National Network for Equitable Library Service

Before eighteen-year-old Craig Semple joined the New South Wales Police Force in 1988, he was someone who preferred to steer clear of trouble. But like so many young police officers, he gradually built resilience to fear through a process of selflessly, and often recklessly, turning towards danger. By the time he started locking horns with some of Australia's most notorious outlaw motorcycle gangs, Craig believed himself to be bulletproof. After his brother, a rookie police officer, was near-fatally stabbed by a drug dealer in 1998, Craig's life suddenly jumped the track, his fight against drug crime becoming an obsession that took him to the brink of personal, professional and marital destruction. Attempting to give his family and career a new start, he moved to the New South Wales north coast, where he too became the victim of a violent crime, at the hands of outlaw bikies. Trained and shaped in an era of alcohol abuse and maverick culture within the force, Craig saw just about everything in a career spanning a quarter of a century: murder, suicide, armed robbery, organised crime and much more. This unforgiving environment would eventually take its toll. After many years struggling with his deteriorating mental health, Craig retired with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. Ahead of him was a challenging journey that would take him to the lowest point of his life and provide him with an opportunity to find a new purpose inspiring others as a mental health educator. Craig Semple's story is one of transformation and profound personal growth through exposure to extreme life events. As compelling as a thriller, it is a story of how human endurance, tenacity, sacrifice and belief in something beyond the self ultimately lead to the triumph of good over evil.