#121 Catherine Walsh

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Royal Australian Air Force veteran Catherine Walsh.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Catherine Walsh is a former Air Force intelligence officer and former aide-de-camp to the Governor-General. Today she’s Director of Veterans South Australia. Catherine spoke to Sharon Mascall-Dare about the RAAF, her deployment to the Middle East, her time in the Vice-Regal sphere, and her work today in the Air Force Reserves and with Veterans SA.

#117 Sir Peter Cosgrove

Angus Hordern interviews General Sir Peter Cosgrove, former Chief of the Defence Force and Governor-General.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. General Sir Peter Cosgrove is one of Australia’s most significant public figures. As a soldier, he saw action in Vietnam, winning the Military Cross, and rose to the top, becoming Chief of the Defence Force from 2002 to 2005. After his military career, Sir Peter became Australia’s Governor-General, serving in that office from 2014 to 2019. In this podcast, he sat down over a Zoom video call to speak with Angus Hordern about some highlights from his life, and to mark the release of the paperback edition of his memoir YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE JOINED. You can watch this interview on our YouTube channel or listen through your preferred podcast app and the player above.

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.

#104 Chris Oxenbould

Angus Hordern interviews Gulf War veteran Chris Oxenbould.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Chris Oxenbould was a Rear Admiral in the Royal Australian Navy. Among other deployments, Chris was the Commander of the Royal Australian Navy Task Group both during and after the First Gulf War. There, his task group became part of the largest grouping of warships seen since the end of World War II. It’s been said that it was probably the most powerful and complex naval force ever assembled.

The episode referenced at the end of the podcast is #82 John Cantwell Vol I.

#103 Monika Georgieva

Alex Lloyd interviews army veteran Monika Georgieva.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Monika Georgieva was the first female to attempt selection for the 2nd Commando Regiment and the Special Air Service Regiment. She made two attempts at SAS selection, then went on to be Australia’s first female infantry officer, having commanded a rifle platoon and a reconnaissance/sniper platoon. In her conversation with Alex Lloyd, Monika talks about her childhood in Bulgaria, joining the Australian Army, details her various Special Forces selection attempts and her career beyond.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

• #36 Mark Donaldson VC

• SAS Leadership with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis

• #68 Harry Moffitt

• SAS Leadership Vol II with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis

• #102 Heston Russell

#102 Heston Russell

Alex Lloyd interviews 2nd Commando Regiment veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, Heston Russell.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. This is the first episode of Season 5. Since 2017, Life on the Line has brought you the stories of Australian military veterans. This is our 207th podcast, and our 102nd veteran conversation on our particular episode numbering system. In all that time we’ve brought you stories from World War II to the modern era. Today’s chat is with a Special Forces veteran of the 21st century conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Heston Russell. 

We recorded this episode on the outdoor balcony of Heston’s Sydney apartment, so if you hear any background noise or ambience, that’s why. We recorded outdoors because we also videoed this interview, which is a first for us. If you’re listening, you can jump onto our YouTube channel (just search for “Life on the Line podcast”) and watch this chat with Heston. If you are watching this on YouTube, you can listen to this and all our other episodes on your favourite podcast app, Spotify and our website. We will be doing a select number of video podcasts like this as the year goes on. 

Heston Russell was an officer in the 2nd Commando Regiment. He already had a profile in the Australian community through his post-military career in the fitness world. He rose to further national prominence in 2020, when an unnamed US soldier accused Heston’s platoon of unlawfully killing a prisoner in Afghanistan. Heston counterattacked, speaking out on national media to strongly refute the claims. Since then, he’s remained in the public spotlight, becoming a spokesman for the veteran community in the lead-up to and wake of the Brereton report into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. 

Alex Lloyd spoke to Heston in February 2021 to learn more about the man behind the headlines.

Follow Heston @hestonrussell on Instagram and Facebook. You can also find "Voice of a Veteran" on social media, YouTube, your favourite podcast app and www.voiceofaveteran.org​.

#101 Bob Hunter

Alex Lloyd interviews SAS veteran Bob Hunter.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. The Season 4 finale is with Bob Hunter, a former Squadron Commander in the Special Air Service Regiment. Bob was in command the night of the 1996 Black Hawk disaster, where two helicopters collided, and 15 SASR and 3 Aviation Regiment soldiers lost their lives. Bob spoke to Alex Lloyd about his years with the Australian SAS, his Middle East and Bougainville deployments, and about SAS culture and leadership.

To hear more about the 1996 Black Hawk disaster, listen to SAS Leadership Vol II with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis.

Bob was also featured in Season 4’s special holiday episode, Christmas on the Line Vol III.

This interview with Bob is the Season 4 finale. Life on the Line will return in 2021.

#91 Lesley Carney

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Lesley Carney, on deployment to the Middle East at the time of recording.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Group Captain Lesley Carney was serving in the Royal Australian Air Force with Joint Task Force 633, as the Director of Support. In 2008, Lesley was posted to the Joint Strike Fighter Program as the Australian Supply Chain manager in Washington DC. She received a commendation for her efforts during her tour in the US representing Australia's interests in multi-national forums and received a Bronze Star for her work as the Kandahar Air Field Chief Logistics Officer. This is her conversation with Sharon Mascall-Dare about her background, career highlights and work in the Middle East.

The Partners - Crystal Callender

Angus Hordern speaks with Crystal Callender about being married to an army veteran.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. This is the second ‘partners’ episode of Life on the Line. Today’s conversation is with Crystal Callender. Crystal was dating Garth Callender when the young cavalry officer’s vehicle was blown up by an IED in Baghdad, Iraq, in 2004. Crystal shared with Angus Hordern her perspective of being the girlfriend, fiancé and wife of an army officer who deployed three times to the Middle East. Angus also caught up with Garth on his news, including his recent promotion to Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve.

Garth Callender’s original interview was in Season 1, in 2017. He returned in 2018 for the special episode Panel - Returning Home.

Crystal and Garth both returned to the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol III.

#88 Jennifer Wittwer

Alex Lloyd interviews Royal Australian Navy veteran Jennifer Wittwer.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Jennifer Wittwer joined the Royal Australian Navy in 1981 as a supply officer. She went on to have an international career as a thought leader, humanitarian and advocate for women’s rights, equality and empowerment. Some of her roles in uniform have included being the first ADF Gender Advisor to NATO Operations in Afghanistan, and a secondment to UN Women in New York. This is Jen's conversation with Alex Lloyd about her military career and women in the Defence Force.

#86 Susan Coyle

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Susan Coyle, currently on deployment to Afghanistan as Commander Joint Task Force 633.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Major General Susan Coyle CSC, DSM is a senior officer in the Australian Army. She is currently on deployment to Afghanistan as the commander of Joint Task Force 633, responsible for all Australian operations in the Middle East. She is the first woman to command the task force, which comprises 1200 personnel on Operation Okra. Susan spoke to Sharon Mascall-Dare about her extensive military career, including her deployments to East Timor, the Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.

COVID-19 Taskforce with John Frewen

Alex Lloyd speaks with Lieutenant General John Frewen about the COVID-19 Taskforce and his military career.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Lieutenant General John Frewen DSC, AM, is currently serving in the Australian Army. He is leading the COVID-19 Taskforce established by Defence, to coordinate the ADF’s contribution to the whole-of-government response to the pandemic. John spoke to Alex Lloyd about highlights of his military career to date, and about the work our servicemen and women are doing in response to coronavirus – when the front line is at home. 

Some of John’s career highlights include his 1994 deployment to Rwanda, his exchange to the United States military in Hawaii during September 11, leading the international response to the Solomon Islands crisis in 2003, Afghanistan in 2007, back to the Middle East as Joint Task Force 633 commander in 2017, and now leading the COVID-19 Taskforce with military deputy Major General Paul Kenny. 

The military career conversation begins at 1:40 and the COVID Taskforce conversation at 24:35.

To see photos related to today's interview, visit our website - www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com - or follow us on social media: @lifeonthelinepodcast on Facebook and Instagram, and @LOTLpod on Twitter.

#85 David McCourt

Alex Lloyd interviews a former captain of the Royal Australian Navy, David McCourt.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. David McCourt served as a career officer in the Royal Australian Navy. After a range of seafaring postings, David was deployed to East Timor and twice to the Arabian Gulf.

David returned to the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol III.

#84 Tim Reynolds

Angus Hordern interviews Iraq veteran and cancer survivor Tim Reynolds.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Tim Reynolds served in the Australian Army for 27 years. He joined as a mechanic and retired at the rank of Major. He had multiple deployments during his service, including to Iraq in 2005. He began a new civilian career in his 40s before being diagnosed with a terminal cancer. This is Tim's conversation with Angus Hordern of a life in uniform, deployments overseas and overcoming adversity against the odds.

Tim returned to the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol III.

#82 John Cantwell Vol II

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.

#82 John Cantwell Vol I

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.

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.

#74 Dr Paula Dabovich

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews an internationally renowned researcher into veterans' rehabilitation and care, and former soldier, full-time army officer and now reservist, Dr Paula Dabovich.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Dr Paula Dabovich is a former soldier, full-time army officer and now a reservist general service officer in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps. She’s dedicated her career to understanding military personnel from a perspective that is deep, insightful and has much to teach us about how we care for our veterans, as she shared in this conversation with Sharon Mascall-Dare.