The Maltese Monument The Maltese Monument was built as part of the Bicentenary Celebrations in 1988 when the Australian government and people were celebrating the 200th anniversary of British settlement in Australia. It was 200 years since Captain Arthur Phillip arrived in Australia in 1788 with the First Fleet and the first convicts to start the Colony of New South Wales.
For the Bicentenary Celebrations the Federal Government was encouraging the different communities in Australia to undertake suitable projects for the occasion. The Maltese Community Council of NSW decided to build a Maltese Migrants monument and appointed a sub committee to carry out this task. The names of the members of the sub committee are inscribed on the Monument. Also inscribed on the Monument are the names of the executive committee of the Council which guided and helped the sub committee. Some of these people are with us today. The project was started some 18 months before the Bicentenary Celebrations and required a lot of hard work and persistence. With the financial assistance of the Federal and State governments in Australia and of the government of Malta together with the grant of this land by the Holroyd Council, the Maltese Community Council acquired the necessary resources to complete the project. The monument was designed by a Maltese architect and built by a Maltese builder. As you can see the pillars are the wings of the eight pointed Maltese Cross and on each pillar is inscribed important information relating to the Maltese Community such as the history of Maltese migration, the associations, Maltese names and so on. This information is inscribed on bronze plaques to last for many years to come. The visitors can examine this information for themselves. In addition to the pillars, the Monument has an attractive floor design and brick fence with a pipe structure. Buried in front of the pillars is a time capsule containing information about the Monument and the Maltese Community, which is due to be opened in 50 years from the completion date of 1988. The monument is situated in Pendle Hill, one of the earliest sites of Maltese settlement in Western Sydney. It is the original site of the Maltese and Gozitan market gardeners which later became the site of the poultry industry which is now dominated by Maltese origin persons – the Baiadas , the Cordinas and Paces. The Maltese Community Council holds many functions for the Community in front of the Monument, the most important being the yearly remembrance of one of Malta’s national feast days, the Sette Giugno or the 7 of June. Official visitors from Malta are always invited to visit the Monument. In all these activities the MCC is always assisted by the Holroyd City Council. Alfred Fenech
President | 
