Ex-squaddie back on his feet with new job
A FORMER soldier has been helped back on to his feet after suffering Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Garry McDermott served in the Royal Scots Borderers, touring Northern Ireland several times before the peace process began.
Garry battled for two long years for compensation following his diagnosis with PTSD once he left the army, and is now working with a firm that specifically supports ex-service people.
The 43-year-old is celebrating his new job in Glasgow with the Caring Caretaker, where he works as a manager for a sign project.
The father-of-two said it now feels like “a weight has been lifted” since he got the new job with the propertymanagement firm, which is part of AAA Property Group.
The company has clinched a deal with Snaith Signs, a specialist estate agent board erection services company, which provides residential property signage and commercial factory, shop and office signage management services. And Garry will be responsible for managing the service, erecting for sale signs on properties in Glasgow, Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.
Garry said: “I had two years of negotiating with a barrister. It’s shocking the way our guys get treated. The mental health issue is frightening. I am really looking forward to [my new job].
“Everything feels right. My daughters, Lucy, 8, and Abby, 13, have seen a massive difference in me. It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.”
Before Garry joined the firm, he became an instructor at the boxing academy set up by former welterweight world champion Ricky Hatton, and ran his own business.
AAA Property has recently branched out into Scotland, and is run purely by people who have left the Navy, Army or RAF and are returning to civilian life.
It was set up by Richard Tucker to concentrate on property management and student accommodation in Durham City, in the North- East of England, but has since expanded across the country.
It will be covering Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen initially.
Mr Tucker, who spent nearly 20 years in the RAF and saw action in the first Gulf War, said: “When I left the RAF I missed the esprit de corps of military life – the working together for a greater good. Civvy street moves at a different pace to the armed services. In the RAF if something needed to be done it got done usually the same day. I was dismayed to find that wasn’t always the case in civilian life.”
Mr Tucker, who runs the firm with his daughter, Alison, added: “It’s more than just a j ob. We provide emotional and spiritual care for all our employees.”
Steve Snaith, managing director of Snaith Signs, said: “It’s vitally important our boards are in the best position, look immaculate and are up at the right time. We’re confident Caring Caretaker’s team will do a great job.”