True Blue Conversations Podcast

Inspired by the people and events that have shaped Australian history and character, with his authentically Australian down to earth approach, Adam Blum explores and shares their stories. Learn how in the past and more recently, service, sacrifice and grit have and continue to play a central role in Australia's True Blue History.

True Blue Conversations - Director of the Australian War Memorial Matt Anderson PSM 04/24/2024

True Blue Conversations - A Woman of Force Deborah Wallace Detective Superintendent (Ret) - Part 2 04/15/2024

True Blue Conversations - A Woman of Force Deborah Wallace Detective Superintendent (Ret) 04/08/2024

True Blue Conversations - Johanna Griggs AM TV Personality / Former Commonwealth Games Swimmer 03/18/2024

True Blue Conversations - Former NSW Undercover & Tactical Police Officer Andrew “Panda” MacFarlane 03/05/2024

True Blue Conversations - Michael “Slatt’s” Slattery 2nd Commando Regiment Combat Medic 02/26/2024

True Blue Conversations - Matthew Connelly Cavanagh 02/05/2024

True Blue Conversations - NSW Police & Fire Rescue NSW Firefighter Veteran Mitch Parker 01/22/2024

True Blue Conversations - Australian Army Photographer Veteran Rachel Ingram Part 2 01/08/2024

True Blue Conversations - Australian Army Photographer Veteran Rachel Ingram Part 1 12/26/2023

True Blue Conversations - Australian Special Forces 2nd Commando Regiment/ Police Veteran : The Tip of the Spear 12/12/2023

True Blue Conversations - WA Police Officer Stephanie Bochorsky 11/27/2023

True Blue Conversations - WA Police Officer Stephanie Bochorsky On this week’s podcast I speak with Western Australian Police Officer / Army veteran Senior Constable Stephanie Bochorsky SC, who had a willingness to serve and her dream was to join the police from a young age. This dream was achieved in 2008 when Stephanie was accepted into the WA Police academy, Steph had to overcome adversity and also sat the police entrance exam on the day her Mother passed away. All of her training could not prepare her for what she would face In the early morning of 28 August 2015, Senior Constable (then First Class Constable) Stephanie Bochorsky rescued two young children who had been covered with fuel and set alight at a house in Doubleview, Western Australia. At approximately 12:30am, Constable Bochorsky was off-duty and at home when she heard a female neighbour screaming in the street. She opened her door and saw a woman in her dressing gown. Steph yelled out to her if she needed help to which she responded, “He’s setting my kids on fire”. Constable Bochorsky immediately left her own home and approached the property. As she entered the home, she smelt a strong odour of petrol. She made her way to a bedroom and on entering the room. She was confronted with a 3 year old child standing in her cot with her head engulfed in flames. Constable Bochorsky grabbed a nearby blanket and began to extinguish the flames on the small child. After extinguishing the flames, Steph felt a presence behind her within the room, as she turned around, Steph saw a naked man standing next to a small bed - the father of the children - armed with a fuel can. He was in the process of pouring petrol onto the second child who was lying in bed. Despite the presence of the violent man, the offender continued to pour petrol onto the young girl's face who was struggling to breathe. Constable Bochorsky, without regard for her own safety, removed the young child from the cot and grabbed the girl from the bed and quickly left the house. She took the youngest girl to her own home where she placed the child in the bathtub and began to administer first aid to the child's burns. By her actions, Senior Constable Bochorsky displayed conspicuous courage, For her Actions on that night Steph was awarded the Inaugural National Police Bravery Award, the Commissioner's Award for Bravery and in 2019 Steph was awarded the Star of Courage. Steph is now studying to be a psychologist. /episode/index/show/truebluehistory/id/28801698

True Blue Conversations - Damien Thomlinson 2nd Commando Veteran 11/13/2023

True Blue Conversations - Jordan Mccallum 4RAR Commando / SASR Veteran 11/07/2023

True Blue Conversations - Jordan Mccallum 4RAR Commando / SASR Veteran On this week’s podcast we speak with former 4RAR Commando / SASR Veteran Jordan McCallum. Jordan served 19 years within the Australian Army, starting as an infantryman and first deploying to East Timor in 2003 with the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment. Shortly after returning he passed the Special Forces (SF) barrier test for 2nd Commando Regiment (originally 4RAR) getting his first taste of SF. Jordan spent six years at the 2nd Commando Regt (2 Cdo) and deployed twice to Afghanistan within Special Operations Task Group (SOTG). Both trips were life changing for Jordan in many ways and only grew his appetite for Special Operations. He also served two rotations of TAG-East on Domestic Counter Terrorism Duties (DCT). During this time, he conducted numerous Personal Security Detachments (PSD) to the Middle East providing protection for the Minister for Defence, CJOPS, and CDF. This experience gained was pivotal, and his time spent at 2Cdo was cherished, and it was extremely hard to leave the unit behind in 2009. In 2009, Jordan attempted and passed the elite Special Air Service Regiments (SASR) Selection Course and was chosen to begin training. Over the following 18 months he qualified to become a member of the elite SASR, earning his Sandy Beret. He spent 6 years within the unit, deploying another two times to Afghanistan and another rotation within DCT, this time within TAG-West. Jordan’s time serving within the SASR was unfortunately, cut short due to burnout and physical injuries. It was at this point that was the hardest decision to date to leave the SASR after so much blood, sweat and tears. Jordan spent two years posted to the 16th Royal Western Australian Regiment (RWAR) on a low tempo posting, teaching Army Reserves basic soldering skills and running short courses for their development. His final three years within Defence was with the 1st Intelligence Battalion involved within some specialist roles. This is where he discharged in 2020 Presenter: Adam Blum Guest: Jordan McCallum Editor: Kyle Watkins Investigative Consultant: Adam Holloway /episode/index/show/truebluehistory/id/28542089

True Blue Conversations - Sonya Leeding Blue Widow 10/16/2023

True Blue Conversations - Sonya Leeding Blue Widow On this week's episode we speak with current serving Queensland Police Officer (QPS) Detective Senior Constable / Author Sonya Leeding, Born in New Zealand, Sonya relocated to Australia with her parents and three siblings in 1987. Sonya grew up in Logan and relocated to the Gold Coast in 2001. After completing a double degree, a Bachelor of Arts in Justice Studies and a Bachelor of Laws Sonya practiced law for a short time and found her true passion in policing in 2003. She has been a Queensland Police Officer ever since, working at Southport, Runaway Bay, and eventually finding her passion, and fulfilling a lifelong dream becoming a detective with the Child Protection and Investigation Unit. Sonya was widowed at 32 years old and has had to adjust to life on her own, as a single mother since. Losing her husband Police Officer Damian Leeding who was killed in 2011 trying to stop an armed hold up at the Pacific Pines Tavern has taught Sonya many valuable lessons, but most importantly has allowed her resilience to shine through, which is also evident in her work in the Child Protection Unit. Sonya’s debut book, ‘Blue Widow’ is the journey of how she navigated life as a police officer after love and loss. It is a journey of resilience and the discovery that trusting in yourself can be the very thing that saves you. This story will introduce you to the humans behind the badge. When Sonya is not protecting vulnerable victim’s, you will find her in mum mode with her two children Hudson and Grace. Sonya has a passion for baking, it soothes her soul. Sonya’s downtime is spent at her local F45 gym or out walking with Labradoodles Elliot and Amalie. Sonya is also a keen camper and with the assistance of her 1968 Viscount vintage caravan, ‘Felicia’ manages to find peace and quiet at new locations around Southeast Queensland. Presenter: Adam Blum Guest: Sonya Leeding Editor: Kyle Watkins Investigative Consultant: Adam Holloway /episode/index/show/truebluehistory/id/28325210

True Blue Conversations - 2 x Olympian Kayaker & QFS Firefighter Aly Bull 10/02/2023

True Blue Conversations - RAAF Wing Commander (Ret’d) Sharon Bown 09/18/2023

True Blue Conversations - Liz McConaghy RAF Chinook Crew Chick 09/05/2023

True Blue Conversations - Liz McConaghy RAF Chinook Crew Chick On this week’s podcast we speak with RAF Chinook Aircrewman Liz McConaghy. Liz grew up in a small country town and at 17 joined the RAF, to follow her dream of becoming a chinook Aircrewman serving for 17 years a job she loved. At 21 Liz was the youngest aircrew member to deploy to Iraq and was the only female ‘crewman’ on the Chinook wing for four years. Liz completed another deployment to Iraq and would deploy 10 times to Helmand province in Afghanistan in support of the enduring Operation Herrick Campaign. Liz’s inspiringly honest story reveals the highs and lows that she witnessed at war, and the cost that came with both, physically and mentally for those involved. During her deployments, she survived not only a near fatal wire strike onboard her CH47, but numerous emery fire ‘Contacts’ defending her crew by returning fire from both the M134 ‘Minigun’ and M60 weapons entrusted to her to operate. Liz’sgreatest honour of all her duties was serving on the Medical Emergency Response Team or “MERT”, flying ambulance as it was commonly known. This involved recovering wounded soldiers from the battlefield, often under fire, and witnessing them both die and come back to life at her feet in the cabin of her Chinook. Liz saw Camp bastion grow from a barbed wire fence surrounding an area of tents in the sand to a huge Operating Base it became. Very few Chinook crew members if any spanned the length of time as Liz did. After all these years of seeing trauma and tragedy Liz battled her own war within and took her to the point of suicide once she had left the service, her survival from both the battles in foreign lands and in her own head led her to tell her story publishing her book Chinook Crew “Chick” published in 2022 in the hope she can help others win their wars. Presenter: Adam Blum Guest: Liz McConaghy Editor: Kyle Watkins Investigative Consultant: Adam Holloway /episode/index/show/truebluehistory/id/27943692

True Blue Conversations - Former Special Forces Operator Warrant Officer Ant Plater 08/21/2023

True Blue Conversations - Cameron Hardiman former Victorian and AFP Police Officer Part 2 08/07/2023

True Blue Conversations - Cameron Hardiman former Victorian and AFP Police Officer Part 1 07/31/2023

True Blue Conversations - Nathan Tolman 3RAR/ 6RAR Veteran 07/18/2023

True Blue Conversations - James Koens Rescue Helicopter Crewman 07/06/2023

True Blue Conversations - Katarina Carroll QPS Commissioner 06/19/2023

True Blue Conversations - Katarina Carroll QPS Commissioner In this Weeks Podcast Adam sits down with QPS Commissioner Katarina Carroll APM was sworn in as the 20th Commissioner of the Queensland Police Service (QPS) on 8 July 2019 the first female in the state to be appointed. Commissioner Carroll is the Chair of the QPS Board of Management. During her policing career, which began in 1983, Commissioner Carroll worked in various roles including time in Criminal Investigation Branches, a Commission of Inquiry, the Joint Crime Task Force, and the covert unit. Such was the respect held for Commissioner Carroll, she was requested to be a member of the Queensland University of Technology School of Justice Advisory Panel. In 2012 she was made the Operations Commander for G20 planning in what is still Australia’s largest peacetime security operation. In December 2014, the then Assistant Commissioner Carroll was hand-picked by the government of the day to lead the newly formed Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES). As a transformational leader, Commissioner Carroll influenced the sector through her involvement as the Vice President on the Board of the Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) and a member of the AFAC Commissioners and Chief Officers Strategic Committee (CCOSC). At a national level, Commissioner Carroll was a member of the Australia-New Zealand Emergency Management Committee (ANZEMC), the Ministerial Council for Police and Emergency Management – Senior Official Group (MCPEM SOG), the National Risk Reduction Steering Committee and her key position as an assisting official on the Queensland Disaster Management Committee. Throughout her career, Commissioner Carroll has been the recipient of numerous international, national and state awards – including the Australian Police Medal. Notably, she was awarded the National Telstra Business Women’s Award for Government and Academia in 2015 and later that year named as one of the Australian Financial Review and Westpac’s “100 Women of Influence”. Presenter: Adam Blum Guest: Katarina Carroll Editor: Kyle Watkins Investigative Consultant: Adam Holloway /episode/index/show/truebluehistory/id/27197562

True Blue Conversations - Drugs, Guns, Lies QPS Police Veteran Author Keith Banks 06/05/2023

True Blue Conversations - Drugs, Guns, Lies QPS Police Veteran Author Keith Banks In this week’s Podcast Adam sits down Keith Banks, who is one of Queensland's most decorated police officers, a recipient of the Bravery Medal and twice awarded the prestigious Queensland Police Valour Award medal, among other honours. He is a passionate advocate for changing the way mental health is regarded, discussed, and supported. Keith is the bestselling author of two autobiographical books which document his experiences as a Queensland police officer, firstly as an undercover operative and then as a tactical special weapons cop. Keith joined the Police Force in 1975 and resigned in 1995. He joined as an idealistic seventeen-year-old and embarked on a career encompassing twenty years of deep undercover work, criminal investigation, special weapons, bomb disposal, counter-terrorism and criminal intelligence. When he resigned, he was emotionally broken and racked with Post Traumatic Stress. The job he loved had almost destroyed him. After resigning from the job, he loved Keith moved in the corporate world working in a variety of senior executive roles. In 2019 he was formally diagnosed with chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and took this as a positive, now knowing he had not been imagining his mental health struggle. Keith started writing about his police experiences as part of self-motivated therapy, hoping to give his family an understanding of his mental health challenges to help them comprehend the causes. His first book, Drugs Guns and Lies, was published by Allen and Unwin Publishing in 2020. This motivated Keith to write a second book, Gun to the Head, a raw account of his battle with PTSD and his recovery. Both books have quickly become best sellers. Keith’s aim is to help people build resilience and to recover. Keith is passionate about helping First Responders and Veterans dealing with PTSD and Mental health issues from their service. Keith is a volunteer peer support officer for Police Veterans Victoria and an advocate for similar organisations to be established throughout Australia. Keith is married with two children and a lifelong martial artist. He is also a Bruce Springsteen tragic. Presenter: Adam Blum Guest: Keith Banks Editor: Kyle Watkins Investigative Consultant: Adam Holloway /episode/index/show/truebluehistory/id/27044574

True Blue Conversations - Sarah Spicer Fire Rescue NSW 05/23/2023

True Blue Conversations - Royal Australian Navy Commander Sandy Coulson CSM Rtd Part 3 05/16/2023

True Blue Conversations - Royal Australian Navy Commander Sandy Coulson CSM Rtd Part 2 05/04/2023

True Blue Conversations - Royal Australian Navy Commander Sandy Coulson CSM Rtd 04/24/2023

True Blue Conversations - Rebecca Doyle Director of the Sir John Monash Centre 04/11/2023

True Blue Conversations Podcast

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