Alex Lloyd interviews former sniper team leader Ryan Shaw.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Ryan Shaw joined the Australian Defence Force in 2006. During his 14-year career in the military he was a sniper team leader, deployed to Timor and Afghanistan, and worked in border protection. Today he’s the Director of Gaythorne RSL, in Brisbane, where he spoke with Alex Lloyd.

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.

Angus Hordern interviews Army Aviation veteran Rod Henderson.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Rod Henderson is an Australian Army veteran. He has served as an infantryman and in Army Aviation, working with Black Hawks and Chinooks, including as a door gunner. Rod has deployed on warlike and humanitarian operations to Timor, Pakistan, New Guinea and Afghanistan. He’s now a volunteer guide at the Australian War Memorial. 

This episode was edited by Sophie Hu.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

• #2 Sharon Bown

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 Vietnam War veteran John White.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. John White was an officer in the Australian Army during the Vietnam War. He was decorated for outstanding gallantry in the 1968 Battle of Ngok Tavak in South Vietnam. In the first episode of Season 7, Alex Lloyd spoke with John at Gaythorne RSL in Brisbane.

This episode was edited by Sophie Hu.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

• #15 Adrian Clunies-Ross

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.

Welcome to Season 7 of LIFE ON THE LINE, Australia's first and leading veterans podcast, from Thistle Productions.

In our 7th year, after 6 seasons, 2 miniseries, 261 podcasts, 17 video episodes, 188 veterans and over 1.7 million downloads, Life on the Line is back. We now present Season 7. Our ongoing mission is to track down Australian military veterans and record their stories, from World War II to the 21st century. The vision of Life on the Line continues to be to capture the raw human stories behind the broader brushstrokes of history, and to explore service: why people serve, and how a life of service changes them. From acts of valour to the trauma of conflict, and how veterans can grow and change from that trauma. This podcast seeks to discover the human side of war, the truth of battle scars and what it’s really like to put one’s life on the line.

This season, we will bring you conversations with servicemen and servicewoman of all ranks from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Special Forces, who have been on peacekeeping deployments, and seen action in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. On Tuesday May 23rd, check out your preferred podcast app, YouTube or our website for our first episode, with a veteran of the Vietnam War who was decorated for outstanding gallantry on the battlefield. We'll release a new episode every fortnight.

Our website is www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com. Find us on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook @lifeonthelinepodcast, on Twitter @LOTLpod and on LinkedIn @ThistleProductions. Life on the Line is brought to you by Thistle Productions. Artwork by Big Cat Design. Music by Dan Van Werkhoven. Thank you for listening and Lest We Forget.

Alex Lloyd introduces the WWII video documentary FOR SCHOOL AND COUNTRY, now on YouTube.

FOR SCHOOL AND COUNTRY is a five-part video documentary miniseries, created by us, Thistle Productions. The series chronicles the lives and service of twelve WWII veterans who went to school together and took up arms when war broke out. This production was originally released on DVD in 2015 - the first ‘Thistle Productions’ project - and it is finally available for free via streaming.

These dozen veterans served across the whole theatre of war. At sea they fought the Bismarck and the Admiral Graf Spee, and sailed in the Mediterranean Fleet and the Pacific Fleet, including at the largest naval engagement of the war. On land they fought at Tobruk, El Alamein and Tarakan; and they trekked through the jungles of New Guinea and landed on the beaches of Balikpapan. And in the sky they flew over Europe for Bomber Command, over the Middle East for the Desert Air Force, and with the Forgotten Army in Burma. Many had narrow escapes, including one sole survivor when his bomber crashed in enemy territory.

Watch the episodes via www.youtube.com/lifeonthelinepodcast now:

• Episode I - Books to Arms

Find out more about the documentary at www.lifeonthelinepodcast.com/documentary. 

Veterans of Season 6 share their stories of a Christmas in uniform.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian war veterans and records their stories. Veterans of Season 6 share with the Thistle Productions team their experiences of Christmas in uniform, from deployments overseas and back home in Australia.

The episodes these veterans were featured in earlier this season include:

• #123 Nick Howlett Vol I

Our previous Christmas specials from Seasons 2-5 can be found here:

• Christmas on the Line

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 former combat engineer, Paralympian and IED survivor, Curtis McGrath.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Curtis McGrath OAM is a soldier turned sporting superstar. He was a combat engineer in the Australian Army, and lost his legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2012. From there, he set himself a seemingly impossible goal – to compete in the Paralympics. Today, Curtis is a world champion paracanoeist, having won over a dozen gold medals at numerous Paracanoe World Championships and at the 2016 and 2020 Paralympics. In the Season 6 finale, Curtis spoke to Alex Lloyd about his military career, the day of the blast in Afghanistan, his remarkable outlook on life, and how he turned a potentially life-ending moment into something remarkably powerful and life changing. 

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.

Angus Hordern interviews AATTV veteran Donald McDowell.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Donald McDowell is a veteran of the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam. The AATTV was a specialist unit of Australian Army military advisors, active from 1962 to 1973. It was specifically raised as part of Australia’s contribution to the Vietnam War. It’s one of Australia’s most heavily decorated units, including four Victoria Crosses. Don spoke to Angus Hordern about his military career, his time in Vietnam, and his reflections on the war.

Episodes referenced at the end of the podcast include:

• #15 Adrian Clunies-Ross

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.

Sharon Mascall-Dare interviews Timor and Afghanistan veteran Graham Goodwin.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Brigadier Graham Goodwin CSC is currently the commander of 9th Brigade Australian Army. As a Reservist, Graham has had a significant career in the ADF and South Australia Police, including deployments to Timor and Afghanistan, and serving in recent domestic operations in response to bushfires and COVID-19.

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 Australian Army veteran Peter Watt.

Life on the Line tracks down Australian military veterans and records their stories. Peter Watt enlisted during the Vietnam War. He has been a soldier, articled clerk to a solicitor, prawn trawler deckhand, builder's labourer, pipe layer, real estate salesman, private investigator, police sergeant and adviser to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. Today, he is a volunteer firefighter with the Rural Fire Service and an author. His new novel, CALL OF EMPIRE, is out now in print, audiobook and ebook, and Alex is Peter’s publisher at Pan Macmillan.

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.