What a story this is.  NSW Police officer Dave Cafferatta shared some of his unbelievable life experiences in this episode. The fight in this man is incredible.  Dave entered the NSW Police in 2004 to honour his uncle who was murdered when he was 12 years old and still serves to this day.  He has experienced some horrific events during his time in the Police which included;

- The tragic death of a young man during a pursuit

- The suicide of a 13 year old girl

- The murder of a woman in Parramatta park

- The moments before, during and after the shooting outside Police HQ

Dave spoke about his onset of Post Traumatic Stress and how his life unravelled due to it.  He lost his family, his ability to remain calm, and nearly his life.  His weight got out to over 180kg before he finally asked for help.  His comeback story and advice to anyone who needs to lose weight is incredible.  He lost over 80kgs in his fight to save his life.

Dave went on to compete in a charity boxing gala day where he helped to raise $105k for Police legacy.  He completed a 24hour treadmill walking challenge on his own to raise awareness for suicide prevention and completed so many awesome things to help others.

We speak about his near death experience recently where he lost a litre of blood after an accident involving a broken window.  He severed the artery in his arm 100%, his tendon 100% and lost 60% of feeling in his arm.  He speaks about the power of mindset in dealing with loss, trauma and negativity.  His mindset on life is an inspiration.

We hope you enjoy the story of Dave Cafferatta!

This episode we talk about what its like on the front line in Mental Health Nursing.  My guest in this episode has enormous experience in her field and gives a great insight into her role and its affects on her.  

We provide an insight into some real life experiences involving patients with Mental Health challenges.  We provide advice to people and their families on;

How to be with and around family and friends that suffer from a mental illness.

Strategies to deal with PTSD.

How do deal with the stigma of a facility or program admission.

What is involved with Mental Health Nursing.

Advice if you wish to become a Mental Health Nurse.

How we deal with Mental stress and letting go of patients after they leave the care of the facility.

Here are some links to some great resources around Mental Health.

Mental Health First Aid

mhfa.com.au

Children with Parents with a Mental Illness

www.copmi.net.au

Lifeline  (www.lifeline.org.au) 13 11 14

Beyond Blue (www.beyondblue.org.au) 1300 224 636

A huge thank you to the following organisations who support this podcast and care about our Mental Health;

Australian Warfighter Coffee

Greater Western Health NSW

BlackDuck Espresso Richmond NSW

All Trimmed Civil (ATC)

Excavate Retain Landscape (ERL)

Harris Kitchen and Joinery NSW

Former Police Officer Gary Stavrakis shares his experiences in this podcast of what it was like to be a NSW Police Officer.    

Gary was stationed at Bankstown LAC, Bankstown TAG, and later in his career at the Child Sex Crimes Unit.    

From the 58min mark Gary opens up about his battle with PTSD, depression and anxiety.  It is confronting to hear his story but it is an extremely powerful message of how policing can inflict emotional wounds on you and what it took for him to come back to life.  

Gary's story is an inspiration to anyone suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety.  It is also a story of will, determination and hope.   His life has been diverse and quite the journey but he is now thriving.    

Thank you to Australian Warfighter Coffee for your ongoing support of this podcast.

*** Warning this podcast may contain stories which could trigger PTSD, anxiety or stress ***  

Episode 9 with Andrew Quey.  Andrew served in the RAAF before joining the South Australia Police Force where he has been on the front line for 20 years.  This is a great insight into what Police experience as part of their job.  We talk about some jobs that Andrew has been to that were traumatic along with some funny moments along the way.    

Andrew also served in the Communications area for SA Police whilst recovering from a Motor Bike accident.  His insight into the area was fascinating.    I really enjoyed this insight and I hope you do to.  

If you would like to reach to me please do [email protected]  

Thank you to Australian Warfighter Coffee, BlackDuck Richmond NSW, Greater Western Health NSW, and Outback Signs NSW for supporting this podcast.

*** This episode may contain triggers for PTSD in those who have and do work in Emergency services.***  

This is PART 2 of Matt Hamilton's Police and post Police experiences.  It is a must watch to get an understanding of how the experience of being a Police Officer can leave you physically, emotionally, financially.  It is a story of what it takes to get your life back on track.  Matt goes into depth about his experience with the insurance company process of his workers compensation claim.  He discusses the dedication and relentless focus of building with Timber which brought him out of the depths of his struggles.   

Matt provides some great advice to those around Police who are suffering from PTSD and one simple thing they can do to help them.  He provides an insight into the NSW Police culture around the issue of Mental ill Health and its unfortunate link to Insurance companies trying to profit.    If you have not listened to Part 1 you can find Matt's career experience in Episode 6.     

Thank you Australian Warfighter Coffee, Black Duck Cafe, Richmond NSW, Greater Western Health, Hawkesbury NSW for your support and care for our cause in bringing awareness about what emergency services go through each and every day.    

If you would like to reach out to us contact Craig Gibson at [email protected].  Thank you for listening.

*** This episode may contain triggers for PTSD in those who have and do work in Emergency services.***  

In this episode Craig Gibson and Mark Andrews discuss in detail; Mark's current situation with getting help and the exposure of the inhumane Insurance Company process of getting that help. 

My 6 points every Emergency Services organisation could implement to better care for their staff. 

Some alarming statistics that come out of the NSW Police Force annual report in 2018/19. 

Just one reason, a book by Stuart O'Neill has created to help in the fight against suicide.    

Thank you Australian Warfighter Coffee, Black Duck Cafe, Richmond NSW, Greater Western Health, Hawkesbury NSW for your support and care for our cause in bringing awareness about what emergency services go through each and every day.    If you would like to reach out to us contact Craig Gibson at [email protected].  Thank you for watching.

***Warning THIS VIDEO CONTAINS TRIGGERS FOR PTSD***  

Matt Hamilton spent 16 years in the NSW Police Force from 1994 to 2010.  Matt served his time in General Duties at Penrith and Windsor.  He then became a Weapons Instructor before going on to the Tactical Operations Unit (TOU).  In this episode Matt takes us through some experiences which really bring out the reality of what Police experience as part of their duties.  This involves traumatic suicide interventions, a Christmas day from hell, a motor vehicle fatality, children at risk, dealing with Domestic violence offenders and some humour along the way.  

The is PART 1 as we begin to discuss Matt exiting the NSWPF due to his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  We discuss how this developed and the initial stages of it consuming his life.  Part 2 will dive into how he recovered from this and where life has taken him after his service.    Matt now owns a gym called Last Round in North Richmond and it is a great facility for those in emergency services to train.    

A huge thank you to Australian Warfighter Coffee who are supporting this podcast.  One lucky viewer of this episode will win themselves a bag of Coffee Beans and Ground Coffee as a thank you for watching.  Check them out at www.australianwarfighters.com  

 If this episode brings on urgent challenges with PTSD please contact LIFELINE on 13 11 14.  There are also amazing resources at www.beyondblue.com.au

In this episode we discuss  

* Strategies to help with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress  Disorder) 

* Witnessing the Murder of a young male in Cabramatta NSW 

* How the Insurance system is letting us down and there needs to be change 

* Advice for the NSW Police Association * The need for full time mental health professionals in every PAC 

* An update from events in Episode 4 with Mark Andrews 

* bringing awareness to ex police to get out of enforcement related jobs  

If you urgent assistance please contact LIFELINE 131114 and if PTSD is a major challenge please watch or listen with a support person.   To contact us please email Craig Gibson at [email protected] We would love to hear from you.

In this episode we begin talking about our experience and battles with PTSD, insurance companies, medication and the impact of that on family. This is a difficult episode for Mark Andrews as he explains how he has, and still is being let down by the 'SYSTEM' and 'Management'.  

Mark displays and talks about the medication he is currently on (THIS SHOCKED ME), along with the Psychiatric care and lack of care he experiences. The impact on family is huge and Marks emotions are there to be seen when talking about family and his battle.  

We are doing this for change.    

If you battle PTSD please listen to this with a support person or for urgent help contact LIFELINE 13 11 14.  To reach out to me my email address is [email protected] or on Instagram @craig_gibson75.  ITS TIME FOR CHANGE.

Coaches and all round awesome people Kirsty Klein from Built By Klein and Matthew Hancock from Forged Performance share their experiences of 2020 and how they have managed themselves.  I also share my life changing experience from this year.    

We also share our thoughts on the 'BIG PICTURE' coach, Last Round Gym, Last Rounds fearless leader Matt Hamilton, our best books and podcasts and whether ice cream is better in a cone or a cup.  We had a great time recording this and we hope you get some value from it.