COLOURFUL iTalk boss Maurice Boland was honoured by the Red Cross Malaga with the Bronze Medal for his continued support of the charity.
‘Mobo’ became the first expat to receive the award, which he accepted on behalf of all charity volunteers.
Maurice Boland gets his gong!
by 
Giles Brown
Giles Brown 
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WELL HE GOT HIS 13 PIECES OF BROnZE CAST INTO A MEDAL .He took the award he said, in english (so nobody understand him all spanish there)for all the charity workers at the concert(not that any turned up I believe to see him get it)
Still the victimas del incendios (which I am a supporter not seen the medal holder;s name there or any one else of his supporters for that matter)will be pleased that you got your just deserts I mean 18,000 buys a lot of band aid but not enough to patch up these guys houses.Pat laing soldier;s on without medals or self praising did you know he has a middle name it;s gary he writes to him on his blogger it:s all very sad really .
A total disgrace. He should be ashamed. 18000€ and out not one cent went to help those who lost their homes in the fires!
It is a disgrace. He’s bought himself a medal. Cost = €18,000. People keep missing the point. The event. Fire Aid Concert was advertised to help those who lost their homes in the fires but this just isn’t where the money went. Why is he being praised instead of called to account?
Scam scam scam scam!
If people are interested in the real facts about Boland, The First Aid Concert and The Red Cross you can read it here http://theolivepress.es/spain-news/2013/08/03/maurice-bolands-italk-fm-off-air/ and read my post from 18th October, I have been highlighting this for over a year now!
Boland knows there is widespread condemnation of him and what happened with the first aid concert money. A year on and he has not once made a public statement to address any of the issues and accusations that have been levelled against him. He cannot deny any of the facts that I have stated in my post of 18th October and have more than enough witnesses to confirm those facts. Boland have nothing. He was in the wrong and about time he admitted it rather than harping on about his medal! It is a disgrace!
The whole thing is a disgrace he should be ashamed if he had any morals he would return it.
I was on the organising team of the Fire concert. I have just read Brian´s account of what happened on the other article he has linked above. I agree that it is accurate.
Why has no one investigated this? Other than just a disgrace he´s mislead if not deceived the public. It sounds like an event was publicised for a specific purpose and that is why so many people got involved. It was a great show but at the end of the day the money just does not appear to have gone where it was meant to and this seems totally down to Maurice Boland. Why has he not declared his position on all of this? He needs to sort it out because over a year later this hasn´t gone away.
So thoughtless of you to publicise this story; are you not aware of how much Mr. Boland loathes to see his name in print, especially when it concerns his “charity” work? I jest, obviously.
Poor Maurice. He’s actually got a !!gong!! from a Spanish organization, and here we are throwing scorn. I say, let’s improve our image with the Spanish, not drag it through the mud.
Total disgrace. Boland should be utterly ashamed! Parading around some medal while those who lost homes still need help!
Am I missing something here, but did not the Red Cross receive all this money? Surely you should be asking them why they didn’t give it to the people who lost their homes or is Maurice Boland so powerful that he now controls where the Red Cross spend their funds? By the way you crowed of self styled critics all seem so concerned about those who have lost their homes have any of you lot done anything to help rather than criticise?
Jamie. Please read my comments on the thread link above. To answer your question. Yes, he discussed and agreed with The Red Cross after the concert exactly where the money would be spent. That’s sort of half the point. The whole event was set up to help those who lost their homes. That’s why so many people got involved. But that’s not where the money went. Would you complain if I did an event to raise funds for the children’s home in Malaga but after the event gave the money instead to a retirement home in Sevilla? Same thing. If he was doing an event to raise funds to replenish Red Cross supplies then fair enough, but he didn’t. It was to help those who lost their homes and a year later they’ve not received one cent of help. That’s just not right.
So he bought a medal for €18000. Scandalous.
Brian, do you honestly want us to believe that Maurice Boland is that powerful that he actually tells the Red Cross where to spend their money??? Brian I tell you what I believe, as you’ve admitted in the past you did get in touch with the Red Cross and they totally ignored you so you decided it was easier to pick on Maurice trying to make yourself out as a sort of peoples hero. It’s you who are a disgrace, We know how hard Maurice worked to do what he could but we have all noticed you failed to answer my question; what have YOU personally done to help those who lost their homes through this tragic fire. ?
Good of Olive Press ensuring they said “italk boss” with no mention of radio, as “italkfm” is a blog no longer a radio station. I see from that blog´s latest post he is now interested in the “Tragic news for 200 families from La Herradura as they face having their homes demolished!!”. It looks like he wants to organise another concert so he can get his Silver and Gold Red Cross medals. Good luck on that one Maurice Boland.
Jamie. I think you have missed the point. Of course Boland had influence over where the money was spent. He had meetings with them to discuss it. If the event was meant to raise money for a certain purpose and the Red Cross refused to spend it in that why then he shouldn´t have given them the money. I have researched this, obtained the facts and published them. I have spoken to the Red Cross several times and have correspondence from them. If you or anyone else wishes to verify the facts you are more than welcome to do so yourself. The Red Cross themselves are caught in the middle here, because as far as they are concerned they confirmed everything with Boland before the concert and gratefully received the funds. The whole point is that the public did not know before the concert that the funds were not going to help those who lost their homes; which was the purpose of the entire event in the first place! Boland has never released a press statement to address or clarify any of these issues. Instead he gets others to try and cover his tracks for him. All we hear is the defensive, where we all need to hear is the explanation and how he intends to rectify his wrong doing in this matter.
The decent people who have presented Boland with this “gong” probably have no idea of the low regard this man is held in by many ex pats.Absolutely nothing would have kept Boland from turning up to recieve any form of recognition that he constantly craves.Boland has turned into a sad buffoon who,very likely,struts around his house gazing at the many photos of himself muttering “I could have been a contender….”.
Quit while you are well behind Boland.The coast has found you out and no longer wants you and your ghastly ego.
lol
I am sure everyone would like to do some to try and help the people following the devastating tragedy in The Philippines. Maurice Boland wants us to “PLEASE SPARE A THOUGHT FOR THE PEOPLE OF PHILIPPINES WHO HAVE BEEN DEVASTATED BY OF ONE OF THE WORST TYPHOONS IN HISTORY” and goes on to say “we can’t heal the world but unlike those who do nothing we can give it a f*cking good go!” So here’s your chance Maurice Boland. After all this negative publicity surrounding you in the past few years, put your mouth where your ego is and actually do something to try and redeem your lost credibility. You say you have mass support. So get these people together and get something done to help the people of the Philippines. Or is it going to be a case of rebranding “italk” to “all talk no action”.
Boland will only do something if there is a chance of a silver or gold medal from The Red Cross!
Boland states he only has a handful of detractors yet still mass support in the expat community. So let’s see that in action!
(my name in Brian not Brain! typo)
Maurice Boland asks “Should we on the Costa once again rally around and do something?”. I think he means, should everyone rally around him! He can’t organise a piss up in a brewery. He wants another 70 volunteers to do all the work and he again take the glory and no doubt medals. He appears more concerned with this comment thread than he does anything else. He hasn’t got an altruistic bone in his body! Less italk more action. Let’s see what you can really do with your band of supporters. Less attempting to distract from actually doing something for the poor soles who desperately need help in this disaster.
Let´s see Maurice pull off another fundraising concert! But does he have the support? I would say, no, none!
One last point. Cudeca are desperate for funds. Why has he not done a concert for them? As others have said elsewhere, most seem to want to donate direct to official charities giving immediate help, not attend some “feel-good” concert that is also seen to boost Boland’s ego and attempt to regain lost popularity. Help those in the Philippines but leave Boland to his italk no action attitude.
Maurice exchanged messages with me on his own blog, but he was not able to name just 5 of his volunteers from fire aid who would be willing to back up his story. He even edited an email from those volunteers to try and substantiate his own argument. He has zero credibility. And where’s the concert for Philippines relief? Yet again all Italk no action. So let him name here just 5 people who will contradict my published version of events.
I have given it a week and Maurice Boland cannot give me one name, let alone 5 who will contradict my published version of events and support his!
More importantly he asked for everyone to rally around him to stage a concert for the Philippines disaster. What happened? Nothing!
Instead he has prioritised “BREAKING NEWS: Thieves ransack Strictly Come Dancing stars’ Blackpool Tower”. “BREAKING NEWS”, is that serious?
I remain bemused by the fact that he fills his blog with cut and pasted stories from major media organisations as thought they are his own. Never once crediting the original author or organisation.
Yet again, it’s all “italk no action”. A brilliant strap line!