For the past two years she has been front and centre of Nine NRL's coverage. She's a Nine News presenter and reporter and she will host the season launch this week.

But behind the scenes it is Yvonne Sampson's past that has been dominating her life in recent months. And coming to understand that has made her even more grounded and proud of her family.

Bright future: Yvonne Sampson, pictured here with Wayne Bennett. Credit:James Brickwood

Yvonne's story is best told through her words, which she has done for this column. It's a story that is heartbreaking – and there are lessons there for all of us. Here it is as she wrote in an email to me this week.

"Growing up in a beautiful, rural setting, riding horses and stealing strawberries from the farm next door, I never would have thought my family was a victim of racism," she wrote.