A New Series
The Defence JRNY
What happens after the uniform comes off. A separate series on service, mateship and the part nobody briefs you on: working out who you are once you are a civilian again.
Why Paul is making this one
Paul Cohalan trained as a marine technician in the Royal Australian Navy. A motorbike accident ended it and he was medically discharged, which meant the career he had committed to was simply gone. He has said on the show that he got out early, partly because of how hard he and the people around him were going at the time.
He also talks about something a lot of veterans will recognise: plenty of people join to get away from something at home, and what they find instead is a tight community. Then that community scatters, and everyone has to work out the next part on their own.
The Defence JRNY starts with the group he lived with when he first came to Western Australia. Same questions the main show asks about roadblocks, risks and resilience, with people who have all served.
What to expect
Long, unhurried conversations rather than war stories. Full transcripts on every episode, the same as the main series. And where an episode covers hard ground, support information sits right on the page.
If you or someone you know needs support now, Open Arms provides free and confidential counselling to Australian veterans and their families on 1800 011 046, and Lifeline is on 13 11 14. Both are available 24 hours a day.