#153 Scott Ryder

Alex Lloyd interviews 2nd Commando Regiment veteran Scott Ryder, author of FORGED IN FIRE.

Scott Ryder served for 22 years with the Australian Army, including 16 years as an operator with the 2nd Commando Regiment. He served in East Timor and multiple tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. He holds numerous commendations and a Masters of Business, and he works in veteran charities to improve the lives of veterans and their families. He is the author of a newly published book, FORGED IN FIRE, a memoir that takes us inside the secretive world of the Australian commandos. 

This episode was edited by Sophie Hu.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include: 

• #92 Dean Parkinson Vol II

• #100 Gary Wilson

• The Partners - Rene Wilson

• Life After Service: Gary & Renee Wilson

• #152 Peter Rudland

#31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol III

Alex Lloyd interviews former special forces combat doctor Dan Pronk about his new memoir, THE COMBAT DOCTOR.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Dr Dan Pronk is a former special forces combat doctor. He deployed 4 times to Afghanistan and went on over 100 combat missions. In his 7th appearance on the show, Dan spoke to Alex Lloyd about his new book, his life story, called THE COMBAT DOCTOR. The book is out now in print, audiobook and ebook, and Alex is Dan's publisher at Pan Macmillan.

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

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

• #31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol I

• #31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol II

• #36 Mark Donaldson VC

• Voodoo Medics with Mark Donaldson VC, Dr Dan Pronk and Kristin Shorten

• Lessons of a Combat Doctor with Dr Dan Pronk

• #51 Mark Noble

• #107 Brett Wood

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

Christmas on the Line Vol IV

Veterans of Season 5 share their stories of a Christmas in uniform.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Veterans of Season 5 share with the Thistle Productions team their experiences of Christmas in uniform, from deployments overseas and back home in Australia. Featured guests include Chris Oxenbould, Greg Hopgood, Mark Wales, Wes 'H' Hennessey, Commando Jamie, Keith Wolahan, Sir Peter Cosgrove and Wayne Bemet. This episode is hosted by Thomas Kaye.

The episodes these veterans were featured in earlier this season include:

• #104 Chris Oxenbould

• #106 Greg Hopgood

• #107 Brett Wood

• #28 Mark Wales Vol II

• #109 Keith Wolahan

• #117 Sir Peter Cosgrove

• #120 Wayne Bemet

#28 Mark Wales Vol II

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:

• #28 Mark Wales

• The Partners - Samantha Gash

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.

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

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

AVAILABLE NOW FOR PURCHASE, click the image above.

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.

Dan also appeared in Season 3’s Christmas on the Line Vol II. Both Dan and John were featured in Season 4’s Christmas on the Line Vol III.

Daniel Keighran VC - Courage Under Fire

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.

Preoder now through your retailer of choice, including Booktopia, Dymocks, QBD Books, Amazon, Apple and more.

Lessons of a Combat Doctor with Dr Dan Pronk

Alex Lloyd speaks with Special Forces combat doctor Dan Pronk, in Dan's third podcast appearance.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's bonus episode is with Dr Dan Pronk. Dan is a former combat doctor who passed SAS selection and deployed to Afghanistan four times, serving in over 100 combat operations with the Special Air Service Regiment and 2nd Commando Regiment. In this podcast, he spoke about life lessons and methods for motivation he learned from his time in uniform, and in his life after - and how he has channelled that into his new book, "Average 70kg D*ckhead".

Buy Dan’s first book on Amazon in print, ebook and audiobook format.

And read Dan’s article ‘Abandoning the Tribe’, as discussed in the interview.

For more podcasts with Dr Dan Pronk, including about his second book The Resilience Shield, don’t miss these episodes:

• #31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol I

• #31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol II

• Voodoo Medics with Mark Donaldson VC, Dr Dan Pronk and Kristin Shorten

• #107 Brett Wood

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

Launching Barney Greatrex with Michael Veitch

BARNEY GREATREX is the biography of World War II veteran Barney Greatrex, written by bestselling author Michael Veitch, based on the research by Alex Lloyd and Angus Hordern. This podcast is a highlights compilation from the book launch on 8 November 2017. See more photos from the launch at www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com/book. Buy the book now by clicking here.