Life on the Line

Season 5 Trailer

Welcome to Season 5 of LIFE ON THE LINE, Australia's first and leading veterans podcast, from Thistle Productions.

Season 5 of LIFE ON THE LINE begins next week! Subscribe to get all content. Continue to listen to breathtaking Australian stories as you've never heard them before. This year we will also do a handful of video podcasts, released exclusively to our YouTube channel. This is in addition to our upcoming video documentary series LIFE AFTER SERVICE. Our first podcast - video and audio - is out next week with 2nd Commando Regiment veteran Heston Russell. Subscribe in your favourite podcast app and on YouTube to never miss an episode.

Watch the video version of this trailer on our YouTube channel.

Also 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.

#101 Bob Hunter

Alex Lloyd interviews SAS veteran Bob Hunter.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. The Season 4 finale is with Bob Hunter, a former Squadron Commander in the Special Air Service Regiment. Bob was in command the night of the 1996 Black Hawk disaster, where two helicopters collided, and 15 SASR and 3 Aviation Regiment soldiers lost their lives. Bob spoke to Alex Lloyd about his years with the Australian SAS, his Middle East and Bougainville deployments, and about SAS culture and leadership.

This interview with Bob is the Season 4 finale. Life on the Line will return in 2021.

Christmas on the Line Vol III

Veterans of Season 4 share their stories of a Christmas in uniform.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Veterans and other guests of Season 4 share with the Thistle Productions team their experiences of Christmas in uniform, from deployments overseas and back home in Australia. These stories have not been previously featured on the podcast. Featured guests include Sarah Watson, Adrian Humphries, Ben Pronk, Tim Curtis, Bill Fitzgerald, Tony Park, John Cantwell, Tim Reynolds, David McCourt, Crystal Callender, Garth Callender, Glenn Azar, Alyssa Azar, Dan Keighran VC, Ian Roberts, Paul Cale, Renee Wilson and Bob Hunter. This episode is hosted by Angus Hordern.

For more from today's featured guests in Season 4, listen to the following episodes:

• #76 Sarah Watson
• #77 Adrian Humphries Vol I
• #77 Adrian Humphries Vol II
• SAS Leadership Vol II with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis
• #79 Bill Fitzgerald
• #81 Tony Park
• #82 John Cantwell Vol I
• #82 John Cantwell Vol II
• #84 Tim Reynolds
• #85 David McCourt
• The Partners - Crystal Callender
• #90 Glenn Azar
• #94 Ian Roberts
• #43 Dan Keighran VC Vol II (ft. John Cantwell)
• #97 Paul Cale
• The Partners - Renee Wilson
• #101 Bob Hunter

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

The Partners - Renee Wilson

Thomas Kaye speaks with Renee Wilson about being the partner of a military helicopter crash survivor.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. This is the third ‘partners’ episode of Life on the Line. Today’s conversation is with Renee Wilson. Renee was engaged to Gary Wilson, a signaller attached to the 2nd Commando Regiment, when Gary was injured in a Black Hawk helicopter crash on 21 June 2010, where four Coalition soldiers were killed. In this moving conversation with Thomas Kaye, Renee details her memories of the day of the crash, Gary’s long road to recovery and how she put her own feelings to the side to be a pillar of strength for others. She also shares not just the challenges, but the inspiring story of all they have achieved and overcome in the ten years since that fateful night in Afghanistan. 

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

#100 Gary Wilson

Thomas Kaye interviews 2nd Commando Regiment veteran and Black Hawk crash survivor, Gary Wilson.

 

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Gary Wilson was a signaller attached to the 2nd Commando Regiment. Gary survived a catastrophic helicopter crash in Afghanistan, on 21 June 2010. Gary was severely injured, including a traumatic brain injury. Three Australians lost their lives in this crash: Ben Chuck, Tim Aplin and Scott Palmer; as well as a US serviceman. In this conversation with Thomas Kaye, Gary shares his story of military service, the Black Hawk crash and his recovery afterwards.

 

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

#99 Phillip Condoleon

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Timor, Indonesia and Middle East veteran, Phillip Condoleon.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Sergeant Phillip Condoleon is currently serving in the Australian Army in the 1st Psychology Unit. He enlisted in the Royal Australian Infantry in 1994 as a reservist and became full-time in 1999. Phillip deployed to Timor in 2000 as a rifleman. He spent time as a Linguist, including a deployment to Indonesia after the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. In 2008, he became an Examiner Psychological, and is currently deployed to the Middle East with Joint Task Force 633 in this capacity. He spoke to Sharon Mascall-Dare about his deployment experiences, family and psychology work in the ADF. 

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

Military in the Media with Siobhan Heanue

Alex Lloyd speaks with ABC journalist Siobhan Heanue about the relationship between the military, the media and the public. 

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Siobhan Heanue is an ABC journalist based in Townsville for ABC North Queensland. She was previously the ABC’s South Asia correspondent, where she reported from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal. She reported from Iraq in the lead-up to the Battle for Mosul in 2016, has covered terrorist attacks and humanitarian crises in East Africa, and repeatedly embedded with the Australian Defence Force. In the 200th episode of Life on the Line, Alex Lloyd spoke with Siobhan about her career in journalism, the media and public access to the ADF in the 21st century, and the relationship between the media, the military and the public in the wake of current stories being reported on alleged war crimes. 

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

#98 Madelon Heuke

Angus Hordern interviews Vietnam veteran Madelon Heuke.

 

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Madelon 'Del' Heuke was a nurse in the Royal Australian Air Force. In 1965 she was deployed to Butterworth, Malaysia, where she nursed Australian soldiers that had been wounded in action in the Vietnam War. She also flew into Vietnam for medevacs. She shared with Angus Hordern stories of her experiences overseas and the soldiers she nursed to health, giving a nurse's perspective to the Vietnam conflict.

 

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

#97 Paul Cale

Alex Lloyd interviews 2nd Commando Regiment veteran and renowned martial artist Paul Cale.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Paul Cale is a veteran of the 2nd Commando Regiment and a black belt in eight different styles of martial arts. He has been involved with the Australian Army for 30 years, either as a soldier or a preferred contractor, as he is today. As a commando, he was deployed five times on combat tours to Afghanistan and Iraq, and at home served as a team leader in Tactical Assault Group East. Paul’s personal hand-to-hand combat experiences in theatres of war, and those of his fellow commandos, have guided his development of the Kinetic Fighting system. Today he is the CEO of Kinetic Fighting Pty Ltd. Paul is a world leader in close-combat and personal protection training. Alex Lloyd spoke with Paul over Zoom about his military service and martial arts career.

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

#96 Benedict Farrell

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Benedict Farrell, currently on deployment to the Middle East.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Flight Lieutenant Benedict “Eggs” Farrell joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 2015, going into RAAF Intelligence. He transferred to Logistics in 2018, and has gone to Darwin, Japan, Guam and Las Vegas on various military exercises. He is currently in the Middle East on Operation Accordion with the Air Task Group, as the officer in command of Logistics Operations. Eggs spoke to Sharon-Mascall Dare about his time in the military so far, diversity in the modern military, his family military history and how COVID-19 is affecting his current deployment. 

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

#43 Dan Keighran VC Vol II (ft. John Cantwell)

Alex Lloyd interviews Victoria Cross recipient Dan Keighran and retired Major General John Cantwell.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Daniel Keighran VC is the 99th Australian to receive the Victoria Cross, our nation’s highest award for bravery. Dan served in the Australian Army, 6 RAR, for a decade, deploying twice to Malaysia, once to Timor, once to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan. In his first Afghanistan deployment, he drove Bushmasters outside the wire with the Special Operations Task Group. In his second deployment there, Corporal Dan Keighran served in a traditional infantry role as a mentor for the Afghan National Army. On 24 August 2010, he performed a series of selfless and heroic actions in the Battle of Derapet, for which he was awarded the VC. Jared ‘Crash’ McKinney lost his life during this battle, and various awards for bravery and gallantry were given out. Dan received the VC in November 2012.

Alex Lloyd first spoke with Dan in Season 3, in #43 Dan Keighran VC. In that interview, they talked about Dan’s upbringing, his various military deployments, Derapet and the life-changing day he was bestowed the Victoria Cross. Since that conversation, Dan has written his autobiography COURAGE UNDER FIRE, out now. As Dan’s editor on the book, Alex brought him back on the show to talk about the book, and the fascinating new insights and revelations it offers about his life.

John Cantwell also came back on the show, after speaking earlier this season with Angus Hordern in a two-part conversation about his long career, to talk to Alex about the Battle of Derapet and his part in Dan Keighran’s story.

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

#95 Kylie Graham

Alex Lloyd interviews Iraq veteran Kylie Graham.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Kylie Graham served in the Australian Army for 16 years and is going on 19 year with the Royal Australian Air Force and Air Reserves. During her full-time years in the Air Force, she deployed to Iraq. She’s now a Welfare Officer and a psychologist. This is her conversation with Alex Lloyd about her years of service, memories from Iraq and her father’s time in the Vietnam War.

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

Mosul with Ben Mckelvey

Alex Lloyd speaks with Ben Mckelvey about his new book, Mosul, and the 2nd Commando Regiment.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Ben Mckelvey, author of Cameron Baird’s posthumous biography, has released a new book, “Mosul: Australia’s secret war inside the ISIS caliphate”. The book tells the stories of the late Ian Turner of the 2nd Commando Regiment, Australia’s role in the Battle for Mosul and Australian ISIS fighters. Ben speaks to Alex Lloyd about his new book and the 2nd Commando Regiment, public perceptions of Australian military operations in the Middle East and the impending IGADF inquiry into alleged war crimes.

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, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.