Feature - page 51

Christmas this year will feel different for all of us. The presence of Covid has cast a shadow on how we can celebrate the season. This is particularly poignant when we are living through such a challenging time and absolutely need to experience as much joy and emotional warmth as we can.

What we love about Christmas is the socialising, the clinking of glasses, wearing silly hats and usually balancing various canapés. It brings out our fun side, the chance to talk, catch up and mingle. With this years restrictions, how can we adhere to what’s asked of us without missing out on this pivotal aspect of Christmas? A new approach could be creating mini Christmases before the big day. Arrange to meet up with one or two friends at a time in the run up.  Wrap up warm, arm yourself with some portable treats and find somewhere to create your own slice of festive fun. Larger groups meeting may not be possible but emotionally you can knit together all your experiences – it doesn’t make them any less special.

There are special activities that we look forward to all year that now seem impossible to engage in such as carol singing, attending Christmas shows and carol concerts. For me, Christmas is heralded by booking a ticket for the Nutcracker ballet. I love how this particular show conjures up that warm Christmas glow – a glow we all want to bask in during the season. 

Rather than concentrating on what we are missing out on, it will feel positive to focus on what activities we can enjoy. When at home with friends and family this Yuletide, create ways of connecting and having fun with each other. As tempting as it maybe to stare at our phones and computers, it is much more rewarding to spend the time enjoying each other’s company. Whether it’s board games, a game of cards or my personal favourite, Trivial Pursuit, it’s fascinating how we become so ridiculously competitive which adds to the fun. If some fresh air is in order, wrap up snuggly, grab a flask of hot chocolate and venture out with your Christmas posse. Walking and talking can be amazingly therapeutic, often more so than sitting in the same room as somebody. Take an appreciative look at what’s around us and soak up what is so important about Christmas – and every day: friends, family, companionships and the nature that surrounds us. In challenging, unusual times, familiarity is comforting and gives us strength for the situations that lie ahead of us.  For those who cannot be with us this Christmas, whatever the reason, it is emotionally important to still include them in the celebrations. Talk about them. Reminisce about past Christmases you shared together and ones you will share in the future.

For those who work, the annual Christmas shindig is always a well deserved highlight. It is a thank you from the company but more importantly it is an opportunity to colleagues to enjoy non work time together. It is a time to remove our professional exterior and have fun with those we work closely with all year. Occasions like this will be sorely missed, not only for the dinner but the memories they create.

So having acknowledged the challenges we all face this Christmas, how can we successfully navigate through this season without feeling we are not losing too much of what makes it such a nostalgic and magical time for us? The most important part of any Christmas are the people – or person – you spend it with. The number of people you can share the season with might be limited, which can have a big impact on you feel but it is vital to enjoy the company of those you are with. 

One pivotal moment on Christmas Day is the lunch. Even those often avoided vegetables like Brussel sprouts are given a warm welcome – especially if some pancetta and chest have been cooked with them. Who can deny the nostalgia joy of a snowball or babycham, in fact, they are becoming de rigueur at many fashionable soirées so clink and revel in Christmases past. A beautifully adorned Christmas table is a wonderful central focus for those who are sharing lunch. Whatever is happening (or not) in the outside world, there is a certain kind of convivial connection that can only be enjoyed around a dining table. It isn’t just the eating that creates the memories, it starts from the moment we wake up. Whether a full English is your preferred Christmas breakfast or a lighter option is opted for, how we begin our celebrations is as important as the rest of the day. It sets a mood, a tone. I have experienced the full range range of breakfast choices and each one brings its own delight. Full English when I was a child – scrumptious. As an adult, a favourite choice is Smoked salmon with scrambled eggs with a glass of fizz – delicious and just a tad decadent.

The most positive way to approach this festive season is to learn how to adapt in order to get the most out of a difficult time. Getting creative is something many of us usually do at Christmas but this year it has never been so important.  Make your home not only a warm, cosy sanctuary but a place of glitz and glamour, somewhere you actively want to spend time over the season.

As an avid theatre goer, the loss of live productions is felt particularly at Christmas. Pantomimes in particular are hugely popular with all the family. In their absence, there is an emergence of online productions where live music, comedy and small scale productions can be viewed. It brings entertainment into your home and provides a much missed audience for the performers.

Those festive joys of watching a favourite Christmas film or enjoying fun games like charades cannot be diminished even if numbers are limited. Creating special memories is more important than ever. Modern technology will never replace actually being with loved ones but using them at such a difficult time at least allows us to see family and friends and raise a toast together. We can connect, albeit virtually.

Christmas will always be a wonderful, nostalgic and poignant time of the year. It envelopes us in a sentimental glow and even if we have to approach Christmas differently this year,

“I don’t have any regrets, I either won or I learnt“

There can’t be many people in Gibraltar who don’t know Henry Sacramento, even if not personally then they will surely have heard of him.

Henry describes himself as ‘a cocktail of all kinds of blood’. “My father’s family has been in Gibraltar since 1840 when the first Sacramento came over from a little fishing village in Portugal called Tavira,” he explains, “and my son has recently given me a new grandson who is now the eleventh generation of our family born here.”  

It was while working as a plumber for the MOD that Henry’s father first met his mother. “She was born in Jerez del la Frontera in Spain and came to Gibraltar at the age of 27 to work as a nanny for Dr Henry Triay, the local paediatrician at that time, after whom I was named.” As the youngest of three brothers, Henry remembers his mother taking him along in the evenings when she cleaned offices for the Isola family. “Although I was well behaved, I was also very boisterous and she felt that she couldn’t leave me with my brothers, so I would empty the ashtrays and collect the wastepaper baskets for her.”

Always a hard worker, Henry would do odd jobs to earn money and at the age of 11 he had saved enough money to buy a second hand bicycle so that his parents didn’t have to find the money to pay for his bus fare to school. “When I was studying for my GCSEs I worked part-time at Napoleon’s Menswear in Main Street, leaving school at 4.15 pm and working from 4.30 – 7.30 pm Monday to Friday and a half day on Saturday.” 

At the age of 17 Henry decided he didn’t want to go on and do his ‘A’ levels and he applied to become a police cadet. “I started on the 3rd October 1977 and became a fully-fledged police officer when I became 18, on the 16th June 1978, which was the start of a long career with the Royal Gibraltar Police Force. 

“I did three years of shift work, but by the time I was 21 a vacancy came up for a community officer and I took on that role for the Glacis and Laguna Estates, and through that I became very involved with the schools, lecturing on road safety and first aid, and teaching cycling proficiency in St. Anne’s School.”  

Dance and drama has always been a passion, something that Henry was involved with during his school years having been a pioneer of the youth theatre. ”The first production I took part in as a policeman was in September 1981 when The Gibraltar Youth Theatre produced The Rite Of Spring directed by Mario Arroyo which was the largest cast of male dancers that Gibraltar had ever seen,” he states, continuing to say that as he was on night shift duty he was given permission to perform but that after showering he had to put on his uniform and walk the beat until 7 am!  

In 1982 Henry was asked to go to the International Festival of Music and Performing Arts in Aberdeen by the late Lionel Perez, founder of the Alpha Dance Group. “Most of the other community officers were involved with youth football teams, but my way of getting in touch with the young people was through dance and drama, and it gave them a chance to be able to see a policeman as a person and not just a uniform” he says. “I asked permission from Commissioner Williams at the time and he agreed that I should go.” 

Notwithstanding his incredible work as a Police Officer for over 37 years, Henry is renowned for his charity work and it was his involvement in a fundraising project for St. Martin’s School that led him to his first meeting with the Head Teacher, Priscilla, who would later go on to become his wife.

In the two years that Henry was the community police officer in Glacis and Laguna, he made such an impact that when the Commissioner wanted to move him elsewhere the community protested and demonstrated to have him kept on. “I had no idea how much of a difference I was going to make and because I had achieved so much in so little time, when the Commissioner decided to take me away the community wouldn’t have it.” Ultimately, Henry was made community officer for Upper Town. “I went on to police there for the next 15 years which is possibly the longest period of time that a community officer has ever served in one place,” he states. That was where Henry found his vocation for helping Moroccan families. “I have always been a lover of Morocco, so for me it was a way of helping in any way that I could, and I would visit the Plater Youth Club where they took in kids from the streets with nothing to do.”

In 1974 Henry first visited Morocco when he was an altar boy at St. Joseph’s School and he was asked to assist with a trip laid on by a club for underprivileged children. “I was only 14 but I loved it so much that I went back at every opportunity.” It was in Morocco ten years later that Henry learnt to belly dance, which added another aspect to his dance performances.

Later on, when Henry and Priscilla became a couple he realised she already had a passion for Morocco and its architecture, and five years ago when he retired from the Royal Gibraltar Police they bought a house in the Kasba in Tangier where they have become involved with an association called 100% Mamans which helps mothers who become pregnant out of wedlock and their children. “The charity has been running for over eighteen years and we were very impressed with how organised they were and how much good they were doing,” Henry explains. “For the past five years when we go over there our suitcases are full of baby clothes and things that they need, and I was able to get two knitting clubs in Gibraltar to make blankets for us to donate.” Henry says that they also take a cake every time they visit as that is the only occasion when the children have one. “We spend time with them and show them that there are people that care and that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and that has become a very important part of what we do. It is not just about providing the physical needs but giving them psychological support in the best way that we can.”

When the Straits of Gibraltar Association was formed in Tangier they asked Henry and Priscilla to become Patrons. “We felt humbled and honoured to have been asked because it was like the crowning glory of all our work with Moroccan people,” Henry says. 

Both Henry and Priscilla have been bestowed with the Gibraltar Award, one year after each other, making them the first couple to receive it on their own merit and not as a couple. Asked if he has a motto or ethos by which he lives his life he says: “I give unconditionally never expecting anything in return, it is a win-win situation because the moment anyone gives me something back it is a bonus – the moment you expect something – when you don’t get it you are disappointed.”

Among Henry’s other charitable commitments is acting as a Trustee for the Happiness Foundation which was set up by Success & Happiness Psychologist Kath Temple. “As Chairman of the National Association of Police Welfare Advisors I had the responsibility of organising an annual conference and a bi-annual workshop and Kath was the person that gave the final workshop before I retired.”

One of the proudest of Henry’s achievements is sponsoring an orphan through the children’s charity AKIN. “We put Barnabas through university and he then went on to have a little girl whom he named Priscilla and then a little boy whom he named Henry in appreciation of everything that we did for them,” Henry states. Two years ago we accompanied the Director of AKIN Les Roberts to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and met Barnabas, Glory his wife, and our ‘grandchildren’, and we are now in touch with them every day.”

As if all that wasn’t enough, the Sacramentos were on the organising committee of the first Gibraltar Pride. Henry explains that they have always been defenders of all minorities and that creed, colour of skin and sexual orientation has got nothing to do with how people should be treated. Their latest project was to become the faces of the Gibraltar Movember movement against prostate cancer.

“Looking back,” Henry says, “I probably had the most colourful career any police officer could have had, and the biggest box that I could tick was to make a difference in people’s lives.”

Christmas is almost us upon us!  Unfortunately, at this time of year there is a heightened risk of cyber-attacks due to among other things an increase in email traffic marketing Christmas gift ideas and then post-Christmas sales.  This presents an increased risk of phishing attack.

In the last issue of Gibraltar Insights, we described one of the ways that cyber criminals target individuals and business.  In this edition, we have outlined 3 simple steps that you can take to make you, your family, your business and Gibraltar more secure and #hardtohack.

Step 1 – Password management

Change your password.  Now, right now. Please.  Yes, it’s a faff; yes, you will need to think of a new password and then remember it.  Yes, you could do it tomorrow, but you won’t.  Do it right now. NOW!

As we described in our last article, there are millions of emails and passwords for sale on the Dark Web that have been breached by companies that have not protected your personal data sufficiently.  Cyber criminals can buy this data for pence/cents and use a computer algorithm to test the email / password combination against web facing email portals – think: Hotmail, Gmail, Microsoft 365 etc – to gain access to your emails. They will look for social media accounts and online high-street accounts and then test your email password combination to gain access. From this they can gather more personal data until they may have enough to take out credit in your name or use your saved payment cards to make online purchases.

Changing your password associated with each of your email addresses is the single greatest defence you can make to protect yourself against a cyber-attack and will instantly make yourself, your family and your business safer.

Step 2 – Personal Data Breach Identification:

Next it is a good idea to understand whether your data has actually been breached so you can put in place other measures to protect yourself.  First let’s understand the problem.  To do this you can use a free service provided by haveibeenpwned.com (HIBP).  To put your mind at ease, the site is run by ethical hackers.  What is that?  Think of hackers in terms of angels and demons.  Demon hackers are criminals and naught boys and girls.  They are not on Santa’s list.  Angel hackers are those with the same skill set as demon hackers, but with decency, morals and integrity and are good boys and girls. They are on Santa’s list. Angel hackers use their skills to protect mankind.  Legends!

Anyway, enter all your email addresses one at a time into the search function.  HIBP will then tell you whether the email is associated with a breach and if so, what other data has been breached.

Oh no, you been breached. What now? Well because you have already changed your password you have broken the chain and are already safer. What we now need to understand is whether you have been entered into any spambots. Spambots as the name suggests are bots that send spam to you. Some spam is laughable, other spam is highly credible.  The problem is that if you are tired, rushing, distracted and/or hungover and unthinkingly click a link in a spam email, you could have executed malware or ransomware on your device.  Remember, the cyber-criminal only needs to be lucky once, you have to be lucky every time.

So, what to do about it, unfortunately the only way to rectify and avoid your exposure to spam and thus the chances of clicking on a malicious link is by changing your email address.  This is best done by transitioning emails address information on websites over a period of time.

Cue you: “What!!! You are kidding right? I have had this email for a gazillion years.  My world will cease to function if I have to change it.  You have no idea.  No, frankly it’s impossible, inconceivable. I won’t do it… That’s final.”

Don’t be a victim, do the right thing and protect yourself.

Step 3 – Check your Anti-Virus

Make sure your Anti-Virus is installed, activated with a valid licence and updated.  Remember, in life you get what you pay for.  While there is free anti-virus available it will not protect you sufficiently.  Competition to provide the best anti-virus changes year on year between the main vendors, as they achieve technology breakthroughs in response to the evolution in cyber threats.  The best thing to do is check a site like www.techradar.com or www.pcmag.com for reviews of the best current anti-virus.  There are always new customer deals.  We recommend buying a one-year licence, and then when it comes to renew assess which company has moved to the forefront of anti-malware protection.  There will always be new customer deals to be had.

Have a very Merry Christmas from all at CSS Platinum.

Michael Wills is co-founder and chief data officer for CSS Platinum. 
For further information on the company and the services it provides to Gibraltar businesses and the international yachting industry, please visit https://cssplatinum.com and/or email support@cssplatinum.com.

May 1985: The opening of the frontier, a turning point for Gibraltar and a liberating upheaval in which our British peninsula became the Mecca for professional transactions. As I delve into the story of how Attias & Levy law firm came to fruition, I am taken down a path of history, humour and personal introspection.

Having met each other in 1975, Abraham and Levi, the founding partners of our local Gibraltar law firm, began their professional careers in London. Having successfully completed their independent degrees in Political Science & Education and International Relations & African Studies, they jointly decided to study a twelve-month diploma in law at City University. 

With hard work, perseverance, and comically revising their one thousand file cards for every single case study covering all core subjects of the law while sitting on the London underground tube, “you really are stumbling in the dark the moment you transition from qualification to practice”.

Originating from different legal practices, they decided to build their own law firm and form a strapping union characterized by an ethos of “hard work and good efficient service”. With shrewd intellect, determining perpetuation and a wealth of support from fellow local practitioners, the two young lawyers became notorious for their bravery, tenacity and perseverance in 1985.

With many law firms reaching out and offering work, assistance and support both administratively and also within the wider profession, “Gibraltar became the glamour boy of the Costa del Sol. The business community suddenly saw a certain standard of life that had not been experienced earlier”. With the Doña Lola building complexes being advertised at the time, the opening of the frontier and the influx of international clients generating a financial boom, Abraham and Levi “were ready to take it on. The first few years [they] worked together were the best years. There was so much creativity, and they were exciting times for Gibraltar’s finance sector. With travel and attending international commercial fairs, this opened up a new vista for [them], and there were certain products Gibraltar was offering that made it very attractive to do business. [They] had an ex-pat community right on [their] doorstep. From Sotogrande to Torremolinos, [they] tapped into it, developed [their] connections and that’s how the business started growing. As Gibraltar’s community became more affluent, [they] as a business grew with it”. 

From hard work and perseverance, to laughter and humorous anecdotes, Abraham and Levi strived to build up their successful law firm as it stands today. From an intern’s accidental shredding of legal documents and destructive office building floods, to a lack of hope by their very first employee who lasted half a day and saw “no future for the firm”, the pair progressed from summer jobs selling Amar Bakery’s rolls, to diligent studies and finally setting up the business. Gaining the courage to make their hopes and dreams turn into a reality, and with a vibrant fervour of tenacious determinism, our local law firm is a product of enthusiastic endurance.

With time, social modernisation and the new digital era, business development vastly changed throughout the years. According to our partners “the best form of public relations is word of mouth. Understandably, the new generation taps into the world of social media, but it has introduced an uncanny speed by which the respectability of practice has been lost because of accessibility to emails”. From telex to telephones, “doing a good job for someone and having them recommend you is the best way of developing a business”.

Having transitioned from being “jacks of all trades” with a tremendous ability to embellish legal diversity in day to day practice, as it stands today the firm is more departmentalised. Offering a wide range of legal services, its traditional strengths have been in the areas of property, financial services, trusts, private client work, corporate structuring, civil & commercial litigation, conveyancing and shipping.

With a deep-seated interest in every aspect of their practice, beneath “the theatrics, civic glamour and pomp of the law” there lies a stringent sense of humility and hard-working aesthetic at Attias & Levy law firm. Priding themselves on this ethos, their positive sense of sedulous creativity is an inspirational force to be reckoned with.

It has been said that a great idea is valueless unless it is accompanied by a physical action. How very true. The greatest idea under the sun will come to nothing unless steps are taken to bring it to fruition.

Ideas begin in the mind.  Every single thing you see around you started off as an idea, an image in someone’s mind. The image was then concentrated upon, revised and developed until it began to grow into something tangible.  Followed by more focus and more imagination and the use of the magical quality of visualisation.

Our minds are more powerful than we can ever begin to imagine.  What the imagination can conceive the mind can achieve.  It really is as straightforward as that …. Our invisible power is so great, so powerful that it will bring into manifestation whatever we ask it to. 

So, be careful what you ask for!  And be careful what you think!  If you wish to achieve excellent health then direct your thoughts to dwell on all aspects of good health … for yourself and for others.  If you desire financial abundance and security, then direct your thoughts to dwell only on aspects of abundance. Use your will to keep your thoughts in line with your desire, and act outwardly in accordance with those thoughts. We get what we focus on so, at all times, train your mind to focus only on what you desire and not on what you want to break free from.  

You are a child of The Universe and so you must believe in yourself as being a physical instrument through which The Universe brings things into being. When you have acquired the self-mastery to conquer all negative thought forms and actions then you will be fully calm, confident and in control of your own life and your own destiny. 

Key to all this is recognising ego and placing it to one side.   Ego works only for the self and while having a healthy ego is essential to living a balanced life, so, too, is it essential to be aware of working towards the greatest good for all. There is absolutely no merit or long-term satisfaction to be gained in acquiring certain things or positions in life at the expense of anyone else.  So, ask yourself daily what the purpose might be of your being here on this earth? And how can you work with that purpose for the greater good of all. 

Once you have found satisfying answers to these questions, then it your duty to work towards fulfilling them. If you have a tendency to accord blame or responsibility to others or to circumstances, when things do not go as you would like them to, then stop yourself in your tracks and rearrange that line of thought, When you have taken responsibility for your own actions and your own results you will experience an inner sense of freedom and a sense of your own power, greater than you would have thought possible. Once you acknowledge this power, this invisible power, then you can begin to truly take your place in the world and create the life you were born to live. 

Always remember that The Universe is willing to provide everything you can possibly need.  There is no limit, no end to what The Universe will provide but it is up to you to decide how and what to ask for and to accept with love and gratitude. 

Reading, studying and learning are an intrinsic part of development, improvement and growing. Set aside some time every day to read and to learn.  It does not have to be a great long period of time but it does have to be consistent. And remember that for every five minutes that you spend reading you must spend fifteen in the use of and application of what you have been learning. 

Allowing your thoughts to dwell upon a mental picture allows, in turn, your creative spirit to strengthen and grow in stature.  Visualising your desire brings your objective mind into balance and enables you to consciously direct the flow of spirit to a specific purpose and to carefully guide your thoughts in the direction that you are manifesting.

Always bear in mind that you are dealing with an amazing potential energy which, by the action of your mind, your invisible power, can be differentiated into whatever manifestation you will. Never underestimate the power of your will. 

Remember, also, that when you are visualising correctly there is no strenuous effort to hold your thoughts in place. It is a gentle process and is a simple engagement of mind and will with the natural flow of The Universe.  Your are a child of The Universe and when you align your energetic body with the Universal energy then your Invisible Power relaxes into its natural state and you work together to create your pictured desire in all its glory and for the highest good of all concerned. 

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). 

Sir George’s natural repugnance to inaction, and his consciousness of the necessity, with so large a force, of doing something, induced him, on the 17th of July, being then in the bay of Tetuan, to call another council, and to urge the indispensable obligation that lay on them, of effecting something commensurate with the force entrusted to them and after long debate, a prompt and vigorous attack on Gibraltar, proposed by Sir George, was resolved on, the proceedings of which we have before briefly stated.  The following is Sir George’s official report: 

The contractor for the supply of fresh meat for the troops, ” The 17th of July, the fleet being then about seven leagues to the eastward of Tetuan, a council of war was held on board the Royal Catharine, wherein it was resolved to make a sudden attempt upon Gibraltar; and, accordingly, the fleet sailed thither, and the 21st got into that bay; and, at three o’clock in the afternoon, the marines, English and Dutch, to the number of 1800, with the Prince of Hesse at the head of them, were put on shore on the neck of land to the northward of the town, to cut off all communication with the country. His Highness having posted his men there, sent a summons to the governor to surrender the place, for the service of his Catholic Majesty; which he rejected with great obstinacy; the admiral, on the 22d in the morning, gave orders that the ships which had been appointed to cannonade the town, under the command of Rear Admiral Byng, and Rear-admiral Vanderdussen, as also those which were to batter the south mole-head, commanded by Captain Hicks, of the Yarmouth, should range themselves accordingly; but the wind blowing contrary, they could not possibly get into their places, till the day was spent. In the mean time, to amuse the enemy, Captain Whitaker was sent with some boats, who burnt a French privateer of twelve guns at the mole. The 23d, soon after break of day, the ships being all placed, the admiral gave the signal for beginning the cannonade; which was performed with very great fury, above 15,000 shot being made in five or six hours time against the town, insomuch that the enemy were soon sent from their guns, especially at the south mole-head affirm, that there never was such an attack as the seamen made; for that fifty men might have defended those works against thousands. Ever since our coming to the bay, great numbers of Spaniards have appeared on the hills; but none of them have thought fit to advance towards us.” Sir George sailed again to Tetuan to wood and water the fleet, and on the 9th of August, on his return to Gibraltar, came in sight of the French fleet, commanded by Count de Toulouse. The enemy declined battle, but Sir George being resolved to force an action, if possible, pursued, and on the 13th came within three leagues of him. The French fleet now formed a line to receive him, and the action soon after commenced,* of which we shall here give Sir George’s own account, as dated on board the Royal Katharine, off Cape St. Vincent, August 27th  O. S. 1704, addressed to his Royal Highness Prince George of Denmark : On the 9th instant, returning from watering our ships on the coast of Barbary, fearing that by gaining the fortification they should of consequence reduce the town, ordered Captain Whitaker, with all the boats, armed, to endeavour to possess himself of it ; which was performed with great expedition. But Captain Hicks and Captain Jumper, who lay next the Mole, had pushed ashore with their pinnaces, and some other boats, before the rest could come up; whereupon the enemy sprung a mine, that blew up the fortifications upon the Mole, killed two lieutenants, and about forty men, and wounded about sixty. However, our men kept possession of the great platform which they had made themselves masters of, and Captain Whitaker landed with the rest of the seamen which had been ordered upon this service; they advanced, and took a redoubt, or small bastion, halfway between the mole and the town, and possessed themselves of many of the enemy’s cannon. The admiral then sent a letter to the governor and, at the same time, a message to the Prince of Hesse to send him a peremptory summons ; which his Highness did accordingly; and, on the 24th in the morning, the governor desiring to capitulate, hostages were exchanged, and the capitulation being concluded, the Prince marched into the town in the evening, and took possession of the land and north-mole gates, and the out-works. The articles are in substance as follow:

1. That the garrison, officers, and soldiers, may depart, with their necessary arms and baggage, and the officers, and other gentlemen of the town, may also carry their horses with them. They may, likewise, have what boats they shall have occasion for,

2. That they may take out of the garrison three pieces of brass cannon, of different weight, with twelve charges of powder and ball.

3. That they may take provisions of bread, wine, and flesh, for six days’ march.

4. That none of the officer’s baggage be searched, although it be carried out in chests or trunks. That the garrison depart in three days; and such of their necessaries as they cannot carry out with conveniency, may remain in the garrison, and be afterwards sent for; and that they shall have the liberty to make use of some carts.

5. That such inhabitants, and soldiers, and officers of the town, as are willing to remain there, shall have the same privileges they enjoyed in the time of Charles II. and their religion and tribunals shall remain untouched, upon condition that they take an oath of fidelity to King Charles III as their lawful king and master,

6. That they shall discover all their magazines of powder, and other ammunition, or provisions and arms, that may be in the city.

7. That all the French, and subjects of the French King, are excluded from any part of these capitulations, and all their effects shall remain at our disposal, and their persons prisoners of war.” 

The town is extremely strong, and had an hundred guns mounted, all facing the sea and the two narrow passes to the land, and was well supplied with ammunition. With little wind easterly, our scouts to the windward made the signals of seeing the enemy’s fleet; which, according to the account they gave, consisted of sixty-six sail, and were about ten leagues to windward of us. A council of flag-officers was called, wherein it was determined to lie to the eastward of Gibraltar, to receive and engage them. But perceiving that night was approaching, we followed them in the morning, with all the sail we could make.

On the 11th we forced one of the enemy’s ships ashore, near Fuengirola; the crew quitted her, set her on fire, and she blew up immediately we continued still pursuing them; and the 12th, not hearing any of their guns all night, nor seeing any of their scouts in the morning, our admiral had a feeling they might double back, and, by the help if their gallies, slip between us and the shore to the westward; so that a council of war was called, wherein it was resolved, That, in case we did not see the enemy before night, we should make the best of our way to Gibraltar; but standing in to the shore about noon, we discovered the enemy’s fleet and gallies to the westward, near Cape Malaga, going very large. We immediately made all the sail we could, and continued the chase all night.

On Sunday the 13th, in the morning, we were within three leagues of the enemy, who brought to, with their heads to the southward, the wind being easterly, formed their line and lay-to to receive us. Their line consisted of fifty-two ships, and twenty-four gallies; they were very strong in the centre, and weaker in the van and rear, to supply which, most of the gallies were divided into those quarters. In the centre was Monsieur De Toulouse, with the white squadron; and in the rear the blue; each admiral had his vice and rear admirals; our line consisted of fifty-three ships, the admiral, and rear-admirals Byng and Dilkes, being in the centre; Sir Cloudesley Shovel and Sir John Leake led the van, and the Dutch the rear. The admiral ordered the Swallow and Panther, with the Lark and Newport, and two fire-ships, to lie to the windward of us, that in case the enemy’s van should push through our line with their gallies and fire-ships, they might give them some diversion. We bore down upon the enemy in order of battle, a little after ten o’clock, when, being about half-gun shot from them, they set all their sails at once, and seemed to intend to stretch ahead and weather us, so that our admiral, after firing a chase-gun at the French admiral, to stay for him, of which he took no notice, put the signal out, and began the battle, which fell very heavy on the Royal Katharine, St. George, and the Shrewsbury. About two in the afternoon, the enemy’s van gave way to ours, and the battle ended with the day, when the enemy went away, by the help of their gallies, to the leeward. 

Old System, England retained the old “Julian” calendar which was 11 ahead of the “Gregorian”  calendar in use throughout, mainly catholic countries until 1752 when the day following the 2nd Sept became the 14th.

Interracial relationships, however successful are not always emotionally or psychologically easy to navigate for couples who embark on them. Some can experience prejudice from loved ones and society.

One such couple is Lisbeth McDermott, 68, and Conrad McDermott, 56, who live in Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire. They have lived there for 18 years.

Lis is self-employed (up until lockdown) as a professional photographer for 12 years. Lis is now an author, poet and writing mentor. Conrad works as a Warehouse Supervisor.

‘We met in 1993 at a soul music club in Cheltenham. I went with a younger friend as we both loved the music.  I was 41, and Conrad was 28.  I saw him across the room and thought he was cute.  A mutual friend told conrad I fancied him.

He asked me to dance.  After one dance, he returned to his friend.  At the end of the evening, I went and asked him his name. He told me and standing there, feeling an idiot, I was about to walk off, when he asked for my phone number. Conrad did call, much to my surprise.

We went out the next weekend, and have been together for 27 years – married for 18 years.

I had been married for 18 years previously, getting divorced at 40. I hadn’t intended settling down again, but Conrad was special.

Neither of us have children, and Conrad hadn’t lived with anyone, prior to meeting me – poor soul!

As an only child, the sole person I had to worry about was my mother. My father died when I was 19. He wouldn’t have approved. Initially, I kept it from my mum that I had been dating ‘black’ people, because she was quite racist in her attitude.  She was born in 1913, and in her eyes, only ‘a certain sort of woman went out with a black man’. Also, because Conrad has no qualifications, and is not a ‘professional’, she didn’t think he would be able to look after me. 

I pointed out I didn’t need looking after, as I was capable of caring for myself. When she found out who I had been dating, she commented that ‘I had always liked dark skinned people’.  This was because my husband, although white, had a darker complexion to me (which isn’t difficult), and tanned well in the summer. She would tell people that he was English, just to make sure they didn’t have any other thoughts.   

The first Christmas I took Conrad home, his cousin also often stayed with us at weekends. She said, ‘having one visit for Christmas was bad enough, and she didn’t know what the neighbours would think’.  She also thought me going out with a black person might affect my chances at work. My mum once gave Conrad socks for Christmas, ‘do they have Christmas where you come from?”  Without batting an eyelid, he answered, ‘Yes, they do in Birmingham, Rene.’

My Godmother also commented that we might have at least 15 years together…. Not sure of her thinking on that.

Conrad’s sister, was initially not happy about him being with a white person. He was nervous about introducing me to her.  She tends to blow ‘hot and cold’ about it, and even now she comments to him about how ‘people should stick to their own kind’. 

His brother has no issues as his partner is also white.  His nieces and nephew accept me, and we have always got on well.

His mother is a different matter. He didn’t have a good relationship with her anyway. I don’t know if the colour bothers her as much as our age difference. She is only 8 years older than me. I think she probably finds it hard to understand how her son can love someone so near her own age.  We don’t have anything to do with her, so her thoughts don’t impact on our lives at all which is positive for us.

All of my friends are perfectly accepting about our relationship. They all love Conrad.  One of my friends who I grew up with is the only person I have stopped any contact with. This was due to a very derogatory comment her son, my godson made to Conrad when they first met him. I decided I wasn’t going to remain friends with people who were negative to us.

Once at a party, a black girl, who didn’t know either Conrad or me, admonished him for not going out ‘with a ‘sister’. He was shocked that she commented.

We often get stared at when out and about. I’m never sure if it’s the age difference they are noticing, or the colour difference (which may of course be more obvious).  Some people really stare too. Not just a quick glance.  Conrad  calls it the ‘bar code’ look….

To be honest, no one has impacted on our relationship. Even my mum, who I was very close to. I knew how much I loved Conrad. I put him first.  When she made negative comments, I told her if she couldn’t cope with our relationship, she would be missing out on me.  

All of mum’s friends, who are her age, took to Conrad straight away. They didn’t seem at all phased by either his age or colour!

Conrad had never considered being married but I believe quite strongly in marriage. I think if you love someone, you commit to them completely, which to me means marriage, although I’m not religious.

Conrad had joked he would marry me on my 50th, so in the end I called his bluff. He said if I organised it, he’d be there!   We organised it together. Conrad didn’t want a large wedding. We got married in in Cheshire, in a new venue which was beautiful. We took two friends with us as witnesses, and had a lovely weekend away with them.

The following weekend we had a party to celebrate my 50th. We shared the fact we’d got married with everyone, which was fab’.

“Mixed Feelings” by Lis McDermott is now available on
www.lismcdermottauthor.co.uk

Born from the tumultuous upheaval the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the world, Kiki’s Creative is a product of artistic passion, Venetian influences and a love for avocados!

Nestled in the heart of Trevone Bay where Kiki’s Creative was born, the root of inspiration for this design business dates back to 2014! With a background in Art History and a love for travel, my cultural- infused, globe- trotting experiences inspired the creation of the Creatives! An amalgamation of Venetian intricacies, pearlescent sunset glows and a timeless lull of effervescent colour and beauty, the birth of Kiki’s Creative is a highly personal experience. 

Having always been a lover of the arts and continuously infected with the culture bug, my personal artistic journey has led me to work in various sectors of the art world. From being a Journalist, Art Historian, Presenter at the National Gallery, Photographer and most recently, PR & Marketing Designer, Kiki’s Creative is a product of my greatest interests and came to fruition during lockdown of April 2020. 

Benefitting from a laptop lifestyle, and in the midst of the worldwide pandemic, Kiki’s Creative is an online business which aims to re-vamp the aesthetic of companies, and help them learn about the world of social media while gaining an organic online presence. Able to work from anywhere in the world and use online video calls as a means to communicate with clients to discuss larger scale projects, the concept of Kiki’s Creative is to provide a service which is unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic, aesthetically modernise new and existing businesses, teach entrepreneurs how to implement the use of social media in the work place, and serve as an aid to help online growth by creating  a fresh, simple, economic and modern look which brings a smile to people’s faces. 

Having never been keen on the use of social media platforms, my life paradoxically took a turn in that direction! Becoming certified in Content & Social Media Marketing, I initially began by testing the waters and experimenting with Instagram as a way to promote my business, learn about the world of online marketing, and engage with like-minded artists. From having no knowledge of the concept of “hashtags”, “stories” and “followers”, to suddenly finding myself diving into the virtual abyss that is social networking. By taking risks and sharing my passion with others, the feedback received has been nothing but positive and full of encouragement and support. From the thousands and millions of endless topics, images and artistic masterpieces shared with the world through Instagram, one builds a sense of community, becomes encapsulated in this intricate web of social media and truly inspired by the overwhelming amount of talent that exists. 

Serving as a digital portfolio to showcase one’s talents and passions, Kiki’s Creative aims to give those freelance photographers, web designers, marketers, graphic designers and writers a chance to express themselves by doing what they love the most! Offering a broad design service for businesses and individuals, Kiki’s Creative has a diverse range of artistic resources. From Website Design, Social Media Management, Brochure & Logo Design and Re-branding, to Photography and Journalism. With our team of passionate artists, and in collaboration with Frank Scalici Photos Gibraltar, we offer an economic means of branding your business which enables entrepreneurs to take a step back and allow us to pave the way for businesses to have as much organic reach as possible. With “love” being the overriding and most essential ingredient incorporated into every project that comes our way, at Kiki’s Creative we work flexibly and closely with our clients to find the perfect business aesthetic in a simple, clear and affordable manner. 

From waking up at the crack of dawn to snap that perfect photograph, and braving the elements in the name of art and photography, at Kiki’s Creative it’s our love for what we do and chasing our passions that fulfil us every day. If there’s one thing I have learnt, in the words of wisdom by Sylvia Plath it is that “the worst enemy to creativity is self- doubt”, so always have faith in yourself and keep doing what you love!

www.kikiscreative.com hello@kikiscreative.com

After watching the Diamond Boys rehearse at Ross House ‘lavadero’ a group of friends from the south district (Europa) decided to try to form what was then known as a skiffle group. So in theory we had a band but we had no instruments, just five friends with big ideas about how to follow in the footsteps of Albert Hammond and the ‘Diamond Boys’ who were later the first band to leave Gibraltar in search of fame and fortune as Rock’n’Roll musicians. Four of us had an ear for music, all of us had a fascination with it, but none of us had a clue how to make it. We could pose gamely with a ‘Teddy’ boy quiff though! It was 1961 and with basic instruments and an eye on the girls we gradually learnt to imitate the sounds we heard on radio and gramophone records.

We thought we were great because the innocence of youth made us invincible and we believed that we could be a dance band and play at tea dances. As soon as we had learnt enough songs off by heart we got a contract at the Catholic United Services Club, a dance hall on the site of Ocean Heights today, where we were playing top twenty chart covers for the RAF, soldiers and sailors who would dance or collapse on the dance floor, sometimes both at once. When the fleet was in port guest bands from visiting ships would play there too and we would support them and soak up their performance skills.

‘The Silhouettes’ were originally Joe and Eddie Adambery, Richard Yeats, Ernie Picardo and the late Denis Bossino. Later on Ernie came to the front as main vocalist and the late Richard Porro became the drummer. With a two guitar line up, an accordion and a double bass, dance music provided the gigs and the finance for improving our basic instruments. We invested wisely in equipment and smart uniforms too. In those days musicians were suited and booted but you had to be good and thick skinned to take on an audience of servicemen on shore leave, mixing with services personnel who were stationed here and not easily impressed by the visitors, let alone a new band of local boys who got the eye from the girls that they fancied to dance. There were a few awkward standoffs but we had our fans and friends in the services who defused those situations.

Hard work in our rehearsals and residency work in night clubs like ‘El Polvorin’ (underneath the City Walls opposite Midtown today) gave us confidence and polish and eventually we won the first ever ‘Silver Disc Competition’ at the Alameda Open Air Theatre in 1963. A year later while playing at the Whiskey A-Go-Go we were ‘discovered’ by a car dealer from Portsmouth, a lovely man called Eddie Elliot, who saw a spark in ‘The Silhouettes’ and had the faith to take us to the UK at his expense and launch us as professional musicians. He had to do a lot of haggling with our parents but he convinced them that we could make it over there. At last we were on our way (early November 1964 – we sailed on the SS Canberra – Southampton bound) and we were getting better at playing pop music with a Latin flair which the English audiences would love and which made us different too.

Our musical journey had now started in earnest and life was good when we lived in Portsmouth/ Southsea and played at the Pavilion every night.  While there we also played with Shirley Bassey at the 3000 seater Portsmouth Guild Hall. We were becoming well known and the following year moved to the Isle of Wight to take on a summer residency touring the Warner Holiday camps dotted across the island. During that year (1965) we were entered by Eddie Elliott for the ‘Southern Counties Beat Group Competition’ hosted by Radio Luxembourg, which we won on the strength of our Latin roots making us original and different. We also had a very polished act while the competition were all playing the same rhythm and blues. Our prize was to be signed to the Phillips record label in London and we made three singles for them. We got a London management contract with Sidney Lipton and Cyril Stapleton, both of them famous band leaders, who offered us work as cabaret supporting their band gigs in the lucrative London society balls circuit. We were going places and earning good enough money to be able to afford to live in a mews flat off Baker Street, sharing the 25 guineas weekly rent between five. We were now known as Los Cincos and had variously changed our band’s name to ‘The G Boys’ in Portsmouth, Los Cinco Ricardos in early London days and then we cut that to ‘Los Cincos.’

In early 1966 we landed a residency at the famous Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane and moved to London to play there for nearly two years every night. It was our shop window and we had been persuaded by our management to wear frilly ‘Bolero’ shirts and capitalize on our bilingual Latin roots. The English audiences lapped it up and we became the toast of the town, always featured at the top hotel functions. For those gigs we hired some extra equipment and in our breaks from our two nightly cabaret spots at Grosvenor House, a taxi would whizz us around London to play as cabaret in most of the top hotels. The Hilton, The Dorchester, The Savoy, The Royal Garden and others were our musical stomping grounds and finally we managed to pay off our substantial loan to Eddie Elliot and parted friends with him.

All during that time we wanted to be famous like ‘The Beatles’ but our management wanted us to be a ‘new Latin fashionable band’. Of course ‘Carlos Santana’ came along in ‘66 and put paid to that dream but we continued to make headway in recording and were always in good cabaret work until 1969/70 when the band members gradually drifted back to the Rock. There was one notable exception however. 

Albert Hammond, who for a while had been our main vocalist at the Grosvenor House residency, had written a hit song for an Irish singer known as Leapy Lee. He had a big hit with ‘Little Arrows’. The rest as they say is history. The rise and rise of Albert Hammond, whose talent for songwriting we failed to recognise in our band ‘Los Cincos,’ who gamely peddled his catchy songs across UK and later the US, is a well known story. Ultimately he became one of the world’s best recognized and successful song writers. In retrospect I suppose that heralded the end of ‘Los Cincos.’ We still recorded with him and made an album for him (later shelved) but there was no stopping Albert Hammond, he made it big and we still remain very good friends to this day.

What did we miss? We had failed to notice his self-belief and his uncanny knack of writing the simple beautiful melodies which have become the soundtrack of our lives for over fifty years now. We didn’t spot his gift and star quality but all in all, our short journey with him in London were good times, which Richard Yeats, Richard Cartwright, my brother Eddie and me will cherish forever. Our late drummer Richard Porro and our first main vocalist Ernie Picardo were also important travellers in our musical journey. 

A couple of years ago, Eddie Elliott’s daughter Dee got together with me and gifted her scrap book and photos of our days in Portsmouth. It was so good to see all those photos validating a part of ‘our musical journey in the sixties’ and to also hear an early audio tape of a homemade recording on a reel-to-reel tape recorder which we made in her house in 1964. They are priceless memories indeed, as the song says ‘those were the days my friend’…..