Through Their Eyes

What would you do if saving someone else meant risking your own life? These are the stories of people who chose to run towards the danger. Meet the ordinary Australians who made impossible choices in extraordinary circumstances: carrying strangers to safety under fire, treating the wounded as bombs fell, surviving a massacre, and continuing to care for others while imprisoned. Some became famous. Others were almost forgotten. None knew how their story would end. So, what makes an ordinary person do something extraordinary? And in the moment that it matters, could any of us be a hero? Stories: 00:00-00:43 – Content warning 00:43-02:09 – Risking their lives to save others 02:09-10:53 – Simpson and his donkey: the making of a legend 10:53-21:20 – Snowy Atherton: carrying the wounded under fire 21:20 – 31:39 – Ernie Corey: four medals for saving lives 31:39-48:20 – Alice Ross-King: nursing as the bombs fell 48:20-58:46 – Vivian Bullwinkel: massacre, captivity and survival 58:46-1:05:15 – What makes someone run toward danger? Show notes: Want to explore more? Discover the stories, articles, collection items and personal records featured in this episode at https://wm.awm.gov.au/podcast/medics If this episode raises difficult feelings, support is available: Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au  Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au  Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling: 1800 011 046 or openarms.gov.au Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au

Twenty-five years after 9/11, what has been the lasting impact of Australia's involvement in Afghanistan? Hear from Australian soldiers patrolling the valleys of Afghanistan, a veteran who lost his leg and his mate to an IED explosion, a diplomat who returned as the Taliban took control of Kabul, and an Afghan-Australian woman reflecting on what changed for her country. Together, their stories reveal the human impact of Australia's longest war, and how its effects are still being felt today. Stories: 00:00–00:49 – Content warning 00:49–04:25 – Australia's war in Afghanistan 04:25–17:29 – Patrolling the valley with OMLT-3 17:29–26:42 – Fred Smith: diplomacy, music and life in Afghanistan 26:42–29:53 – Dust of Uruzgan: the story of Paul Warren and Ben Ranaudo 29:53–39:49 – Paul Warren: an IED, the loss of a mate and life after Afghanistan 39:49–48:21 – Fred Smith: leaving Afghanistan and the fall of Kabul 48:21–57:12 – Farkhondeh Akbari: Afghanistan before and after the Taliban's return 57:19–1:05:21 – Garth Callender: coming home and the lasting impact of service Stories: Want to go deeper into the stories featured in this episode? Discover the people and histories behind these accounts, including collection items and personal records from the AWM by exploring the full episode online: https://wm.awm.gov.au/podcast/afghanistan  Attend the National Commemorative Service marking 25 years of Australian service in Afghanistan: https://www.awm.gov.au/commemorate/afghan25 Listen to Fred Smith's album and explore his two memoirs about Afghanistan: www.fredsmith.com.au Visit the War in Afghanistan gallery: https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/galleries/anzac-hall Support veterans through Bravery Trek's Dusk till Dawn challenge: https://braverytrek.com.au/dusktilldawn If this episode raises difficult feelings, support is available: Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling: 1800 011 046 or openarms.gov.au Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au

What does it mean to fight for a country that doesn't yet recognise you as an equal? Across generations and conflicts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians fought, flew, led and broke barriers, building a remarkable legacy of service. Hear the stories of Reg Saunders, Len Waters, John Burns and Aunty Lorraine Hatton OAM as they and their families reflect on courage, identity and belonging in uniform. Discover the barriers they overcame, the opportunities service created, and how their legacy paved the way for generations to follow. Stories: 00:00-00:43 – Content warning 00:43-03:02 – Why answer the call? 03:02-08:49 – Fighting to serve: Michael Bell 08:49-23:47 – Len Waters: a dream of flying 23:47-32:41 – Reg Saunders: serving Country 32:41-45:14 – John Burns: equality in uniform 45:14-55:15 – Lorraine Hatton: carrying the legacy forward 55:15-56:35 – A legacy of service Show notes: Want to go deeper into the stories featured in this episode? Discover the people, voices and histories behind these stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander military service, including oral histories, personal records and collection material from the AWM: https://wm.awm.gov.au/podcast/serving-country If this episode raises difficult feelings, support is available: Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling: 1800 011 046 or openarms.gov.au Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au  

Australia's Frontier Wars were fought across the continent over land, sovereignty and survival. Their legacy remains deeply personal, raising difficult questions about how we understand our past and what it means for Australia today. Hear former Prime Minister the Hon. Tony Abbott, historian Professor Henry Reynolds and filmmaker Rachel Perkins bring different perspectives to this complex history. What made these conflicts a war? How should they be remembered? And what can understanding this complicated past mean for our shared future? Stories: 00.00-00:45 – Content warning 00:45-03:55 – Australia's Frontier Wars and the questions at the heart of the conversation 03:55-12:11 – Garth O'Connell: identity, family history and truth-telling as a Gomeroi man and veteran 12:11-57:16 – Rachel Perkins, Tony Abbott and Henry Reynolds discuss the Frontier Wars 57-16-59.15 – The Frontier Wars at the Australian War Memorial 59.15-01:01:22 – Coming next: Serving Country Want to go deeper into the history and ideas explored in this episode? Attend the conference: Imperialism and Resistance Read Professor Henry Reynolds' The Other Side of the Frontier. Read Professor Henry Reynolds' Whispering in Our Hearts. Read Henry Reynolds and Nicholas Clements' Tongerlongeter: First Nations Leader and Tasmanian War Hero. Watch Rachel Perkin's The Australian Wars Read the Hon. Tony Abbott's Australia: A History. Explore the full episode online: https://wm.awm.gov.au/podcast/frontier-wars 

Some acts of courage are remembered for generations. Others quietly fade from history. This episode explores the stories of Australia's unsung heroes. From the brutal fighting at Buna-Gona to a desperate charge against a First World War machine-gun post, and a daughter's search to uncover her father's hidden wartime service, discover the remarkable people whose courage never became part of our national story. Featuring historians, family members and oral histories from the Australian War Memorial's collection, this episode explores why some heroes become legends while others are almost forgotten. Stories: 00:00-00:46 – Content warning 00:46-03:05 – Hugh Dalby: the brutal reality of Gona 03:05- 07:09 – Arthur Matthews: courage lost to history 07:09-12:06 – Gideon Grieve: bravery against the odds 12:06- 22:33 – Hugh Dalby: fighting at Buna-Gona and Sanananda 22:33-27:39 – Norman Marshall: an overlooked decorated commander 27:39-38:36 – Donald Graham Healey: discovering a father's service  Show notes: Want to go deeper into the stories featured in this episode? Discover the people, objects, voices and histories behind these accounts, including collection items and personal records from the Australian War Memorial. Explore the full episode online: https://wm.awm.gov.au/podcast/unsung-heroes If this episode raises difficult feelings, support is available: Lifeline (24/7 crisis support): 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling: 1800 011 046 or openarms.gov.au Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467 or suicidecallbackservice.org.au