Australia celebrates birth of 50th great grandson to Maltese ‘nanna’

One-time migrant Connie Gauci has hit national headlines in Australia yesterday, after the birth of her 50th great-grandson.

87-year-old 'Nanna' Gauci emigrated to Australia in 1949, and is widow to her Maltese husband Paul who died four years ago.

TV crews and newspaper reporters flocked to Connie Gauci's home in Milton St, Mackay, where she was celebrated by her eight children, 30 grandchildren and 50 great-grandchildren (and another due any minute).

"Fifty is so many!", Connie laughed yesterday, soon after the birth of her 50th great-grandchild Max.

"I'm never alone. I always have everyone here - sometimes three times a day - so that's a very, very good thing.

"I'd do anything for them - what I can I'll do, I'll tell you right now. I'm proud of them. We get on so well and I'm very, very lucky because they respect me and do anything for me, which they shouldn't!"

Babysitting is par for the course at her home, described by Connie's daughter Doris Feeney as "the meeting place", with many little family members learning to walk on her kitchen step.

"Mum's got the knack of making all the grandkids and great-grandkids think that they're the only ones she's got," Doris said.

"They just feel so special... and so do we (her children)."

Connie says her husband Paul, would have loved to see their 50th great-grandchild Max born.

Connie was 25, pregnant and a mother of three when she moved to Australia shortly after the war.

"Everything was bombed. There was no work, no food, no nothing. Everyone wanted to emigrate," she said.

The Gaucis were initially planning to move to Chicago, but chose Australia because that's where the next ship was headed.

They ended up in Mackay, where a relative with a farm sponsored them.

Paul got a job and the couple bought a house on Milton St, before building a house with their bare hands - and £80 pounds that Connie managed to save away while feeding their eight children.

She's still feeding her family, with Sunday feasts at Nanna's place a popular tradition across the generations. She loves spoiling them with everything from roast dinners to cakes.