Jo Ward - page 5

“I am not in control of my time and I need to work for the people who put me here,” Minister Cortes says, continuing “but clearly I have always been interested in writing.”

Minister Cortes says that his first attempts at creative writing were during his days in sixth form and then at University. “I have a small collection of poetry which I wrote many years ago, but looking through an old filing cabinet at home I came across some scripts from a large number of radio broadcasts that I had taken part in for GBC Radio and BFBS Radio, as well as articles from The Vox newspaper.”

These scripts mainly focused on nature because, as Minister Cortes remarks, that is his field, but always with certain incursions into the social life of Gibraltar. “Reading through them I thought it was an interesting description of a lot of environmental issues, some of which are still relevant and some which are no longer relevant,” Minister Cortes states. 

The scripts were mainly written in the late 80s, a few years after the border opened, at a time when the Minister was working in the Civil Service and then in 1988 when he became Manager of St. Bernard’s Hospital. “In 1991 I took over the Botanic Gardens and managed to continue writing, so it covers a lot of the decade from the mid-80s to mid-90s,” he says.

At the moment Minister Cortes is working on transcribing the typed scripts, scanning and digitising them so that he can then begin editing. “I don’t have a lot of time which is why it is taking me so long, but my idea is to publish them with annotations, commenting on the differences between now and then.”

“I used to talk about climate change then and nobody else did, now everybody talks about climate change, so I think it would be interesting for nature lovers because it talks a lot about the natural history of Gibraltar and the surrounding area,” the Minister comments. “We had just gone across to Spain so I was seeing new areas for the first time from a naturalist point of view.”

The Minister explains how he tracks the seasons from a natural history angle, right through from the first rains in the autumn and what you were likely to see on the Upper Rock and the different parts of Gibraltar’s natural habitat. “I talk about migration, about green areas and protection of our heritage and these were all in their infancy then, so it is quite controversial and hard hitting on occasions.”

 “It reminds me a lot of coming back from university, when I was young, full of life and energy, and seeing that we weren’t doing enough to protect our heritage both natural and built,” he remarks.  “There are also some light-hearted moments,” he adds.

Environmental issues, much less climate change or global warming and the greenhouse effect as it was called in the early eighties and nineties, were only just starting to be talked about in those days. “We weren’t as conscious of the more general changes in climate that we are clearly seeing now.”

Asked how the natural habitat of the Rock has changed since those days, Minister Cortes says that one of the key things is that none of it was protected at the time. “Fortunately we have been able to preserve the Upper Rock pretty much intact, but at the time nothing was protected so it was all in danger of being removed,” he states.  “Nor were the heritage laws so strong – so there was very little protection – and there was quite a bit of lobbying from the then conservation society (which no longer exists), which was a built-heritage society, and I think that is reflected in some of my work.”

There was a lot of uncertainty at that time as to whether Gibraltar could develop economically and yet retain its heritage, both natural and historical built-heritage. The Minister says that they have proved that is possible. “We have virtually lost no natural areas.”

“I was very much a voice crying in the wilderness in those days, it was very lonely,” Minister Cortes remarks. “There was a small group of us who were mainly bird watchers, and now I just wonder how people would have reacted in hearing a young guy back from university saying crazy things such as bird migration and the climate is going to change.”

“As Minister for Education I talk to young people now quite frequently and I tell them that they don’t know how lucky they are to be part of a much bigger movement that is conscious of the environment, despite all the frustrations that remain.”

The Minister hopes that by publishing those old documents now he will highlight the richness of our natural environment. “The work that people like myself, Clive Finlayson and Charles Perez did then raised awareness of our natural environment and some of our rare species, such as the rare flowering plant, the Gibraltar Campion.” Now we have a park named after the Gibraltar Campion and our ladies netball team is called The Campions.

“We were pioneers and it is very satisfying now that years later we managed to save that species from extinction and that we made what I think is a significant contribution to the protection of Gibraltar’s heritage.”

 As if that weren’t enough, there is another project that Minister Cortes is interested in pursuing in the future. “Looking through some old boxes of papers in my maternal home in Irish Town, we came across carbon copies of the letters that my father wrote to my mother while she was in Madeira, as well as some of her letters back to him during the Second World War.” 

The Minister is thinking about transcribing those as well. “It is a lovely social story because it shows this love story between my Dad who was here working in Cable and Wireless, one of the essential services, and my Mum who was in exile – almost as a refugee – in Madeira.” Minister Cortes continues by saying that some of his mother’s letters were censored, with bits blotted out, but that his father made carbon copies of his letters which were not censored. 

Minister Cortes is keen to share both these projects and hopes to publish them in the future. “My idea is to have one book about our natural heritage- one volume – and I want it to be as true as possible to the original script, but I will also add an update and I would like to illustrate it with photographs.” The Minister adds that he thinks they make an interesting collection. “This is something I would like to share because it is not just about natural history – it also makes some statements about Gibraltar at the time.”

“I have various ideas in my head as to what it might be called, but I don’t want to give anything away yet!” 

The old adage “A busy man has time for everything” is certainly true in the Minister’s case. 

Digital bank Xapo chose the site of the ex-Gibraltar Crystal Factory as the location for their international headquarters in Gibraltar. 

“We won a Group Heritage Award in 2021 for the work we did here and as a result of that I have been asked to give a tour for the Gibraltar Heritage society in December,” says Albert Rocca, Brand Ambassador for Xapo Bank Gibraltar. “We needed a physical presence for our digital bank and we wanted to show that we were doing something new within something old.”

Albert explains that there was a three pronged effort that went into the final result. “Xapo found the space and then approached Lagranja Design who presented us with the designs which were then handed over to Frankwin van Kleef’s design and construction firm Invision Design, so it was a collaborative approach.”

“We picked this spot because it has always been a very important space within the history of Gibraltar, from the Moors in 711 who built a stronghold here and through the centuries to the 1500s when the battlements at the back were built by the Spanish, and then from the 1700s where bomb proof barracks were built,” Albert explains.  “There are over 1,200 years of history on this site and we had to decide what to reveal.”

The bank occupies two arched bays of the barracks complex, constructed in limestone (interestingly shipped to Gibraltar from Cardiff), with the ceilings supported by original wooden beams. These, and the stone walls, were cleaned, restored, and left in their natural state, lending the space a feeling of an ancient bank vault.

There are distinctly different zoned areas, the first being the common area open to the public where shallow pools flank either side of the reception hall which can be used for art and cultural events. “The water acts as a mirror and because we couldn’t build up or down, it gives height, depth and a luminosity to the space.” At night, people passing by will notice laser beams crisscrossing the pools.

“This area will hopefully attract the public into asking what else is here and what is inside the other areas of Xapo Bank,” Albert states. Members of the bank can use the banking hall, entered via the original stones arches and accessed via a security facial recognition keypad. Behind this is a boardroom and the far end opens out onto a walled patio which can be used as both a leisure and work area.

“Everything that we built says something about us, for example everything in the banking hall is biodegradable,” Albert says, pointing out a room divider made out of 3D printed corn based plastic.

Xapo Bank is a remote firm, with over 250 employees working in 42 countries around the globe, so Zoom is an important part of the infrastructure. “Xapo was ahead of the curve in adopting Zoom in 2016, but it is now commonplace to have Wi-Fi in boardrooms,” he comments.

Albert takes me into a small room, a workspace now also used for staff meetings that was uncovered as the building process commenced. “It was a room lost to time, but as we started cleaning the walls we found an entrance to this catacomb.” One of the downsides of keeping the heritage intact is that the stone walls have to be painted every four weeks otherwise they would crumble. “There is a constant upkeep for this monument,” Albert remarks. 

We pass by what Albert refers to as ‘the Harry Potter steps’. “They go up to nowhere but were once used by soldiers from the Garrison who would go into the gun powder magazine and then run up the steps to defend the Garrison from above the wall.” As we enter another small space, now used as a wine cellar, Albert points out a wall from 711, another from 1533 and one from 1817, with a small nook on one wall displaying glass shards from the factory. “This is part of a bombproof room that is now a timeline of the history of the building,” Albert says. To the left of this is the old gunpowder magazine, now a bar. “It was going to be a meeting room but when we told our staff to bring something with them that represents where they come from on their yearly visit to Gibraltar, we ended up with bottles of wines and spirits from all over the world.”

Albert is hugely proud of the building that represents Xapo Bank’s presence in Gibraltar. “We want to showcase the resilience and security that the Rock cements in our mind – it means an immovable secure, safe thing.”

“Then there is the very well respected regulatory authority which made it so hard for us, and we managed to not only get a Banking Licence but a DLT licence as well, so that is why we are headquartered here in Gibraltar, and it is a global branch – and there is only one branch in the whole world.”  

The capital of Germany, Berlin, is an exciting city to explore. This was our first trip and we managed to cram in most of the highlights in three days. There is so much to see and do that it is best to plan your trip first to ensure that you manage to get around all the sights, but it is also worth knowing some of the hints and tips that will make your visit more pleasurable.

Tip 1 – If you are travelling to Berlin before the end of 31st August 2022, it’s a good idea to buy Germany’s new budget €9 travel pass available for purchase on the Deutsche Bahn (DB) website or from vending machines. The tickets are valid between 1st June and 31st August 2022 and each ticket entitles you to use the public transport network for one calendar month and even if you are only in Berlin for a few days, this will prove to be excellent value for money.  

On our first morning we hopped on the S7 train at Berlin Central Station (Berlin Hbf – Hauptbahnhof) to go to beautiful Potsdam, about a half hour ride away. Potsdam plays a crucial part in the history of Germany as it was the place where Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Harry Truman met in1945, to negotiate terms for the end of World War II.  Once the residence of Prussian royalty and a military stronghold under King Frederick the Great, the city is home to 14 castles and three historic parks and the entire area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Once we arrived at the station we took a bus to Schloss Sanssouci (Sanssouci Palace). Completed in 1747, this was King Frederick’s summer palace, the place that he went to relax, ‘Sans Soucci’ meaning ‘no worries’ in French. 

Tip 2 – Be aware that entry to the Palace is limited to specific time slots and it is advisable to purchase your ticket online before you head off. The Baroque Palace itself is relatively small but if you don’t manage to get into the building, the impressive terraced formal gardens are worth viewing. What was a surprise though was the incredible Picture Gallery located in Sanssouci Park for which we paid a separate entrance fee on arrival. We stumbled across this by chance and it certainly has the ‘wow’ factor’, with the small building earning its reputation as one of the most majestic 18th century buildings in Europe and housing paintings by some of the great masters, including Peter Paul Rubens, Caravaggio and Anthony van Dyck.

Back to Berlin city and apart from the ‘must-do’ sights such as Checkpoint Charlie (little more than a signpost), the site of the Führerbunker (Hitler’s last bunker) now marked by an information board in a parking lot and the nearby haunting Holocaust Memorial, a place of remembrance featuring 2,711 grey concrete blocks commemorating the murdered Jews of Europe, one of the most informative places we visited was the privately owned Berlin Story Bunker Museum. The 6,500-square-metre WWII bunker near Anhalter Station chillingly details the entire history of the rise and fall of the Third Reich and features a recreation of the room in which Hitler committed suicide on April 30th 1945.

Tip 3 – Definitely take the audio guide which is included in the entry fee and allow at least three hours to tour the building – a must for history buffs but prepare for an emotional and harrowing journey and some brutal images.

As we walked to the Brandenburg Gate, one of the most important monuments in Germany, there are still places where you can see remnants of the Berlin Wall. We then headed to where the best panoramic views of Berlin can be found from the Norman Foster designed glass Reichstag Dome. The Reichstag was built between 1884 and 1894 and was the seat of parliament in the German Empire and the Weimar Republic. During the Second World War the building was heavily damaged. After the reunification of Germany in 1990, a drastic reconstruction of the building took place between 1994 and 1999 and it was redesigned as a modern Parliament building which is the home of the German Bundestag. 

Tip 4 – Admission is free, but don’t take a chance and just turn up because pre-booked tickets are a must and to make sure you get in on the day you want to go it is best to book online at least one week before. Security is very strict and visitors are only allowed in small groups. Something to be aware of is that the Dome is not air-conditioned and it can get very hot and stuffy as you wander up and down the spiral walkways. 

If you fancy a bit of art and culture, you have a choice of not just one but five world class museums situated on the UNESCO World Heritage Site Museum Island in the middle of the Spree river: the Altes Museum (Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities); the Neues Museum (home to a 3,300-year-old bust of Egyptian queen Nefertiti); the Alte Nationalgalerie (artwork from the neoclassical through the early modernist periods, including 19th-century French masters, like Monet, Manet and Renoir); the Bode Museum (housing Europe’s greatest collections of sculpture from the Gothic to neoclassical periods) and the popular and largest of them all – the Pergamon Museum (focusing on the ancient world).

Tip 5 – Even if you don’t go inside any of the museums, the architecture of each building built under the Prussian rulers is spectacular and worth seeing. If you have time to visit several museums, opt for the Museum Island Pass which gives you entry to a range of different museums across Berlin at an affordable price.

There is an abundance of things to do and attractions to see in Berlin, and a city sightseeing River Cruise is a great way to get your bearings of where things are situated and to see some of the city’s iconic landmarks from the water.

Food is always an important part of any trip and there are plenty of restaurants offering a taste of German cuisine such as schnitzel and Wiener schnitzel. Weiner is the German word for Vienna and is made with veal, whereas the German schnitzel is usually made with pork. Currywurst, an acquired taste and best eaten with a glass of German beer to help it down, is the most popular street food in Berlin. The dish was invented in 1949 by a fast food stand owner, who added Worcestershire and curry powder, obtained from British Soldiers after WWII, to ketchup. 

Berlin is a buzzing metropolis and vibrant city that combines its historic heritage with a reputation as a centre for politics, culture, creative arts, media, and science and it is well worth a visit. 

Jo Ward talks to Professor Daniella Tilbury, Gibraltar’s first Commissioner for Sustainable Development and Future Generations.

Prof. Daniella Tilbury is a changemaker, educator and sustainable development leader who was the first woman in Gibraltar to hold the title of university professor and until 2018 she was the inaugural Vice-Chancellor and CEO of the University of Gibraltar.

What you may not know is that Daniella was instrumental in starting the global phenomenon that is Earth Hour, forming part of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Australia Board and team that created Earth Hour in Sydney in 2007.  “Earth Hour started as something very small and not that ambitious,” she comments. “We stood on the shores of Sydney Harbour thinking that some of the lights may go off but we weren’t entirely sure and now, so many years later, it has become a global phenomenon with lights switching off all over the world at the end of March every year as a reminder of the importance of our reliance on the planet.”

Jo Ward talks to Professor Daniella Tilbury,
Gibraltar’s first Commissioner for Sustainable
Development and Future Generations.

Prof. Daniella Tilbury is a changemaker, educator and sustainable development leader who was the first woman in Gibraltar to hold the title of university professor and until 2018 she was the inaugural Vice-Chancellor and CEO of the University of Gibraltar.

What you may not know is that Daniella was instrumental in starting the global phenomenon that is Earth Hour, forming part of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Australia Board and team that created Earth Hour in Sydney in 2007.  “Earth Hour started as something very small and not that ambitious,” she comments. “We stood on the shores of Sydney Harbour thinking that some of the lights may go off but we weren’t entirely sure and now, so many years later, it has become a global phenomenon with lights switching off all over the world at the end of March every year as a reminder of the importance of our reliance on the planet.”

‘Today 4 Tomorrow’

Daniella explains exactly what sustainable development is and why it is so important for the future of our planet. “There is a phrase I use that is ‘Today 4 Tomorrow’ and I think this phrase captures the spirit of sustainability,” she says. “Sustainability is like wearing a new set of glasses; the glasses help you see things very differently but above everything else they help you make a connection between what you do now and the future.” 

Sustainability is often mistaken to be solely about environmental concerns but in fact although the environment has a lot to do with it, it is very much more than that. “It is about people and planet and definitely not about just waste, pollution or energy,” Prof. Tilbury states. “It is about a much bigger picture connecting with health, social justice and quality of life, conserving biodiversity, protecting our vulnerable in our community and being safe.”

It is true to say that Daniella is passionate about sustainability and that she has worked at various levels of engagement with this agenda throughout her career. “From Tanzania, Colombia and Madagascar where I worked in villages and towns on the ground, to working with agencies such as the police force in Asia trying to protect wildlife, environments and livelihoods and then to working at UN level, establishing treaties that protect the planet and going on to work in the areas of sustainability, such as climate change,” she explains. 

Daniella was involved in international dialogues on climate change and was a delegate at the UN Climate Change Conferences held in Copenhagen (COP15) Marrakech (COP22) and Paris (COP21), Madrid (2019) and Glasgow (2021). She has also worked with corporate agencies, banks and financial institutions by ‘looking at ways in which they can make decisions that are better for people and planet’ Daniella explains. 

Concern for the Future

With a wide range of experience in this area, Daniella says that her commitment is a concern for the future. “I am very passionate about the fact that we need a better future than the one that is currently facing us, and I almost feel that the future is running away from us and that it is going to be very different to what we are living through now.” 

Prof. Tilbury cites changes in the way we work, eat, travel, generate electricity in our homes, and health care. “I don’t think there is an aspect of our lives that is not going to be touched by the future that is facing us.”

Negative Chaos

Agreeing that the world is in chaos at the moment, Daniella says that we need to take control and create an alternative future. “Climate change is going to bring such a different aspect to our lives,” she comments. “When you think about climate change you think about forests and fires but actually one of the biggest impacts is going to be the changing weather patterns of Gibraltar and a rise in sea levels, and we are surrounded by the sea.” She goes on to say that we have to be not just prepared for this but we have to understand that things will have to be organised in a very different way and that if we take control of it now, it will be much better for us in the future. 

As part of her work as an academic leader in sustainable development, Daniella is credited with having developed the initial frameworks for education in this field. “One of the key things I do is work with how we bring about change – social, economic and community change – and I focus more at that level rather than individual change as the former can have a greater multiplier effect and help us get to where we need to be quicker.”

One of the key things, according to Prof. Tilbury, is understanding that change is not a linear process but that it is a bit like a game of snakes and ladders. “Snakes make things difficult and the ladders can accelerate the changes that we want to see, and whilst it is certainly not a game there are a lot of parallels with the reality of bringing about changes in our community.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on all areas of our lives, including affecting sustainable development goals. Prof. Tilbury says that one of the key things it has highlighted is that we now realise how connected the world is. “It is important not to just think within your borders but to think beyond them and I think that the global pandemic alerted us to the importance of working together as an international community,” she states, going on to add that we will need to be doing that a lot more as we face some of the big wicked problems of the 21st century. “We really have to be connecting and building on our strengths and talents to solve these problems.”

Gibraltar and Radical Transformation

Prof. Tilbury explains what else can be done to effect this great radical transformation, particularly in Gibraltar. “We need to see things differently, not just to concern ourselves with decisions every day – but we need to see how our everyday decisions have an impact on the future, and my worry is that I don’t think we have a tradition of thinking ahead too much.” 

Taking part in Gib Talks in 2016, Daniella spoke about ‘Creating a 2020 Vision for Gibraltar: Learning and Change’. “I spoke about the fact that maybe our colonial heritage has influenced the way we see the future and our confidence to get involved or plan ahead; we need to build future thinking capability and that commitment to be engaged as against to letting others do that for us.”

Sustainability could be at the heart of everything we do in Gibraltar. “It could become a key pillar in our decision making, and although we are a small place, we could have a lot of reach, impact and influence and show the world how it is done,” Prof. Tilbury comments.  

Having worked in rural communities and agencies in Africa and Asia, in the corporate sector advising investment in Oceania and Europe, as well as with advising the European Commission and the UN on international agreements such as the Climate Change Paris Agreement, I ask Daniella how difficult it is to switch between policy and practice and which type of activity she prefers? “It is necessary for those in policy to be involved in practice – and vice versa – because there shouldn’t be a disconnection between legislating, planning, investing and doing, they need to come together, so it is not that difficult, but my preference is definitely working with young people.”

One of the initiatives Prof. Tilbury was involved in recently was The Futures Forward Academy, a leadership programme relevant to young people who wish to play a role in creating a sustainable future for Gibraltar. “I so much enjoyed working on this with them, connecting their current practice to the future of their professions,” she explains, adding that these very smart, very engaged young people that have their life time in front of them can see different possibilities to the ones that we are currently facing.   

Education can bring about a fundamental shift in how we think and act and support the transition to a prosperous and sustainable future, however for Daniella it is much more than just changing those glasses that she mentioned above. “It is about building the ability in people to do something about it – so on one hand we get Greta’s (Greta Thunberg) generation that are very frustrated because they have high levels of awareness and they know about climate change and about things that are going ahead, but they want to make a difference and they don’t know how to because they haven’t been taught by their schools or communities about how to influence the way decisions are taken – so they protest on the streets.”

For Daniella education is not only about understanding the problem, but it is also about giving young people the capability to actually make that difference. “In fact it is not just about raising awareness anymore because that in itself can cause frustration, concern, and anxiety.”

“We need to give the ability to young people and to others to actually bring about those changes and that just doesn’t happen because you have commitment, it is really about understanding how change can happen.” Prof. Tilbury’s opinion is that it is not as simple as making the case to decision-makers to do something, everything has to align and there needs to be an expectation as well as the support from people across the community.

“There are a lot of changes that we can put into place now that will have a significant impact on our future,” she says.