On the 28^th April Maltese Welfare (NSW)  organised  a well-attended  information session on the Aged Care System.

The two speakers from Cumberland Council  Jaqueline Andres  (Service Development Co-ordinator and Andrea Hisoler (Service Development Intake Officer) explained  how the Aged Care System works and how the Services of the Council can be accessed to live independently at home. The response and questions from the audience showed the need in our community for these services. I would like to thank the attendees for their participation.

At the end of the presentation Lawrence Buhagiar Consul General for Malta in NSW spoke briefly about new rules when one is renewing  the passport.

I would like to thank  ”the Voice of the Maltese”, the Maltese Community Council of NSW and SBS radio for their help in promoting this information session.  I would like to  show my appreciation of the work of  the committee and members of the Maltese Welfare for their dedication to make this session such a success.   

Nathalie Gatt

President -Maltese Welfare NSW (Inc)

: www.maltesewelfare.com.au Email: secretarymaltesewelfarensw@gmail.com

The Maltese Welfare NSW  is resuming its information sessions. It has been a very hard time for us all especially our elderly. We know that many Maltese elderly need help to maintain their independence with  living in their homes.

Please note that we have moved our usual time from evening to a morning time, to hopefully make it easier to attend.

In our community we have the Australian Government- Aged Care System that is designed to help has many as possible.

Are you wondering if you can get some help with day-to-day tasks around the house? Maybe you need some respite care while your family or carer is away?

 There are many services that can help you maintain a good quality of life as you get older.

As you get older, living independently in your own home can become more difficult. If you’re finding it harder to do the things you used to, you can ask for some help.

Eligibility is based on factors like your health, how you’re managing at home, and any support you currently receive. You may be eligible for aged care services if you have:

• noticed a change in what you can do or remember
• been diagnosed with a medical condition or reduced mobility
• experienced a change in family care arrangements
• experienced a recent fall or hospital admission
•  are 65 years or older.

Maltese Welfare will be holding an information morning on Aged Care System on Thursday 28^th April  10.00am St George Preca Centre OLQP Church, Greystanes, see more details on  flyer.

Please help us to inform and encourage  our Maltese Elderly to attend.

If you have elderly parents, come along and find out what are the steps to help them.

Nathalie Gatt

President -Maltese Welfare NSW (Inc)

About Seniors Festival

Reconnect is the theme for NSW Seniors Festival in 2022.

The festival is a way of acknowledging the important roles seniors play in society and assisting them to be active and socially connected in their later years.

Our festival program will provide opportunities to support our residents to connect back with the community in COVID-safe settings, to connect with people, music, activities, libraries, and services. Following the challenges that the community has faced over recent years, and the isolation experienced during COVID-19, we’re excited to deliver a full Cumberland Seniors Festival 2022 program.

Who can participate?

Our program of events and activities are for our residents:

aged 55 and over – Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander residents, and

aged 60 years and over – All other residents.

• Cumberland Seniors Have Talent x 2 locations ( Merrylands and Regents Park)
• Seniors bus trip
• Human Library
• Webinars x 2 (health and wellbeing apps plus taking great photos)
• Golf day
• Intergenerational bush school

https://www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/cumberland-seniors-festival

for further information contact 8757 9041

www.cumberland.nsw.gov.au/seniors-festival

Vale Lino Vella AM, MQR  —  1936-2022

Lino Vella, the editor of the Maltese Herald, top footballer, exemplary community leader and family man loved by those that crossed his path lost his battle with cancer on Saturday 15^th January 2022 at his home in Blacktown NSW at age 85.

He left the Maltese community the Maltese Herald, a lasting legacy that chronicles the life of our community for 52 continuous years. Lino was the owner/editor for 42 long years, perhaps the longest journalist to have held such a position.

Lino was born at Rahal il-Gdid the eldest of five sons and three daughters but lived most of his life at St Julian’s. He migrated to Australia in 1954.

His English wife Barbara died in July 2003. They have a son Paul and a daughter Annette. Lino was awarded the Australian Medal (AM) by the Federal Government of Australia in January 1999 and Gieh ir-Repubblika by the Malta Government in 2011.

Lino was one of the founders of The Maltese Welfare Group in 1977 and remained a member until his death. We extend our deepest condolences to his family.  Lino will be missed.  Rest in Peace.

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On behalf of the Committee and Members of the Maltese Welfare (NSW) Inc I wish you a Holy, Joyous Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

It has been a difficult year for everyone due to Covid 19.  Our association looks forward to next year to continue our work and serve our community.

Stay safe and enjoy your family and friends.

Nathalie Gatt

President

Maltese Welfare (NSW)Inc  

Christmas and New Year’s message

from the Hon. Evarist Bartolo, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs – 2021

Bringing Maltese and Gozitans together

We might be a small country in size, but we have a big family spread all over the world and it is my pleasure to talk to you today and wish you a good year ahead, knowing full well that we will still be faced by the challenge of Covid-19 both to our health and livelihood. It has turned our lives upside down. Please stay safe and take all the necessary precautions to protect your health and that of those around you.

Maltese and Gozitans have been emigrating to all corners of the world for centuries. At first most of our people who had to emigrate because of unemployment and poverty, sought a better life in neighbouring Mediterranean countries.

Then since the 1800s they started venturing in faraway countries like Argentina, the United States and Australia. Today there are Maltese and Gozitans and their descendants in around 194 countries, practically in every country in the world. Like thousands of other Maltese and Gozitans I have relatives in at least three other countries on different sides of our planet.

There are about 120,000 first generation and 300,000 second and third generation Maltese living in other countries. This means that we have a diaspora of about 420,000, as many Maltese and Gozitans as we have in our islands.

A 2019 World Bank report shows that even today 24 per cent of all Maltese live outside Malta, putting the rate of emigration for the Maltese population as the highest out of any EU country. The destinations have changed as today we have new diasporas in Brussels and Luxembourg reflecting our membership of the European Union.

Despite all this I still feel that in our islands we are still not aware enough of the reality and history of emigration of our people throughout the centuries. I still feel that we still consider our history and reality of emigration as parallel to our history and reality on the islands.

I think that we need to address this and move towards becoming more aware and forging more links among the Maltese and Gozitans in the whole wide world and considering ourselves as one.

The technology of communication is at least making it more possible to have a closer community and to be more in touch with each other across the continents. We must strive to get even closer. May I wish you a healthy and prosperous 2022.

Evarist Bartolo

Minister for Foreign and European Affairs

BILATERAL HEALTH AGREEMENT Source Maltese Consul General NSW

Maltese Nationals travelling to Malta with a valid Maltese Passport can avail themselves of any Public Health Service at No Cost, and this includes services provided by the Local Public Health Centers and the Public Hospitals in Malta and Gozo.  If Maltese citizens visit Private Health Clinics situated all around the Maltese Islands, then since they are private, they have to pay for such services but if one is covered by a Travel Insurance, they would be able to claim such expenses with their Insurer upon their return to Australia.

If travellers go to Malta with their Australian passport and they do not possess a valid Maltese Identity Card, then, the below Bilateral Health Agreement provisions apply:

https://foreignandeu.gov.mt/en/Treaties%20Series/Documents/Australia%20-%2031st%20July%201988.pdf

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/medicare/reciprocal-health-care-agreements/when-australians-go-overseas/about-reciprocal-health-care-agreements/visiting-malta

Visiting Malta

The Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) we have with Malta may cover some of your medical costs in Malta’s public health system. To be eligible it must be:

• essential care that can’t wait till you get home
• within 6 months after the day you arrive.

What’s covered:

The agreement covers care in a government hospital which includes:

• operations
• medicine
• nursing care
• accommodation
• meals.

It also covers hospital out-patient care provided by:

• specialists in government service
• care at a health centre from a public doctor or nurse
• ambulance travel to hospital in an emergency
• necessary immediate dental care provided by government hospital.

The agreement doesn’t cover:

• dental work that isn’t urgent, for example fillings
• dental prostheses and appliances, your travel insurance may cover some of these and other extra costs.
• doctor or medical services obtained from private practices, private hospitals and private clinics.

NSW Interpreter Scholarship ProgramThe NSW Government is offering scholarships to residents of NSW to undertake an accredited interpreting course with UNSW and receive mentoring and employment with Multicultural NSW Language Services.Applications are currently open until 05 November 2021 for people who speak in-demand, established languages.People who speak Croatian, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Lao, Macedonian, Malay, Maltese, Nepali, Portuguese, Romanian, Serbian, Swahili, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese are invited to apply. Please click here to read about the scholarship eligibility and how to apply.Further information is available on the Multicultural NSW website. Please click here to go to their website, or here to download a flyer with additional information. This course is 120 hours in duration to be delivered online and face to face at UNSW in Sydney. It is due to begin in February 2022 and will be both online (20 weeks) as well as face to face on 8 Saturdays at UNSW in Sydney. Please click here to download a FAQ flyer for additional information.