Lifelong Learner Stories
Ornina Ekhtiar – New South Wales
Ornina, 32, was born in Syria, where she completed high school and a pathology course. However, about 10 years ago, due to civil unrest, she and her family fled to…
John Lindsay – South Australia
John Lindsay, a 61-year-old River Ngarrindjeri man, embodies the spirit of lifelong learning and community education. Born in Barmera and raised on the Gerard Aboriginal Mission, John’s upbringing was rooted…
Emma Griggs – New South Wales
Emma is a proud Wiradjuri Woman. Her journey has been a rollercoaster of challenges and triumphs. Growing up on Gadigal/Bidjigal Land, descending from a tiny town in central western NSW,…
Melanie Cameron – Queensland
Melanie is a 22-year-old woman who continually strives to improve herself through learning, despite her intellectual impairment and disadvantaged background. With the help of her support worker, Melanie has…
Farah Naz – South Australia
Farah, 45, arrived from Pakistan in November 2013. Despite her teaching experience, her qualifications weren’t recognised in Australia. So, until 2021, Farah invested her years in looking after her family…
Christiana Davies – South Australia
Christiana came to Australia 18 years ago as a refugee from Sierra Leone. She has overcome many barriers in her learning journey, starting with building her foundation studies through the…
Tim Royle – Western Australia
Tim, aged 37, has struggled with reading, writing, and spelling for most of his life. After being diagnosed with dyslexia in primary school, Tim found high school to be incredibly…
Mick Curtis – Tasmania
Mick, originally from South Australia, began his working life in the abattoirs in Port Pirie. He struggled to complete Year 12, barely able to spell his own name. When he…
Kerry Hume – Victoria
Kerry, a 40-year-old mother of three, is the newly appointed Assistant Manager at Aurora Dairies Glenfyne farm near Cobden. Her farming journey began two years ago when she started milking…
Haydon Grigg – South Australia
Haydon, 28, faced challenges fitting into traditional schooling and ultimately failed Year 12 due to difficulties with reading, writing, and socialising with others. He enjoyed hands-on learning, but his struggle…
#ALW2023 Learning Ambassador Terrence Lennon-Wingfield
Terrence Lennon-Wingfield, now 28, grew up in Ceduna, nearly 800 kilometres from Adelaide. He was often absent from school, due to illness and when he did attend, other kids made…
#ALW2023 Learning Ambassador Trudy Shan Walder
34-year-old Trudy Shan Walder left school at the beginning of Year 11. At the age of 29, as part of her recovery from domestic violence and significant injuries which will…