It was 3.50am, on a “routine investigation”, when Daryl Elliot was shot in the face with a 22 calibre rifle.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After having his face reconstructed, the Brisbane-based Senior Sergeant was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress.
“I had 17 general major surgeries on my mouth and two reconstructions,” he said.
“Those were the physical damages – when I went back to work in 2002 and had hyperarousal, depression, anxiety and flashbacks.
“I saw a psychiatrist, and I hope to serve as an example for people, when they have problems to get help.
“PTS doesn't mean you can’t live a good, happy and healthy life.”
Senior Segreant Elliot was in Albury on Thursday as part of the Lightning Bolt Convoy from Queensland to Melbourne.
The Stand Tall for PTS campaign was founded in 2008 by Tony Dell, a Vietnam veteran.
Mr Dell said there were people in every small town the convoy visited who had heard about available support for the first time.
“I think the problem with regional Australia is that it’s less well-served with cities and overall help from PTS is more city-centric,” he said.
Mr Dell said the majority of first responders dealing with the illness struggled to speak out about it.
“There’s this fear they will be looked down on or miss out on promotion … it’s an illness, not a weakness, and one of the best avenues to combat it is to start talking.”
