BRUCE MATHISKE

As well as receiving worldwide acclaim for being “ A Master Guitarist, the best in Australia” by The Sydney Morning Herald, Bruce Mathiske is an elegant and sophisticated composer and performer, painting musical pictures that feature didgeridoo, alongside virtuoso fingerstyle guitar playing. His music has evolved into an exciting and unique style all of his own as he effortlessly blends Australia’s traditional and modern landscape
His music has been featured in numerous ABC documentaries and TV stories but most notably he has composed the entire soundtrack for the Australian Geographic series THE BEST OF AUSTRALIA

HARWIN

​Hi, I am Harwin and my name means “brave friend”. I was rescued and brought into care when my Mum was struck and killed by a car. I only weighed 170g when I arrived but I settled well into care.
​There were a couple of hiccups along the way when I broke my leg and had to be kept very still for three whole weeks until my bone healed. It was a happy day when I was able to play with my friends, Gili and Finnley again. Then we all got very sick with coccidiosis and spent time in intensive care. My friend Finnley didn’t make it but Gili and I recovered and are the best of friends.
We graduated to the kindy pen and learned to go outside at night. Then we went into the big kids pen where we learned to dig burrows and forage for grass. We are now together in soft release getting ready for the big wide world. My percussive bottle suckles are on all of the tracks.

GILI

Hello, I am Gili and my name means ‘My Joy” in Hebrew.  My Mum died from a car hitting her but I survived. I came into care and gained weight easily because I love my bottles.
​ I also like to sleep during the day, especially after a bottle but night time is play time. I used to wake my carer Mum up at 2am to play! When I got a bigger, I was sent to live with my friends Harwin and Finnley.  It meant I had play mates at night to get up to mischief with. We all got really sick and sadly lost Finnley. Harwin and I are close buddies and happy we have each other to explore  and grow with.
We moved to the big pen and soon we were digging burrows and eating lots of grass. We grew big enough to go to our next place called soft release where we can dig bigger burrows and get used to the smells and sound of the bush for when we are ready to go into the wild and start our lives. My bottle suckles are on all of the tracks but I also provide the Rhythm Section for Wombat Groove, Wombat Lullaby and Wombat Anthem.

BUTBUT

I am Butbut and my name is special. It means “Heart” in Dharug language. My Mum was hit by a car and I was lucky that a nice human stopped and rescued me from Mums pouch. 
​I weighed 965g when I was found and brought into care to recover until I could go to my new Mum. I was her first baby and so I am very special! My favourite things are food and digging. I really love to dig!! I have a buddy called Susie Q but at when she first arrived I didn’t like to share my Mum but it didn’t take long to see that Mum loved us both.
 We went into soft release together and have a pen next door to Gili and Harwin. We each had own our pen and burrows until we dug and came out in their pen! So now we all live together next to a wonderful bushland that will one day become our home. My bottle suckles provide the rhythm section for Wombat Wobble and Wombat Boogie.

MELEKH

​Hi! Nice to meet you, I am Melekh.  My name means “King” and even though I am the baby of the bunch, I am the king of the kindy pen!  
My Mum died in a car accident and I came into care weighing 800gms. Two days later, I was the star at the Wombat course and my Mum showed all the new carers how to bottle feed a baby. She also told them how to toilet a Wombat after a feed but I thought I would help by weeing all over the floor so they could all see! ​​
 It took a long time to find a milk that would not give me a tummy ache but now I have and I love my bottles. I fall into a deep sleep straight after but when I’m awake, I love to play with my stuffed toys, run through the tunnels and now I have a buddy called Ori and we play together and share a bed too.  One day soon, we hope to go into the big pen where we can start to dig burrows and do Wombat things. Because I am so little, my bottles suckles are  quiet so they are on Wombat Anthem.

LIOR

​Well hello! I am the divine Miss Lior!
My name means Full of Light and after a rocky start in care, I am now the best helper around the place.
 I came in with severe mange and was really sick. I lost a lot of my fur and felt the cold. When the mange was cleared, I then got sick with coccidiosis and did not have the strength to come out of my burrow. I was very lonely but My new Mum gave me a soft toy with a heartbeat and I felt much better cuddling up to it. I was still not gaining weight but then these special biscuits arrived and I couldn't eat enough of them.
  I started to feel much better and felt like play time and cuddles. I am still in care until my fur coat has grown but until then I live my best life helping everyone outside and in the kitchen. I spend all of my days foraging and digging my burrow. You can hear my footsteps at the end running through the kitchen to get my Wombat biscuits.

SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST

DANIEL THOMPSON

​Daniel Thompson is a multi–award–winning vocalist  from Sydney, Australia. For the last 15 years he has toured Australia with his own tribute to the Man In Black, Johnny Cash The Concert and has become recognised as one of the country’s premier artists. He counts himself as one of the lucky ones, who gets to make a living doing what he loves.