Casino Maltese Membership

Club History

The founding document of the Casino Maltese is dated 1 March 1852. The Club is considered a living society of prestige, a national institution, and as such forms part of Malta's history. The Club's motto is 'Omnibus Idem', and has the social gathering and entertainment of members as the main purpose for its existence.

The Club occupied different premises on Valletta’s main thoroughfare and was called Casino della Borsa when it used the piano nobile of Chamber of Commerce’s Exchange Building. The Club leased out 247 Strada Reale (now Republic Street) between 1859 and 1877 and then from 1906 to date. At the beginning of the 20th century the Club carried out modifications to the building including the creation of the grand staircase and the courtyard under the direction of architect Nicola Buhagiar.

During World War II some members of staff tragically lost their lives in the air raid of 15 February 1942. Despite sustaining extensive war damage, the Club remained open. The word 'Resurgam' (I will rise again) was displayed on a board amid the ruins by members, many of whom were in uniform at the time.

The Casino Maltese. Pause Slideshow. The Casino Maltese is a social club created in 1852. The premises it occupies were originally built by the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes and Malta in the seventeenth century and used as the accounting branch of their Treasury. Gauci-Maistre K.M. Served also as President of the Maltese – Italian Chamber of Commerce and President of the Casino Maltese between 2009 and 2011. 10 In 2018 he was the organiser of the Malta Maritime Summit.

The partial reconstruction of the Casino Maltese was entrusted to architect Silvio Mercieca who created the Fireside Lounge and the vast spaces of the reception rooms on the first floor, including the ornate Ballroom.

Club members have the use of a Reading Room, a Billiard Room, lounge areas, a Bar in the covered courtyard as well as the Dining Room and reception areas.

Over the years the Club had the privilege of welcoming many a distinguished visitor including HM Queen Elizabeth II, as Princess on 14 December 1949, The Duke of Windsor (later King Edward VIII) during his visit to Malta for the official opening of the first Maltese Parliament on the 1 November 1921, Emperor Hirohito of Japan on the 25 of April 1921. More recently Prince Edward, as Chairman of The Duke of Edinburgh's Award International Council was in Malta to attend the 11th International Award Forum in 1989. He returned with the Countess of Wessex on the 25 November 2012.

Two marble tablets record the names of past Presidents.

The Club also runs smaller premises at No.70, Tower Road, Sliema.

The Club has reciprocal agreements with similar clubs that exist in Australia, Canada, Chile, England, France, Holland, India, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, People's Republic of China, Scotland, Spain and USA.

History of the Building

During the rule of the Order of the Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem the premises at 247 Republic Street, were used as the 'Casa Del Commun Tesoro' (literally the House of the National Treasurer), but only accounts, contracts and records of the Treasury were kept there. This institution was presided over by the Grand Commander who was helped in his task by 2 procurators of the Treasury, the Procurator of the Grand Master, the Conventual Conservator and the Secretary.

The Secretary resided on the premises in an apartment with a separate entrance, and it was his duty to supervise

the clerks and accountants, and to see that the interests of the Religion were properly cared for. His position was of the greatest trust, and he was assisted by under-secretaries for France, Spain and Italy. His office was very demanding, but his wage was considered low at only Scudi 300 per annum.

During the early days of British rule the premises housed the Chief Secretary's Office, Government Treasury, the British packet office. Samuel T. Coleridge, renowned poet and writer, worked on the premises for a short period at the beginning of the 19th Century.

During the late 1800s, the building was converted into ‘The Grand Hotel’ and at one point, what is now the Reading Room was the Salinos Cinema, the second cinema to open in Malta.

Since 1906 to date, the premises have been occupied by the Casino Maltese that modified the building for its use as a club.

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The publication ‘A History of the Maltese Club’ contains more details on the Casino Maltese and the premises it occupies. Click here for more information.

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The Noon-Mark Sundial with Analemma

The face of the Sundial (6.1m x 1.9m, pictured left) includes an Analemma and Zodiacal signs. It marks only noon-time.

The present Sundial is a modernised reconstruction of the one that existed up to the last war and which was subsequently destroyed when the wall collapsed through enemy action. It was reconstructed on the initiative and under the supervision Rev. Fr. George Fenech who constructed quite a few sundials across Malta.

The Analemma is the curve having the shape of an elongated figure of 8, made up of twelve sections representing the months, surrounding and crossing the main Meridian.

The sun spot crosses the Analemma at noon Malta time every day, marking at the same time the month of the year with a rough approximation of the day of the month.

Nationality	Maltese
Occupation	Chairman of the Economicard Group of Companies
Children	4
Parent(s)	Judge Agostino Gauci-Maistre Winifred nee' Mifsud

John A. Gauci-Maistre was born in Sliema in 1947, the son of the late Judge Agostino Gauci-Maistre and Winnifred Mifsud. He attended the St. Aloysius College in Malta and after completing his studies he swiftly moved into a business career in the U.K. During his employment in London with Southwell & Tyrrel he became acquainted with managerial and accounting aspects of business. After a few years in the U.K. he moved back to Malta and immediately became a business partner in the management of Penta Hotel in Paceville. This experience further ingrained in him an entrepreneurial spirit that he soon used in the setting up of companies that are not only household names in Malta in their respective industry but are synonymous with Gauci-Maistre.

Gauci-Maistre is a frequent contributor to various publications such as Lloyd's and FairPlay.^[1] He was also a main contributor to the Malta Business Blog.^{[citation needed]}

Economicard Group of Companies[edit]

The Economicard Group of Companies is an umbrella of companies that Gauci-Maistre established. The group of companies consists of GM International Services Limited, Economicard Worldwide Limited, GM Corporate and Fiduciary Services Limited, GM Conferences and Exhibitions, GM and Associates - Advocates, and GM For You, which is the group's Corporate Social Responsibility agency.

Economicard Worldwide Limited[edit]

Upon gaining independence in 1964, Malta by and large had to start anew and from then onwards it had to build an economy based on human resources including manufacturing, tourism and services. This evolution of the Maltese economy began during the following decade where the Maltese economy had to become less dependent on the British military services in Malta.

Gauci-Maistre immediately realised the growing spending potential of the Maltese people and 1973 he launched an innovative venture in Malta that would be a trendsetter in the Maltese economy. This innovative move resulted in the establishment of Economicard Worldwide Limited. Initially the company introduced the Cash Discount Card through which shoppers would receive discounts across shopping outlets around the island by purchasing the card. After its initial success, other services were added to the card including travel services which was becoming increasingly popular amongst Maltese especially after the establishment in 1973 of Air Malta, the national airline. The company was at the forefront of travel services and as testimony to its success the company was appointed the General Sales Agent of Olympic Airways in 1981 till 2009 when it was sold off by the Greek Government.

Commodore[edit]

In 1978 Gauci-Maistre obtained representation for Commodore and immediately embarked on promoting this home computer in Malta. In 1985 he introduced Amiga to Malta; the Amiga consequently became a household name in Malta. The company was the general sales agent of these computers on the island. The company also offered computer courses to the general public to acquaint them with this new medium.

GM International Services Limited[edit]

In 1973 the Parliament of Malta enacted the Merchant Shipping Act that introduced the Malta Ship Register.^[2] In January 1974, he incorporated GM International Services Limited, more affectionately known as GMI by many in the shipping industry.^[3] This move was intended to capitalise on the introduction of the Malta Ship Register. Indeed, Gauci-Maistre believed in the benefits Malta had to offer and immediately started working to attract ship operators to Malta. The hardworking nature of his character proved useful and in 1978 he registered his first vessel the MV Elmare. Gauci-Maistre was described as the one who put Malta on the world shipping map by Shipping International 2008.^[1] During one of the numerous interviews with shipping news publishers he admitted that the road to making a success out of GMI was not easy as the Greek ship operators in particular were sceptical of the advantages Malta offered at the time.

Gauci-Maistre never wavered and continued his hard work to attract more companies to Malta, making Greece his second home in the process. Results started flowing in and until 1987 GM International Services Limited commanded 95% of Malta's tonnage. Due to the acquired respect both in Malta and abroad, Gauci-Maistre is often consulted on matters relating to the maritime industry and he was instrumental in bringing about policy changes at Transport Malta (formerly Malta Maritime Authority) in particular in relation to the merchant shipping company structure, Flag State Inspections and the introduction of foreign owned vessels under the Malta Maritime Flag. During another interview with Shipping International 2010 he explained in detail the issue of flag state inspections.^{[citation needed]} Whereas previously Transport Malta was being intransigent and these inspections were being carried out where and when they deemed fit, nowadays these inspections are carried out in ports where vessels will have enough time for inspections without hindering schedules. Despite the ever increasing competition, GM International Services Limited strengthened its leading position in the industry due to its efficiency and quality of services.

GM International Services Limited has come to be known as the flagship company of the group and has truly established itself as a company of international repute. Undoubtedly John A. Gauci-Maistre became renowned as the person who put Malta on the shipping map and the surname Gauci-Maistre became associated with Malta's Maritime flag.^[4] True to motto GMI's, Gauci-Maistre strives to serve the world from Malta!

GM Corporate and Fiduciary Services[edit]

John A. Gauci-Maistre did not limit his entrepreneurial spirit to maritime affairs. Due to his nature in being innovative and always at the forefront, he looked at ways at how he could create synergies between shipping and financial services. 1988 was the year that the financial services industry in Malta became fully regulated and GM Nominee was immediately incorporated in order to bridge the gap between these two sectors.^{[citation needed]}

GM Nominee was managed with the same enthusiasm and drive as its affiliates and similar success was achieved. However, due to subsequent changes in legislation brought about by the phasing out of the offshore regime rebranding was necessary and this gave rise to GM Corporate and Fiduciary Services Limited in 1998. with the aim of promoting the benefits of the relatively new corporate structures known at the time as International Trading Companies. With Malta's accession to the European Union in 2004 certain amendments had to be made to Maltese legislation concerning corporate and fiscal policy and this resulted in, among other things, of the corporate structures changing to Malta Holding Companies and Malta (trading) Companies.

As the Malta Government's drive to make Malta a financial services hub continued, new laws had to be enacted to cater for different financial services industries such as those of Remote Gaming, Trusts, Fund Management and Taxation. These all became sectors in which GM Corporate & Fiduciary Services Limited became active and helps promote overseas. The growth of the company is testament to the emphasise John Gauci-Maistre places on the design and administration of tax-efficient structures under local legislation that suit the requirements of the individual international client in a timely and cost-efficient manner.^[5]

GM International Conferences & Exhibitions Limited[edit]

This company was established in order to further synergise Malta's economic pillars into a reputable group of companies. The most notable event of GM International Conferences & Exhibitions Limited to date is ‘Play Me I’m Yours’, the brainchild of Luke Jerram.^[6] ‘Play Me, I’m Yours’ Malta was the first ever to be hosted on a national level and was live throughout September and October 2011. This event was part of group of company's Corporate Social Responsibility programme, GM For You, that Gauci-Maistre personally supervised. Despite, being the initiative of his son and Director Dr Jean-Pie Gauci-Maistre, John A. Gauci-Maistre played an active role in this event as he is ultimately committed to supporting the local community through various initiatives.^[7]

Honorary Consul General of Panama[edit]

John A. Gauci-Maistre was appointed the Honorary Consul General of Panama in 1994 with jurisdiction over the Maltese territory. Immediately after his appointment as Honorary Consul, he personally set up the Honorary Consular Corps and was elected Dean^[8] in 1995. He served in this capacity till 2011 when he decided to step down in order to focus on philanthropic activities.^[9] Despite, being the Honorary Consul of one of Malta's main competitors in shipping, he thinks that through Malta he can serve both registers depending on the needs of ship owners.^{[citation needed]}

Sovereign Military Order of St. John Hospitallier[edit]

In 2000 John A. Gauci-Maistre was also knighted by the Sovereign Military Order of St. John.^[1]

Personal life[edit]

John A. Gauci-Maistre is married to Ann Marie née Pace and they have four children Rebecca, Sarah, Jean-Pie and Greta and five grandchildren Emma, Jean, Julia, Amy and Mya.

Gauci-Maistre is an avid yachtsman and is member of Malta's Rotary Club and has participated in various yachting activities. He also enjoys playing snooker and gardening.

References[edit]