Life on the Line

Reg Chard, the last Kokoda veteran, has passed away at age 102.

This is a re-release of the 2022 podcast, with a tribute from host Alex Lloyd at the start. The original video podcast is still available on YouTube. Rest in peace, Reg.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Reg Chard was an infantryman in the Australian Army in the Second World War. He fought in the jungle against the Japanese in New Guinea along the Kokoda Trail in 1942 for months. Since 2011, Reg has been a volunteer guide at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Sydney. In 2022, the 98-year-old celebrates the release of his biography, THE DIGGER OF KOKODA by Daniel Lane. Reg spoke with Alex Lloyd about his military service, his experiences in New Guinea and how Kokoda still lives with him today. This conversation can be watched as a video podcast on YouTube or heard through all podcast apps.

Closing music by The Externals.

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, @LOTLpod on X and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

2nd Commando Regiment veterans, friends and family share their memories of the late Tim Aplin.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Private Timothy Aplin was serving with the Special Operations Task Group when he tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash, on Monday 21 June 2010. Scott Palmer, Ben Chuck and a US serviceman also lost their lives in the crash, and many more were grievously injured.

The thirty-eight-year-old Tim was from the Sydney-based 2nd Commando Regiment.

Tim Aplin has been mentioned before on this podcast by his fellow Commandos who remember him fondly. In this special tribute episode we remember one of our fallen. This podcast contains stories, reflections and tributes from Tim’s family, friends and brothers-in-arms.

The veterans interviewed includes:

As well as his friends Susie and Tim, his cousins Helen and Stuart, and his mother, Margaret.

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, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

Alex Lloyd speaks with author Aaron Patrick about The Last Battle, his new book.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. A new book by Aaron Patrick details the actions in the Battle of Shah Wali Kot, from Chenartu to the village of Tizak. In conversation with his publisher, podcast host Alex Lloyd, Aaron details the heroism of the 2nd Commando Regiment and the incredible odds overcome by the Special Air Service Regiment.

The book is out now available in print, ebook and audiobook. Read more about it here.

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, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

Four 2nd Commando Regiment veterans share their memories of the Battle of Shah Wali Kot.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Fifteen years ago, over five days in June 2010, in southern Afghanistan, 150 Australian Commandos and SASR soldiers fought and won the Battle of Shah Wali Kot, our largest engagement since Vietnam.

For the Commandos, it was one of the toughest fights of their lives. For the SASR, in terms of kill count, it was their greatest battle ever won. For their grit and professionalism, the Commandos received a battle honour. SASR Corporal Ben Roberts-Smith, for his part in the battle, received our nation’s highest military honour – the Victoria Cross – becoming an instant household name.

This podcast features the recollections of Dean Parkinson, Gary Wilson, Pete Rudland and Scott Ryder, for the Commando side of this historic battle.

Episodes referenced during the podcast include:

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, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

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

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Anthony 'Harry' Moffitt served in the Australian Defence Force for almost thirty years, most of which was spent with Australia's elite Special Air Service Regiment as a Team Commander and Team Specialist. He has served in eleven active deployments, including being wounded in action in 2008. Harry completed his time with the SASR as its Human Performance Manager. He's a registered psychologist and runs a human performance consultancy, Stotan Group, working with sports teams, the military and corporate world. His memoir Eleven Bats was a bestseller. Today, he lives in Melbourne.

Harry is a recurring guest on this show. Alex Lloyd first interviewed him about his military career in Season 3, in #68 Harry Moffitt. Harry returned in Season 4 to discuss his memoir, in #68 Harry Moffitt Vol II.

Harry is back on the show to talk about his new book: The Fourth Pillar: Modern Stoicism and the Philosophy of High Performance. Alex is Harry's publisher at Pan Macmillan.

The Externals tracks featured (in order of play) include Edge of the World, US Radio and The Hell Beyond.

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, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

Alex Lloyd interviews World War II veterans Frederick and Marjorie Logan.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Frederick and Marjorie Logan are both veterans of World War II. Fred served in an artillery regiment and fought against the Japanese in the Battle of Slater’s Knoll, in Bougainville, 1945. After the war, he served in the NSW Police Force for over 3 decades. His wife, Marjorie, served in the Australian Women’s Army Service, driving ambulances for soldiers and Australian Prisoners of War returning from overseas. Today, Fred is 100 years old and Marjorie is 98. Alex Lloyd spoke with them both, on the date of their 75th wedding anniversary, in their nursing home in Queensland.

The episode referenced at the end of the podcast is #127 Reg Chard (also a video podcast), as well as the FOR SCHOOL AND COUNTRY video documentary miniseries and BARNEY GREATREX book.

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, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

Alex Lloyd interviews 2nd Commando Regiment veteran Scott Ryder, author of FORGED IN FIRE.

Scott Ryder served for 22 years with the Australian Army, including 16 years as an operator with the 2nd Commando Regiment. He served in East Timor and multiple tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. He holds numerous commendations and a Masters of Business, and he works in veteran charities to improve the lives of veterans and their families. He is the author of a newly published book, FORGED IN FIRE, a memoir that takes us inside the secretive world of the Australian commandos. 

This episode was edited by Sophie Hu.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include: 

• #92 Dean Parkinson Vol II

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.

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, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

Alex Lloyd interviews SAS veteran Mark Wales for a third time. 

Mark Wales is a veteran of the Special Air Service Regiment, and this is the SASR veteran's third appearance on the podcast. Alex Lloyd first interviewed Mark in 2018, Season 2, about his life in the military and life after service. In 2021, Season 5, Mark came back on the show to discuss his memoir, SURVIVOR: LIFE IN THE SAS and share new stories from his time in uniform.

Since then, Mark has continued to achieve new goals - from going back on the reality TV show Australian Survivor, and do what he should have done the first time - win - and star in George Miller's epic film FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA. He has also released his debut fiction novel, OUTRIDER, which draws heavily on his time in the SASR, fighting in Afghanistan and more. This interview was recorded in the Pan Macmillan studio. Mark is published by Macmillan, and Alex is his publisher. 

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, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.

Alex Lloyd interviews SASR and 2nd Commando Regiment veteran Peter Rudland.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Peter Rudland is a veteran of the Special Air Service Regiment and the Commandos, 4RAR(Commando) and when they became the 2nd Commando Regiment. Over a long career in Special Forces, Peter deployed to Cambodia, Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was seriously injured in the June 2010 Black Hawk helicopter crash in Afghanistan. In his post-service life, Peter is heavily involved in the veteran community, as a passionate advocate for physical health to create mental health, he started a company counselling soldiers, he has competed in three Invictus Games and is an ambassador for RSL Australia. Alex Lloyd spoke with Peter over Zoom in February 2024.

This episode was edited by Sophie Hu.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

• #1 Sandy MacGregor

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, @LOTLpod on Twitter and 'Thistle Productions' on LinkedIn.