Damien Thomlinson on Survivor, resilience and meeting Prince Harry
DOUBLE amputee and Afghanistan war vet, Damien Thomlinson, who made his debut on Australian Survivor last night, spoke to the Courier about the hit TV show, meeting Prince Harry and becoming a father for the first time.
Southern Courier
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DAMIEN Thomlinson has fought the Taliban in Afghanistan and has had to come to terms with having two prosthetic legs.
But he believes his greatest challenge comes in November when his partner is due to give birth to their first child.
“It’s scary but exciting,” the 38-year-old from Coogee said. “It’s probably easier being shot at or at war than thinking about the daunting thought of raising a child. But yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Mr Thomlinson appeared on our screens last night in the new series of Australian Survivor.
The double amputee is on the Champions team as they take on the Contenders for a $500,000 prize.
He was the star of the first episode with his pinpoint accuracy and calmness under pressure helping his tribe win the first challenge.
Mr Thomlinson said the Survivor experience is the real deal. No five-star hotels or catering trucks hidden out of shot.
“I did think to myself at one point, ‘I got out of the army to not be tired, cold and hungry again but here I am, cold, tired and hungry.’
“But it was a fantastic experience to be out there and connect with people who have been at the top of their game and to be able to learn what pushes them, what motivates them.”
If anyone fits the brief for the show it is Mr Thomlinson.
He joined the forces aged 24 and soon found himself in the special forces, namely 2nd Commando Regiment.
But his life changed forever one night in April 2009.
While on patrol in Southern Afghanistan the vehicle he was travelling went hit a Taliban IED.
His injuries were horrendous with wounds to his face, arms and legs. His legs were so severely damaged they were amputated.
Nobody expected him to survive. But he did. He remembers little from that night but his mates kept him alive and gave him a fighting chance.
In the weeks and months that followed it would have been easy to slump into a depression. But Damien just saw it as any other challenge.
“You have to be resilient to be part of our regiment,” he said. “There isn’t a person from 2 Commando Regiment that doesn’t have those aspects of resilience and self-belief and overcoming adversity is a huge part of your job.
“No matter how perfect your plan is the first round that goes down range everything changes. You have to be adaptable and be prepared to change. So for me it was just a new challenge.”
That’s not to say the last few years have not been without difficulty and Mr Thomlinson is not afraid to admit he has at times struggled.
He credits his family, particularly his mum, dad and partner Abby, for always being there as well as his fellow soldiers who he affectionately calls “the boys”.
“Those group of people, they were my heroes. The guys who kept me alive.
“That group of people did something amazing on April 3, 2009. I still can’t fathom how they got it done … I had a single digit percentage chance of living. I owe it to them to live every day.”
During one particularly dark period of his recovery he called one of those who had saved his life that night.
“He said ‘mate don’t just think about you, think about us’. He told me straight, ‘you owe it to us’.
“That really changed my perspective on all of this. It was very powerful.”
He added: “And I thought to myself ‘he’s right, pull yourself out of the hole and keep moving forward’. But it is a battle. Not every day is perfect, not every day goes well or goes to plan but it is about managing those problems.”
In the last few years he has grasped every opportunity. He’s walked the Kokoda Track, written a biography, appeared in a Hollywood film and has competed at the Invictus Games.
Having competed in the games he will help with the organisation of the Sydney event which takes place in October.
Invictus is spearheaded by Prince Harry and Mr Thomlinson got to meet him at the London games.
“He’s a legend, a real legend. The first time I met him I was with Dave Henson form the UK team. He was standing there and he was asking how the run sheet was the finale.
“He was genuinely interested and concerned. For him to have that personal passion rather than being a name that is attached to it, that means a lot to any soldier.”
Mr Thomlinson has never let losing his legs hold him back.
In the years since that dreadful night in April 2009 he has gone on to be an actor, ambassador, athlete, author and motivational speaker.
In a few months he can add another title to that list: dad.