Skinks, Stories & Sustainability – Bush Repair on Screen

Uncle Ken Jones is more than a storyteller, he is a cultural guide, conservationist, and teacher of Country. In the short film Bush Repair Skink Movie, these roles come together in a gentle, thoughtful reflection on what we can learn from one of the smallest animals in the Australian bush - the skink.

Filmed along the Limestone Coast, the video introduces viewers to a local skink and its place within Boandik Country. On the surface, it appears to be a simple nature encounter. But under Uncle Ken’s guidance, the moment becomes something much more powerful, a story about interconnection, environmental care, and the way Indigenous knowledge reveals meaning in even the most overlooked parts of the landscape.

As the skink moves quietly through its habitat, Uncle Ken explains its habits, hiding places, and behaviours. But the real story is what the skink represents. To the Boandik people, skinks are not just part of the environment,  they are indicators, messengers, and teachers. Their presence tells us about the health of the land. Are the soils warm? Are the insects returning? Are the seasonal rhythms unfolding as they should? A skink doesn’t just survive on Country, it reads it.

Uncle Ken uses this quiet moment to introduce viewers to the philosophy behind Bush Repair, a program he co-founded to integrate cultural knowledge with hands-on conservation. Through revegetation, weed management, and wildlife observation, Bush Repair helps restore balance to areas of Country that have been disturbed. Whether it’s through mapping threatened species or replanting native grasses, the work is always grounded in listening to the land, something animals like the skink model every day.

In the video, we see Ken teaching what he calls “slow time” the practice of moving through Country with stillness, attention, and respect. Rather than charging ahead or dominating the landscape, slow time encourages us to pause, watch, and absorb what the land is saying. The skink, small and nearly invisible to an untrained eye, becomes the perfect symbol of this principle. It does not rush. It watches. It adapts.

For Uncle Ken, this is where real learning begins not with textbooks, but with presence. He reminds us that the signs of change, danger, or renewal are often subtle. The scratch marks in the sand, the direction of the wind, or the skink’s choice of shelter all offer insight into the state of Country.

Bush Repair Skink Movie isn’t just a wildlife video. It’s a quiet call to awareness. It shows how Indigenous ecological knowledge is embedded in daily observation, in stories passed down, and in the relationships built between people and place.

In a time when conservation often feels reactive, Uncle Ken’s approach is different. It’s proactive, relational, and deeply grounded in culture. And it begins with something as humble as a skink, a creature that’s easy to miss, unless you’re paying attention.

Watch the full video here: Bush Repair – Skink Movie (YouTube)