25th April, 1995 - President Ugo Mifsud Bonnici leads ex-servicemen's associations and members of the diplomatic corps at the wreath-laying ceremony organised by the Australian High Commission and Royal British Legion to mark the 80th anniversary of the allied landings at Gallipoli (April 25,1915 - ANZAC day) when Malta served as a hospital base.

20th April, 1989 - A direct telephone link between Malta and Australia is inaugurated.

20th April, 1965 - The Emigration Mission headed by Earl Mounbatten of Burma arrives in Malta

12th April, 1963 - A group of 88 emigrants leaves for Australia by air.

10th April, 1959 - 351 Maltese emigrants depart for Australia on the S.S. Castel Felice.
10th April, 1960 - About 200 emigrants leave for Australia on the M.V. Aurelia.

Balance...

6th April, 1980 - Education Minister Agatha Barbara says that 20,017 emigrants returned to Malta in the four previous years. 11,317 re-emigrated, leaving a balance of 8,7000.

22nd March 1959 - The liner Sydney embarks 195 emigrants for Australia.

21st March, 1960 - A group of 95 emigrants leave for Australia by B.O.A.C/Qantas airliner.

20th March, 1963 - The liner Sydney leaves Malta with 215 emigrants bound for Australia.

MV Aurelia

16th March, 1961 - A group of 390 emigrants leave for Australia on board the MV Aurelia.

142 Maltese

14th March, 1965 - A group of 142 Maltese emigrants flies to Australia.

Queen Elizabeth

13th March, 1958 - Queen Elizabeth II breaks her flight home from Australia in Malta, accompanied by the Queen Mother.

A Maltese Politician in Australia

12th March, 1950 - John Aquilina, Politician (in Australia)

Flavia

10th March,1963 - A group of 340 migrants leaves for Australia on board the liner Flavia.

A car bomb

8th March,1969 - Car explosion kills a Maltese-Australian man in Paola.

Archbishop's Paul Cremona Message to Emigrants

Australia Hall in shambles!!!

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Pamphlet

More emigrants....

26th February, 1961 - A group of Maltese emigrants leave Malta by air for Australia.

26th February, 1963 - A group of 88 emigrants leave by air for Australia.

Strathmore.

24th February,1958 - A group of 100 migrants leave for Australia on the P.O. liner Strathmore.

An Australian Minister....

22nd February, 1971 - The Australian Minister of State Development, Immigration and Tourism arrives in Malta for a brief visit.

Visits...

19th February, 1980 - Education and Culture Minister Agatha Barbara leaves for a visit to Indonesia and Australia.

Visits...

19th February, 1962 - A thirty-five men Australian trade mission arrives on a four- day visit.

Presentation of Books....

18th February, 1965 - A large number of books is presented to the Government of Malta by the Australian Government.

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Discovery of an old book about Emigration in the School Bookstore...dating to 1st July, 1967

Discovery of a

On St. Valentine's Day....

14th February,1963 - The liner Roma embarks 303 Maltese emigrants for Australia.

Emigrants' Building

10th February, 1971 - The foundation stone of the Emigrants Memorial Building in Valletta is laid by the Prime Minister Borg Olivier.

An Italian Ship....

2nd February, 1961 - The Italian liner Flaminia with a group of 203 emigrants leave Malta for Australia .

Direct Flights between Malta and Australia?!

23rd January, 1997 - Newly-appointed Australian High Commissioner Colin Geoffrey Willis suggests that direct flights between Malta and Australia would be more possible if the route is shared.

Off to Australia... by air

21st January, 1963 - Some 90 emigrants leave Malta by air for Australia.

1962 ....

20th January, 1962 - The first 25 emigrants for 1962 leave for Australia today.

Dual Citizenship

19th January, 2000 - The House of Representatives approves changes to the Constitution to allow Maltese emigrants and their descendants to have dual citizenship.

Elvis and Maltese Emigrants

Elvis taught English to Maltese emigrant
maltastar.com team
15 January 2007
In the midst of an annual Elvis Presley Festival in an Australian town, a Maltese Australian woman told the story of her mother, who emigrated to Australia in the 1950s and learnt English by listening to The King’s records.

On Monday, the Canberra Times reported the story of Lena Saliba, a 61 year old woman from Blacktown, whose mother emigrated from Malta in 1952. But just like many other Maltese emigrants, it was not easy to adapt to the new country. Most Maltese emigrants did not even know how to speak English. But Lena’s mother must have had the coolest teacher around – Elvis. “She would listen to Elvis records and learn a bit from there, especially Teddy Bear”, she explained. “If more people listened to music they would learn English faster”.

A dedicated fan Lena Saliba was one of the thousands that gathered in Parkes, New South Wales, for the renowned Elvis Festival, which is organised annually at the beginning of January, in the midst of the Australian summer. For a few days, the town becomes ‘Graceland’, Elvis’ legendary hometown. Elvis songs are played in public places, numerous tribute acts are held, and hundreds of Elvis impersonators hit the streets. Over 6,000 visitors arrive in Parkes for the five day festival, through which the local council nets around four million Australian dollars.

Saliba is described as a “dedicated fan” of The King. She has “made the pilgrimage to Graceland and even owns two very rare, limited-edition records which she has never played for fear of devaluing them”, the Australian newspaper reported

The 100,000th Emigrant!

18th January, 1965 - A group of emigrants including the 100,000th person to emigrate since the World War II leaves for Australia.

It's time to say good-bye...

All things, come to an end.... it was time to say good-bye to Dr Borg. But it was better to say cheerio because she will be visiting us next January,2007.

Our on-going project is in safe hands...

Year 4 teacher explains the Koala Bear Project to the class.

Meeting long lost friends

Wonder of Wonders! Dr Borg meets one of the teachers who happens to be .... a long lost relative of hers. Congratulations!

Every one got a Koala Bear

Dr Borg gave a key chain with a Koala Bear to all the children and teachers in Year 4.

Reading about Koala Bears

Children are reading from their Maltese Reader called 'Id-Denfil' (The Dolphin) a section about Koala Bears....

Children from Year 4....

These are some of the tokens presented by Year 4 children to be taken to Australia by Dr Borg for their Australian friends. Well Done!!

At another place......Our Lady of the Grotto

Another place was Il-Madonna ta' l-Ghar, very near the Mellieha Santuary. We had to descend a flight of steps to reach this place...

At Anchor Bay, Malta

Ozi also visited Popeye Village situated on the lee side of Anchor Bay.

The Koala Bear at Mellieha Sanctuary

Last November (2006) our school went on a cultural tour in Malta. Obviously, we took Ozi the Koala Bear (our mascot) with us.

Emigrants' Day

Sunday 14th January, 2007

Emigrants' Day Celebrated in the Diocese of Gozo

Monetary Donation

14th January, 1971 - the Australian High Commissioner Hubert Opperman presents a monetary donation to the Emigrant Commission.

More emigrants...

On 13th January, 1961 it was announced that the first group of emigrants for 1961 left Malta for Australia on a KLM Constellation.

The Boomerang

The Boomerang, a very useful tool long time ago....that name is also used for a Maltese-Australian Radio Programme. Another programme shown on T.V. is the Waltzing Matilda

How many Koala Bears have we got here?

Class children brought many different Koala Bears from home...some small while others were not that small...

Everyone gets a Koala Bear

Everyone gets a Koala Bear, some were dressed up in blue, others were in green, yellow....different colours like different generations, different cultures but with a common element: the Koala Bear...the spirit of sharing together various cultures.

The Photographer of our School

Dr Borg presenting one of many Koala Bears in the form of a key-chain to our school photographer.

Artefacts from Australia

A general view of Year 4 with Class teacher and Dr Borg.

Dr Borg is speaking about Australia to Year 4 pupils.

News!

On 11th January, 1972 many Australian literary works were presented to the Royal University of Malta by the Australian High Commission. Well done!

Launching The Koala Bear Project in our school

Dr Victoria Borg is launching the project in our school during assembly time.

Emigrants to Australia

Hot from the Press!!

10th January, 1965 - A group of 143 Maltese and Gozitan emigrants leave for Australia

Australian-Gozitan Connections

Hello!

please check the following website because it contains a wealth of information about this topic:

http://www.malteseconnections.com

The Koala Bear Project

The Koala Bear Project was launched in Gozo on Sunday, 29th October, 2006. It main aim is to create a bridge between the Maltese and Gozitan Communities residing in Australia with the community residing in Gozo or Malta. Those in Australia were invited to donate a soft-toy in the shape of a Koala Bear and attached with is was an envelope with a message to the Gozitan Community.

This blog is just part of this huge project and is being maintained by students and staff of Rosa Magro Primary School, Soil Street, Xewkija, Gozo. XWK 9034. Anyone who wishes to correspond can e-mail us on xewkija.primary.c@gov.mt


Hope that you enjoy our entries! See you!

The High Commissioner's Family

This is the High Commissioner with his family: his wife, Malgosia who originates from Lodz; and their two children: Tomek, 19, who is on a working holiday in Whistler; Canada before going to Sydney Univeristy to read an economics degree, like his father did before him at Melbourne's Monash University where he also studied law; Karolina, 22, is studying medicine at Australian National University in Canberra.

A new Australian High Commissioner for Malta

This is the new Australian High Commissioner Jurek Juszczyk for Malta.

A courtesy call

Hot From the Press:

On 7th January, 1966, a group of members of Maltese-Australians pay a courtesy call on Archbishop Gonzi.

History of Maltese Presence in Australia

History

The date when the first European settlement arrived in Australia is today remembered as Australia Day. That was way back in 1788. The first Maltese to set foot on Australian soil were a group of convicts in 1810, the first free settler arrived in 1838, and the first organised migrant group came in 1883 - 61 Maltese labourers who had been recruited to work on sugar plantations around Queensland. After nearly a century of immigration, there are now 47,000 Maltese-born living in Australia, rising to 150,000 Aussies of Maltese descent ... more than in any other country outside of the Maltese Islands.

Maltese - Australian communities, both at home and away, work tirelessly to make sure that cultural relations between the two nations remain strong. Nearly 60% of Maltese-Australian citizens speak their mother tongue, and activities in Austalia range from football leagues to church groups. (The Circle Magazine, page 17)

Hello from Gozo!! Il-Gzira tat-Tliet Gholjiet

We are students from Rosa Magro Primary School, in Xewkija, Gozo. We are doing a project, called Maltese Connections and it is about connecting with Maltese and Gozitan children who were born in Australia....but at first a little bit of history :)