Biography

Narelle was a member of Victoria Police for 27 years, 15 of those as a detective with homicide, rape, sex crimes, missing persons and child exploitation squads, specialising in sex offences and child abuse. She has been involved in many high profile investigations. In 2012 Narelle was diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) & was never able to return to Policing, however she overcame many adversities to become an accidental mental health advocate & keynote speaker on the challenges of first responders who face trauma & grief on a daily basis. Narelle shares the signs of stress she ignored, hoping they would magically disappear. Instead of disappearing, they increased to the point she couldn’t continue in the career she loved. The stigma of mental illness is alive & well in our community & Narelle’s hope is to help in ‘normalising’ rather than stigmatising, mental illness.