1
00:00:03,040 --> 00:00:07,440
Speaker 1: V W voluntary withdrawal from Essays Australia. You don't hear

2
00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:10,760
Speaker 1: those words too much, no, and especially from this man.

3
00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,400
Speaker 1: Last night there was a challenge, an obstacle course where

4
00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,279
Speaker 1: they had to go around and around and around, and

5
00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:21,160
Speaker 1: then they found out that they had to keep going

6
00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:22,520
Speaker 1: until someone pulled out.

7
00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:25,880
Speaker 2: Aaron Magnord pulled out it. She was in tears.

8
00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:32,000
Speaker 1: She was gone. Then the very next day the soldiers

9
00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:35,280
Speaker 1: woke up and they were asked how their bodies were feeling.

10
00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:37,159
Speaker 1: Shannon Pondon had to say.

11
00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:38,640
Speaker 3: This staff, I've decided to v W.

12
00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:43,840
Speaker 4: I'm seriously no no doing.

13
00:00:44,159 --> 00:00:46,960
Speaker 3: I am no listen the inability to work in the

14
00:00:46,960 --> 00:00:49,680
Speaker 3: cold again, and as we go into this course are

15
00:00:49,720 --> 00:00:51,440
Speaker 3: going to become more of a burden. I just can't

16
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,080
Speaker 3: work in the cold. And that's it. I'm out. I'm out.

17
00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:59,120
Speaker 1: They were shattered his teammates and he joins us now

18
00:00:59,200 --> 00:00:59,840
Speaker 1: Shann WelCom and.

19
00:01:01,360 --> 00:01:02,080
Speaker 3: Mining voice.

20
00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:04,760
Speaker 2: Well done your weapon, you put on a good show.

21
00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:05,759
Speaker 2: You fought hard.

22
00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:07,920
Speaker 3: She was a tough she was a tough old battle

23
00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:08,679
Speaker 3: with I'll see that.

24
00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:10,839
Speaker 2: You're in there and you did it, which is something

25
00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:14,440
Speaker 2: I will never ever do. Mate. Do you think you

26
00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:17,560
Speaker 2: were just so scarred from what happened that first time

27
00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:19,120
Speaker 2: when you became hypothermic.

28
00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,920
Speaker 3: Well, the first time I got the hypothermia, my body

29
00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:27,080
Speaker 3: called hm. But you went the thirty four degrees. It

30
00:01:27,240 --> 00:01:29,080
Speaker 3: sort of it takes a couple of hours to recover.

31
00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,280
Speaker 3: In the very next day we had to do that

32
00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:34,399
Speaker 3: droundproof and test, but we had our hand hand cup.

33
00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, stupid came.

34
00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,959
Speaker 3: Back again that day. Oh wow, I sort of hit

35
00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:41,440
Speaker 3: it and I was all right. I didn't really say

36
00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,040
Speaker 3: too much about it. And then on the last day

37
00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,520
Speaker 3: we did that commando course, which started with a walk

38
00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:50,240
Speaker 3: in the creek up to your neck four hundred meters

39
00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,120
Speaker 3: and the water is probably three or four degrees, i'd say,

40
00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:55,400
Speaker 3: And as soon as I went in, I could feel it.

41
00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:57,160
Speaker 3: Just don't to drain the energy. And the more we

42
00:01:57,200 --> 00:01:59,400
Speaker 3: did that course, because you just went around around the ground,

43
00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:01,760
Speaker 3: I could just the hypos me coming back even though

44
00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:05,760
Speaker 3: we were moving. And then started to black out walking

45
00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:07,120
Speaker 3: up the hill and I said, I'll get to the

46
00:02:07,120 --> 00:02:09,200
Speaker 3: top of VW and off it. I'll give this a

47
00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,640
Speaker 3: good have a good think about it, because it comes

48
00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,280
Speaker 3: so farm and puts so much into it.

49
00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:16,680
Speaker 5: Yes, and slept on it overnight and woke up in

50
00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:20,320
Speaker 5: the morning and going into interrogation, you're in groups are three,

51
00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,160
Speaker 5: teams are three, and they basically just go in with

52
00:02:23,240 --> 00:02:26,919
Speaker 5: the intent of breaking you. And I didn't want to

53
00:02:26,919 --> 00:02:28,919
Speaker 5: go into that final thing just knowing they're going to

54
00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:30,080
Speaker 5: make it. They're going to freeze them.

55
00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:32,320
Speaker 3: I guarantee they're going to freeze it. Yeah, and I

56
00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,080
Speaker 3: would be the link that could cost one other teammates their.

57
00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:39,160
Speaker 4: Place on course, true, Sean, can I ask last night

58
00:02:39,160 --> 00:02:43,600
Speaker 4: when you guys were doing that that lovestickle course and

59
00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:48,360
Speaker 4: Aaron sobbing and she's fallen behind and they're screaming at her.

60
00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:50,720
Speaker 4: You know, you're letting the team down. Take off your number,

61
00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:53,560
Speaker 4: hand is your number, and she's not doing it, and

62
00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:57,800
Speaker 4: you're also obviously feeling the pain, but you're not. Why

63
00:02:58,240 --> 00:03:00,480
Speaker 4: Why weren't either of you handing in your number? What's

64
00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:02,720
Speaker 4: going through your brain that just makes you think, no,

65
00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:05,000
Speaker 4: I really can't do it now when you when you're

66
00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,639
Speaker 4: clearly feeling it physically and emotionally.

67
00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:10,440
Speaker 3: I think it's just that crazy thing that makes you

68
00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:11,920
Speaker 3: want to do it in the first place. You know,

69
00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,080
Speaker 3: there's no prize money at the end, there's nothing extra

70
00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:16,240
Speaker 3: but there's just that thing that for me, I just

71
00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:18,080
Speaker 3: wanted to find my limit. I wanted to find what

72
00:03:18,120 --> 00:03:21,640
Speaker 3: that point was. And I think the same for Aeron.

73
00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,919
Speaker 3: You know, we we were oblivious in somewhat as to

74
00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:27,359
Speaker 3: what was going on with it because we just were

75
00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:29,880
Speaker 3: on our own little path. But I mean, at no

76
00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,960
Speaker 3: stays wore any one of us got a handy number,

77
00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:34,920
Speaker 3: and she was so stony, and you know, if we

78
00:03:34,960 --> 00:03:36,880
Speaker 3: had to keep going, we had to keep going because see,

79
00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:40,120
Speaker 3: nobody was sort of even looking aside was at what

80
00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:42,880
Speaker 3: was going on with her there, and that was her journey,

81
00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:44,960
Speaker 3: and then I would never want to have any impact

82
00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:48,600
Speaker 3: on her decision making. Had those days anyone, you know,

83
00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:50,960
Speaker 3: I hand it in learning because it was that's on

84
00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:53,400
Speaker 3: a whole different level. By this stage of the competition.

85
00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,080
Speaker 1: You could tell in your eyes, I mean, you're you're

86
00:03:57,080 --> 00:03:59,640
Speaker 1: a bloke that's been through quite a bit in your life,

87
00:03:59,720 --> 00:04:02,400
Speaker 1: and in your eyes, your head's telling you I'm not

88
00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:04,880
Speaker 1: giving up. But then your could tell your body you

89
00:04:04,920 --> 00:04:07,200
Speaker 1: had your arms down by your side, you couldn't even

90
00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,840
Speaker 1: raise your arms, Shannon, that your body just wasn't working.

91
00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:15,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, it was exactly that picture. You would have experienced

92
00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:17,800
Speaker 3: him footy before. When you hit the wall, you don't

93
00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:19,919
Speaker 3: have enough energy, enough carbs and that sort of stuff

94
00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:22,599
Speaker 3: to actually continue on. But it was like that with

95
00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:24,200
Speaker 3: the cult of just sap the energy and I was,

96
00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,599
Speaker 3: come on you, Angie ol basket, get your leads up

97
00:04:26,640 --> 00:04:30,920
Speaker 3: over if you done works before in your life. Rick

98
00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:32,960
Speaker 3: was just sort of being shut down mode and it

99
00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:35,679
Speaker 3: just would not go. I mean I was I wasn't

100
00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,279
Speaker 3: far behind American the boys, but for me the day

101
00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,000
Speaker 3: before we've done the sled pool America and I were

102
00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,200
Speaker 3: that far in front of Badge and James, do you

103
00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:47,359
Speaker 3: know what I mean? Yeah, which was sort of in

104
00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:49,880
Speaker 3: a different environment and I was so frustrated.

105
00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:51,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, well you know what, Shan And when we talk

106
00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,600
Speaker 2: about why you went on the show mate and you know,

107
00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:59,159
Speaker 2: your dad represented Australia in Vietnam, and you know he'd

108
00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:00,839
Speaker 2: be proud, mate, He's got to be proud.

109
00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:03,240
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he would be. That was one of

110
00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:06,600
Speaker 3: my massive motivating factors. He's a proud Vietnam veton. You know,

111
00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:09,960
Speaker 3: growing up as a son of someone that served actively,

112
00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:12,880
Speaker 3: it's a different upbringing than everybody else has, whether they're

113
00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:14,560
Speaker 3: going to get admitted or not. You know, things are

114
00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:18,240
Speaker 3: a little bit tougher, a little bit harder, and things

115
00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:19,960
Speaker 3: whilst I was on the course started to make a

116
00:05:19,960 --> 00:05:22,080
Speaker 3: lot of sense to me in hindsight as a forty

117
00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:24,479
Speaker 3: seven year old man now with my own kids, as

118
00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,400
Speaker 3: to the way that I was raised, and it was

119
00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:29,760
Speaker 3: it was nice in a way to sort of almost

120
00:05:29,760 --> 00:05:32,440
Speaker 3: pay homoge today to say listen, mate, well I have

121
00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:35,800
Speaker 3: a better understanding now not only you, but all our

122
00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,320
Speaker 3: president and pastor sense forces went through and the impact

123
00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:40,280
Speaker 3: that that then has on day to day life.

124
00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,000
Speaker 1: Afterwards, he just quickly have you had a beer with

125
00:05:43,080 --> 00:05:45,960
Speaker 1: the staff since you've come out of the show. Have

126
00:05:46,040 --> 00:05:49,279
Speaker 1: you got to because everyone sees these boys like just

127
00:05:49,360 --> 00:05:52,200
Speaker 1: so yeah, yelling at you the whole time. Have you

128
00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:53,919
Speaker 1: had a chance just to sit down and have a

129
00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:54,840
Speaker 1: beer with these lads?

130
00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:57,000
Speaker 3: Mate? We can never be once once you've e w

131
00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:02,520
Speaker 3: you escorted straight off off. But there is you know

132
00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:05,760
Speaker 3: their mental fits their mental Yes, absolutely mate.

133
00:06:06,760 --> 00:06:09,560
Speaker 1: That I didn't know Ann Middleton was locked up.

134
00:06:09,839 --> 00:06:10,440
Speaker 5: It was in jail.

135
00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:14,680
Speaker 4: He told us that when he was online.

136
00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:15,000
Speaker 1: Bunched a female police officers.

137
00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:16,080
Speaker 2: That's been reported.

138
00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,520
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, everyone's got a got a breaking point

139
00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:22,280
Speaker 3: but they're incredibly compassionate too in the right times, which

140
00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:25,680
Speaker 3: was a really sort of comforting thing. At the end,

141
00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:27,040
Speaker 3: they all came in and had a chat and said,

142
00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:29,560
Speaker 3: well done for us, this was a highlight. And you know,

143
00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:32,240
Speaker 3: particularly for me, it's doing all of the boys and saying, listen, mate,

144
00:06:32,240 --> 00:06:33,440
Speaker 3: we thought your body was going to get up a

145
00:06:33,480 --> 00:06:35,680
Speaker 3: long time ago. I was so proud of of what

146
00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,760
Speaker 3: you did. There is that the two sides, and then

147
00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:42,520
Speaker 3: there's that brutality and that that sort of I don't know,

148
00:06:42,720 --> 00:06:45,960
Speaker 3: absolute dog and determination and they want to get things done.

149
00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:48,839
Speaker 3: And then there's a compassionate side too, which is really

150
00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,760
Speaker 3: kind and endearing, and you know they're always ready to

151
00:06:51,800 --> 00:06:53,599
Speaker 3: give your heart on the way out and pat you

152
00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:53,960
Speaker 3: on the back.

153
00:06:54,120 --> 00:06:58,000
Speaker 2: You did a great job, buddy. Be really proud of yourself, mate,

154
00:06:58,160 --> 00:06:58,839
Speaker 2: well done.

155
00:06:59,440 --> 00:07:01,120
Speaker 3: Type of thing we've ever done boys in my life.

156
00:07:01,160 --> 00:07:04,720
Speaker 3: You know, I thought thought pro and I was run

157
00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:06,760
Speaker 3: one hundred k marathons and that sort of stuff. But

158
00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:09,400
Speaker 3: that was without a doubt. It's just the most relentless

159
00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:12,160
Speaker 3: part of it. And then back in like they didn't

160
00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:13,720
Speaker 3: show that it was a two hour march to get

161
00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:15,760
Speaker 3: into that value. L monmth we have the command of course,

162
00:07:15,760 --> 00:07:17,560
Speaker 3: within an hour and a half march to get back out,

163
00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:18,200
Speaker 3: you know what I mean.

164
00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:22,720
Speaker 2: Well, I remember we're at Future Music Festival that year

165
00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:24,600
Speaker 2: and Shannon was there that year too, and that was

166
00:07:24,600 --> 00:07:26,360
Speaker 2: one of the toughest things you've done as well.

167
00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:29,200
Speaker 1: That year as well, Shann, which was weird.

168
00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:31,920
Speaker 3: The memory was about the same.

169
00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:36,360
Speaker 1: Yeah. Mate. In Australia, the final it's on to night

170
00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:39,400
Speaker 1: seven thirty on Channel seven. Appreciate you coming on the show, buddy,

171
00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:41,160
Speaker 1: Well done, Thank you so much.

172
00:07:42,960 --> 00:07:43,000
Speaker 3: On