'Whenever I go to the Grampians I feel really at peace with myself. The quiteness and the beauty are just so special.'

Several members of the British royal family were present at the opening of the 2006 Commonwealth Games, but no-one at the venue on that magical night looked more regal than Hazel McDonald.

Aunty Hazel, as she is known, stood in the middle of the MCG as an Elder of the Wotjabaluk people, a statuesque woman draped in a superb possum-skin cloak. She had pieced together the cloak with her sister and cousin, then burned a sequence of significant images onto the inside: the Wimmera River, the Ebenezer Mission, indigenous animals, and Bunjil the creator.

‘Being in the Opening Ceremony was one of the best things that has ever happened to me,’ Aunty Hazel says. ‘We were out there with all the lights and the people and noise around us, but the wind was going over me, calming me down, and I felt very serene. I was really proud to be there.’

The attributes Aunty Hazel displayed in front of a worldwide audience are those that she demonstrates on every other day: pride in her heritage, rich cultural knowledge, and a belief that black and white Australians can live harmoniously together. That sort of integrity cannot be overvalued.

Favourite Day Trip
I love to go to Halls Gap, have a barbecue and take in the scenery (www.visithallsgap.com.au)

Favourite Food Experience
Garlic prawns cooked by my son who works at the Dimboola Hotel (32 Wimmera St, Dimboola, 03 5389 1630).

Favourite Nature Based Experience
Looking at the bush wildflowers.

Favourite Object
Whatever art or craft project I am working on.