This weekend Sunday Night has d Lee Kernaghan and Denham Hitchcock meets an Australian man fighting IS forces in northern Iraq.
Coming Home
In a world exclusive, Sunday Night’s Denham Hitchcock travels to one of the most dangerous war zones in the world to meet an Australian father-of-two who is fighting Islamic State. The Melbourne man gave up his comfortable life to join a local militia and make a stand against Islamic State fighters who have driven thousands of Assyrians from their villages in northern Iraq. With IS forces just two kilometres away, they’re in constant danger of attack. The attacks come mostly at night in the form of gunfire, mortars and suicide bombers. As Denham says in his report, this is as close as anyone would ever want to be to Islamic State. But for our Melbourne dad, volunteering as a foreign fighter was something he just had to do despite the concern and fears of his wife and family. The region he is defending is where he grew up as a boy before moving to Australia. But he has another worry. Australia’s new laws which prevent citizens joining foreign forces, no matter what side, means he now faces the possibility of jail when he returns home. Denham’s riveting report puts the spotlight on a war which Australia is well and truly engaged in.
Words & Music
Sunday Night has exclusive access to country legend Lee Kernaghan as he takes on the biggest project of his life. With more than two million albums to his name, 33 Golden Guitars and three ARIAs, Lee has found a new inspiration in of all places, the Australian War Memorial. Lee was so moved when he read the letters Australian servicemen and servicewomen wrote to their families in the event they never returned home that he wanted to put them to music as a special tribute. What resulted is a beautiful and poignant album and Sunday Night is behind the scenes as some of Lee’s mates – who just happen to be some of the biggest names in show business including Jessica Mauboy and Guy Sebastian – put their voices to the words of our diggers. It’s both moving and memorable.
Sunday at 7pm on Seven.
