Growing up an in extended family, Troy Cassar-Daley said he didn't feel normal.
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His parents separated when he was young so until he was 10-years-old he lived full-time with his mum and grandparents.
It wasn't until he moved out of home that the Gumbaynggirr/Bundjalung man came to realise the strength and sacrifice of his mum, Irene.
Irene, who died in 2022, is peppered throughout Mr Cassar-Daley's latest album, Between The Fires. He even recorded it in her old home.
"This record is a little sad in spots, so you've got to be careful with it. You've got to go in there with an open heart. I lost my mum and I took a bit of that grief into the record-making process," he said.
"I still feel something and that's what makes me want to keep going. And that's an important thing, to feel in your heart. Because if you don't feel it then you would probably have to take a break."
In creating the latest album, Mr Cassar-Daley said he's learnt to accept it when he's having a "crook day".
"If you're having a day where you feel a bit melancholy, you can just sit and not do too much and I think we need to allow ourselves to do that every now and again too. These days they call them a mental health day but I just call it having a shitty day," he said.
Despite the ups and downs, Mr Cassar-Daley said his love of music hadn't waned in the last 30 years. He's looking forward to his upcoming Between the Fires tour and being able to share his stories through his music.
"It's a good life to lead. I've had plenty of times in my life where I've had day jobs and they were nowhere near as exciting as playing music," he said.
"I had a lot of friends that were saying "when are you going to go to uni and get a real job?" They never saw music as a real job and I laugh with them now because I can have a beer with mates back in Grafton and they go "well that didn't turn out too bad".
"There's that daggy old saying about how if you love what you do you never work a day in your life and that's true, it really is."
As part of the tour he's playing at Dubbo RSL on June 15.
Last time he was in Dubbo, Mr Cassar-Daley said he and his daughter walked everywhere to be able to take in the town and endear himself to country.
And when asked if he had a message for his young Dubbo fans, Mr Cassar-Daley recalls the way he grew up and the importance of our elders.
He said many Dubbo children would be growing up in extended families just as he did as a kid.
"I found a lot of comfort and I think some direction from the old people. Actually sitting and talking with them," he said.
"Breathe in those old people. Because they are full of knowledge... Don't feel like they're outdated and they don't have anything to teach you because they do, they actually do. They can teach us a lot about what's coming in our lives."
Orlander Ruming
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
Deputy editor at the Daily Liberal, covering council, politics, human interest stories, community news and everything in between.
