Australian country music star Troy Cassar-Daley, of Maltese descent, has shared a touching tribute on Twitter to his Maltese roots, posting a heartfelt message about his grandmother and father.

In a post on social media, Cassar-Daley revealed that he had come across an old photograph of hisgrandmother, Maryanne Cassar, aka Marianna, a woman he described as “beautiful” and incredibly strong. She gave birth to 21 children, 13 of whom survived, and made the life-changing journey from Malta to Australia in 1950, shortly after the war, in search of a better future for her family.

The singer expressed pride in the hardships she endured back in Malta and the courage it must have taken to start anew in a new country. Alongside the image of his grandmother, he also shared a photograph of his father, affectionately describing him as “my beautiful Dad,” underscoring the deep family bonds that shaped his upbringing.

Cassar-Daley’s tribute is a reminder of the resilience of migrant families and the sacrifices made by earlier generations.Troy is a songwriter and entertainer and he released his first single, “Dream Out Loud”, in 1994 , followed by his debut album, Beyond the Dancing, in 1995, and has continued to release music since then, including the platinum-selling The Great Country Songbook (2013) with Adam Harvey. Throughout his career he has received many awards, including ARIA Music Awards, Golden Guitars, Deadly Awards, Country Music Association of Australia Entertainer of the Year awards, and National Indigenous Music Awards.