The Quiet Achievers 2015 Night of Recognition
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The Voice of the Maltese (driven by the voice of its readers ) Issue 98 oonnlliinnee mmaaggaazziinnee March 31, 2015 The Quiet Achievers 2015 Night of Recognition he recipients of certificates at the Mal - he start of Spring on March Ttese Welfare (NSW) Quiet Achievers – T 21 in Malta heralded an im - Night of Recognition 2015 during Seniors portant day for the Church as Weekend photographed with special Mgr Charles J Scicluna was for - guests and MW committee members at the mally installed as the Archbishop Annunciation Hall, St Dominic’s Black - of the island in a ceremony at the town. Those honoured for their distin - Cathedral in Mdina. guished voluntary work are in the first two The highlight was reached with rows holding their certificates. the reading of the Papal decree - Front row (from left): Sister Giorgina Sul - dated February 27 - appointing tana, Joe Vella, Catherine Vella, Charles Mgr Scicluna (left) to head the Scicluna, Christine Sapienza, Doris Meilak. Church in Malta. Second row: Charles Zarb, Lycia Manche’, It was the first installation since Josephine Grima, Antonia Fenech, that of Archbishop Joseph Mer - Emanuel Debono, Ronnie Borg, Frank and cieca in 1976, who, like Mgr Sci - Marlene Baldacchino, Marie Louis Muscat. cluna, was already bishop when Third row : Clr Greg Cummings, Clr Lisa he was appointed to head the Lane, John Robertson MP, Martin Todor - Maltese Church. ovitch, and Lawrence Dimech. Back : Prof Mercieca’s successor, Mgr Paul Stephen Gatt, Andrew Rohan MP and Cremona was ordained bishop Emanuel Camilleri. after he was nominated, at an or - dination ceremony at St John's (See full report on page 4) Co-Cathedral. 2 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday March 31, 2015 Mary Dimech: Honoured for her significant and exemplary contribution he fourth annual Harmony seventies. She was a Dinner at the Grand Pavillion committed mentor in TRosehill Gardens attended by every aspect of her some 1,300 invited guests bringing helping profession, together people from different cul - particularly on the tures, faiths and linguistic back - workings of beauroc - grounds, was again an event racy and how to showcasing the cultural diversity steer the community and unity of the State of NSW. in the right direction The highlight of the evening was to obtain much- the presentation of the Premier’s needed funding. Awards, amongst the many an addi - It was through her tion to the NSW Multicultural Hon - support that for the our Roll that is a permanent public very first time, the Mary Dimech record of the significant and exem - Maltese community plary contribution by people of our benefitted from the employment of 2009 after a protracted illness at the multicultural society. This posthu - two Maltese-speaking health-care aged of 58 years. mous inscription marks the legacy interpreters and a full-time health- The dinner under the chairmanship of those people who have made a care worker. of the Premier of NSW, the Hon lasting contribution to the commu - Mary was instrumental in the birth Mike Baird was also attended by a nity in New South Wales that ex - and growth of the Maltese Welfare number of other Ministers, Consul- tends beyond their passing. Group in 1977 and kept guiding it Generals and community leaders. until 1980. Her guidance was al - The Maltese community was repre - Mary Dimech - 1951 - 2009 ways professional and worth its sented by the president of the Mal - Mary came to Australia with her weight in gold. However, her talents tese Community Council of NSW, family as a one-year-old baby and were needed elsewhere and so she Lawrence Dimech and Mrs Dimech, grew up in a Maltese home environ - moved on to working with main - the v/president, Emanuel Camilleri ment at Queenstown (Tasmania) stream service providers. and his wife, the Treasurer George and Wentworthville (NSW) with all Mary was active in numerous roles Bartolo and the principal of the Mal - the difficulties new arrivals faced in including being the first Chairper - tese Language School of NSW, Mary their initial settlement. son of the Ethnic Childcare Cooper - Pace-Feraud and her husband Tony. Mary started her tertiary studies at ative, working for the Ethnic Harmony in action the Sydney Conservatorium of Communities Council of NSW and Music but felt a desire for a change also being the Director of the Race *NSW is one of the most culturally of career to social work obtaining a Discrimination Unit and the Human and linguistically diverse states in degree as a social worker from the Rights and Equal Opportunity Com - the world. University of NSW. mission. *Our multicultural society is no This line of work fitted her per - Another of her key achievements longer a small segment, it is a vital fectly. It reflected her innermost per - included working as the National piece of our collective NSW identity. sonality - gentle soul, firm in her Programmes Manager for Multicul - The people of NSW convictions, meticulous in her tasks tural Arts at the Australia Council and infinitely generous. She also where she initiated the Council’s 245 ancestries, 215 languages, 125 re - spent some time working in Lon - first multicultural arts policy. ligious beliefs. don. She was a passionate and dedi - 45% of the people in NSW were ei - The Maltese community of NSW cated advocate for ethnic communi - ther born overseas or have at least owes Mary a lasting gratitude, as ties, minority groups and women. one parent born overseas. she was the one who laid the foun - Her commitment to marginalised 23% of the people in NSW speak a dations for the infrastructural devel - communities is an inspiration. language other than English at opment in Maltese welfare in the Mary Dimech died on November 3, home. New South Wales (NSW) is one of the Maltese community of NSW owes States in Australia. The others are, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, Mary Dimech a lasting gratitude Western Australia and Queensland. Tuesday March 31, 2015 The Voice of the Maltese 3 Giuseppe Grima: Was he the first Maltese in South Australia? residence of D. Gol - By Mark Caruana lan Esq. Burnside, Strathalbyn, died search in Australian newspa - from apoplexy, Jos- pers, available online through eph Grima, aged 75 Athe National Library of Aus - years. The deceased tralia, records a man by the name of was a Maltese, and Giuseppe Grima obtaining a general was highly respected publican licence. This detail is by Mr. and Mrs. recorded in the South Australian Regis - Gollan, with whom ter dated April 2 1842. he had lived for some That year marks the end of the con - time as coachman. vict era in Australia and one would as - The above death sume that Giuseppe Grima would notice clearly stat- have arrived in Australia before this es that Joseph Gri- year to be in position to apply and ob - ma, then aged 75, tain a publican licence. was Maltese. He Ten years later in 1852, Giuseppe was identified by Grima applied for a hackney carriage his friends as a proprietors and driver’s licence to Maltese and was work as a coachman. known to have One year later, the South Australian been born in Register of August 22, 1853, records an Malta. He died unclaimed letter that could be picked from apoplexy (a up at the Post Office, listed under the stroke or a brain section Foreign Letters, in the name of hemorrhage) and Giuseppe Grima. is buried in the Year 1855 must have been a hard one Iron Knob ceme - for Giuseppe, whose occupation is tery. stated as labourer, who was declared Iron Knob is a an insolvent, while the last entry on workplace where, Giuseppe Grima, in the SA Register, is many years later, on the April 26, 1864 where it is stated a number of Mal - that: tese found employment in the Steel Australia but was remembered by his GRIMA. On the 24th March 1864, at the Works of this mining town in South friends. Australia. It is hoped that his name will also be The Whyalla cemetery, where Giu- What I found of remembered by the Maltese commu - seppe Grima is buried, as it is today interest is a note nity of SA as one of its first (if not the in the names on first) pioneer in this State. the headstones It would be appreciated if a photo of of the Whyalla the headstone of Giuseppe Grima at cemetery that is, the Whyalla cemetery could be taken that on July 1, to be deposited in the Migration Mu - 1923, sixty years seum, Adelaide and the Fred Fenech after his death. Maltese Resource Centre in NSW. Joseph Grima had a headstone You can have full access The Voice of the erected by Maltese online anytime by logging to: friends. He must http://www.maltesewelfare.com.au have had no family in South and click on The Voice sign A proud sponsor of The Voice of the Maltese Tel (02) 9622 7799 website: www.breakawaytravel.com.au Breakaway Travel 94 corner of Main & Campbell blacktown@breakaway - Streets, Blacktown NSW travel.com.au for all your travel needs. 4 The Voice of the Maltese Tuesday March 31, 2015 Mog˙tija g˙arfien annwali fil-qasam tal-volontarjat ssir kull sena, i Ωda l- organizzaturi dejjem Iisibu mod kif dan l- avveniment ji©i ppre Ωentat b’mod pro - fessjonali u differenti. Quddiem sala ppakk - jata bin-nies, il-Maltese Welfare (NSW) ip - pre Ωentaw il-15-il ediz - zjoni tal- Quiet Achievers – Night of Recognition . Did- darba 13-il persuna ta’ nisel Malti ©ew onorati g˙ax-xog˙ol li wettqu fil-qasam tal-voluntarjat fl-isferi differenti tal-ko - munita` generali.