Rotary Concert for Charity

The Rotary Club of Gibraltar recently held a Christmas Charity Concert in St Michael's Cave. The evening was well attended with over three hundred members of the public supporting the event. The programme started with the National Anthem played by the full Band of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and conducted by the band master, Justin Gooch.



The Royal Gibraltar Regiment Band directed by Justin Gooch



This was followed by a selection of music from the band accompanied by the magical vocal skills and sounds of the National Choir directed by Lili Olivero. A beautiful rendition of Hallelujah was sung by soloist Jamie Barry and Manuel Bonavia delighted everyone with his excellent guitar medley. The first half of the programme ended with the spectacular and eerie performance of the 'skeleton' dance, a display rarely seen outside military circles executed by the corps of Drums of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment.

National Choir directed by Lili Olivero

Jamie Barrie & Manuel Bonavia



Corp of Drums



The prize draw was held at the beginning of the second half of the programme. The lucky winner received an all-inclusive Romantic Valentine's Weekend for two at the Mill Hotel & Spa in the Roman city of Chester, UK with return flight tickets from Gibraltar to Manchester kindly donated by Monarch Airlines ending in a romantic special Valentine's dinner at the 55 Private Members Club in Main Street, Gibraltar. The prize and bouquet of flowers was jointly presented by the owner of the Mill Hotel (and long-standing Rotarian) Mr Gordon Vickers together with Miss Gibraltar, Larissa Dalli who was escorted on to the stage by Rotary President, Mr Julian Risso.



Julian Risso, Henry Sacramento, Larissa Dalli, Gordon Vickers & winner



The second half of the programme continued with young soloist Kate McCullough delighting everyone with her song 'Time to Say Goodbye' followed by soloist Phillip Borge's performance of 'Remember when it Rained'. Gibraltar's own virtuoso pianist, Aaron Monteverde, once again amazed the audience with two accomplished pieces, the first from Spanish composer, Campuzano followed by Mr. Monteverde's own composition 'Libertad'.





Kate McCullough










Phillip Borge







Aaron Monteverde



Altogether the performers created a really memorable charity concert in a truly unique and majestic setting.

The entire evening was professionally compered by Mr Henry Sacramento.

Henry Sacramento



Present were His Excellency the Governor and Patron of the Gibraltar Rotary Club, Sir Adrian Johns, his wife Suzie, the Commander British Forces, Mr Tom Karsten and the Commanding Officer of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Lt. Col. Colin Risso MC were present

A huge thank you goes out to the public who attended, sponsors & the artists & everyone who helped to make this event an unparallelled success. The evening enabled the Rotary Club of Gibraltar to raise a substantial amount for worthy local charities such as Calpe House & the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Welfare Fund.

Rotary Charity Concert

The Rotary Club of Gibraltar will be holding a Christmas Charity Concert at St. Michaels Cave on the 10th December. The evening will be featuring local pianist, Aaron Monteverde, the Band and Corps of Drums of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment and the Gibraltar National Choir. The programme will be compered by Henry Sacramento.


There will be a souvenir programme available for £5.00 and a special souvenir prize draw will be held on the night. The fabulous prize is an all-inclusive Romantic Valentine's Weekend for two at the Mill Hotel & Spa in the Roman city of Chester, UK with return flight tickets from Gibraltar to Manchester kindly donated by Monarch Airlines.

All proceeds from the Charity evening will be in aid of the Gibraltar Regiment Welfare Fund and the Calpe House Fund. Those taking part are encouraged to buy extra Souvenir Programmes on the night for friends and family. The programme has useful telephone numbers and a 2011 Diary (and of course it would make a lovely Christmas Present if they win!).
 
Prize includes:

• Complimentary return flights from Gibraltar to Manchester donated by Monarch AirlinesTransfer fom Manchester airport to Chester (40 miles motorway journey)
• 3 nights accommodation in a balcony room on half board basis (dinner and breakfast)
• Bottle of champagne
• Full use of the Mill Health Club with Swimming Pool, Spa, Steam roon and technogym Gymnasium
• £100 voucher for Beauty Treatments in the Mill Beauty Spa
• Friday evening Cabaret Dinner Dance with choice of menu
• Saturday lunchtime a Roman Soldier Tour of the City centre
• Saturday evening Valentine's Love Boat on the Mill Hotel Restaurant Cruiser with choice of a four course menu
• A Valentine's present for the Lady
• Sunday afternoon Roman High Tea Cruise on the Mill Hotel Restaurant Cruiser with a Roman Soldier
• Sunday evening a Roman Feast in the Mill Canaletto Restaurant
• Monday evening a Special valentine's Dinner at the 55 Private Members Club in Main Street, GIBRALTAR

Rotary at the Convent

The Rotary Club of Gibraltar held a fundraising cream tea at the Governor's residence last Saturday. Rotary's Press Officer Lyana Armstrong-Emery described the event "A large number of people came throughout the afternoon to enjoy their cup of tea, cucumber sandwiches and scones with jam and clotted cream in the tranquil setting of the patio. We are very pleased with the attendance and the funds for Charity raised at the door and on the stalls. These included 'Childline', a secondhand book stall, cake stall with a competition to

guess the weight of one of the cakes and a stall of china tea pots. People also had the opportunity to challenge our very own young chess champion Stephen Whatley in a game of chess. We were delighted that the Governor and his wife were able to join us, albeit for a brief moment".

All monies raised are for Rotary Charities."

Hog Roast

The Rotary Club of Gibraltar recently held a first time ever 'Hog Roast' banquet to raise money for local Charities. The event was held in the spectacular setting of the Mount and was very well attended with over one hundred people present. All were entertained by a magician peforming his tricks at diners' tables, followed by a fantastic belly-dance group called Rock Fusion. Their dancing and movements to the sounds of arabic music, together with the vibrant red of their costumes delighted everyone. Throughout the night Peter Charles provided background music until after the meal when most people enjoyed dancing the remainder of the night away.

Rotary President, Mr Julian Risso opened the event with a few words of welcome, and later thanked everyone who helped, donated to and attended the evening. Miss Gibraltar looking lovely, handed the raffle/draw prizes (generously donated by many local businesses) out to the winners.

After this Mr Risso presented a bouquet of flowers to the Fund Raising Committee' s Chairperson, Mrs Jane Hart and thanked her and her team for arranging such a wonderful and successful night.

All funds raised at the event are for Rotary Charities which includes Calpe House, Royal Gibraltar Benevolent Fund and Shelterboxes. Rotary Club of Gibraltar would like to thank everyone for their contribution to the success of the evening.

Charity event in Governor's Garden

The Rotary Club of Gibraltar will be holding a charitable fund-raising event this Saturday 2nd October. This will be a cream-tea party in the grounds of the residence of the Governor of Gibraltar between 1pm and
5pm.
This is only the second time this year that His Excellency haspermitted the general public access to the Residence (known as the Convent, an historic building at the southern end of main Street).

All proceeds will go to Rotary Charities. All are welcome and tickets for the delicious event will be available at the door for just £5.

Contact Rotary for more details on (+350) 20044012 or (+350) 57121000

ROTARIANS AND FAMILIES HELP CLEAN UP THE WORLD CAMPAIGN

ROTARIANS GREET PHOENICIA

On Sunday 29th August a delegation of Rotarians formed part of the welcoming flotilla at sea to greet the 'Phoenicia'. Derek Pennington, organiser of the Gibraltar/Morocco Rally had the crew of BBC2 on board his motor cruiser Albany. BBC2 filmed the Phoenicia as it arrived into Ocean Village with the spectacular Rock of Gibraltar in the background.

The ship is a replica of an ancient Pheonician vessel on an expedition to celebrate Pharaoh Necho's voyage of 600BC. The expedition set sail from Syria back in August 2008 via the Suez Canal, stopping in Yemen, Oman, Mayotte, Mozambique to South Africa's wild coast and the Cape of Good Hope, St Helena, Ascension Islands and the Azores before finally arrving in Gibraltar.

The Rotarians were invited on board by the Captain and were given a tour around the vessel. Rotarian PR/Press Officer Lyana Armstrong-Emery said " it is such a shame that more people didn't take the opportunity to visit the Phoenicia. It would have made a fantastic history study for school children particularly as Phoenicians were also part of Gibraltar's history"

On Sunday 5th September Rotarians George and Joanne Williams, Lyana Armstrong-Emery and Gordon Vickers bade the expedition group farewell on its final journey back.

Mr Vickers presented the Captain and Expedition Leader Philip Beale with a Rotary banner which he was delighted with. Mr Beale is writing a journal of his experiences on board and all the adventures shared with the crew throughout these last two years which he plans to publish soon.

Anyone wishing more information on the Phoenicia can visit their website address (see below):
http://www.phoenicia.org.uk/  or http://www.phoenicia.org.uk/education-home.htm

ROTARY COLLECTS FOR PAKISTAN

The Rotary Club of Gibraltar recently held an emergency Flag collection day for Shelterbox Charity outside Morrison's Supermarket in Gibraltar. The Club would like thank everyone who gave their valuable time and/or equipment and/or money for their generosity.

The Rotarians have, through the overwhelming generosity of the Gibraltar public, managed to raise over £1,500 to send approximately 4 shelterboxes ( in addition to the two recently sent by the club) to
help Pakistan recover from the recent tragic flood that has devastated the country and its people.

These shelterbox kits, which were originally a U.K. Rotarian's brain child , provide essential basic shelter and survival equipment for two or three families at a time and were first used for the Haitian disaster last year.

ROTARY CHARITY EVENTS

The Rotary Club will be holding a special charity event on the 18th September. The evening is a first for Gibraltar as it will be a ‘Hog Roast’ banquet in the beautiful setting of the Mount. The dinner will include entertainers such as Rock Fusion Belly Dancers, a magician (to be confirmed) and dancing to the sound of Peter Charles, well known vocalist from the Costa del Sol. For more information please contact Jane Hart, Chair of the Fund Raising Committee on tel 20044012 or by email janehart46@hotmail.com.

Another event planned includes a grand concert at St Michael's Cave on the 10th December when the full band of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment will perform together with The National Choir and a host of other local talents. The Rotary Club hopes that as a special treat (and if logistics permit) that the corps of drums segment of the Band will perform something rarely seen outside military circles, their spectacular and eerie performance of the ‘skeleton dance’.

Both events are bound to be great fun and as usual all the proceeds will be going to local charities such as Calpe House, The Royal Gibraltar Regiment benevolent fund for injured service personnel and Shelterbox, to name just a few. More details will be available soon.

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MR JOE GAGGERO ADDRESSES ROTARIANS

The Rotary club of Gibraltar held its end of August meeting recently by continuing its long history of inviting eminent speakers to address the club. Rotarians and guests had the privilege of listening to Past President and honorary Rotarian, Mr Joe Gaggero, CBE on the subject of "Gibraltar, Morocco and Andalucía" .This was followed by a very interesting and lively question and answer session.

Rotary Club president, Mr Julian Risso said that "it was a fabulous talk and everyone in attendance was spellbound by Mr Gaggero's words and experiences. The talk fitted in particular well with this year’s Rotary International theme of building bridges and developing friendly links with other continents". He continued “The Rotary Club of Gibraltar have a large programme of speakers and events planned for this year."

Also in attendance was his Excellency, The Governor of Gibraltar, Sir Adrian Johns, Patron of the Club and honorary Rotarian accompanied by Lady Suzie Johns ; Albert Poggio, U.K. Representative of the Government of Gibraltar and Christopher Butler, Family Court Judge.

Rotary Fundraising Barbecue

The Rotary Club of Gibraltar recently held a fundraising summer beach barbecue which was very well attended by members and their families and friends. Spokesperson Lyana Armstrong-Emery commented "This was a great way to socialise and get to know each other whilst enjoying a swim, great food and drinks. Also, for those young at heart there was a chance to play some beach games and both kids and adults enjoyed the horse races and the tug of war.

 

Rotary fundraising chairperson Jane Hart thanked all those on her committee who helped with all the organising, clearing, cleaning and of course the cooks who did a splendid job on the barbecue. The day raised over £330 for the Rotarians' charity fund which goes towards helping a variety of local charities throughout the year.

This is only one of many planned fundraising events. The next event will be a very special one on the 18th September and details will be published very soon.