled to deal with child abuse.

Bobby drive MORE than 270 application packs were distributed in the first week of the Royal Gibraltar Police’s latest recruitment drive.

Odds checker THE UK’s decision to implement a 15% consumption tax on offshore gambling operations will be reviewed by the EU Court of Justice this month.

October 12th - October 25th 2016

‘Immoral’ cuts

walker’s body found at last

THE body of a British man who went missing during a 2,000km trek from London to Gibraltar has been found in Spain.

The remains of former Leicester councillor David Oldman were discovered by hunters in La Concepcion, near Almeria.

Oldman, 66, was last seen on June 9

ber 2, although the MoD insists cuts ‘will be achieved by voluntary means’.

However trade union Unite questioned the MOD’s claims that the cuts would be voluntary.

“In our view this equates to a mass reduction disguised as a voluntary redundancy package,” a spokesperson said. “This will impact the community at large.”

while trekking from Huercal-Overa in Almeria to the nearby town of Albox.

Concerns grew when he failed to ring his mum or board his flight home to London a few days later.

His family made a series of pleas on social media, but an intensive four-week search in July came up with nothing.

Opinion Page 6

Team Marlene EXCLUSIVE Interview by Joe Duggan

MARLENE Hassan Nahon is preparing to launch a new political movement in Gibraltar, it can be revealed.

In a move that could rock the political establishment, the independent MP is in the early stages of creating a new political party.

Hassan Nahon - who was elected to parliament in 2015’s gen-

Must do better

Independent MP Hassan Nahon confirms plans to form new party eral election - left the GSD in May citing a ‘toxic environment’ in Daniel Feetham’s party.

Speaking to the Olive Press this week, Hassan Nahon confirmed she is actively gauging opinion among interested parties ahead of any manifesto announcements.

"I've been an independent in

It’s good to talk THE Garrison Library is hosting a two-day symposium on small states and the right to self-determination from October 13.

The event, which is organised by Dr Jennifer Ballantine Perera, will see talks on Brexit, overseas territories and law.

Falkland Islands assembly member Ian Hansen will also be addressing the audience.

Parliament for four months, and I think it's time for me to begin the process of considering the future of my career in politics,” she said.

“There are other people out there who share my beliefs and convictions, and we are in discussions to develop a 'team strategy' and approach to politics.”

Speaking over coffee, at Sacarellos, she added: “If the ball gathers momentum, then we shall seriously consider standing as a new team for the next elections."

One policy believed to be under consideration is the possibility of a two-tier political system separating municipal politics from state-of-the nation matters like Brexit.

Hassan Nahon, who is daugh-

ter of former Chief Minister Sir Joshua Hassan, is set to be named on parliament’s sevenstrong Brexit select committee which was given the green light last week.

In September, the popular MP was the subject of a foulmouthed verbal attack in parliament by Education Minister Gilbert Licudi, who eventually apologised after telling Hassan Nahon to ‘get your fxxxxxx facts right’.

Opinion Page 6

A PRESSURE group has said mental health facilities in Gibraltar are falling short.

The Gibraltar Mental Welfare Society used World Mental Health day on October 10 to voice their concerns of the Rock’s ability to tackle the issue.

“We want to see real concrete action in Gibraltar,” a spokesperson from the society said. “In crisis situations Gibraltar handles things incredibly badly, and we need to work better with young people to prevent mental health issues from developing in the first place.”

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DJs head east

AMAZING – WE GOT SO MANY CLIENTS! RE the article and advert in the Olive press, I still haven’t managed to read it as I’ve been so busy.

But, that aside, I just wanted to say SO MANY CLIENTS came because of it and spoke about it, so it must have been AMAZING and I am really grateful for your time and interest in my venture.

I really hope all your projects are going well!

Gigi Taylor, Gigi’s restaurant Sotogrande

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Swinging celebs

GIBRALTAR music producer Jay Callejon has been showing off Gibraltar’s top talent at the Great Wall of China.

DJ Alex Lethalness span the decks for a three hour set at the annual YinYang music festival.

Taking place in the Tianjin mountains, Callejon of J2 Productions is now planning to take more acts to China next year.

GOING EAST: Alex and Jay

October 12th - October 25th 2016

A HOST of famous faces are dusting off their irons for a trip to the Costa del Sol. Boyzone frontman Ronan Keating will be joined by Britain’s got Talent judge Alesha Dixon, Scottish rugby star Thom Evans and TV personality Vernon Kay for the Global Gift Celebrity Golf Day at Estepona Golf.

All proceeds from the event will go towards Cudeca, Global Gift Foundation and Marie Keating Foundation as part of the 2016 Ronan Keating Charity Golf Series.

Irish heartthrob Keating will also be performing an acoustic set as part of a Gala Dinner in the Gran Melia Don Pepe in Marbella.

Taking place on October 14 and 15, enter a team by calling 609142864

TEEING UP: Keating (above), Evans (right), Kay (below) and Dixon (left)

Donal ducks in…

Again! assassin: Paddy Doyle the subject of TV documentary

With his sites set on Ireland’s wealthiest criminal gang, Donal MacIntyre lands on the Costa del Sol

MISS Gibraltar Kayley Mifsud has been showing off her flawless figure in official photographs for Miss World 2016.

In a series of stunning shots, the Rock’s numberone beauty poses for images around Gibraltar ahead of December’s prestigious pageant.

While Kayley admitted she doesn’t wear the Miss Gibraltar Crown too often anymore, she told the Olive Press that she is ‘really looking forward’ to the Washington D.C. event.

Posh Pets Spain

EXCLUSIVE

By Rob Horgan

HARD-HITTING investigative TV journalist Donal MacIntyre has been back on the Costa del Sol. Just a year after filming a show on the unsolved disappearance of expat girl Amy Fitzpatrick, the Irish presenter flew back into Malaga.

And this time round he had his sights set on Ireland’s most notorious gang, the Kinahans.

Focussing on former Kinahan hitman Paddy Doyle, MacIntyre retraced the assassins final moments before he was killed in a brutal hit in Estepona in 2008.

Taking on the world!

HANDSOME HACKS: MacIntyre and Horgan Speaking to neighbours about the assassination, MacIntyre also interviewed Olive Press journalist Rob Horgan about the rise of Irish and British criminal gangs on the Costa del Sol. “It is great to get local knowledge of the gangland scene,” Donal said. “The way the judicial process works in Spain is almost inconceivable to us back in Ireland or in the UK.”

A visiting professor of criminology at Birmingham City University, MacIntyre also visited Doyle’s former hangouts as well as paying a trip to MGM Marbella which was raided last month in an ongoing investigation into the Kinahans.

The episode will appear in a six-part series called Assassins: Paid to Kill and is scheduled to air next year.

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Horror crash fund for photographer A FUNDRAISING campaign has been launched for a popular Costa del Sol photographer who suffered life-changing injuries in a motorbike accident.

A specialist in wedding photography both in Spain and Gibraltar, over €5,000 has already been raised to help David Toms receive the treatment and aftercare he needs.

Coming off his bike in a ‘freak accident’ in July, David is cur-

rently receiving treatment in a Toledo hospital after being rendered quadriplegic.

He sustained spinal injuries to three vertebrate as well as a broken wrist, broken ankle and shin plus major neurological damage to the body.

After six weeks in ICU in Málaga, he has now been transferred to a specialist hospital.

To donate visit www.gofundme.com/2s7mrahs

tel: 0034 952 597 035 www.poshpetsspain.com Follow us on Facebook ‘Posh Pets Spain’

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NEWS October 12th - October 25th 2016

Migrants’ tales book helped by an Olive Press exclusive AN award-winning photojournalist has put together a major new book about the Mediterranean migrant crisis.

Among the many articles in the 592page tome, is an Olive Press story (right) about a young African footballer rescued from a dinghy in the Straits.

The book Europe and the Mediterranean in Times of Migration was the brainchild of photographer Thomas Dworzak and journalist and civil rights lawyer Alia Malek.

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the

the Olive Press November 14th

- 25th 2016

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Covering Andalucia in 2016 with over 200,000 papers (130,000 digital) and around 500,000 visits to thewww.theolivepress.es website each month… The Olive Press just keeps growing!

olive press FR

Telephone: 951 273 575

A TOWN hall has been fined for cruelty to pigs.

Officials in El Sahugo, near Salamanca, have been fined €1,502 for allowing a ‘slippery

Doctor, Doctor!

fake doctor ments.

appoint-

Top pad THE Spanish architect who designed New York’s World Trade Centre Hub is planning to build the world’s tallest skyscraper in Dubai.

Unwelcome A CONTROVERSIAL spate of graffiti in Palma de Mallorca has been making headlines after ‘Tourists go home.

Refugees welcome’ was daubed on a city hall.

pig’ competition to go ahead.

Castille y Leon regional court ruled that the competition - in which children attempt to catch piglets who have been covered in grease - is ‘degrading to animals’.

It comes after animal THE UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office Office bacon and a lady in Leba- rights groups protesthas released a list of this non rang to request an Eng- ed against the event, which takes place duryear’s top ten bizarre re- lish butler. quests from Brits travelling Half a million calls were ing feria and see hunmade to the FCO’s consular dreds of abroad. children chase They include one Brit plan- service last year – which the pigs. The first child provides emergency help to to catch a pig gets to ning a move to Spain ringing the consulate over fears Britons in trouble overseas. take it home. he would encounter nudists The service helped 3,250 Animal rights group Brits who were hospital- PACMA walking the streets. welcomed Meanwhile, another asked ised, 4,770 who were ar- the fine, but fears where he could buy English rested, and the families of it won´t deter this 3,670 who died overseas. year´s organisers.

WHERE DO I BUY BACON?

NEARLY one in three Spaniards confesses to having lied in order to leave work early, with 52% of those inventing

www.theolivepress.es

He’s PIG in the city!

A PET pig has been spotted roaming the streets of San Pedro.

The Vietnamese pot-bellied pig is a neighbour’s pet and is allowed to wander around on his own at weekends.

An Olive Press photographer watched him greet local dogs with his tail wagging.

“You often see him here and he behaves very much like other dogs,” said a local.

ESCAPE TO VICTORY Teen migrant saved from sinking dinghy is now following in hero footballer’s footsteps

Homeward Bound..

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Village slips up in piglet catching competition

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A YOUNG African immigrant rescued from certain death in the Med is playing football with La Linea’s top team Real Balompédica Linense.

Two-footed striker, Amadou Siribe, 19, left Mali capital Bamako two years ago to follow his dream of becoming a professional footballer, like his heroes Samuel Eto’o and Frederic Kanoute.

But the dream became a nightmare when he and four others were stranded in a tiny blow-up dinghy while attempting the treacher- SURVIVOR: Amadou ous crossing from Tangier to Cross) boat crew spotted Tarifa.

At the mercy of the sea and their tiny dinghy and rescued with no water or food, Malian them, taking them to Tarifa.

Amadou and his companions While there, being looked thought they were going to after by the authorities, he started to play football again. die.

“The water was very rough He was soon spotted by La and dangerous,” he told the Linea side Atletico Zabal, beOlive Press. “One of us was fore heading to Valencia to bailing out because so much find work, where he banged water was coming in. Dol- in 13 goals in nine games for phins were leaping out of the local team Atletic Amistad. water and almost sinking the Now he has been snapped by by Real Balompedica Linboat.

“I fell in the water twice and ense (Balona) after moving to had to be rescued. I swal- La Linea crisis centre Hogar lowed so much salt water I Betania. He also now has an agent. became very sick.

“After six hours I thought we “I’m hoping to sign for the were all going to die and be- team in time for next season.

I hope this year I can carry on gan crying for my family.”

Fortunately, a Cruz Roja (Red scoring lots of goals and do my town and country proud.¨

Top o’ the travellers

THE Irish cannot get enough of Spain.

There has been a 20% rise in visitor numbers from the Emerald Isle so far this year on 2015.

Spain is now second for Irish visitors after the UK. According to construction company Taylor Wimpey, home sales to Irish buyers are up by a massive 200% compared to last year.

Day for the guiris

ORGANISER: Ana Velasco

THE expat population of Estepona has celebrated in style at the 15th edition of the Foreign Residents Day. An incredible 20 different nationalities enjoyed food, crafts and traditions from their home countries, via 35 stands and some live music.

A large South American contingent saw residents from the likes of Colombia, Bolivia and Chile join in the fun.

Kick in the teeth

AN EXPAT animal sanctuary owner who rescued a dying donkey was arrested and forced to purchase it, as well as three others.

Brit Peter Singh, 46, discovered one-eyed pregnant Ethel, who was covered in scars, starving

and struggling to stand.

Singh was taking the mule to his Alicante sanctuary when police made their arrest.

The man who had left Ethel crippled with an injured hoof and with her bridle cutting into her face had sent his nephew to the police with two more donkeys.

Unless Singh paid €2,000 for all the donkeys, including the unborn foal, he was told he would be charged with theft.

"My blood was boiling," he said, "I had no option but to pay up. These people had neglected this poor animal so badly it was close to death."

"It was as if I was rewading cruelty," he added.

Many other reporters helped to compile the book, which covers the migrant crisis since 2015.

“They were struck by the urgent need for the kind of information this book provides,” Malek told the Olive Press.

“By featuring the voices of refugees as well as residents of Europe – many of them once displaced themselves – the book is also a place of dialogue.”

The non-profit book will be printed in four languages.

A sky-high squabble

Top aviation body calls for ‘swift and responsible’ end to Gibraltar airport dispute EUROPE’S aviation trade body has slammed the deadlock over Gibraltar’s airport credentials.

Airports Council International Europe is calling for ‘swift, responsive and responsible’ action to sort out a stalemate that is delaying various aviation agreements.

ACI Europe’s Director General, Olivier Jankovec, claims many deals - including one between the EU and Ukraine have been stalled now for three years due to the ‘Gibraltar issue’.

“The Gibraltar deadlock means we are missing out on opportunities for growth and job creation that Europe so badly needs,” he said.

“This is the case today with the EU-Ukraine aviation agreement which cannot be activated.”

He added: “Next in line might be the EU-Brazil aviation agreement currently being finalised, which might well be blocked for the same reason.”

Spain’s PP government argues that as Gibraltar is a ‘disputed territory’ it must be left out of the EU’s aviation agreements.

Currently no deal can be struck while Spain disputes Gibraltar’s position on the council.

Leading the fight SPAIN’S first openly gay referee has been invited to attend a Barcelona FC match in a show of solidarity following torrents of vile homophobic abuse.

Jesus Tomillero, 21, from La Linea, came out in 2015 but had to quit refereeing after fans repeatedly hurled verbal insults at him.

He returned in May but continued to receive death threats, with one reading: “We’ll kill you with AIDS, you f***ot.”

Barcelona is hoping to organise other events and ‘lead the fight’ against homophobia in football.

Return to the Rock THE University of Gibraltar’s first vicechancellor has hailed a ‘landmark day’ for the Rock after she was installed at the institution.

Professor Daniella Tilbury was installed along with new chancellor Lord Luce at an official ceremony last month.

The university currently has 261 students from 13 countries, but has plans to extend the number of students to 1,000.

For Gibraltarian Professor Tilbury, the new role has allowed her to return to the Rock after 30 years away in a career that has seen her work with UNESCO. “It’s a landmark day for the university and personally for me it is a very emotional day,” Professor Tilbury told the Olive Press.

“Being Gibraltarian and having a university in my homeland is a significant thing.”

She previously served as a delegate at the UN’s CoP Climate Change meetings and UN Summits on Sustainable Development.

“We are a new source of economic development for Gibraltar. It will have ripple effects across the community,” she said.

NEW BROOM: Daniella Tilbury

She added: “We would like to set up a centre for maritime studies. With the department of education we will also be establishing teacher training on the Rock.”

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

October 12th - October 25th 2016

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FE AT U R E

www.gibraltarolivepress.com The Rock’s only investigative

local newspaper

A campaigning, community newspaper, the Gibraltar Olive Press represents the local and expatriate communities working or living on the Rock with 10,000 copies distributed fortnightly on a Wednesday.

OPINION New dawn?

THE often bitter tone of debate between political parties on Gibraltar can be unseemly, with the mud-slinging often reaching vicious levels.

So the prospect of a new force amid the established order is an intriguing one.

Marlene Hassan Nahon’s plans for a new ‘team strategy approach to politics’ could signal the start of a more conciliatory and unifying discourse, where parties cooperate more on matters of shared interest.

It’s a plan in its infancy, as Hassan Nahon has stressed, but four months after quitting the GSD, the independent MP is already mapping out a bold new vision that could challenge the status quo.

Good luck to her.

Shot in the foot THE fear of redundancy is one that stalks everyone at one point or another.

For dozens of families affected by the proposed Ministry of Defence (MoD) job cuts, the coming weeks and months will be anxious ones.

Fabian Picardo has urged the MoD to be ‘respectful of the long service’ so many have given in the course of duty.

The GSD has said it will ‘leave no stone unturned’ to protect MoD workers being put at risk.

Unite is calling on Gibraltarians to back any action it takes to protect their members’ positions.

Such a large number of job cuts in a small place like Gibraltar would have a significant ripple effect across the community.

We must all hope that a satisfactory outcome can be reached between all parties.

Publisher/ Editor

Jon Clarke jon@theolivepress.es

Newsdesk newsdesk@theolivepress.es Tel: (+34) 665 798 618

Designer James Partington design@theolivepress.es

Rob Horgan rob@theolivepress.es Joe Duggan joe@theolivepress.es Laurence Dollimore laurence@theolivepress.es Admin & Accounts (+34) 951 273 575 Maria González admin@theolivepress.es Admin and accounts coordinator Héctor Santaella (+34) 658 750 424 accounts@theolivepress.es Admin and account assistant

Distribution Graham Warters distribution@theolivepress.es SALES TEAM: sales@theolivepress.es Chris Birkett - Head of Sales chris@theolivepress.es (+34) 652 512 956 Kerry Hicks kerry@theolivepress.es 655825683

Clarke Media Ltd. Registration number: 113878 Suite 2B, 143 Main Street, Gibraltar Printed by Corporación de Medios de Andalucía S.A.

AWARDS

2015/2016 Best expat paper in Spain and the second best in the world. The Expat Survey Consumer Awards.

2012 - 2016 Named the best English language publication in Andalucia by the Rough Guides group.

October 12th - October 25th 2016

Catalan Bay’s Gerald Lopez is the final link in a centuries-old Gibraltarian tradition.

Joe Duggan hears his tale

T

HIS is a tradition that is dying out,” sighs boatmaker Gerald Lopez.

Outside his magenta cottage, the Mediterranean’s turquoise waters crash onto Catalan Bay. It’s a windy Saturday afternoon, and a smattering of bathers brave the foaming waves. Small fishing boats huddle against the shore. It’s a timeless scene.

“I am the last one left. It makes me very sad.”

Gerald lingers over lovingly-bound albums of photographs from La Caleta’s years gone by.

Black and white images of local fishermen HERITAGE: Catalan Bay thrived on boat-making for years gaze back out.

He is directly linked to this past.

For Gerald is the last man standing in a Catalan Bay boatmaking lineage stretching back to the 18th century.

He is Gibraltar’s sole remaining craftsman who can build wooden boats - known as barcillas - in the original style of Catalan Bay’s first Genoese settlers.

It’s a tie that brings him pride, but also an aching melancholy.

“If there was a boatbuilding school here, I could have passed my skills on to young kids. But I don’t think people in Gibraltar are interested in “I worked overnight with other tradesmen on it. It doing this anymore,” says set sail on the Monday.”

Gerald.

His bid for perfection pushes him to tweak and Although the 55-year-old now modify each new boat. But there is always a stanworks as a supervisor for the dard formula.

Gibraltar government, Building a scale model is the starting point. Each his passion for vessel adheres to roughly the same dimensions boats still con-15 ft long and 5 ft at its widest. The boats’ long, sumes him. elegant stems are faithful to the distinctive GenoNowadays, his ese style. Each takes around five months to build. boats are more “The planking (or base) of the boat is always done likely to be raced with red pine,” says Gerald. in September’s an“That is best because it swells more than other nual Catalan Bay woods so it is easy to shrink.”

Regatta than be He pours boiling water over the planks, softening used for commercial them enough so he can bend them. fishing.

“Old shipwrights used to get a tube of boiling waBut La Caleta’s hister and use steam but I have to use a kettle,” he tory as a fishing hub says. means the exact “These types of wooden boats last for 80 years same boats were used easily, if they are cared for.” by past generations They’re fast, too, adds Gerald. If you want to see to harvest the waters the regatta you have to run along the beach to around Gibraltar and keep up. sustain the local comGerald’s trove of old photographs offer a fascinatmunity. Indeed, fishing ing glimpse into Catalan Bay’s ties with the sea. remained the area’s lifeIn one, a priest blesses a boat in front of a crowd blood until well into the outside Our Lady Of Sorrows church.

20th century.

Another, taken in the 50s, shows Gerald’s mother “I used to see people on near the beach (when the 1958 film, Wonderful Sunday morning with boxes Things, was filmed in Catalan Bay, both Giovanna of fish. My grandad would fish and Gerald’s family worked as extras, rowing acfor sprats to sell,” recalls Gerald. tors Frankie Vaughan and Jeremy Spenser out to From the 18th century, Catalan sea).

Bay’s community of Genoese Many of Gerald’s boats are named after family fishermen quickly swelled. members. The Jesstef, outside his home, honA 1725 census showed 414 PROUD: Gerald Lopez with one of his boats ours grandchildren Jesse and Stefan. A few yards Genoese from an overall population of 1,113. By 1813, a “From then on, my passion was to build boats. I away, the Francesca is a tribute to his daughter. third of Gibraltar was either Genoese or Italian. just had to build boats. I built my first boat when His favourite, the sleek 38, is moored in Mid-Harbour Marina, ready to take to the waves for this In Catalan Bay, a Genoese dialect was spoken I was eight.” until the early 20th century (in fact, as late as the To the astonishment of Catalan Bay’s community, month’s rowing regatta, held in Catalan Bay since 1970s a visiting Italian linguist Fiorenzo Toso dis- this inquisitive little boy had stepped up to join the 1926. covered old fishermen who still spoke Genoese). ranks of the neighbourhood’s most famed crafts- Gerald has sold some of his boats for up to £1,800, but he could have made thousands The language has now died men. out, but traces of this past still Aged 12, Gerald begged to be more. echo around Catalan Bay, from sent to Blands shipping yard to “I never gave much importance to what I did,” he the village’s elegant GenoeseFrom then on, my repair boats for his school work says.

“But do you know how many people have said, style shutters and courtyards passion was to build experience. to Genoa House apartment There, he alighted upon a revo- ‘We will pay you to use your boat as a mould’? boats.

I just had to block. Gerald’s boats are anlutionary new method for mak- “No way. Then my secret is gone. I don’t think build boats. I built there is a price I could put on it.” other snapshot of an era gone the boat’s ribs. my first boat at eight ing by.

“One day, we were being The modest Gerald takes a lot of coaxing to come He and his wife Giovanna are shown how to work with ma- outside for some photos. As he shows me around a few of his boats, he admits he has no more in descended from Genoese setrine plywood,” he said. tlers. During a recent trip to the “I thought, ‘What if I can cut a the pipeline. “It’s too much work,” he laments. north Italian region, he admits becoming ‘quite small piece of marine plywood and drive a copper “It’s sad that I’m the last one who knows how to do this. emotional’ at seeing the same long-stemmed nail into it?’ I did it and it held. boats along the harbour at the village of Cinque “Nobody had used that method here. The ribs for “But my four-year-old grandson Jesse is showing a Terre. boats were made out of trees. They used to see lot of interest,” he beams. “He loves it.”

The local fishermen were astonished when Ger- a tree and say, ‘That curve is alright’ and cut it in Perhaps Gerald isn’t the last boatmaker after all. ald told them the same design had endured for sections.” centuries in a tiny enclave hundreds of miles When he was 15, he built his first big boat with away. wood salvaged from a strong incoming Levante. This article first appeared “I learned this trade from an old man in Catalan He sold it for £350. The same year, he joined the in Gib Rocks, a new quarBay, called Julio Stagno,” explains Gerald. naval dockyard as an apprentice shipwright, re- terly magazine published “He used to build boats round his house and I pairing frigates’ lifeboats. in conjunction with the would go and look at him. I learned everything “During the Falklands War, the SS Uganda was Olive Press - Winter issue from him. He was a shipwright {boatmaker} by turned into a hospital ship over the weekend due out in November trade. There were a lot of boat builders here then. here,” he says.

Last of the boatmakers

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TEAM GIB: Hoping for home games on the Rock

T’S one of the longest trips for Gibraltar’s World Cup game with Belgium a home game in football. Since 2013, hundreds of Gibraltar fans may be the last home tie in Portugal, have woken before dawn and writes Joe Duggan crawled bleary-eyed onto coaches and cars for the 800km round-trip to Faro.

Monday’s 6-0 World Cup qualifying defeat to Belgium is the eighth time this lengthy, expensive journey has been made. It’s hoped it will be the last.

“The GFA is working closely with the Gibraltar Government, as well as with FIFA and UEFA, to bring these home games home, even before the new national stadium is built,” the Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) has explained.

“This is essential. We are working tirelessly toward making our next home game our last home game to NO-ONE AT HOME: Gibraltar line up in Faro and (below) Williams be played on foreign soil.”

Last week, a GFA spokesperson would grant clearance for next Gibraltar football officials have certold the Olive Press they were ‘op- June’s Group H Cyprus match to be tainly put in tireless work on behalf timistic’ high-levels talks with UEFA played on the Rock. of the national game, with UEFA and FIFA membership secured in the past three years. A permanent base in Gibraltar for the national team would be the final piece in the jigsaw.

Other sides have travelled longer distances to play at home - in 2008, Russian military action forced Georgia’s home game with Ireland to be moved 2,000km to the German city Mainz- but so far, Gibraltar’s players and fans have clocked up an eyewatering 6,400km on the road to Faro.

Separate proposals have been made for a 8,000-seater stadium at Europa Point and a 4-5,000 capacity ground at Lathbury Barracks. UEFA can grant exemption for a stadium to host international games even if it doesn’t reach minimum standards.

For now, everyone must hope an agreement can be struck.

For fans and journalists who have regularly made the 12-hour journey, like Gibraltar Magazine writer Mark Viales, playing at home again would be a welcome move.

“I think the novelty of Faro is wearing off a bit,” said Viales, who paid his own way to Portugal for last month’s qualifier with Greece.

“Playing in Faro affects everybody. First of all, the money the Gibraltar fans have to spend getting there (a coach is around £40).

Plus, what they spend in Faro could go into Gibraltar’s economy.

“Games during the week make it almost impossible for people to travel. And the proof we would be better off playing in Gibraltar came when Lincoln Red Imps beat Celtic.

“Everyone wants

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Each print issue of the Olive Press can be read in its entirety on www.theolivepress.es October 12th - October 25th 2016 And our site is updated daily with the latest news, making it one of Spain’s most visited news websites.

football to come home.”

The fans’ journey to Faro has also been struck by tragedy. In June 2015, a coachload of Gibraltar fans returning home were involved in an accident which killed one Moroccan man.

Chestertons Gibraltar’s Mike Nicholls was on the coach just behind that night and admits he is reluctant to ever make the trip again.

“We should play in London in the interim. It’s easier to get to (you just walk to the airport) and you can have a laugh on the flight,” he said.

“London is infinitely better than Faro, and the attendance would be so much greater as London people care about Gibraltar whereas Faro residents couldn’t give two hoots.”

The dangers of the long drive were underlined again last month when former Bruno’s Magpies coach Joel Richard Williams suffered a terrifying accident driving to Portugal for the Greece game with photographer Michael Menez.

“I was on the way to Faro beach before the Greece game. Our car fell into the sea when I swerved to avoid a car and we started sinking,” the 26-year-old told the Olive Press.

“All I could think was, ‘I am not dying on a beach in Faro’. I realised I was under water and knew I had to react. I took my seatbelt off calmly and scrambled out of the window as the car sank.”

Both men survived the horrific ordeal, although Williams, who is about to start a new job at an Indian football academy, is not deterred from travelling to cheer on the boys again.

“If I had to travel to Faro again, I would. Gibraltar is my country and I want to support the team,” he said.

“But it is irritating to go there every single time. It’s a strenuous trip.”

For the players, travelling to Faro has meant taking time off work. Gibraltar Defence Police officer Lee Casciaro, whose wife gave birth to their first child in August, had to use valuable family time to travel for Monday’s match with Belgium “I’ve had to use my paternity leave.

Most of us have to take paid or unpaid leave to travel for the international games in Faro, although the GFA compensate us,” striker Casciaro told the Olive Press.

“It would be great if we could play the home games in Gibraltar.

But we can’t complain. We love playing for Gibraltar.”

The hope is that when the boys run out against Cyprus, they can recapture some of the spirit that saw Lincoln defeat Celtic in a true David V Goliath moment. To do so, they need to be at home.

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12th - 25th C A M P O D E G IOctober B RA12thLTA R 25th October - October 2016

Far East firm in bid to buy La Linea football team

High-speed horror TWO passengers have been injured after police seized 600kg of hash in a high-speed chase near San Roque.

Guardia Civil officers stopped a car at an A-7 checkpoint, but the driver sped off.

The suspected drug trafficker drove up the wrong side of the road to escape the pursuing police vehicle before crashing into an oncoming car, injuring the two passengers.

The man, who was driving a car stolen in Switzerland, fled the scene before police discovered 20 bales of hash.

‘I back Margallo’ FOR SALE: Real Balompedica Linese

Chinese whispers

A CONTROVERSIAL offer to buy La Linea football team Real Balompédica Linense is being considered by a Chinese company.

The president of La Balona, Alfredo Gallardo, met with officials from the unnamed firm, who toured the ground.

The plan sparked an intense debate among fans over the club’s future.

However, Gallardo was adamant that while La Balona may change hands, ‘it will never, name, team colours or city’.

Meanwhile, new turf laid at La Balona’s stadium by Marbella-based company Football Impact is set to entice La Liga and Premier League stars.

The contract with Football Impact means the Segunda Division B side can return to their home ground after playing the last four home games at San Rafael stadium in Los Barrios.

Football Impact run training camps and football friendlies with professional teams across Europe.

THE mayor of Algeciras has said Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo’s plan for joint-sovereignty over Gibraltar has ‘huge advantages’.

PP leader Jose Ignacio Landaluce defended Spain’s acting foreign minister following his controversial address to New York’s United Nations (UN).

Margallo had called for Gibraltarians to be given joint nationality as a result of his deal.

“It’s a proposal that would improve the lives of all the Campo de Gibraltar and Gibraltarians, with a long list of advantages,” said Landaluce. “[Gibraltarians] wouldn’t lose any of their national characteristics and will retain all the rights of EU citizens.

“It would bring enormous possibilities for ports, companies and the airport, boosting the daily lives of our neighbours.”

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October 12th - October 25th 2016

Happy medium in town what’s on IN an industry where there are more fakes than ghosts, Derek Acorah has appealed to even the cynics.

With a sincere yet friendly approach he has delivered warmth ironically through cold subjects with a natural ease, often absent from others within the industry.

A household favourite, international medium Derek was the star of UK Livings Most Haunted Live and will be visiting The Moonlight Rooms (Sunset Beach Hotel - Benalmadena) on October 17 and the

HALLOWEEN thrill-seekers are heading to AimeeJay’s for a fancy-dress splurge this month.

Current favourite outfits include Download storybook-inspired our app now and scary characters like Little enjoying the bestand Spanish Dread begin Riding Hood Gouldilocks. news on the go.

Ever-popular costumes from films like Beetlejuice, NightGHOST HUNTER: Acorah mare on Elm Street, Scream, V for Vendetta and Friday 13th are packing in the punters, as THE Gibraltar Live Muowner Aimee Jay explains.

“New films like Suicide Squad sic Society (GLMS) has have led to a renewed interest announced its first-ever in characters such as Harley event at Rock on the Rock.

The OliveAimee PressLocal acts will celebrate Quinn and The Joker,” told the Olive Press. the GLMS’s first-year an“Kids this year have an amazniversary with an acoustic TOP for news in Spain! ing choice of characters from night in aid of GBC Open Star Wars, Guardians of the Day on October 22.

Galaxy & Ninja Turtles as Artists taking part include well as the popular Zombie Sista Dee, Layla B, Chloe Princesses.”

Enriles, Crimson Clover, Coloured contact lenses put Jason Belilo and Surianne started a new podcast sethe finishing touch on any outfit, but this year’s ‘Blind with GLMS’s David Diaz ries called 'Straight Outta Contacts’ cover the pupil for delighted with the prog- Gibraltar' with episode ress GLMS is making. two coming very soon. an extra-spooky look.

And with plenty of blood and “We just want to keep sup- “Our event on the 22nd liquid latex, this year’s Hal- porting local music and will be the first of many loween is sure to be a horror we have even bigger plans and all I can do right now for 2017,” he told the Olive is thank all the local musishow to remember!

Press.

Tel: 00350 200 42490 cians and establishments Email: ajintimates@hot- “We are always promoting who trust us in promotmail.com gigs, material and even ing everything they host

Inces Theatre in Gibraltar on October 14 to demonstrate his mediumship.

Never one to disappoint, Derek has a large fan base which follows him wherever he travels on tour! As well as a talented psychic, he's also very entertaining and will guarantee you have a good night!

So if you've got an open mind and are an intrigued spirit, then make your presence known to the amazing Derek Acorah!

Tickets available online or can be bought at Sunset Beach Leisure Desk.

Unplugged!

GLMS to host Rock on the Rock acoustic night for GBC Open Day or do.”

He added: “Every one of those mean the world to us and it just means we are doing a good job.”

Rock on the Rock doors open from 21.30.

Donations can be made at www.gofundme.com/glmsacousticnight

O

pen Day Ball, October 15

A GBC black tie ball at the Sunborn Hotel in Ocean Village, with music from Soulmates. £70 ticket includes welcome drink and 3 course dinner.

W

ine Olympics, October 19

TEAMS of 10 drink wine and compete in games at My Wines on Chatham Countergaurd. Entry fee of £250 per team goes to charity.

A

coustic night, October 22

A

rt exhibition, November 1-12

MORE than a dozen performers sing live at the Rock on The Rock, presented by the Gibraltar Live Music Society. Entry is £3.

A DISPLAY of the finest art from the Rock at the Fine Arts Gallery on Casemates. Free entry from 10am to 6pm.

10

LE T T E R S

www.gibraltarolivepress.com

October 12th - October 25th 2016

Built on a stack of lies

Book worms REALLY looking forward to the Gibraltar Literary Festival this year (You better book soon, Issue 29). It’s a highlight of the year for me, and I’ll try to go to as many of the talks as possible. Great to see Nicholas Parsons coming back! I went to the Mark Steel recording at St. Michael’s Cave last month and his producer told the audience that Parsons loves it in Gibraltar. Nicholas Rankin is a favourite of mine, too, and I believe he’s written an interesting book about Gibraltar during World War Two. Lawrence Mulligan, La Linea

THERE is nothing democratic about winning a referendum that was based on a pack of lies and I think the 100 days since have proven that the Leave campaign was built on mistruths.

Boris, May, Fox and the rest of the dunderheads in office couldn’t negotiate their way out of a paper bag and they are all in favour of hard Brexit so I wouldn’t be too optimistic of the outcome if I were you.

The only certainty is uncertainty and it is like watching lemmings walking off a cliff.

Steven Smith, Marbella

Little faith AS put in the article the most important 100 days are most likely to be the next 100, especially if May is thinking of triggering Article 50 in March.

It is in the coming months that the UK will put its faith in Boris Johnson,

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Harry Alter, Estepona

Focus on future

first 100 days since the referendum result because the UK is still a full member of the EU (100 days since Brexit vote, issue 249). You really need to focus on the first 100 days after Article 50 has been triggered. Cameron indicated that he would trigger A50 immediately after the referendum and all the predictions were based on that but it was all guess work because there is no precedent for leaving the EU and of course Cameron didn’t pull the trigger.

Once A50 has been triggered and we are locked into a tight 2 year negotiation period with no guarantee of an extension, the markets and employers will get very jittery particularly if we don’t finalise the trade deals in time and have to revert to WTO tariffs.

My advice to anyone thinking of relocating is to get your ducks in a row, explore your options (Irish passport?) before the UK pulls up the drawbridge in mid-2019 and says ‘adios’ .

Jane Garrett, Axarquia

IT is irrelevant to talk about the

Star letter! Would the real Joe please stand up?!

Maybe you'd publish our adventures from today and our total appreciation to a wonderful citizen of Gibraltar?While in holiday, we went to fill up and check our Mini’s tyre pressures at Morrisons, somehow the valve broke off and the tyre went down straightaway.Within minutes a Gib Gent called Joe came to our assistance and offered help. He borrowed a tyre wrench off another customer, lent me his jack, got the wheel off and then took me to Quick Fit who for a super bargain price fitted a new valve and then back to Morrisons.There are times in life when you meet

some amazing, wonderful people, totally unselfish and willing to go the extra mile to help people. Joe is one of these guys. Stupidly didn't get his surname but drives a blue Focus, is a Gibraltar native and a wonderful guy.

Thanks Joe, Gibraltar should be proud of you!

Richard Mackay, UK ED: Not our Joe should you ask

Has anything peeked your interest in this week’s Olive Press? Have your say on the matter by emailing letters@theolivepress.es or alternatively message us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OlivePressNewspaper or Twitter @olivepress

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Sat 15 Oct

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Mon 17 Oct

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Mon 17 Oct

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Mon 17 Oct

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Wed 19 Oct

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Wed 19 Oct

MAGELLAN 12:00/22:00

Thu 20 Oct

BRILLIANCE OF SEAS 07:00/ 15:00

Thu 20 Oct

SAGA SAPPHIRE 09:00/ 18:00

Fri 21 Oct

SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR 08:00/ 18:00

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M A R C O POLO 12:00/22:00

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All about Vol. 10

Issue 29

V

uadalhorce

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October 12th - October 25th 2016

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October 12th - October 25th 2016

Valley of plenty

A food truck fiesta reminds Laurence Dollimore that the settlements of the Guadalhorce Valley have fed, watered and fascinated visitors since Roman times

THERE’S always something happening here,” says Amanda Owen Jones. “We love it because the area is so traditional but it also has its modern touches, it’s like the old meeting the new.”

The smitten 54 year old is talking about Coin, the unassuming and quintessentially Andalucian capital of the Guadalhorce Valley – a winding green corridor hemmed in by mountains linking eight white municipalities like pearls on a necklace.

Coin – pronounced ‘co-een’ – has been coining it in from its cornucopia of agricultural produce and precious marble since the Romans set it up as the market town of Lacibis, some 2,000 years ago.

Today vintage churches and pastel apartment buildings that wouldn’t look out of place in Paris meet modern bars and cafes and the large 45,000m2 La Trocha shopping centre.

Continues on next Page

SPLENDOUR: The recently renovated Castillo de Monda lords itself over the nearby town and (inset) Roman columns in Alhaurin

PHOTO BY JON CLARKE

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Villages waiting to be explored From previous Page

A weekend food truck festival was in full swing when I pitched up at the centre, where you will find the likes of Dunnes stores and other chains.

A garish yellow American school bus, rigged with a booming sound system and a stage for live performances, marked the entrance to this pop-up feast lining the main square.

There were burgers and pizzas, American hot dogs and Asian wok dishes, cocktails and ice cream.

Families dressed to the nines came in their droves to eat, drink and laugh the night away with friends.

“And this is nothing compared to some of the other events here,” says Amanda, who flits back and forth between Coin and Wales with hubby Trefor, 60. “We always do New Year here, when 4,000 people fill the streets in fancy dress, it’s absolutely amazing.”

The couple have owned a house in the nearby hills for a decade, some 20 minutes walk from the centre, getting the best of both worlds.

“We are not really Marbella people, we like things quiet but we also like to have a good time, which is why it’s great here,” says Trefor.

“It’s family-orientated and safe and there is always something exciting going on.”

Indeed, the food trucks wouldn’t have looked too out of place in Roman Lacibis on market day. As well as being the Romans and later Moors’ fruit and veg basket, Coin was a transition point for the minerals being quarried five kilometres to the south, in the Sierra Blanca.

Marble from these quarries was used to construct the amazing Roman town of Italica, near

GLORIOUS: Church tower in Yunquera, Arab tower in Alora (above, right) and Coin fountain Sevilla, birthplace of the mighty Emperor Hadrian in 76AD. But like many parts of Spain, Coin fell to the Moors in the 900s before being reconquered by the Christians in the late 15th century.

The city buckled under the pressure of a siege in which, according to legend, the great New World explorer Christopher Columbus took part.

Four centuries later, a certain Captain S.E. Cook of the Royal Navy visited Coin and the surrounding towns of the Guadalhorce valley and was clearly as impressed as residents today.

“These villages are on rising ground above the river and, in beauty of situation and cultivation, cannot be excelled,” he wrote.

“They afford a specimen of the whole country when possessed by the Moors, being surrounded by gardens with orange, lemon and palm trees.”

Every town in the valley sprouts different varieties of fruit trees - living motifs to represent their valley of plenty.

Alhaurin el Grande to the east was described by the Romans as being blessed by the gods for its fertility, minerals and sunny climate.

The bustling town, carved into the Sierra de Mijas, has had quite the tumultuous history.

After the Romans, the Visigoths descended, and then the Moors who brought it up to date, built a fort to keep enemies out and changed its Roman name from Lauro Nova to the more appropriate Alhaurin, meaning Garden of Allah.

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October 12th - October 25th 2016

Like the Romans before them, they linked it to another neighbouring community by name, distinguishing the two townships as Alhaurin el Grande (The Great) and Alhaurin de la Torre (of the Tower).

Alhaurin the Great lived up to its name, seeing off waves of invaders, epidemics of plague and even an earthquake in 1680. During the Peninsula War of 1808-14, it was occupied for four years by French troops and suffered considerable bombardment.

It is even more remarkable, then, that traces of its ancient past still survive. A 12th century Moorish archway remains firmly in place while the Plaza del Ayuntamiento displays five Roman columns excavated close by.

From the plaza you get an amazing bird’s eye views of the valley. Combined with narrow streets and colourful terraces, you can’t help but feel you’ve discovered the Spain every visitor comes to find.

“You can live in a beautiful and authentic setting while being just 30 minutes from the coast,” says Antonio Alvarez, an Alhaurin-born Spaniard.

“If you want a taste of the real Spain this is where you come, it’s so peaceful and there’s such a community spirit, which is getting harder and harder to find these days.

“Things are also a lot cheaper up here,” he adds.

Take a ride out og Coin heading north and you will soon be haeding into the pretty villages that line the stunning Sierra de la Nieves natural park.

Take your pick from Tolox or Casarabovela, or Yunquera and Alozaina for wonderful mountain scenert and walks.

The most isolated town is El Burgo which sits in its own hidden valley a few kms east of Ronda.

From here you can take the most boneshaking windy pass to Ronda, or head north to Ardales.

Nowhere is that authentic Spanish flavour more piquant than in Alora, a typical pueblo blanco that shines like a white light on the mountain.

Set between three rocky spurs and topped

with an ancient castle, Alora is known as the ‘Crown of the Guadalhorce’ and its most famous resident – Cervantes, who allegedly lived here from 1587-93 – is practically royalty in Spain.

First built by the Phoenicians, expanded under the Romans, almost obliterated by the Visigoths and rebuilt by the Moors, Alora is still reeling from the shock of yet another invasion – tourists. They come, these days, in their thousands for one reason: to take the Caminito del Rey challenge.

Once known as the world’s most dangerous walkway, the ‘King’s Little Path’ has become the biggest attraction in the valley and is known all over the world.

Built into limestone rock face, the three-kilometre route offers heart-stopping views as it crosses the Gaitanes gorge over the river, a giddy 100 metres below.

It reopened last year following four years of extensive repairs and renovations, and is now attracting adrenalin junkies from Tokyo to Timbuktu who are looking for their next kick or daredevil selfie.

The architectural marvel has just been awarded a €10 million cash injection from the European Union to help bolster the attraction and its surrounding villages.

The reservoirs in the region around El Chorro - also draw tourists to the ‘Malaga Lake District’, as it has become known.

With crystal blue waters and plenty of secluded spots along the shore to lay out your towel and picnic, it’s the perfect alternative to a day on a crowded Costa del Sol beach.

Waterside restaurants keep the spot popular in winter too, with blazing log fires and barbecues offering a warming welcome after a bracing walk around the lake shores.

If you’re looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of the coast, the authentic white villages of the Guadalhorce valley are within easy reach and waiting to be explored.

RESIDENTS: Antonio and friends and Jones (right) while (above) Alhaurin church

Finca La Luna Azul A place for relaxing and enjoying the Costa del Sol More than only a guesthouse, Pet friendly Horse riding & Harleys

Andalucia’s own ‘bread basket

THE Guadalhorce Valley is 804km2 in size, and home to around 150,000 permanent residents, while many more own second homes there.

It has always been known for its citrus production, with orange and lemon plantations stretching out in every direction from the valley’s towns.

Of the eight municipalities, Coin is the biggest. But towns such as Alhaurin El Grande, Alora and Cartama are also immensely popular with expats.

While first colonised by the Romans, it was the Moors who have had the largest influence on the area.

Everywhere there is evidence of their work, which tamed the tumbling streams into irrigation systems and brought fertility to the

whole of the valley.

But while the region has been termed one of the bread-baskets of Andalucia since Roman times, the locals have long struggled with fluctuating rainfall, which can still bring devastating floods to the whole of the valley or leave the land parched for months on end.

Finca La Luna Azul Guesthouse B&B 29100 Coin, Màlaga, Spain tel: +34 692 829 017 tel: +34 652 101 416 www.la-luna-azul.eu

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October 12th - October 25th 2016

October 12th - October 25th 2016

Limited will be continuing their season of seminars for expats living along the Costa del Sol, with events planned in Nerja, Mijas, Benalmadena and Marbella in conjunction with the local town halls.

Our seminars allow us to provide information on the above Supp and end other topics of relevance to the expat community in the area. The presentations are conducted in English, but are relevant to all nationalities of ex-pats.

The forthcoming seminars will focus on the following topics: 1. BREXIT! – of course, at the time of writing this, Article 50 has not yet been invoked, and there are no concrete details of what the end result will look like, but during the seminar we will take a brief look at the process and any recent news.

In Spain over recent years there have been a number of changes that have had a significant effect on expats (as well as Spanish nationals). In 2012, there was an amnesty for residents with undeclared overseas assets.

This was quickly followed by the introduction of the Modelo 720 in early 2013, a new tax form requiring residents to declare any overseas assets in excess of €50,000. More recently it has been the automatic exchange of information, whereby information on all financial holdings and transactions will be shared between countries, BREXIT, and the forthcoming changes to inheritance tax in Andalucia which has attracted attention.

Further to this, there are a range of more generic topics which always attract a lot of discussion. These include Spanish residency rules, how inheritance and gift taxes are calculated, and any recent changes in Spanish taxation and how it applies to expat residents. Also of key interest are the investments available to residents in Spain, and the benefits of these over investments in their home countries. This normally translates to ways to minimise the income, savings or inheritance taxes payable in Spain.

2. Exchange of information – starting in 2016, financial institutions in over 100 countries will be obliged to share an individual’s financial details with the tax authorities of their country of residence. Find out how this could affect you.

3. Changes to Inheritance Tax in Andalucia – Andalucia has historically had one of the highest levels of inheritance tax in Spain, but these new changes bring some welcome reductions.

4. Holiday rentals – new regulations have recently required owners of rental accommodation to register their property with the junta de Andalucia. Find out the details at the seminars.

Dates for the events in Benalmadena and Mijas subject to confirmation To reserve your seat at one of the seminars, or for more information on any of the events, please call +34 952 816 443 or email Ilse.

Liebrechts@blacktowerfm.com.

Blacktower would like to thank the Ayuntamientos of Nerja, Mijas, Benalmadena and Marbella for their help and support in putting on these seminars.

Blacktower Financial Management (International) Limited are ideally placed to help you. The Blacktower Group was formed in 1986 to provide independent wealth management advice and a bespoke service for both individual and corporate clients.

We celebrated our 30th anniversary earlier in 2016. Our international financial advisers continually keep pace with the changing needs of our clients, and of changes to regulations and legislation. We follow a strict regulatory and compliance framework to ensure protection of clients assets at all time.

To contact Richard Mills, the author of this article, call +34 952 816 443 or email info@blacktowerfm.com Offices in Spain and throughout Europe.

5. NIE, residency and empadronamiento – helping you to understand the differences, and the importance of getting it right.

There will be plenty of opportunity for attendees to ask questions either during the Q&A session at the end of the presentation, or over drinks and tapas afterwards.

20th October at the Andalucia Lab in Marbella at 5.00pm 26th October at the Cultural Centre in Nerja at 11.00am

Blacktower Financial Management (International) Ltd is licensed by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission Licence 00805B and with the DGS and CNMV in Spain.

Looking for peace of mind?

• Expert wealth management • Effective tax planning • Tailored investments • International Pension Transfers • Private Banking • Discretionary Fund Management Contact the Marbella or Gibraltar Office: O T +34 952 816 443 | +350 200 42353 E info@blacktowerfm.com Blacktower Financial Management (International) Limited is licensed by the Gibraltar FSC Licence 00805B and registered with the DGS in Spain. Blacktower Financial Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK.

www.blacktowerfm.com

-final of Spanish TV talent show 3065 views

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OlivePressNewspaper olivepress olivepressnews +TheolivepressEs

BE ‘APPY!

Monarch’s multi-million cash lifeline

Business

Taxis for Gib! A feeling.

“To add insult to injury, taxi fares have just been increased by 50 per cent!”

The chamber has called for increased competition new licences for owner drivers, an alternative company to run City Service.

It has also suggested the introduction of an Uber-type cab service to Gibraltar.

“The poor quality of the City Service gives a very damaging impression of Gibraltar to visiting businesspeople and tourists alike. Gibraltar cannot afford for this to continue,” the spokesman added.

“The GTA has had ample time to put its house in order.

Proper reliable alternatives must now be considered.”

Future’s brightENING things digital during the free six week course.

The course will last until November 13.

The Future is Bright, the Future’s Orange.

Telephone company Orange Espana has launched a digital training programme.

The ´Se Digital´training programme, works in partnership with local town halls, to teach people how to become digital natives.

Joe Duggan takes an exclusive glimpse at Gib’s newest school AS I ascend the steep climb towards the new Prior Park School, the angelic sound of a children’s choir reaches my ears.

The 60 pupils currently attending the former Sacred Heart school are part of Gibraltar’s first independent co-ed school, with extensive renovations carried out before the building re-opened in September.

But the re-design of this handsome, early 20thcentury building is not the only way Prior Park is rejuvenating this elegant corner of Gibraltar, as headmaster Peter Watts tells me.

“Fr. Jonathan at Sacred Heart church was delighted to see the children arrive back in the school following the closure last year of Sacred Heart middle school,” he says.

“It’s given him a new congregation. Over the past four or five years, the population in the Old Town had dropped, so the arrival of so many children into Sacred Heart school has been a real bonus.”

So far, those pupils are from years 8, 9 and 10 with double that number starting next year, before the final number of 240 is reached the year after.

With a teacher/pupil ratio not exceeding 10 to one, the amount of hands-on instruction is firstrate.

During the summer renovations, original designs - such as a beautiful tiled floor hidden under lino have been uncovered and restored.

“We’ve increased the class sizes by reducing the number of corridors and making use of the stairwells,” says Mr Watts, who is married with two children and spent 20 years teaching at Dorset’s Sherborne school.

“We have fantastic, well-equipped science laboratories that opened at the end of September. Internally, every surface is built to last.

“The old headmaster of Sacred Heart came up last week and said he is delighted that we have done all the things he wanted to do over the last decade.”

Teachers armed with IPads, and Skype-based classes with Prior Park’s alma mater in Bath, show how the school embraces modern education techniques.

Indeed, the links between the three other UKbased Prior Park schools and Gibraltar are even

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October 12th - October 25th 2016

Property AGONY ANT YOUR LEGAL PROBLEMS ADDRESSED BY ANTONIO FLORES

How effective is the legislation against squatters?

Download our app now and MONARCH avoidbeginAirlines enjoying has the best Spanish ed collapse after securing a lastnews on theofgo.

THE Gibraltar Chamber of minute injection shareholdCommerce has slammed the ers’ cash.

Rock’s ‘unacceptably inadeThe troubled airline, which quate’ taxi service and called runs 17 weekly flights from Gifor ‘reliable alternatives’. braltar to the UK, received a The business organisation boost of funds hours before its hit out at the government’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) implementation of a 2013 licence was due to expire on charter to improve GibralFriday. tar’s City Taxi Service.

The 11th-hour deal has eased The Olive Press In a statement, the chamber immediate panic among thoupinpointed one example where sands of concerned holidaypassengers from a UK flight makers.TOP for news in Spain! waited 90 minutes for taxis.

But despite its ongoing probA spokesman said: “Time lems, Monarch is reportedly and again over the last three set to announce a £1.54bn of 45 years the City Service has new planes it calls ‘the largest shown that it remains unacinvestment in its 48-year hisceptably inadequate. tory’.

“Complaints about the situThe CAA said: “Monarch now ation by members of the has 12 days to satisfy the CAA public appear frequently on that the group is able to meet local social media and serve the requirements for a full to highlight the strength of ATOL licence.”

The Future is Bright, the Future's Orange.

Telephone company Orange Espana has launched a digital training programme.

The ´Se Digital´training programme, works in partnership with local town halls, to teach people how to become digital natives.

Alcala de Guadaira and Dos Hermanas in Sevilla, are the next towns to get a chance to learn all

October 12th - October 25th 2016

Prior Park-life

stronger than the school’s superb wi-fi connection.

“James Murphy O’Connor, the principle of Prior Park School and Tony Berry - the chairman of governors who was an old boy here at Sacred Heart and Prior Park College - were over in Gib a few years ago meeting up with alumni from Prior Park College,” says Mr Watts.

“There is a tradition in Gibraltar of overseas boarding back in the UK, but a group of local parents wanted the choice of co-education and independent education for their children here.

“They approached the government, which gave its tacit approval and the two groups just happened to meet at the same time.”

Joint parent-pupil Zumba classes are planned, with enhanced Spanish and English classes for parents wanting to brush up on their language skills.

“I think we’ve got a duty, and the children have a duty, to give back,” said Mr Watts.

“We’re in the Old Town, and there are a number of community projects that need awareness-raising and fundraising.”

And with a French Society, an Italian society, chess, rugby, basketball and the heavenly choir that greeted me, the sound of young life is sure to echo around this part of Gibraltar for years to come.

CCORDING to most dictionaries, a squatter is deemed a “person who unlawfully occupies an uninhabited building or unused land, which he does not own, rent or otherwise occupy lawfully”.

In Spain, the neologism ‘okupa’ (the ‘k’ as a opposed to a “c” was introduced to express transgression) was created in the in the 1980s to refer to the occupation of abandoned buildings and other real estate, both as a necessity but also as a means to denounce the inequalities of the political system.

Legally speaking, the activities of an ‘okupa’ or squatter are not protected by the law, other than those granted to beneficiaries of adverse possession once the term has expired (30 years in a property with registered title).

On the contrary, squatters face anything from a 3 month fine to up to 4 years in jail, depending on whether violence was used or if it was the owner’s habitual domicile, as described in the Spanish Criminal Code: Article 202.

The individual who, without being resident therein, enters the dwelling of another, or were to

Squatters’ rights

remain therein against the will of its dweller, shall be publishable with imprisonment of six months to two years.

Should the act be perpetrated with violence or intimidation, the punishment shall be imprisonment from one to four years.

Article 245 Whoever, by means of violence or intimidation of persons, occupies real property or usurps a right in rem over real property pertaining to another, in addition to the penalties incurred for the violence committed, shall have a sentence of imprisonment from one to two years imposed; that shall be set taking into account the utility obtained and the damage caused.

Whoever occupies a property, dwelling or building pertaining to another that are not a dwelling, without due authorization,

or who remains there against the will of their owner, shall be punished with the penalty of a fine from three to six months.

How effective is this legislation? Statistics show that there are few criminal cases open for this as it is difficult to identify which person was responsible for the specific criminal offence of initially occupying the property. However, it happens that other offences could be committed in the process, such as illegal connection to supplies, damage to property, threats, resisting arrest etc.

Conversely, civil action is always effective although can be slow and costly. But whether through civil or criminal action, our advice is to always go through the Courts –no matter how frustrating this can be- to avoid an awful victim-turn-offender situation!

Email Antonio at aflores@lawbird.es

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Luxury living

ONE of Britain's largest developers is launching a huge real estate project at an exclusive Marbella golf resort.

Taylor Wimpey is building 92 apartments at the Los Arqueros golf resort on the Ronda road.

Located between the up-market gated communities of La Quinta and Zagaleta the exclusive project is the latest venture by the UK company in Andalucia.

The three-bed apartments all feature southfacing terraces with views over the golf course and the houses are designed to with an environmental conscience, with solar panels installed on each building as well as thermal and acoustic insulation.

Construction on the homes has begun with completion expected by 2020.

For more information visit www.taylorwimpeyspain.com

PROPERTY

BREXIT hasn’t harmed Gibraltar’s house prices, leading property expert Mike Nicholls has revealed.

The Chestertons Gibraltar managing director said there has been no post-referendum slump, with a lack of rental space ensuring prices remain high.

And with banks approaching Chestertons to promote their mortgage products, the housing market continues to fare well.

“We have not seen any post-referendum price decreases. To the contrary, the general shortage of available residential property is edging prices higher,” said Nicholls.

“Three Gibraltar banks visited me in September to promote their mortgage products, seemingly all three were keen to attract more business and lend more money.”

He added: “Prices edge higher, the rental market needs hundreds of new properties, and to the best of my knowledge no company has left Gibraltar as a result of the referendum.

“We are assisting a FTSE-listed company moving in a substantial part of their busi-

Building a Brexit future ness to Gibraltar, a post-referendum decision.”

Since the referendum, Chestertons, the Rock’s largest estate agents, has sold ‘in all locations and across the price spectrum’.

For the 6,000 nonSpanish workers who cross daily into Gibraltar, however, the

Rock’s lack of space means rental options are restricted.

“On the rental side the chronic lack of supply continues,” said Nicholls.

“We have a requirement for over twenty, three-bedroom properties for an incoming company, a requirement that is close to impossible to fulfil.

“The new properties under construction cannot be built fast enough.”

benahavis

3 beds from

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Property prices buoyant after EU referendum, says Chestertons MD

Prices

NEW ADVENTURE: Los Arqueros resort

October 12th - October 25th 2016 October 12th - October 25th 2016

PROPERTY

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Ready for the rain?

How to avoid getting damp in your property

S

ORRY to put a dampener upon this fine weather (as I write), but the autumn rains are on their way.

As mentioned in my last column, damp is the fault that we find most often in our building surveys. So much of it is avoidable with a few elementary precautions.

Let’s start at the top. Roofs collect the rain and either pour it onto the garden or down drains and gutters, most probably too few and too small to cope with a deluge.

Make sure that the roofs and terraces are cleared of debris, as that is sure to block the drains.

If that happens, the water will find some other way down and most probably through the building. Installing gutters and downpipes puts you in control of where the water is going to go.

That should certainly not be just emptied onto the garden or path right beside the house.

All that does is soak into the ground, which holds it like a sponge against the building and so it gets sucked up as rising damp in the walls and under the floors.

Proper construction should guide that water down to field drains below the level of the lowest floor, with them channelling it away from the building.

Drains on driveways that lead down to basement garages should also be cleared and any sump pumps tested should the water level rise.

The same with retaining and indeed any garden walls with soil behind them.

October 12th - October 25th 2016

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For peace of mind follow

these property buying rules Make sure that the field drains and the outlets to these are clear and the water is guided away from the building.

Find Your Property The walls should have plenty of cleared ‘weep’ holes, that allows any water held behind the wall to leak through. Otherwise the weight of Instruct the wall Instruct that water is added to whatever has Building Surveyor Lawyer been built to retain and could cause the wall to crack or even collapse. Also, if the water is held there, the sponge effect is seen again, Buy with and Knowledge with the wall becoming saturated at the & Confidence very least looking unsightly with flaking paint and salts.

We’ve had a dry year so +34 far952and so, combined 923 520 admin@surveyspain.com with the exceptional number of tourists, there surveyspain.com is likely to be a water shortage for some time unless we get a lot of rain soon.

Wells will run dry and there will be restrictions on irrigation. So collecting any rain that does fall makes sense, which can be most easily done with gutters and downpipes taking any rain into barrels or even large underground storage tanks, to be used as a ‘free’ asset for as long as it lasts.

Potential buyers of property instructing surveys are often surprised by how innocent-looking blemishes in a house can hide long-standing problems that can be costly to correct. Alternatively, where what appears to be a ‘deal breaker’ of a fault turns out to be easily cleared with a little bit of practical know-how. We are here to help spot the difference.

Contact Campbell and the team on +34 952 923 520 or email info@surveyspain.com

Connect with us!

CONTACT NP ESTATES TO DISCUSS THE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE. The Old Bank, 17-21 Cannon Lane, Gibraltar, P.O. Box 1418 T: +350 200 48532 F: +350 200 62050 E: info@npestates.com www.npestates.com

18

BREXIT Bulletin

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Sponsored by

No way Jose Carpe diem!

THERESA MAY has called on Britain to ‘seize the day’ as the UK prepares to invoke article 50 and withdraw from the EU. Speaking at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister labelled Brexit a once-in-a-generation moment to ‘reshape our nation once again’.

She said Britain had been handed the ‘rare chance to write a new future upon the page’ as the Government ends Brussels’ rule and begins to ‘bring power home’.

Gen02.pdf 1 16/10/2012 08:39:43

CHIEF Minister Fabian Picardo has said ‘No way Jose’ to joint-sovereignty with Spain at New York’s United Nations (UN) 4th Committee.

In a powerful address, Picardo savaged Jose Manuel GarciaMargallo’s ‘defamatory and obsessive’ stance to Spain.

Attacking Spain’s refusal to have its claim over the Rock tested at the International Court of Justice, Picardo laid in to the PP’s acting foreign minister.

“Why has the Spanish government chosen to continue Franco’s policy of political defamation and economic sabotage instead of testing its case in the International Court?” said Picardo.

“Margallo has insisted that he believes the Gibraltarians can be blackmailed into accepting

On track to unity

Gibraltar leader Picardo shoots down Spain’s offer of joint sovereignty

FIRM: Picardo Spanish sovereignty, in return for preserving Gibraltar’s links with the EU. “He has written to EU foreign

ministers making his medieval case for the transfer of our sovereignty over our heads.

“When it comes to the question of whether we will transfer all or any part of our sovereignty to Spain our answer will never change. It is: “NO WAY, JOSE!” Picardo also offered trilateral talks between Gibraltar, the UK and Spain.

“Spain and Gibraltar could once again be cooperating in the Trilateral Forum as good neighbours to address the presentday challenges we face,” he said.

“We could once again be acting together to maximise the economic and labour opportunities on both sides of the frontier.”

18

October 12th - October 25th 2016

A LULL in enthusiasm for the EU after Brexit has inspired the bloc to consider free InterRail tickets for youngsters.

The plan is to grant a free continental rail pass for every EU citizen on their 18th birthday, in hopes it will rekindle appreciation for the bloc and counter the rising nationalism in Europe.

InterRail tickets are typically month-long passes that allow for young people to travel across Europe at will.

“People all around Europe must get to know and learn to cherish each other. Our wish is that as many youngsters as possible get to know other countries and make new friends,” said Manfred Weber, an ally of German chancellor Angela Merkel.

He added that it would not be easy and would require cooperation with rail operators.

The commission is looking into the cost and potential funding sources.

The usual cost for a ticket is €479 for a full month, but with some five million Europeans turning 18 each year, the drain on rail systems could be colossal, meaning a lottery system might be more realistic.

Brief By Charles Gomez Is the EU really in a position to face down the UK?

More facts, less myth

I C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

HAVE been gratified by the many emails and private messages that I have received arising from this series.

Some of the enquiries have related to legal advice unconnected to Brexit which I and other members of my team have been delighted to answer. However the bulk of the interest has been to do with implications of Brexit for Gibraltarians and other British citizens residing in Spain.

Brexit is very much terra incognita but there is a great deal of information out there which should allow one to predict likely outcomes.

As I said in a talk in Rabat, Morocco last week, the economic data does not support the doomsday scenario painted by many people who voted to remain.

On the one hand the UK economy continues to present itself as much more solid than those of its European neighbours. So much so, that in late September the Organization for European Cooperation and Development (OECD) which continues to prescribe austerity for most other countries in the EU recommended an increase in British public spending. This is not a turn of events which can be ignored.

Internally, the Office of National Statistics reports that the impact of Brexit on consumer confidence has been ‘negligible’.

On the other side of the fence, prognoses for the rest of the EU appear to be less bright.

Ex-Greek Finance Minister Yannis Varoufakis says that the EU is ‘disintegrating’ because it is ‘badly constructed’ and has failed in terms of the banking union, the economy, public debt and migration.

Varoufakis highlights the failure of European leaders to recognize that there is a crisis. Of course, the ways of the ostrich (think head and sand) are always a precursor for disaster but I

for one stop short of his conclusion that the collapse of the EU will be as "quick and painful" as it was in Greece.

So, is the EU really in a position to face down the UK? For ‘EU’ many read ‘Germany’ and the powerful Frau Merkel in particular. Will Germany support Mr. Hollande's and Mr. Juncker's threats to make Brexit as painful to the UK as possible?

The figures suggest otherwise. The UK accounts for 20.5% of Germany's entire trade surplus (€51bn). This at a time when Germany's losses in loan interest to the European Central Bank are said to amount to €125bn and the costs of its immigration policy have been estimated as €400bn from 2016-2036.

Logic dictates that Germany will want to protect its trading advantage and one does not need to be a Nigel Farage to conclude this.

Closer to home, the Spanish economy continues to be fragile. Despite recent improvements, the unemployment rate of 21.4% (2015) is a whopping twice the size of that of Turkey.

One of Spain's traditional major industries is, of course, tourism and long-term visitors to the country. Would Madrid want to prejudice this?

Recent reports from the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce and organizations in nearby parts of Spain have suggested that the Gibraltarian economy accounts for up to 25% of activity in the Campo de Gibraltar. Would Madrid want to prejudice this?

We live in strange times. Politicians in many countries appear to have become detached from the realities on the ground but, wherever one looks the hard facts tend to show that it is in everybody's interest to ensure that Brexit is carried out in an orderly fashion and in a spirit of continuing cooperation.

What do you think?

Readers of the Olive Press are invited to discuss this or any other legal matter with Charles Gomez by emailing charles@gomezco.gi

www.gibraltarolivepress.com Gibraltar 19

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HIS month I celebrated five years since I moved into my own little slice of paradise, otherwise known as El Casita del Lago.

I was going to call it El Refugio del Loco at one point, but I decided against it.

If you have been reading my witterings for the past couple of years, you’ll know that the Casita is my cottage that sits in splendid isolation on a lake in the hills above Marbella.

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It’s one of only two that actually have lake frontage, though with the lake actually being a reservoir, the term ‘lake front’ can mean anything from right at the bottom of the garden – and I have kayaked to the duck gate when the lake is full – to a good 20 minutes walk away during the very dry summer of 2014.

That was the year when the houses that were submerged after the reservoir was completed in 1970 under orders from Franco started to reappear, perfectly preserved in alluvial mud. (Your everyday Fascist dictator likes a grand public works project or two. See also autobahns and draining the Pontine Marshes).

It was also the year that every bugger with a cross bike, buggy, quad and 4x4 decided to use the dry lakebed as a testing ground,

STUNNING: Backyard views

turning my terrace into the main grandstand for the manic ‘Mad Max meets the Dakar’ chaos that ensued.

The dust clouds did little for my washing, and I took a perverse pleasure every time someone got stuck in the mud.

With no Wifi, phone line, TV,

electricity or mains water – I use a generator and pump water from the lake into a deposit tank – I’m basically living in the 17th century but I’m more than OK with that.

The track to get to my place runs along the edge of a steep drop, and has been

described as a bit ‘Temple of Doom’. I’ve yet to lose a passenger, although one did grip my knee and scream loudly while another curled up in the back in a fetal position and refused to look out.

And it has lead to some interesting conversations, including the night I brought a young lady back to the Casita to the first time. She grew increasingly quiet on the way up and went silent as we pulled off and started heading down the track. As we rounded a bend, she looked out to see the Casita, all alone in the moonlight, by the edge of the lake and surrounded by woodland. Your basic psycho killer territory.

She looked at the house, looked and me and then uttered the immortal line “You know. I don’t really know you that well, do I?” “That’s what all the others said,” I laughed, manically! + 34 675 314 678 Marbella, Spain

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October 12th - October 25th 2016

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Putting cool in the kitchen

CAPTAIN COOL: David Munoz in London

Full of beans!

A COFFEE morning has raised £2,623 for Cancer Relief.

The event, as part of Macmillan’s charity World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, brought 325 caffeine lovers to King’s Bastion Leisure Centre for a cake and coffee.

A spokesperson for Cancer Relief Gibraltar thanked those who attended for raising the crucial funds.

“Our goal is to make sure that no one has to face cancer alone,” said a spokesperson .

“Since the new Cancer Relief Centre opened in 2013 we have been able to support over 450 people, some patients and others loved ones.”

SPORTING a mohawk, earrings and covered head-totoe in tattoos, David Muñoz is set to become the coolest chef in London.

Launching StreetXO in Mayfair this November, Muñoz will be splitting his time between England and his three Michelin-starred DiverXO restaurant in Madrid.

Inspired by street food, his menu will regularly change and will feature dishes from

Spain, Asia, South America and London.

The restaurant’s focal point will be a central open kitchen where chefs can interact directly with diners.

“Having spent five years working in restaurants like Nobu and Hakkasan, I feel like London is my second home,” he said.

“I’m excited to bring a cooking style that I’ve really evolved in Madrid to London.”

Nailing it

TEN years after Cafe Rojo opened its Irish Town doors, owners Annette Heywood and her partner Luis Ansaldo Lopez are still cooking up a storm.

But an anniversary party on October 18 isn’t just a chance to sample Spanish head chef Luis’s delicious Mediterranean-style menu.

Oxfordshire-born manager Annette’s stunning nail varnish water art is on sale - as well as a raffle - with all pro-

International Tapas • Wraps • Salads Cocktails • Smoothies • Pizzas

Open Everyday

Cafe Rojo’s varnish water paintings bring splash of colour to Irish Town ceeds going to The Animals in Need Foundation.

And at £17 to £20 a piece, dog-lover Annette’s colourful pieces would brighten up any wall.

“I started doing the paintings this year and loved it. I did so many I didn’t know what to do with them so I decided to sell them for charity,” said Annette.

“So far I’ve sold 52 pictures and that’s raised £236 to the Foundation. I’m hooked.”

Annette’s art is on display in Cafe Rojo - one happy customer snapped a piece up during our conversation - and can also be bought in Cafe Solo, Sacarello’s and Town Range Dental Practice.

And the 47-year-old workaholic, who also designed the handsome wood fittings in Cafe Rojo’s 52-seat restaurant, has tried her hand at everything after 31 years in the restaurant business.

“I’ve always been a little bit arty,” she said.

“For years I redecorated the restaurant. I’m working on

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ANNETTE: With Luis

BAR

R E S TA U R A N T

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more of the paintings at the minute. You should see my kitchen! It’s full of them.”

And with dozens of Annette’s new paintings waiting to be framed, a splash of colour will soon be added to more Gibraltar homes.

Information: Annette Heywood Tel: +350 200

51738 Email: caferojogibraltar@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/waterartstudio

A Med life saver EATING a Mediterranean diet makes you less likely to suffer heart problems, scientists have discovered.

A diet rich in fresh fish, vegetables, olive oil and nuts helps people live for longer, according to the Cambridge University study.

The study of 24,000 Brits found that those who stuck to the diet typically eaten in Mediterranean countries were 16% less likely to develop cardiovascular problems, particularly linked to their arteries.

Lead researcher Dr Nita Forouhi, from Cambridge University’s Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit said: “The benefits of the Mediterranean diet for cardiovascular health are well documented in countries of the Mediterranean region, but this is the first study to evaluate this in the UK. “If our findings are broadly representative of the overall UK population, then we can assume that higher level of adherence to the Mediterranean.”

In total, researchers estimate that around 19,000 Brits could have lived longer if they ate a Mediterranean diet.

The study, the first of its kind conducted in the UK, was published in full in the BMC journal.

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October 12th - October 25th 2016 October 12th - October 25th

Jamie’s 30 minute mess

Paella likened to botched fresco painting

Book your Christmas Meal at Cafe Rojo

Xmas Menu is available for Party Bookings HORARIO/OPENING HOURS: martes/Tuesday: 10:00–24:00 miércoles/Wednesday: 10:00–24:00 jueves/Thursday: 10:00–24:00 viernes/Friday: 10:00–24:00 sábado/Saturday: 10:00–24:00 domingo y lunes/Sunday & Monday: Cerrado

Telephone: +350 200 51738 54 Irish Town, Gibraltar GX11 1AA, Gibraltar

PUCKER TV chef Jamie Oliver has received a barrage of abuse for his take on paella.

The Essex-cook was hounded on Twitter after uploading a photo of the classic rice dish featuring chorizo (a cardinal sin in Spain).

One Twitter user even drew a comparison between Oliver’s dish and renowned botched fresco artwork Ecce Homo.

Proud of his work, the star of 30 Minute Meals tweeted: “Good Spanish food doesn’t get much better than paella.

My version combines chicken thighs and chorizo.”

But Twitter users quickly reacted by satirically tweeting fish and chips recipes using aubergines, duck, beef and ravioli.

Others were more sinister,

Flashback to tasty hit

NAKED CHEF: In Ronda

JAMIE may be copping some stick nowadays but there weren’t too many Spaniards complaining when 500 villagers tucked into the British chef’s paella in the Serrania de Ronda in 2009.

Taking orders from local cook Salvador Garcia Dominguez, Oliver cooked up a storm and was even there at midnight to serve up his dish in the village of Benaojan.

According to Garcia, Jamie was a good learner. “He worked hard and learned fast,” he said.

In good humour, Oliver later told the Olive Press: “It took almost four hours to cook and just five minutes to eat and not a word of thanks in sight.’

likening Oliver to a ‘food terrorist’ and telling him to ‘stick to chicken nuggets’.

Less venomous commenters said that while the inclusion of chorizo meant the recipe could not be described as paella, it still qualified as ‘rice and stuff’.

Mixed fruit HARVEST forecasts for Spain’s most iconic fruits show a varied level of success.

While mango harvests are on course for 20,000 tonnes - the second-largest harvest ever - the cherimoya crop is expected to fall by 40%, down to only 27,000 tonnes.

HARSH: Jamie’s paella compared to botched fresco

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hands of Estonia and Belgium in the latest round of World Cup Qualifiers.

RETIRING: Pique Going down 4-0 to Estonia, Jeff Wood was left disappointed by the final result after a spirited first-half performance saw the sides GERARD PIQUE hasPress an- go in scoreless at half-time.

The Olive nounced he will retire from But it could have been so international football after the different for the men in red news in Spain!

2018 TOP Worldfor Cup in Russia as as Joseph Chipolina had a he ‘can’t bear’ to play for Spain first-half goal chalked off anymore. for offside after latching on The 29 year old broke the news to a bobbling ball following following his country’s 2-0 vic- a Liam Walker free kick. tory over Albania in a World However just two minutes Cup qualifier in Shkoder.

His controversial support for after the interval, Fulham

Leaving

23 23

Belgium and Estonia prove too strong for spirited Gibraltar side

BATTLING: Gibraltar and Royal Marines rugby teams

Egg chasers down Royal Marines

Pique-d

The Spanish Football Federation has since confirmed they did not.

Speaking after the match he said: “The 2018 World Cup in Russia will be my last appearance for the Spanish national team.

“I've thought about it a lot.

This isn't a spur of the moment decision.

“There are people who think it's better if I'm not here.”

“I have tried everything, but I can’t bear this anymore,” he added, “Today’s issue of the sleeves is the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

“They’ve managed to make me lose the excitement of coming here and although after Russia I’ll only be 31, I’ll leave.”

BY:

World cup woes

Download our app now and begin enjoying the best Spanish GIBRALTAR suffered back-to-back defeats at the news on the go.

Catalan independence has angered many fans and came to a head in the Albanian stadium when he was booed for cutting the long sleeves off of his jersey, which fans claimed featured the Spanish flag.

SPONSORED October 12th - October 25th 2016

BEATEN: Gib suffer deats to Estonia and Belgium

youngster Mattias Kait broke the deadlock and the floodgates opened.

Head coach Jeff Wood praised his side for their first-half display, bouncing back from a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Greece.

The first-half clean sheet meant Gibraltar had gone 90 minutes without THE Costa Gaels stormed to an conceding after impressive opening day victory locking the door over Gibraltar Gaels in the Andain the second lucian Gaelic football league. period against The men from Marbella ran Greece. out 23 (2:17) – 12 (1:9) winners Belgium also against their close rivals at Marbella Rugby Club. proved too much The victory sends the Costa Gaels for the Gibraltar to the top of the league, with last side running year’s champions Eire Og Seville out 6-0 winners yet to play. with Christian A new training regime has seen Benteke scoring Miss Fit Marbella personal traina hattrick. er Luke Hill drafted in to whip The next round the Costa Gaels into shape. Meanof games will see while, the team were recently put Gibraltar go up through their paces by Costa del against Cyprus Sol yoga instructor Jeanette Amy in November. from Nirmala Yoga (see picture).

Gael force start

Under new management THE former assistant manager of the Gibraltar national football side has landed himself a new job.

Davey Wilson - a former member of the Royal Navy football team - will take charge of second-tier side Bruno’s Magpies as they push for promotion.

Regarded as one of the Rock’s top coaches, Scot Wilson has been coaching in Gibraltar since 2008.

He was named assistant manager of the national team in 2013 after becoming acquainted with then first-team coach Allen Bula.

Sponsored by Chestertons estate agent, Bruno’s Magpies are currently top of the league.

GAFFER: Wilson

If you have a sports story, contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call 0034 951 273 575

AN historic victory for Gibraltar’s oldest rugby players saw them run out winners against a veteran side from the Royal Marines.

The Gibraltar Select XV beat the Royal Marines 14-9 to record an impressive victory.

It came after a game between the current crop of rugby players which ended 12-39 in favour of the marines.

The annual fixtures took place at Victoria Stadium in front of a packed crowd.

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FINAL WORDS

Sun don’t shine THE Rock MEP Julie Girling has told Spain’s Foreign Minister he can ‘keep his flag where it is, otherwise Gibraltarians might suggest somewhere he can put it.’

Drug tape THE Equality Rights Group and Stay Clean have launched ‘Connected Health’, a group calling for the regulation of drugs.

Weed slabs TWO Gibraltarians and a Spaniard have been arrested in connection with the importation of 12 slabs of cannabis worth £3000.

Donald dump

October 12th - October 25th 2016

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Oct 12th - Oct 25th 2016

First Gibraltar International Magic Festival coming to the Rock

That’s magic!

AVID magicians have their white rabbits and bowler hats at the ready for Gibraltar’s International Magic Festival in December.

A decade of planning has gone into the extravaganza, which will feature award-winning illusionists from Japan, Canada, Netherlands, the USA, UK and Gibraltar.

Stage shows, conferences and workshops will be held From December 6 to 11 with

DONALD TRUMP and Hillary Clinton have been caught with their trousers down by a Spanish figurine company.

Catalunya-based Caganer, which makes miniature figurines for nativity scenes, has this year created specialty versions of the US Presidential candidates.

The figures traditionally show famous individuals with their trousers down and bottoms on show with something

not-so pleasant at their feet.

Previous celebrities to be miniaturised include Real Madrid star Gareth Bale and Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias.

They are placed alongside Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus and are meant to be a source of luck and prosperity in the new year.

Bobbies on bikes

some tickets as cheap as £10.

Festival director Jordan Lopez of GibMedia said: “Watch out for a very special week. It’s magic so expect plenty of surprises.

“It’s year one, but it all really started 10 years ago when a magic show rekindled a childhood passion of mine.”

He added: “It has taken 10 years, so we might as well make it a special one.”

DITCHING their helmets and handcuffs for lycra and cycling shorts, a group of RGP officers raised almost £2,000 for charity.

On show outside of Morrisons supermarket, a team of RGP officers cycled for 12 hours on static bikes.

Joined by police commissioner Eddie Yome, the cycling marathon raised a total of £1,990 to be added to a fund which will be distributed between local charities in December.

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