fedeerraattiion ooff s mmaalltteesee ......maltese name. according to mario cassar‟s the surnames...
TRANSCRIPT
OCTOBER 2010 Page 1
FFEEDDEERRAATTIIOONN OOFF MMAALLTTEESSEE LLIIVVIINNGG AABBRROOAADD
FFRROOMM TTHHEE EEDDIITTOORR::
The Large and Small of Things…again
Although many people might believe that a newsletter for Maltese clubs and federations only attracts readers involved in
their affairs, this has not been the case with the FMLA Newsletter.
So I wasn‟t very surprised when I received this e-mail earlier this month:
“I read with interest your article in the latest issue [September] of the FMLA Newsletter. You mentioned a Frank Asphar. Now, that is not a very common
Maltese name. According to Mario Cassar‟s The Surnames of the Maltese Islands, it would appear that it is no longer to be found in Malta, another case where an
Englishman married a Maltese woman and, after a generation or two, the family had immigrated elsewhere.
“Anyway, there was a “Bunny” Asphar, probably Bernard, born in 1930 or
thereabouts. He came out to Canada on the Marine Perch, via Halifax, Nova Scotia, in May 1948. He settled here in London, Ontario for a few years and then moved
elsewhere. It may have been New York City. I‟m curious as to whether he was related to the Asphar family you mentioned, and if they knew what became of Bunny Asphar.” --Dan Brock, London, Ontario, Canada.
I knew “Bunny” Asphar. He was Frank‟s brother and died last year. I called the Asphar family in New York to let them know about Dan‟s interest, and the family is
now in touch. Dan had some photographs of Bunny in the 1940s that he was sending them Bunny‟s widow Louise and daughter Stephanie.
This interaction shows several things: we do have a readership beyond Maltese
organizations, people do want to re-connect with others in our large community, and The FMLA Newsletter is being read.
Do you have a story that would be of interest to others in the Maltese community? Do write and let us know. We want to hear from you. Both Albert Vella, FMLA secretary and production director of the newsletter, and I thank you for your
interest.
FFMMLLAA IISSSSUUEE ## 33 OOCCTTOOBBEERR 22001100
OCTOBER 2010 Page 2
Elsewhere in the newsletter this month:
Spiros Gauci, a keynote speaker at the Convention of Maltese Living Abroad in
March, shares with our readers‟ research he conducted in his native Corfu about early Maltese migrants to this Aegean island and the devoted Sisters from Malta
who came to teach their children.
* * *
Dan Brock, mentioned earlier, writes about the history of early Maltese
communities in Ontario, Canada. In our next issue, we will hear from reader Con Micallef who emigrated from Malta to New Zealand soon after World War II.
FMLA President Maurice Cauchi discusses issues about Maltese language scholarships that the Maltese government is considering in his editorial this month.
* * *
Would you like to send holiday gifts to friends in Malta? Consider a hamper of specialty foods and beverages offered by the Maltese Emigrants Commission. This
annual tradition helps the Commission and you, the sender of good cheer: you don‟t need to worry about purchasing the gift, wrapping it, and then getting it to the post office in time for the Christmas mail rush. See page 10 for information and
an order blank you can print.
All good wishes from New York. Claudia Caruana [email protected]
The Federation of Maltese Living Abroad Newsletter is distributed free of charge to members of the global Maltese Community. Letters to the editor, comments about the Federation, and requests for more information should be addressed to the editor. The editor has the right to edit material for style and content or refuse publishing material that is in poor taste or potentially libellous. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you do not wish to receive further copies of this newsletter, please send a note to the Secretary, Albert Vella, e-mail: [email protected]. Opinions published here do not necessarily reflect the views of all individual members or the Executive Committee of the FMLA.
OCTOBER 2010 Page 3
Louis Vella Appointed Honorary Consul for
Northern California, Nevada
The San Francisco Bay Area Maltese-
American community gathered nearly 500
strong Saturday, October 2, 2010 to
celebrate the appointment of Louis John
Vella as Honorary Consul of Malta for
Northern California and the State of
Nevada. The gala event took place in the
Grand Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency
Hotel in Burlingame, Calif., a suburb of
San Francisco.
[Ambassador Mark Miceli with Hon. Consul Louis Vella – photograph Peter Abela]
He succeeds the late Honorary Consul
General Charles Vassallo, who passed
away in October 2009, having served for
more than 40 years as consul for Malta.
Vella was born and grew up in Malta,
where he graduated from the College of
Arts, Science, and Technology. He and his
wife, Lillian nee Muscat, were married in
1980 and emigrated from Malta to
California the same year. He embarked
immediately on a career with the City of
Redwood City, working his way up
through the ranks, and at the same time
earning a Bachelor of Arts degree, in
Management. He retired at the end of
2008, having achieved the position of
Admin-Chief/Fire Marshal for Redwood
City.
Vella is known throughout the Maltese-
American community for his public service
and charitable endeavors, most notably as
the founder and president of the Maltese
Cross Foundation of California. The
Foundation serves as a charitable
organization for worthy causes in both
Northern California and Malta.
In order to serve the interests of the
Maltese-American community Vella has
established a consular office in Millbrae,
California.
Mona Nicholas-Vella
Widnet il-baћar [Knapweed]
Found only in Malta, the Maltese Rock -
Centaury was adopted as the National
Flower of Malta in the early 1970s. The
flower is a capitulate head composed of
five to six rows of involucral bracts and a
top of numerous florets having a
characteristic purple.
OCTOBER 2010 Page 4
FFRROOMM TTHHEE PPRREESSIIDDEENNTT::
CCOOMMMMUUNNIICCAATTIIOONNSS WWIITTHH MMAALLTTEESSEE
AAUUTTHHOORRIITTIIEESS
It can be fairly stated that currently there
are no formal direct means of
communications between representatives
of Maltese living abroad and the Maltese
Government. Of course any person,
whether a representative of an
organisation can approach the Maltese
Government, Ministers or High
Commissioners/Ambassadors abroad to
put their point of view, but these are often
taken or more often left, at the discretion
of the authority concerned.
The need for some sort
of more formal links
has long been felt. At
the Convention held in
Malta in March a couple
of lone voices were
raised in relation to the
possibility of having
elections and direct
representation in the
Maltese Parliament.
Many of us would reject such a suggestion
on the basis that party politics can be very
divisive within the Maltese communities
abroad, and, moreover. personal
representation by one or two persons over
the vast continents would not make any
significant contribution to personal
communications, which could just as
easily be carried out by electronic means.
At the Convention, the Minister for Foreign
Affairs had indicated that an advisory
committee, consisting of members chosen
by himself, from people living in Malta and
overseas would be formed. Six months
later we still have no such committee.
On the other hand, the Hon Dolores
Cristina (Minister of Education,
Employment and Family) has promised to
do everything she can to promote the
maintenance of Maltese language within
the Diaspora. Unfortunately, the package
presented, which included five
scholarships to study in Malta, has not
been met with universal applause, mainly
because of the practical difficulties that
applicants from far-away places would be
likely to encounter. In spite of the good-
will shown by those involved, this is
clearly a case where more communication
with representatives of Maltese living
abroad could have resulted in a better
package.
An aim of the Federation of Maltese
Abroad (FMLA) is to ensure that the needs
of Maltese are well publicised. It would be
a pity if such an organisation is consulted
only post facto, when problems would be
much more difficult to unravel.
It has been my suggestion that there
should be a very close link between the
projected „advisory committee‟ and the
FMLA to ensure that input into any
discussion can take place at a sufficiently
early stage of policy formation. Without
such an input, there is a definite risk that
new programs and initiatives, while well-
intentioned, might not be ideal for the
current needs of the Maltese community
abroad.
Maurice Cauchi President, FMLA
AA TTAALLEE OOFF TTWWOO CCIITTIIEESS::
TTHHEE MMAALLTTEESSEE CCAANNAADDIIAANN CCOOMMMMUUNNIITTIIEESS
OOFF BBRRAANNTTFFOORRDD AANNDD LLOONNDDOONN
Located within South-western Ontario,
west of the Niagara Escarpment, are the
cities of Brantford and London. On the eve
of World War I, Brantford had a
concentration of Maltese immigrants in
Canada, second only to Winnipeg,
Manitoba.
During and after the War, most of the
men had left, but a few drifted back, took
up permanent residence, and raised their
families. A handful of others joined them
in the 1920s. These pioneers and their
families were able to welcome the next
small group of Maltese immigrants who
started arriving in 1948.
It was also in 1948 that the first large
wave arrived in London and the
neighbouring city of St. Thomas to the
OCTOBER 2010 Page 5
south. Prior to this, the number of Maltese
immigrants in London could be counted on
the fingers of both hands. Unlike the
smaller group in Brantford, the arrivals in
London in 1948, at the direction of a local
priest, established a club. This probably
lasted but a year or two.
A second club was established in 1954 but
folded about 1961 as membership
dropped off and there was not enough
money pay the increased rent for the club
facilities. By 1962 London had
approximately 150 families of Maltese
origin and St. Thomas had close to 50.
These families continued to meet socially
on an informal basis and even had a
soccer team one year.
Then, in 1977, eight men spearheaded the
founding of the community‟s third club,
the present Maltese Canadian Club of
London. Over the next several years, it
sponsored a Maltese folklore dance group,
12-team bowling league, Maltese
language heritage class for elementary
school children, Young Adults Dance
Group, public bingos, a soccer team, and
a men‟s bocci league. Club members
attended the first convention,
representing all Maltese in Canada and the
United States, which was held in June
1981 in Guelph, Ontario. During the
1980s, the Club participated in London‟s
multi-cultural fest known as Kavalkade
and its successor, Panorama. Club‟s very
own centre, the heart of the Maltese
community in London and area to this
day, opened in 1988.
Very few, however, have emigrated from
Malta and settled in the London area since
the 1970s. Consequently, as the members
grew older and their children and
grandchildren became more a part of
mainstream Canada, membership in the
Club fell off and the dance groups,
bowling, and bocci leagues are now but
memories. Few of the current members
are under 60 years of age, but they
continue to keep the Club alive and
vibrant through weekend meetings in the
Coffee House upstairs, periodic dinners
and dances, a bi-monthly newsletter,
annual observances and bus trips. Hall
rental for wedding receptions and parties
keeps the Club solvent for the present.
[The Vulcania leaving the Grand Harbour, about 2:00 p.m., June 17, 1948, with
some 380 Maltese emigrants bound for Canada (340) and the United States (40)]
But 20 years from now, as the older
members die off and if no one takes their
place, London‟s much larger Maltese
community too, like Brantford‟s which
never had a club, language classes or
sports teams, may become totally
absorbed into the Canadian fabric. If this
should happen, the alleged words of the
late Archbishop Michael Gonzi to the men
leaving Malta on board the Vulcania in
June 1948 will have come true, namely to
quickly adopt the ways and culture of the
country they were about to claim as their
new home.
Dan Brock
Maltese Canadian Club of London
(Ontario, Canada)
We encourage you to pass on the Newsletter to your
friends
OCTOBER 2010 Page 6
DDOO YYOOUU NNEEEEDD TTOO CCOONNFFIIRRMM YYOOUURR MMAALLTTEESSEE AANNCCEESSTTRRYY??
BBUUTT DDOO YYOOUU KKNNOOWW TTHHEE PPLLAACCEE OOFF BBIIRRTTHH?? By Mark Caruana
Migration Researcher & Family Historian, Sydney, Australia
I am currently compiling a database of passports issued in Malta to various
countries from 1870 to 1940. This database includes the name and surname
of the applicant, date of applying for a passport, age of applicant, town or
village of birth, residency, occupation, destination and remarks, if applicable.
[Mark Caruana]
At the April 2010 Convention in Malta, I became increasingly aware of the
frustration of many Maltese from Egypt (in particular) of their desperate
need to find out more details of their ancestry. They try hard to find out
their ancestral place of birth in Malta, in order to obtain a baptismal
certificate, confirm their Maltese ancestral origins, and be eligible for Maltese
citizenship. Hopeful, this database may be able to assist.
The source of this compilation is from the Malta National Archives, courtesy
[Charles Farrugia] of the National Archivist, Charles Farrugia, and is a long term project in
which I am assisting the Malta National Archives to have a tool for research, study and
ancestry identification and confirmation.
I have completed the earliest years possible i.e. 1871-72 and observed that from around a
total of 3,000 passport applications and renewals, 30% have Egypt as their destination,
followed by Tunisia and Algeria. These are the details contained in the database I am
presently compiling:
Surname Name Son of Age Destinatio
n Issue
Place of Birth
Residence
Occupation
Remarks
Idoneo Bonvenuta not stated
57 Egypt 11.07.1871
Senglea Cospicua not stated accompanied by daughter Rosa, aged 17, born in Cairo Egypt
Scicluna Giovanna not stated
4 Egypt 12.07.1871
Egypt, Alexandria
Senglea not stated
Xerri Vincenza not stated
37 Egypt 12.07.1871
Naxxar Naxxar not stated accompanied by children GioMaria 13, Carmelo 5, Francesca 4, Filomena 6m
Readers of FMLA and community leaders are welcome to contact me by email on
[email protected] for a search and additional details and I am happy to assist
with such enquiries.
For a copy of the passport application, however, one needs to make contact with the Malta
National Archives on-line at [email protected] or through their website:
www.nationalarchives.gov.mt
OCTOBER 2010 Page 7
TTHHEE MMAALLTTEESSEE CCOOMMMMUUNNIITTYY IINN CCOORRFFUU [Editor’s Note: At the Convention for
Maltese Living Abroad held in Malta
last March, I met and spoke with
Spiros P. Gauci, a keynote speaker.
I had known about the Malta-Greek
connection, but I was unaware that
the small island of Corfu was home to
Maltese workers and emigrants and a
dedicated group of Sisters who came
to teach their children and help them
with their spiritual needs.
At the conference, Spiros described
research he had conducted about the
Maltese community in Corfu and the
special relationship this group had
with the Franciscan Sisters of Malta,
who established a convent school
there. His research resulted in the
book, The Chronicle of the Maltese
Sisters in Corfu, translated by Irena
Mouzakiti, Corfu, Greece: (2007).
ISBN: 978-960-91522-3-5. ]
[Spiros P. Gauci at the Convention]
For the last seven years Gauci has
been the Secretary of the Catholic
Archbishop of Corfu, Cefallonia, and
Zakynthos.
Below, is an e-mail conversation we
recently had about his important
research.
What is your family’s connection to
Malta?
In 1822, Joseph Gauci was born in Mosta
and later married Catherine Borg. One of
their children, Paul, who was born in Corfu
in 1851, was my great grandfather.
At that time, the Maltese population in
Corfu was a “foreign element,” treated
with suspicion and prejudice. Thus, most
of them started to form a very closed
society at the outskirts of town and were
trying, on the one hand to preserve their
customs, and on the other to abolish them
in the hope of assimilation in the local
society.
Marriages were, as a rule, taking place
within the Maltese community. Mixed
marriages between the Catholic and
Orthodox (predominant doctrine in
Greece) were difficult at the time.
In1876, Paul married my great
grandmother, Lucrezia Mifsud in Corfu.
Did the Maltese who came to Corfu
speak Maltese or did Greek become
their predominant language?
The only care of this community at the
time was to survive under extremely
difficult conditions. They all had to
contribute to the family income, and there
was no money or time for education.
There were, of course, important
exceptions of Maltese people who
achieved distinction primarily in the arts
and who attended all stages of education,
mostly Greek. The majority however,
systematically abstained from this
process. Thus, the Maltese language was
spoken and only with difficulty, written.
This situation changed after 1907 when
the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus came from Malta and settled in
Corfu. Their main concern was to found a
small kindergarten and primary school in
which they struggled to educate their
young compatriots in the Greek language,
OCTOBER 2010 Page 8
and then later in a foreign language, an
art, their doctrine, and whatever else was
demanded at the time. It was thanks to
this school that the Maltese community
“arose” and started to find distinction in
various parts of social life, losing,
however, at the same time, a very
important characteristic-- the Maltese
language and the communication with the
families they had left behind.
Were any of your relatives one of the
Sisters who came to Corfu from
Malta?
No, my family was not related to any of
the Sisters. What is important, however,
was that the founder of this Religious
Community in Corfu was the founder of
the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, Margarita DeBrincat
herself.[Editor‟s Note: The diocese of Gozo
initiated the process of Mother DeBrincat‟s
for beatification on July 4, 1988.]
Why did you decide to write the
book? Did you have a specific interest
in the Sisters? Did you want to keep
the knowledge of the Maltese
community in Corfu alive?
As a historic researcher, it always is a
challenge for me to examine unknown
phases of the local history and to
appreciate and objectively preserve
historic memory. This is much more so
when this is connected with my own roots,
as well as with matters within my wider
interests, as is the ecclesiastical education
in the Ionian Islands.
When it was suggested to me that I
prepare something for the 100 year
anniversary since the foundation of the
Convent in Corfu, I discussed with the
current Mother Superior, Mother Monica
Pullicino, the possibility of presenting all
the material which is connected to their
history and is kept in various Greek,
Italian, and Maltese archives. She was a
great supporter from the first moment and
happily agreed to this, so, in my turn, I
had the pleasure of literally offering them
this book, the translation of which was
written by Ms. Irena Mouzakiti in the same
spirit of availability and offer toward the
Sisters.
Is there a Maltese community in Corfu
now?
In the beginning of the 19th century, both
Malta and Corfu were under British rule
and the first organised immigration of
Maltese workers and farmers to Cefallonia
and Corfu started. It is from them and the
waves that followed that the about 2,500
Maltese in Corfu originate. The connecting
link these almost 200 years was neither
the national consciousness nor language
and traditions, but the common Catholic
dogma.
There were, of course, hundreds of cases
of Maltese immigrants who, for various
reasons, got baptised or rebaptised into
the Greek Orthodox Church, but the truth
is that if this community was preserved
owed to the influence of the Catholic
Church on the Ionian Islands as well as
that of the Maltese Sisters. With regard to
their national identity, I do not believe
there is even one of those Maltese
immigrants‟ descendants who do not feel
completely absorbed in the Greek
environment. This is natural and self-
evident as the situation would not have
allowed for anything different. As a matter
of fact, I always insist that we can no
longer talk of the Maltese in Corfu but of
Corfiots or Greeks (as there are families in
many parts of Greece) of Maltese origin.
Do you speak Maltese or understand
it?
Unfortunately, not only can I not speak
the language, but neither can I
understand it. There is, however, at the
moment in Corfu a Maltese Sister, Sr.
Olympia, who offers lessons in the Maltese
language to whomever wishes to learn.
OCTOBER 2010 Page 9
Have you visited Malta often?
I already had visited Malta three times
before the Convention. At the Convention
I had the opportunity to speak with people
who widened my knowledge with regard
to the Maltese immigration as well as the
part of the Government in matters
relevant to the Maltese immigrants of first
and second generations. It was something
that never happened for the immigrants in
Corfu, but then again, it was of course,
completely different times.
What is your impression of Malta? Do
you see any resemblances of the two
cultures?
As I have recently written in an article, in
a Greek publication, you can either love
Malta and its people, or not. For us whose
roots are in Malta, there is a strong
sentimentality each time we visit. And
yes, we do find similarities everywhere, in
the colour, the music, architecture,
characters, and even in most of the
names which have been kept the same
with only very small changes.
What would you like to tell the
readers of the FMLA Newsletter about
the book and the Maltese Sisters?
I would like to salute all of your readers
and let them know that there is a small,
beautiful corner of Greece where there will
always be people who would love to know
them better. As for the Sisters, their work
speaks for itself. For more than 100 years
they have not stopped working with faith
and self-denial and have become an
inseparable part of the Corfiot society
which loves, appreciates, and respects
them for their important charitable,
missionary, and educational work. All of
us can be really proud of them.
How can people purchase a copy of
the book?
The book was exclusively offered to the
Sisters for the needs of the prototype
Care Centre for the Elderly that they are
running in Corfu. More information about
the book can be obtained by writing:
Mother Monica Pullicino, Franciscan Sisters
of Malta, 13 Alexandrou Panagouli St.,
49100 Corfu, Greece.
FMLA LOGO This is our third issue and we feel very
encouraged by your positive responses.
At this time we are inviting members of
the Maltese global community, who are
adept at graphics design, to help out the
Federation of Maltese Living Abroad with
the design of a logo that would be
incorporated in our Newsletter Masthead
and FMLA letterhead.
A logo is always associated with a vibrant
organization and we would like ours to
reflect the diverse Maltese diaspora.
Readers who would like more information
about developing the FMLA logo, should
contact the FMLA Secretary at
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