Voices

One of the scariest moments Tim Thomas shares happens far from a battlefield: sitting in a psychologist’s office, flooded with rage, he realises how close pain and isolation can push a person to the edge. That story sets the tone for a raw, practical conversation about veteran mental health, PTSD recovery, and what actually helps when talk alone isn’t getting through.  We talk with Tim, an ex-Spec...

Cultural Warning: This episode contains the name of an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person who has passed away. A rare infection. A Brisbane family tragedy. A young researcher who refuses to stop asking “why”. We’re joined by Kirby Patterson-Fahy, a 23-year-old medical student and emerging scientist at Gallipoli Medical Research, whose path into medicine begins with her sister Anastasi...

A Victoria Cross can change your life in a second, but it can also follow you for the rest of it. We sit down with Mark Donaldson VC, a highly decorated Australian Defence Force soldier, to talk about what sits behind the public story: the pressure of representing a 150-plus-year legacy, the mates who were there too, and the messy reality that bravery is often a series of small decisions made whil...

You can’t unhear the words “metastatic melanoma,” especially when you’re alone at home and your kids are at school. Paula Ebrington takes us back to that phone call, the moment her body reacts before her mind can even catch up, and the long six-month road that finally ends with a stage 4C diagnosis. What follows is the part most people never see: telling two boys the truth, holding their questions...

Note: Since the time of recording the conversation with this week’s guest Gwen Cherne, she has been awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) on Australia Day 2026 and Annabelle Wilson has succeeded Gwen as the Veteran Family Advocate Commissioner.   Trigger Warning: This episode discusses suicide and may not be suitable for all listeners at this time. Please circle back for the next convers...