Testa, Carmen (8.3.1934-)Social WorkerBorn in Birkirkara, Carmen Testa Grixti, emigrated with her family to Australia at the age of 16 and has since lived in West Sunshine. Since her first days in Australia, Testa has helped people to obtain planning permits to build their homes. She helped the mother's club at the Mother of Souls primary school, now called St Paul's, where she also taught for 15 years. She was secretary of the Sunshine Heights primary school and bursar at St John's College in Braybrook. She obtained a diploma in education and a certificate in theological education. Testa has dedicated her entire life to helping others. She has striven to propagate Maltese traditional family values among the community. She has worked hard to instil among women migrants a sense of self-confidence and independence. Among her activities, she founded the Western Region Maltese Community Council's Women's Group, and is a member of the Workers of Maltese Background Group and of the steering committee looking at the needs of migrants in the year 2000, and secretary of St Paul's parish committee. Testa has a Maltese language radio show on the 3WRB of West Sunshine. In 1995 Testa won the Manoel De Vilhena Award, in 1996 she was presented with the Senior Achievers Award by the governor of Victoria, and in 1998 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal (O.A.M). Source: Maltese Biographies of the Twentieth Century (1997), editors Michael J. Schiavone and Louis J. Scerri
  
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