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LEST WE FORGET: It was in 1988 that a first group
tried to organise itself ill Wellington. We met in
Brooklyn and started what we considered as a small social
group presided by Mrs. Carmen Niven nee Dalli. We had
sporadic socials organised over die next few years
consisting mainly of Bring a Plate of finger foods at each
other's houses. The number of Maltese in this group was
then about 14 and stayed at this until early in 1997 when
Mrs Dalli handed over the presidency as she could not
carry on.
At this time if there was nobody willing to take over our
small association would have become defunct but
fortunately the then secretary from inception accepted the
role of president. Thus Mr Anthony Micallef took over in
May and started a new era for the Maltese Association.
When Mr Anthony Micallef was appointed officially by the
then Maltese High Commissioner Mr George Busuttil he
started plans for the association to become an
incorporated society.
A few weeks later we received as a guest our Honorary
Consul Mrs Patricia Thake from Auckland and plans were
then started on the distribution of K.INNIE here in
Wellington, the starting of a regular newsletter The
Maltese Wellingtonian which is send out every 6 to 8 weeks
to all the members of The Maltese Association and also to
the members of The Friends of Malta Society New Zealand an
umbrella group for the association made mainly of X
Servicemen from The Second World War.
A special meeting was held in St Francis Xavier School in
Tawa on 21 St September 1997, a committee formed a
constitution presented and application for the association
to become an incorporated society presented to the
authorities, hi December we then became known as The
Maltese Association of Wellington Incorporated.
Since then our membership has continually kept increasing.
Funds were always obtained through kind donations from
members and grants from various organizations as we have a
free membership. The new group has always made it an
effort to organise quarterly reunions for its members coinciding
with Maltese Public Holidays and An Annual General Meeting
every September an audited account is passed of our
expenses mainly related to the production of our
newsletter which is our vehicle of information to all our
members.
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