FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK
Christmas is that special time of the year when we all love
to send and receive messages of friendship and happiness.
We exchange our happy thoughts and reciprocate to one another
the feelings that come to us so naturally. It is the time
when we may just stop and think about the birth of Our Saviour
that rekindles the hearts and brings us together during the
festive season.
Let us all remember the things that we have done and others
that we have missed; let’s recall all the happy and the sad
moments that we have been through during the year 2007 which
is about to end. Let us take this opportunity to make amends,
because tomorrow may be just too late.
I extend to all ALPS Members and Friends sincere best wishes
for a very Merry and Happy – but above all a Blessed
– Christmas and a Bright and Prosperous New Year 2008,
full of good luck and greater successes.
GEORGE STAGNO NAVARRA
President ALPS – Ghaqda Ex-Studenti Liceo
YULETIDE DINNER-DANCE
The Association’s Yuletide Dinner-Dance was held on
Friday 7th December at the Paradise Bay Resort Hotel at Cirkewwa.
The decision on the venue was due in large measure to the
resonant feedback received from scores of ALPS members and
friends who attended the very successful dinner there in January
2007. Hundreds of ALPS Members and Friends snapped up the
invitation for a great evening of enjoyable camaraderie, good
dining and dancing to a live quartet. Most took the opportunity
to stay for two nights at the attractive rates offered by
the hotel management.
The event was highlighted with two first appearances: the
up-and-coming ALPS Choir, part of whom sang two numbers from
their first operetta, and the custom-made ALPS ties which
were very well received. In fact, a lady who was coming out
of the restaurant before the start of the ALPS dinner bought
one for her father, a past Lyceum student. Her son is also
a Lyceum student. With a debut like that …
Greeting the guests, ALPS President George Stagno Navarra
rejoiced at the great number of old and new acquaintances
that the Association could get together for such festive occasions.
The several social and cultural events that had been organised
over the year had shown the amount of good that could be generated
both for members and friends and for the less fortunate. ALPS
events had helped to raise several thousand liri in proceeds
from the Lyceum Bicycle Marathon (which had all been channelled
to the Dar tal-Providenza) and thousands of pencils and exercise
books which had gone to the schoolchildren in the MSSP missions
in Peru. The latter project was being relaunched for this
winter (see separate item in this edition of ALPS News).
Other events had included the Annual Barbecue, held at the
Coastline Hotel; the 34U planting ceremony at Kennedy Grove;
and the annual Mass for the repose of the souls of departed
past students and masters of The Lyceum (chief among them
ALPS Founder-President Dr Guido Saliba) and relatives of ALPS
members and friends and the Pwales community.
But without doubt, said Mr Stagno Navarra, the two greatest
events of 2007 had been the two Grand Reunions for past students
held thousands of kilometres apart: the now-annual October
reunion in Malta, made all the more memorable by the presence
of Archbishop Paul Cremona, and the historic reunion held
in Toronto, Canada, as part of the no-less-historic visit
there by a group of ALPS members and friends. The Toronto
Grand Reunion had indeed been a ground-breaking one, and George
held out prospects of a repeat visit or possibly even to faraway
Australia.
A particular welcome was reserved for ALPS stalwart Mgr Lawrence
Gatt, Director of Dar tal-Providenza, who at the Malta reunion
in October had celebrated with his former classmates the 60th
anniversary of his entrance to The Lyceum. Mgr Gatt thanked
ALPS for all the funds it had gathered over the years for
the homes, not least Lm104 at the Yuletide Dinner-Dance itself
from the sale of CDs donated by tenor Andrew Sapiano and recorded
over the 30 years of his studded career.
Mr Stagno Navarra finally announced that a prominent ALPS
member, Mr Arthur Gruppetta of Merlin Library, had donated
to the Association a fabulous two-volume work of the Holy
Bible. By special arrangement with the Lyceum Headmaster,
the Association would be passing this gift on to the Lyceum
Library for the students’ benefit, by formal presentation
at a future event.
A TOY FOR GOOD MEASURE
Following the success of two years ago when ALPS launched
a collection of exercise books and pencils from Maltese schoolchildren
for their counterparts in Arequipa, Peru, the Association
has now launched a similar project – but with a toy
thrown in for good measure. All items collected from this
campaign Pitazz u Lapis jew {ugarell will be passed on to
the Malta Mission Fund, which will then forward them to Tanzania.
“The image of smiling Peruvian children in their classrooms
with exercise books that bore clearly-visible Maltese brand
names is still fresh with us,” says ALPS President George
Stagno Navarra, “and we are looking forward to repeating
the experience, possibly on an even-larger scale.”
The project is again being spearheaded by Philanthropic Commission
Chairman Dr Nazareno Azzopardi, who with the cooperation of
the Education Division has already written to all Government,
private and religious school heads urging them to participate
and organise the collection of exercise books, pencils and
toys in January, after most children will have received loads
of toys for Christmas.
“The toy in this year’s project has been thrown
in following comments received by many after the first project,”
said Dr Azzopardi. “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.”
ALPS recommends to its members and friends, most of whom
have children and grandchildren of school-going age, to encourage
their families to cooperate in the project.
TO ROME FOR “TOSCA”
Joe Fenech, aka ALPS Cultural Commission Chairman, will be
leading a tour to Rome between 22nd and 25th January, 2008,
organised by Euro Tours. The focal point of the tour will
be a performance of Tosca at the Teatro dell’Opera di
Roma. The group will be accommodated in a 3-star hotel close
to Stazione Termini and will visit Sant’Andrea della
Valle, Palazzo Farnese and Castel Sant’Angelo, the three
places which feature in the opera’s first, second and
third acts respectively. Also on the cards is a visit to the
Vatican City, as well as other Roman touristic highlights.
Prices start from Lm249/€580 for an adult sharing a
twin room, including return Air Malta flights to Rome, airport-hotel-airport
and hotel-theatre-hotel transfers, three nights’ accommodation
and buffet breakfast, a good opera ticket and all taxes. Bookings
on first-come-first-served basis can be made with Joe Fenech
on 21 410632.
FOUNDATION DAY CONCERT 2008
As already announced, the ALPS Foundation Day Concert for
2008 has been brought forward to Saturday 19th January at
the Salesian Theatre in Sliema. The event will be a semi-concert
version of the operetta La Principessa della Czarda, with
music by Emerich Kalmann.
There will be free parking in St Patrick’s grounds.
Cultural Commission Chairman Joe Fenech, who as usual is
spearheading the efforts, says the ALPS Choir launched for
the operetta is coming along nicely in both quantity and quality
– and what’s better still, the choristers are
enjoying themselves and making new friends. Any ALPS members
and friends, male or female, who would like to join are still
in time to contact Joe on telephone 21 410632.
… AND NOW AN ORCHESTRA
Following the encouraging response to the idea of the choir,
the Association’s dynamic Council of Administration
has now turned its sights to the possibilities of setting
up an orchestra!
Although every musician will be welcome to join this orchestra,
the Council’s aim is mainly to attract rather younger
blood to its activities. All those interested – including
the sons and daughters of ALPS members and friends –
are encouraged to contact Joe Fenech and give their particulars.
Hands up all those willing to bet that in a couple of years’
time we can actually present a concert with the participation
of the ALPS Orchestra and Choir for Foundation Day …
… AND A MUSEUM
The Council of Administration is seeking to acquire premises
in which it can set up a Lyceum Museum and possibly also house
its archives. But furnishing the museum itself would have
to rely in large measure on the generosity of Lyceum past
students who would be willing either to donate exhibits or
even lend them to the Association on a permanent basis.
Taking the thought a point further, Lyceum past students
who have remained without family, or whose immediate family
have no specific interest in The Lyceum because they have
attended other schools, could dwell on the idea of bequeathing
any or all of their Lyceum memorabilia to the ALPS Museum.
With immediate effect, arrangements for any donations or
permanent loans may be made with ALPS Secretary-General Alex
Borg (see masthead for details). He may also be contacted
by anyone who thinks he might point out or help acquire a
suitable, centrally-located place for the museum.
A.L.P.S. 15TH ANNIVERSARY
April 2009 will mark the 15th anniversary of that day in
1994 when Dr Guido Saliba, father-figure, teacher and treasured
friend to thousands of former students at The Lyceum, started
to see the realisation of his long-cherished dream of setting
up an association of former Lyceum students.
In its eagerness to mark the anniversary with the pomp it
deserves, the Council has set up a sub-committee to start
preparations for the event. Ideas of appropriate events –
with an essential eye to costs – may be broached to
Assistant Secretary-General Charles Calleja (telephone 21
581574), Projects Coordinator Leo Scicluna (21 488570) or
Council member Robbie Ferrante (21 444570).
WALK A MILE
The ALPS Council of Administration has already set out a
number of suggested events to help raise funds for the 2008
edition of the Lyceum Bicycle Marathon, which will be held
between 11th and 13th April at The Lyceum. As in previous
years, the events will be coordinated with the marathon organising
committee.
Council member Oscar Galea, who with Deputy President George
Grech represents ALPS on the committee, is very keen to organise
a sponsored mile-long walk to be held in the Lyceum grounds
while the marathon is in progress. Intending participants
– who will be sure to gain not only morally and spiritually
but also physically – can contact Oscar on telephone
21 896293 and leave their details.
IN SEARCH OF YOUNG BLOOD
Since people don’t get any younger, the need is making
itself increasingly felt for young blood to help push forward
the Association’s busy agenda. One good way of achieving
this would be nominations of new faces for election to the
Council of Administration at the Annual General Meeting which
will be held at 6 p.m. on the evening of Friday 25th January
2008 at The Lyceum, Hamrun.
It is hoped that the sharp increase in membership, especially
over the past year, will be duly reflected in greater attendance
than usual for the AGM. It is true that the success of our
activities injects new encouragement in Council members, who
do all their work voluntarily, but seeing real interest in
the AGM is just as important.
Secretary-General Alex Borg will read the minutes of the
2007 AGM. If there are no matters arising he will proceed
with the Administrative Report, and Treasurer David Abela
will follow up with the audited Financial Report. There will
also be a short discussion on the updating of the Statute.
A speech from President George Stagno Navarra will precede
the election of Council members which, according to the statute,
this year will not include the posts of President and Secretary-General
in the interests of continuity.
A twin nomination form is attached at the end of this newsletter
to facilitate nominations, keeping in mind the various commissions
(see statute on website). These are to be sent to Alex Borg
(see masthead for address) by not later than a week before
the AGM. If necessary, help will be given to find secondants.
ENSURING ELIGIBILITY
In the meantime, ALPS members who may not yet have paid their
membership for 2007 can ensure eligibility to attend the AGM
by sending Lm5/€11.65 (annual subscription) or Lm30/€69.88
(once-only life membership) to Treasurer David Abela at “Juniper”,
Triq Ganni Vella, Tal-Qattus, Birkirkara.
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ASSOCIATION OF LYCEUM PAST STUDENTS
(GHAQDA EX-STUDENTI LICEO) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2008 NOMINATION FORM I hereby nominate _______________________________________
ASSOCIATION OF LYCEUM PAST STUDENTS ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2008 NOMINATION FORM I hereby nominate _______________________________________
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