Finding purpose after service 

A former police officer and graduate of Fortem’s Career Management Program has released his first book and is now encouraging other first responders to recognise how valuable their skills and experience are both within and outside the job. 

Luke McCulloch’s Tales of a Diver recounts his time with Western Australia’s Water Police Dive Squad, focusing on a series of remarkable dive jobs over a 10-day period that are forever etched in his memory. 

The book was self-published and marks a major achievement for Luke following a journey to finding his identity outside of policing.  

Luke joined the Western Australian Police at the age of 17, working in general duties, the dive squad and at the academy, and while he admits it might have been useful to gain more life experience before joining, he wouldn’t change it. 

But with the demands of shift work, the requirements to move roles following tenure, and missing out on family time, he decided it was time to move on from the police after 15 years in the job. However, it was all he had ever known, so even writing a resume was a challenge. 

‘A friend had talked about Fortem, and I had a few sessions about what direction I might like to go in, and that was really handy,’ Luke said. 

Luke engaged with Fortem over 12 months, working to identify the transferable skills he had learned in the job, putting together a strong resume and understanding what roles he wanted to apply for. 

‘As coppers we just don’t understand the value we have … You are very specifically trained but you don’t understand those skills are transferable,’ he said. ‘Now it’s hard to think that I ever thought that way.’ 

But the journey wasn’t an easy one. ‘You would get your toes wet then get scared and retract. But the career management specialist I worked with – just to have her explain some job ads and what they mean when they say this is what they are looking for, and helping to identify those skills in a different language – was really helpful.’ 

Luke credits the program with helping build his confidence to a point where he was ready to put himself out there. He’s now working in a role where he uses skills honed during his time in the dive squad. 

He has also found the time to focus on getting married, home renovations and, of course, his book which recounts some incredible but emotionally-challenging dive operations that will remain with him for life. As well as a memoir of what occurred, Tales of a Diver also has an important message about it being okay to not be okay, talking to your mates and checking in with each other. 

Tales of a Diver is available on Amazon and at several local libraries. Luke is now considering his next literary project but is also advocating for current and former first responders to recognise the incredible value they have. 

To find out more about Fortem’s Career Management Program and other services, visit https://fortemaustralia.org.au