NEW PODCAST EPISODE #50 — 'Men, you have ten minutes to live, and I will lead you'

Former Leader of the Opposition, Dr Brendan Nelson was Director of the Australian War Memorial from 2012-19. He is a master storyteller when it comes to heroic stories from military history.

Speakola podcast has hit 50 eps. Since April 2020, I’ve interviewed guests from Australia, USA, England, Scotland, Hong Kong, Myanmar and India, for 131,419 downloads, at an average of 2,682 per episode. It’s free to listen and likely to remain free to listen, but I’d love you to support me making it. This fiftieth episode is beautiful. The song at the end of my final outro — Private Kenny Gant singing his version of Danny Boy, recorded for his mother the day before he was deployed to Vietnam, broke me in two. I was weeping into my computer keyboard the first time I heard it, after Brendan shared the story in the interview.

How did I get Dr Nelson? Well I was chatting to the comedian Anthony ‘Lehmo’ Lehmann recently, and Lehmo said some words which I always like to here — ‘I know who you should get on the podcast’. He then told me the story of what he called, ‘the greatest speech I’ve ever seen live’. in 2015, he was MC of a charity gala for the Solider On organisation in Canberra, and when it came time for the auction, the auctioneer began his spiel about the next item, a high quality print of George Lambert’s painting of the August 1915 charge at the Nek. ‘The auctioneer I think asked for a first bid in the $1000 range.’

Sensing a potential travesty, Brendan Nelson jumped to his feet and approached the stage. ‘I think people need to know what they’re bidding for here’.

‘A few minutes later, there was barely a dry eye in the house, and the first bid on the print I think was $40,000,’ Lehmo says. ‘There was a twist in relation to the frame on that print that was particularly memorable.’

I loved Lehmo’s way of recalling the night, so I’ve broken from the usual format of a one-on-one interview with the speaker or historian. Instead, Lehmo and I both sat in for the remote chat with Brendan Nelson.

I invariably enthuse about my guests, but this really is one of the best Speakola episodes. Dr Nelson tells the story of the Nek, and has such a mastery of rhythm and tone. The feature speech excerpts from his John Howard oration in 2021, and his sharing of the five relics or artefacts in the Australian War Memorial that are most meaningful for him.

Thanks to Speakola supporter Ted Baillieu for helping me get in touch with Dr Nelson. Mr Baillieu’s episode on this podcast is wonderful too.

A great one to start with if you’ve never sampled Speakola podcast.

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If you want to support me, Speakola doesn’t have a sponsor or anyone else helping with the website, the podcast or this newsletter. I’m a one person bundle of speech enthusiasm! It’d be nice to have a few more ‘payers’ on here, or on Patreon. or one off donors.

Big thanks to those who do already.

Best wishes

Tony