True Blue Conversations Podcast

G'day and welcome back to True Blue Conversations — where we share the stories
of those who've stood the line, served their country's communities, and carried the
weight of responsibility most will never truly understand. In this episode, we sit down
with Sue Osborn, whose career is anything but ordinary.
Sue spent 27 and a half years in the Australian Army, operating in some of the most
demanding environments you can imagine. She started as a Combat Medic,
spending 15 years at the pointy end—where decisions are immediate, the stakes are
life and death, and there's no room for hesitation.
She then made a hard pivot into a completely different battlefield, spending the next
12 and a half years as an Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle Operator—a drone pilot—working
in the evolving space of modern aviation warfare, where pressure doesn't disappear,
it just changes form.
Across her career, Sue deployed to the Solomon Islands, East Timor, and completed
two tours of Afghanistan. She's seen conflict up close, and from a distance—but
always with real consequences attached to every decision. What stands out about
Sue isn't just the length of her service, it's the range. She's operated on the ground,
under pressure, treating casualties… and later, from the air, where the responsibility
shifts but never gets lighter.
This is someone who understands what it means to perform when it matters—again
and again, over nearly three decades. But wait until the end when you hear what
she's doing now, this is a raw and honest chat about service and the toll that service
has both physically and mentally.
Presenter: Adam Blum
Guest: Sue Osborn
Editor: Kyle Watkins

G'day and welcome back to True Blue Conversations — where we share the stories
of those who've stood the line, served their communities, and carried the weight of
responsibility most will never truly understand.
Today's guest represents something rare — not just service, but endurance at the
highest level. Forty-eight years in policing. Nearly five decades of showing up, day in
and day out, through the good, the bad, and everything in between.
Joining us is Superintendent (Retired) Geoff Stewart of the Western Australian Police
— a man who built a career on leadership, resilience, and an unwavering
commitment to the job and the people beside him.
From walking the beat in the early days to making the tough calls at senior
command, he's seen policing evolve, faced moments that test character, and led
from the front when it mattered most.
This is more than a career — it's a lifetime of service. A story of mateship, pressure,
sacrifice, and what it truly means to wear the badge for nearly half a century.
So, settle in — because this is True Blue Conversations, and today, you're hearing
from a man who's given 48 years to the job, and has the stories to prove it. This is a
raw and honest chat about how much policing has changed from the late 1970s to
the modern day.
Presenter: Adam Blum
Guest: Geoff Stewart
Editor: Kyle Watkins

G'day and welcome back to True Blue Conversations—where we sit down with the people who've served, sacrificed, and continue to give back long after the uniform comes off.
Today's guest is a man who has taken a life of service and turned it into something
truly special. Barry Randall is a current serving Victoria Police Officer with over 32
years of service, having seen the job from the frontline. Barry knows exactly what it
means to carry the weight that comes with it—the pressure, the trauma, and the
quiet battles that follow you home.
But instead of walking away from it, Barry leaned in.
He's the driving force behind the program Operation Soul Surf
—a grassroots movement using the power of the ocean to help veterans, first
responders, and anyone doing it tough find a bit of peace again. It's about saltwater
therapy, connection, and reminding people they're not alone.
This is a chat about service beyond the badge, about healing, and about finding
purpose in helping others stand back up. Last year, in 2025, Barry won the Rotary
Emergency Services Officer of the Year award. This is a raw and honest chat about
serving on the frontline and the cost of protecting the community.
Barry, welcome to True Blue Conversations.
Presenter: Adam Blum
Guest: Barry Randall
Editor: Kyle Watkins

Service doesn't end when you hang up the uniform—it evolves. And for some, the
next mission becomes even more personal.
Today on True Blue Conversations, we sit down with Jared Purcell—Australian Army
veteran, former 2RAR soldier, and the voice behind the Broken Fathers podcast.
Jared has lived the highs and the hardships of military life, but it's what came after
service that shaped his next chapter. Through Broken Fathers, he has created a
space for raw, honest conversations about fatherhood, identity, struggle, and
rebuilding—topics that often go unaddressed but matter more than most.
In this episode, we dive into Jared's time in 2RAR, the experiences that defined his
service, and the transition out of the military. We explore the challenges of finding
purpose beyond the uniform, the realities of fatherhood, and why telling the hard
stories can be the most important mission of all.
This is a conversation about resilience, responsibility, and redefining what it means
to show up—not just as a veteran, but as a man and a father. It's a raw and powerful
honest chat.
This is True Blue Conversations—let's get into it.
Presenter: Adam Blum
Guest: Jared Purcell
Editor: Kyle Watkins

Welcome back to True Blue Conversations, where we sit down with those who've
lived extraordinary lives in service, leadership, and beyond.
Today's guest is someone who has quite literally operated at the edge of human
performance. Mandy Hickson is a former Royal Air Force fast jet pilot who flew the
Tornado GR4 on combat and operational missions around the world. In an
environment where precision, resilience, and split-second decision-making can mean
the difference between success and failure, Mandy carved out a career in one of the
most demanding roles in military aviation.
Since leaving the RAF, she's become a highly sought-after keynote speaker and
author, sharing powerful insights into leadership, teamwork, and performing under
pressure—lessons forged at 40,000 feet and in some of the most high-stakes
situations imaginable.
In this episode, we dive into Mandy's journey into the RAF, what it takes to fly fast
jets in combat, the realities behind the cockpit, and how those experiences translate
into leadership and life beyond the military.
This is a conversation about courage, discipline, and thriving in high-performance
environments.
Presenter: Adam Blum
Guest: Mandy Hickson
Editor: Kyle Watkins