Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories.
Episodes
Tuesday Oct 13, 2020
Tuesday Oct 13, 2020
Angus Hordern interviews submarine captain and Cold War veteran, Ian Roberts.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Ian Roberts served in the Royal Australian Navy for 25 years. He earned the coveted Dolphins badge, marking him as a submariner. He went on to become one of the first Australian-born officers to command a Royal Australian Navy submarine. This is his conversation with Angus Hordern about life under the waves.
CORRECTION: When we first published this podcast, we said that Ian was the first Australian-born man to command a submarine. We’d read a couple of contemporary articles to that effect, but were misinformed. That honour goes to Captain Frank Getting, born in Sydney in 1899, and commanded the very first submarine to bear the name HMAS Oxley in 1928, the vessel that preceded Ian’s sub of the same name. Ian may have indeed been the second Australian to command an Aussie submarine - he’s definitely one o the first, and it was a great honour to record his story regardless.
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.
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Tuesday Oct 06, 2020
Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Kelly Hammant, on deployment to the Middle East at the time of recording.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Warrant Officer Class One Kelly Hammant has served in the Australian Army for 24 years and had 10 deployments, including to Indonesia, Iraq, Afghanistan and border protection. She deployed to the Middle East with the Theatre Communications Group Rotation 10 as the Regimental Quarter Master Sergeant, and this deployment finished at the end of September 2020. Kelly spoke to Sharon Mascall-Dare about her various deployments, her battle with alcoholism as a result of trauma from her service, how she overcame those difficulties, the mentoring role she plays to young people today, and the impact of COVID-19 on her recent 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.
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Tuesday Sep 29, 2020
Alex Lloyd continues his interview with 2nd Commando Regiment veteran Dean Parkinson.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Today's episode is the second instalment of the conversation with Dean Parkinson, picking up after Dean's first combat tour in Afghanistan in 2009. In this episode, Dean talks to Alex Lloyd about his 2010 combat deployment, losing mates in battle and the impact of his military service.
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.
Monday Sep 28, 2020
Monday Sep 28, 2020
Alex Lloyd interviews former Commando and Afghanistan veteran Dean Parkinson.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Dean Parkinson is a veteran of the 2nd Commando Regiment. Despite significant injuries in an aircraft accident in training, Dean eventually became a commando and deployed twice to Afghanistan. He’s also competed at the highest professional level of speed skydiving. This is Alex Lloyd's conversation with Dean about how he went from Qantas flight attendant to Australian Special Forces.
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.
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Thursday Sep 24, 2020
Angus Hordern speaks with Dr Brendan Nelson about Australia’s 101st Victoria Cross recipient, Teddy Sheean VC.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Teddy Sheean received the Victoria Cross posthumously for his heroism during the sinking of HMAS Armidale on 1 December 1942. Seventy-eight years later, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II approved the award on 12 August 2020.
Dr Brendan Nelson, former Minister for Defence in the Howard Government and Director of the Australian War Memorial 2012-19, chaired the 2020 expert panel that reviewed Teddy’s case. His panel’s recommendation for Teddy to receive the VC was the last domino for this award finally being bestowed. In Dr Nelson’s second appearance on the podcast, he told Angus Hordern the story of Teddy Sheean, and exactly how his posthumous VC came about. Teddy’s story is extraordinary in its own right, as is the story of how his VC took so long to be approved, and what finally changed.
Thistle Productions have worked with Dr Nelson before. Angus Hordern interviewed him in our five-part DVD documentary series, For School and Country. On this podcast he appeared back in Season 1, 2017, when he spoke to me about his career, the Australian War Memorial and the topic of Remembrance Day, in Remembrance Day with Dr Brendan Nelson.
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.
Monday Sep 21, 2020
Monday Sep 21, 2020
Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Lesley Carney, on deployment to the Middle East at the time of recording.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Group Captain Lesley Carney was serving in the Royal Australian Air Force with Joint Task Force 633, as the Director of Support. In 2008, Lesley was posted to the Joint Strike Fighter Program as the Australian Supply Chain manager in Washington DC. She received a commendation for her efforts during her tour in the US representing Australia's interests in multi-national forums and received a Bronze Star for her work as the Kandahar Air Field Chief Logistics Officer. This is her conversation with Sharon Mascall-Dare about her background, career highlights and work in the Middle East.
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.
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Monday Sep 14, 2020
Alex Lloyd interviews aviation medic and Bougainville and Timor veteran, Glenn Azar.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Glenn Azar served in the Australian Army for 17 years, where he specialised as an Aviation Medic performing Aero-Medical Evacuations in Blackhawk Helicopters. He is the founder of premier adventure trekking company Adventure Professionals where he has completed over 60 crossings of the Kokoda Track. Glenn spoke to Alex Lloyd about his difficult youth, memorable deployment experiences in Bougainville and Timor, the power of mindset and the capacity of the human spirit. Alex also spoke with his daughter, Alyssa Azar – the youngest Australian to summit Mt Everest – about how she believes the military influenced Glenn, from resilience to his parenting style to his outlook on life.
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.
Monday Sep 07, 2020
Monday Sep 07, 2020
Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Zion Connors, currently on deployment to the Middle East.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Private Zion Connors is serving on Operation Accordion as a unit storeman as part of the Theatre Communications Group Rotation 10, providing logistics support to other operations throughout the Middle East. The 20-year-old soldier spoke to Sharon Mascall-Dare about his proud Indigenous heritage and how joining the Australian Army changed his life, making him a role model to his family and community.
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.
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
Thursday Sep 03, 2020
Angus Hordern speaks with Crystal Callender about being married to an army veteran.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. This is the second ‘partners’ episode of Life on the Line. Today’s conversation is with Crystal Callender. Crystal was dating Garth Callender when the young cavalry officer’s vehicle was blown up by an IED in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2004. Crystal shared with Angus Hordern her perspective of being the girlfriend, fiancé and wife of an army officer who deployed three times to the Middle East.
Angus also caught up with Garth on his news, including his recent promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve.
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.
Monday Aug 31, 2020
Monday Aug 31, 2020
Alex Lloyd interviews Royal Australian Navy veteran Jennifer Wittwer.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Jennifer Wittwer joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1981 as a supply officer. She went on to have an international career as a thought leader, humanitarian and advocate for women’s rights, equality and empowerment. Some of her roles in uniform have included being the first ADF Gender Advisor to NATO Operations in Afghanistan, and a secondment to UN Women in New York. This is Jen's conversation with Alex Lloyd about her military career and women in the Defence Force.
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.
Wednesday Aug 26, 2020
Wednesday Aug 26, 2020
A trailer for COURAGE UNDER FIRE by Daniel Keighran VC.
Podcast host Alex Lloyd is a Senior Editor at book publisher Pan Macmillan Australia, and the editor of Daniel Keighran VC's autobiography. Dan's military memoir, COURAGE UNDER FIRE, is out 27 October. It's now available for preorder. Listen to this short podcast to find out more about the book and hear reviews of it by Mark Donaldson VC, Sir Peter Cosgrove, Dame Quentin Bryce, John Cantwell, Dr Brendan Nelson, Sir Angus Houston, David Hurley and David Morrison. COURAGE UNDER FIRE was written with Tony Park, an Afghanistan veteran and conversation #81 earlier this season.
Monday Aug 24, 2020
Monday Aug 24, 2020
Thomas Kaye interviews combat medic Jeremy Holder.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Jeremy Holder was a medic in the Australian Army for 7 years. He served within Special Operations Command for 4 years, which included a deployment to Afghanistan with the commandos as a platoon medic. Jez spoke to Thomas Kaye about his time in Afghanistan and the reality of being a combat medic for Special Forces.
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.
Monday Aug 17, 2020
Monday Aug 17, 2020
Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Susan Coyle, currently on deployment to Afghanistan as Commander Joint Task Force 633.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Major General Susan Coyle CSC, DSM is a senior officer in the Australian Army. She is currently on deployment to Afghanistan as the commander of Joint Task Force 633, responsible for all Australian operations in the Middle East. She is the first woman to command the task force, which comprises 1200 personnel on Operation Okra. Susan spoke to Sharon Mascall-Dare about her extensive military career, including her deployments to East Timor, the Solomon Islands and 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.