Former Gunnedah scholar Rob Leggat has found a new passion in life, and is ready to make his mark as a disc jockey (DJ).

Having started his training as a DJ several weeks ago, Rob will be among more than 150 people involved in the Brisbane-based ‘Your Shot’ competition at the Prince Consort Hotel this weekend.

The Brisbane-based competition has seven different areas of DJs playing music all day, with winners announced at the end of each day before a major winner is announced late on Sunday.

The winner will fly out to perform at some of the world’s biggest dance music festivals such as Snowbombing in Austria, Hideout in Croatia, or Yacht Week in Greece, while there will also be a year’s supply of Red Bull.

The competition also runs in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and New Zealand, with Rob competing in the Queensland capital due to the proximity of his residence.

Having grown up on a cattle farm at Piallaway, Rob attended St Xavier’s and St Mary’s schools in Gunnedah before venturing north.

Rob moved interstate in early 2022 to pursue an information technology (IT) apprenticeship with the federal government, and he has since specialised in the field of cybersecurity.

Rob said he never intended to be a DJ, but decided to give it a go this year after a friend participated in last year’s ‘Your Shot’ competition.

“It’s a good way to meet people, do something different, and get out of my comfort zone,” Rob said.

“There’s six weeks of training, going from nothing to something – not even knowing how to turn on the machine (at first).

“Training is once a week, and there’s fortnightly meetings.

“Outside of that, we (the DJs) practice together.

“Although it’s a competition, it’s also a huge community thing.

“Everyone’s there to support each other.”

Rob said he and the other rookie DJs hadn’t yet worked at pubs and nightclubs, but would sometimes play music in residential backyards or local parks to “practice performing in front of people”.

“You don’t know these people, and it’s a good way to break the ice and get over the nerves,” he said.

Rob said being a DJ gave him a greater appreciation of music, while it was “all about creativity and expressing yourself”.

With the DJs purchasing music from the internet and using streaming services like Spotify or Soundcloud, Rob said the ‘Your Shot’ judges “look at how you mix your music, and how you interact with the crowd” while the DJs were advised to play for themselves rather than the crowd.

With each DJ required to compose a 25-minute playlist, Rob said any types of music could be used whether they be reggae, rhythm and blues, folk, country, pop, rock or dance, while there could be segments from songs rather than the full versions.

Rob said he liked to play music with a high tempo, particularly energetic dance music known as ‘Hardstyle’ for its aggressive style and “in-your-face” nature.

“To learn a new skill and to be able to share that with mates was my goal coming into this, but the opportunity to continue to DJ and hone my skills does make me curious on playing more live gigs,” he said.

“Though, at the moment it is still very much a social thing.”