Event Description – Through the Rubble Launch at Cronulla RSL

Join us for an evening of powerful storytelling as we celebrate the launch of Through the Rubble, the extraordinary memoir of Australia’s most decorated civilian. The book offers a rare and deeply personal insight into a lifetime of service and survival.

Held at Cronulla RSL on Thursday, July 31 from 6:00–7:00pm, enjoy a relaxed 45-minute conversation, and an unforgettable evening of courage, compassion and conversation.

About Alan Playford and Through the RubbleThrough the Rubble tells the gripping true story of Alan Playford — a paramedic, former firefighter and humanitarian whose career has spanned Australia’s most defining disasters and humanitarian missions.

From pulling Norm Duffy from the rubble of the Newcastle earthquake, to pioneering the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, to saving lives in the Canberra bushfires and leading the evacuation of aid workers during the Rwandan genocide — Alan’s story is one of remarkable bravery, resilience, and heart.

With a foreword by former Governor-General David Hurley, this memoir is both a tribute to those who serve and a call for greater support for the first responders and aid workers who return from the frontline.