Robert Canning – a member of the Buchanan family – has returned home after hobnobbing with royalty and Australia’s political elite at the official opening of the extended Anzac Memorial in Sydney’s Hyde Park.

Robert was chosen by Indigenous cultural organisation Koomurri to play the didgeridoo for the ceremony held on Saturday October 20.

He says he enjoyed having “a good yarn and a laugh” with the dignitaries on stage, who included the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

He promoted our region as a destination to Scotty and had a good chat with Gladys about culture and didgeridoos.

And when it came time to meet the royals, Robert was not at all intimidated by the instructions he’d been given about royal protocol and correct forms of address.

He observed how the person in the line before him interacted with the prince and decided to do something a bit different.

“I said to Prince Harry, ‘Here brother, this is how you shake hands properly’, and I gave him a brother handshake.

“He laughed and smiled, and Meghan was standing beside him and I said ‘How you going, sister?’ and she smiled and laughed too.

“I didn’t worry about the protocol.”

Earlier, Robert had felt disappointed when organisers told him to stop playing as the royals arrived, but when Prince Harry asked how long he’d been playing the didgeridoo, he seized the opportunity for a royal command performance.

“I said, ‘Twenty years. Would you like me to play it for you?’

“And he said, ‘I’d love you to.’

“So I just started playing the didgeridoo for them, and they thought it was the coolest thing.”

Robert plays a contemporary style of didgeridoo that he says people find more appealing than the traditional sound.

He started experimenting with this about a year and a half ago, after a lady in Bellingen gave him some advice while he was busking.

“I was playing the traditional style and this Irish lady came up to me and said you should play with a bit more beat, so people can dance to it.

“I told her later, you’re the one who got me playing this style of music and made me kind of  famous.”

While in Sydney, Robert also had a gig playing at Sibos, the financial industry conference that drew 7000 global bankers to the International Convention Centre on Monday. 

He had his photo taken with Westpac CEO Brian Hartzer, and reckons it might prove useful  in future.

“I said this is going to be good because I’m a Westpac customer, and if the people behind the counter give me any problems I’ll just take that photo out and show them.”

Robert hopes his newfound fame will lead to him being invited to play more gigs in the local community and also help promote a special event that he’s planning with Peter Lister for Australia Day.

He described it as like the Dawn Service held on Anzac Day, where everyone comes together to acknowledge what the day means for Indigenous Australians and to reflect on how to move forward.

Called the Australia Day Sunrise Service, it will be held at 8am in Morgo St Reserve, Urunga, with performances from locals, including Robert and his didgeridoo.

More information will be available from the Love Urunga Facebook close to the date, along with a new video promoting the town and Australia Day.