Silent tears

She said she can’t explain her bizarre actions even though 40 years has elapsed since those ghastly days of confinement and ill treatment at the hands of white people at Carnarvon Aboriginal Mission.

She explained that she taught her children to always walk with their head held high and to be proud of their culture - and they proudly do - but unfortunately and sadly she can’t seem to do the same herself.

After an engaging 45 minutes of the most fascinating first hand account of her life story the class was loudly applauding as one and then, before I had time to collect my breath, they were off to another class - with a story they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

I’m not sure where Publilius Syrus got his inspiration to pen his famous quote but I suspect he was thinking of people like Auntie Rhonda when he said: "The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body."