TOM HAYES
By TOM HAYES
THE Maltese culture is wide-spread throughout the Latrobe Valley and that is no different in Morwell, where the first Maltese Museum in Australia currently is. In 1883, the first organised migrant group of Maltese workers arrived in Australia, many of whom worked in Queensland. Since then, the Maltese have continued to flock to Australia in their numbers, especially around the mid-1900s. In Morwell sits Australia’s first Maltese Museum, which contains many Maltese artefacts from its rich history, from clothing to utensils to models of buildings. Last Saturday, the Maltese Language School from Caroline Springs came to visit the Museum, and around 50 children attended the event. President of the Maltese Community Centre, Mario Sammut believes it is a great opportunity for anyone, especially local Maltese people to get a sense of their history. “People come and visit the Museum, its open every Sunday,” Mr Sammut said. “During the week, we have people come for lunch and visit the Museum. “Very soon we’ll start on the extension and the back, because we’re running out of space!” The brains of the operation was the youngest member of the Maltese Community Centre, Ali Shlaibeq, who caught the attention of the Maltese Language School in Caroline Springs. “They’re very happy to have me on board, as someone younger, so I’d like to encourage more young Maltese people, particularly in the Valley to come and see what we have and to be involved if that’s what they’d like to do,” Mr Shlaibeq said. During previous attempts, the Maltese Museum failed to get a turn-out for events, but this week was much different. “We put it on our Facebook page and that got some traction,” Mr Shlaibeq said. “It might be something that they, in the future would want to be involved with. At least they will come here and understand something of their heritage that they didn’t know before.” As the children filled the hall, they were treated to classic Maltese cuisine – Pastizzi – a classic pastry, filled with either ricotta or curried peas. While they ate their food, they were able to watch a brief video about Malta, provided by the committee, before they were able to see the contents of the Museum. Tanya Attard from the Maltese Language School in Caroline Springs believes it was a great learning experience. “I just thought it would be the perfect opportunity for them to come and see things that may represent where they come from and their roots, and have a bit of practical application,” Ms Attard said. “When you’re talking to people and they ask where you are from and you say ‘Malta’, they go ‘that’s a place I’d really love to go to’, I think this would be a great first stop, to get a bit of an understanding. “The internet can explain so many things, but seeing it in person or speaking to people who lived there, it just adds another layer to help develop that connection.”
