"Who wants to do the wombat wobble?"
When those words ring out across the National Arboretum on Monday, you can bet it will be followed by the excited squeals of children eager to jump up and show off their moves.
Wiradjuri elder Johnny Huckle's famous song and its accompanying dance has become a staple of Australian childhoods.
For Mr Huckle, the song embodies reconciliation.
"I think the Wombat Wobble is probably the most reconciliatory song in this country," he said.
"It's a lot of fun for families and the words in the song are talking about Australian animals."
Mr Huckle will be performing his famous tune, among many others at Canberra's annual Reconciliation Day event at the National Arboretum on Monday.
Mr Huckle has been singing for almost 50 years, and while he might be best known as a children's entertainer his repertoire extends far beyond that. He has written a number of songs about reconciliation and Aboriginal rights.
"As time wears on with reconciliation I've managed to pen songs about each and every different benchmark," he said.
"Whether it's community or government, I've always managed to be a part of it.
"I get inspired by ancestral spirits, they wake me up in the morning and say Johnny Huckle you have to write a song about this.
"I feel like I've been gifted and privileged to do just that, God gave me this gift of music, of having a good voice, having a presence of mind to communicate in such a really good catchy way."
But as the territory marks Reconciliation Day, Mr Huckle said Australia still had a long way to go.
"I want to see that we can change the constitution to put Aboriginal people, First Australians, equally alongside all Australians as people," he said.
"And that we're able to share the common good of this country whether it's wealth, health, education or any type of experience.
"Australia is this so-called lucky country ... it's completely lucky for some but we are the some of us that largely get left out.
"We're still hounded by the police, we're still getting locked up, we're still having bad health, there's not enough help around heart disease, diabetes, renal failure, pancreatitis, smoking diseases."
This is the fourth year that Reconciliation Day has been marked as a public holiday in the ACT. It is held on the first Monday on or after May 27, the anniversary of the 1967 referendum.
The event at the National Arboretum comes after last year's public celebrations were called off due to the coronavirus lockdown.
ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said she was pleased to see a return of community events.
"I encourage all Canberrans to take part in the many events and activities across the ACT and to join the conversation about Reconciliation," she said.
Attendees to the Arboretum will have to sign in using the Check-In CBR app and those under stay-at-home orders due to the Victorian outbreak will not be allowed to attend.
I think the wombat wobble is probably the most reconciliatory song in this country.
Johnny Huckle
