Devoted Lyla still class act

THERE would be few teachers in the country more experiences than Lyla Mills.

PRIDE OF AUSTRALIA>>>> Lyla Wills, tinkles the ivories at the age of 80 to stay nimble as she continues to share her love of music with in schools around Darwin.

THERE would be few teachers in the country more experiences than Lyla Mills.

Ms Mills first started teaching in the Territory in the 1960s, and has never spent more than 12 months abroad.

“I love it – the kids are great, mostly,” she said.

“It’s what keeps me going, and teachers at the schools are still encouraging me, so I’m going to keep coming back.

“If the Lord gives you a skill, you’ve got to keep using it,” the devoted Anglican said.

Now 80, she has been ‘retired’ for about 15 years.

She still drives into Darwin from her home at Batchelor every week, and spends three days teaching students at Parap and Millner Primary Schools singing and music.

She has now been ­nominated for a Pride of Australia medal.

In her time as a teacher, there is not much Ms Mills hasn’t done.

When she first moved here, she was a preschool officer.

By her own accounts, it was a role she was dragged into “kicking and screaming”.

She spent several years in the Roper region and Oenpelli, before a 12-month stint in Tonga educating teachers.

Nowadays, she only does music.

“Singing does a lot for kids – it helps their hearing, their memory, diction, and maths, and you can deliver the curriculum in a delightful way.

“Singing can also lift students studies.”

In the decade since their ­inception, the Pride of ­Australia awards have honoured more than 550 Australians, shared more than 19,000 ­inspirational stories and unearthed extraordinary feats of courage and heroism.

For more awards information, go to ntnews.com.au/prideofaustralia