What should have been a celebration for Russell Sanderson - the first anniversary of his sobriety - was the day the Afghanistan veteran lost his father.
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But Mr Sanderson has kept his commitment to himself and his father, in part through painting.
The 46-year-old was medically discharged from the Army in 2012 and took to the canvas and old motorcycle pieces to distract his mind.
"What I paint, I paint - I do what I feel like doing," Mr Sanderson said.
"This is something better to do, and the old boy would have been happy that I'm still not drinking.
"I mainly do it for him, really."
Mr Sanderson has been directing any sales from his work to the Albury Wodonga Regional Cancer Centre Trust Fund, raising $2500.
It came about through a conversation with family friend and Albury Wodonga Health chair Matt Burke.
"Matt was saying they used to have a painting in the chemo section, but someone bought it," Mr Sanderson said.
"I'd like to donate one of my paintings to the ward.
"I said I could raise money ... it helped Dad.
"He was diagnosed in mid-2018. Unfortunately, he had it in the small part of the pancreas, and if it gets in there they may as well say you've got a year, two at tops.
"He had about six months. Never complained, that was just him."
Mr Burke served alongside Connie Sanderson during the Vietnam War, who died on Australia Day, 2019.
"I've known Russell's family for over 40 years," he said.
"His Dad was Infantry and we served at Singleton. We were instructors in the Military."
Mr Sanderson said it wasn't his father's service per se that led him to join the Army and the 2nd/14th Queensland Mounted Infantry.
"Instead of doing standard labouring jobs, I thought, I may as well - can't be that hard," he said.
"We went overseas in 2007; I went over a couple months earlier and we worked with the Americans over in Camp Buehring in Kuwait.
"Then I went in on the 15th of October, 2007, after we put Trooper Dave Pearce on the plane. The next day, we flew into Afghanistan."
Trooper David Pearce, a good friend of Mr Sanderson, was killed during a roadside bomb attack.
"They called him 'Poppy', he was one of the older blokes - about 10 years older than I was - and we just got on like a house on fire," he said.
"I still talk to his wife every now and then.
"It was a shame what happened, but I guess that's just a factor of war. I try not to think about it."
"Not thinking about it" has been difficult for Mr Sanderson with the release of the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force's Afghanistan Inquiry.
He does not agree with the Chief of Defence's move to revoke the "meritorious group citation" for those who served with the Special Operation Task Group in Afghanistan between 2007 and 2013.
"At the end of the day, they have to understand the buck stops with one person, and that's the person in charge," Mr Sanderson said.
Afghanistan is a long way from his Wodonga home and studio, and Mr Sanderson is keeping focused on managing his PTSD and his art.
"I cope in my own way. It will be three years next year that I haven't touched a drop, and I thought I would have," Mr Sanderson said.
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"Art gets my mind off things."
Mr Burke encouraged people to support Mr Sanderson's work.
"He has a special talent; he only does each painting once," he said.
Some of Mr Sanderson's work is on display at Blind Freddy's Cafe in Wodonga or he can be found on Instagram.