Boandik Water Wisdom: Stories That Flow Through Time
- Uncle Ken
- May 7
- 2 min read
In Boandik Water Wisdom, a video collaboration between SA Water and Uncle Ken, viewers are taken deep into Boandik Country in the South East of South Australia. Here, water isn’t just a resource, it's a relative. It holds memory. It carves the land. And it offers healing.
Uncle Ken opens the video by describing how his connection to Country and water was formed at an early age. Growing up in and around creeks, swamps, and springs, he was taught by family Elders how to read the signs in nature when to harvest, when to retreat, and how to care for freshwater sources so they could care for you in return.
His reflections remind us that water management isn’t a new idea. It’s thousands of years old. Boandik people understood the rhythms of the land, using tools and knowledge passed down through generations to manage creeks, identify safe drinking spots, and protect waterbirds and aquatic plants. What modern science calls catchments and aquifers were long observed and stewarded by First Nations communities.
In the video, Ken talks about the rich cultural landscape surrounding Boandik waterways. Places like Piccaninnie Ponds and Ewens Ponds are not just geological marvels, they’re sacred spaces. “These places are full of stories,” he says. Stories of survival, teaching, and spiritual connection.
Ken shares how Boandik water knowledge has been affected by colonisation, from the clearing of native vegetation to the loss of ceremonial sites. But instead of focusing solely on the damage, he emphasises cultural revival. "We're getting it back," he says, referencing the younger generations learning about bush tucker, freshwater ecology, and how to observe seasonal changes.
Uncle Ken encourages all Australians to get to know the waterways they live beside. “It doesn’t take much,” he says, “just sit and listen. The land tells you everything.”
Whether it’s the bubbling springs of Mount Gambier or the stillness of a shaded creek, the waters of Boandik Country are always teaching and Ken is here to guide the way.
Watch the full video:
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