The Commissioner - Nick Kaldas

Alex Lloyd speaks with the Chair of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, Nick Kaldas.

On 8 July 2021, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide was established by the Governor-General. After years of receiving testimony from veterans and other relevant witnesses, the Commission’s work is nearly over. An Interim Report was delivered in August 2022, and a Final Report is due this September, in 2024. Meanwhile, they have also released a book, Shining a Light: Stories of Trauma & Tragedy, Hope & Healing, a publication to honour the lived experience of serving and ex-serving Australian Defence Force members and their families.

Nick Kaldas APM is one of the three Royal Commissioners for this inquiry, and is the Chair of the Commissioners. Nick has an extensive background of public service, including with the NSW Police Force and United Nations. The role of the Commissioners was to listen, investigate and recommend actions or changes to address systemic issues contributing to suicide and suicidal behaviours by serving and ex-serving ADF members. To say that Nick’s immersion and exposure to the written and oral testimony of veterans is extensive is an understatement. In this special podcast, Nick Kaldas shared with Alex Lloyd over Zoom some of his insights into what our veterans had to say.

#131 Sabrina Smeaton

Alex Lloyd interviews Afghanistan veteran Sabrina Smeaton.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Sabrina Smeaton is a veteran of the Australian Army. She served in the artillery corps, working as a Weapon Locating Radar operator and a Scan Eagle UAV operator. She deployed to Afghanistan in 2011. Sabrina spoke to Alex Lloyd about her passion for military service, why she joined, her experiences in artillery and in Afghanistan, her transition coming home and life after service.

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

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast:

• #110 Carly Box

• Panel - Veteran Suicide

Panel - Veteran Suicide

Alex Lloyd hosts a panel on the veteran suicide crisis, with Wes ‘H’ Hennessey and Renee Wilson.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. On 11 August 2022, the Interim Report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide was submitted to the Governor-General, and then to Parliament. While this podcast sees itself as a veterans storytelling platform first and foremost, topics as exceptional as this are an ongoing part of the stories of veterans and families around the country. As a nation, we’ve lost more veterans to suicide than we did to combat in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. This Royal Commission was something tirelessly campaigned for by veterans and families, so this interim report is an important measure of whether it’s achieving what so many wanted it to.

To discuss the interim report, host Alex Lloyd welcomed back two previous guests. Wes ‘H’ Hennessey is veteran of the 2nd Commando Regiment, a deeply experienced and well-decorated soldier after many combat deployments to Afghanistan. Renee Wilson is the CEO of Australian War Widows NSW, an ambassador for the Commando Welfare Trust, and is a staunch advocate for veterans and their families. She is also the wife of veteran Gary Wilson, who was significantly injured in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

• Panel - Returning Home

• Panel - The Vietnam War

• Panel - Life After Service

• #54 'H' Vol I-III (Season 3)

• Panel - Australian Infantry Against the Odds

• Panel - Modern Veterans

• #54 'H' Vol IV-V (Season 4)

• The Partners - Renee Wilson

• Christmas on the Line Vol III

• #107 Brett Wood

• Life After Service: Gary & Renee Wilson

• Christmas on the Line Vol IV

Life After Service: Don Barnby

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.

#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​.

Panel - Returning Home

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.