In 2007, ABC Conversations with Richard Fidler, interviewed Tony Loughran about his life story.
You can listen to the full interview at:
Many listeners wrote in to The Conversation Hour to asked if there was a book coming out.
We are pleased to announce that the book ZERO RISK - Keeping Others Safe in a Dangerous World by Tony Loughran released on 5th October 2023.
More about the ABC Conversations interview:
Tony Loughran is a former British commando, who during his 14 years in the armed forces worked around the world from Norway to Belize. Now he trains journalists in risk management and basic survival techniques. Tony led the BBC's High Risk Unit, but he now lives in Australia, working with Australian and Asian networks.
Tony grew up in Liverpool, where his upbringing helped shape him into the man he is today. "It's one of these places that's the school of hard knocks, there's no two ways about it. You grow up in a pretty tough environment... The school I went to was tough - it made me mentally strong, which prepared me mentally for going into the armed forces," Tony says.
His upbringing prepared him well for the Navy's basic training. "I'd already been kicking around the streets in Liverpool, making my way and scrapping my way. When I went into the military, I was quite amazed - the first night in the dormitory (27 different blokes in there) - all you could hear in the background was people crying, wanting to go... I thought, where have all these people been?... It was fine for me."
Being posted to Belfast was one of the toughest assignments Tony faced while he was in the armed forces. "I don't know how true this is: a certain political said years ago that losing Northern Ireland was like losing the best training ground in the world from a guerilla-warfare point of view... I would support that. It's awful to say this, but that's exactly what it was. It was guerilla warfare through and through - you didn't know what was going to happen next... A very, very difficult and tough environment."
Now, when Tony's working with journalists, One of the many pieces of advice he has to give is what to do when faced with a grenade attack. "Contrary to popular belief - and you always get this question on the course: 'Can I throw it back?' They've seen too many Rambo films!
"The bottom line is: the grenade itself is never going to stand on edge, it's always going to roll onto its side, and the blast itself from a grenade is kind of like a mushroom effect: it goes up and out. So if you can lie face down with your hand over the top of your head with your toes pointing towards the grenade you've got more chance of surviving small amounts of shrapnel as opposed to being blasted if you're standing up."
Tony finds his training and expertise can often help out in daily life. "Sometimes I can see situations developing - someone's getting aggressive with someone else - whether it's a restaurant or coming out of a bar or whatever... you can end up being part of that particular fight. You can get drawn into something by default... I can see [and] feel if things are brewing and try and diffuse them... or move away, anyway!"