The Sauce: Gillard and Rudd's former bodyguard breaks silence with unseen photos

Former AFP officer Lucas Atkins has shared behind-the-scenes images of protecting Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd, revealing the personal bonds that once existed between bodyguards and prime ministers.

Former prime minister Julia Gillard with ex-body guard Lucas Atkins.

He dragged a stumbling Julia Gillard from a tent embassy protest when she was prime minister, with the image of her clinging to him – sans a shoe – broadcast around the world.

More than a decade later, ex-AFP close-protection officer Lucas Atkins has been reliving his past life as part of Gillard and Kevin Rudd’s security detail with images of his time in the role posted on social media. There is a pic of him escorting Gillard from the Canberra protest, “flying the prime minister into theatre” in Afghanistan in 2011, and accompanying Rudd in a crowd in LA.

“You can see my left arm protecting my gun while the expression on my face says the rest,” he says.

Kevin Rudd with then bodyguard Lucas Atkins in LA with ”my left arm protecting my gun”.

Another shows him with Gillard meeting Arnie Schwarzenegger, with Atkins writing the PM, in what is normally “a breach of protocol”, invited him to also meet the celebrity Californian governor.

“I decided to show him a photo we found of one of our team in a sparkly blue G-string from his ’90s bodybuilding days,” he says.

While bodyguards are meant to operate in the shadows, it is clear Atkins – who posts on Instagram under “lucasprotects” – had rapport with those he protected, something that no longer exists in the industry, he says.

Under a picture of himself with Gillard (we tried to check with him whether the pic was real given the infiltration of AI on social media), Atkins wrote: “Close personal protection once had the word ‘personal’ in it for a reason. Somewhere along the way, the industry removed it. You cannot truly protect someone while emotionally isolating them.”

BRANCH BLUES

A photo of mobility scooters lined up outside the NSW Liberal Party state council meeting on Saturday has captured one of the greatest challenges the party faces – attracting young folk.

While membership figures are tightly held, party sources at branches say the number of attendees at meetings has been dwindling. The party has “old white blokes” in the bag, according to one source.

Mobility scooters outside the NSW Liberal Party state council meeting on Saturday.

While it will never win the 20-somethings who are increasingly voting Labor, Greens or independent, officials hope new state leader Kellie Sloane can woo back the 30-50 year-olds, especially women.

The challenge Sloane has – as does federal leader Sussan Ley – is reconciling how to attract both the voters who have gone to the teals and those being lured to parties such as One Nation.

PUB POLITICS

Former senator Hollie Hughes has not looked back since her political career was cut short.

Buying a pub in Rydal, Hughes, who lost preselection to Senator Andrew Bragg, has been doing a roaring trade with many former Canberra colleagues dropping in for a beer and her steak and chips (yes, Hughes does the cooking).

Senator Matt Canavan enjoying a meal at former senator Hollie Hughes’ pub in Rydal.

Recent visitors included Nationals senator Matt Canavan wearing his Dump Net Zero cap. Hughes urged her other old colleagues from the capital to drop in.

“I just wish more politicians would get out of the Canberra bubble and head up to places like the Central West and put themselves out there before the public,” she said.

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Originally published as The Sauce: Gillard and Rudd's former bodyguard breaks silence with unseen photos