Upon This Rock 91 January 09

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Upon this Rock magazine is published by EuropeAxess

Media, Gibraltar.Editor Fr. Stuart Chipolina:

[email protected] Production Editor:

A. [email protected]

Cover:Three Kings from St. Annes School live crib entry for the

2007 Crib Competition

To advertise: This magazine is hand delivered to homes, churches, hospitals and many businesses around Gibraltar every month. Copies are sent abroad far and wide, to the Falklands, North of Scotland, USA and Malta. To discuss your advertising requirements call Tel: 200 79335. Church Groups or Charities: If you would like to have an article considered for publication, please send it by e-mail to the production editor at the address above. Enquire for details of sending high resolution digital images to illustrate your article.Editorial is selected by EuropeAxess Media in liaison with the Catholic Diocese of Gibraltar. Neither of these parties is responsible for the ac-curacy of the information contained herein, nor do the views and opinions expressed herein necessarily reflect the views and opinions of either party. Advertisers are not endorsed by virtue of advertising in this magazine. EuropeAxess Media reserves the right to refuse space to any submissions or advertisements.

How can we figHt fear witH faitH? Jesus’ sleeping presence on the storm-tossed sea reveals the sleeping faith of his disciples. They feared for their lives even though their Lord and Master was with them in the boat. They were asleep to Christ while he was present to them in their hour of need. The Lord is ever present to us. And in our time of testing he asks the same question: Why are you afraid? Have you no faith? Do you recognize the Lord’s presence with you, espe-cially when you meet the storms

of adversity, sorrow, and temp-tation? Whenever we encounter trouble, the Lord is there with the same reassuring message: “It is I, do not be afraid.”What are the characteristics of faith and how can we grow in it? Faith is an entirely free gift that God makes to us. Believ-ing is only possible by grace and the help of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and who opens the eyes of the mind to under-stand and accept the truth which God has revealed to us. Faith en-ables us to relate to God rightly

father Stuart explains how we can fight fear with faith.

DEAR FRIENDS...

NO FEAR

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2. Fr. Stuart on Faith and Fear Management3. Announcing Our Lady of Europe Jubilee Competi-

tions4. Louis J. Lombard reports on a Healing Encounter

Weekend held at the Catholic Community Centre6. Diocesan Crib Competition: Schools Entries9. Diocesan Crib Competition: Work place Entries10. Diocesan Cribs: Award winning home entries

10. Christian Unity Week of Prayer Programme10. More about the Violincello from Francis Imossi12. Our Lady of Europe Website Launched, Fr. Michael

tells us what it’s all about.14. Anne Mesilio looks forward to the year ahead16. Childline Gibraltar is growing by the minute!18. Fête de l’Escalade: a spectacular event in St.

Michael’s Cave.

C O N T E N T S

DEAR FRIENDS...

and confidently, with trust and reliance, by believing and adher-ing to his word, because he is ut-terly reliable and trustworthy. If we want to live, grow, and per-severe in faith, then it must be nourished with the word of God. Fear does not need to cripple us from taking right action or rob us of our trust and reliance on God. Courage working with faith ena-bles us to embrace God’s word of truth and love with confidence and to act on it with firm hope in God’s promises. The love of God strengthens us in our faith and trust in him and enables us

to act with justice and kindness towards our neighbor even in the face of opposition or harm. Do you allow the love of Christ to rule in your heart and mind, and to move your will to choose what is good in accordance with his will?“Lord Jesus, increase my faith in your redeeming love and power that i may always rec-ognize your abiding presence with me. and give me courage to do your will in all circum-stances.”Happy New YearFr Stuart

NO FEAR

oUr LaDY of eUroPeart anD DraMa

JUbiLee coMPetitionSentries from all age groups are invited in a choice

of two themes ‘eUroPe’ and‘700 years past, 700 years future’

in various media:1. art: Painting, Photography and crafts.2. worDS: writing, Poetry, Song Lyrics3. fiLM: DVD, Powerpoint, new Media4. MUSic: own composition, Vocal, instru-mental.

Details of entry requirements, closing dates and prizes to be announced next issue.

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A Rewarding Experience

WHAT A BLESSING IT IS, when the opportunity comes our way to be able to attend a Healing Encounter weekend, like the one held at the Catholic Community Centre last month.

The theme was taken from Luke C5 -VI 2: Now Jesus was in one of the towns when a man appeared, covered with leprosy. Seeing Jesus he fell on his face and implored him, “Sir,” he said “if you want to, you can cure me.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him and said, “Of course I want to!” Be cured!” And the leprosy left him at once.The weekend event was conducted by Marcelo Olima, his mother Peria and his father Carlos, who together made a very powerful and effective evangelizing team.The way Marcelo, a gifted

“if you want to, you can cure me.” “of course i want to! be cured!”

Spiritual Growth

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A Rewarding Experience

guitarist, makes use of his music by playing his guitar whilst he is preaching, is something that must be heard and experienced, to appreciate how his interven-tions are spirit lead.The anointing afresh and both the spiritual growth and benefits which enriched all those of us who attended, was overwhelm-ing, especially the inner healings that took place.Our pilgrimage through this life towards our promised land is greatly enhanced by the benefits we can derive from these sorts of encounters. This is why I must mention that it was a pity that only a small percentage of regular church goers took advantage of this spiritual week-end. It was a good thing that

quite a number of our brothers and sisters from Spain came, some from La Linea, Algeciras and some from as far as Alm-eria, which helped to increase the attendanceI know, and it has to be ac-cepted, that some who would have liked to attend for some reason or other were not able to do so, others may not feel at home in this sort of encounter and we have to respect that. And

still others may have not got to know about it.Be that as it may, one had the feeling that it would have been

wonderful for more people to have benefitted from this rewarding experience. LOUIS J. LOMBARD

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Diocesan Crib Competition: Schools

(The Cribs are shown in the order they were scheduled for viewing.) Loreto convent entered two cribs this year, the Reception Year’s crib was presented to us by three of the children and their teacher. They had made the crib themselves from scratch using the cone con-struction method. It was awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate.

Loreto Middle School entered a Plasticine crib. We heard about how at one point all the figures melted in the sun and the children had to start over! We were particularly impressed by fine work and the atten-tion to detail. They had put in an extra effort working after school to complete the project on time and earned a ‘Winner’ award.

Sacred Heart school crib fills the whole of a long display case in the corridor outside the tuck shop and is sure to be seen by every pupil. We heard how a box was set up outside the office and children who wished to contribute donated their nativity drawings. These were then selected for the big frieze which was ‘Highly Commended’.

St. bernard’s first School are another ‘Winner’ they developed their successful method of working, dividing the work between the classes to produce different scenes in rotation. Each scene fills a large display area on the walls of the main hall. Each theme was captioned with large easy to read letters. When we arrived the hall was filled with parents.

A new generation embraces an ancient Mediterranean tradition

St. bernard’s o.t. centre entered two cribs, in the Entrance Hall they have a crib with figures constructed from recycled water bottles. But the judges’ attention was really drawn to the large crib in the art room. The artists who use this facility had been working since the summer break creating the boxes for the houses, using found objects like a Chinese wooden fan which was dismantled and used for shutters in the windows of some of the houses. The enthusiasm of the group shone through in the work. Although we did not talk to any of the artists themselves, we were able to see a display of photographs of them at work, showing the progress of the project over the months. The degree of concentration and dedication was clear, earning the Art Room Crib a ‘Winner’ award.

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Diocesan Crib Competition: Schools

governor’s Meadow first School presented a live crib. We were invited to sit next to the stage while the children in the mystery processed to their places behind the stable doors, which were then dramatically opened up to reveal the nativity scene with music and singing. They were awarded a ‘Highly Commended’ Certificate.

Notre Damme First School prepared a huge crib in a main artery of the school building so everyone passed by. They had grown a grassy border next to a brook and the road through their Bethlehem led to a hill where the main mystery was shown. Many stars were suspended over the town. The crib won a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate.

St. anne’s School entered 4 cribs. Year five’s had created a huge advent calendar, with a domed, middle eastern style house as the background. We learned that the tradition of counting down to Christmas in this way started in Germany and that as early as 1958 Advent Calendars were available with chocolate in them!

St anne’s School Year Six created huge nativity scenes with fingerprints in a pointil-list style reminiscent of the Impressionist’s era. Every child had made a fingerprint in paint on blue paper which was put on display next to the big scene, and the message related how we are all unique as individuals but when we come together and work in harmony we can cre-ate something beautiful. The borders of the images were decorated with intricate colourful shapes.

A new generation embraces an ancient Mediterranean tradition

St. anne’s Year eight all drew nativity pictures which they then. scanned and put into a slide show presentation. Five p.c.s were then hidden in a Bethlehem landscape the screen displaying a different drawing of the main characters in the mystery, so the scene was ever changing but the same.

St.Annes Year Seven presented a Victoria Christmas as they are study-ing that period in history. They were formally dressed and also sported ‘old fashioned’ formal manners, bowing low to the judges as they passed. The pupils had hand coloured Victorian prints, the forerunners of our Christmas cards. They had collected a range of toys that would have been available to the chil-dren of those days under the Christmas tree. One of the cards in the centre of the display was a birthday card to Baby Jesus.

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Diocesan Crib Competition: Schools

westside School entered their beautiful set of characters which had been set up in a simple arrangement under the stairs adjacent to the office at the main entrance to the school. The R.E. teacher described how his pupils had helped set up the scene, the improvements they had wanted to make, and how they would proceed for next year.

St. Joseph’s Middle School invited pupils to bring in the cribs they had made at home. There were 24 entries, all very different, but the one that inspired the judges most was one of the smallest. One judge said ‘the Holy Family looked so cosy there, all together’. Well done Amy Bonavia, Year Four, who earns the ‘Individual Winner’ award.

St. Joseph’s first School entered a crib that one of the teaching aides had helped the children create. She described how they spread a huge piece of paper on the floor so every child could take part in painting the background, and similarly with the sand and glue base. The enthusiasm with which the children had worked was very evident.

A new generation embraces an ancient Mediterranean tradition

bayside School crib was set up in a large show case in the entrance hall of the school, many of the scenes are automated and the move-ment is very eye catching. Some of the boys had also brought in cribs from home which had been judged in the school competition, worthy of a mention here though, was a particularly original piece by John Paul Sene, noteworthy for the use of symbolism, at once a simple piece but showing that a lot of thought had gone into it.

So ManY of tHe entrieS showed originality, creativity, and an ingenious use of found objects. The hard work and dedication of the entrants and the staff of the schools, and the parents too, where they were involved, was often very clear to see. It was a very hard job to compare one crib against the other and this year more than on previous occasions the judges had to resort to a point scoring system due to the wonderfully high numbers of entrants, otherwise we should never have finished our deliberations before the end of term, or maybe not before next Christmas! We are extremely grateful to the Schools for inviting us to come along and judge their cribs, and we look forward to seeing what they have got planned for next year.

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Diocesan Crib Competition: SchoolsThe Crib Competition expands into more workplaces

Workplaces

Highways Department entered a large crib (above) mounted on top of a set of filing cabinets. There were workshops fully kitted out with miniature equipment. All the scenery was made from scratch. The attention to detail, particularly on the hand made palm trees was very impressive earning the crib a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate. At St bernard’s Hospital we found a large crib which had been built in a corridor in Captain Murchison Ward (top right). The Mystery Scene was raised up on a rocky landscape drawing the eye towards the main event. The creative use of building materials and overall effect earned the crib a ‘Winner’ award. Velay financial Services entered the crib they had assembled on a desk immediately inside the main door of their offices (photo not available) it was a very welcom-ing sight and the box of chocolates strategically placed underpinned the hospitality to guests. bishop canilla House entered the large crib constructed in the entrance hall (right). The large number of scenes in-cluded representing all aspects of life in Bethlehem, as the Nativity Scene unfolded.

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Crib Competition Results cont.

Award winning home Cribs.

Julio alcantara entered a large crib (above) which was prominently situated in the entrance hall of their home. Elements have been col-lected over the generations from countries around the world, and as-sembled in an impressive landscape built from traditional materials earning the crib a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate.Mrs ramos entered a crib (top right) which also fills a large section of the family’s hallway. With a clever representation of night and day and even weather using special effects Mr Ramos depicted the hostile environment into which the child Jesus was born. The realism and passion with which this crib is built earned it a ‘Winner’ award. francis Mena entered a crib that was mounted on a sideboard in their dining area in a purpose built display box. Again there was very creative use of special effects, lighting and dry ice to provide atmos-phere, and a beautifully painted background. This crib was ‘Highly Commmended’. It was very hard to judge between all the beautiful cribs that were presented, and we are very grateful to the families who participated for inviting us into their homes. Space preventS uS from Showing all the home cribS.

Music Francis Imossi

Spotlight on the Violincello

The name cello, as many read-ers may know, is itself an ab-breviation of violoncello, which is Italian for ‘little violone’ (the violone was the lowest-pitched member of the viol family, the family of fretted bowed instru-ments from which the modern violin family evolved). Capa-ble of producing truly ravishing melodies, and an indispensable

part of the symphony orches-tra, this instrument holds a very special place in the minds, ears and hearts of many music audi-ences the world over. And very recently we had the opportunity of experiencing the magic of the cello performed live at the Con-vent Ballroom.Lovers of classical music in Gi-braltar were treated to a cello

recital on the 24th November last, presented by the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society, in associ-ation with the Bonita Trust. The evening saw two fellow former students of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music of Budapest come together in a show of mar-vellous talent and skill. The per-formers were Tamás Varga, cel-lo, and Béla Simon, piano. The cold November night outside was quickly forgotten, as listen-ers immersed themselves in the balmy and mesmerizing musi-cal sounds of the cello, joined slightly later into the recital by the piano.The recital featured two works for solo cello at the start. The first work, the Sonata for solo cello by composer György Ligeti of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame (readers may have heard his stunning Lux Aeterna and

Atmosphères) was a remarkable composition, in two movements - Dialogo and Capriccio – which were met with an equally re-markable execution from Mr. Varga. There was a true dia-logue between the high and low registers in the first movement (variations on a folk tune), inter-spersed with ear-catching glis-

the cello: an instru-ment with a sound that radiates beauty, warmth, and richness all at the same time. tamas varga

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Crib Competition Results cont.

Award winning home Cribs.

The Right Reverend Dom Aidan Bellenger, ABBOT OF DOWNSIDE will visit Gibraltar this month to lead the The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. 18th to 25th January 2009. The programme will run as follows:Saturday 17 January1745 Mass at King’s Chapel in memory of Dom Francis Little, monk of Downside Abbey, who was the first Catholic priest to say Mass in the Chapel since 1704.Sunday 18 January1030 Mass at the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned1900 Evensong at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity - start of the Prayer for Christian Unity WeekMonday 19 January1900 Prayer service at the Church of Scotland (St Andrews)tuesday 20 January1000 Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe1100 Methodist Church - meeting with members of the clergy of all Christian denominations.1900 Ecumenical service at the Cathedral of St Mary the Crowned - Vespers

30th Anniversary Celebrated

one of the ladies cursillos celebrated its30th anniversary recently

Prayer for

Christian Unity

Music Francis Imossi

Spotlight on the Violincello

sando plucked chords; this was strongly contrasted by a second movement which was somewhat late-Bartókian in flavour.The recital also featured piec-es by Bartók, Kodály, Men-delssohn, Tchaikovsky, and Fauré, showcasing Mr. Varga’s virtuosity, the immense versa-tility of the cello, and the won-derfully luminous sound of the Steinway concert grand which was so very deftly and elegantly played by Mr. Simon.For me, the highlight of the per-formance on the night was the arrangement for cello and piano on Paganini’s Variations on One String. This piece had, interest-ingly, been on show in the Oc-tober recital by violinist Sasha Sitkovetsky and pianist Olga Sitkovetsky. It is a rare oppor-tunity and a real luxury indeed, for one to be able to witness two live interpretations of the same virtuoso piece arranged for different bowed-string instru-ments so soon one after another. Whilst the cello was obviously not able to achieve the incisive-ness of the violin version (and this, I hasten to qualify, is only in terms of timbre) the impact

of the cello’s voice turned it into a different piece, and even added something of the satiri-cal in places: the happily-ren-dered articulations were totally in-keeping with legendary aura of the virtuoso entertainer/performer/composer that was Niccolò Paganini. Mr. Vargas totally assumed the role of pres-tidigitator, executing lightning-quick neck- and thumb-position changes, harmonics, spiccatto, flautando/sul ponticello (liter-ally ‘on the bridge’) bowing, etc., with impressive accuracy. The consequence was a glowing offering of musical drama.The side-to-side bowing motion of the seated cellist, coupled with what I would describe as its ‘velvet’ sound quality thus generated, are probably two of the most hypnotic effects that one can experience in music; the result of a wonderful sym-biosis between the aural and the aesthetic. In particular, the tim-bre of the cello has often been described as being very similar to the timbre of the human voice – one can only speculate as to whether this aspect may be the main reason why so many pro-fess to having an affinity for the sound of this instrument. Whether we are listening to J.S. Bach’s solo cello suites, Camille Saint-Saëns’ The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals Suite, or Edward Elgar’s Cello Con-certo in E minor, it is difficult to remain unmoved by the atten-tion-grabbing sensuousness of the cello’s sound, which makes it akin to a celestial feature that boasts a light of its own, sitting with great poise amid the vast musical firmament.Francis Imossi

bela Simon

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New Media: OurLadyofEurope.net

Our Lady of Europe crosses a new frontier

u the Holy See continues to embrace new communi-cations technology Pope Benedict XVI is acutely aware of the importance of new media in communicating the light of Christ’s truth. Two years ago he addressed the Pon-tifical Council for Social Com-munications saying, “ The field of social communications is fast-changing, While the print media struggles to maintain cir-culation, other forms of media such as radio, television and the internet are developing at an ex-traordinary rate.”Eighteen months ago the Vatican

itself launched a new web portal specifically to meet the needs of the ever increasing numbers of pilgrims and tourists in the Vati-can, and to respond to the con-tinuous requests for information reaching the various offices of Vatican State though the tradi-tional channels.Here in Gibraltar in response to encouragement from the Vati-can to give church groups a greater presence in cyberspace, Fr. Michael Bonifacio has been adressing a smiliar need to pro-vide more information about the Shrine of Our Lady of Europe. The website has been launched

at ourladyofeurope.net, but the site is optimized for Google and can easily be found by putting ‘Our Lady of Europe’ into the search engine. Browsers will find a clean looking, well devel-oped site with lots of informa-tion. Fr. Michael says “We have tried to present all the infor-mation in a simple and easy to navigate manner with as many pictures as possible.” There is a great deal of content on the his-tory of the Shrine, the bulk of which has been contributed by His Lordship Bishop Caruana, over 21 sections. These include copies of sermons that have

been given at momentous occa-sions. Correspondence between Pope John Paul and the present Pope concerning the Shrine. A section on the Crowning of the Statue of Our Lady of Europe at St. Peter’s Square in Rome.

u fr. charlie welcomes visitors to the site which has received hits from all around the world already.There has been a lot of interest from around the world with hits from Japan, Australia, Russia and many more from the U.S.A than Europe! Wedding organis-ers have already been getting in touch and many of them have links into the site.Fr. Charlie, as Rector of the Shrine welcomes vistors to the website saying “Whilst we have endeavoured to promote devo-tion to Our Lady of Europe, we have also borne in mind the prized message of the “Gospel” as a top priority; you will always find Mary with Jesus.”The website is coded in CSS and built for the latest browsers. The most time consuming part of the work was collating the content. Fr. Michael wants to open the website to everyone, and em-phasised that it is not just about Mary but would encourage peo-ple to contribute on all sorts of topics.

The Shrine in an important part of Gibraltar, not only for the people here but visitors from all over the world are interested.

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New Media: OurLadyofEurope.net

Our Lady of Europe crosses a new frontier

u fr Michael bonifacio thinks an important part section of the website is the page on spirituality.“There is a spiritual message in the Shrine’s smallness” he says, continuing, “I want the website to create community, a place where people can feel safe to upload poems, pictures and anecdotes.” We discussed the possibility of a chat page, but agreed that would be something for the future as it would need a band of volunteer modera-tors. “We already have a forum where people are invited to post their comments.” The website carries the ICRA logo, the Internet Content Rat-

ing Association (ICRA) is an in-ternational, non-profit organiza-tion of internet leaders working to develop a safer internet.

u Jubilee SectionThere is a section on the Jubi-lee year which will be used to publish information about the events planned for the 700th Anniversary Year as it becomes availabe, but already that sec-tion is full of interesting con-tent, from the creative rational of the Jubilee logo design, with logos to download, as well as prayers.Looking ahead perhaps a web-cam could be installed to web-cast services from the Shrine all around the world.

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SaiD barack obaMa after winning the democratic presi-dential primary in S. carolina.

u a Month of firstsSince then he has become Presi-dent-Elect of the USA and on the 20th of this month he will be inaugurated as President mak-ing what began “in the snows of Iowa”, no illusion, though a cold reality may bite as Washington will be in the icy grip of winter. January is a month of firsts. The New Year celebrations with par-ties, dancing, singing and fire-works to ring out the old ring in the new. We will have accom-plished this with the living tradi-

tion left to us by Robert(Rabbie) Burns, born 25th January 1759, as we all joined in “For Auld Lang Syne”. The Romans named the month after their god, Janus(door), “the spirit of the opening”, and indeed this New Year opens to a new day, a new dawn as we watch the inaugura-tion and ponder what it means. Barack Obama, his first name, “Blessed by god”, in Arabic, becomes the 44th President of the US, but more than that, he is the first Afro-American to hold this post. He campaigned for “change” and never in my expe-rience has the word change been so popular, it is usually feared,

we all fear that which may be different from what we know. That the world at large needs so much change in tackling pover-ty, looking after our poor abused planet, sound monetary policies etc and now, under this new lead-ership this may be on offer, let us have the courage to embrace it. However, this new President is weighted with expectations and hopes heralded by this promise of change. America and the world holds its breath at the opening of this new chapter in history giving the “American people a reason to believe again”. Proverbs; “When the wicked rise to power, people go into hiding”, and “When the righteous thrive: the people rejoice”. Economically, the global world is in crisis and once again, our income tax, that bane of our lives since its introduction on 9th Janu-ary 1770, is called upon to help shore up the financial markets. You may be wondering what America’s problems have to do with us? Well, it has been said that if America sneezes, Europe catches cold, and we are probably heading for a debilitating dose of flu. Not a very cheery start to the New Year? No indeed, and I’m wondering if we are destined to repeat the old mistakes. History is supposed to be a great teacher but do we ever really learn its lessons and apply them? “This election is about past V’S fu-ture”. Ah Barack, imbued with a sense of energy and hope, full of idealism and belief, the whole world waiting and I too want to believe in this rosy confidence but will reflect for a moment.

u the three kings

The feast of the Three Kings looms, those bringing gifts to the newborn child, a child called the Prince of Peace, who came to change the world. Have we heed-ed that plea of “Peace on earth, goodwill to men”? So much unparalleled hope, expectations, dreams are being invested in the new President that he himself has been heard to say, “I was not born in a manger”. No, he cannot be all things to all men even as I mis-chievously wonder “Can he do Riverdance”, and hear you chor-tle, “don’t be absurd”, and there’s your answer. He is a mortal man, mindful of his limitations, yet filled with the spirit of new drive, new visions, and yet knowing “change will take time”. Perhaps we can bestow our patient toler-ant support upon this new Presi-dent as he assumes leadership “to rally Americans from all walks of life around a common purpose, a higher purpose”. It is my humble belief that this “higher purpose” has been realized. Forty-five years ago, Martin Luther King Jnr had the audacity to “have a dream” in which his children will “not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character”. In the person of Barack Obama, swearing to “faithfully execute the office of President of the United States” it is now time to lay this past to rest. “The change we seek has always required great struggle and great sacrifice”, and Mar-tin Luther King paid with the greatest sacrifice of all, his life. Change is always achieved by

“we are hungry for change and we are ready to believe again”

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Can he do Riverdance?2009 Anne Mesilio

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men of vision. Is Barack Obama one, a man of vision? I do hope so. It is vision that allows one to see around corners, imagine the bigger picture, and strive for it. To achieve this he needs to sur-round himself with those whose challenging, critical and original thinking will be an asset to his decision making. The election campaign was just a backdrop to the next four years of transfor-mations, developments, and yes, even discovery.Let’s give him a sporting chance! He loves basketball and I hope he manages to continue playing. Taking part in sport fosters team spirit, renews energy, promotes self-esteem and enhances knowl-edge of strengths and weaknesses, in oneself and others. He will have to reach out, and as it is New Year allow me to be whimsical and quote Pooh Bear, yes, that adorable character cre-ated by AA Milne(born 18th Jan. 1882)for his son Robin. “You cannot stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come

to you. You have to go to them sometimes”. Oh yes, and it is written in the stars! u following your star

The United Nations has declared this year the Year of Astronomy; global co-operation for peaceful purposes. The search for our cos-mic origin in our common herit-age, which connects all citizens of planet earth. I cannot argue with thatTongue in cheek let me tell you January 13th is St. Hilary’s feast day, which has gained a reputa-tion for being the coldest day of the year. Once, an Arctic spell, which lasted for months, began on that day. Maybe we have been spared the same from another Hi-lary! Whilst on things freezing, January 17th, 1912 saw Robert Scott’s party reach the S. Pole, on that doomed expedition. We can cheer ourselves up with the music of Mozart, yes, Wolfgang Amadeus himself who arrived in this world in January 1756 and started composing music at five

years old. Yes we can!These three little words are such a positive affirmation and Barack Obama has used them repeated-ly. . I have no doubt but that we will hear them more as time goes by especially “where we are met with cynicism and doubt and fear and those who tell us we can’t”.

There is a lesson of optimism there for all of us. Instead of wasting good energy on resolu-tions that do not last more than a few half-hearted days, let us give credence to “peace on earth, goodwill towards men”, oh YES WE CAN. Happy New Year.

Can he do Riverdance?2009 Anne Mesilio

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Childline Gibraltar is growing...Spotlight on a local charity

whether it is seeking advice for a friend you are worried about; whether it is a personal problem you cannot share with anyone you know; whether something is upsetting you at home or at school; whether you are being bullied; or even if you require a little more information on topics such as bullying…a phone call to Childline on 8008 can ease the problem. You’ll have patient and support-ive people on the other end of the phone who are always happy to help and talk to you about any-thing. Remember that a problem shared can be a problem halved.Call any day of the week between 6-10pm, including holidays and weekends and Childline will be there to help!In addition to manning the hel-pline service on evening shifts, Childline is now embarking on educational and awareness pro-grammes in schools and across the youth service within Gibral-

tar. In the past, we have given talks in schools to explain about Childline, now we are tackling ongoing dilemmas faced by our young people today, ranging from topics such as cyber bully-ing to the physical and emotional problems which may be encoun-tered during puberty.Other issues include: living with an eating disorder; knowing more about your sexual health; learning how to combat bullying; increasing self-esteem to become a confident individual. To do this, Childline will be issu-ing a free magazine on a quarter-ly basis paying particular atten-tion to all the above-mentioned topics faced by our young people today. So, not only will they be enlightened by our face-to-face sessions, but teenagers will also benefit from reading more and learning from the written and pictorial content highlighted in the magazine. All in all, Childline is targeting a specific population of Gibraltar and helping to make that popu-

lation familiar with some of the obstacles many may face in life, especially during all those ‘grow-ing pains’.

Do you have any que-ries or wish to have any

doubts settled?Do you have trouble at

school and feel afraid to speak out?

Do you just need some-one to talk to who will

listen?

Childline is there for you.Ring 8008 between 6-10pm and there’ll always be someone on the other end of the phone!

For more information about Childline Gibraltar please check out our website www.childline.gi or our facebook group (log on to Facebook and search for ‘Child-line Gibraltar’). You can email [email protected] anytime or call:

f r e e p h o n e

8008

N E W I N G I B R A LTA RBe Eccentric Be Unexpected Be Different

Christmas Offer ONLY£1250

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tEL: 200 78509

A packed St. Michael’s cave was not the most hospitable venue last month as precipitation from recent heavy rains was leak-ing through the roof in a steady downpour. But the audience was clearly made of sturdy stuff, and as Geneva and Gibraltar share a heritage as walled cities, who have faced worse adversities than a few drops of water, the evening promised to be memorable. Javier de Mendieta, the CEO of Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch explained with a few introduc-tory words the background to the

festival. “La Fete de L’Escalade is an annual event commemo-rating the defeat of the surprise attack by the troops of the Duke of Savoy.” This was when the forces of the Duke of Savoy, un-der the command of the seigneur d’Albigny, and those of Charles Emmanuel’s brother-in-law, Philip III of Spain on the walls of the city state of Geneva in 1602.L’Escalade, or Fête de l’Escalade (from escalade, the act of scaling defensive walls) celebrations and other commemorative activities are usually held on 11 Decem-

ber which was according to the calendar of the time the longest night of the year. That night the troops marched along the Arve River at night and assembled at Plainpalais, just outside the walls of Geneva, at 2 o’clock in the morning. The original plan was to send in a group of comman-dos to open the gate door and let the other troops in. According to Genevois legend, Catherine Cheynel, originally from Lyons and the wife of Pierre Royaume, (“Mère Royaume”), a mother of 14 children, seized a large caul-dron of hot soup and poured it on the attackers. The Royaume fam-ily lived just above the La Mon-naie town gate. The heavy caul-dron of boiling soup landed on the head of a Savoyard attacker, killing him. The commotion that this caused also helped to rouse the townsfolk to defend the city.

The night guard Isaac Mercier raised the alarm, church bells were rung, and the Genevois were alerted. The people fought alongside their town militia. After the defeat, the Duke of Sa-voy was obliged to accept a last-ing peace, sealed by the Treaty of St. Julien of July 12, 1603.Celebrations include the building

La Fte de L’EscaladeA Christmas Concert in the Cave Angela Sargent

a concert commemorating a battle over 400 years ago in geneva raises £20,000 for gibraltar charities.the escalade in geneva in 1602.

chocolate replica of the city gates

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La Fte de L’EscaladeA Christmas Concert in the Cave Angela Sargent

a concert commemorating a battle over 400 years ago in geneva raises £20,000 for gibraltar charities.

of a chocolate replica of the city gates with a large pot filled with marzipan vegetables and candies wrapped in the Geneva colours of red and gold. It’s customary for the eldest and youngest in the room to smash the marmite, while reciting, “Ainsi périssent les ennemis de la République! “ (Thus perish the enemies of the Republic).Mr de Mendieta continued “It has become a tradition for the Directors of the Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch Private Bank Limited to celebrate La Fête de L’Escalade in Gibraltar with our valued clients, close friends and key business partners, in order to express our thanks and gratitude for their friendship, loyalty and support during the year. This year, our traditional celebra-tion was very special, as we en-joyed a Charity Concert hosted by the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society at St. Michael’sCave. In order to enable the Gibral-tar Philharmonic Society to stage this outstanding concert, we agreed to sustain all costs involved, allowing the total amount received from the sale of the entrance tickets to be donated in full to support deserving, se-lect local charities.”The charities selected were an-nounced on the evening by A. V. Stagnetto QC on behalf of the Board of Charity Commission-ers. Donations totalling £ 20,000 were distributed between the fol-lowing Charities

- Childline Gibraltar - Women in Need - Gibraltar Society for the Visu-ally Impaired - Nazareth House - Calpe House Charitable Trust Mr. de Medioza continued in his welcome speech, “The Part-ners of Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch have always played an active part in the community by supporting local solidarity, art and education, as well as by pro-moting projects dealing with the major social, economic and envi-ronmental issues of today. Social awareness also means showing solidarity. Lombard Odier Dar-ier Hentsch is always impressed about this long-standing tradition of Gibraltarians to raise funds for community projects and to sustain charitable organisations, which have demonstrated genu-ine local solidarity, by supporting disabled or sick persons, by pro-viding treatment and palliative care and in general by helping people in precarious situations. Tonight, Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch also wants to support this long-standing tradition of Gibraltar.” At the concert, rising soprano Elena Groshunova from the Mariinsky Theatre filled the cave with clear sensitive song, joined by the European Sinfonietta con-ducted by Maestro Karel Mark Chichon. It seemed at once such a contrast sitting in that rough, rocky, indoor-outdoor environ-ment, once inhabited by cave men against the extremely civilized, highly cultured entity that is a top class orchestra playing Mozart and Elena’s expert rendition of the tender song, ‘Ach, ich fühl’s’ a song of love and loss, a story that will have been sung all down the eons as the stalagmites grew.And then we were graced with

one of the leading mezzo-sopran-os in the world Elina Garanča who sang for us ‘Guinse al fin il momento...Al desio’ from ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, wrapped up against the chill of the evening with her black fur stole and sea-sonably appropriate red gown we, could hear the orchestra working with her, providing a platform for her song.Another jewel in the programme was the overture to Haydn’s ‘Force of Destiny’ A piece of Drama enshrined in music, and for me very close to home as it was one of my mother’s favour-ite pieces. I was taken down a Scottish memory lane, to a room overlooking the Pentland Hills where the family record player regurgitated the notes captured in black vinyl. The clarity of repro-duction of this performance by the European Sinfonietta, con-ducted by Karel Mark Chichon fresh from his acclaimed success at the Vienna State Opera where he conducted the Vienna Philhar-monic bore no resemblance to those sounds remembered from my childhood, here were notes and depths and accents that I had never heard before, the music’s richness when so skilfully ex-ecuted by the European Sinfo-nietta was fully matured by the time it reached my ears near the top of the seating area, the spe-cial acoustics of the cave having worked their magic too.It was clear at the end of the pro-gramme that the rest of the audi-ence were spell bound as I was, for they would not let Elena or Elina go and pulled them and Karel back for ‘encore’ after ‘en-core’. Generously, and with real Christmas Spirit, Elina Garanča performed William Gomez’s ‘Ave Maria’, and I dare say after that, there was hardly a dry eye

in the house. Congratulations, and thank you to the Gibraltar Philharmonic Society for another wonderful evening’s entertainment.

From Strength to

Strength

Following his debut last Septem-ber, Karel returned to the Vienna State Opera last month to con-duct again Barbiere di Siviglia at the venerable Vienna State Opera with the Vienna Philharmonic in the pit and repeated his success of September with another riv-eting performance that was ac-claimed by the demanding Vien-nese public. And now Karel Chichon is the new Chief Conductor of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO). His contract begins in September 2009 and expires in June 2012. He will conduct a minimum of eleven weeks in Riga every concert sea-son, as well as tours and record-ings.

Karel mark chichon

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