Brian Taylor Strikes Gold in Walhalla

The former hospital perched high above the old gold mining town of Walhalla needed a champion. Too rich in history not to revive, this iconic building in a town that at the peak of its mining days had 4000 residents was lacking purpose in the now ghost town (if you believe in them). Today, just 20 people reside in Walhalla.

Enter the Taylors. AFL personality Brian Taylor, most notable for his enthusiastic commentary on Channel 7 and Triple M, has always had a love for Walhalla. It’s the perfect escape destination from the hustle of life in the media spotlight.

“We have been spending time in Walhalla with family friends for 35 years and owned a place here for at least 20 of those years,” Brian begins. “We come here for the relief and relaxation. When I tell people I am going to Walhalla, they’ve never heard of it. If only they knew it was this quiet, sleepy, Switzerland-like town. It’s just a beautiful little town,” he says.

“My family love it here in Walhalla and we love being here together. I don’t think there is a prettier place in Australia.”

Not afraid to get their hands dirty, Brian and his wife Tania along with two of their four sons, Harrison and Jesse, are all armed with paintbrushes and welcoming smiles when we meet at their new holiday home. The family intend on honouring the building’s history with only superficial improvements to restore the property. “We don’t want to touch the façade in any way. We want to keep it as it is as that’s what we liked about it. It’s just aesthetics: paint and repairs from the years of damp damage. It’s about restoring it to its former glory,” Brian says.

“Walhalla was going to lose this very historic building and one of the rare ones that remains unaffected by fire. If someone didn’t get a hold of it and care for it to make it last another 100 years, we could have lost this building. A lot of people would have liked to have bought it. We timed it right as the previous owners were ready to let go. We were the fortunate ones. From our point of view, it fits our family size and friends perfectly.”

So, are there actually ghosts present here? Brian says he is not that way inclined, however Tania is, and their son’s fiancé is also a believer. A definite frightening experience that was well documented was Brian’s recent accident at his new home. While lighting a hot water service, he made an error that resulting in an explosion. “I was very lucky to walk away with very few injuries,” he explains.

Fortunately, a local friend is also a member of the CFA. Brian says he was amazed at how quickly he got medical attention given the location. “Before I knew it, I was on a chopper. When you have those kinds of injuries, they worry about what you have inhaled. Until that is cleared, everything is an emergency. I was very grateful to all the emergency services.”

Given Brian’s professional profile, the media were there capturing the event. “That probably is the only downfall to what I do. My sister found out about the accident through social media. Things like family tragedies that happen you do prefer to be kept quiet. Social media is an issue for all of us in this game. You become a big target. Mentally, you must be able to handle that,” he comments.

Dealing with intense pressure and scrutiny is a given when you have a public profile. You can never please everyone, which is something Brian takes in his stride. He knows who he is and what is important. “I can be oblivious to it all. I’m basic when it comes to who I really am. While people see me on TV, they might not expect that I’d be here painting. I immerse myself in a life that isn’t consumed by football,” he says.

Brian describes the AFL season as mind-boggling tiring with all the travel involved. That aside, the love of the game is still there.

“Getting to the game and doing what I do is such a relief in amongst all the hustle, bustle and pressure. I let it all out in the game and can just be myself again,” Brian says.

What people love about BT (as he is affectionally known) is his genuine emotion when calling a game of football. He rides the highs and lows and feeds off the energy of the game, which in seasons 2020 and 2021 was a challenge. There were games where the commentators were not at the ground. They were in a studio, looking at screens. “That has been the biggest challenge. It just shows you the value of the live audience. If you haven't got people watching live, the electricity goes. We’ve been able to maintain our passion and excitement, but if we had to do another two years that would be really difficult,” he admits.

The perks of his position afforded Brian the privilege of being in Queensland and Western Australia for both AFL Grand Finals outside of Victoria. But that also meant Brian has spent 42 days isolating in quarantine. What goes through your mind in quarantine? “Getting out!”

Being able to adapt in different environments and talk to people from all walks of life is something Brian appreciates he has learned from his time in football and media. He is quietly confident and proud that he can handle himself in most situations. He has high praise for his colleagues and the comradery that we see on TV is also genuine.

“Working with so many different people has improved me as a person as well as made me strive for excellence. I hang my hat on that I am pushing towards the pinnacle of both TV and radio."

"Calling Friday night football with Channel 7 is the number one thing in AFL broadcasting. I have the privilege of sitting in the seat and doing that. I hope to be as good at Bruce McAvaney one day. He has been important in my development and showing me that close enough isn’t good enough. He is a perfectionist,” BT says of his idol.

What is also incredibly important is using the platform of football to raise awareness for prostate cancer through the EJ Whitten Foundation as well as men’s mental health. Brian is passionate about positive change.

Out of the commentator’s box, Brian values family time and the simple life. He definitely likes to be organised. “If you saw my tool shed, it's like walking into a doctor's surgery. It's just spotless and methodical,” he says with a smirk.

Perhaps the self-proclaimed emotional commentator has a bit of his idol’s perfectionism in him after all. It takes a long time to be revered in a highly critical industry, however I think it’s safe to say BT is already one of the greats in his field.