John Passant always wanted to be a poet, but his careers counsellor discouraged him.
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"Don't be ridiculous, you need to do something more solid," he was told.
So he became a taxation officer - about as solid a job as you can get.
Now with stage four non-smokers lung cancer, he is ensuring his passion is realised.
Classical guitarist Milena Cifali has set his poems to music to be performed as part of the River of Art Festival on Friday, May 24, in Narooma.
With bassist Jim Horvath and special guests, the group will launch the album "Whose broken is this?" at The Inlet seafood restaurant from 6.30-8.30pm.
Ms Cifali said Mr Passant felt his "most fullest and most alive" when reading and writing poetry.
The opportunity to collaborate came when she was teaching his son guitar. He asked if she would put his poetry to music and she jumped at the opportunity.
"I had to sift through a lot of poetry and narrow it down to 10 or 11 poems that really spoke to my heart, then narrow down to those that would lend themselves to music," she said.
"The fingers, my mind and heart did the rest. It was a real creation of love."
"I knew at that point he was receiving treatment for cancer, and thought, 'let's grab that horse by the reins'."
The album name "Whose broken is this?" is named after one of Mr Passant's poems.
"(His poems) are about righting the wrongs in the world, doing our bit to help the environment to help life in whatever way we can. Even if they're doomy and gloomy, they're uplifting," she said.
"He looks at the state of the world, politics and seeing how things aren't always glossy and beautiful.
"He wrote one poem to a tree and it gives trees in the world a voice. He also wrote about his grief when his father died late last year and some very personal poems at a strict Catholic school.
"His poems are always very hopeful even when life is not very hopeful."
Self-described "musical gypsies", Ms Cifali said the lifestyle of her band "The Awesome", made up of Jim Horvath and herself, was neither glamorous nor easy.
"But it's worth every moment because the rewards are far greater than you can anticipate," she said.
"You will wake up on the most beautiful beaches and see the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises and meet amazing people."
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Ms Cifali's band performed Mr Passant's poetry in Canberra for the first time last year at the 2018 National Folk Festival.
The first time Mr Passant heard the music, she says he cried.
Musicians for the Canberra recording were Peter Hisco on mandolin/fiddle, Zoey Pepper on bassoon, Robbie Beel on percussion, Michael Jones on blues harp, Ray Gardaya on guitar and Jim Horvath on double bass.
At the Narooma launch, Ms Cifali said Mr Passant would read poems and Ms Cifali would play some of her own classical guitar compositions.
The performance will take place at the Inlet Narooma, 12B Riverside Drive on Friday May 24, 6.30-8.30pm. Phone 4476 3496 / 0421 208 963 (Milena) to make a booking or find more information at riverofart.com.au.
The group will then perform at their home town of Mallacoota.
