Keith Payne VC - No One Left Behind

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!

Life After Service: Tony Park

Tony Park is a fiction and non-fiction international bestselling author. Before that, he served in the Australian Army Reserves in various roles, including as a public affairs officer.

In 2002, he was deployed to Afghanistan alongside the SAS, with his first novel published in 2004.

In this episode of Life After Service, Alex Lloyd spoke with Tony about what the army did for him, the challenges of readjusting to normal life after deploying, the military's relationship with the public, and his writing career journey.

To find out more about Tony and keep up to date with his work, be sure to look at his website. https://www.tonypark.net/

Watch the episode on YouTube above, or listen to the audio-only version below.

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.

Military in the Media with Siobhan Heanue

Alex Lloyd speaks with ABC journalist Siobhan Heanue about the relationship between the military, the media and the public. 

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Siobhan Heanue is an ABC journalist based in Townsville for ABC North Queensland. She was previously the ABC’s South Asia correspondent, where she reported from India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal. She reported from Iraq in the lead-up to the Battle for Mosul in 2016, has covered terrorist attacks and humanitarian crises in East Africa, and repeatedly embedded with the Australian Defence Force. In the 200th episode of Life on the Line, Alex Lloyd spoke with Siobhan about her career in journalism, the media and public access to the ADF in the 21st century, and the relationship between the media, the military and the public in the wake of current stories being reported on alleged war crimes. 

#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.

Teddy Sheean VC with Dr Brendan Nelson VC

Angus Hordern speaks with Dr Brendan Nelson about Australia’s 101st Victoria Cross recipient, Teddy Sheean VC.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Teddy Sheean received the Victoria Cross posthumously for his heroism during the sinking of HMAS Armidale on 1 December 1942. Seventy-eight years later, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II approved the award on 12 August 2020.

Dr Brendan Nelson, former Minister for Defence in the Howard Government and Director of the Australian War Memorial 2012-19, chaired the 2020 expert panel that reviewed Teddy’s case. His panel’s recommendation for Teddy to receive the VC was the last domino for this award finally being bestowed. In Dr Nelson’s second appearance on the podcast, he told Angus Hordern the story of Teddy Sheean, and exactly how his posthumous VC came about. Teddy’s story is extraordinary in its own right, as is the story of how his VC took so long to be approved, and what finally changed.

Thistle Productions have worked with Dr Nelson before. Angus Hordern interviewed him in our five-part DVD documentary series, For School and Country. On this podcast he appeared back in Season 1, 2017, when he spoke to me about his career, the Australian War Memorial and the topic of Remembrance Day, in Remembrance Day with Dr Brendan Nelson. 

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.

The Blind Man's Victoria Cross with Tim Rayson

Alex Lloyd discovers the stories of four Victoria Cross recipients in the British Army, speaking with the Axe Keeper of Her Majesty's Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, Tim Rayson.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's bonus episode is centred on four British Victoria Cross recipients. All four are also former members of Her Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms. Alex Lloyd spoke with Tim Rayson, the ‘Axe Keeper’, about the incredible stories of Ernest Towse VC, Harry Schofield VC, John Campbell VC and David Jamieson VC.

The music at the end of the episode is “The Nearest Guard”, especially composed by Major Philip Shannon MBE for the 500th anniversary of the Honourable Corps on 4th June 2009. This recording was performed by the Band of the Irish Guards and supplied by the Axe Keeper.

Tim Rayson last appeared on the podcast talking about the history of Her Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms.

#61 Dee Cherry

Alex Lloyd interviews modern RAAF veteran Dee Cherry.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. For this episode, Royal Australian Air Force servicewoman Dee Cherry spoke to Alex Lloyd. Dee talked about her family member – a recipient of the Victoria Cross – as well as her time in uniform, and her extensive work in the veterans community.

Dee returned to the podcast in the episode released for Remembrance Day 2019, Panel - Modern Veterans.

#43 Dan Keighran VC

Alex Lloyd interviews Victoria Cross recipient Daniel Keighran.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with Daniel Keighran VC. Dan is the third recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia, for his leadership and courage during the Battle of Derapet, in Afghanistan in 2010. Dan spoke to Alex about his army career, the battle that changed his life and the Victoria Cross.

Dan was interviewed by journalist Kristin Shorten in an exclusive, published in anticipation of this interview. You can read the article on the Daily Telegraph’s website. The online article was published Monday 18 February and the print edition was published on Tuesday 19 February.

Dan was featured again on the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol II. His autobiography, Courage Under Fire, will be published on 27 October 2020.

Dan returned to the podcast in Season 4 with new stories and revelations, in #43 Dan Keighran VC Vol II (ft. John Cantwell).

The image of Daniel Keighran’s investiture for the Victoria Cross is taken from Wikipedia under a Creative Commons license.

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

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. This bonus episode covers the upcoming 8-part documentary VOODOO MEDICS, a short series of webisodes published by The Daily Telegraph Online starting 22 October 2018. Alex Lloyd speaks with the documentary's creator and host, journalist Kristin Shorten, as well as two of its interviewees, Australian veterans Mark Donaldson VC and Dr Dan Pronk. VOODOO MEDICS looks at the lives post-army of medics who served with Special Forces, and interviews such former medics, the operators they fought alongside, and more, in an insightful expose on the cost of modern war.

To watch the documentary, click here!

If you enjoyed these conversations with Mark and Dan, you can catch their original interviews in Season 2:

• #31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol I

• #31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol II

• #36 Mark Donaldson VC

And for more conversations with Dr Dan Pronk:

• Lessons of a Combat Doctor with Dr Dan Pronk

• #107 Brett Wood

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

#36 Mark Donaldson VC

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with Mark Donaldson VC. During a 2008 deployment to Afghanistan, the former SAS trooper performed a series of heroic actions that earned him the Victoria Cross for Australia - the first Australian to receive a VC in the modern era. Mark spoke to Alex Lloyd about his life growing up, training to be SAS, various deployment stories, the battle that saw him receive Australia's highest military award, life beyond and the meaning of a Victoria Cross.

Mark returned to the podcast in the episode Voodoo Medics with Mark Donaldson VC, Dr Dan Pronk and Kristin Shorten.

The Commando's Father with Doug Baird

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Every week we also have a bonus episode, where we speak to historians, authors and others in the veterans community. Alex Lloyd spoke with Doug Baird, father of the late Cameron Baird VC, MG. Cameron served in the 2nd Commando Regiment and was killed in action during his final tour of Afghanistan in 2013. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia. Doug spoke to Alex about his late son's life, death and legacy.