THERE has been an outpouring of love and support for the Trindall family after the passing of tireless Gomeroi elder Aunty Pearl at age 92.
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The much-loved elder and mother of seven was instrumental in the establishment of the Birrelee preschool and the Tamworth Aboriginal Medical Service.
But her legacy, shared with her late husband Joe, will be felt for long time through the very long list of lives and organisations they touched.
It was an inherent right, she would say, that everyone was entitled to an education.
- Daughter Cathy Trindall
Aunty Pearl's youngest child Cathy said her mum was a woman "well before her time" and one of "wisdom and strength".
She said her mother lived "a hard life but also good life".
While her life's work will live on, her family said it was never about the accolades or recognition.
"She loved people and she loved helping people," Cathy said. "It was an inherent right, she would say, that everyone was entitled to an education."
Seeing women who were unable to get their kids into childcare, Aunty Pearl "would go around and pick them up in her own car and have a playgroup". This laid the foundation for Birrelee.
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"Along the way, her and Dad had a holistic approach to life," Cathy said.
"You can educate someone, but they need to be healthy, and you need them to have housing and you need them to be safe."
Aunty Pearl's funeral will be held at 11am on Friday on the plains behind Jack Woolaston Oval in Tamworth, where Uncle Joe was also farewelled.