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Din l-Art ĦelwA National Trust of Malta 50th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Edition 2 €10 January 2016 NEWSPAPER POST Din l-Art Ħelwa 50th Anniversary The People – The Thoughts 1965 - 2015 V I G I L O ISSN - 1026-132X 50th ANNIVERSARY ISSUE EDITION 2 January 2016 THE COUNCIL 2015-17 Executive President Maria Grazia Cassar Vice-Presidents Simone Mizzi Professor Luciano Mulé Stagno Hon. Secretary General Philip Mercieca Hon. Treasurer Martin Scicluna Members Professor Anthony Bonanno Albert Calleja George Camilleri Cettina Caruana Curran Dr Petra Caruana Dingli Joseph F Chetcuti Carolyn Clements Dr Alan Deidun Josie Ellul Mercer Cathy Farrugia 50th Anniversary Logo was designed by Reno Psaila Ann Gingell Littlejohn Dr Stanley Farrugia Randon Our Name Our Logo Judge Joe Galea Debono Din l-Art Ħelwa means The symbolic Senglea Gardjola, our Albert P Mamo ‘This Beautiful Land’, a name logo, stands endlessly in vigil Dr Anika Psaila Savona inspired by guarding Malta’s remarkable heritage. Patricia Salomone the first three words of the Maltese Join, donate or volunteer and help us Perit Joanna Spiteri Staines National Anthem. look after the places you love. Hon. Life Council Members Dame Blanche Martin Martin L.A. Scicluna Patron HE The President of Malta FRONT AND BACK Detail from the restored ceiling of Our Lady of Victory Church Photograph - Daniel Cilia EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT 02 38 WIED Iż-żURRIEq TOWER RESTORATION C HERITAGE SAVED 04 FOREVER, FOR EVERYONE 40 RESTORATION OF THE MATTIA PRETI PAINTINGS O GALLERY OF 06 AT SARRIA CHURCH MONUMENTS SAVED N 1965 - 2015 42 DELIMARA LIGHTHOUSE: EVENTS CELEBRATING 17 HISTORY, RESTORATION 50 YEARS OF DLĦ AND NOW DELIGHTFUL T HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION COMMUNICATION BUILDS 22 E UNDERSTANDING - DLĦ 44 TEN YEARS OF DLĦ VOLUNTEERS SEMINAR AWARDS FOR ARCHITECTURAL N VISIT BY PROFESSOR 24 HERITAGE SIMON MOLESWORTH 48 DLĦ VOLUNTEERS T HERITAGE SAVED MAP 28 RESTORED WORKS OF ART 30 53 MESSAGES FROM OTHER S IN OUR LADY OF VICTORY NGOS CHURCH 54 DLĦ 'SAVE THE RESTORATION OF 35 COUNTRYSIDE' PERIMETER WALLS AND CAMPAIGN ALTARS AT OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHURCH 55 A GREAT SIEGE FOR THE COPYRIGHT by the PUBLISHER GRAND CARDINAL ALESSIO ERARDI 'S CEILING 36 Din l-Art Ħelwa 60 END OF 50TH ANNIVERSARY 133 Melita Street AT OUR LADY OF VICTORY Valletta CHURCH REVEALED YEAR MESSAGE Malta GC WIGNACOURT TOWER telephone/fax: 21 220358 37 61 DLĦ CORPORATE e-mail: RESTORATION SPONSORS [email protected] web: www.dinlarthelwa.org Council 2015 - 2017 EDITOR DESIGN & LAYOUT JOSEPH AZZOPARDI EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS JUDITH FALZON ANN GINGELL LITTLEJOHN VIGILO e-mail: [email protected] The views expressed in VIGILO are not necessarily those of Din l-Art Ħelwa PRINTED BY Best Print Co. Ltd. |urrieq Road Qrendi QRD 1814 2 VIGILO - DIN L-ART ÓELWA 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Edition 2 JANUARY 2016 The Times They Are a-Changing Maria Grazia Cassar Executive President of Din l-Art Ħelwa Harbour Regeneration Committee, the Malta Tourism Authority and Heritage Malta have resulted in many monuments and spaces being given back to the public. The Mdina Ditch, Fort St Elmo and Fort St Angelo come to mind, and many more are in the pipeline, such as Bighi and, soon, the Malta International Contemporary Art Space in Floriana. So far, so good. Malta, it seems, is moving in the right direction and buzzing with exciting projects that will give new life to historical buildings and return cultural spaces to Maltese and visitors alike. We are preserving what is unique to Malta and making good use of it. This is progress and good development. However, the other side of the coin shows another reality. We had the opportunity of discussing this at the round table debate held at the Chamber of Commerce on 16 September, chaired by Malta In September this year, Din l-Art Ħelwa had the Keeping the character Business Bureau board member and senior strategic honour and pleasure of welcoming Professor Simon while adapting to the adviser to Microsoft Dr John Vassallo. The panel Molesworth, AO, QC, his wife Lindy and daughter future – Marsaxlokk was composed of Din l-Art Ħelwa Council members Anika, to Malta. During his week here, Prof. Dr Petra Caruana Dingli and Professor Alan Deidun, Molesworth called on the President of Malta and the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association president Environment Minister, gave a public talk at the Valletta and Malta Industrial Parks Ltd chairman Tony Zahra, Campus of the University of Malta, participated in a Malta Developers Association president Sandro round table debate at the Chamber of Commerce and Chetcuti, architect Ivan Cachia and, of course, addressed Din l-Art Ħelwa members and other NGOs Infinite possibilities Professor Simon Molesworth. at our headquarters. contrasted with The title of the debate was Business All this was interspersed with viewing many of immediate speculation: development and environment protection: sustainable Malta’s cultural gems, including areas of natural beauty Lower St. Elmo and bedfellows? In theory, everyone agreed that a balance and, of course, becoming acquainted with the various Sliema Peninsula could be achieved, but in practice the very opposite environmental and planning issues that were discussed as we made our way from one place to the next. The first thing on which Prof. Molesworth remarked as we drove through Senglea where he was residing, thanks to Martin Scicluna’s generous offer of accommodation, was that he had never seen anything like it. He was referring to the spectacle of wooden balconies hovering above our heads in a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes. This was a unique environment and maybe one that we too often take for granted. He was delighted to see it again in Valletta, even in post-war constructions, and listened enthusiastically when I told him that, some years ago, there had been a scheme in place to help finance the restoration of these gallariji. He remarked that a similar scheme back home in Broken Hill, NSW, Australia, had ensured the protection of the characteristic verandas of its Victorian houses. Prof. Molesworth was captivated by what he saw, and observed that there was a great deal of restoration and conservation of the historical fortifications, palaces and churches going on. Indeed, he was impressed by the extent of this work and commended the government for leading the way in securing EU funding to carry it out. The concerted efforts of the Restoration Directorate, the Rehabilitation Committees of Valletta, Mdina and the Three Cities, the Grand JANUARY 2016 VIGILO - DIN L-ART ÓELWA 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Edition 2 3 seems to be the case. The full-speed-ahead onslaught of building development that Malta is witnessing is changing our built and natural environment at an unprecedented rate and, unfortunately, without the foresight and knowledge of the effect this will have on our quality of life. The demolition of traditional dwellings is the order of the day, most of them replaced by blocks of flats that are ruining the character of our towns and villages. Additional floors are obliterating views that could be enjoyed by everyone until not so long ago, and soon churches will no longer dominate our skylines, as we are forced to swallow the pill of high-rise buildings, whether we like it or not. All this is compounded by the persistent eating away at Outside Development Zone boundaries by big and small developers alike. There are some who argue that it is a necessary evil. I think we all agree that it is evil, and the debating panel also agreed that it is not necessary. For some time now, Din l-Art Ħelwa has been insisting that development must be based on solid, hard facts and figures that show where the needs lie, and what should be allowed in order to fulfil them. We must have a vision – a master plan for our country – which will go beyond the few years of any one legislature. In his inspiring and challenging talk, Prof. Molesworth warned us that we must not ‘kill the goose that lays the golden egg’. We must identify what is special about our culture and environment and protect it, otherwise we will be opening the doors to the “curse of sameness” that is creeping into every modern urban conglomeration. Making the most of Good legislation is the key to good Heritage Assets: development. We are in the process of changing much Fort St. Elmo of it at the moment, with the new Strategic Plan for Environment and Development, just approved by Parliament, and the Mepa demerger legislation being discussed in the House. Both of these have been strongly criticised by many, including the Church, the Commissioner for Planning and the Environment within the office of the Ombudsman and many eNGOs, including Din l-Art Ħelwa. The Parliamentary Committee meetings, chaired at the time by Dr Marlene Farrugia, have given civil society a forum in which to air their views and, thankfully, there is very often cross-party consensus. However, there is still much to be done to disassociate the environment and development from partisan politics and the winning of votes. Most importantly, there is much to be done in terms of looking beyond the immediate monetary gain that certain types of More help to development bring, and to quantify the real loss in owners required: monetary and other terms that these planning decisions Senglea beauties have on health, culture, education, our livelihood and life itself. 4 VIGILO - DIN L-ART ÓELWA 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Edition 2 JANUARY 2016 Heritage Saved Forever, For Everyone Simone Mizzi Vice President of Din l-Art Ħelwa Fifty years ago on 9 July 1965, Din l-Art Ħelwa was founded with the aim of First published on 11 July 2015 as a saving our nation’s heritage, our open spaces and natural environment.