"We met many times after the war whenever I went through Canberra. He was on Aboriginal Affairs in Canberra. Whenever I went through Canberra Reg and I had an afternoon somewhere. Then I got a message that, one message that Reg was in hospital and he wouldn't be coming out of it. So I flew up to Canberra to see him and there I met his wife, met Dorothy for the first time. His first wife, his aboriginal wife. And then in a fortnight I flew to Canberra again, second time but this time for his funeral and they gave him a very good funeral. The church was packed and not only the church but all the surrounds outside were packed with people who had come to wish Reg well including a number of Generals were included in that.

"From there we went to the crematorium where there was another little service and for the first time I heard the didgeridoo played and I didn't realise it could be such a soul, such a tuneful soulful instrument as it was.

"It was quite beautiful to hear this thing moaning away in the rear during the service."

MAJOR BEN O'DOWD, 'THE SOULFULL SOUND OF THE DIDGERIDOO'