As kites lined the arboretum's skyline, families were starting conversations ahead of the Voice to Parliament referendum.
"I think it's really important we acknowledge this day rather than Invasion Day," mother-of-three Sonia Bonaro said.
"Be a voice for generations" was the common theme at this year's Reconciliation Day event, and the upcoming generations were gathered en masse.
Watching her children roll down the arboretum hills, Ms Bonaro was drawn to participate in Reconciliation Day because of the gaps in Aboriginal health.
"I'm not an Indigenous person but I work with Indigenous people in the health sector and I can see the gaps," she said.
It's every Australian's responsibility to help First Nations people according to Ms Bonaro, and while we can never entirely fix the injustices of the past, "we have a duty to teach our children and the next generation of what really happened".
While her children were enjoying themselves on their day off from school, Ms Bonaro wants them to be aware of the upcoming referendum.
The ACT is the only jurisdiction in the country to recognise Reconciliation Day as a public holiday. The day was a happy event for the children, but it also commemorates the dark parts of our history.
Reconciliation Week stretches from Sorry Day and it goes all way to Friday, June 2, which is the anniversary of the Mabo decision.
The Voice is a chance for recognition and building a better future for generations, Indigenous leader Paula McGrady said.
"It means that I get to be a voice for my regional community, I get to be a voice for the remote communities that don't have access to the privilege that I have access to," she said.
Her people, the Kamilaroi, have inhabited the Upper Hunter Valley of NSW through to the Nindigully in Queensland for thousands of years.
For Ms McGrady, the Voice will not be a "Canberra Voice". She wants her community to have better access to health services and improved education which she believes a successful Voice to parliament will achieve.
"If we can thrive and grow in a much better way, that's the Voice I'm saying yes to," she said.
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