The St Joseph Band Club organized a traditional fair in order to raise funds for the Musical Archive project. The activity was held outside the Club's premises and in just a few hours, it managed to attract a very encouraging crowd of Ghajnsilmizi - both young and old.

The club's terrace was full of activity as many decided to take their chance and try to win a variety of prizes ranging from home goods to garden plants.

 

 

The people of Ghajnsielem will be invited to see the on-going works during an Open-Day which will be taking place on Sunday 24th August. Beside the possibility of seeing the completion of Phase 1 of the project, the public will have the opportunity to view several artistic works exhibited by local artists. The exhibition will remain open until the 31st of August. Radju Lauretana will also be transmitting live from the Band Club's premises. More details will be announced in the due course.

Phase 1 consists of the marble floor, upgrade of lightening and electrical system, a new ceiling made from solid mahogany and two chandeliers. This phase will be completed by August 2008 with an estimated cost of €19,000

Phase 2 consists of the wall panelling, the main unit of the Musical Archive, the sculpture on the same archive and other related pieces of furniture. This phase will be completed by August 2009 with an estimated cost of €25,000

 

The Tile4U scheme which was recently launched to raise money to fund the refurbishment work on the Formal Committee Room is proceeding successfully. In fact, in just two weeks over €1500 have been collected thanks to several beneficiaries.

This means that over 75 tiles or one third of the whole board have been sold at €20 each. Once all the 225 boxes are completed, a list with the names and addresses of all the beneficiaries will be engraved on a board and stored in the Musical Archive as a way to reciprocate for the donations.

The Tile4U scheme aims to collect money to fund the the marble floor area of the Formal Committee Room which is being upgraded to host the Musical Archive. A wooden board displaying 225 boxes has been placed in the main entrance hall of the Club. Each box (or tile) represents part of the marble floor area and is being sold at €20. Those who are interested in giving a donation of €20 can leave the money with the barman or call / SMS Kevin Cauchi on 99459426.
 

Click here to read newsletter in PDF format
(if file does not open in browser, right click on above link and select "Save Target As")

Friday, 16th May 2008
Maj Anthony Aquilina biography book

---

---

---

---

The St Joseph Band kept its annual appointment of participating in the Good Friday procession which is held around the main streets of Nadur. Under the direction of Mro. Sunny Galea and assisted by Mro Frankie Debono, the band braved the cold weather and played funeral marches for almost 3 hours.

This evening, the St. Joseph Band held its annual concert of Sacred Music which included a mixture of funeral marches and other works related to the Holy week. The event was held at old parish church and attracted a good attendance. The band was conducted by Director Mro Sunny Galea A.L.C.M. and assisted by Mro. Frankie Debono. Throughout the concert, Archpriest Can. Frankie Bajada shared some spiritual thoughts for religious reflections. The compere was Notary Josepha Xuereb.

The event opened with 'Lill-Madonna tad-Duluri' composed by Sunny Galea. Other pieces included 'Justa Crucis' by Mikiel Farrugia, 'Salve Regina' of Emanuel Cremona and 'Elegie' which was also composed by Sunny Galea. Meanwhile, Mro Frankie Debono directed 'Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring' from the great composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Mro Debono also directed 'To My Dear Parents' which for the first time, was composed by himself. The last piece of music 'Ti Ricordo Per Sempre' was dedicated 'in Memoriam' to Loreto Zerafa, a bandsman who passed away a few months.

The pieces were played at an astonishing level of virtuosity and the conductor rightly brought those present to their feet to acknowledge the applause.

Click Here for More Pictures

---

Today marks the devotional beginning of Holy Week. All over the islands, processions and pilgrimages are held with deep veneration towards Our Lady of Sorrows and in Ghajnsielem this was certainly not an exception as hundreds followed the solemn procession of Our Lady of Sorrow which went round the main streets of the village.

The procession started at 6.00pm and took the form of a pageant with various participants dressed up in period costumes to represent Biblical personalities. It was a day of devotion with several volunteers participating in this procession as an act of sacrifice or thanks-giving. The St Joseph Band accompanied the procession with religious and funeral marches.

The Musical Archive project and the Refurbishment of the Committee Room were high on the agenda as the St Joseph Band Club held its Annual General Meeting on Friday evening. Although no elections were held, the members unanimously gave a vote of confidence to the present committee whose term expires next year. In accordance with the statute which was emended last year, the election for a new committee is to be held every two years.

President Gino Cauchi gave an evaluation of the work done by the committee during the last twelve months while thanking all members and individuals who regularly contributed time and energy to the club. After the president's speech, Kevin Cauchi, the club's secretary gave a detailed account of the projects and activities held during 2007. Some of the projects include:

-  Five new musical instruments -  Three televisions (1 Plasma 50" and 2 LCD 32") to be enjoyed in the Bar Area -  Surround Sound System and a DVD Player which were installed in the Bar Area -  A new PA system which is to be used for the club's activities -  Financial subsidy for Bandsmen to buy a new instrument -  Complete refurbishment of all the premises' windows -  New set of ties and cords for the Bandsman -  New illumination system for the snooker table -  New surface for the snooker table

Over major 12 fundraising activates were organized by the executive committee while the woman's sub-committee section managed to hold a fundraising activity at least once every week. During his speech, Kevin Cauchi also gave a detailed update about the Musical Archive and the refurbished committee room and unveiled a series of initiatives to finance the costs of these projects.  The administrative report ended with a tribute to bandsman Loreto Zerafa who passed away a few months ago.

Elvin Tabone read the 2007's financial report. In just 12 months, the club managed a record turnover of Lm59,832 (€139,373). Unfortunately, expenses were also on the high side but the club ended the year with a positive balance of Lm823 (€1917). For 2008, the committee re-negotiated a new deal for the leasing of the Bar area for the next three years while it also managed to sign an exciting agreement with General Softdrinks Ltd. who are now the official softdrinks suppliers of the club.  

The 80th Anniversary logo was also unveiled (see image below) while several activities are being planned for 2008 in order to commemorate this event.

Refurbishment work on the Committee's formal Meeting Room started today as the St Joseph Band Club is gearing up in order to welcome the new Musical Archive. The design and decorations of this room have been assigned to Richard Young - a well known interior designer who specializes in antique design.  The room will be inaugurated later this year as part of the 80th Anniversary activities. More details about these activities will be announced soon.

Meanwhile work on the Musical Archive is in full swing. Joseph Tabone is in charge of the woodworks while the sculpture has been left to Lawrence Grima, an expert in this field. The archive will be over 20ft wide and over 11ft in height in solid dry mahogany wood.

The musical archives will hold the compositions that the St Joseph Band has been collecting for the past 80 years and will definitely reflect the glorious history of the Club.

Radju Lauretana will be back on air on the 2nd of March 2008 just in time for the Easter period. For the upcoming schedule, the St Joseph Band Club will again present the popular band program 'Mal-Kolp tal-Katuba' presented by Ivan Portelli and Joe Galea and assisted by program technician Charles Portelli. 'Mal-Kolp tal-Katuba' includes playing of popular band marches, information on the activities of our Society, competitions, interviews and also accepts special dedications to the radio listeners. A program not to be missed!

 

---