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

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

Life on the Line

Download

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.

The Partners - Samantha Gash

The Partners - Samantha Gash

Life on the Line

Download

Alex Lloyd speaks with Samantha Gash about being married to an SAS veteran.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. On this podcast, many veterans have remarked on how vital the support of a partner or loved one has been to them; that not enough is said of just what a difference it is they make. This is the first ‘partners’ episode of Life on the Line, and we hope to do more in the future. Today’s conversation is with Samantha Gash. Samantha is a professional endurance athlete, social entrepreneur and a motivational speaker. She’s run over 20,000km across every continent on Earth and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for charity while advocating for women’s empowerment, social change and access to education. In 2017 she was a contestant on the reality TV show Australian Survivor, where she met former SAS officer Mark Wales. Sam and Mark are now married and have one young son, Harry Locke Wales. 

You can also listen to #28 Mark Wales in Season 2. In Season 5, Mark returned to the podcast to promote his memoir SURVIVOR: LIFE IN THE SAS. Mark returned again to the podcast in 2024 to promote his debut novel OUTRIDER.

#68 Harry Moffitt Vol II

#68 Harry Moffitt Vol II

Life on the Line

Download

Alex Lloyd interviews SAS veteran Harry Moffitt for a second time.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Harry Moffitt had eleven deployments over eleven years with the Special Air Service Regiment. His first conversation on the podcast was in Season 3. In this follow-up episode, Harry shares with Alex Lloyd more highs and lows from deployments overseas – including the death of Sean McCarthy – as well as stories about The Externals, the cricket bats he took to war, and leadership in the SAS and beyond. 

He published his memoir Eleven Bats later in 2020.

SAS Leadership Vol II with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis

SAS Leadership Vol II with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis

Life on the Line

Download

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.

#68 Harry Moffitt

#68 Harry Moffitt

Life on the Line

Download

Alex Lloyd interviews former Special Forces team commander Harry Moffitt.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Harry Moffitt is a former team commander in the Special Air Service Regiment. He passed selection in 1990 and finally left in 2015, when he decided his body, family and future would best be served by moving on - 25 years after he initially joined the Regiment. Harry has extensive operational experience, including deployments to Timor and the Middle East. He spoke to Alex Lloyd about the psychology of being an elite soldier, leadership in high-tempo deployments and how best to equip yourself for life after service.

Read more about Harry’s service and the cricket bats he took to war in this Sydney Morning Herald article by Nick McKenzie.

The closing music of the episode is by The Externals, an Australian SAS original rock band. Harry is the band’s singer-songwriter. The track is called “Edge of the World”. Look up the band on Facebook and Spotify, and find out more on the 16th episode of The Unforgiving60 Podcast.

Harry returned to the podcast in Christmas on the Line Vol II and for another solo interview in Season 4. He published his memoir Eleven Bats in 2020.

#60 Nick Caldwell

#60 Nick Caldwell

Life on the Line

Download

Thomas Kaye interviews former Special Forces soldier Nick Caldwell.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Nick Caldwell reflected on his Special Forces career with Thomas Kaye, in this conversation about mindset, growth and what it takes to be a trooper at the tip of the spear.

SAS Leadership with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis

SAS Leadership with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis

Life on the Line

Download

Alex Lloyd speaks with former SAS officers Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's bonus episode is with Ben Pronk and Tim Curtis, both former officers of the Special Air Service Regiment. Now they're in the civilian workforce, armed with MBAs. The pair spoke Alex Lloyd about lessons of leadership and command from their time in the SASR, from principles to specific action-packed examples, how those lessons influence their work and lives today, and their new podcast, The Unforgiving60.

Ben and Tim returned to the podcast to talk more on leadership, resilience, COVID-19 and the Black Hawk accident of 1996, in Season 4. They were also featured that year 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.

Lessons of a Combat Doctor with Dr Dan Pronk

Lessons of a Combat Doctor with Dr Dan Pronk

Life on the Line

Download

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

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

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

Life on the Line

Download

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

#36 Mark Donaldson VC

Life on the Line

Download

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.

#31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol II

#31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol II

Life on the Line

Download

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is the second instalment of Sharon Mascall-Dare’s conversation with Dr Dan Pronk, a Special Forces doctor with the SAS and 2nd Commando Regiment. Dan partook in over 100 combat missions with Special Forces. His conversation with Sharon picks up after four tours of Afghanistan, where the reality of combat was taking hold.

Click here to listen to Volume I, before you hear this episode.

Dan later returned to the podcast in the episodes:

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

• Lessons of a Combat Doctor with Dr Dan Pronk

• #107 Brett Wood

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

• #31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol III

• Christmas on the Line Vol V

#31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol I

#31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol I

Life on the Line

Download

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with Dr Dan Pronk, a former Special Forces soldier. Dan served with the regular army in East Timor before undertaking four tours of Afghanistan with Special Operations Units - the 2nd Commando Regiment and the Special Air Service Regiment. Dan spoke with Sharon Mascall-Dare about his journey to Special Forces, the trauma of combat and life as an elite soldier. This is the first instalment of a two-part episode.

Click here to listen to Volume II, after you've heard this episode.

Dan later returned to the podcast in the episodes:

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

• Lessons of a Combat Doctor with Dr Dan Pronk

• #107 Brett Wood

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

• #31 Dr Dan Pronk Vol III

• Christmas on the Line Vol V

Dan is currently the resident medic, ‘Dr Dan’, on Channel Seven’s SAS Australia.

#28 Mark Wales

#28 Mark Wales

Life on the Line

Download

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with East Timor, Solomon Islands and Middle East veteran, Mark Wales. A former member of the Special Air Service, Mark saw multiple deployments to the Middle East as an elite soldier. Alex Lloyd spoke to Mark about aspiring to become Special Forces, his experiences abroad and how his military skills have served him in life after.

In Season 4, Mark’s wife Samantha Gash was interviewed. In Season 5, Mark returned to the podcast to promote his memoir SURVIVOR: LIFE IN THE SAS. Mark returned again to the podcast in 2024 to promote his debut novel OUTRIDER.

#18 Don Barnby Vol II

#18 Don Barnby Vol II

Life on the Line

Download

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's episode is the second instalment of the conversation with Don Barnby, an SAS trooper and Australian Federal Police officer. Don served in the Vietnam war as a special forces soldier, and at Cyprus, Bougainville and East Timor with the AFP. He has also interviewed veterans for the Australian War Memorial.

Click here to listen to Volume I, before you hear this episode.

Don returned to the podcast in the special episode Panel - Life After Service, and again in Christmas on the Line. He was then featured in the video documentary episode Life After Service - Don Barnby.

#18 Don Barnby Vol I

#18 Don Barnby Vol I

Life on the Line

Download

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Today's conversation is with Vietnam veteran Don Barnby, formerly of the Special Air Service. This is the first instalment of a two-part episode.

Click here to listen to Volume II, after you've heard this episode.

Australia's Special Forces with Dr Karl James

Australia's Special Forces with Dr Karl James

Life on the Line

Download

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Most weeks we also have a bonus episode, where we speak to historians, authors and others in the veterans community. Today's bonus episode is with Dr Karl James, senior historian at the Australian War Memorial. Dr Karl has an exhibit coming up on the history of Australia’s Special Forces - SAS and Commandos - and spoke to us about the history of our nation’s elite soldiers.

Dr Karl James spoke again with Life on the Line about the ANZAC legend, Gallipoli and Kokoda.