Fourth edition of the DHL Express plane pull in aid of Puttinu Cares

GB Conti Abbozzi @ Il-Ħaġar

DHL Express have launched the fourth edition of the Plane Pull Malta to raise funds for the Puttinu Cares Foundation.

Teams of 20-25 members have a challenge: to pull a DHL Express Boeing 757, weighing 60 tons, for a distance of 20 metres in the fastest possible time.

The charity event is taking place on Friday, 21 September (a national holiday), from 10.30am to 4pm at Safi Aviation Park (Gate 8).

Everyone can participate in the competition either individually or as a group. To take part, each candidate is being asked to donate a modest participation fee of €15. All they need to do is to download the entry form from the Facebook page Plane Pull Malta https://www.facebook.com/Plan ePullMalta/?ref=br_rs, fill it in (name, ID number, signature and preferred time of participation), and send it to planepullmt@dhl.com.

If an individual wishes to take part, s/he will then be assigned to a group; if a group of 20-25 persons wishes to take part, then all the names, ID card numbers and signatures are required on the entry form.

During the event, each team will be given one of four time slots in which to successfully pull the aircraft: 11am to noon; noon to 1pm; 1 to 2pm.; or 2 to 3pm. For the safety of the participants, an engineer will be in the pilot’s seat to apply the brakes at the end of each pull and a second engineer will be on the ground to give the other engineer instructions.

“I’m glad to be able to renew this friendly competition to raise funds for the Puttinu Cares Foundation,” said Charles Schiavone, Manager of DHL Express Malta. “In the first three editions, the event attracted hundreds of participants and raised over €7,000 for charity.

“The time to beat this year is 31.31 seconds set last year. So, participants, don’t forget your gloves and make sure you are full of energy to break this record.”

Dr Victor Calvagna, Chairman of the Puttinu Cares Foundation, thanked DHL Express for once again choosing the foundation’s cause this year and all participants who intended to patronise this charity event. “We hope people will still be enthusiastic to participate and to contribute to our cause to help families with children suffering from cancer,” he said. A bequest of nine painting drafts (or bozzetti) from the early twentieth century by Prof Gianbattista Conti, so established for religious themes, acted as the spur for a temporary exhibition of a further dozen Conti abbozzi for his works at St George’s Basilica from the 1950s.

This is being held at Il-Ħaġar (Pjazza San Ġorġ, Victoria) which already has on permanent display the finished colour maquettes for its four apses.

This exhibition can be visited during normal opening hours of 9am to 5pm seven days a week till 19 September.

There is no entrance fee but it is hoped that others will imitate these donors or help in the necessary restorations.

Other current Il-Ħaġar exhibits include Salvatore Iozzi Photos “Gozo: Colori - Kuluri Colours”, Old Decorated Postcards and St George Icons.