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Why in English |
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The contribution this week is slightly
different. I have more text in English. I feel
these first two articles need to be read and
understood by those whose first language is not
Maltese. The article regarding the 2010
Convention in Malta was published in The Times,
an English language daily newspaper in Malta on
the 9th December 09.
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My next
contribution on this website will appear on the
11th January 2010. |
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We need to understand the past
to move forward |
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 The
Maltese living abroad have welcomed the announcement of the
dates of the Third Convention, which is being held in Malta
between the 15 and 18 March 2010. This announcement has been
long in coming. The Government has also announced the themes to
be covered during the convention
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The challenge of
change; education, culture and heritage |
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Youth – towards the future |
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The elderly in the community; |
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Consular and citizenship issues |
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The 1969 Convention was directed at the migrants scattered
around the word. The second Convention held at the dawn of the
new millennium was aimed at the leaders of Associations of
Maltese Abroad and of Maltese origin. The 2010 Convention has
now been extended to Maltese living abroad. The years have
passed us by and now we can say with certainty that there are
far more persons of Maltese descent living abroad that those
that were Malta born.
Therefore, it was a bold and a decisive step by the Government
firstly to take complete control of the Convention and as
Minister Dr Tonio Borg said, “to secure a convention which not
only looks at the past and the present, but also at the future.
I do no think that enough advance time was given to the
prospective participants for this Convention. Considering that
delegates have to go to Malta from far and wide the organizers
should have given us ample notice. Most of the delegates and
others that may be interested mostly work on a voluntary basis
amongst the Maltese communities. They need time to organize
their budget, family, social and work commitments to travel to
Malta. If you travel from Australia, you do not visit Malta for
just three days. By the time, the organizing committee decides
who it shall assist financially and who the keynote speakers are
going to be, the Convention will be upon us.
Speaking from experience, as I have attended the first two
Conventions, these gatherings from time to time are essential as
a very effective method of global interaction. They
can analyze how Maltese citizens abroad can continue to
contribute in an effective and positive way |
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Delegati li attendew l-ewwel
Konvenzjoni f'Malta fl-1969 |
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in the propagation of culture
and heritage using the best of modern technology.
Furthermore, Malta can harness the enormous talent that can be
found amongst its very own people living abroad. There is no
doubt, that descendants holding important positions in various
countries would exploit business opportunities not only because
of the profit motive but also because of their native links.
There is also a dark side to these conventions. We have very
active and competitive Maltese organizations and many of their
leaders have devoted a lifetime of service to the community and
they definitely deserve any accolades and assistance coming
their way.
There are others always sitting on the fence but seeking
constant attention. They too could attract financial assistance.
Life is not always a bed of roses and not every one can expect
to be on the receiving end of the goodies being offered.
After the Year 2000 Convention the NSW Maltese community went
into a spin for months on end. Accusations were rife that some
have accepted “a few pieces of silver”. Those left behind and
not selected acted like Brutus, this time not with a knife but
with a telephone to create dissent and divisions amongst the
organization. Some of the criticisms were indeed spurious, personal
and hurtful.
You cannot please every one and unfortunately, some cannot see
the bush |
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for the trees. Therefore after
the doors are closed on
the Convention in Malta the dark side of its aftermath, lingers
on amongst the communities abroad.
The Malta born population in Australia is shrinking. We have
very few new arrivals therefore; it is wise to look at the
proper role of the subsequent generations. However, I am not of
the view being expressed that only the youths can look at the
future. You need to understand the past to be able to move
forward with vigor, with both feet on the ground and with plans
that are attainable and practical. Everyone can dream but only
the wise will put those dreams into reality.
To this end, I have been seriously promoting the notion that the
Government of Malta, as a gesture of good will toward the
Maltese Diaspora, and as a test of good faith, would officially
announce prior to the commencement of the 2010 Convention that
the Government has agreed to the following:
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the Greater Malta Concept |
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the teaching of the history of
Maltese migration in the school curriculum |
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c} |
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the establishment of a migration
museum |
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These are major matters agreed upon at the 2000 Convention but
are still on the shelf. They are attainable requests. If the
Government really wants us to move forward, they need to get
going and take positive actions on these matter prior to March
2010. |
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SHOWING SOLIDARITY AND APPRECIATION |
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The following is a
declaration issued by the teachers of The Maltese Language
School of NSW
now in its 11th year of serving the cultural needs in the State
of NSW. |
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We,
the teachers of the Maltese language and culture whose names
appear below, publicly thank the Maltese Community Council of
New South Wales as well as the committee that runs the Maltese
Language School of NSW for the way it supports us in our
mission. We are financially and respectfully supported
particularly when all new teachers need to attend study courses
to gain more experience in methodology of teaching a community
language, which in our case is Maltese.
According to set guidelines by the Dept of Education & Training,
for all those that teach community languages in NSW, our
teachers attend the required 60 hour courses which qualifies
them in Communicative Language Teaching at a university level.
For eleven years since the inception of the MLS, the Council has
been prompt in funding all the fees required to attend these
courses. The same applied whenever we attend periodical formal
training to further update our skills.
At the annual conferences organized by the NSW Federation of
Community Language Schools, the Council was ready to pay for us
too, were it not for the office of the High Commission of Malta
offered to cover the expenses in this case.
Last year for the inaugural meeting at Canberra, and when
recently there was the second annual conference of the
Federation of Maltese Language Schools in Adelaide, SA, , in
support and solidarity with the teachers, the Council decided to
send for this Conference two administrators and three teachers
at its own expense. There were also two MLS |
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Teachers and administrators,
Maltese Language School of NSW. |
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students took the initiative
to attend and happy to pay their own expenses. Thus we had the
largest number of delegates at this Conference to show our full
support to this Federation that represents all the Maltese
schools of Australia, still in its early years.
We are proud to say that one of our teachers, Marthese Caruana,
was elected unanimously as Secretary of the Federation.
We, the teachers of this school, are proud to say that our
school is a branch of the Maltese Community Council of NSW that
contributed substantial sums of money in sending Maltese
students to continue learning the Maltese language at the
University of Malta. These and other new initiatives under the
present administration of the Council, makes us |
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very proud to be teachers of
this Maltese school. It is with great satisfaction to say that our school is going to
continue sending students as well as teachers to the University
of Malta to attend appropriate courses so that they will return
as quality teachers not only in methodology, but also gain
further linguistic skills in the language that they have to
teach.
With the publication of this notice we want to make it known
that each of us, working hand in hand are wholly committed to
the teaching of our language and culture not to the few but to
all the Maltese in NSW.
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Frida Borg
Marthese Caruana
Anna Chetcuti
Maria De Carlo |
Lawrence Dimech
Gabriella Galea
Mary Pace-Feraud
Victor Vella |
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Two photos showing students at
the MLS at Horsley Park NSW. |
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L-għaqda
ta’ Don Bosco ta’ NSW f’dawn l-aħħar ġimgħat kellha diversi
attivitajiet għall-membri tagħha. Kien hemm dawra mal-Port ta’
Sydney fejn tul il-jum kien hemm divertiment fuq il-ferry.
Jidher li kulħadd ħa pjaċir għax talbu biex isiru iktar ħarġiet
simili. Fir-ritratt jidhru xi wħud milli marru għal din
ix-xalata fuq il- baħar.
Ftit ġimgħa wara l-Għaqda organizzat is- soltu Kunċert tal-Milied
fi Greystanes Community Hall. Dan kien jikkonsisti f’divertiment
u daħq fuq il-palk iżda fuq kollox b’partiċipazzjoni sħiħ miż-
żgħażagħ.
Dawn li dejjem jikkritikaw lill-komunitą Maltija li
fl-attivitajiet’ tagħha ma jinkludux liż-żgħażagħ sintendi qatt
ma taraħom f’dawn l-attivitajiet. Kif jgħidu faċli li tikkritika.
L-istess rajt meta attendejt il-festa ta’ San Nikola li tiġi
ċċellebrata fil-Good Shephard Catholic Church fi Plumpton b’tant
għożża u entużjażmu. Il-kumitat ta’ din il-festa taħt
id-direzzjoni ta’ Jim Borg u Bill Schembri ħaqqhom prosit għax
kemm jista’ jkun idaħħlu liż- żgħażagħ
fl-organizzazzjoni kif deher |
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Uħud minn dawk li marru xalata
fuq il-baħar. |
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waqt il-purċissjoni. Il-Banda
Maltija ta’ OLQP li ħadet parti wkoll għadha fost il- mużiċisti
għadd ta’ żgħażagħ. Hekk irriduhom lit-tieni u
t-tielet ġenerazzjoni, |
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jieħdu parti attiva biex
ikomplu jżommu ħajjin it-tradizzjonijiet Maltin u mhux biex
iżommu għalihom ‘l bogħod mill- komunitą. |
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Żgħażagħ jieħdu parti
attiva fil-kunċert tal-Milied ta' l-għaqda
Don Bosco NSW. |
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Żgħażagħ jsegwu
l-festa ta' San Nikola |
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Niltaqgħu mill-ġdid fil-11 ta’ Jannar 2010 |
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Wasalna fl-aħħar tas-sena tant
li din hi l-aħħar kontribuzzjoni għas-sena 2009. Grazzi ħafna
talli segwejtu regulari dawn l-aħbarijiet u opinjonijiet. Din
il-website għandha madwar elfejn tektika kull ġimgħa, żjieda
sostanzjali fuq is-sena l-oħra.
Infakkarkhom dejjem li jekk tridu tieqfu milli tirċievu din
il-paġna regolari kull ma tridu tagħmlu hu li tiktbuli.
Lill-qarrejja u l-bnedmin kollha ta’ rieda tajba, nixtieqilkom
Milied qaddis u sena mimlija paċi u sliem. |
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Nieħdu gost jekk tibgħatuli
aħbarijiet mill-komunitą biex indaħħluhom f’din il-website li
tmur mad-dinja kollha b’kalkolu ta’ madwar 1500 qarrejja
fil-ġimgħa.
Ibgħatu lil
lawdimech@optusnet.com.au |
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Jekk trid taqra
l-artikli ta' dawn il-paġni li dehru qabel
Agħfas Hawn |
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