Gwenneth Leane

The Spirit Prevails Gwenneth Leane

Clara Brady and her brother Ron were born into the Yunkunytjatjara clan. This idyllic life came to an abrupt end when Tom Brady, Clara's father died. Tom's instructions to the Protector of Aborigines is that Clara and Ron attend a white school. These directives never reached the family until police officers arrived to escort the children to the Mission Home in Oodnadatta, South Australia. At six years of age, Clara's life was turned about face when severed from the free, nomadic culture of Aboriginal life into the regimented lifestyle of white culture. As the events of that traumatic day unfolded, Clara made a vow to return to her people regardless of what her captors threw at her. 'The Spirit Prevails' is the story of how Clara kept that pledge and returned to her people. The learning of a new language, habits, culture, and strange food, coping with being a 'yella fella' or half-caste are almost insurmountable hurdles that Clara had to overcome. Graduating from Teachers College, the young Clara applied to teach Aboriginal children in the Mission School at Oodnadatta and was accepted. Clara was home at last. The role Clara would play would be as a negotiator between her people and governments. Clara's life would be one of selfless giving to gain a better deal for the indigenous people. 'The Spirit Prevails' reveals the life of an exceptional woman who sought no personal gain or kudos, but only the betterment of a culture deemed by the conquers not to be worthy of the basics of life.