THE inaugural Closing the Gap Cup became the backdrop for Tweed Shire's indigenous people coming together to create stronger ties and continue efforts to promote better health and wellbeing for their community.

Featuring high and primary school students from Murwillumbah to Tweed Heads, the touch carnival was an opportunity for the region's indigenous leaders to gather and impart some of their wisdom on their younger people, and to do so in a sports setting.

Tweed River High School claimed the cup after strong efforts throughout the day, and on hand to witness the win was proud Bundjalung man, Jimmy McDermott, 63.

He has been in and around the area since "they were pumping in the sand for the high school”, and said of all the many changes and cultural shifts he had witnessed in that period, recent times had brought some of the most important.

"Today there's just that much opportunity for our young people,” he said.

"And education is so important, but today is also about how we look at aboriginal people, and they're so good at sport, so this is an opportunity for them to shine at that.”

Tweed River High School physical education teacher and Year 12 advisor Chris Swaddle coordinated the event and said it was one of a many initiatives the school trying to encourage indigenous students to live healthily and happily.

"This has probably been on the books for a couple of years,” Swaddle said.

"Just trying to do something for the close the gap campaign, we have already done a couple of things but we wanted to do a sporting event, and I have a lot to do with touch football here at the school so it was something I thought would work and we could invite other schools to.

"In addition to the students, other Tweed aboriginal groups were also invited... and we tried to make it across both private and public schools.”

Mook Harrington Snr, part of the Solid Mob Tackling Indigenous Smoking team, is also a Bundjalung man, and was there to warn students about the dangers of tobacco.

He said Bundjalung land stretched from South Grafton to Beaudesert to Nerang, and admitted while people across it faced many different challenges, their views on health were finally beginning to align.

"We've been at this (program) for four years and the national statistic (of aboriginal smokers) has come down from 44% to 41%,” he said.

"Today for me is good because you have indigenous and non-indigenous children together, and the message we're getting - even though we're an indigenous smoking team - in a community like this is it effects black and white, so for me they get an understanding, an awareness of tobacco and smoking and hopefully from an early age don't feel the pressure to take it up.”

People from Deadly Choices and Kalwun Health Services also used the event to talk to students.