Maltese Folklore. This Month s Program: Presentation by Mr. Charles Mifsud, Consul-General of Malta for the State of Victoria

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1 No 8/2012 OCTOBER Newsletter This Month s Program: Maltese Folklore Presentation by Mr. Charles Mifsud, Consul-General of Malta for the State of Victoria About Mr Charles Mifsud Charles joined the Malta Civil Service in 1976 and following numerous selection processes, he was promoted until appointed Director in His work experience in the Civil Service took him through various departments and ministries. He served in Education, Inland Revenue, Posts and Telecommunications, Trade and Foreign Affairs. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Charles served in the EU Directorate where he was responsible for the Transport, Audiovisual, Social and IT policies of the EU. In 2002 he was appointed Director, Corporate Services in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His duties included serving in official delegations to China, United States and many European countries. Charles also attended various international meetings concerning the workings of his Directorate and several administrative meetings overseas. He was responsible for the financial and administrative aspects of organising CHOGM in Malta in He was responsible for the setting up of the European Commission League of Arab States Liaison Office in Malta in Charles was appointed Consul General of Malta for the State of Victoria, Australia on 1 st December He is married to Anna Maria and they have a son, Bernard Charles, also a diplomat and currently serving in New York. Charles s pastimes are aviation, photography and cinema. Mr. Charles Mifsud was born in Msida, Malta. He was educated at the Msida Primary School, Naxxar Secondary Technical School and St Joseph Secondary Technical School in Paola. Between 1979 and 1983 he read for his Bachelors degree in Public Administration at the University of Malta. He obtained his Masters degree in Business Administration from the Henley Management College in the United Kingdom in Venue: Maltese Community Centre 477 Royal Parade, Parkville Time: 7.30pm Date: Tuesday 16 th October, 2012.

2 Dear Members Last Month On Tuesday 18 th September the committee held the association s AGM. After the acceptance of the Minutes, the president Frances Bonnici reported on the activities held between October 2011 and August The committee arranged a presentation every month except for December and January, which were the holiday months. Although there was no lecture in August 2012, the association was still active and held two events. In early August, the Language Immersion Morning (LIM) for students who are currently studying the Maltese Language was organised by the committee members and VSL teachers at the Parkville. Edwidge Borg from the MCCV classes also assisted with managing the event. In late August, a group of 15 members and friends attended a guided tour of the Napoleon Exhibition at the National Gallery. This excursion was organised by Lewis Zammit and we thank him for co-ordinating the whole exercise of booking tickets and advising members. The new committee is as follows: President: Frances Bonnici Vice President: Vacant Treasurer: Mario Bonnici Secretary: Emmanuel Cilia Committee Members: Charlie Portelli Nino Xerri Lewis Zammit Marija Cilia Agnes Cauchi Maria Catania The committee has already met to outline a program for next year. Further details will be in the monthly newsletters. Frances Bonnici President SOME NEW IDEAS FOR 2013 What would you say if you were asked? What was the most important period in the history of Malta? We are considering a different kind of presentation for the coming year, whereby groups made up of two members per group debate this question. We are looking for interested parties who wish to take up this challenge next year. One speaker of each group will choose a period and will highlight why it is important. The second member of the group will need to convince the audience against these arguments. If you think you are up to this challenge then contact a member of the committee so you can be booked in for next year. Our second idea is that we are looking for members or their friends to share their views about a specific period in Maltese history. These presentations would be for around 15 minutes with the intention to have 4 or 5 speakers on one evening. There is still time to consider this further. If you wish to participate, please let us know by our last presentation in November. We are trying to introduce new formats so as to add more vitality to our monthly presentations and encourage members to take an active role by attending more often. It is envisaged that the new ideas will be used at least once next year. And if they prove to be popular, we hope to continue the same the following year. The committee puts in a significant amount of effort which goes towards making the monthly presentations interesting and socially enjoyable. It always gives the committee great pleasure to see more members and others attending the MHA presentations regularly. I wish to thank our members for their regular support in the months and years to come. Frances Bonnici President Maltese Historical Association (Aust) Inc 2

3 The Maltese honeybee Apis mellifera ruttneri Apis mellifera ruttneri is the endemic honey bee of the Maltese islands. This species evolved when the Maltese islands where isolated from mainland Europe, after the Mediterranean sea closed the passage to Sicily. For many years it was the sole honeybee species in the Maltese islands till importation of queens happened in recent years when many queens and packaged bees where imported after This happened after the devastation left by the Varroa mite that was found in the islands that year. It is estimated that the about 4000 colonies where devastated by the varroa mite at that time. The sub species relates closely to the North African bee (A. m. intermissa) and although slightly lower, with the Sicilian bee (A. m. sicula). It's identification was done in 1997 by WS Sheppard, Marc Arias, A Grech and MD Meixner. It is named after Professor Friedeich Ruttner ( ) to acknowledge his research in beekeeping. When tests where done at that time it was found that altough after all the importation that happened before the Maltese sub-spiecies was still identifiable and also dominant. the bee tends to work early in the morning and in the afternoon till sunset while taking a short break during mid-day. It always stores enough honey for winter and sometimes there will be no need to supplement the colonies with bee candy or sugar syrup in winter. This type of bee has a tendency to swarm and when continuously disturbed it will abscond the hive. It also makes a lot of queen cells and a colony sometimes have more than one swarm. The Maltese bee is sometimes aggressive during bad weather and defends the hive very well against other pests. Sometimes wasp nests are seen near the hives in a few metres distance away without offering any problems to the bees. From my observations it cleans the hive very well and removes any foreign material promptly. Charachteristics of the Maltese Honey Bee The Maltese honey bee is small in size and of a dark colour. When compared to the North African bee and the Sicilian bee it has shorter legs and wings. The wings are also much narrower. From all the bee races it has the widest abdomen. It has long hair on it's abdomen. This bee is very adapted to the Maltese islands climate and environment. The queen will keep constant laying of eggs to the climate variations. It is noted that before summer and winter the queen drops in the number of eggs laid and stores extra honey in the brood chamber instead, than again starts laying abundantly exactly before spring time and autumn. Although it has a tendency of being very defensive and sometimes aggressive it can be bred to a more docile honey bee. It is also a very productive bee as it is observed working in strong windy days and during hot weather. During summer time when temperatures can get over 40 C References: Sheppard W.S., Arias M.C., Grech A., Meixner M.D. (1997) 'Apis mellifera ruttneri, a new honey bee subspecies from Malta', Apidologie 28, In-Naħla - April 2009, Ħarġa numru 7, Artiklu: 'L-importanza tal-konservazzjoni tan-naħal Lokali' miktub minn Melvin Magri Pictures and article taken from Maltese Historical Association (Aust) Inc 3

4 GENERAL NOTICE 1. Book & Craft Sale at the MCCV Parkville from Monday 22 nd Oct to Friday 26 th Oct 2012 There will be pre loved books in Maltese & English on various subjects & Interests. As well as Bric & Brac, hand crafts, Christmas decorations. All proceeds go to the Maltese Welfare Services, Ladies Auxiliary, and the missions Please contact Paul Lia at MCCV The Home Visits Group of Volunteers of the MCCV requires both male and female volunteers to visit elderly Maltese. This group is also making up a list of those people who would wish to be visited at home by members of this group. Please ring the centre on for more information. 3. Six Herald Sun Aria finalists Orchestra Victoria Tuesday 26 October :00 pm Herald Sun Aria 2010 Final Elisabeth Murdoch Hall 7pm Elisabeth Murdoch Hall Tickets - $35 ($30 concession) The Herald Sun Aria launch pad of many an international singing career is your chance to see and hear the stars of tomorrow at a night of wonderful entertainment. This year the Aria celebrates its 86th anniversary as Australia s most prestigious competition for emerging classical singers. Six finalists will compete for $60,000 in cash prizes and scholarships. Thrill to the sounds of Orchestra Victoria under the baton of Richard Divall, (MHA member) accompanying the soaring voices of these talented young singers Young and very talented Maltese tenor, Brenton Spiteri has made it as one of six in the Grand Finals of the Herald-Sun Aria. MEMBERSHIP FEES Important MHA membership fees for 2012/2013 are now due. These are due on 1 st July every year. Please see Mario Bonnici at the next event or mail cheque to: The Treasurer 59 Binnak Drive, Watsonia, Vic 3087 **These fees are important to the MHA. Membership fees are our main source of funds. Donations are accepted as well.** Interesting Websites Check these out: 1] - the website of the Federation of Maltese Living Abroad, formed following the Convention of Maltese Living Abroad held in Malta in ] - this Heritage Malta website takes you on a virtual tour of a number of historically significant sites (courtesy of Joe Borg). 3] This website dedicated to the people of the Maltese Islands to whom the British monarch, King George VI, awarded the George Cross seventy years ago on 15 April ] - this Heritage Malta website takes you on a virtual tour of a number of historically significant sites (courtesy of Joe Borg). 5] - The aim of the Malta Migration Museum website is to collect information relating to issues of interest to migrants and migration. It will continue to grow to provide the most comprehensive collection of such information. 6] The official Maltese Historical Association website to be launched this month 7] This site is dedicated to the fascinating history of the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino. It provides a lawyer's perspective of the history of Malta describing the conditions of the Maltese people throughout the ages We wish him luck Maltese Historical Association (Aust) Inc 4

5 WANTED The Maltese Historical Association is looking for sponsors from within and outside the Maltese Community. The role of a sponsor is to offer some financial assistance in support of our activities. In return the Sponsor will be given an advertising space in our Newsletter and given mention at all our events throughout the year. It is a worthwhile cause in helping the MHA to continue the good work within the Maltese Community. For more details about the MHA please Frances Bonnici (President) at [mfbonnici@bigpond.com] Prospective members: All Welcome You are always welcome to attend any of our lectures and obtain a hard copy of the membership form from Mario Bonnici. Or go to our website & download application form. Thanking you in advance. BANK OF VALLETTA PLC Australia Representative Office: 16 Watt Street Sunshine Vic 3020 Tel Fax Open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9.00am to 1.00pm and 2.00pm to 5.00pm Uffiċċju Rappreżentattiv L-Ewwel Bank Rappreżentattiv Malti fl-awstralja Maltese Historical Association (Aust) Inc 5

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