Filtering by Tag: Solomon Islands

#132 Michael Greenway

Angus Hordern interviews Australian Army veteran Michael Greenway.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Michael Greenway served in the Australian Army for 36 years. He was in the Royal Australian Army Ordnance Corps, and spent most of his career working in supply. He deployed to Namibia, Timor, Iraq, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan, as part of peacekeeping and military operations. Michael spoke with Angus Hordern about highlights from his career and the vital role of supply in allowing our armed forces to do what they do.

They returned to the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol V.

#128 Ryan Wilson

Angus Hordern interviews SAS veteran of Afghanistan, Ryan Wilson.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Ryan Wilson is a veteran of the Special Air Service Regiment. Over the course of his military career, he deployed to Malaysia, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan, as well as training overseas. Today, he is the General Manager of Whipper Snapper Distillery, and is the WA State Manager for the veterans charity Wandering Warriors. Ryan spoke with Angus Hordern about his career in Special Forces, life after service and reflected on the difference they made in Afghanistan.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

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, Ian Roberts, Dan Keighran VC, Paul Cale, Renee Wilson and Bob Hunter. This episode is hosted by Angus Hordern.

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COVID-19 Taskforce with John Frewen

Alex Lloyd speaks with Lieutenant General John Frewen about the COVID-19 Taskforce and his military career.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Lieutenant General John Frewen DSC, AM, is currently serving in the Australian Army. He is leading the COVID-19 Taskforce established by Defence, to coordinate the ADF’s contribution to the whole-of-government response to the pandemic. John spoke to Alex Lloyd about highlights of his military career to date, and about the work our servicemen and women are doing in response to coronavirus – when the front line is at home. 

Some of John’s career highlights include his 1994 deployment to Rwanda, his exchange to the United States military in Hawaii during September 11, leading the international response to the Solomon Islands crisis in 2003, Afghanistan in 2007, back to the Middle East as Joint Task Force 633 commander in 2017, and now leading the COVID-19 Taskforce with military deputy Major General Paul Kenny. 

The military career conversation begins at 1:40 and the COVID Taskforce conversation at 24:35.

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.

#77 Adrian Humphries Vol I

Angus Hordern interviews 2nd Commando Regiment veteran Adrian Humphries.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Adrian Humphries was a signaller in the regular army before transferring to the commandos. Adrian told Angus Hordern about his deployments to the Solomon Islands, Pakistan, training to join 4 RAR (Commando) and his first deployment to Afghanistan. This is the first instalment of a two-part episode.

Listen to Volume II after this episode. Adrian returned to the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol III.

#62 Oliver Andrews

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews cavalryman and Solomon Islands veteran Oliver Andrews.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Oliver Andrews was a cavalryman with the Australian Army, first as a reservist then full time. He spoke to Sharon Mascall-Dare about what drew him to the armed forces, the day-to-day of being a cavalryman, some lighter moments, the experience of being deployed to a jungle environment, and how an injury changed everything.

#56 James Medley

Alex Lloyd interviews East Timor and Solomon Islands veteran James Medley.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. James Medley has served his country in the Reserves for two decades, and in that time has had a range of deployments domestically and abroad. These include East Timor and the Solomon Islands (twice); border security operations with the Royal Australian Navy; security operations at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games; and assisting the firefighters in the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

#28 Mark Wales

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with East Timor, Solomon Islands and Middle East veteran, Mark Wales. A former member of the Special Air Service, Mark saw multiple deployments to the Middle East as an elite soldier. Alex Lloyd spoke to Mark about aspiring to become Special Forces, his experiences abroad and how his military skills have served him in life after.

In Season 4, Mark’s wife Samantha Gash was interviewed. In Season 5, Mark returned to the podcast to promote his memoir SURVIVOR: LIFE IN THE SAS.

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#24 Ben Flink

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with Ben Flink, a veteran of the Australian Army who deployed to the Solomon Islands. Ben spoke to Sharon Mascall-Dare about his journey to the army, his time in uniform, the effect on his family and his passion for supporting veterans and their families.