It’s never too old to late to learn

Lora Baldacchino, née Mifsud, is the eldest student sitting for the Maltese Year 12 exam in Australia in 2013.

She attended the Maltese Language School of Adelaide during the year to undertake the Maltese Continuers course of the South Australian Certificate of Education Board of South Australia.

Baldacchino was born in Floriana in 1935, the first of seven children. Her parents later moved to Żejtun, and although she was not educated beyond primary school, this never dampened her enthusiasm for academic achievement.

When she was 15, Baldacchino and her family emigrated to Adelaide, South Australia.

In 1952, she married and had five children over the next 13 years, and worked whenever she could. She now has 15 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren and keeps herself busy with hobbies.

Her latest challenge was studying Year 12 Maltese in 2013 and sitting secondary school exams for the first time in her life. She enjoyed the course and was fascinated by the culture, language and history of Malta.