Mark is a 22 year police veteran who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety in February 2013. His triggering incident occurred in April 2003 and through a combination of being naïve to mental health and having no mental health education, did not heed the warning signs until it was too late.

Mark felt extremely alone in his early stages of recovery and to counter this, he set up a support group, called Code 9, for emergency services members who are suffering from PTSD to ensure that no member feels alone in their PTSD journey.

Code 9 assists members, among others, in online and in person peer to peer support, advice on recovery techniques, the WorkCover process and makes referrals where required.

Code 9 is now registered as a charity with the aim of suicide prevention, raising funds to sponsor assistance dogs and supporting his colleagues going through hard times.