A.G.M. AND NEW COUNCIL
The Annual General Meeting of the Association of Lyceum Past Students was held at The Lyceum, by kind permission of Headmaster Tony Caruana Smith, on Friday 25th January. As usual, it could have been better attended, but as far as procedures went it was a successful meeting.
Following the reading of the minutes of the previous AGM and the Administrative Report, President George Stagno Navarra delivered a short address in which he thanked everyone involved for the successes achieved in 2007 and cast a hopeful look forward to 2008. A brief discussion was held on amendments to the ALPS Statute with an eye to updating it in the light of experience.
The election for a new Council of Administration (except for President and Secretary-General in the interests of continuity) was supervised by Judge Franco Depasquale and Paul Brincat. There were ad hoc elections for Treasurer and the post of a Communications Officer/PRO (newly set up with the just-amended Statute), with David Abela and Laurie Vella respectively being elected uncontested. The eight other members elected to the Council were Anthony Aquilina, Dr Nazarene Azzopardi, Charles Calleja, Joe Fenech, Robbie Ferrante, Joe Micallef, Leo Scicluna and newcomer Peter Tortell.
At the first meeting of the new Council, George Grech and Charles Calleja were confirmed as Deputy President and Assistant Secretary-General respectively. Peter Tortell was elected Chairman of the Civics Commission, which will also include the sports aspect, and Robbie Ferrante Chairman of the Social Commission. The chairmen of the various commissions were confirmed as follows: Cultural, Joe Fenech; Lyceum Scouts, Joe Micallef; Membership, Anthony Aquilina; Philanthropic, Dr Nazarene Azzopardi; Projects, Leo Scicluna. All appointments were unanimous.
Also unanimously it was decided to co-opt to the Council Oscar Galea and Peter Paul Bonnici, both of whom had taken the interest to stand for election at the AGM. They will be assigned their duties at the next Council meeting.
A.L.P.S. RAISES €1,000 FOR SALESIANS
This year’s Foundation Day Concert of the Association of Lyceum Past Students has raised €1,000 in aid of the Salesian Youth Centre of Sliema.
The concert version of the famous operetta La Principessa della Czarda, directed by Joe Fenech, was staged to a packed Salesian Theatre. The occasion marked the debut of the recently-formed ALPS Choir, who performed admirably well considering that for most of them it was the first time on stage in a classical element. The 26-strong choir was trained by Yolanda Micallef.
The soloists were sopranos Karen Camilleri and Claire Caruana, soubrette Terry L. Bencini, tenor Bernard Busuttil and baritones Joe Huber and Joe Fenech, with Cynthia Genovese on the pianoforte. Also taking part were four couples of ballroom dancers who drew well-deserved applause from the audience. The show was compèred by Rina Camilleri and Joe Camilleri.
ALPS President George Stagno Navarra said the success of the ALPS Foundation Day Concert surpassed all hopes on the performers’ side and expectations on the audience’s. “All choir members were elated with their experience on the stage: so much so that by the end of the event it was unanimously decided to keep the ALPS Choir, originally set up just for this occasion, going on to other productions.”
“We gratefully acknowledge the great help of the Atturi Salesjani in the production of the concert,” he added. “Philanthropic activities are an essential part of the ALPS role in society. In 2007 alone we raised €3,960 for the Dar tal-Providenza through the Lyceum Bicycle Marathon, €1,050 for the Salesian Youth Centre through last year’s Foundation Day Concert, and donated €350 worth of books to the Lyceum Library.”
Following the resounding success of the Foundation Day Concert, George wrote a personal letter to each member of the ALPS Choir, thanking him or her and acknowledging that this was a result of the great efforts, enthusiasm, dedication and hard work put in by each and every individual throughout the weeks of rehearsals.
“It will certainly go down in our individual life history books as a very positive episode,” he added, expressing the hope that the ALPS Choir could yet develop into a more professional entity.
The ALPS Choir is now ready to accept new members of either gender in order to expand. Aspiring choristers may contact ALPS Culture Commission Chairman Joe Fenech on telephone 21 410632.
SALESIAN CENTENARY
In the ever-growing spirit of close cooperation with the Salesian community, ALPS President George Stagno Navarra has written to congratulate them on the centenary of the foundation of the Salesian Oratory in 1908.
Acknowledging the community’s great help among Maltese society in general, he augured that the ongoing commemorative programme would be fully and successfully completed.
SUPERB TOUR FOR “TOSCA”
Just the day after the ALPS concert, a good number of ALPS members and friends took to the air with Joe Fenech for a tour to Rome highlighted by attendance at a performance of “Tosca” – and they had a marvellous time, not only with the performance but also with visits to the places featured in the opera and, to cap it all, complete with perfect weather. The tour was organised by Euro Tours Ltd, who commissioned Joe to lead the group.
FUND-RAISING FOR LYCEUM BICYCLE MARATHON
This year’s Lyceum Bicycle Marathon is being held between 11th and 13th April 2008, with the proceeds again going to Id-Dar tal-Providenza. As always, the Association of Lyceum Past Students has been making plans to enhance its fund-raising activities so that it can offer the marathon organisers as big a cheque as possible to pass on to the beneficiary.
Last year ALPS had organised two very successful dinners before the marathon, which greatly helped towards the final sum of Lm1,700 (€3,960) presented to the organisers on the final night of the marathon. But with the calling of the general elections for 8th March and the unusually-early Our Lady of Sorrows Day, Good Friday and Easter Sunday – all of which could conceivably badly affect attendance – the decision has had to be taken to organise one fund-raising dinner on each side of the marathon, with the proceeds still going to Id-Dar tal-Providenza.
The first fund-raising dinner will be held in the Marie Louise Suite of the Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort, St George’s Bay, on Friday 4th April, at 8 for 8.30 p.m. It was deliberately decided to hold it on a Friday night so that it could give patrons an opportunity to spend one or two overnights on bed-and-breakfast basis.
The price of dinner will be €21 (Lm9.02) per person, inclusive of half a bottle of La Valette red or white wine and free flow of water. The price for each overnight will be €110 (Lm47.22) per room (single or double) in the luxurious setting of this 5-star hotel.
The night’s menu can be seen at the back of this newsletter. Bookings can be made with ALPS Secretary-General Alex Borg (see masthead for details), with full payment reaching him by 1st April.
MARATHON LOTTERY
The Lyceum Bicycle Marathon Christmas Lottery, drawn on 18th January 2008, resulted in the following winners, each for a weekend break for two persons.
Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort, winning ticket 8411; Antonin Maritim Hotel, 8341; Coastline Hotel, 7460; Diplomat Hotel, 8192; Paradise Bay Resort Hotel, 4592.
COLLECTION TIME FOR PITAZZ U LAPIS JEW GUGARELL
ALPS Philanthropic Commission Chairman Dr Nazarene Azzopardi, with the indispensable help of member Anthony Aquilina, has started to collect contributions to the Association’s philanthropic project Pitazz u Lapis jew Gugarell (Exercise Book and Pencil or Toy) from students in State, Church and private schools in Malta and Gozo.
Similarly to the first such effort two years ago, the current project was launched just before Christmas. This year’s yield will be handed over to the Malta Mission Fund.
Recalling the thousands of pencils and exercise books yielded by the first project, Dr Azzopardi said that “the toy in this year’s project has been thrown in for good measure following comments received by many after the first project. “It is well known that over Yuletide many children receive toys as presents, and sowing in them the thought of giving something that they like to children who are less fortunate could do a lot of good for the development of their characters,” he added.
ALPS has recommended to its members and friends, most of whom have grandchildren of schoolgoing age, to encourage their families to cooperate in the project.
Individuals who would like to chip in with their own contributions can contact Dr Azzopardi on telephone 21 436041, mobile 9944 4129 or e-mail drnazare@maltanet.net.
GET YOURSELF A TIE TO BE PROUD OF
There are already scores of Lyceum past students who are proud to have been among the first to buy themselves an ALPS tie to make a statement about both their relationship with The Lyceum and their membership of the association.
Through their decision to wear their new ties, Council members who were not singing in the Foundation Day Concert caught more than an eye while welcoming the audience into the theatre. If it had not been such a busy night for them, especially because of the “reduced manpower”, quite a good number of sales could have been made then.
The dark blue texture of the tie material, with the bold ALPS logo on the bottom part, goes beautifully with black blazer, blue jacket and a good number of other colours.
The ties sell at Lm4 (€9.32) each and are primarily available through Secretary-General Alex Borg (see masthead for details). So go on, get yourself a tie to be proud of and make your own bold statement about where you came from educationally, and stir up an interest in all former schoolmates you may still be in contact with. Feel proud to sport the ALPS logo every time you wear your association tie.
SUGGESTIONS FOR 15TH ANNIVERSARY
The sub-committee set up to organise the Association’s 15th anniversary, to be celebrated in April 2009, has started working in earnest on its assignment.
Any ALPS member or friend who may have a good idea for a special event to mark this important occasion, or who can suggest a special logo, is asked to communicate to Secretary-General Alex Borg or Communications Officer/PRO Laurence Vella (see masthead for details), preferably by not later than 15th March. Any suggestion of whatever nature will be gratefully welcomed.
MEMBERSHIP PAYMENT THROUGH BANK
A very pertinent word of advice from Treasurer David Abela.
One of our members paid a life membership of Lm30 by direct credit from BOV to HSBC Tarxien on 18th December 2007. But the bank has no details whatsoever of who made the payment!
David needs to find out who made the payment, and is therefore requesting the member to identify himself to him (see address below) or Secretary-General Alex Borg (see masthead for details). Any members who make direct transfers of membership fees or any other form of contribution by direct credit through a bank must always ensure that the bank shows his name, address, telephone and/or membership number for identification purposes. This will enable David to credit the payment to the correct member and avoid embarrassment when sending reminders for membership subscriptions which have, in fact, already been paid.
By contrast, another member who sent his subscription by direct credit in December clearly showed his membership number. This is always visible on the reminder.
MEMBERSHIP FEES
Membership fees are now payable at the rates of €11.65 per year or €69.90 for life membership. Fees are to be sent to ALPS Treasurer David Abela at “Juniper”, Triq Ganni Vella, Tal-Qattus, Birkirkara. Again, please copy the membership number from the reminder.
E-MAIL ADDRESSES
Several ALPS members and friends have suggested that ALPS News be distributed by e-mail rather than by costly conventional mail. But Secretary-General Alex Borg is invariably barraged by the electronic Postmaster with returned e-mails.
Members and friends who have changed their e-mail addresses, or who have had Internet recently installed on their computers, are earnestly asked to send in their updated addresses to studiomoda@global.net.mt.
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FUND-RAISING DINNER
in aid of Id-Dar tal-Providenza Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort, St George’s Bay ~~~~~~~~ From the buffet Pan-fried Supreme of Chicken Délice of Dentici Daube of Pork Roast Potatoes with Fennel Seeds ~~~~~~~~~~ Bitter Chocolate Tart ~~~~~~~~~~~ Coffee and Petit Fours ~~~~~~~~~~~ Half bottle of La Valette Red or White €21 per person 8 for 8.30 p.m. |