Through The Rubble is the extraordinary memoir of Alan Playford — Australia’s most decorated civilian and one of the pioneers of modern paramedicine.

Best known for crawling through the wreckage of the 1989 Newcastle earthquake to rescue a trapped survivor, Alan’s public heroism was only one chapter in a lifetime defined by courage, innovation and service. Long before that moment made headlines, he was reshaping emergency medicine in Australia — helping establish specialised rescue teams and playing a foundational role in what became the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. His work transformed how critical care was delivered, bringing advanced medical treatment directly to patients in the field and in the air.

Yet Alan’s most confronting experiences unfolded far from home. Serving on the frontlines of humanitarian crises in Rwanda, East Timor and the Solomon Islands, he witnessed the aftermath of genocide, navigated landmines to rescue wounded soldiers, and led daring evacuations under extreme threat. These missions revealed Australia’s quiet but courageous contribution to international aid — and left Alan carrying the invisible weight of trauma.

This memoir does not shy away from the psychological cost of service. Alan speaks candidly about the nightmares, the moral injury, and the struggle to reconcile what he saw with the life he returned to in Australia. In doing so, Through The Rubble opens an urgent conversation about how we care for first responders, veterans and aid workers long after the headlines fade.

From natural disasters at home — including the Newcastle earthquake and the 2003 Canberra bushfires — to warzones abroad, Alan’s story is ultimately one of steadfast leadership under pressure. It is a deeply human portrait of a man who chose, again and again, to show up when others were running away.

Powerful, confronting and inspiring, Through The Rubble is both a tribute to a remarkable Australian life and a broader testament to resilience, compassion and the enduring strength of the human spirit.