There was one constant each time singer-songwriter Peter Levy attended Cabrini Brighton for his multiple and varied surgeries. Post-recovery, it was that special, trusted something that the 77-year-old wanted to acknowledge in the very best way he knew how – through song.

“It was the nurses,” Peter said. “These nurses, they’re like angels, you know.

“They were just tireless, in the sense that, sure they had to check on me every hour or so with blood pressures and things like that, but it was everything else that they did. You’re in such a vulnerable situation when you’re having treatment, and they were just amazing, lifting my spirits – unbelievably amazing.

“So, I decided to write this song for them.”

Peter’s love language is music and lyrics, so it made sense for him to put pen to paper and write a song about those Cabrini nurses who had provided him such care and comfort through prostate cancer treatment, urology surgery, and a knee replacement.

“They gave me so much confidence that I could handle anything and told me that there was a light at the end of the tunnel, because at one stage, I thought my life has totally changed,” Peter said.

“They helped me both physically and psychologically and so, by the time I got out of Cabrini last year, I started scribbling away.”

The result, Cabrini Nurses, was sent to Peter’s urologist, Mr Paul Davis, to share with Peter’s “angels” via his YouTube channel.

Maree McCartney, who shares the Nurse Unit Manager role with Deb Ruddy at Cabrini Brighton’s Ground South, where Peter was cared for post urology surgery, said she was grateful for Peter’s recognition of her team’s compassion.

“What a beautiful gesture,” Maree said of Peter’s gift to her nurses. “I’m very proud of the team that we have here, and across Cabrini Brighton, and it comes as no surprise to me that our nurses had such a big impact on Peter.

“That Peter then took the time to write a song about us and show his appreciation in this very special way is very generous and I know that all of our nurses will listen to Peter’s words and hear that they are valued and are making a difference to our patients’ lives.”

Peter has a long list of music credits to his name and has written lyrics and music for a multitude of artists. He’s even submitted a song to be considered for the Australian entry for Eurovision Song Contest.

“I never really made it to the heights of rock star status,” Peter laughed. “I was always just on the fringe and wasn’t very high profile because I mainly write songs for other artists.

“But I’ve written music for ads, for 17 movie soundtracks so far, and I’ve got a couple of songs in some movies coming out later in the year.”

While in the past Peter had recorded his vocals and music with a band in a studio, he’s now turned to AI to keep costs down. The music for Cabrini Nurses was recorded using AI, but the words are very much Peter’s own.

“It used to be that we would jam and write the songs in the studio, which was great fun, but that all finished about three years ago,” Peter said.

“And then I discovered AI could use instrumentation, and it became very easy to input your chords, the instruments you want, and then put your lyrics in and out comes a song. You can even put your voice print of your vocal over the top and add your own harmonies so you’re still very much a part of the creative process and it sounds how you want it to sound.

“I used this technique to create Cabrini Nurses, but the words are all mine and started to form while I was still in hospital. As soon as I got out, I put pen to paper, and I’d completed the lyrics within the day.

“It was easy to write because it was exactly how I was feeling at the time. I appreciated the Cabrini nurses so much for what they did for me. This was my gift back to them.”

Peter, a natural creative, also established the Brighton Writers’ Group, which meets monthly at the Brighton Library. He has just been shortlisted for the Bayside City Council Senior Citizen of the Year.