I FELL IN LOVE with my nurse

Ben Aldridge, 37, Peppermint Grove, WA

Sinking pints in the pub, I laughed at jokes my mates cracked.

I was feeling really drunk – something which I’d been doing often recently.

Age 22, I’d returned from five months in East Timor where I’d been serving in the ADF, and was in

Queensland. On tour, I’d been constantly on edge. And back on Aussie soil, I was suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

I wanted to be tough and independent, and thought