The Galiwin’ku people welcomed Mrs Grayling to their home on Elcho Island.

It was part of Mrs Grayling’s study for her Bachelor of Education.

She said she planned the trip to the island north of Arnhem Land to learn what remote communities could offer to their students.

“I have a passion for Indigenous education, Closing the Gap, reconciliation and constitutional recognition,” she said.

“I wanted to learn not just about the challenges remote communities face, but also the things communities like that can offer.

“The things that might be different, but not necessarily in a bad way.”

Mr Grayling said her time on Elcho island had taught her the value family can play in communities.

“They have a strong connection to family, to the entire extended family, which is something I think we don’t to particularly well in western society,” she said.

“We do things in a isolated manner, whereas up there every part of the family extension –  from aunts and uncles on both sides to cousins –  it is quite amazing to see how well they work together.

“They are such accepting people, I was clearly new and stood out, but they were so interested in who I was and why I was there.

“They were so kind in sharing their culture and explaining things to me.

“There is no doubt this community has issues as well and there are some things they are grappling with for their youth and their remoteness, but that is something they are working on as a community.”

She is studying her degree online through Swinburne Online and was on the island for nearly five weeks.

Mrs Grayling is the mother of three children in grades 6, 3 and prep with her husband John.

She said it had been an education experience.

“It was transforming, both educationally and life changing, as far as understanding the challenges that other people in Australia live with,” she said.