Alex Lloyd interviews navy veterans Rebecca and Ashley Semmens.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Rebecca Semmens served in the Royal Australian Navy for 18 years, and was medically discharged in 2020 at the rank of Chief Petty Officer. Bec was a medic, and deployed to Timor and Afghanistan. Her husband, Ashley Semmens, was a Clearance Diver, also serving in the navy for 18 years. Ash had multiple deployments, including to Afghanistan. He was a Clearance Diver, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal expert and was in Kabul during the evacuation as the Taliban retook the country in 2021. He medically discharged in 2022 as a Chief Petty Officer. Bec and Ash spoke jointly with Alex Lloyd at the Gaythorne RSL in Brisbane.
Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:
Angus Hordern interviews Afghanistan veteran and artist Mike Armstrong.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Michael Armstrong joined the Australian Defence Force in 1998 as an aircraft technician. He went on to serve as a signals officer, deploying with 2 RAR to Timor and with the 2nd Commando Regiment to Afghanistan. He was on the last plane out of Afghanistan in Rotation XX. Throughout his time in the army Mike also taught as a hand-to-hand combat instructor, drawing on his martial arts background. He moved to work in Cyber before medically discharging. Today he keeps connected with the veteran community through his VOICES OF VETERANS artwork.
The episode referenced at the end of the podcast is #97 Paul Cale.
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
Former SAS trooper and Australian Federal Police officer Don Barnby is the third veteran featured in our Life After Service series.
Don served in the Vietnam war as a special forces soldier, and at Cyprus, Bougainville and East Timor with the AFP.
On a volunteer basis, Don has also been interviewing veterans for the Australian War Memorial.
Watch the episode on YouTube above, or listen to the audio-only version below.
** If you are struggling with any of the topics raised in this video, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636 or Open Arms on 1800 011 046.
Alex Lloyd interviews Somalia veteran Greg Hopgood.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Greg Hopgood is a veteran of the Australian Army. He deployed to Somalia with 1 RAR as part of Operation Solace in the 1990s, our first battalion-sized deployment overseas since the Vietnam War. Greg spoke with Alex Lloyd about his experiences on patrols, the mate he lost and the confronting humanitarian crisis at the time, and how he still carries his experiences in Somalia with him today.
Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:
An intelligence officer to Iron Man athlete to veterans advocate. Sarah Watson is the first veteran we feature in our series Life After Service.
In our podcast interview with her (#76), we discussed her time in the Australian Defence Force. In this documentary, we cover her challenges and successes in her time adapting to life after the military.
Watch the episode on YouTube above, or listen to the audio-only version below.
Alex Lloyd speaks with Ben Mckelvey about his new book, Mosul, and the 2nd Commando Regiment.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Ben Mckelvey, author of Cameron Baird’s posthumous biography, has released a new book, “Mosul: Australia’s secret war inside the ISIS caliphate”. The book tells the stories of the late Ian Turner of the 2nd Commando Regiment, Australia’s role in the Battle for Mosul and Australian ISIS fighters. Ben speaks to Alex Lloyd about his new book and the 2nd Commando Regiment, public perceptions of Australian military operations in the Middle East and the impending IGADF inquiry into alleged war crimes.
Angus Hordern continues his interview with Australian Army veteran John Cantwell.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Today's episode is the second instalment of the conversation with Major General John Cantwell AO, DSC, picking up after John's second combat tour in Iraq in 2006 and being made Deputy Chief of Army in 2007. In this episode, John talks to Angus Hordern about commanding forces in Afghanistan, the responsibility of command, and the importance of talking openly and honestly about trauma.
Listen to Volume I before listening to this episode. John returned to the podcast in #43 Dan Keighran VC Vol II (ft. John Cantwell). John made his fourth appearance on the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol III.
Angus Hordern interviews retired Major General John Cantwell AO, DSC.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. John Cantwell AO, DSC served in the Australian Army for 38 years, retiring at the rank of Major General. He had tours of duty in the First and Second Gulf War, and the War in Afghanistan. He began his career as a Private, saw intense frontline combat and in his final tour was the Commander of Australian Forces in the Middle East Area of Operations. John was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 2012 for his “inspired leadership, deep commitment to his people and superior performance on operations”. He is the author of the bestselling memoir, EXIT WOUNDS.
This is the first instalment in a two-part conversation with Angus Hordern. Click here to listen to Volume II. Also check out #43 Dan Keighran VC Vol II (ft. John Cantwell). John returned for his fourth appearance on the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol III.
Alex Lloyd interviews Australian Army veteran Aaron Davis.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. The Season 3 finale is a veteran’s story of trauma, growth and resilience, from battlefields overseas to how life in uniform is intertwined with life back home. Aaron Davis was an infantryman in 6RAR. He was deployed to Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. Between his times overseas, he was juggling his ever-growing family and his increasing difficulty to ‘switch off’ and transition from cams to civvies. This is his story, as told to Alex Lloyd.
Aaron returned to the podcast in the episode released for Remembrance Day 2019, Panel - Modern Veterans.
Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Afghanistan veteran Kane Hall.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Kane Hall deployed to Afghanistan as a cavalryman. He now works as a veteran support officer. Kane shared his story of service, sacrifice and resilience with Sharon Mascall-Dare.
Alex Lloyd speaks with British Army veteran and author Geraint Jones.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's bonus episode is with Geraint "Gez" Jones. Gez deployed three times to the Middle East as an infantry soldier in the British Army's Royal Welsh regiment – twice to Iraq and once to Afghanistan. For his actions in Basra, Gez was awarded the General Officer Commanding’s Commendation. Upon leaving the military, Gez worked to protect commercial shipping against Somali and Nigerian based piracy. He now writes full-time and is a Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author of fiction and non-fiction books. He’s just released his memoir – “Brothers in Arms” – a recount of his time in Afghanistan. Gez spoke to Alex Lloyd about his military career, primarily on the Afghanistan deployment, his battle with PTSD and journey of post-traumatic growth.
The final photo below was taken by Tim Kolczak of The Veterans Project.
Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Special Operations Engineer and Afghanistan veteran Nathan Bolton.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Nathan Bolton is a veteran of the Special Operations Engineer Regiment. After his first tour of Afghanistan, he completed the SAS Selection course but was not selected for further training with the regiment. He went back to Afghanistan with the Special Operations Task Group as a combat engineer, searching and clearing improvised explosive devices. Nathan spoke to Sharon Mascall-Dare about his relentless pursuit to be the best, the dangers of ensuring the safety of members of the 2nd Commando Regiment from a hidden threat, and the intense emotional journey he went through after his medical discharge.
Follow Nathan's new company that he runs with his brother Daniel - Bolton Brothers Entertainment - on Facebook, and to find out more also visit their website https://bbentertainment.com.au.
Angus Hordern interviews Afghanistan and Timor veteran, formerly of the 2nd Commando Regiment, Mick Bainbridge.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with Mick Bainbridge. Mick, a former commando, was the subject of an April 2018 AUSTRALIAN STORY episode about his difficult journey after multiple deployments to Afghanistan with the 2nd Commando Regiment. Mick shared his story with Angus Hordern - from elite training and combat deployments, to losing mates and the toll war can take. In this episode, Angus also speaks briefly with Glenn Kolomeitz, Mick's mate and mentor.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's panel conversation is on the topic of life after service, and the difficulties the transition can entail. Alex Lloyd moderated a discussion between previous podcast guests Sharon Bown, Dave Stafford Finney and Don Barnby.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's panel conversation is on the topic of the Vietnam war, both experiences in-country and life after. Angus Hordern moderated a discussion between previous podcast guests Sandy MacGregor, David Buckwalter, David Leafe and Ron Aitken.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's panel conversation is on the topic of what it means to be a veteran in the modern era, public perception, support systems and transitioning to the workforce. Angus Hordern moderated a discussion between previous podcast guests Garth Callender, Michael Wright and Glenn Kolomeitz.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with Afghanistan veteran Chris May. Chris was a war veteran at nineteen, and is a survivor of driving over an improvised explosive device. Now in his late twenties, his story is an impactful tale of a young soldier at war.
Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. For today’s bonus episode of Life on the Line, Alex Lloyd spoke with Norton Duckmanton, a World War II veteran. Alex met Norton at the Reserve Forces Day Parade held at Sydney’s Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park. This is the they had chat while they waited for the parade to start.
