![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/05\/8Q2A5031_97223.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
“Country isn’t just about the land like Europeans think of it.”<\/p>\n
“It’s about connecting with the environment.”<\/p>\n
“So that’s the land, the water, the plants, the animals, and each other.”<\/p>\n
Uncle Franc said the walk would also share stories, place names and history passed down through generations through oral traditions.<\/p>\n
“Our knowledge was never written down,” he said.<\/p>\n
“It came from going out on Country and talking to each other, from dance, art, ceremonies and from stories that we tell each other that have lessons in them.”<\/p>\n
He said many people were unaware of the Aboriginal meanings behind place names across the region.<\/p>\n
“You’ve got Bogangar – it means ‘high place’,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Chinderah – ‘place of the small-leafed tamarind’.”<\/p>\n
“Uki – ‘place of the bandicoot’.”<\/p>\n
“People don’t realise what these places actually mean.”<\/p>\n
Uncle Franc said events like Walk on Country could help improve cultural interaction and break down barriers.<\/p>\n
“Some people have never met Aboriginal people before, or interacted with Aboriginal people in society,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
“That’s one of the hurdles.”<\/p>\n
“But that barrier can be fixed just by people participating.”<\/p>\n
“Turning up.”<\/p>\n
“Listening to the stories that are told along the way about the places.”<\/p>\n
He described the Tweed as a community where genuine cross-cultural relationships have largely been built through decades of work connecting Aboriginal and non-First Nations people.<\/p>\n
“It connects us to the wider community,” he said.<\/p>\n
Uncle Franc said knowledge in Aboriginal culture was often seen as a collaborative process.<\/p>\n
“Knowledge is power to a lot of people,” Uncle Franc said.<\/p>\n
“Not in our culture – it’s about that collaboration and working together in a group.”<\/p>\n
He said that attitude was becoming less common in modern society.<\/p>\n
“These days a lot of our young people have been taught to be individuals,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
“Because I’ve worked in the school for the last 38 years, and you see that with a lot of young kids, It’s all about me, me, me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Uncle Franc said events like Walk on Country were also important for younger Aboriginal people who may have experienced disconnection from culture and Country.<\/p>\n “Even to some degree, we’re educating our own people because, as I said, a lot of our young people have had that disconnect from Country,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n “If their friends from school, kids from the wider community, came along to these events and made them feel part of it too, it helps everybody.”<\/p>\n “It’s not just helping non-First Nations,” he said.<\/p>\n “It’s helping us all.”<\/p>\n Uncle Franc said reconciliation was about cooperation, community understanding and healing.<\/p>\n “It means all of us getting on better together,” he said.<\/p>\n “And healing some of the pain that our culture and people have suffered in the past.”<\/p>\n “It’s not that we’re living in the past.”<\/p>\n “It’s things we remember from the past.”<\/p>\n The Walk on Country event will be held on May 31 from 10am to noon.<\/p>\n The event begins at Ed Rotary Park, Kingscliff, at Cudgen Creek and finishes at Cudgen Headland Surf Life Saving Club.<\/p>\n For more information, visit the Tweed Shire Council website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Walk on Country event in Kingscliff will invite the Tweed community to connect with Aboriginal culture, stories and Country during National Reconciliation Week. Hosted by The Family Centre and supported by Tweed Shire Council, the free community-led event on May 31 will feature a guided cultural walk, storytelling, cultural performances, live music, children\u2019s activities, […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2026\/05\/8Q2A5079_92047.jpeg\")