Support to feel strong again

Trudi was discharged in 2017 after almost 14 years of service. Suffering physical injuries, as well as PTSD, as a result of her deployments, Trudi faced a challenging time as she transitioned back to civilian life. With the support of Mates4Mates, Trudi is rebuilding her life and is once again able to feel strong.

"From when I first went to Mates4Mates to now I have been blown away with everything they provide to help you get back on your feet. They helped me get to a much better place."

Inspired to enlist by her pop

Trudi enlisted in the Australian Air Force in 2003, inspired by her grandfather, who was an RAAF bomber pilot in WWII.

Trudi’s defence force career spanned almost 14 years, during which time she worked in logistics, as an aircraft engineer and as an electrician. She was also deployed overseas to multiple locations, including Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Thailand, East Timor and twice to Afghanistan.

Among the highlights of her service she describes her biggest accomplishment as the chance to make her Nana and Pop proud, as well as receiving the Australia Day medallion and medals for her deployments to Afghanistan.

However, the deployments eventually took their toll on Trudi, both mentally and physically. The gruelling physical nature of deployment saw her suffer from injuries to her neck, back, knees, ankle and shoulder.

It was these physical injuries that led to her discharge in 2017. The mental impact her service took didn’t become apparent until further down the track, when she began suffering the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Life after defence

Trudi describes the adjustment to life after the military as “challenging to accept”.

After almost 14 years in the defence force, she felt the loss of the mateship and the support of being in a team environment; being cut off from her close network of mates, she was faced with having to define a new identity as a civilian.

"They cut the cord and that’s it, you’re out."

This led to a period of uncertainty for Trudi; although she describes her struggle with PTSD as “manageable”, she found that the stigma attached to PTSD made it difficult to find employment. After seeing an advertisement, she decided to visit the Mates4Mates centre in Townsville, on a day when she was feeling “quite low”.

Reaching out to Mates4Mates

After taking the brave first step to connect with Mates4Mates, not knowing anyone there, Trudi met Holly, a Mates4Mates liaison officer, who helped her access the range of support services on offer.

For Trudi, the most important thing has been finding a new support network of veterans and friends who can understand what she has been through – for her, attending Mates4Mates “feels like home”.

"I’ll actually be forever grateful for that day."

Trudi has been able to participate in a range of sports and activities that have given her the chance to once again be part of a team. She has embraced the opportunities, so far taking part in equine therapy, the East Coast of Australia trek - which she has since become a fundraiser for, and regularly attends the gym and PT circuits.

Although she didn’t think she could apply, Holly also encouraged Trudi to try out for the Invictus Games, where she was accepted and participated in wheelchair tennis and wheelchair rugby, winning a gold medal.

“I’ve had so many opportunities that I never would have had if it wasn’t for Mates4Mates”, Trudi says.

With the support of Mates4Mates, Trudi has been able to continue to rebuild her life outside the defence force. She says, “it’s been a process to get back to a place where I’m strong”, but she can now enjoy some of her passions, including playing Women’s AFL, wakeboarding, keeping fit and has been able to start studying engineering and take on some jobs as an electrician.

It is your ongoing support of Dream Home Art Union (previously RSL Art Union) that helps us provide valuable services, such as Mates4Mates, to help veterans like Trudi. Thank you.