Faces of PVV | Meet Police Veteran Richie Richardson

For Richie Richardson, policing was everything.

“I truly enjoyed every second of my time in the job…there is no other position I’ve ever held that gave me as much purpose, adrenaline, and pride,” he said.

“I had a front-row seat to what I used to call the greatest show on earth.”

Joining Victoria Police as part of Squad 13/90, Richie threw himself into the work, building a career that shaped who he was. But like so many, the job took its toll.

In 1995, during a violent incident, Richie stepped in to protect a sergeant.

“I took a pot glass straight to the face, shattering my nose, teeth, lips, and cheeks,” he said.

He returned to work quickly. Too quickly.

“Back then, there weren’t many resources and I returned to work far too soon.”

What followed was a series of traumatic events that began to compound: “I didn’t know it then, but I was battling post-traumatic stress,” he said.

Eventually, the weight became too much.

“The sleepless nights, the flashbacks, the hyper-awareness… it began to take a deep toll.”

A diagnosis of PTSD led to Richie’s medical discharge, and like many veterans, the transition out was confronting.

“When you leave the job, the phone stops ringing. The connection fades, no goodbye. Just silence.”

What followed was a period of significant personal challenge. Injury, chronic pain, addiction, and loss tested Richie in ways few could imagine. At one point, he lost everything and found himself rebuilding from the ground up.

“I lost everything…I was homeless.”

But even there, something shifted.

“I knew the truth. To recover, I needed to face everything,” he said. So, Richie started small.

“I wasn’t done. I’d just been sent for service and repair,” he said.

Through discipline, movement, and mindset, Richie began to reclaim his life. What started with a walk to the letterbox turned into kilometres, then marathons, then ultra-endurance challenges. Today, he has walked and run over 30,000 kilometres, completed multiple marathons, and trekked the Kokoda Track twice.

“I was told I’d never walk more than a kilometre, but I had other plans,” he said.

“I truly believe we can change our lives at any point, no matter our circumstances.”

As the founder of Strong Step Forward, Richie now works as a personal trainer, mindset coach, and motivational speaker, helping others rebuild their lives, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

“Resilience isn’t about never falling;  it’s about finding the strength to rise, again and again.”

Because for Richie, the story didn’t end when he left the job.

It just became something else.