Australia Day celebrated
At last I had the opportunity of meeting Ms Jane Lambert, the new Australian High Commissioner who took over from Ms Quinane. It is unfortunate that although she invited me to three or so events, each time I was unable to attend for various valid reasons. My life seems to be a little like the Barber of Seville’s: ‘Figaro quà, Figaro là’. We arrived at Villa Risq, my beautiful food blogger friend Lea Hogg and I. Judging from the parking it was going to be full house. Let us not forget that Australia's 164,000-strong Maltese community is the world's largest outside Malta and there were a good number of heads of NGOs associated with Australia present apart from the President of Malta, Dr Abela, his Grace the Archbishop, our Minister of Foreign Affairs and Mrs Vella as well as members of the diplomatic corps, Australians in Malta and numerous Maltese.
Like many Australians I have become acquainted with over the years, Ms Lambert is warm and low key, but underneath it all is a very clever and capable woman. She is a career diplomat and has previously served as Deputy High Commissioner to South Africa, Counsellor at the Australian High Commission in Nigeria, and First Secretary at the Australian Embassy to the European Union, Belgium and Luxembourg. She was most recently Director of the Department's Pakistan Section. A varied career indeed yet she seems to be too young to have achieved all that already.
In her welcome speech that evening, she said that Australia Day is also a day to reflect on Australia’s history, on contemporary Australia, its achievements as a nation and people, “on our values as a liberal democratic society and where we see our future.” She quoted Australia’s Prime Minister Mr Tony Abbott who said that Australians are grateful inheritors of two rich strands of history: a British heritage and an Aboriginal one. “Along with the millions of settlers from around the world who have made their home in Australia since 1788, we have become one people sharing the one land. We are fulfilling the aspiration put forward in the opening of the Australia Constitution “that the people… have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth.’
I can only in this limited space quote but very little of Her Excellency’s interesting speech. She acknowledged that some have mixed feelings about celebrating Australia Day and that the Prime Minister had announced the start of a national conversation about amending the Constitution to recognize Aboriginal peoples as the first Australians which should be another unifying moment in the history of Australia.
The Australian High Commissioner then spoke about the Australian of the Year awards and this year’s winners and their impressive achievements.
She said that contemporary Australia is a multicultural nation and that since 1945 more than seven million people have migrated to Australia. “Today one in four of Australia’s 23 million people were born overseas. We speak over 260 languages and identify with more than 270 ancestries. This year on Australia Day nearly 18,000 people from 155 different countries became Australian citizens, the oldest new citizen is 100 year old Mrs Aziza Rawaini from Iraq.”
Ms Lambert spoke in glowing terms of those Maltese who had settled in Australia and went on to point out that Malta’s geo-strategic location dictates that Malta will find itself at the centre of events in the Mediterranean, and it is a testimony to the Maltese people and successive governments that Malta has stepped up to meet those events rather than step around them, Ms Lambert said. “Our two countries have stood together in the dark times, Malta and the Maltese people were there for us during the wars and social and political upheavals of the 20th century, taking on the mantle of the nursemaid of the Meditrranean and safe haven for those in need, which the ANZAC Day ceremony held each year at Pietà Cemetery on 25 April acknowledges. She then went on to say that Australia and Malta share a commitment to the upholding of democratic values, to human rights and equal opportunity, to the promotion of peace and security and that Australians look forward to working together with their Maltese friends and colleagues here and in international forums. She referred to CHOGM 2015 and also Commonweath Day on 10 March. She spoke of the further strengthening and broadening ties between the two countries in particular through academic exchanges and other avenues.
Ms Lambert noted that 22,000 Australian tourists visited Malta in the past year.
On 21 September this year an important milestone in the relationship between the two countries will be reached as the 50th anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between Australia and Malta will be reached. “I look forward to making that a special occasion for our two countries and communities, including developing a special project involving the Argotti Gardens, the Australian National Botanic Gardens and members of the Australian-Maltese community in Malta.”
Her final words were directed at the President and Mrs Abela for their commitment and efforts to promote the relationship between the two countries. She wishes them “the opportunity for some personal and family time after working so diligently and tirelessly in their very demanding public roles.” After the President’s speech toasts were proposed.
I had the opportunity to speak for some time to Her Excellency that evening. She said I might be Malta’s equivalent of the Scarlet Pimpernel “we seek her there, we seek her here, we seek her everywhere.” She told me she has two projects in hand. One of her ‘hobbies’ which allows her to take a break from work demands is botanical painting. (I was also to discover that she speaks French fluently.) She said she took up this style of painting in early 2006 shortly before going on posting as Australia’s Deputy High Commissioner to South Africa. “During that posting not only was I introduced to the wealth of plant diversity in Southern Africa, over 7,000 different species around Cape Town alone, but I also met many fascinating people through the Botanical Art Association of Southern Africa and had the opportunity to attend a number of workshops led by local and international artists.” So when she was preparing for her posting to Malta she again turned to the idea of learning about her next country of residence and getting to know its people through its plants. In her first meeting with Francis Tabone, then High Commissioner, he presented her with a book on the plants of Malta. So she decided that her ‘Malta project’ would be to paint the native plants of Malta, or as many as she could – there are around 65 such plants, she informed me – a fact I was not aware of. She has so far completed a painting of Malta’s National flower, national tree and the kappara vine, as well as a painting of a red darter dragonfly sitting on the leaf of a bird of paradise plant and a composition of four cicada casings both of which she found in late summer in the garden of the residence. She went on to speak and praise those who helped her in her endeavours.
Ms Lambert has another plant related project she, her colleagues and others together with Dr Buhagiar, director of the Argotti Botanic Gardens are working on. It is to establish an Australian Plant Collection at the Argotti Gardens. “The aim is to have the collection started – it will be a long term project – by September this year in order to mark the 50th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Malta and Australia.”
My immediate impression was: She is good for Malta, so full of talent and ideas. I hope she will enjoy her stay here.
Concert for charity n Gozo
On Saturday 5 April at 7pm at the Hotel Kempinski San Lawrenz, Gozo, the acclaimed duo pianist Michelangelo Carbonara and his wife cellist Kyung Mi Lee will return to Gozo to perform in aid of two worthy charities.
Tickets for the concert cost 30 euros. For an additional 40 euro charge per person there will also be an optional three course dinner at the hotel’s Trattoria. Cheques are payable to FSE Fund Gozo/HMK which is a special account for the above charities.
For booking and further information please contact:
Mrs Sonja Sinclair Stevenson on 2156 2074, Fax, 2156 3396 or on [email protected]
