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Carmelo (Lino) Vella, a most popular and respected leader of our Maltese community in Australia, died one year ago at his residence in Blacktown, NSW. He was the editor of the iconic The Maltese Herald for over 40 years, perhaps the longest-servicing editor of any Maltese newspaper
Lino was born in Paola, Malta, on 22 September 1936 The family moved to Birzebuġa in 1939 and St Julians in 1945
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Lino spent his formative years at St Julians before migrating to Australia on the liner Sydney in November 1954 He left school in 1951. His father, a canteen manager, helped him find work with the NAAFI
His first job in Sydney was as a trench digger for the New South Wales Water Board He took on various positions, including six years with the Olympic Tyre Company
A lifelong devotee of the round game, Lino’s association with Melita Eagles dates to the year of the team’s formation in Sydney in 1955 He was president of the Malta Eagles when the club amalgamated with the Melita Football Club in 1956
His commitment to the Eagles was continuous He served the club at executive level, coach, and goalkeeper. He also played for the NSW X1 He was made a Life Member of the club
His love of soccer led him into a lifelong journalistic partnership with Lawrence Dimech, and in 1957, he helped Lawrence produce a short-lived magazine called Soccer Light
Lino's journalism took him a further step in the late 1950s when he became Sports Editor for the Sydney-based Malta News
In 1961, when The Maltese Herald commenced publication, Lino had his column, 'On Target', in the sports section By the mid-1960s, the Maltese Herald had expanded from an eight-paged monthly into a 20-paged weekly
In 1971, when its first full-time editor, Lawrence Dimech, was appointed Consul General for Malta in New South Wales, Lino replaced him as editor He was also the sole owner of the newspaper since 1983
In 1999 Lino Vella was made a Member of the Order of Australia AM In 2011, for his services to the Maltese community, the Government of Malta awarded him with Gieh ir-Repubblika.
He married Barbara Platel, who died in 2003, and had a son, Paul, and a daughter, Annette
