Friday 2 May 2025, 5pm

Men’s Shed

Conversation with Craig Semple with Q & A session.

Craig Semple was a career Detective within the NSW Police Force for 25 years. Much of Craig’s career was invested in `high risk’ law enforcement including drug investigation, the investigation of outlaw motorcycle gangs and homicides.

The environment within which Craig led professional people for much of his career was one that exposed employees to high levels of stress, high, workloads, occupational burnout, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

As a leader he developed a clear and practical understanding of workplace mental health and its relevance to workplace health and safety, occupational health and safety legislation, productivity, personal wellbeing and resilience.

Craig’s retirement from the Police Force was as a result of his own personal battle with workplace Psychological Injury.

From that `lived experience’ he has developed a rare personal insight into the causes, symptoms, treatment, recovery strategies and the impact of mental illness in the workplace.

In 2015 Craig joined the Black Dog Institute as a mental health educational presenter. Since then he has travelled extensively, sharing his experience and delivering vital education on Mental Health, Wellbeing and Resilience.

More than 30,000 people have benefited from Craig’s positive presentations.

In 2016 Craig was selected as an inaugural `Mentor’ for the NSW Police Legacy program `Backup for Life’. Craig has used his unique experience to help develop this program which is providing support to injured Police Officers and their families.

He was selected as a Mentor due to his positive message and demonstrated ability to overcome adversity. Craig is considered a `Role Model’ for injured Police transitioning into the next phase of their lives.

Craig is a fully accredited Instructor for the delivery of Mental Health First Aid training. He is an expert in creating mentally healthy and resilient workplaces.