The Australian Defence Force Arts for Recovery, Resilience, Teamwork and Skills initiative (ADF ARRTS) is an engaging four-week residential program open to current and former Defence members, as well as AFP and ACT ESA staff.
The program helps build confidence and resilience in people who may be experiencing health and wellbeing challenges related to their service, and a recent participant was Bernard Richards, and this is his story.
Joining the Army in 1988, Bernard served in the Royal Australian Armoured Corps for 32 years until he was medically discharged in 2020.
His service contribution was highly valued, resulting in the award of a Conspicuous Service Cross in 2007, but in 2018 he suffered a sudden attack of aphasia and could no longer speak.
Suffering intense headaches, he was seen by a neurologist, who requested a range of scans.
‘I ended up at home with my wife Kath looking after me for two years,’ Bernard said.
‘Before this occurred, I had already noticed problems with my memory, resulting in me sending emails to people but not remembering that action, and then wondering why I was getting ‘thank you’ replies.’
After further investigation he was told his symptoms were due to a brain tumour in his right temporal lobe that would have to be removed, and this was done a year later in 2019.
‘Everyone was very supportive, with a local neurosurgeon doing the removal, and after spending a month in hospital I started to feel better,’ he said.
One side effect of the surgery was that he would occasionally lose control of his right eye.
‘It comes and goes but at least it gives me an excuse to sometimes wear a pirate eye patch,’ Bernard said.
As part of his ongoing recovery, he applied for the ADF ARRTS program in 2019 but was not well enough to attend, so he applied again this year and was accepted.
The program runs at the University of Canberra and involves experienced mentors teaching music, creative writing, and visual art techniques to help participants discover new outlets and enhance their well-being.
Bernard chose visual arts and lived at the program’s accommodation centre with the 25 other participants.
‘Doing hands-on art felt really good because I think it uses a different part of the brain,’ he said.
‘By being creatively engaged, I was no longer feeling my head being crushed by midday, and it was so much better than staying at home.’
One of Bernard’s favourite projects was recreating the ancient Greek sculpture ‘The Winged Victory of Samothrace’, using clay and acrylic paint.
‘It was initially really hard to conceptualise because the tumour was on the right side of my brain which I understand is where spatial stuff happens,’ he said.
‘I struggled at first, and Kath offered to take me home, but by working slowly and perhaps due to the dopamine effects resulting from positive feedback, I was able to recruit the undamaged left side of my brain into doing what the right side was supposed to do.’
In addition to clay sculptures, Bernard created a concertina of hand-drawn images and an illustration of himself wearing the eye patch.
Every ARRTS program ends with a spectacular celebration showcase attended by family and friends, where participants perform music, present poetry, read stories, and display their artistic creations.
Bernard’s wife and daughter attended the event and were delighted to see his creations in the showcase gallery.
‘My family had actually seen the original ‘Winged Victory’ sculpture during a visit to the Louvre in Paris a few years earlier, which I couldn’t attend because I was unwell, but they still seemed amazed by my scaled-down version,’ Bernard said.
‘During week one I met a former Music and Rhythm mentor who taught us how to mix samples and create different styles of music, and we ended up producing a music video for which I provided spinning visual graphics to accompany his music.’
Bernard hopes to do further video production work in his retirement.
‘I enjoyed spending time with everyone on the course, and we had some great meals and fun Visual Art outings together,’ he said.
Reflecting on the program, Bernard feels the mentors made a big difference.
‘They really clicked with each other and with all of us. They were so helpful and were there from the start,’ he said.
Now with an arts connection in his new life, Bernard encourages interested veterans to apply for DVA-funded positions on the program. Applicants should note that this normally needs to be done within three years of leaving Defence.
‘While service life is hard, Defence is doing its best to help.’
‘This program is a great example of how Defence can assist the recovery of members and Veterans, so I’d encourage anybody who feels they could benefit to consider applying,’ Bernard said.
For more information about the ADF ARRTS program, or to nominate for the next session, which runs in Canberra from 1 to 27 November 2026, visit www.defence.gov.au/arrts, email adf.arrts@defence.gov.au, or call (02) 6127 6505 during business hours.
Applications close on 28 September 2026.
