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 ccaruana29@hotmail.com

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: atvella@rogers.com. 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

caruanamark@optusnet.com.au 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 customercare.archives@gov.mt 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

atvella@rogers.com.

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