David

David served with the Australian Army on two occasions and gave almost seven years of service in a variety of roles which included the Infantry and as an Air Dispatcher, Photographer, Clerk, Driver and Instructor.

David’s family has strong ties and service in the Australian Defence Force, and he intended to follow in his family’s footsteps.

David recalls good experiences during his time in the Army, especially during detachments to other units and undertaking specialised jobs and training. These positive experiences were unfortunately over-shadowed by events that made him fear for his life and led to non-combat-related post-traumatic stress.

The loss of all his room mates from Kapooka in a short space of time hit David hard as a young man. He had formed strong friendships with these individuals. Marching out of Kapooka and knowing that he had achieved his first big test gave David a great sense of self satisfaction.

During his time in the Army, David spent many months at various times away from home. Sadly, this resulted in the breakdown of his first marriage.

Since leaving the Army, David found it difficult to adjust back to civilian life. For many years he struggled with physical injuries and mental ill-health. He also experienced significant instability in employment, moving regularly in and out of a variety of jobs.

“I have been made Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI) as a result of my experiences within the Defence Force. I am fortunate to get regular help from my psychiatrist, but even with this help life can be difficult.

“RSL DefenceCare has given me guidance to seek help from a financial counsellor and have assisted us with overwhelming bills that had got on top of us.

“Without the assistance I have received from RSL DefenceCare, I would mostly still be going around in circles financially. Their guidance has given myself and my family the opportunity to move on in this area,” said David. “The staff at RSL DefenceCare have been caring and understanding of our position and we appreciate this immensely.”