Mallorca honours ten older people, one with 81 medals

Mallorca honours ten older people on Thursday, 1 October, at a gala in Palma, Mallorca: one is still refereeing football after 56 years in sport and has won 81 athletics medals. Emilio de la Cámara Perona is among those recognised at the Palau de Congressos, where nearly 250 people attend, according to the island council. The council’s first awards for older people mark the International Day of Older Persons.

From the football pitch to the pottery workshop

The ten honourees come from sport, crafts, business, culture and community groups. Pep Serra Amengual is the fifth generation of his family to work as a potter at Sa Roca Llisa in Pòrtol, Mallorca. The family craft dates back to 1861.

Carme Garcia Cerdà, known as ‘sa Pastora’, has spent 35 years making traditional ‘pastorets’ by hand in Alcúdia, Mallorca. Maria Teresa Rattier Nadal receives an award posthumously. She was among the first women to enter leading business representative bodies in the Balearic Islands and later worked with older people’s associations.

The other recipients include photographer and journalist Tomàs Montserrat Domingo, actor Aina Segura Segura and Cristina Grech Moncada, who helped establish the Balearic gymnastics federation and became its first president.

Family memories and Mallorca’s anthem

Relatives supplied memories, photographs and personal accounts to help the council tell the honourees’ stories beyond their work. The gala closed with ‘La Balanguera’, Mallorca’s anthem.

The song carries a particular connection this year. In 2026, Mallorca marks 100 years since the death of poet Joan Alcover and 100 years since ‘La Balanguera’ was set to music.

Topics: Nature & wildlife · Agriculture · Culture · Palma · Alcúdia · Capdepera · Marratxí

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com