Clinton Pryor is a man on a mission.
The 26-year-old is embarking on a five-month walk from Heirisson Island to Canberra tomorrow.
Clinton said the walk is to raise awareness of the government funding cuts to WA remote communities and the importance of nurturing and respecting Aboriginal history and culture.
He hopes to talk to the Prime Minister when he arrives at Parliament House on behalf of WA people living in remote communities.
The ultimate goal is to return Government funding to communities and give local decision-making power back to the elders.
He will depart from Glen Forrest Burkinshaw Park Friday morning and arrive at Northam Bernard Park this Friday night.
Clinton will begin his journey the following morning at 9am, and hopes others will join him or come and have a chat.
He then travels to Kalgoorlie, down to Uluru, through Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney arriving in Canberra on the second week of January, 2017.
He chose to walk through the country and not along the coastline, so he could visit central Australian communities that are facing closures.
Clinton’s fondest memories are with his late mother, learning about the Australian bushland.
“The thing I cherish most in my life was living in community out on the country with my mother and my people - she was teaching me about bush medicines and how to live off the land like our old people,” he said.
Clinton is from Aboriginal community Mulan in WA’s east Kimberley.
“Back in the 1970’s when our elders were fighting for our life and we weren’t classed as Australians the Commonwealth Government agreed to improve Indigenous lives.
“The elders decided to build communities to get away from the alcohol drugs and violence in town.
“Community living shows us how to live like our ancestors and to learn how to survive out in the middle of nowhere. The key to our culture and knowledge aligns.
“It keeps us connected to our traditional ways and keeps a spiritual connection with The Dreamtime”
Clinton is inspired by revolutionary leaders and how they went about making a difference like Martin Luther King’s March on Washington, Ghandhi’s Salt March and Nelson Mandela’s uprising for change.
“Non-violence is the weapon of the strong and is the best way to get your message across,” he said.
“This initiative has plenty of support.”
