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Newsletter

Official Newsletter of the Madeira Regency Owners’ Association Dear Readers,

By the time you receive this, a New Year will have begun. May I wish you on behalf of the MROA team a very Happy, Healthy and successful New Year. We look forward to keeping you entertained and informed in the Year to come.

Helena Bell—Editor

Number 78

Winter 2017

Golden Gate sold for €4.75 million The Golden Gate Cafe was auctioned at the end of 2016 by the Regional Government, in consultation with the bank owning the property. The indicative minimum value of the property was €2 million, but four proposals were submitted in sealed envelopes, with losing bids between €2.5 million and €3.56 million. The highest bid was submitted by the “Sociedade Gold Medal”, which eventually ac-quired the property for €4.748,000. The proceeds will be shared between the Regional Government and Millennium BCP. “This auction was important, especially for the unique understanding between the Government and a private entity,” said the regional director of Heritage, Hélder Fernandes, underlining that in this way, the Golden Gate Cafe will be returned to Funchal. The nineteenth century property, also known as “Corner of the World”, closed its doors on August 3rd, 2014 due to the insolvency of the previous

owners. Fernandes stressed that “the space must always use the same name” – although I recall from somewhere that the name “Grande Cafe” was also used in association with the building? British tourist dies in Levada fall At the end of November, a 43 year-old woman, fell 100 metres to her death whilst walking the Levada do Norte at Eira do Mourao above Ribeira Brava. Sky News showed coverage of the rescue, amid calls for more safety along the more dangerous levada walks. RTP Madeira’s Facebook page shows video footage of part of the 4-hour recovery operation. This woman was apparently an experi-enced walker. Her tragic death underlines the necessity of being well prepared—and guided—even though conditions seem good.

NEWS FROM MADEIRA

Regarding the sale of the Club, there is no con-firmed news from Manuel de Silva, but it is a possibility that there will be an announcement soon.

Luis Camacho—sentencing

Hotel administrator, Luis Camacho was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for the crime of ‘abuse of fiscal trust'. The penalty was made effective from 14th December 2016 at the Local

Instance of the Region of Madeira and punishes Luis Camacho for the diversion of approximately €161,000 of IRS discounts, (taxes), from the employees of the Regency Club that were not delivered to the Tax Authority in the period be-tween September 2012 and March 2014. The sentence, signed by Judge Jorge Alexandra da Silva, is mild in its approach to the defendant's conduct, who had previously been convicted four times for failing to meet tax obligations. “Not paying taxes is not an isolated option, but a con-stant (requirement) of life” stressed the magistrate who judged the case, adding that “the defendant’s action arises as a result of high levels of illegality and guilt, because he acted in a socially selfish way, disregarding the deep social interest of taxes he failed to pay”.

Continued on Page 5

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Fado

Those who have discovered the Madeira film which

is shown at the Marina centre, (opposite the Munic-

ipal Theatre), will be pleased to hear that from 1800

hours daily, (except Mondays), in the same venue,

you can see a live fado show.

I can highly recommend a visit, even if you have

doubts about Fado

Two men, one on a Portuguese guitar and the other playing classical guitar, two good musicians, accompany the two fado singers; a lady and a man. Both are very good singers and I can especially recommend the young man. His range and control is truly impressive.

The stage set was simple and attractive and the songs were introduced in English.

I went with two other people who were yet to be won over. Both left saying how very much they had enjoyed it.

Editor

What? No snow!

This reindeer and sleigh appeared in the park on

the Avenida Arriaga during the pre-Christmas fun

CAMARA DO LOBOS

“Spending a Penny”

The standard of conveniences has improved no

end , both throughout the island and in Camara do

Lobos. In the village, this is all part of a cleaner,

smarter image and money has to be found to fund

it. However, I think ones needs would have to be

great to make a habit of using the toilet facilities at

the Praca da Autonomia.

At current exchange rates, that is almost fifty

pence.

The little green train is still running and still repre-

sents very good value for those who wish to visit

the glass ceiling, cliff and attractions at Cabo

Girao. We found the wine lodge and café alongside

the tourist stop for the ‘train’ was very convenient

and accommodating for a quick snack.

Musical Evenings

A lovely way to complete a visit to Madeira is to

go to the Musical Evenings concert. This is at 6pm

on a Sunday evening at The English church in Rua

do Quebra Costas 18. and costs 17.50 euros per

person. (The seats are a little hard, so something to

sit on is useful).

We found it a fairly steep walk but at a steady pace

manageable. We walked from the globe fountain up

hill until past the Dolce Vita shopping centre, turn

right and walk in a straight line to the Rua da

Carreira, turn left for a short distance and follow

the signs to the English Church on the little cobbled

street on your right..

The Electricity Museum, Rua Casa da Luz, is

now refurbished and open except Sundays, Mon-

days and Holidays. Although intended mostly as a

teaching centre, it has some fascinating exhibits

which show the history, (and future) of power on

the islands. For two pensioners, the price was a

very cheap 2.70 euros. “In its 2000 square meters

of exhibition, in modern architecture, the Casa da

Luz displays objects, models, audio-visual equip-

ment and written documents as well as animation

which make the learning of electricity easy”.

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LEVADA DOS TORNOS—MONTE—PALHEIRO FERREIRO

The Levada do Tournos was not open between

Monte and Choupana resort village in early Decem-

ber because of the severe fires which had occurred

during the latter half of 2016. The best access point

is No 47 city bus to St Joao Latrao and ask the driv-

er for the stop after” hipismo” – horse stables; then

walk down a narrow lane to Hortensia tea gardens.

However, apart from Mondays for the Jasmin Tea

House, it is still possible to visit and enjoy food and

drink at Hortensia and Jasmin teahouses.

There is currently no cable car across to Monte. We tried to walk up from the Botanic Gardens to Quin-ta do Mar, Choupana Hills resort. but the road is very very steep and we were tired before we had started. It was a very tough climb, but it gave us the opportunity to see the extent of the damage caused by the fire. With the help of local workmen, we found the levada just off to the right of the narrow road and started our walk. We were made very wel-come at the Hortensia and found the home-made food as good as ever. They kindly supplied the map which appears on this page. Despite the rain and

Strong winds and high seas mar ked the star t of December. However, by the end of the week, seas had calmed down and swimming in the sea could resume. On 6th December, we walked from Doca da Cava-cos fish restaurant and found the tunnel was open but rather wet underfoot. The walk to Camara do Lobos was open and very quiet and pleasant in the morning sunshine. We decided to catch the Rodoeste bus back from Camara do Lobos and, (to avoid trying to change large notes on the bus- fare €2.50), there is a kiosk opposite the bus stop where tickets can be pur-chased before boarding the bus.

We think we have found the ultimate ‘yummy’ hamburger, courtesy of Christina’s* recommenda-tion. (*Receptionist at the Club) ‘O Castelo dos Hamburguers’ is at the top of Rua da Carreira, beyond the English Cemetery if com-ing from ‘town’, or uphill on Rua da Ribeira San Joao until just before the Four Views Hotel and the road bridge over. Turn right along any of the narrow streets to the right and into Rua da Car-reira**. It is quite small and unpretentious, but makes the most succulent and freshly made ham-burgers. We had the Special, which includes cheese, ham, lettuce and dressing for €3. The burger ‘buns’ are like bolo do Caco, tasty and lo-cally made. A big, thick, freshly made fruit milk shake was €2. (We were so full that we could barely walk back to the Club.)

** This is the pedestrianised street which is full of cafes and restaurants and runs from behind San Francisco gardens up to the English Church, Eng-lish cemetery and beyond.

fire damage, the way to Camacha was relatively easy. The path was generally in good condition, with few places where one needed to circumnavi-gate fallen trees and puddles In general, since re-pair, the water crossings are now easier than be-fore. However, to avoid the tunnel is a very diffi-cult and muddy struggle up a steep hillside. We never did find the continuation of the levada and had to find a bus back near to the big supermarket complex on the ER205, outside Camacha, having walked by road to the football stadium at Noguira. (Unless you are particularly keen to reach Cama-cha, it might be as well to terminate your journey by walking down to Palheiro Ferreiro gardens for a bus back (See important tourist info leaflet)

FOOD AND DRINK

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Hotels News

The CR7 Hotel and Museum on the harbour front

is now open. It does not appear to be very big. I am

informed that guests have a lovely view of the 6th

deck of luxury cruisers!

The Savoy hotel rebuild is moving on at a pace. A

walk around the perimeter fence indicates that it is

going to be very big, when completed. Rumour has

it that it will include an Olympic sized swimming

pool.

GIN

A local gin is now being produced on the island.

(Despite efforts to find it on sale before we left the

island, we have not sampled it). We understand it is

being produced in the area of Camara do Lobos and

is called ‘First Gin’.

LAND ROVER TRIPS

It has been some time since off road trips were first advertised on the island, so we were keen to see what the experience might be like in 2016. We found a company called ’Discovery Island’ which runs both half day and full day outings in very comfortable Land Rover Discovery vehi-cles. Destinations, (including off-roading), include Jardim da Serra, Campanario, Cabo Girao, Camara do Lobos, Pica do Areiro, Poiso, Porto da Cruz and many others. Half day trips are €35 and full day trips €45 with some having an optional lunch at €13. We chose to go for a half

day trip to Jardim do Serra. Luckily, the morning trip had been full, so in the afternoon we found ourselves with our own private driver. This gave us the opportunity to chat with him and have

many of the views and points of interest ex-plained in detail. During the trip, we visited a bar, high above Camara do Lobos where we were treated to a demonstration of creating the perfect poncho. It was delicious and so much better than the bottled variety sold in town. The vehicle picks you up from your hotel and returns you to either your hotel or town if you wish.

PS It is true what they say about poncha. I

started off being very inhibited about trying out

my Portuguese; I finished with a whole new vo-

cabulary that I didn’t know I knew!

The refurbished airport Departure lounge

We were thrilled to discover that most work is

now completed on the Departures’ experience. Not

only is it so much roomier but it is now possible

to buy refreshments at a whole range of food

outlets; there is plenty of seating and lots of shops,

(just in case you still have euros burning a hole in

your pocket), and the toilet facilities are numerous

and well maintained.

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Funchal did not disappoint in the lead up to the

Christmas weekend. The town was a blaze of lights,

with several new, large tableaux. The whole of the

hillside seemed to have lit the streets.

The most pleasant experience was to be walking the

lights as late as 11.30pm and still find everything

open for business, young children just enjoying the

‘joy’ of Christmas in the company of relatives and

very little ‘whinging’ for treats.

The big Santa on the Avenida Arriaga was truly

impressive. Needless to say, many people were

stopping to have their picture taken either holding

on to Santa or sitting on his knee.

The area surrounding the Club was beautifully lit

and, despite the building behind, looked very

cheerful.

Quotable quotes

How good bad music sounds when we march

against an enemy.” Nietszche.

“Wealth is like seawater: the more we drink, the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame.” Arthur Schopenhauer

One of the beautiful tableau in the centre of

town.

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JUST FOR FUN

The following quiz involves a knowledge of litera-

ture, languages , TV and films.

All the answers involve numbers in some form.

E.g. Maids a milking and lords a leaping—”the

twelve days of Christmas”

1. Brief encounter in Sinai?

2. The road to England’s Wembley triumph ?

3. 40.5 hectares of trees, (more or less) - a

lovely place for a bear.

4. First of three Christian tales.

5. Quarter of a century on the road to nowhere.

6. How will the binary system help with the

stain in the lounge?

7. Upset town gent resident, even if he is a VIP.

8. Phone for Mr Miller’s PA?

9. The Jury was furious.

10. At the end of the day, lay bare whereabouts

of 50s US TV detective agency.

11. Sounds like you view the Millennium

Dome—it’s a gas!

12. Are Snow White’s friends fantastic?

13. Late start for the 6 o’clock musical item.

14. Crushed nothing at point of most severe

damage or destruction.

15. A number of French paper clips.

16. Filmed a fraction of homo sapiens.

17. When we split, I’m moving from Greenwich

to Dublin.

18. Remove both teams in a cricket match.

19. Rough living rover wins the jackpot.

20. Where to see a show Stateside.

21. Penny, Bob and Mark splash about.

22. The marriage may not last for one of Mari-

lyn’s films?

23. Greco-Roman unlucky for some.

24. How to get two cricket teams out?

Luis Camacho—sentencing Continued from Page 1

In his defence, the former administrator of the Regency group still argued that his priority was to keep the company, Hotelmar, functioning and guarantee jobs, leaving the payment of taxes for (a) second plan. But the judge considered that such motivation does not excuse the crime, otherwise all companies in difficulty would soon choose to stop paying the taxes.

Jorge Alexandra da Silva explained in detail (why) Luis Camacho should be arrested, instead of having a suspended sentence or other punishment that did not deprive him of his freedom. “The suspension of execution of the prison sentence, in a situation with the seriousness of these proceedings and in a per-sonal context of the defendant where it is manifest that he systematically and militantly omitted, in these and other circumstances, the fundamental duty to pay taxes, would be detrimental to the needs of reproach and prevention of this crime. It would be a particular prejudicial ‘jurisprudence guide’ for the community if (the accused was not imprisoned)as it would give a clear impression of permissive-ness on the behaviour in question; an intolerable notion that economic crime compensates. It would also give the society the ominous indication that when conduct of this nature and frequency reached a high value, the courts were complacent.”

The judge acknowledged that the defendant is well integrated into society but pointed out that Luis Camacho has already been convicted four times of abuse of tax trust and explained that "the courts must bear in mind the growing social reproach of this type of crime, listening to the strong Social prevaricators against the finances of the State are effectively disapproved and sanctioned”

In June 2015, Luis Camacho had already been sentenced to imprisonment for not paying the taxes of Hotelmar, for periods prior to the process whose sentence was known on14 December.

However, the business man appealed to the Court of Appeal, which acquitted him on the basis of errors in the notification and accusation of the accused. The former ‘boss’ of the Regency group can still appeal the latest ruling.

The above is an edited version of the original translation from

Diary Noticias.*—my changes are in brackets For original

see*http://www.dnoticias.pt/impressa/hemeroteca/diario-de-

noticias/hoteleiro-condenado-a-prisao-por-fugir-aos-

impostos-YB663133

Many will feel that Camacho got off

far too lightly, but it appears justice is

partly done—the Editor

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Royal Houses.

Mnemonic: No Plan Like Yours To Study History

Wisely

NORMAN

PLANTAGENET

LANCASTER

YORK

TUDOR

STUART

HANOVER

WINDSOR

These are sentences actually typed by Medical secretaries in NHS Greater Glasgow 1. The patient has no previous history of suicides. 2. Patient has left her white blood cells at another hospital. 3. Patient's medical history has been remarkably insignifi-cant with only a 40 pound weight gain in the past three days. 4. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year. 6. On the second day the knee was better and on the third day it disappeared. 7. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed. 8. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993. 9. Discharge status:- Alive, but without my permis-sion. 10. She is numb from her toes down. 13. The skin was moist and dry. 17. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thy-roid. 18. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life until she got a divorce. 20. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation. 22. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function. 23. Skin: somewhat pale, but present. 24. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.

26. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities 27. When she fainted, her eyes rolled around the room. 28. The patient was in his usual state of good health until his airplane ran out of fuel and crashed. 29. Between you and me, we ought to be able to get this lady pregnant.

Continuing the theme of our Royal Houses, which

John Townend kindly sent to the Newsletter, here

is a mnemonic for remembering them .

30. She slipped on the ice and apparently her legs went in separate directions in early December. 31. Patient was seen in consultation by Dr. Smith, who felt we should sit on the abdomen and I agree. 32. The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stock broker instead. 33. By the time he was admitted, his rapid heart had stopped, and he was feeling better.

__________

Paraprosdokians Paraprosdokians (Winston Churchill loved them) are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected; frequently humorous.

1. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it's

still on my list.

2. Since light travels faster than sound, some

people appear bright until you hear them speak.

3. If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong.

4. War does not determine who is right - only who

is left.

5. Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit . . .

Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

More to follow!

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Apartments for sale (in apartment sequence) P11* Weeks 2&14 P21 Weeks 32&33 Week 37 P22 Week 46 P23 Weeks 2&47 P25 Weeks 22 P26 Weeks 11&12&13 Weeks 36&37 Weeks 38&39 P27 Weeks 8&9 P36 Week 36 101 Weeks 17&18 105 Week 52 203&501 Weeks 51&52&1 305&802 Weeks 18&19&20 308 Weeks 41&42 504 Weeks 44&45 512 Week 3 514* Weeks 31&32 802 Weeks 36&37

803* Week 9 Apartment wanted for purchase* Poolside Studio Weeks 19&20 Any Weeks 36&37&38 Apartments for rental & possible sale (in week order) Weeks 17&18 101 Week 20 P25 & 315* Week 24 105 Weeks 32&33 P37 Weeks 34&35 102 Weeks 36&37 P26 802 Weeks 38&39 P26 Weeks 44&45 P10 Apartment wanted for rental 2 bedroom/2 bathroom Weeks 10&11&12 1 bedroom or Studio Weeks 9&36

APARTMENTS FOR SALE OR RENT.

Correct at 19th December 2016

Anyone wanting to purchase an apartment

should get in touch with Paula Rodrigues, MRC.

When we visited in December, there was a very

good offer being made. Events since 2016 may

have changed this.

The Editor

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MROA CONTACT DETAILS

All MROA correspondence should be addressed as follows:

General Postal enquiries:

Madeira Regency Owners’ Association

C/o 7 Ravenscourt Close, Penylan, CARDIFF CF23 9DJ

Telephone: Trudy Joshua 02920 211671

All e-mail communications:

Trudy Joshua, trudyjoshua@aol.co.uk or Helena Bell, helenabll@yahoo.co.uk

Newsletter contributions to:

Helena Bell ‘Carillon’, 15, Barcombe Avenue, SEAFORD, East Sussex BN25 4DT

helenabll@yahoo.co.uk

Membership website

www.mroa.org

AGM 2017

AGM MOVES TO THE MIDLANDS

After 5 years holding our AGMs at Barnsdale Hall, Rutland Water, the Committee has decided to move our venue northwards in the hope we might attract more members from the Midlands area to attend.

Our next AGM will be held on Sunday 4 June 2017 at the Mercure Newton Park Hotel in Newton Solney, near Burton-upon-Trent. This hotel is located on the edge of a rural village and is surrounded by fields of sheep and cows. If the weather is kind to us, there will be ample opportunity for walking among the attrac-tive gardens. The hotel is located about 35 miles north-east of Birmingham and about 10 minutes from Burton-upon-Trent. Motorway access is reasonable via M1/M6/M42.

The hotel has available accommodation, but for those who would prefer a smaller hotel or B&B, there is a large choice on the internet in what is a lovely and perhaps lesser known rural area. Details will be pub-lished to all members towards the end of April. In the meantime, please note the date in your 2017 diary.

The 4-star Mercure Hotel is a grand Italianate-style country manor, set in 8 acres of ground.

Double/Twin rooms with breakfast are £95 per room night at a special rate for those attending the AGM.

Getting there—Madeira that is.

Members may have heard that the budget airline jet2 is planning to start ser-

vices in the summer of 2017 between Stansted and Madeira. We have discov-

ered that jet2 services are already available on-line and that prices today are

very reasonable. They will fly between May and October 2017 with an after-

noon flight from Stansted on Mondays. The return flight on Mondays does

not land at Stansted until nearly midnight. The usual budget airline arrangements - you pay extra for lug-

gage, choice of seats and meals—but you can check-in on-line. No credit card charges at the moment!

Julie & Ian Leadley