{"id":5699,"date":"2015-01-28T15:00:36","date_gmt":"2015-01-28T15:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alps.asmlt.com\/?page_id=5699"},"modified":"2015-01-28T15:11:02","modified_gmt":"2015-01-28T15:11:02","slug":"administrative-report-2007","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/?page_id=5699","title":{"rendered":"ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t<\/a> <\/p>\n

JANUARY-DECEMBER 2007<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
NUMBER OF NEW MEMBERS IN 2007:<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/td>\n\n
67<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NUMBER OF NEW LIFE MEMBERS 2007:<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/td>\n\n

28
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

NUMBER OF LIFE MEMBERS TO DATE:<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/td>\n\n

128
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

NUMBER OF MEMBERS TO DATE:<\/strong><\/td>\n <\/td>\n\n
676<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NUMBER OF COUNCIL MEETINGS HELD
\n IN 2007:<\/strong><\/td>\n		 <\/td>\n\n
6<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
NUMBER OF ISSUES OF A.L.P.S. NEWS
\n IN 2007:<\/strong><\/td>\n		 <\/td>\n\n
10<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

What a successful year the Association of Lyceum Past Students
\n has had in 2007! Thanks are certainly due to all at the helm
\n of this dynamic association: the members of the Council of
\n Administration and the respective commissions, who gave all
\n the time and energy necessary to cement ALPS in its position
\n as one of the leading and most active associations of its
\n kind in Malta. This is borne out by the favourable comments
\n continuously heard after each event held, be it social, cultural,
\n civic, philanthropic or other. The satisfaction at each event
\n invariably results in more new members joining up or coming
\n up to date with their membership fees. These are the sort
\n of results that make each member of the Council proud and
\n gear us up to do yet more as the elected representatives of
\n more than 650 members.<\/p>\n

We started out describing the first socio-cum-philanthropic
\n event as \u201cthe biggest event ever\u201d. It was, indeed,
\n but we did not know what was in store for us all during the
\n year \u2013 and we will soon start having to look for some
\n new expressions because, even if we say so ourselves, the
\n events being organised continue to break all ALPS records
\n for the type of event. Even so, January will continue to be
\n remembered for the fund-raising event organised by ALPS with
\n the aim of raising as much funds as possible to enhance the
\n proceeds of the Lyceum Bicycle Marathon, which this year went
\n to Id-Dar tal-Providenza. The fund-raising dinner was held
\n at the Paradise Bay Resort Hotel, where 340 participants occupied
\n one of the largest restaurants in Malta for a lavish grand
\n buffet dinner complete with a cabaret show. The success included
\n over 140 rooms being occupied overnight. The net proceeds
\n of the evening reached over Lm500.<\/p>\n

Buoyed by such a great source of energy the new Council of
\n Administration elected at the Annual General Meeting held
\n at the end of January 2007 lost no time in getting together
\n around the table, setting up the respective commissions and
\n starting to work on the programme of activities for the year.<\/p>\n

That first great event was followed by another fund-raiser,
\n again for the Lyceum Bicycle Marathon. This time the event
\n was held at the Topaz Hotel. In keeping with the previous
\n one, this social function included a well-prepared buffet
\n dinner, which started off with a welcome drink for the approximately
\n 300 persons attending. The attractive prices offered by the
\n hotel management induced a number of those attending to stay
\n overnight \u2013 some even stayed a whole weekend because
\n the event was on a Friday. The weekend yielded another nice
\n amount of Lm500 towards the good cause of helping Id-Dar tal-Providenza.<\/p>\n

Malta in general \u2013 but ALPS in particular \u2013 could
\n not have had a better start to 2007 with the designation of
\n Fr Paul Cremona OP as Archbishop. The people rejoiced at the
\n excellent qualities of their new spiritual leader, but all
\n Lyceum past students felt proud as Fr Cremona was himself
\n a Lyceum past student who had started his years at The Lyceum
\n in 1956 and stayed until the early \u201860s.<\/p>\n

The Association of Lyceum Past Students was given a new visual
\n image with the introduction of new and modern letterheads
\n and envelopes, in keeping with the association\u2019s principles
\n of continuing to show professionalism to its members and friends
\n in particular and the public in general. The new stationery
\n was ably designed by Ramon Micallef of Box Design and printed
\n by Bonavia Printers, whose director, ALPS member Anton Cassar,
\n was only too proud to sponsor a substantial part of the first
\n consignment. <\/p>\n

March 2007 was a very busy month for all on the ALPS Council
\n of Administration, with the main focus being of course the
\n Lyceum Bicycle Marathon. All commissions were somehow involved.
\n Permanent Council member George Grech, a former Headmaster
\n of The Lyceum, and Civics Commission Chairman Oscar Galea
\n represented ALPS on the Marathon Organisation Committee: the
\n latter also helped with the logistics. Communications &
\n Publications Commission Chairman Laurie Vella worked closely
\n with his counterpart on the organising committee to handle
\n all the news releases and adverts. Other Council members including
\n President George Stagno Navarra, Treasurer David Abela, Assistant
\n Secretary-General Charles Calleja, Philanthropic Commission
\n Chairman Dr Nazareno Azzopardi, Social Commission Chairman
\n Alfred Formosa and Lyceum Scouts Coordinator Joe Micallef
\n managed the catering and drinks section at the marathon venue
\n with great professionalism. Membership Commission Chairman
\n Anthony Aquilina together with Projects Coordinator Leo Scicluna
\n and Council member Robbie Ferrante also gave a helping hand
\n in various sectors of the organisation. <\/p>\n

Great thanks go to Mrs Therese Calleja and Mrs Madeleine
\n Stagno Navarra, who besides giving welcome helping hands at
\n the bazaar also prepared six lovely hampers which were raffled
\n during the marathon weekend, with proceeds also going for
\n the same cause. Items included in the hampers were kindly
\n offered by various council members, while several association
\n members donated items for the bazaar. As a result of all the
\n good efforts by ALPS the association managed to donate Lm1,700
\n towards Id-Dar tal-Providenza: by far the association\u2019s
\n biggest contribution ever, not including the bazaar items. <\/p>\n

For the past 11 years the Foundation Day Concert had always
\n been held in the Main Hall of the Lyceum, with varying degrees
\n of success as regards attendance. For 2007 Cultural Commission
\n Chairman Joe Fenech came out with the idea of doing something
\n with a difference and on a bigger scale. For several weeks
\n he put all his efforts into a concert version of the famous
\n operetta La Danza delle Libellule. The show was presented
\n to a full house at the Salesian Theatre in Sliema on 28th
\n April. The very enjoyable evening included the participation
\n of soloists Karen Camilleri, Louiselle Pace Gouder, Connie
\n Frances Zerafa, Joseph Aquilina and Joe Huber, accompanied
\n by pianist Cynthia Genovese. Also taking part were the Youth
\n Orchestra of the Societ\u00e0 Filarmonica Sliema, the U3E
\n Choir trained by Yolanda Micallef, and a troupe from the CATS
\n Dance Company. Monica Attard and John Dimech ably comp\u00e8red
\n the show. Thanks to the efforts put in by all involved, but
\n especially Joe Fenech who also directed the whole show, it
\n was a real night to remember, with the resounding applause
\n of the packed audience who filled every corner of the theatre.
\n The after-show comments were excellent and the theatre management
\n congratulated ALPS for having attracted the biggest-ever audience
\n to the Salesian Theatre. Having been advertised as a fund-raising
\n event in aid of the Salesian Youth Centre, the show yielded
\n the very welcome sum of Lm450 which were presented to the
\n Salesian community after the show.<\/p>\n

May was no less a busy month for the Association of Lyceum
\n Past Students. This time the council trained its sights on
\n organising a springtime cultural tour, also taken care of
\n by Joe Fenech. He went into great detail and listed the important
\n sights in Zurrieq. The tour was eventually conducted by Mr
\n Tony Terribile, a well-known historian and guide. In attendance
\n were a good number of members, spouses and friends who were
\n taken to a number of Zurrieq landmarks, including the Xarolla
\n Windmill, the parish church of Zurrieq and Hal Millieri Chapel.
\n The tour was followed by lunch at Wied iz-Zurrieq.<\/p>\n

Also in May the Council of Administration organised the now-traditional
\n annual weekend spiritual retreat at Manresa House in Gozo.
\n This year\u2019s programme was led by Fr Henry Formosa SJ. <\/p>\n

Following the outrageous destruction of 3,000 saplings at
\n Mellieha, President George Stagno Navarra came up with the
\n bright idea of ALPS participating in the 34U Campaign. The
\n suggestion was immediately taken up and the appropriate forms
\n provided by the Environment Department were sent to all members
\n and friends with ALPS News. In the meantime Mr Stagno Navarra
\n set up the necessary contacts with the authorities to allocate
\n the association an appropriate site for the proposed ALPS
\n Olive Grove and programme a collective planting event. This
\n was successfully done and now the association is proud to
\n have a small olive orchard at the top end of Kennedy Grove,
\n which can be easily accessed and visited from near the Bela
\n Vista Hotel.<\/p>\n

During a council meeting held in June it was decided to set
\n up a new St Anne\u2019s Chapel Commission to take care of
\n the chapel in Pwales. The commission is headed by Dr Nazareno
\n Azzopardi with members Leo Scicluna and Oscar Galea. The council
\n took the opportunity to thank Charles Calleja and his wife
\n Therese for the work they had so lovingly done ever since
\n the chapel was entrusted to ALPS.<\/p>\n

Also during the same meeting ALPS set up another sub-committee
\n to work on a new project: the restoration of the Lyceum Archives.
\n These important archives, which are currently in a sorry state,
\n need urgent care and restoration. Led by Project Coordination
\n Commission Chairman Leo Scicluna, the sub-committee also includes
\n George Grech and Robbie Ferrante. With a view to the success
\n of the project the council sought the help of President Emeritus
\n Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, himself a Lyceum Past Student, and ALPS
\n member Charles Micallef St John. It is gratifying to point
\n out that the project has the full blessing and backing of
\n Education Minister Louis Galea, who has always encouraged
\n the association in its activities.<\/p>\n

The Mnarja BBQ held at the Coastline Hotel on the eve of the
\n feast of St Peter and St Paul was another great success. Members
\n and friends filled up the hotel\u2019s open-air terrace and
\n enjoyed an excellent buffet dinner. The pleasant atmosphere
\n under a clear sky and cool evening continued to well after
\n midnight, when participants started to think about returning
\n home while praising ALPS for another well-organised event.<\/p>\n

The annual feast of St Anne at the Pwales Chapel was held
\n on 14th July. Mass was celebrated by ALPS Spiritual Director
\n Fr William Bartolo OFM Conv. This year\u2019s event was animated
\n by the San Gwann Choir under the direction of Mr Ray Storace.
\n The feast ended with a reception where all present enjoyed
\n cold drinks and wines and some good eats prepared by members
\n of the council and their wives.<\/p>\n

After long and hard work the association can boast of another
\n great success. This year will be remembered by many for the
\n Grand Reunion held in Toronto, Canada. A group of ALPS members
\n and friends led by President George Stagno Navarra went on
\n an organised three-week tour to Canada. The climax of the
\n tour came early on: it was the reunion with Lyceum past students
\n residing in Canada on 31st August, making it a memorable day
\n especially for the President, Secretary-General Alex Borg
\n and Treasurer David Abela on the Malta side and ALPS Canada
\n President Milo Vassallo who made all the arrangements for
\n an excellent dinner at the exclusive Ontario Club, as well
\n as for the rest of the tour. Forty-four Lyceum past students
\n and their spouses who have settled in Canada joined their
\n Maltese counterparts for this special event. It was really
\n a wonderful occasion for old friends to meet and new ones
\n to be made. Mr Stagno Navarra distributed certificates and
\n a memento to all the Maltese-Canadian friends. Milo Vassallo
\n was presented with a well-deserved certificate of Honorary
\n Life Membership of ALPS and Mrs Vassallo, who was the perfect
\n hostess during our stay in Toronto, with a large silver frame.
\n The group of ALPS participants from Malta then continued on
\n an unforgettable tour in Canada, visiting the Rockies and
\n Vancouver and taking a cruise to Alaska.<\/p>\n

The now-annual Lyceum Grand Reunion for 2007 was the greatest
\n ever to date. Hundreds of past students from all walks of
\n life converged at The Lyceum in Hamrun on 12th October to
\n relive memories of their education with former schoolmates.
\n The guest of honour was Archbishop Paul Cremona, himself a
\n Lyceum past student. He concelebrated Holy Mass for all those
\n who attended together with a number of priests, including
\n Mgr Lawrence Gatt who entered the school 60 years ago, Fr
\n Anton Gouder and ALPS Spiritual Director Fr William Bartolo.
\n Welcoming all present, including Education Minister Louis
\n Galea, the President of ALPS spoke about innumerable gentlemen
\n that the Lyceum had turned out and who had made their old
\n school and their country proud. At the end of his speech Mr
\n Stagno Navarra presented Archbishop Cremona with a gift and
\n a parchment appointing him Honorary Life Member. ALPS donated
\n a selection of books to the Lyceum Library. All guests present
\n were treated to a reception.<\/p>\n

The annual Requiem Mass for the repose of departed ALPS members,
\n teachers and Lyceum past students and relatives, as well as
\n departed relatives of the small Pwales community, was held
\n on 17th November at St Anne\u2019s Chapel at Pwales Valley.
\n A surprisingly-good number of members, friends and members
\n of the Pwales community braved the miserable rainy weather
\n to attend.<\/p>\n

Another novelty this year has been the creation of the ALPS
\n Choir under the direction of Joe Fenech, who also took care
\n of all preparations for the 2008 Foundation Day Concert. Riding
\n on the success of the 2007 Foundation Day Concert, this will
\n be an alla grande production of a concert version of the popular
\n operetta La Principessa della Czarda. Mr Fenech says the choir
\n is of very good potential. The ALPS Choir includes a good
\n number of the council members and their respective wives,
\n as well as a number of ALPS members and friends. <\/p>\n

Following the success of two years ago when the association
\n launched the philanthropic project Pitazz u Lapis, collecting
\n thousands of exercise books and pencils from Maltese schoolchildren
\n for donation to children in Peru, this year the project is
\n again being spearheaded by Philanthropic Commission Chairman
\n Dr Nazareno Azzopardi, who wrote to all State and private
\n schools urging them to participate in the new project named
\n Pitazz u Lapis jew Gugarell. The collection of all items will
\n be made during the second week in January 2008. All items
\n collected this time around will be passed on to the Mission
\n Fund, which will then forward them to Tanzania.<\/p>\n

The Association\u2019s Yuletide Dinner-dance was held on
\n 7th December at the Paradise Bay Resort Hotel, the same venue
\n where the association had held its first social activity for
\n 2007. The resonant feedback from the previous members and
\n friends who attended the successful dinner in January encouraged
\n the Council of Administration to revisit the same venue for
\n another big and successful function. Hundreds of ALPS members
\n and friends attended for this great evening of enjoyable camaraderie,
\n good dining and dancing to a live trio. Most of the participants
\n took the opportunity to book a weekend at the hotel.<\/p>\n

The ALPS Foundation day Concert for 2008 has been brought
\n forward to Saturday 19th January 2008. This will be a concert
\n version of another popular operetta, La Principessa della
\n Czarda. Cultural Commission Chairman Joe Fenech, the director
\n and organiser of this event, has again put all his energy
\n into ensuring another great success. <\/p>\n

Before concluding this extensive report highlighting the great
\n successes attained by our Association of Lyceum Past Students
\n during 2007 I cannot but mention the hard work by all members
\n of the Council of Administration, who invariably did their
\n best to obtain the highest standards that a dynamic association
\n like ours deserves. <\/p>\n

In 2009 we will be celebrating the 15th anniversary of the
\n association. If things continue to go as they have done they
\n will have been 15 years of one success followed by another
\n greater one. The new Council of Administration will certainly
\n not leave any stone unturned to organise more outstanding
\n events to be cherished in the memories of all those who have
\n ALPS at heart.\n <\/p>\n

\n ALEX BORG
\n Secretary-General\n <\/p>\n

Administrative
\n Reports:<\/font><\/strong> 2003<\/a>
\n 2004<\/a> 2005<\/a>
\n 2006<\/a> 2007<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JANUARY-DECEMBER 2007 NUMBER OF NEW MEMBERS IN 2007:   67 NUMBER OF NEW LIFE MEMBERS 2007:   28 NUMBER OF LIFE MEMBERS TO DATE:   128 NUMBER OF MEMBERS TO DATE:   676 NUMBER...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":25,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5699","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5699"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5699\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5700,"href":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5699\/revisions\/5700"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/25"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alpsmalta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}