Feisty, creative, unflagging, fearless, sports loving: Lorni Hyland was all of that and a lot more.
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The renowned Aboriginal artist died yesterday morning leaving behind a grief-stricken community.
Family and friends gathered in her West Dubbo home as tributes flowed in for the pocket-sized dynamo with the can-do spirit.
She is best known for her work with children in the troubled Gordon Estate where she started an ambitious project four years ago.
Together the grandmother and her "community kids" produced a series of stunning fence murals to boost neighbourhood pride.
On Friday Lorni Hyland was back there again, with a group of Sydney young people, putting that pride into paint.
Her son-in-law Harry West said the death of the activist came as a great shock to the family. Elsewhere in the city the feelings of loss were shared.
Dubbo city councillor and friend of 15 years Warren Mundine praised the woman whose "ear-bashings" kept him on the straight and narrow.
"I remember sitting in the Gordon Centre, not long after I was elected to council, and she told me what I was to do," Cr Mundine said.
"She said if you don't work hard we'll chuck you out. I did work hard - Lorni had put me on notice."
Her passions stretched to Aussie Rules, in particular the Dubbo Demons. The mother of four also worked within the juvenile justice centre and served on countless boards including the community safety committee.
In 1999, she won the Dhuubuu Koori Arts cultural achiever of the year award. Her contemporary art has found its way across the globe and to the walls of Parliament House, Canberra.
"I'll remember her everyday," businessman and fellow community worker Joe Knagge said. "I have two paintings of hers taking pride of place in the lounge room.
"Lorni was a very important link not just between the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community but also a link with Aboriginal culture.
"I remember her getting hold of my youngest, Bridget, who was seven-years-old, and telling her Dreamtime stories."
Lorni Hyland grew up on the Lake Tyres Mission in Victoria, by the sea, with her people of the Barbralung Tribe.
They were humble beginnings for a woman who could paint with children in the mornings and take on politicians after lunch.
Police and Community Youth Club (PCYC) president and close friend, Allan Backhouse, remembered their laidback yabbying adventures.
"You know it was a strange thing but a lot of the kids we took on those trips had never experienced a day in the bush," he said.
"If the kids needed something Lorni would say 'I'll ring up the Mayor' (Allan Smith). Somehow she always managed to extract a few bob from Smithy."
On Friday afternoon Lorni Hyland sat with fellow Baha'i members, including a group from Sydney, and told Dreamtime stories.
"I hadn't seen Lorni in about a month," Dubbo businessman Nasser Sedghi said. "I asked her how she was going.
"I can still see her face and the way she was in her paint clothes - she looked absolutely fantastic."
Cr Mundine said: "Lorni had a way of bringing you back to earth.
"She reminded you where you came from and what you were here for - and it was not to wine and dine with the cocktail set."
But of all her contributions the Gordon Estate murals will remain among her most lasting legacies. Only a person with Lorni Hyland's courage and vision could see painted fences as windows to something better.