Podcast: Stories of Survival and Strength

As 2017 comes to a close, we’re getting nostalgic. Our podcasts have tackled myriad topics – from global politics to ways of telling stories to personal triumphs and tragedies. In this list we have collected the stories of survival and strength that resonated for weeks after listening.

Anne Tonner divulges the insidiousness of her daughter’s battle with anorexia; Ben McKelvey and Eddie Robertson pay tribute to the sacrificial bravery of Corporal Cameron Baird; and Louisa Hope provides a two-part, harrowing account of the infamous Lindt Cafe siege, moment by moment. 

Anne Tonner 

Cold Vein by Anne Tonner is a memoir about her daughter’s battle with anorexia. Anne and her family throw everything they have at helping Chloe face the ‘demon’ they name ‘cold vein’. It won the 2017 Finch Memoir Prize Winner.

In this podcast, she reveals the torturous, seemingly incurable, and frequently misunderstood life living with a family member suffering from anorexia.

Duration: 29 mins

Ben McKelvey & Eddie Robertson

On 22 June 2013, Corporal Cameron Baird was a 2nd Commando Regiment Special Forces soldier when he led his platoon into a known Taliban stronghold to back-up another Australian unit under heavy fire. In the pronged firefight, Cameron was mortally wounded.

In 2014, Cameron’s bravery and courage under fire saw him posthumously awarded the 100th Victoria Cross, our highest award possible for bravery in the presence of the enemy. Cameron Baird died how he lived – at the front, giving it his all, without any indecision. He will forever be remembered by his mates and the soldiers he served with in the 2nd Commando Regiment.

The Commando reveals Cameron’s life, from young boy and aspiring AFL player, who only missed out on being drafted because of injury, to exemplary soldier and leader. Cameron’s story and that of 4RAR and 2nd Commando personifies the courage and character of the men and women who go to war and will show us the good man we have lost.

Duration: 37 mins

Louisa Hope


Louisa Hope survived the Lindt Cafe siege in December 2014. Years later, she sat down with Cheryl Akle and relived the horrific siege, moment by moment. It’s a breathtaking account with unparalleled insight into the manic lone gunman Man Haron Monis, the unlikely heroes who rose to the tragedy, and the unfortunate deaths of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson.

Part 1 – Duration: 30 Mins

Part 2 – Duration: 27 mins