In 1985 as a 17 year old I entered the Royal Military College Duntroon. After 30 years of service in the Regular Army and Army Reserve reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel having undertaken a range of staff and command appointments. The highlight of my career was my final appointment and privilege to be the Commanding Officer of the 7th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery. On discharge from the Regular Army I worked in various management roles in the energy and mining industries. I retired in 2012 because of post traumatic stress disorder caused by my operational service.
The creative arts; specifically writing and music keep me alive.
In 2021 I was shortlisted in the Grieve Poetry prize, a national competition, and have had work published in the journal Eucalypt and Newcastle Poetry at the Pub’s anthology in 2020 and 2021. I will publish an anthology of my own work in 2022. I play trombone in the University of Newcastle Jazz Orchestra and Orchestra NOVA. Veterans mental health is a subject central to my life experience. I am a passionate about the proper care of people with PTSD. I hold a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Music, a Masters of Education (Training and Development).
I am available to organisations to describe my personal experience of post traumatic stress disorder and to inform managers, supervisors, and employees to possibly recognise their own mental health issues or those of their co workers. The information in the sessions is anecdotal and not professional mental health training. The delivery method is built on story telling of my own experience using the stories found on the website. Please use the contact page to make further enquiries about this short seminar.
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