Life on the Line

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Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories.

Episodes

Tuesday Sep 21, 2021

#116 Tony Dell

Tuesday Sep 21, 2021

Thomas Kaye interviews Vietnam veteran Tony Dell.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Tony Dell is an army veteran of the Vietnam War. The national serviceman is also the only Test cricketer to fight in Vietnam. He was a fast-medium seam bowler who made his Test debut against England for the vital Seventh Test in the 1970-71 Ashes series, taking 5 wickets in that match. After war, sport gave Tony an outlet and place of mateship and camaraderie, but he could not escape that the war had scarred him. This trauma ultimately gave him a life-changing mission - Stand Tall for PTS. Tony spoke to Thomas Kaye about his military career and life after service, including the book written about him by Greg Milam: AND BRING THE DARKNESS HOME: The Tony Dell Story.

Discover more about Tony’s organisation Stand Tall for PTS at http://standtall4pts.org

Tuesday Sep 14, 2021

#115 Shaun Willson

Tuesday Sep 14, 2021

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Bougainville and Banda Aceh veteran, Shaun Willson.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Shaun Willson served as an Army helicopter pilot, fulfilling his dream of flying Hueys. In this conversation with Sharon Mascall-Dare, Shaun talks about his experiences in training, on humanitarian aid deployments and a sense of purpose in and out of uniform. Today, Shaun is a firefighter and works in emergency medical services as a helicopter pilot.

To see photos related to today's interview, visit our website - www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com - or follow us on social media: @lifeonthelinepodcast on Facebook and Instagram, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

Friday Sep 10, 2021

September 11 - 20 Years On

Friday Sep 10, 2021

Twenty-six Australian military veterans share their memories of September 11, 2001, the day that changed the world.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. The 9/11 terrorist attacks sent a generation to war. As we approach the 20-year anniversary of 9/11, Australia has finally withdrawn our last members of the defence force from Afghanistan. At home, we’re watching the Royal Commission into Veteran Suicide get underway. And Afghanistan has fallen so quickly to the Taliban, who have reclaimed territory that 41 Australians fought and died in. There is a lot of conversation in the media about why we went to war in Afghanistan and what’s happening now we’re gone - from all the good we achieved there to questions of now, in the end, was it all worth it? Whatever you think the answer is, when reflecting on any conflict, they’re necessary questions. But while the public conversation and reflection continues, it’s important to remember the zeitgeist in 2001 and the impact of that day. So, in time for the 20-year anniversary, we’ve taken clips from a range of podcasts we’ve recorded over the last 5 years, to remember. This podcast features 26 voices of Australian military veterans and their memories of September 11.

The full list of guests is available on our website.

To see photos related to today's episode, visit our website - www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com - or follow us on social media: @lifeonthelinepodcast on Facebook and Instagram, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

Tuesday Sep 07, 2021

Life After Service - Gary and Renee Wilson

Tuesday Sep 07, 2021

This is the audio-only version of our Life After Service episode with Gary and Renee Wilson. Watch the video documentary episode now on YouTube!

Gary Wilson was a signaller attached to the 2nd Commando Regiment. On the 21st of June, 2010, Gary and then-fiancé Renee’s lives were changed forever when Gary was severely injured in a Black Hawk helicopter crash.

In this episode of Life After Service, Thomas Kaye speaks to the now-married couple, Gary and Renee, about the accident, the challenges they overcame and how they are helping pave the way to support others, both veterans and the families of those veterans.

Want to join the Wilsons and support veterans, their families and give back? Check out The Wilson Initiative. https://thewilsoninitiative.com.au/ Looking to have more energy, manage pain and optimise your health? Gary runs Bare Coaching, his personal coaching service. Find out more at: https://www.barecoaching.com/

CLOSING CREDITS:

Guests: Gary Wilson & Renee Wilson

Special Thanks: Kill Kapture

Brought to you by Thistle Productions: Thomas Kaye, Alex Lloyd, Rohan Viswalingam

Intro Music: THREE METRES by Stephen Keech

Episode Soundtrack: THE HELL BEYOND by The Externals

Workout Scene Music: WIRE by OBOY

Fuelled by Striker Coffe Co.

THISTLE PRODUCTIONS, LIFE ON THE LINE and TECI

Tuesday Aug 24, 2021

#114 Bruce McLennan

Tuesday Aug 24, 2021

Alex Lloyd interviews former SAS soldier Bruce McLennan.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Bruce McLennan was a Squadron Sergeant Major in the Special Air Service Regiment. He joined the SAS in 1984 and served in Afghanistan. He was also involved in the boarding of MV Tampa in 2001. Alex Lloyd spoke with Bruce about his long career in Australian Special Forces.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

Tuesday Aug 17, 2021

#113 Darren Grogan

Tuesday Aug 17, 2021

Angus Hordern interviews Commodore Darren Grogan about the highs and lows of his career in the navy.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Darren Grogan is a Commodore currently serving in the Royal Australian Navy. He spoke with Angus Hordern about his career to date – from time in the Arabian Gulf to border protection to Bushfire Assist – and about serving in today’s Royal Australian Navy.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

Tuesday Aug 10, 2021

#112 Troy Knight

Tuesday Aug 10, 2021

Thomas Kaye interviews former JTAC and Middle East veteran, Troy Knight.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Troy Knight is a former JTAC - a Joint Terminal Attack Controller. The JTACs are known as the Special Forces unit of the Air Force, with Troy deploying alongside members of the Special Operations Task Group in combat in the Middle East. The Royal Australian Air Force veteran has deployed multiple times to Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as doing private security work. Troy spoke to Thomas Kaye in the Hornsby RSL club.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

Tuesday Aug 03, 2021

SAS Resilience with Dr Dan Pronk, Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis

Tuesday Aug 03, 2021

Alex Lloyd interviews three Australian Special Forces veterans about the secrets to unlock greater personal resilience.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Dr Dan Pronk, Ben Pronk DSC and Tim Curtis return to the show in this special podcast to talk about their new book, THE RESILIENCE SHIELD. From lessons learned in Afghanistan to Sierra Leone, the board room to the hospital, the SAS veterans have demystified and defined resilience and unlocked how anyone can better equip themselves to overcome adversity in life. Alex Lloyd, the publisher of their book at Pan Macmillan, spoke with the trio more about how the book came about and what readers can expect.

For previous episodes featuring these guests, listen to:

Tuesday Jul 27, 2021

Life After Service - Tamara Sloper-Harding

Tuesday Jul 27, 2021

This is the audio-only version of our Life After Service episode with Tamara Sloper-Harding. Watch the video documentary episode now on YouTube!

Tamara Sloper-Harding served in the Royal Australian Navy as an intelligence officer and saw deployments to East Timor and Bougainville.

In this episode of Life After Service, Tarama catches up with an old navy colleague, Angus Hordern, and reflects on her life post service, including a little village called Soibada that captured her heart.

If you want to find out more about the charity and support the efforts of Tamara and co, you can find out more on Facebook, or you can reach out to them at: pittwaterfriendsofsoibada@gmail.com

CLOSING CREDITS:

Guest: Tamara Sloper-Harding

Special Thanks: Avalon Beach RSL Club

Brought to you by Thistle Productions: Thomas Kaye, Alex Lloyd, Angus Hordern

Intro Music: THREE METRES by Stephen Keech

Episode Soundtrack: THE HELL BEYOND by The Externals

Images courtesy of: Tamara Sloper-Harding & Pittwater Friends of Soibada Incorporated

Fuelled by Striker Coffe Co.

THISTLE PRODUCTIONS, LIFE ON THE LINE and TECI

Tuesday Jul 13, 2021

#111 Chad McLaren

Tuesday Jul 13, 2021

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Timor and border protection veteran, Chad McLaren.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Chad McLaren served in the Australian Army as an infantryman and deployed to East Timor in 2000. He then transferred to the Royal Australian Navy and served as a medic, including on border protection. At the Torrens Parade Ground in Adelaide, Chad spoke with Sharon Mascall-Dare about his military career, the role of sport in his life in and out of the military and the importance of veteran storytelling. Chad is one of the founders of Walk for a Veteran, with the 2021 walk set for August.

Tuesday Jul 06, 2021

#110 Carly Box

Tuesday Jul 06, 2021

Alex Lloyd interviews an Afghanistan veteran and the first female in an Australian Army combat corps, Carly Box.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Carly Box was in the Australian Army for 11 years. She was the first female to enlist into a combat corps in the army. She enlisted into Artillery and was an operator of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs, commonly known as Drones). She deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 as a ScanEagle operator, spending over 1000 hours flying the drone, and again in 2013 as a Shadow mission commander. Today she co-owns and co-runs the Barracks Gym in Brisbane.

The episode referenced at the end of the podcast is #103 Monika Georgieva.

Tuesday Jun 29, 2021

Life After Service -Tony Park

Tuesday Jun 29, 2021

This is the audio-only version of our Life After Service episode with Tony Park. Watch the video documentary episode now on YouTube!

Tony Park is a fiction and non-fiction international bestselling author. Before that, he served in the Australian Army Reserves in various roles, including as a public affairs officer.

In 2002, he was deployed to Afghanistan alongside the SAS, with his first novel published in 2004.

In this episode of Life After Service, Alex Lloyd spoke with Tony about what the army did for him, the challenges of readjusting to normal life after deploying, the military's relationship with the public, and his writing career journey.

To find out more about Tony and keep up to date with his work, be sure to look at his website. https://www.tonypark.net/

CLOSING CREDITS:

Guest: Tony Park

Special Thanks: Hornsby RSL Club

Brought to you by Thistle Productions: Thomas Kaye, Alex Lloyd, Rohan Viswalingam

Intro Music: THREE METRES by Stephen Keech

Episode Soundtrack: THE HELL BEYOND by The Externals

Fuelled by Striker Coffe Co.

THISTLE PRODUCTIONS, LIFE ON THE LINE and TECI

Tuesday Jun 15, 2021

#109 Keith Wolahan

Tuesday Jun 15, 2021

Angus Hordern interviews former commando Keith Wolahan.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Keith Wolahan is a former commando, a veteran of 3 tours of Afghanistan. He’s also a lawyer and barrister, and now has been pre-selected for the Federal seat of Menzies for the Liberal Party.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include: