The Partners - Samantha Gash

Alex Lloyd speaks with Samantha Gash about being married to an SAS veteran.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. On this podcast, many veterans have remarked on how vital the support of a partner or loved one has been to them; that not enough is said of just what a difference it is they make. This is the first ‘partners’ episode of Life on the Line, and we hope to do more in the future. Today’s conversation is with Samantha Gash. Samantha is a professional endurance athlete, social entrepreneur and a motivational speaker. She’s run over 20,000km across every continent on Earth and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity while advocating for women’s empowerment, social change and access to education. In 2017 she was a contestant on the reality TV show Australian Survivor, where she met former SAS officer Mark Wales. Sam and Mark are now married and have one young son, Harry Locke Wales. 

You can also listen to #28 Mark Wales in Season 2. In Season 5, Mark returned to the podcast to promote his memoir SURVIVOR: LIFE IN THE SAS.

#68 Harry Moffitt Vol II

Alex Lloyd interviews SAS veteran Harry Moffitt for a second time.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Harry Moffitt had eleven deployments over eleven years with the Special Air Service Regiment. His first conversation on the podcast was in Season 3. In this follow-up episode, Harry shares with Alex Lloyd more highs and lows from deployments overseas – including the death of Sean McCarthy – as well as stories about The Externals, the cricket bats he took to war, and leadership in the SAS and beyond. 

He published his memoir Eleven Bats later in 2020.

SAS Leadership Vol II with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis

Alex Lloyd interviews SAS veterans Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis for a second time, with the dynamic duo sharing more military stories and lessons of leadership and resilience.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis are two veterans of the Special Air Service Regiment. The ex-SAS officers swapped their rifles for MBAs and now co-run Mettle Global, a business specialising in crisis management. They also co-host The Unforgiving60 podcast. In their second interview with Alex Lloyd, Ben and Tim share more anecdotes from their time in the military, and how those lessons of leadership and resilience can be applied to crisis situations such as the COVID-19 global pandemic. They also discuss the tragic Black Hawk accident of 12 June 1996.

Their first interview was in Season 3. Ben and Tim returned to the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol III.

The duo returned to the podcast in Season 5 to talk about their book, The Resilience Shield, in SAS Resilience with Dr Dan Pronk, Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis.

#77 Adrian Humphries Vol II

Angus Hordern continues his interview with former commando and signaller Adrian Humphries.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Today's episode is the second instalment of the conversation with Adrian Humphries. Adrian is a veteran of the 2nd Commando Regiment. Adrian shares with Angus Hordern more stories from his four deployments to Afghanistan with the commandos, his medical discharge, his difficult journey afterwards and how he's found a sense of peace today.

Listen to Volume I before you listen to this episode. Adrian returned to the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol III.

#68 Harry Moffitt

Alex Lloyd interviews former Special Forces team commander Harry Moffitt.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Harry Moffitt is a former team commander in the Special Air Service Regiment. He passed selection in 1990 and finally left in 2015, when he decided his body, family and future would best be served by moving on - 25 years after he initially joined the Regiment. Harry has extensive operational experience, including deployments to Timor and the Middle East. He spoke to Alex Lloyd about the psychology of being an elite soldier, leadership in high-tempo deployments and how best to equip yourself for life after service.

Read more about Harry’s service and the cricket bats he took to war in this Sydney Morning Herald article by Nick McKenzie.

The closing music of the episode is by The Externals, an Australian SAS original rock band. Harry is the band’s singer-songwriter. The track is called “Edge of the World”. Look up the band on Facebook and Spotify, and find out more on the 16th episode of The Unforgiving60 Podcast.

Harry returned to the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol II and for another solo interview in Season 4. He published his memoir Eleven Bats in 2020.