Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners please be aware this episode contains references to a deceased person.

"The spirit of the old storytellers and the people who were protesters is not dead. It's alive and well in the next generation."

Recorded ahead of his appearance at The Planting Festival in May, this conversation between Harley Breen and Troy Cassar-Daley is exactly the kind of yarn Radio Woodfordia was made for. Troy is calling in from his childhood home on Gumbaynggirr Country near Coffs Harbour, where he's been on a quiet sabbatical — renovating sheds, working with reclaimed timber, reconnecting with family, and slowly starting to write songs again.

What unfolds is a wide-ranging, deeply warm conversation about what it means to come home — to country, to community, to the things that restore you. Troy talks about the campfire tradition he and his cousins hold each year on country, the song Shadows on the Hill and the story behind it, his daughter Jem's first year on the road, and why he thinks the kids from Tamworth he visits each December need to come to Woodford. He also has something to say to the person who wondered why a country music artist would be booked at a folk festival.

This episode is for:

• Anyone who finds peace working with their hands
• People who believe storytelling isn't a genre — it's a way of being
• Anyone who has ever felt restored by going back to the place that made them

Dive in to hear about:

• The campfire tradition that started with grief and became something vital
• Why Troy thinks telling stories and singing songs has nothing to do with genre
• Jem Cassar-Daley's first year on the road with Troy — 82 shows, one red eye flight, and a moment that made Troy certain she was built for it

To come to The Planting Festival visit: https://theplanting.com.au/ To come to the Woodford Folk Festival and FWOD next year visit: https://woodfordfolkfestival.com/

FOR MORE:

Troy Cassar-Daley: https://www.troycassardaley.com.au

Harley Breen: https://www.harleybreen.com.au

CREDITS:

Host: Harley Breen

Guest: Troy Cassar-Daley

Executive Producer: Bree Hickson-Jamieson

Producers: Josh Weier, Bree Hickson-Jamieson

Music by: The East Pointers

Recorded on Jinibara Country

#RadioWoodfordia #TroyCassarDaley #HarleyBreen #WoodfordFolkFestival #ThePlanting #Woodfordia #Storytelling #FolkMusic #CountryMusic #Podcast #FirstNations #FirstNationsMusic

Join the Woodfordian Citizens:

Perks -

- Bi-Monthly emails sharing the ins and outs of the world of Woodfordia and the people who keep the heart beating.

- Special invites to special events on site at Woodfordia. Super special.

- Bonus podcast content

- Early early bird access to Woodford Folk Festival tickets

- Early access to workshop bookings at Woodford Folk Festival

Visit: woodfordia.org/woodfordia/become-a-citizen

More information at www.woodfordia.org

For the festival: www.woodfordfolkfestival.com

For Harley: https://www.harleybreen.com.au/

Credits:

Host: Harley Breen

Executive Producers: Bree Hickson-Jamieson, Josh Weier, Benny Wallington

Audio mastering: Kieron Atkinson

Music by: The East Pointers

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