Written by Scott Rowe
Stuart Taylor is multi-talented. He has forged careers as a police prosecutor, local government councillor, business manager, drone pilot, videographer and podcaster and is also the man responsible for capturing the memories of the annual Dunga Derby.
But it is songwriting that he hopes will be a personal legacy for his children after years of penning words that have become his “diary of life”.
Over the years he has composed songs which reflect significant moments of his life. Recently he released a song titled My Soul which was inspired by Cooper Christensen – the original recipient and motivation for the creation of the Dunga Derby and the local charity Rally for a Cause.
“It has taken me 10 years to complete the song. I started writing it when I heard about a young boy on the Fraser Coast, Cooper Christensen, who was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.
“My Soul is a song of hope and recognition of a special family who lost their much-loved son.”
Stuart is not immune to personal tragedy having lost his older brother after he suddenly passed in his sleep a couple of years ago.
“After losing my brother unexpectedly and seeing what that did to my parents I had a better understanding of grief. During that time, I returned to my unfinished song and added some more words. Words that I couldn’t have written before I witnessed the devastation my parents had to endure. The song still wasn’t finished, but it was close. I finished writing the song after a good friend struggled with the loss of a granddaughter, who was stillborn at 41 weeks.
“I never understood just how painful it would be for parents and grandparents to say goodbye to a child who they had just met”.
Learning to play the guitar from his brothers and vocally trained with an Italian opera vocal teacher, Stuart grew to love songwriting and storytelling.
“I love to tell stories through music, podcasts and videography. I would love one day to create documentaries that dive deeper into issues that matter to our community. “My passion is shining the light on other people’s journeys.”
The father of three is a dedicated family man who describes himself as a complex, multi-layered workaholic.
“My music will be my legacy. When I am gone, I want my kids to be able to listen to my music at any time in their life, remember me, and smile. I guess it’s a way of trying to stop my memory fading for my children.”
My Soul was produced with the assistance of legendary local singer/songwriter/ producer Rob Mackay from Pacific International Music.
“It was a daunting process, but Rob was fantastic. At first the song was deemed too dark but with Rob’s contacts and assistance we are really pleased with the final outcome.
“Once the song was finished, I played it first to my family, then to those who helped shape the words. I wanted them to hear it first and to let them know that their journey mattered and had not been forgotten.”
Stuart will continue to create music to strengthen his legacy while also making the special memories for the annual Dunga Derby through his videography.
You can access all music platforms at this link: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/angustaylor/happy-days
Rally for a Cause raises funds to assist locals suffering life-changing medical diagnosis or other tragic events outside of their control: frasercoast.dungaderby.com.au
