I served with New South Wales Police for 33 years and worked in many and varied capacities. I have always been operational and always maintained an operational and educational focus.

I worked in both city and regional areas - in large busy stations, and as an only single unit officer in a small country town. This role afforded me the honour of also becoming a Special Constable for Queensland Police.

I worked predominately in uniform on the frontline with many stints in plain clothes, including working undercover for several years. I always maintained a focus on training Police, with my qualifications as Field Training Officers, Driver Training, Weapons Training and other leaderships roles.

Like you, I have worked alongside each and every emergency services. It was during these times of high stress at serious incidents, I gained a strong understanding of how other emergency services work. This includes spending many hours at Hospitals and Gaols.

My career didn’t end in the way I envisaged and I was prematurely discharged. As a result of my final years in the New South Wales Police Service I suddenly found myself in the midst of many others, with ongoing group therapy sessions. There were officers from Police, Ambulance, Fire Brigade, Correctives Services, Nurses and Emergency Rescue of all ranks – from many states, including Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. They were of all ages, differing lengths of services, from all demographics, but all their stories were compellingly similar.

At each of my sessions, all the military personnel were taken to one room, and the emergency services were ushered into another. Our experiences were different! I learnt by observing, the overall media were representing the military. The military were supported financially, both physically and mentally. The emergency services are simply not. There was an overwhelming dissatisfaction by the First Responders with Senior Management, and their associations and unions.

What was incredibly surprising to me was the commonality of the final days. Many emergency services were discharged unwillingly in a job that they all cherished, with deep passion and a deep kindred spirit for their fellow colleagues and community, but they had always put themselves last.

What they all agreed upon was this, their own management either contributed to their premature discharge or failed to protect them in their time of conflict. Further, they all were unanimous that they were never given the opportunity for a final respectful debrief before their discharge. There was no dignified departure.

The old saying that we all know so well, "You are just a number". Was proven in its finality.

I have since meet some incredible former serving Police and other First Responders. Their service to the community has spanned many decades and generations of service. To my surprise, even these ladies and gentlemen, some of whom have been out for over 20 or more years, still concede that they were never debriefed properly and still feel that they can contribute to helping those now joining.

It is these reasons I have created this website.

It is time for you to share your experience and have now have your final debrief.

It really matters!