Up Close: Conversations with Modern Veterans

The Australian War Memorial and LiSTNR have partnered to create the new podcast, Up Close – Conversations with Modern Veterans, sharing real and raw conversations with Australian Defense Force veterans.

The veteran experience is a unique one few of us will ever truly understand. In the podcast, Walkley Award-winning investigative journalist Adam Shand will help shed light on the reality of life for ADF members.

Throughout the series Shand uncovers the driving factors that lead young people to enlist in the first place, the rigorous training, the highs and lows of military life and what life looks like after the uniform comes off.

Across the six episodes Shand interviews:

• Fred Campbell OAM, former Royal Australian Navy Warrant Officer
• Aunty Lorraine Hatton OAM, Quandamooka Elder of the Noonuccal and Ngughi tribes in South-East Queensland and Indigenous Elder for the Australian Army
• David Nicolson, former Australian Army Trooper
• Dr Kim Morgan-Short, a former Royal Australian Air Force Reservist and a Director at the War Widows Guild, Queensland

Australian War Memorial Director, Matt Anderson, said: “Up Close is, as the name suggests, a way for Australians to understand what it means to join and work in the military. They are our veterans’ stories, in their words, up close and personal.”

“The podcast allows us to gain a strong appreciation of the very human aspect of our Australian Defence Force. Listeners will hear, through raw conversations, the real stories, challenges, and rewards of military life.”

“It has never been more important for Australians to have a variety of ways to connect with our military history, in addition to visiting the Memorial in person. Podcasts enable us to reach and engage with people all over Australia and the world.”

Adam Shand said: “Making Up Close: Conversations with Modern Veterans was a privilege and a pleasure. It helped me to understand what it means to put yourself in harm’s way for our country.”

“It also brought home how our modern veterans fit their military service into their lives, how their skills and training equip them for leaving the uniform. Our interviewees are, in one sense, always veterans and stay connected to the military and their call to service.”

SCA General Manager, Digital Audio, Grant Tothill, said: “This podcast is a powerful and compelling way for the Australian War Memorial to tell stories of veterans and serving military personnel that all Australians need to hear. This podcast will ensure the Memorial has its stories heard far and wide with our growing LiSTNR audience.”

Up Close: Conversations with Modern Veterans, will have six episodes and is available on LiSTNR and on the Memorial website https://www.awm.gov.au/learn/podcasts