Feature – Page 38 – Gibraltar Insight

Christopher Lloyd

2 years ago in Features/Literature week by Jo Ward

It can’t be literature week without Christopher Lloyd, the fabulous author and co-founder of children’s non-fiction publisher what on earth books, making an appearance. Yes, he’s coming back to captivate audiences, young and old, with his exuberant storytelling, fascinating facts and to talk about two of his best selling publications and another exciting book about to be launched.

On Friday 12th November at the John Mackintosh Hall Theatre Christopher will be hosting a school’s day dedicated to his new book on climate change entitled It’s Up to Us.

‘I am thrilled to be returning to Gibraltar – where I have made so many friends over the years. It’s also great timing with the launch of It’s Up To Us – A Children’s Terra Carta for Nature, People and Planet. It is a huge honour to have worked on this book in conjunction with HRH The Prince of Wales, who has written the foreword, and his charity, The Princes Foundation. I can’t wait to show the school children in Gibraltar how we worked with 33 artists from all over the world to tell the story of climate change and what we can do to help make the planet fit for the future!”

Christopher explains how the idea for the book came about. “It was with great interest that in January this year I read about HRH The Prince of Wales’ announcement of Terra Carta – a new treaty for business leaders that includes a series of pledges to put the planet first. The Terra Carta is part of HRH’s Sustainable Markets Initiative, and has more than 400 corporations already committed.

But are middle-aged business executives really the most important audience when it comes to mitigating the long-term impact of climate change? I found myself reaching back to the Magna Carta Chronicle. What if we could make these brilliant pledges accessible to a much wider audience – 6-106 as well as their siblings, parents, grandparents, teachers, uncles and aunts?”

“The magic of children’s picture books is that, if done skilfully, they can convey really complex topics in ways that are accessible to young minds. If read outload with adults, they can impact them, too,” Christopher says.

It’s Up to Us will be launched alongside the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP26, taking place from October 31 until November 12. A copy of the book will be donated to every primary school in Scotland and half of all proceeds from sales will go to The Prince’s Foundation to support its charitable work.

The beautifully illustrated book features artists from all over the world – ranging from Siberia to Kenya and Vietnam to Aboriginal Australia. “As it turned out, the approach could not have been more in keeping with the Terra Carta concept of everyone being in this climate change conundrum together, regardless of background, wealth, ethnicity or geography,” he says.

Christopher states that it was of the utmost importance that the book was sustainably produced: “It was printed in the UK with vegetable inks on revival paper in a way that also enabled measurement of the carbon emissions from the materials used.”

“We have a certificate from the World Land Trust to show that the carbon footprint was 280 grams per book, an impact that has now been offset, but more interestingly on the back of the book we show that 280 grams is the equivalent to producing five apples, a third of a glass of milk or a fifth of a plastic toothbrush,” explains Christopher.

The experience of publishing It’s Up to Us has prompted Christopher to consider how What On Earth Publishing itself might work to meet the Terra Carta pledges that also appear in the back of the book in their original form. “I’m thinking hard about every aspect of our business. Not just what books we do and what we print on and where the books are printed, but also how we can work as an organisation in a way that will minimise the impact we have, while also maximising demand from consumers.”

On Saturday 13th November Christopher Lloyd will be hosting two other events in the Lower Exhibition Room.

In the morning, Christopher will be taking the audience on a thrilling ride through 13.8 billion years in the history of Absolutely Everything! Using 15 everyday objects, he will combine the story of nature, the stone ages, ancient and human history in a series of themes that help makes sense of us all – human and nonhuman, past, present and future!

“I wanted to find a book that would help connect everything together from nature and ancient history to science and religions, but nothing suitable seemed to exist, so I decided I’d write that book and the result is Absolutely Everything!”

The book, for age 9 years old and over, is subtitled A History of Earth, Dinosaurs, Rulers, Robots and Other Things too Numerous to Mention, and it aims to answer as much as it possibly can about the history of the universe from the Big Bang right up to the 21st-century population explosion – and all in only 337 pages.

Join Christopher in the afternoon as he becomes a dynamic quiz show host in a contest to discover who will be crowned Gibraltar Literary Week Britannica Brainbox! Compete through eight quiz rounds, one for each chapter of the Britannica All New Children’s Encyclopaedia and witness a battle of brains in a grand finale to reveal the prize winner – it could be you! Ideal for all ages 8- 108. Please bring an internet-connected smartphone or tablet to compete in a family team or as an individual.

“I shall also relish the chance of hosting a live version my Britannica Quiz Show which I have only been able to share on Zoom with schools until now. Who will be the Gibraltar Britannica Quiz Champion? It could be you – as long as you come along on Saturday 2pm in the John Mackintosh Theatre!”

Clive Beltran

2 years ago in Features/Literature week by Jo Ward

Clive Beltran has had a distinguished career in politics and education in Gibraltar and now the former Education Minister and Mayor will be taking part in ‘An Audience With…’ as part of Literature Week when he will be talking about his book celebrating local customs, practices and sayings: ‘Yodo Morao and all that…’.

For those of us that don’t know what the title refers to, Clive tells me that it has become a part of local jargon for Gentian Violet, an antiseptic dye that was used to put on cuts and grazes. “In my younger days, children were always out and about in the streets and if we fell down it was Yodo Morao that was reached for to disinfect out wounds,” he explains.

Clive was prompted to write the book from a combination of nostalgia and the wish to pass on to his children and grandchildren some of the thoughts and emotions that he treasured from his childhood and adolescence. “The idea was born during my stay at Calpe House some eight years ago when I had to spend about six months there,” he says. “It was a time of quiet reflection and introspection and that Christmas we had a wonderful festive season in the English tradition at my son-in-law’s family house in Suffolk.” Clive goes on to say that it was very different to the Christmases that he remembers as a child and he began to think about the Spanish Christmas carols that they used to sing back home. “I’m 72 now,” he comments, “and I decided that as soon as I felt up to it I would write those carols down and produce a booklet that I thought my grandchildren should know about and to show them what Grandad’s Christmases were like.”

“From the Christmas carols booklet, I carried on thinking and reminiscing about life in Gibraltar in the 1950s and 60s and they just remained as ideas because for quite a long time my treatment precluded me from pursuing and developing them, but gradually I gained strength and I began to make a list of traditions, practices, sayings and objects that I remembered.” Those vague snapshots of times gone by turned into a list that kept on growing and before he knew it, Clive had over one hundred bits of information which he then developed into the book.

“Unless we write down what is known as folklore, meaning oral traditional customs, practices, songs, proverbs and riddles, they will only remain in the collective memory of people of my generation,” Clive states. “They will either die with us or, if you pass them on by word of mouth, they run the risk of being transformed and distorted by all sorts of social influences and they will eventually die out.”

“Our culture is very much a combination of many other different cultures,” Clive remarks. “For instance, dance is a very popular part of our culture in Gibraltar, but there is no one particular dance but more a combination of influences ranging from the South American Tango to Spanish and English dances.”

“We do have a patriotic song about Gibraltar which people often sing at National Day and that is Llévame Donde Nací (Take Me Back To Where I Was Born) attributed to Gibraltarian guitarist and composer Pepe Roman.”

The book includes photos looking back at social life on the Rock in the 50s and 60s and if there is one thing that comes to Clive’s mind from those days it is how everybody used to go about their business at a much more leisurely pace than nowadays. “Children played outside because their homes were too small and overcrowded,” he says. “The vast majority of houses were tenement flats and you would have families of four or five people living in a one room with a kitchen and a shared outside communal patio area.”

“Something that I strongly remember are families sitting together for lunch and dinner every day. As soon as Dad came home from work, Mum would shout out of the window and children were called up from wherever they were playing to wash their hands – that was almost a religion.”

‘Yodo Morao and all that…’ is available to purchase from John Mackintosh Hall reception and at City Hall. It has proved to be extremely popular, prompting a re-print, with all proceeds from sales of the book being donated to the Friends of Calpe House Charity. In October Clive Beltran presented the charity with a cheque for six thousand pounds.

Jeffrey Archer

2 years ago in Features/Literature week by Jo Ward

His own life story could come straight from one of his books – the rise, then fall, then rise again of the boy from Weston-super-Mare who became a politician and was then made a life peer but who has also spent some time during his life in prison for perjury and perverting the course of justice. “I didn’t start writing until I was thirty-five,” he states. “At school I was a raconteur, I enjoyed acting, the stage and words.”

Calling himself a storyteller, not a writer, Lord Archer comments that anyone who is well educated and well-read can be a writer, but that storytelling is a God given gift.

The road to becoming one of the world’s most popular authors wasn’t a smooth one. Jeffrey Archer says that it wasn’t until he got himself into terrible financial problems and had to stand down as an MP in 1974 that led him to write his first book, Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less, thinking that it would become an instant best seller and solve his financial problems. “It was turned down by sixteen publishers and the seventeenth publisher sold only 3,000 copies in the first year, so if you want to get out of debt, don’t write a book.”

“The breakthrough came with my third book, Kane and Abel, which sold a million copies in the first week,” Lord Archer tells me. Since then he has gone on to sell over 275 million books in 97 countries in more than 37 languages.

As any successful novelist, Jeffrey Archer has a disciplined writing process. “I arise in the morning at 5.30 am, working from 6-8 am, then I have breakfast and take a two hour break before writing again from 10-12, then I have another two hour break when I may go for a walk, then lunch, then back to writing from 2-4, then I will have a break before my final session from 6-8 pm and I’m in bed around 9.30,” he explains. “I always write the first draft in longhand and that will take roughly 34/35 days, 300 hours, and then I take a much longer break and go back for the next draft.”

Where does he get his inspiration from when starting a new book and how does he sustain an interest in his characters? “I wish I could tell you the answer to that,” he replies, “but I seriously can’t because I don’t know how I do it.” Inspiration can strike at any time, but many of his plots are based on personal experience. For instance, the first book in the William Warwick series, Nothing Ventured, features the world of art and antiques. “I have been a collector for forty years and I love art, and in fact I have just been to a major home in London and spent most of my time looking at the pictures whilst everyone else was talking to each other,” he remarks. “I always say to young authors, write what you know about because then the reader will feel at ease and realise that you know what you are talking about.”

Characters in Jeffrey Archer books are often drawn from interesting people he has met. “In the Clifton Chronicles, the main protagonist Harry Clifton is based on myself,” he admits. “William Warwick was first introduced to readers as a fictional detective created by Harry Clifton and I started to write the William Warwick series after several readers wrote to me saying they wanted to know more about him.”

“I decided to take on that challenge and create a new series with William Warwick as the central character, but I didn’t want to write a detective story, rather a story about a detective,” he says.

“In the William Warwick series, William is based on my chief researcher, former Detective Chief Superintendent John Sutherland (rtd) who sadly had a mental breakdown and retired from the police after what he described in his autobiography as ‘one murder too many’.”

“The women in my novels are so often based on my remarkable wife who is a very strong woman, and I like strong women, so they often make their way into my books.”

It is evident that there is more than a passing likeness to his wife in the character of Beth Rainsford, a research assistant at the fictional Fitzmolean Museum that William falls in love with in Nothing Ventured.

Once heralded by a judge during her husband’s 1987 libel trial as a vision of ‘elegance, fragrance and radiance’, Dame Mary Archer is a very distinguished scientist in her own right. Does she read her husband’s books I ask? “She does, but not until the fourteenth or fifteenth draft, and then she does offer her views,” Jeffrey Archer says. “Mary wrote a very important book on solar energy but I didn’t have a lot of views to give on that!” he laughs.

The William Warwick series follows the protagonist through the ups and downs of his career as he battles against a powerful criminal nemesis, expert art thief Miles Faulkner, and aspires to become Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Force. “We meet him as a Constable on the beat before he becomes a Detective in the Art and Antiques Squad, then in the second book he goes on to become a Detective Sergeant dealing with drugs and in the third book he is a Detective Inspector dealing with police corruption,” Lord Archer explains. Had he always planned the novels to be a series of eight from the outset? “No, I always planned that William Warwick would rise one rank and I had always planned that it would be a totally different subject so that it wouldn’t matter which book you picked up, but I rarely know three pages ahead what will happen.”

In Over My Dead Body William Warwick has become a Chief Inspector and has been moved to the Murder Squad. “If I live long enough, because I am now 81, he will become a Superintendent, a Chief Superintendent, a Commander and finally he will be Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police, but I have to live to the age of 86 for William Warwick to achieve that.”

Three of the novelist’s books have already been adapted for film and television, but would he like the William Warwick series to reach the big screen? “There have been a lot of approaches and I will believe it when I see it, but I would love to see a William Warwick character,” he exclaims eagerly. “One actor could play William as he is in the first four books with someone else taking over the last four.”

The first book, Nothing Ventured, is set in the 60s at a time when technology was very different and they didn’t have mobile phones. “DNA didn’t exist, that is the biggest thing that changed crime,” Jeffrey Archer comments. “Agatha Christie couldn’t have written a novel the way she did, she would of course have adapted herself, but DNA didn’t exist as many other things didn’t exist in her time, and I have to watch very carefully which year I am in, but my two police advisors are on hand to remind me what they did themselves in any given year,” he says. Will DNA appear in future William Warwick books? “The answer is possibly, but I haven’t got a clue where I am going with those yet.”

Apart from John Sutherland, Jeffrey Archer relies on Detective Sergeant Michelle Roycroft (rtd) who has just left the force after thirty years having worked in both the Murder and Drugs Squad. “Michelle brings her own flavour and a woman’s angle,” he states. “They read the book when it reaches about its fourth or fifth draft and check every fact to make sure I don’t make a fool of myself, because between them they have got sixty years’ experience in the Metropolitan Police so they can tell me what I can and can’t do.”

How he finds time to read books himself is a mystery, but Lord Archer claims to be an avid reader. “I do read regularly – I take recommendations and if someone tells me ‘you ought to read a particular book’, I am on to it straight away, and although I do find an exceptional book now and then, it is not that common that I do.”

One book which Jeffrey Archer recommends to me is Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity. “It’s among my favourite books. I am a huge admirer of Stefan Zweig and I think Beware of Pity is a masterpiece and he combines the genius of being a great storyteller along with being a very fine writer.”

What would he consider to be his greatest achievement in life? “I am very proud of the fact that I ran for my country, and that I have raised over 60 million pounds as a charity auctioneer – but I think having sold over 275 million books is definitely my greatest achievement.”

Finally I ask Lord Archer if he has any
regrets in life. “Too many to spend talking to you about today,” he replies.

Gibraltar litrature Week

2 years ago in Features/Literature week by Davina Barbara

Davina Barbara, Head of Cultural Development at Gibraltar Cultural Services (GCS) talks to Insight about Literature Week and what
Gibraltar can expect from the event in November.

Literature Week was an event launched by Gibraltar Cultural Services on behalf of the Ministry of Culture last year to give a platform to local authors and as a way of celebrating and promoting the work being produced by writers on the Rock. It is not aimed at replacing the former Festival but more so aims to provide an opportunity for Gibraltarian authors to discuss their work and working methods, styles and research. For GCS it is another way of promoting literature, writing, books and reading and encouraging and involving a wide demographic in the event. The programme also sees authors going to the schools with workshops and presentations organised, and other features and interviews also available on different platforms. This year we decided to add an international dimension too, with a few authors coming over for the event.

We are very excited to welcome Lord Archer and Christopher Lloyd and are looking forward to their involvement. We are obviously sad to see that Alan Titchmarsh, originally part of the line-up, is unable to attend due to personal matters.

Lord Archer is an international author selling millions of books worldwide, so it will be a great honour to host him and learn about the inspiration behind his latest books. For those who know Jeffrey Archer’s latest series, William Warwick is sure to be a popular character and I, like some of my colleagues in the Library, are definitely hooked on the series.

Christopher Lloyd is no stranger to the Rock and is a firm favourite with our younger audience. Chris will be educating and entertaining the Year 4 pupils on the Schools Day at the John Mackintosh Hall Theatre. Here, he will be focusing on his latest book on climate change called ‘It’s Up to Us’. He will also be holding a further couple of sessions which the public can attend on the Saturday. These will be based on his publications ‘Absolutely Everything’ and the new Children’s Encyclopaedia which takes the form of a fun quiz. I would like to ask your readers not to be intimidated by this and can assure them that it is great fun, with multiple choice answers and Chris acting as the perfect host offering tips and guidance throughout. Not to be missed!

Regarding ‘An Audience With…’ we have offered this platform to authors who have recently published or are in the process of doing so. The sessions are varied and focus on a wide array of topics and subject matter to include history, art, community and culture aimed at stimulating discussion and debate. Furthermore, the authors have been paired with specific interviewers that know the work/research or the writers themselves, promising an interesting conversation.

We are also grateful to the authors who are involved in the School’s programme. They will be visiting the schools to deliver workshops and presentations on their publications, on writing, inspiration etc. This has been met with plenty of enthusiasm, and is sure to be even better received by the pupils themselves. Interviews with some authors based in the UK and others will also air on Radio Gibraltar’s Breakfast Show, every morning at 8:15 am, during Literature week. There will also be written features in the Gibraltar Chronicle by other contributors, with content too on our social media platforms from some of our Library members and contributors. All in all a jam packed week of Literature and all things related.

We are also extremely pleased to be running a Pop-Up Bookshop from the John Mackintosh Hall, Monday – Saturday that week, where we are giving local authors an opportunity to sell their books. Books by Jeffrey Archer and Christopher Lloyd will also be available. We encourage people to visit, browse and purchase, especially as Christmas is round the corner, and books make brilliant gifts.

Tribute to Lord Nelson

2 years ago in Features by Paul Baker

AND
All those that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar
October 21st 1805

Part 2 of 2

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXTRACT OF A LETTER WRITTEN BY AN OFFICER OF THE BELLEROPHON: DEC. 9, 1805

At noon precisely the action commenced by the Fougeux and Monarca opening ﬁre on the Royal Sovereign.

Now follows an extract from our log:

1210
Royal Sovereign opened fire on the enemy’s centre.

1213
answered 16 general signal.

1220
Royal Sovereign, at the head of the larboard division, broke the enemy’s line astern of a Spanish three-decker, and engaged her to leeward, being followed by the Mars, Belleisle, and Tonnant, who engaged their respective opponents.

1225
opened our ﬁre on the enemy.

1228
Victory, at the head of the starboard division, opened her ﬁre on the enemy.

1230
engaging both sides in passing through the enemy’s line, astern of a Spanish two-decker (El Monarca.)—1235, fell on board the French two-deck ship 1’Aigle, whilst hauling to the wind, our fore-yard locking with her main one, kept up a brisk fire both on her, on our starboard bow, and a Spanish two-decker (El Monarca) on the larboard bow, at the same time receiving and returning fire with a Spanish two- decker (Bahama) on the larboard quarter, and receiving the ﬁre of a Spanish two-decker (St. Juan Nepomuceno) athwart our stern, and a French two-decker (La Swiftsure) on the starboard quarter: the action soon after became general.

1300
the main and mizen- top-masts fell over the starboard side, main-top-sail and top-gallant-sail caught ﬁre.

1305
the Master, Midshipman and the Captain fell, still foul of L’Aigle, and keeping up a brisk ﬁre from the main and lower decks; quarter-deck, poop, and forecastle being nearly cleared by the enemy’s musketry, chieﬂy from troops on board L’Aigle.

1320
the jib-boom was shot away.

1340
L’Aigle dropped astern under a raking ﬁre from us as she fell off, our ship at this time quite unmanageable from braces, bow- lines, etc. shot away.

1345 L’Aigle was engaged by the Deﬁance.

1405
she struck.— On the smoke clearing up, observed several of the enemy’s ships had struck.—Fired several shot at El Monarca, our ﬁrst opponent, when she struck.

1500
sent an ofﬁcer and party of men to take possession of her.

1506
the ship being ungovernable, and in danger of falling on board of Tonnant, Temeraire, and prizes,

Made 318 (signal) to Sirius, out boats and sent them ahead to tow, towed and swept the ship clear of them (the enemy ships); received prisoners from our prizes.

1605
answered 101. (a signal code)

1610
opened our ﬁre on ﬁve French ships making off to windward, the sternmost of which was cut off, and struck to the Minotaur.

1707
the ﬁghting ceased, thirteen sail of the enemy’s ships making off to leeward, four of their line to windward.—

1720
answered 90 general. (a signal)

1730
took possession of El Bahama, Spanish

1901
Sunset, one of the prizes sunk, another blew up.” Thus far our log ; but it will not be amiss to mention, that whilst engaged with the ﬁre ships in this situation, L’Aigle twice attempted to board us, and hove several grenades into our lower deck, which burst and wounded several of our people most, dreadfully; she likewise set ﬁre to our fore chains; our fire was so hot, that we soon drove them from the lower deck, after which our people took the (quoins)coins out, and elevated their guns, so as to tear her decks and sides to pieces: when she got clear of us, she did not return a single shot whilst we raked her, her starboard quarter was entirely beaten in, and, as we afterwards learnt, 400 men hors de combat, so that she was an easy conquest for the Deﬁance, a fresh ship: we were well matched, the being the best manned ship in the Combined, and we in the British ﬂeet. Unfortunately situated as we were, I have no doubt she would have struck, had we been able to follow and engage her for a quarter of an hour longer; but had we been fairly alongside of her, half an hour would have decided the contest; for I must say I was astonished at the coolness and undaunted bravery displayed by our gallant and veteran crew, when surrounded by ﬁve enemy’s ships, and for a length of time unassisted by any of ours. Our loss, as might be expected, was considerable, and fell chiefly on our prime seamen, who were foremost in distinguishing themselves; twenty-eight, including the Captain, Master, and a Midshipman, were killed outright; and 137, including the Captain of Marines, who had eight balls in his body, and his right arm shot off, before he quitted the deck; Boatswain, and ﬁve Midshipmen, were badly wounded, and about forty more slightly, so as not to be incapable of duty; nineteen of the wounded had already died before we left Gibraltar. I consider myself as very fortunate in having escaped unhurt, as our class suffered so severely.

Following the battle, Admiral Collingwood sent a despatch to the Governor of Gibraltar telling him of the victory. This news arrived on the war schooner Flying Fish on October 23rd and was published in the Gibraltar chronicle on October 24th.

Gibraltar Chronicle extraordinary

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24th 1805
EURYALUS, AT SEA, OCTOBER 22, 1805.

Yesterday a battle was fought by His Majesty’s fleet, with the combined fleets of Spain and France, and a victory gained, which will stand recorded as one of the most brilliant and decisive that ever distinguished the British Navy.

The enemy’s fleet sailed from Cadiz, on the 9th, in the morning, thirty three sail of the line in number, for the purpose of giving battle to the British Squadron of twenty seven and yesterday at eleven am., the contest began, close in with the Shoals of Trafalgar

At Five pm. seventeen of the enemy has surrendered, and one (L’Achille) burnt, amongst which is the Sta. Ana, the Spanish Admiral Don D’Aleva, mortally wounded, and the Santisima Trinidad. The French Admiral Villeneuve is now a prisoner on board the Mars; I believe three Admirals are captured. Our loss has been great in men; but, what is irreparable, and the cause of universal lamentation, is the death of the noble Commander Chief, who died in the Arms of Victory. I’ve not yet any reports from the ships, but have heard that Captains Duff and Cook fell in the action.

I have to congratulate you upon the great event, and have the Honour to be, &c.

(Signed) C. Collingwood

To Hon: Gen. H E Fox, &c. &c. (Governor of Gibraltar)

The Chronicle continues:

In addition to the above particulars of the late glorious Victory, we are assured that 18 Sail of the Line were counted in our possession, before the vessel, which brought the above dispatches, left the Fleet; and that three more of the enemy vessels were seen driving about, perfect wrecks, at the mercy of the waves, on the Barbary shore, and which will probably also fall into our hands.

Admiral Collingwood in the Dreadnought, led the van of the British Fleet most gallantly into action, without firing a shot, till his yardarms were locked with those of the Santisima Trinidad, when he opened so tremendous a fire, that in fifteen minutes, she was completely dismasted, and obliged to surrender. Lord Nelson, in the Victory, engaged the French Admiral most closely; during the heat the action, his Lordship was severely wounded with a grape shot, in the side, and was obliged to be carried below. Immediately on his wound being dressed, he insisted upon being again brought upon deck, when, shortly afterwards, he received a shot through his body; he survived however, till the evening; long enough to be informed of the capture of the French Admiral and of the extent of The Glorious Victory he had won.– His last words were, “Thank God I have outlived this day, and now I die content”

A despatch was sent to the Admiralty in London on board the schooner Pickle

The Pickle passed the news to Captain Sykes on the Nautilus which he met off Portugal. This ship sped to Lisbon to give the tidings to the Consul there. Meanwhile the Pickle continued on to the Channel where it met up with the Mouse Hole fishing fleet. They immediately left for Penzance with the news which was passed to the Mayor who was attending a function at the Union Hotel.

Captain Lapenotiere of Pickle landed at Falmouth where he took a Post-Chaise for London. On route he passed through Truro, Tavistock, Exeter, Axminster and Basingstoke, giving the tidings as he went.

The despatches were delivered to the Secretary to the Board, William Marsden who was still working as the Captain arrived at one in the morning. He woke Lord Barnham, who studied the message and sent a messenger to the King at five am.

The Pickle was a schooner in the rear guard of the fleet and is unlikely to have taken part in the fighting but was used as a messenger.

Article supplied by History Society Gibraltar.
Email: historysocietygibraltar@hotmail.com

Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council Gibraltar

2 years ago in Features by Jo Ward

Former Governor and Commander-in-Chief of Gibraltar, Lieutenant General Edward Davis CB CBE has been appointed Chair of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) which opened its Gibraltar-based office in Casemates Barracks in June this year with Jared Peralta as CWEIC Gibraltar Country Director.

Insight talks to Lieutenant General Davis about his new role.

“The architect behind CWEIC was Lord Marland who is the Chair of the overarching organisation which is headquartered in London in the Guildhall,” Lieutenant General Davis explains.

“Lord Luce, the first Chancellor of the University of Gibraltar, recommended me to Lord Marland who then approached me and asked if I would be interested to take on the role of Chair because of my Gibraltar connections and my desire to stay connected with Gibraltar and to help in any way which is useful going forward, and this seemed to be a good way of doing that,” he says.

CWEIC was set up in 2014 as a private non-profit Commonwealth affiliated business and government networking organisation with the remit of providing business to business, government to government, sometimes government to business contacts for commercial entities across the Commonwealth to better understand where business opportunities are, to get into those markets, develop detailed business plans and then deliver competitive services or goods.

“With Gibraltar the focus is mostly on services, but there are still goods that Gibraltar might want to market, whether that is a vehicle or gin, there are places interested in such products,” Lieutenant General Davis states.

“We have set up two fora under the auspices of Gibraltar’s CWEIC Office – one is the Commonwealth Advisory Forum and that consists of the Government of Gibraltar, a variety of the professional business organisations and other affiliated Commonwealth organisations such as the Gibraltar Royal Commonwealth Society, with the idea being to bring all of those organisations and government departments together that are Commonwealth facing so we can gain a common understanding of what everybody is doing in order to synchronise collective efforts.”

He goes on to say that this enables the CWEIC’s Gibraltar Office to understand where Gibraltar’s business ecosystem is and thus best support the second forum, the Strategic Partners Delivery Group in developing and delivering their business objectives in the Commonwealth market place.

“A Strategic Partner from our perspective is a partner who values this office’s ability to effectively contribute to the business’s reputation, its market access and ultimately its business growth.” The CWEIC Gibraltar Office will be able to access business opportunity across 30 of the 54 Commonwealth Nations and associated overseas territories. “At this point there are members of the network that aren’t actually Commonwealth countries but they are part of the Commonwealth’s wider global business ecosystem, for example there is a similar office to this one in Dubai.”

The CEWIC Gibraltar office will support their strategic partners by helping them to establish, develop and sustain productive relationships across the Commonwealth’s business ecosystem to enable sustainable business growth. Lieutenant General Davis explains that they will do that by leveraging the CWEIC’s connecting power, its convening power, and its curating power to inform, facilitate and promote Gibraltarian businesses. At the moment there are six members of the Strategic Partners Group, three of them governmental and three from the business sector. “The Department and Office of Deputy Chief Minister Dr Joseph Garcia is a member because the Deputy Chief Minister takes the overarching HM Government of Gibraltar lead on Commonwealth engagement,” he comments. “Visit Gibraltar from the tourism side and the Gibraltar’s Finance Centre are also partners.” The other three strategic partners are the Bassadone Automotive Group, the car distributors Capurro and Hassans Law Firm. “We aim to grow the number of strategic partners incrementally – not only in numbers but importantly across sectors – whether that is from the online sports betting and gaming industry, insurance, banking, or funds and investment, and we have also been talking to the Chamber of Commerce and the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses.”

Ideally, Lieutenant General Davis says, they want to have a cross-section of businesses in respect of goods and services that are a holistic and complete representation of Gibraltar’s business ecosystem. “My view is that Gibraltarian companies will join the CWEIC network for specific business objectives that we can help them to deliver.”

“Gibraltar has got an assured market back into the UK which we know has already been agreed and formally mandated, we remain to see what comes of the relationship with the EU through the ongoing negotiations regarding the agreement that is being brokered through the EU Commission for the future relationship between Gibraltar and Spain. At the same time, and complementary to that, is the Commonwealth marketplace of 2.4 billion people, an economy of about 10 trillion which offers a great deal of opportunity for Gibraltarian businesses to partner with Commonwealth businesses.” Whether that is bringing Commonwealth businesses into Gibraltar, whether it is Gibraltarian businesses setting up in Commonwealth countries or, indeed, a combination of both of these for mutually-beneficial joint venture development. “There is a great market place out there from which I think Gibraltar businesses, carefully considered, carefully targeted and carefully enabled can realise considerable business growth for the economy of Gibraltar.”

Earlier this year CWEIC took part in a focused webinar on the Port & Shipping sectors, featuring Minister Daryanani as a key panellist. In previous webinars, CWEIC has hosted keynote speakers ranging from Nobel Prize winners to former UK Prime Ministers covering a plethora of topics and issues. Next year the plan, Covid permitting, is to create a Gibraltar Plc team to represent Gibraltar at the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) in Rwanda and to wave the flag on the Commonwealth stage.

“I think that this is all about Global Gibraltar developing business opportunity alongside Global Britain. Given Gibraltar’s ambition to have an increasing global business footprint, then the Commonwealth has to be a good place to develop this global business footprint,” he comments.

Asked if the Commonwealth is still an important entity, Lieutenant General Davis states that: “It is as important today as it was yesterday and I think it will be even more important in the future.”

Supporting and promoting young talent in Gibraltar

2 years ago in Features by Jo Ward

Sovereign Art Foundation, presented by Hassans International Law Firm, launches annual Prize in Gibraltar.

Gibraltar has been fortunate to be added to a lengthy list of countries to benefit from the annual Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) Students Prize charitable competition.

Aimed at students in secondary educational institutions, and already a success in Bahrain, Guernsey, Hong Kong, the Isle of Man, London, Malta & Gozo, Mauritius, Portugal and Singapore, the aim of the competition is to recognise local artistic talent, with financial prizes for both the entrant and their school, whilst raising funds for local not-for-profit art initiatives, working with children to assist them in accessing enrichment from the arts.

The initiative, which closed for entries at the end of the last month, has received lead support from Hassans International Law Firm Limited. As avid supporters of the local arts and culture scene in Gibraltar over the last 80 years, Hassans has a strong commitment to the wider community and firmly believes that it is the duty of local organisations to support the development of our youth and that the opportunities open to Gibraltar’s next generation should be equal, no matter what disadvantage or disability the individual is facing.

The twenty finalists will be announced on 11 November 2021. With an esteemed judging panel comprising Gibraltarian contemporary artist, Christian Hook; Gallerist and Curator Magda Bellotti, Arts & Heritage professor Gabriela Giménez, and Howard Bilton, Founder and Chairman of SAF, the works selected will no doubt be diverse and will potentially unearth Gibraltar’s next internationally acclaimed artist.

The shortlisted artworks will be displayed at the Finalists’ Exhibition at the Fine Arts Gallery, Casemates: 6-11 December and John Mackintosh Hall: 13-17 December. The exhibition will then tour in various Gibraltar venues including St. Bernard’s Hospital and Hassans’ impressive office space at Midtown, before being sold via silent auction.

Support for the arts is more important now than ever, and this is also recognised by the additional supporters of the competition: Simmons Gainsford and Image Graphics as silver sponsors and bronze supporters: Brooks MacDonald, Silver Key, LGT Vestra, Schroders and the Ministry for Culture, Gibraltar.

The winners will be announced at an Awards Presentation Ceremony on 15 December. There will be four prizes awarded to four different students. The winner of the Judge’s Prize will be awarded a trophy and £800; their school art department will receive £2,000. Visitors and online viewers will be invited to vote for the Public Vote Prize, the winner of which will receive a trophy and £400; £1,000 for their school. Furthermore, the Hassans Prize will award £300 each to both the student and their school and the Arts Society Gibraltar will award a £250 prize for a student aged 11-14.

All winners will participate in an annual Global Students Prize exhibition, showcasing their talent on an international stage and facilitating cultural exchange. Examples of previous finalists’ work for this category are shown here.

We look forward to showcasing this year’s finalists’ work in Insight in the coming months. For more information about The Prize, please visit:
https://tinyurl.com/SAFGIB

Hassans welcomes four new trainees

Hassans is proud to welcome four new trainee lawyers to its 2021-23 training programme.

Joseanne Bear graduated with a First Class law degree from the University of Sheffield and completed the BPTC at City University London, Jerome Compson graduated in Business and Marketing from the Manchester Metropolitan University and completed a Graduate Diploma in Law at The University of Law, Michael Garson completed the Graduate Diploma in Law at BPP followed by the LPC at the University of Law and Samuel Marrache graduated with First Class Hons. at University College London (UCL) before completing the BPC LLM with a distinction.

The four trainees will work across various key sectors and practice areas to build experience and develop their skills before deciding which area of law they will specialise in at the end of the two-year programme.

James Levy QC, Senior Partner, commented:

“The programme our trainees follow allows them to develop into well-rounded lawyers of tomorrow.

Being a great lawyer isn’t about just providing great advice, it’s also about learning to understand your clients, identify opportunities or challenges that they may not have considered, to provide support above and beyond the immediate task at hand.

Lawyers need to be excellent listeners, as well as communicators. The training our latest intake will receive, and the experience they will receive from shadowing seasoned lawyers, will allow them to become trusted advisors, not only excellent lawyers, and we wish them all a happy and lengthy career.”

Javier Chincotta, Managing Partner, added:

“We extend a warm welcome to our latest cohort of trainees. Over the next two years, as part of our training programme, they will hone their skills and acquire invaluable experience. We look forward to watching them thrive amongst the many highly skilled professionals at Hassans, and help us continue to offer an unparalleled level of client service.”

Police Insight

2 years ago in Features by Curtly Richards

Restart a Heart

A number of RGP officers and support staff donned their favourite football shirts to raise awareness and funds for the Gibraltar Cardiac Association’s Restart A Heart Day.

The idea behind the event is to help raise awareness of CPR and
defibrillators.

In addition, £35 was raised for the charity through donations from those wearing the shirts.

Multi-Agency Safety

Three RGP officers have been learning the ropes during a multi-agency safety at sea course this week.

PCs Jotham Olivero, Mark Penalver and Kasmira Kingsley have now taken their first step to joining the RGP’s Marine Section, by completing the Standards of Training, Certification and Watch Keeping course at Gibraltar University.

They joined colleagues from the Department of the Environment and HM Customs.

Commitment

3 years ago in Features by Kate McHardy

Commitment… An agreement or pledge to do something in the future. (Dictionary definition).

Generally, we tend to think of commitment as being committed to your relationship or your career or to results you are looking to achieve in one or more areas of life. We might commit to our families, our communities. People commit to getting out of debt or getting into good health, good physical shape… and so on. But, how about committing to ourselves? I mean truly committing to becoming who you really are. Choosing to be who you really are. Engaging with life as your true, authentic self.

The truth is that most people have no idea who they really are. They know certain things about themselves. They may know their favourite colours, their favourite food… what they want to achieve in five or ten years’ time. They may know where they live and who they are married to … the names of their children and how to be a good parent. But do you know who you are?

We are taught, from an early age, to identify ourselves from the outside in. Society teaches us that we are the job, the house, the holiday, the car when, in fact, these things are the mere manifestation of our external experience. As the spiritual beings that we are, having a material experience, there needs to be a balance. The body and the physical world need to be looked after and cared for in order that we have the material comforts and resources necessary for the soul to fulfil its purpose during its time inhabiting the body. The soul has a mission. The purpose is already there, like a seed waiting in the depths of your heart for you to go within and honour it.

The big question is… how? And if I mention ‘meditation’ at this point there is likely to be a universal groan and utterings of “oh no!” So maybe revisiting what we mean by meditation is appropriate at this juncture.

The word ‘meditation’ is derived from the latin verb – meditari, as follows:

Verb · to think or reflect upon, consider, contemplate, ponder, meditate (upon); intend · plan, contrive, devise ·

Meditation is simply about taking some time to still the mind and allow the thoughts to drift. Of course, with practice, this can develop into a lifelong daily habit… and a good one too… but for the initial stages I believe in keeping things simple and manageable.

I have found over many years of working on and teaching personal and spiritual development that the most powerful way to get to know yourself is to develop your creativity and make time to be with yourself in the passion of your creative energy. Getting lost in what you are doing and becoming one with what you are creating. This is where great ideas and thoughts and words of wisdom come to us… this is where our hearts become excited and we forget time and space and lose any desire to return to the real world. But when we do return, we have the extra dimensions of compassion and understanding to bring back with us.

Until one is committed there is hesitancy… the chance to draw back. The moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence moves too.
William H Murray.

It has been said that true commitment is when the meeting takes place between what already is and what actually wants to become real. And indeed, a commitment must be made if we are to manifest the dreams for which we have been born. So, what already is can be found through delving into our creative self and trusting the process of bringing it out to become real. An awesome process. We have all been created and, therefore, as creatures of creation it is endemic in our very beings, to create. There are as many ways to be creative as there are people on the planet so do not berate yourself for not being a Dali or a Picasso… you are you and you must give yourself permission to play around with whatever takes your fancy until you locate the inner you and then you can make the commitment to your inner self to live your life being the best version of yourself, living and honouring your god given purpose from the inside out.

A commitment is not made, it is forged. It is forged between what is already located deep within and what wants to become real. You will know that you have located the inner you when you find yourself immersed in your project. You cannot tear yourself away and you are super excited about getting back to it as soon as possible!

Thus, the commitment makes itself… forged by the inner formless truth, an unchosen desire, taking shape and being defined by the outer form which it takes on.

A true commitment is one that will change your life because it is born from who you already are and it will grow into its fully developed form by who you become.

As your commitment develops and you grow with it, through it and from it, so you can become ever more specific. As Rumi says, the desire has been placed in every heart and that desire becomes a driven thing when we discover the joy of being committed to who we really are!

Everyone has been made for some particular work and the desire for that work has been put in every heart… Rumi.

Kate Mchardy MA(Hons) PGCE MSPH Spiritual coach, teacher and healer. katemch@gmail.com / Tel: +44 7712889534. Facebook: The University of Light Group / Readings at The University of Light (@tarotangelspiritreadings).

Horoscope October

3 years ago in Features by Curtly Richards

ARIES (Mar 21 – Apr 20)

Miracles do happen, Aries, and they start happening when we find a sense of inner peace. It is about energy and like attracting like… when the inner energy changes to still then when allow miracles in.

TAURUS Apr 21 – May 21)

During these times of uncertainty, Taurus, you may find that it helps to look into the eyes of the people you see each day and say, “The Light in me salutes the Light in you”. This will both spread and share happiness.

GEMINI (May 22 – Jun 22)

You are the great communicator, Gemini, and you have a vibrant imagination. You are in the ideal position at this time to help others to understand that they can indeed create their own reality and their own future.

CANCER (Jun 23 – Jul 22)

You can expect to feel romantic love all around you this month, Cancer, and to feel especially cherished and cared for. First though, you must spend some time remembering that you deserve this!

LEO (Jul 23 – Aug 23)

You may feel that you are in the middle of personal chaos at the moment, Leo, but remember that this is a time of truth and must be gone through for new life to emerge. That is exactly what is happening so take a deep breath and dive right in!

VIRGO (Aug 24 – Sep 23)

Our flaws, as we perceive them to be, are actually our wounds and therefore they are experiences from which we need to heal. So, this month you are being guided to be more compassionate with yourself, Virgo, and so with others..

LIBRA (Sep 24 – Oct 23)

You may well find yourself working in partnership this month, Libra and this may be totally unexpected. However, it is a very positive thing and there is much to be learned from helping each other be the best you can be!

SCORPIO (Oct 24 – Nov 22)

Connecting on a deeper level with someone this month is important, Scorpio, so don’t hold back. Overcome your initial fear and listen to your heart… It won’t let you down. This is one of those times when to be vulnerable id to be strong.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 – Dec 21)

Remember Sagittarius, that thoughts become things and so we must monitor them carefully. In fact, to guide your thoughts towards forgiveness is a most powerful way to achieve success and contentment on all levels.

CAPRICORN (Dec 22 – Jan 20)

You are being guided to give away all feelings of fear and anger this month, Capricorn. Rather than pushing them down, allow them to rise to the surface and acknowledge them and then give them away. Send them off into the sky and just let them go.

AQUARIUS (Jan 21 – Feb 19)

You are being reminded that you are powerful in whatever moment you choose to be so, Aquarius. You are an instrument of love right here, right now and you are being directed to step into that power. The world needs you!

PISCES (Feb 20 – Mar 20)

ou’ll find yourself giving a friend the benefit of the doubt this month, Pisces. Listen with depth and compassion. Do not judge. This is a time for your loyalty to guide your actions and to be the true friend that you are. A gift.

Feature - page 38

Share This

You might be interested in

Share This

You might be interested in

Share This

You might be interested in

Share This

You might be interested in

AND All those that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar October 21st 1805

Part 2 of 2

Gibraltar Chronicle extraordinary

The Chronicle continues:

Share This

You might be interested in

Share This

You might be interested in

Hassans welcomes four new trainees

Share This

You might be interested in

Restart a Heart

Multi-Agency Safety

Share This

You might be interested in

Share This

You might be interested in

Share This

You might be interested in

AND
All those that took part in the Battle of Trafalgar
October 21st 1805