I was very pleased to see the lovely picture of a Belgian Hare from our annual national championship show right on the front page (TMID, 1 May). The photo is excellent and the photographer deserves a pat on the back.
Because the picture itself stole the limelight the ordinary details of the show itself seem to have escaped all attention. No mention was made that the show was organised by the Malta Rabbit Club.
In fact I am rather disappointed that the photographer/reporter did not seek me out at the show since I myself had sent the press release. I was there all the time and had some details ready for him.
I would have told him that this show is the biggest rabbit show of the year in Malta and that the championships have been being held since 1963. I would have led him to the rabbit which was judged the best exhibit in the show and consequently the nicest rabbit in Malta (the one in the photo did not compete and was there merely on exhibition). The winner was a Seal Point Rex buck owned by Kersten Farrugia of Zejtun. The winner of the Best Exhibit of the opposite sex was an Alaska doe owned by Charles Agius of Qrendi. In the young rabbits section (under 5 months) the Best Exhibit was a German Lop buck owned by Marco Pisani, of Naxxar, and the Best Opposite sex was an English Spot doe owned by Eric Borg, of Birkirkara.
At 11am on Saturday 29 April Minister George Pullicino opened the show officially and in the course of his address mentioned that a member of the Malta Rabbit Club has clinched a deal to export 80,000 rabbit skins per month, resulting in just under a million a year. (The Times got it wrong with 250,000 per annum.) The minister also suggested the setting up of a permanent exhibition of the various rabbit breeds we have in Malta. The ministry would set up the exhibition and the Malta Rabbit Club would be responsible for running it.
The show was visited also by the Opposition Leader Alfred Sant, parliamentary secretary Tonio Fenech and by Labour MP Joe Debono Grech.
Joseph Gauci Maistre
President.
Malta Rabbit Club