CULTURAL VISIT TO “LA CITTA’ VITTORIOSA”
The cultural visit to Vittoriosa on 30th October attracted
quite a good turn-out. It started at the recently-restored
Couvre Porte with a brief history of Birgu and its people
by historian Lino Bugeja. The group then proceeded to the
Inquisitor’s Palace, where they were given a guided
tour that included the current exhibition on “The Art
of Pain”. Next on the agenda was a very interesting
visit to St Lawrence Parish Church and Museum and the 16th-century
Auberge d’Angleterre, currently being used as Vittoriosa’s
Public Library.
Lunch was at Il-Forn, in a real old bakery that itself dates
back to at least the 16th century. Following an all-Maltese
start of bigilla, olives, bread and galletti
there was a buffet of three pasta varieties. Before or while
eating, the scores of participants could admire the colourful
gallery of modern art which the proprietors have decked the
place out with.
A.L.P.S. TO HAVE OWN HOME
Almost 11 years to the day since its formative General Meeting,
the Association of Lyceum Past Students is finally to have
a place it can call home, headquarters or any other word that
delivers the same message. The place is situated in St Joseph
Street, corner with Our Lady of Sorrows Street, Pietà,
just in front of Pietà Hotspurs Football Club.
It used to be the legal office of ALPS founder and now Deputy
President Dr Guido Saliba, who has offered it to the Association
at a modest rent. Interestingly enough, the suggestion originated
from his wife Mrs Irene Saliba! What was that saying about
there being a woman behind a good man, or suchlike? Of course
the Council of Administration did not lose any time pondering
over the offer, but gladly accepted it on the spot and passed
a vote of thanks to Dr and Mrs Saliba.
Quite by coincidence, just days before the offer Secretary-General
Alex Borg suggested it was high time for ALPS to have its
own dedicated e-mail address. Immediately on request e.Business
Systems Ltd put info@alpsmalta.com on line in conjunction
with the ALPS website.
Two more milestones reached during our tenth anniversary
year …
REQUIEM MASS
The annual Requiem Mass for the repose of the souls of deceased
ALPS members, Lyceum teachers, non-member past students and
former members of the community of Pwales will be held on
20th November 2004 – a Saturday. Needless
to add, this year’s Mass will be said at the St Anne
Chapel, which has now been fully restored.
Since it will be wintertime hours, the Mass will start at
4.30 p.m.
A FORETASTE OF CHRISTMAS
Maybe it’s not quite right to be writing about celebrating
Christmas just after mentioning November and our dear departed.
But time does fly and we do need to help our members plan
their Christmas activities.
In order not to have too much of the same (good) thing in
a few short days, the Council of Administration has decided
to hold its annual Christmas Dinner activity on 11th
December – again, a Saturday – so as
not to clash with other Yuletide events (and if they do clash,
of course we would like ours to prevail). The venue will be
the Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort, but the choice of restaurant
will depend on bookings.
More details will be made available shortly.
TIME FOR ANOTHER CHANGE
It has been said, repeatedly and in more ways than one, that
the process of change denotes an active and dynamic organisation:
two adjectives that certainly hold true for our Association.
With stocks of ALPS letterheads now running low, the Council
of Administration feels it is time to redesign the letterhead
for official correspondence (not the masthead of ALPS
News). There have already been a number of valid suggestions
from Council members, but at the last meeting it was decided
to use this newsletter to ask any ALPS members for their own
ideas.
Members who have kept past correspondence on file, such as
the invitation for the Anniversary Concert of Compositions
by Charles Camilleri, know what our letterheads look like.
Any member who thinks he could help but does not have a copy
of the current letterhead is welcome to contact Secretary-General
Alex Borg (see masthead for details), who will be only too
happy to fax it over for visual reference.
MEMBERSHIP DUES
It is all too well known that the statutory date for the
ALPS AGM is any day in the last week of January, and the AGM
can be attended only by current members. Unfortunately we
always get a number of laggards who find it hard to make some
time to open their chequebook and send a leaf out of it (with
all the details, of course!) to Treasurer Joe Mallia at “Daffodil
Court”, A/3 St George’s Street, St Venera HMR
18. Their eleventh-hour (and eleventh-month!) efforts will
be highly appreciated.
