Heard in the Hive

On October 7, the liturgical feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, an induction ceremony was held at the parish and collegiate church of St Paul Shipwrecked in Valletta, during which Alfred Zahra was installed as the new governor of the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Charity.

The new governor was unanimously elected by his confreres and accepted by the ecclesiastical authorities.

Archpriest Canon Alfred Camilleri, who is also the collegiate chapter's delegate to the confraternity, conducted the ceremony.

In his homily, Archpriest Camilleri gave a review of the functions and responsibilities of the Confraternity, which dates back to the late 16th century in virtue of an Apostolic Bull given by Pope Clement VIII, and later confirmed by that of Pope Paul V. This confraternity was purposely set up to assist the poor and those in need, at a time when all kinds of social services were unheard of.

The social assistance provided by the Confraternity included payments for ransom of slaves, the provision of bread for inmates in civil prisons, dowries for indigent brides to be, and decent burials to paupers. During its lifetime, the confraternity adapted itself to the needs of the moment.

The celebrant then blessed the insignia worn by the governor during religious functions, and donned them on the new head of the confraternity.

The new officials also include first assistant Anthony Borg; second assistant Chev. Alfred P. Farrugia, KCSG, FCIB; secretary and administrator Lorenzo Zahra; archivist David Rossi; advisers Lino Cuschieri, Herbert Naudi and Joe Agius; and Chev. Alfred P. Farrugia, administrator of the feast in Fawwara, Siggiewi.

Immediately after the induction ceremony, an investiture ceremony was held during which Claude Busuttil, A&CE, was accepted as a new member.

Willie Apap exhibition inauguration

A fascinating exhibition of pencil drawings and caricatures carried out by the artist Willie Apap while he was being tried for conspiracy in 1947 has just opened at the National Museum of Fine Arts in South Street, Valletta. A number of important paintings and drawings by Apap in the National Collection are also on show.

Apap and his fellow accused were eventually acquitted and shortly after, he donated the sketchbook of drawings to his defence lawyer Dr (later Magistrate) Giovanni Filiberto Gouder. The drawings remained in the hands of Dr Gouder's family until they were presented to Heritage Malta by his heirs, namely Mr and Mrs Adriano Gouder and Dr and Mrs Paul Xuereb.

The presentation took place at the National Museum of Fine Arts recently. The chairman, Dr Mario Tabone, and chief executive Antoinette Caruana accepted them on behalf of Heritage Malta in the presence of the Minister of Tourism and Culture, Dr Francis Zammit Dimech. The central note of the speeches was that of deep acknowledgement of the Gouder family's generosity in presenting these works of art to the nation.

The guests were greeted by the curator of the museum, Theresa M. Vella, and Dennis Vella, curator of the Apap exhibition.

Among the guests were President Emeritus Professor Guido De Marco, Dr and Mrs Paul Xuereb, Mr and Mrs Adriano Gouder, Rev. Dr Vanni Xuereb, Dr and Mrs Godwin Aquilina, Chev. Albert Ganado, Dott. and Mrs Manoel Mizzi, Maurice De Giorgio, Mr Michael Fenech, Mrs Mariquita De Gabriele, Mr Laurence Mizzi, Professor Mario Buhagiar, Baron Gino Trapani Galea Feriol, Ambassador and Mrs Joseph Psaila Savona, Mr and Mrs John Apap, Mr and Mrs Alan Meadows, Marquis Nicholas De Piro, Dr Keith Sciberras, Dr and Mrs Patrick Valentino;

Mr and Mrs Anthony Vella Gera, Mrs Anna Xuereb, Ms Daniela Xuereb, Magistrate and Mrs Joseph Apap Bologna, Mr Justice and Mrs Joseph Galea Debono, Mr Joseph Schirò, Architect Conrad Buhagiar, Ms Madeleine Gera, Mr and Mrs Paul Asciak, Dr and Mrs Joseph Buttigieg, Chev. Emmanuel Fiorentino, Mr Neville Sciberras, Mr and Mrs Victor Tortell, Mr Kenneth Gauci Borda, Dr and Mrs Reuben Balzan, Mr George Glanville, Mr and Mrs Gabriel Pellegrini and Fr Norbert Ellul Vincenti.

A fully illustrated catalogue with an introduction by Dennis Vella was published by MidSea Books to coincide with the exhibition and is available from the museum and leading bookshops.

The exhibition remains open daily between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Catherine Cavallo's exhibition party

An exhibition of new works by established painter Catherine Cavallo, at St James Cavalier, Valletta, was opened by President Eddie Fenech Adami on Wednesday, in the presence of a large crowd of Ms Cavallo's friends and family, and other guests.

Ms Cavallo's paintings include large canvases that depict scenes inspired by a journey to India, figurative works that show people going about their daily lives in Malta, Maltese and Indian landscapes, seascapes, and flowers.

Ms Cavallo lived in London for eight years, including a four-year period studying fine arts, after which she graduated with first class honours. She then lived in Tuscany for three years, an experience she describes as having brightened up her palette considerably after the dark hues of London. She has shown her work on a regular basis since her return to Malta, and is now well known. Her paintings hang in private and public collections in Malta and elsewhere.

Malta views exhibited in Tunis

Over 200 diplomats, businessmen and Tunisians from the travel trade were invited to attend the opening of a photographic exhibition by the Maltese Ambassador in Tunis, Ives De Barro, and by the Mayor of Tunis, Abbes Mohsen, to mark the 40th anniversary of Malta's independence.

The enlarged coloured photos depicting various views of Malta were all taken by photographers from the Department of Information in Malta, while the responsibility for the layout of the exhibition at the Gallery Yahia in central Tunis was in the hands of Simon Pullicino, First Secretary at the Maltese Embassy in Tunis.

In his address of welcome, Ambassador De Barro gave a brief historical and geographical description of the island and emphasised that for most Tunisians "Malta was so near and yet so far".

The ambassador remarked that while thousands of Maltese holidaymakers visited Tunisia, very few Tunisians visited Malta, which was a mere 40 minutes' flight away.

Maltese industrialists were looking closely at investing in Tunisia. In fact, some had been established in the North African country for quite a while thus creating much needed employment. The ambassador paid tribute to the long-standing relations between the two neighbouring countries.

He reminded his Tunisian audience that Maltese emigrants who settled in Tunisia 150 years ago were admired for the contribution they made to the Tunisian economy at the time. Mixed marriages between Maltese and Tunisians were fairly common even to this day. Indeed, Miss Malta 2004, Dana Ben Moussa-Camilleri, was the result of such a marriage.

There were scores of Tunisians who had made Malta their home. Some have been living in Malta a good 40 years and perhaps even more, the ambassador pointed out.

The Mayor of Tunis thanked the ambassador for mounting such an exhibition at the Palmarium Gallery in the centre of town. He was convinced that several hundred people would visit the exhibition and learn about Malta and its beauty and history. He stressed that the Tunisian people had a great admiration for the people of Malta and acknowledged the good relations that existed between the two peoples.

He hoped that during a visit to Malta he could announce the twinning of the two capitals - Tunis with Valletta. Tunis even had a couple of streets named for Malta - the Rue Petite Malte and Rue La Valette.

After declaring the exhibition open, Ambassador De Barro showed the mayor around.

Tosca team at Villa Tempra

On the eve of yesterday week's performance of Tosca at the Hilton Conference Centre, as part of the Astra Theatre's annual festival, some of the principal members of the team were hosted by Dame Françoise Tempra to dinner at Villa Tempra in Mgarr.

They included the stage designer, Giuseppe Grasso, and the producer, Giampaolo Zennaro, another Venetian friend of Dame Françoise Tempra. Zennaro has produced operas in at least 36 theatres in Italy and in 57 theatres in 24 countries. He was accompanied by his wife, the famous soprano Helena Baggiore, who sang 38 leading parts in 62 theatres around the world.

Also at the dinner were the Spanish soprano Judith Borras, who sang the title role in Tosca, and Felix Serraclara - nephew of the great Salvador Dali, whom Dame Françoise knew personally - who sang the part of the sacristan, and was also assistant stage manager.

For the official opening of the 2005 Malta Biennale on June 11 in Malta Zennaro and Serraclara suggested a special supporting Dali exhibition.

BoV supports Malta Hospice Movement fund-raising exhibition

As part of the activities to mark its 15th anniversary, the Malta Hospice Movement is organising an exhibition of works by Madeleine Gera, at the Malta Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise.

The exhibition will be inaugurated by President Eddie Fenech Adami on November 19 and will run till November 26. This initiative is being supported by Bank of Valletta with proceeds from the sale of paintings going to the Malta Hospice Movement.

Michael Galea, head of the Bank's Public Relations Department, referred to Ms Gera's works and praised her for the generous and noble gesture of donating her paintings. He also spoke of the valuable work undertaken by the Malta Hospice Movement.

Mr Galea commended these and other similar deeds of generosity and altruism which are voluntary but so essential adding that "this is why BoV is always on the forefront in actively playing a part in the community in which it operates."

Theresa Naudi thanked both Madeleine Gera as well as Bank of Valletta for their support, saying that the Malta Hospice Movement is this year marking 15 years of service to persons suffering from cancer. Over the years more than 2,500 families have been cared for.

She added that it was thanks to the generosity of the Bank of Valletta and its policy of actively supporting NGOs in their fund-raising activities that they are able to raise funds through this activity - funds which are essential for the smooth running of operations at the Malta Hospice Movement.

Skål St Moritz meets Skål Malta

A team of 20 travel and tourism professionals from St Moritz, Switzerland, recently spent a weekend in Gozo.

Skål International - Malta president Frans Camilleri welcomed the group, which was led by St Moritz Skål past president, Theo Bonjour, during a dinner at the Kempinski San Lawrenz Resort & Spa, in Gozo, hosted by Zaver Stocker, general manager and a member of Skål.

The two presidents exchanged greetings before the traditional Skål toast.

People

Dr Vincent Cassar, BA (Hons), M.Sc. (Wales), Ph.D. (London), C.Psych. (UK), was recently awarded a doctorate in Organisational Psychology from the University of London.

He read for his Ph.D. at the School of Management and Organisational Psychology, Birkbeck College, University of London. His dissertation, entitled "Identifying and investigating the component forms of psychological contract violation", was supervised by Dr Rob Briner, Reader at the same college.

Dr Cassar was examined by Professor Paul Sparrow (Manchester Business School) and Dr Jacqueline Coyle-Shapiro (London School of Economics and Political Science) and was awarded the Ph.D. with no amendments.

Dr Cassar, 32, is a chartered organisational psychologist. He currently lectures at the University of Malta and also has teaching and research engagements at Birkbeck College within the department of Organisational Psychology. He is also involved in consultancy with Human Factors (Malta), a member firm of Human Factors International (UK), overseeing and co-ordinating projects in the Euro-Med and Middle East region.

Dr Cassar attended St Edward's College and studied at the Universities of Malta, Wales and London.

He is the son of Maurice and Salvina Cassar of Tarxien. He is married to Giselle née Caruana and they have two children, Luke and Kyra.

Jason Zammit, MD, FRCS (Ed.), M.Sc. Orth. (London), has recently been successful in obtaining the fellowship examination of the European Board of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery (FEBOT). This year's examination was held in Berlin.

Mr Zammit, 33, graduated MD from the University of Malta in 1993. He undertook his house officer training at St Luke's Hospital, Guardamangia. After his houseman jobs, he worked in several surgical departments including General Surgery and Orthopaedics. He undertook the British fellowship examination (FRCS) in June 1997 and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh at the age of 25.

After working for three years in the Department of Orthopaedics at St Luke's Hospital, Mr Zammit left for the UK where he read for a Master's degree in Orthopaedics at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore affiliated to the University College, London. He obtained the Master's degree in September 2000 after passing the necessary examinations and defence of his thesis entitled "The Peroneus Quartus Muscle - anatomy and clinical significance".

This involved the dissection of over 100 cadavers evaluating the anatomy of this muscle as well as applying it to surgical use in correction of cases of ankle instability. This study was subsequently published in the British Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.

Following his masters degree Mr Zammit obtained a training number and has been on the North East Thames training rotation since January 2001. During his training he has worked as specialist registrar in a number of hospitals including the Royal London Hospital, Whipps Crass Hospital and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore.

Mr Zammit is the author and co-author of a number of publications and has delivered a number of presentations at international conferences including the Continental Surgeons Conference and the European Federation of Orthopaedics and Trauma annual conference (EFORT) in Rhodes, Greece.

Mr Zammit is the son of Architect and Mrs André Zammit of Sliema. He is married to Sarah née Vella, and they have two daughters, Michaela and Philippa.

Joseph Castillo was recently conferred with the degree of Master of Science in Magnetic Resonance Imaging from Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge, UK.

Throughout the course he submitted several papers covering various specialised areas in MRI including neurology, musculoskeletal and body and magnetic resonance angiography.

He completed his three-year course with a dissertation entitled "An evaluation of the use of reformatted coronal oblique proton density fat suppressed fast spin echo images in ACL tears". This study involved a modification and optimisation of a particular MRI sequence to assess the various grades of anterior cruciate ligament tears in the knee.

The findings are already being used in the examination of knee trauma at St Luke's Hospital.

Mr Castillo, who also holds a Master's degree in Health Care Administration from the California Coast University, currently works at the MRI unit, St Luke's Hospital, and is the president for the Society of Medical Radiographers.

Dr Peter Ferry, MD, M.Sc. (Keele), MRCP (UK), Dip. Ger. (Hons), Dip. Ort. (Dundee), Cert. Med. Ed. (Dundee), has recently been appointed to the post of consultant geriatrician in the Department of Health, the Elderly and Community Care.

He has been practising as consultant physician and geriatrician and a senior clinical lecturer in Medical Education at Warwick HospitaI and Warwick University medical school, UK, over the past year.

Dr Ferry did his general professional training in medicine in Malta and subsequently his higher professional training in the UK. He worked in various hospitals in the UK including Burton-upon-Trent, Birmingham, Warwick and Coventry. He has also published various peer-reviewed scientific papers in national and international medical journals and also presented his work both in the UK and in other international conferences.

His main areas of special interest include recurrent falls in older people, orthogeriatric rehabilitation and Parkinsonism.

Dr Ferry is currently working at Zammit Clapp Hospital, St Vincent de Paul Residence and St Luke's Hospital as a consultant geriatrician. He is also a visiting senior clinical lecturer at the University of Warwick medical school.

Dr Ferry is the son of Mr and Mrs P.G. Ferry of Msida, and is married to Edelweiss née Calleja, B.Pharm. (Hons), MA Ed. (Ou.), PGCE, and has three children, Nicholas, Kieran and Nigel.

For your diary

A missionary bazaar is being held at Kings, Tower Road, Sliema, from tomorrow from 9.30 a.m. Big bargains on toys, books, clothes, costume jewellery and household goods.

The Malta Adlerian Psychology Association is organising its annual general meeting at the Curia premises in Floriana, on Tuesday at 6 p.m. A talk by Br Saviour Gatt will precede the meeting.

A Bazaar is being held at St Helen parish centre, Birkirkara, from Wednesday to November 17, from 9 a.m. to noon and from 4.30 to 7 p.m. (Sunday morning only). Antiques, furniture and bric-a-brac will be on sale.

The Rehabilitation Centre for the Physically Handicapped at Corradino, Paola, is organising a coffee morning/tombola, at the Sunny Coast Leisure Club, Qawra, on Thursday at 9.30 a.m.

For tickets, at Lm1.50, phone the centre on 2169-3863 or 2143-6421.

The King's Own Malta Regiment Association is organising a remembrance service for the repose of the souls of members of the Regiment. Mass will be celebrated by Fr A. Sacco, SDB, at Our Lady of Victory church, Castille Square, Valletta, on Friday at 6 p.m.

The National Council of Women is organising a visit to a Zebbug apiary followed by high tea, on Saturday at 3 p.m. Transport is available from various pick-up points. Bookings by Thursday.

For further details contact NCW on 2124-8881 or 2124-6982 or send an e-mail to ncwmalta@camline.net.mt.

The annual Christmas sale in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza is being held at the home in Siggiewi on November 18, 19 and 20 from 9.30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bargain stalls will include ceramics, household goods, haberdashery, toys, shoes, new clothes, books, plants and cakes. To donate, phone 2146-2844.

The Maltese-American Association will celebrate Mass on Thanksgiving Day at the Sea Bank Hotel, Mellieha, on November 28 at 11 a.m. Buffet lunch will be served at 12.30 p.m.

For tickets and more information phone Dar l-Emigrant, Castille Place, Valletta on 2122-2644, 2123-2545 or 2124-0255.

The President's and Mrs Fenech Adami's engagements November 8-14

Tuesday
7 p.m. The President attends the launching of a biography of Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi at the Hall of the Franciscan Fathers, Birkirkara.

Wednesday
9.15 a.m. The President receives the Prime Minister at the Palace, Valletta.

10.45 The President receives the auditors of the Malta Community Chest Fund at the Palace, Valletta.

11.45 The President visits the Careers Convention organised by KSU and AIESEC at the University of Malta, Msida.

6.30 The President attends the launching of the publication entitled Introduction to Comparative Law by President Emeritus Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici at the Aula Magna of the Old University Building, Valletta.

Thursday
10 a.m. The President is presented with credentials by Chatchawad Charstuwan, Ambassador of Thailand, at the Palace, Valletta.

11.30 The President is presented with credentials by Saeed Saad Mahajoub Saad, Ambassador of Sudan.

7 p.m. The President attends a public lecture by Fr Daniel Madigan, SJ, entitled Is Dialogue with Islam possible in Europe? at the Ballroom of Le Meridien Phoenicia Hotel, Floriana.

Friday
10 a.m. The President receives the members of the Committee for European Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic, at the Palace, Valletta.

10.30 The President receives Ahmed Nourreddine Helal, President of the University of Sousse.

11 The President receives a delegation from the St John Ambulance Mediterranean Councils.

11.30 The President and Mrs Fenech Adami present donations on behalf of the Malta Community Chest Fund to various charitable institutions and individuals.

7 p.m. The President presides over the launching of the book Caravaggio, Knight of Malta by Dr Philip Farrugia Randon.

8 The President unveils a monument to the late Fredu Abela (Il-Bamboccu) at Zabbar public garden.

Saturday
7.30 p.m. The President and Mrs Fenech Adami attend a concert hosted by Libor Secka, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Malta, and Mrs Sabrina Secková, at St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta.

8.30 The President and Mrs Fenech Adami attend a reception hosted by Ambassador Secka and Mrs Secková on the occasion of Czech National Day.

Sunday
9.15 a.m. The President and Mrs Fenech Adami attend Mass on the occasion of Remembrance Day at St John's Co-Cathedral, Valletta.

10.45 The President lays a wreath at the War Memorial, Floriana.

11.30 The President delivers the closing address of the symposium entitled San Filep u l-Kult Tieghu at the Sala Agira, 12th May Band Club, Zebbug.

6.30 p.m. The Presidents visits the Malta Book Fair at the Trade Fair Grounds, Naxxar.