Lilian Calleja was recently awarded The Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for her contribution to the community.

Ms Calleja will officially receive the honour at a ceremony in April.

The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established by Queen Elizabeth II in 1975 with the purpose of acknowledging Australian citizens for achievements and service.

Ms Calleja was born in Valletta in April, 1931 – the eldest of 14 children. After the war, she went to school to learn dressmaking and helped her family financially by making wedding dresses and teaching children to be seamstresses.

She met and married Vincent Calleja in 1953 and in 1955 they emigrated to Australia.

In Newport, Victoria, Lilian and her father Michael helped migrants who arrived with no family or accommodation by welcoming them into their home until they could find somewhere suitable to live.

Ms Calleja dedicated her time to the Maltese community, performed in small operettas and shows in Brunswick Town Hall and was involved in holding dinner dances at the local Masonic Hall in Newport.

From 1978 to 1981 she was vice president of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Maltese Community Council of Victoria. In 1981 she took up a position of teacher’s aide at the Sunshine Technical College.

Her awards include the Manuel de Vilhena Award (1990), Citizen of the Year by the City of Brimbank (2001) and the Multicultural Commission Victoria Award for Excellence in Multicultural Affairs (2004).

For the past 50 years, Ms Calleja has volunteered for numerous organisations. She is presently the social secretary of the Newport Maltese Association, a position she has held for some 30 years.

Ms Calleja works to provide welfare and organise social activities for association members, and raises funds for the Community Centre in Parkville.