JANUARY-DECEMBER 2004
| Number of members up to date in payment: |
469
|
|
| Number of new members during 2004: |
8
|
|
| Number of life members in 2004: |
6 |
|
| Number of life members to date: |
68 |
|
| Number of issues of ALPS News during 2004: |
10
|
|
| Number of Council of Administration meetings held during 2004: |
9
|
Thanks to the great efforts made by all members of the Council
of Administration and the respective commissions, 2004 can
be marked as another successful year that included social,
cultural, civic and spiritual activities throughout, but especially
the tenth anniversary celebrations of the Association of Lyceum
Past Students.
The year started off with the Annual General Meeting on
25th January, and the new Council of Administration soon settled
down to organise a whole year of activities. The first one
was a Valentine’s Day Dinner at the Victoria Hotel,
Sliema, on 14th February. This was well attended by over 60
couples who thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
This year was a special year for the Association because
it marked its tenth anniversary. An ad hoc sub-committee within
the Council was formed to prepare an exceptional programme
of activities befitting the occasion.
All members could easily notice that during 2004 every issue
of ALPS News bore a special logo commemorating the ten years
1994–2004. This special logo, which was very well received,
was the work of graphic designer Ramon Micallef under the
guidance of Founder-President Dr Guido Saliba. All correspondence
and mail sent out by the Association similarly bore stickers
with the anniversary logo.
The anniversary activities were launched at a news conference
held at the Victoria Hotel on 26th February. Representatives
of the local media were given an outline of the ALPS Mission
Statement and its numerous activities – philanthropic,
social and cultural – over the past ten years. Also
distributed at the news conference was a special number of
ALPS News, printed in full colour, with information about
the anniversary activities. These included an awareness-enhancing
interview on the Television Malta cultural programme “Meander”
by Mrs Mariella Pisani Bencini, who on various occasions has
very willingly helped to give additional exposure to ALPS
activities.
The special programme for the tenth anniversary started
on 4th March 2004 with a concert at the Corinthia Palace Hotel,
Balzan. The event was held in association with the “Windows
on Music” series organised by the Malta Tourism Authority.
This special evening was indeed a glittering occasion, and
will long be hard to beat for success in the annals of ALPS
both for its content and for the unprecedented attendance
for such concerts, with the audience packing every available
space in the spacious Chameleon Suite. It took months to organise
this special event, a Concert of Compositions by Prof. Charles
Camilleri – himself a Lyceum Past Student – who took the idea
as a personal challenge when approached with it. The concert
also featured world-renowned clarinetist David Campbell, whose
participation was sponsored by British music publishers Messrs.
Boosey & Hawkes. Mr Campbell’s trip to Malta was
sponsored by Air Malta.
One long-awaited feature launched during the anniversary
celebrations was the Association’s website, www.ALPSmalta.com.
Its setting up was generously sponsored by ALPS member Mr
Stephen D’Alessandro, Managing Director of E-Business
Systems. This included months of hard work by Publications
& Communications Commission Chairman Mr Laurie Vella,
who put all the pieces together to make the website take shape.
The Carlson Suite at the Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort was
chosen as the venue for the celebration dinner to commemorate
the tenth anniversary of the Association. A pre-dinner thanksgiving
Mass was concelebrated at the Clermont Suite by ALPS Spiritual
Director Fr William Bartolo OFM Conv. and Fr Albert Felice
Pace OP, a Lyceum Past Student who was visiting from the USA
where he is based. The dinner too was a resounding success,
with more than 200 persons attending. This special event featured
ALPS Founder-President Dr Guido Saliba sending out the Association’s
website on line from a special set-up of equipment in the
Carlson Suite itself. Dr Saliba also distributed 10-year membership
certificates to all founder members, as well as a special
certificate to mark the appointment of Mr Winston V. Zahra,
Chairman of the Island Hotels Group, as the first Honorary
Life Member of ALPS for his unwavering support of our activities.
Dr Saliba rounded up the strengths and achievements of ALPS
in a speech that sadly was to be his last major one for the
Association.
The Association offered its full support to the organisers
of the Lyceum Bicycle Marathon, which had been postponed from
the previous autumn and providentially fell within the ALPS
anniversary month, March. With Dr Saliba having tendered his
resignation as President at the first Council of Administration
meeting after the celebration dinner, at which time he was
elected Honorary President for Life and Acting Deputy President,
it fell to Acting President George Stagno Navarra to present
the marathon organisers with a cheque towards the event’s
proceeds, which eventually exceeded Lm10,000. The total amount
was presented to the President of Malta Edward Fenech Adami
in aid of the Malta Community Chest Fund, with a special request
that the funds be allocated to the treatment of children with
cancer.
During June two cultural activities were held. The first
one was a cultural visit to San Anton Palace and Private Gardens.
Thanks go to ALPS member Brigadier Claude Gaffiero, who conducted
the tour free of charge. After the tour the participants,
who numbered about 90, got together for a light lunch at Saracino’s
Restaurant in Attard. The second cultural tour held during
June was a visit to the Caravaggio Exhibition in the restored
Caraffa Stores at the Cottonera Waterfront, followed by a
light lunch at the same premises. This was also well attended
by over 100 members and their families.
To make June a really busy month for the Association, a
spiritual weekend retreat was also organised at Manresa House
in Gozo. This was led by outgoing MUSEUM Secretary-General
Mr John Formosa, and 30 members attended together with their
spouses.
July 2004 can also be considered as a special month for the
Association of Lyceum Past Students. This was because it marked
the completion of the full restoration of the Chapel of St
Anne at Pwales. Under the guidance of Civics Commission Chairman
Mr Charles Calleja the project was started about three years
ago and was finished in time to be inaugurated in conjunction
with the tenth anniversary of the Association. The last task
to complete the restoration was the laying of a new floor
of franka flagstones and the polishing of the floor.
The inauguration was held during the liturgical feast of
St Anne, which again was well attended by members, families
and friends. A full programme was organised which included
Holy Mass with the participation of the choir of the University
of the Third Age under the direction of Mro Joe Fenech (aka
Social Activities Commission Chairman), whom the Council thanks
for the services of the choir at such activities. The event
also included the blessing of a new pedestal for the statue
of St Anne (material for which was donated by the Studiomoda
Group) and the unveiling of a commemorative plaque by the
Founder Dr Guido Saliba and Minister Dr Francis Zammit Dimech.
Thanks go to Council members and their spouses who prepared
the eats and drinks for the reception held to wind up the
celebration. A big vote of thanks also goes to the Lyceum
Scouts Group who, on the initiative of Council member Mr Joe
Micallef, spent a whole weekend cleaning the areas leading
to and surrounding the chapel and doing other necessary works
to make the event a success.
A socio-cultural event was held during September which,
although not very well-attended, was nonetheless a success
in the enjoyment of all who did participate. The event included
an afternoon visit to the wartime shelters at Mgarr, including
high tea and Mass, and an evening at the Paradise Bay Resort
Hotel where participants were treated to a lavish buffet and
a very enjoyable cabaret show to finish up the night. For
this event the Council of Administration also laid on an experimental
transport service, which went down very well with all those
who made use of it. Also in September the Association organised
a seven-day tour to Sardegna, with the participation of about
18 members and their families.
The cultural tour to Vittoriosa in October attracted a good
turn-out. The Association is indebted to historian Mr Lino
Bugeja, who gave the group of nearly a hundred participants
a brief history of Birgu. This tour included a visit to the
Inquisitor’s Palace, St Lawrence Parish Church and Museum
and lunch at Il-Forn Restaurant, also situated also in Birgu,
to round it off.
After taking the helm of the Association, Acting President
Mr George Stagno Navarra put the idea to the rest of the Council
of Administration that the Association deserved to have its
own “home” where various activities and meetings
could be held. Eleven years after the formation of ALPS this
dream came true when Dr Guido Saliba offered the Association
his former legal office in Pietà to be used as the
ALPS Headquarters. Thanks go to Mrs Irene Saliba who originally
suggested the idea to the Association’s Founder. It
will be up to the new Council to decide whether or not to
take up this offer at a nominal rent of Lm15 monthly, which
was also agreed with Dr and Mrs Saliba.
In November the association paid its tribute to the deceased
ALPS members and former Lyceum students and teachers with
the now-customary Requiem Mass at the Chapel of St Anne in
Pwales. Spiritual Director Fr William Bartolo said Holy Mass
for a packed chapel which included a number of residents of
the Pwales area.
The full restoration of the Chapel of St Anne at Pwales
had a very good exposure with a feature in the popular cultural
programme “Meander” on Television Malta. Besides
filming on location producer-presenter Mrs Mariella Pisani
Bencini interviewed Mr George Stagno Navarra and Mr Charles
Calleja, who both gave a detailed account of the works done
by the Association, especially the restoration and the day-to-day
administration of the chapel. The Acting President also took
the occasion to invite past students of The Lyceum to join
the Association and highlighted other cultural and civic works
carried out by ALPS.
It is a source of satisfaction that we have now got it into
our system to issue at least ten editions a year of ALPS News,
which invariably seeks to drum up support for forthcoming
events and dutifully reports on the most recent ones. The
Association is indebted to Messrs Integrated Electronics Ltd
of San Gwann for sponsoring the printing of the newsletter
throughout 2004.
Looking ahead there is, indeed, much that remains to be
done, not only by the Council of Administration but also by
ALPS members in general. Somebody once said that the most
constant thing is change, and change we must – for the
better – if we are to see this Association of ours make
the progress it deserves.
(a) The most important change of all would arguably be a
serious effort by every individual member to support a drive
for new members through the contacts that all of us must still
have with former Lyceum schoolmates.
(b) Quite besides the local membership drive, efforts will
be renewed to recharge interest in ALPS on the part of Lyceum
Past Students who have emigrated, notably to Australia, USA
and Canada. Again in this context it would help immensely
if every ALPS member would use any remaining contacts with
former schoolmates.
(c) We are currently in the process of renewing our letterhead
in anticipation of ordering new stocks, and non-Council members
would be very welcome to suggest a new lay-out for consideration
with others that have already been put forward. Any member
who would like a copy of the letterhead to work on will be
gladly supplied therewith.
(d) Serious steps must be taken to relieve the Association
of some of its financial load. ALPS News has repeatedly called
for members to give us their e-mail addresses so that the
newsletter can be sent to them electronically, with the obvious
saving of mailing costs. The current list stands at 60 –
a far cry from its true potential in this day and age when
almost everybody has access to e-mail.
(e) Although the ALPS website keeps growing as commitments
allow, it is still not being made optimum use of for Lyceum
Past Students to make contact with one another and possibly
even organise get-togethers or class reunions. Having said
that, it is gratifying to put on record that in the first
ten months of its existence the website has attracted a total
of 767 visits. Understandably, March was the month with the
highest number of (curious?) visitors to date: 104.
This Administrative Report for 2004 will necessarily have
to finish on a very sad note. On 9th December we had to pay
our last respects and bid farewell to our Founder Dr Guido
Saliba, who eleven years ago dreamed of forming the Association
of Lyceum Past Students. I who have served as Secretary-General
since the inception of the Association and worked hand-in-hand
with him can say that we have lost a teacher, a friend and
a father. The only consolation – if consolation it can
be – is the fitting farewell that our dear Founder was
given at his funeral, at which, with the family’s permission,
the Council of Administration of ALPS proudly gave its full
involvement. On behalf of all ALPS members I wish to take
this occasion to convey again the condolences of the Council
and all ALPS members to Mrs Irene Saliba and her family.
One of the immediate thoughts at the news of the demise
of Dr Saliba was to cancel the Christmas Dinner which had
been planned for 11th December, just two days after the funeral,
but Mrs Saliba did not agree Her answer to the Council was
that Guido would have wanted the event to go ahead as planned,
and that she was sure he would be looking on us all with pleasure
from where he is. May he rest in peace.
ALEX BORG
ALPS Secretary-General
Administrative
Reports: 2003
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