#119 Craig Ball

October 19, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#119 Craig Ball
Life on the Line
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Alex Lloyd interviews former commando Craig Ball.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Craig Ball passed Commando selection in 2000 as a reservist and went full-time in 2006. He deployed to Afghanistan as a signaller in the 2nd Commando Regiment in 2010 and 2012. Today, he’s a men’s mental health speaker.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

tags / Commandos, 2nd Commando Regiment, signaller, Afghanistan, Special Forces

Keith Payne VC - No One Left Behind

October 12, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

Keith Payne VC - No One Left Behind
Life on the Line
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Alex Lloyd introduces Keith Payne VC’s autobiography, NO ONE LEFT BEHIND.

The elder statesman of our Victoria Cross recipients – Keith Payne VC, AM – has released his autobiography – NO ONE LEFT BEHIND. Much has been written about Keith Payne before, but this is the first time he’s done a book in his own words. This special podcast introduces the book, read by podcast creator Alex Lloyd. Alex is also Keith’s publisher at Pan Macmillan. NO ONE LEFT BEHIND is out now in print, audiobook and ebook.

Click the image to order now!

Click the image to order now!

tags / Keith Payne, Victoria Cross, Vietnam, Korea, Malaya, Author, Book Launch

#118 Mark Mathieson

October 05, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#118 Mark Mathieson
Life on the Line
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Alex Lloyd interviews former SAS psychologist Mark Mathieson.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Mark Mathieson was a psychologist in the Australian Army, including time as the SAS regimental psychologist. He deployed to Timor and 6 times to Afghanistan. This is our conversation about the psychology of Special Forces soldiers and the impact of war.

tags / Army, Psychologist, Psychology, SAS, Special Forces, Timor, Afghanistan, Officer

#116 Tony Dell

September 21, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#116 Tony Dell
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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 

The episode referenced at the end of this podcast is #102 Heston Russell.

tags / Vietnam, Post Traumatic Stress, PTSD, Army

#115 Shaun Wilson

September 14, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#115 Shaun Willson
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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. 

September 11 - 20 Years On

September 10, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

September 11 - 20 Years On
Life on the Line
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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 returning guests include:

tags / September 11, War on Terror

#114 Bruce McLennan

August 24, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#114 Bruce McLennan
Life on the Line
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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.

tags / SAS, Special Forces, MV Tampa, Afghanistan

#113 Darren Grogan

August 17, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#113 Darren Grogan
Life on the Line
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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:

tags / Royal Australian Navy, navy, border security, Arabian Gulf, Officer, Leadership

#112 Troy Knight

August 10, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#112 Troy Knight
Life on the Line
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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:

tags / air force, Royal Australian Air Force, JTAC, Special Forces, Iraq, Afghanistan, Indonesia

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

August 03, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

SAS Resilience with Dr Dan Pronk, Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis
Life on the Line
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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.

tags / Special Forces, SAS, 2nd Commando Regiment, SAS Australia, resilience, author, book, book launch, Afghanistan

#111 Chad McLaren

July 13, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#111 Chad McLaren
Life on the Line
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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.

tags / Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, infantry, medic, East Timor, border security, Walk for a Veteran, Charity, transition

#110 Carly Box

July 06, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#110 Carly Box
Life on the Line
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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 this podcast is #103 Monika Georgieva.

tags / Australian Army, artillery, Drones, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAV, Scan Eagle, Shadow, fitness, Afghanistan

#109 Keith Wolahan

June 15, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#109 Keith Wolahan
Life on the Line
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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.

tags / 1st Commando Regiment, Commandos, Special Forces, Afghanistan, Timor, army, lawyer, barrister

#108 Ken Whitton

June 08, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#108 Ken Whitton
Life on the Line
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Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews a RAEME veteran of the Middle East, Ken Whitton.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Ken Whitton joined the Army Reserves as a gunner in 1988. He then went full time, serving as an Electronics Technician in the Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, known as RAEME. He deployed on border protection operations, and to Afghanistan and Iraq. Today, he is transitioning into a civilian career at Babcock, in Defence Industries. He spoke with Sharon Mascall-Dare, who also works at Babcock.

The episode referenced at the end of the podcast is #45 Dr Sharon Mascall-Dare.

tags / mechanic, engineers, army, border security, Afghanistan, Iraq

#28 Mark Wales Vol II

June 01, 2021  /  Alex Lloyd

#28 Mark Wales Vol II
Life on the Line
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Alex Lloyd interviews SAS veteran Mark Wales for a second time.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Mark Wales is a veteran of the Special Air Service Regiment. He served in the Australian Army for 16 years, 6 of those with the SAS. Alex Lloyd first spoke with Mark about his military service and highlights of his post-army career in Season 2, #28 Mark Wales. Since then, Mark has written his memoir, SURVIVOR: LIFE IN THE SAS. This is a deeply revealing memoir, action-packed and a considered reflection on events in Afghanistan. It’s an important book for the soldier’s perspective it gives into Special Operations in Australia’s longest war, a response to the 2020 Brereton Report into alleged war crimes.

Alex - Mark’s publisher and editor of the book - invited him to the Pan Macmillan audio studio to talk more about Mark’s time in the military.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

To buy the book in print, ebook or audiobook (narrated by Mark), visit either the publisher’s website, Mark’s website or directly to your retailer of choice.

Mark returned to the podcast in 2024 to promote his debut novel OUTRIDER.

tags / SAS, Army, Special Forces, War Crimes, Brereton Report, Afghanistan, Timor, Fat Lady's Arms, Book, Author