When Hugh Semple left the Army in 2021, he faced a challenge he knows many veterans understand well.
‘I was struggling trying to find purpose in life,’ he says. ‘Leaving service, I found that I lost my identity like many other veterans.’
Semple had served for six years in the Royal Australian Corps of Transport. After joining the Army with the intention of making it a lifelong career, he became a Bushmaster operator with 6 Transport Squadron in Townsville before later posting to Amberley. A serious shoulder injury sustained through the Army’s adventure training program led to multiple surgeries and ultimately a medical discharge.
‘It was supposed to be a career that I was going to do forever,’ he says. ‘But unfortunately it was cut short.’
Creating a life beyond service
What followed was a period of searching. He tried mechanical work. He tried fishing. He looked for something that matched the pride and sense of purpose he had felt in uniform.
‘Nothing really seemed to stick,’ he says. ‘I was trying to find that big picture thing.’
Then a short video appeared on his Facebook feed – someone painting with acrylics.
‘I thought that looks interesting. I might want to have a go at that.’
He completed his first painting in late 2021. He has not stopped since.
‘I guess that was what I needed,’ he says. ‘My painting, being a therapeutic outlet for me at the time, has now turned into a career.’
Art was not something he had previously trained in or pursued seriously. What began as a private way to steady himself quickly became more deliberate. Painting gave him space to work through what had happened – and what came next.
‘Artwork gives that extra dimension,’ he says. ‘Where it’s hard to articulate your feelings and problems in life with words, art gives you another way in.’
Painting other journeys
In 2025, Semple was selected as the ANZAC Memorial’s Veteran Artist in Residence (2025) in Sydney. His exhibition, Beyond Service – Veterans’ New Journeys, brought together a series of works shaped by conversations with other former serving members.
Rather than focus solely on his own story, he interviewed five veterans who had each found a new direction after leaving the ADF.
‘I thought it’s a platform I could do something really special,’ he says. ‘Instead of doing my nice little country paintings, I wanted to create something that actually impacts other veterans.’
Each artwork was developed in response to those conversations. The result was a collection exploring identity after service – not only the disruption of transition, but the rebuilding that follows.
‘Identity after service is one of the biggest issues that we face,’ he says. ‘It hits career, relationships, family – everything.’
The exhibition resonated beyond the veteran community. Visitors recognised parts of themselves in the stories on the walls.
‘I didn’t realise the impact it would actually have,’ he says. ‘Not only to veterans, but civilians as well. They’re all real problems that a lot of people face.’
Since then, he has begun developing structured workshops under the banner Expression Assist. The program is built around small groups and guided exercises that use art as a tool to explore identity and direction.
‘It’s not an art class,’ he says. ‘It’s predominantly talking about identity itself and using art as a way to find out who you are, where you’re heading and where you’ve been.’
Participants leave with materials so they can continue the process privately.
‘At the very least,’ he says, ‘it’s created five hours of a mental breath. Veterans have said they haven’t thought about any of the worries in their life during that process.’
He is also researching the experiences of military spouses – a group he describes as ‘the silent front line’.
‘I’m sitting down and interviewing a number of military spouses to better understand their experience,’ he says. ‘They put up with a lot while their partners go overseas and through transition.’
Giving back as a proud Ambassador
Now a Soldier On Ambassador, Semple is using his experience to support other veterans as they navigate life beyond service.
For Semple, the direction his work has taken is deliberate. The loss of one identity has made space for another – one he controls.
‘I’ve got a little bit addicted to doing the good things,’ he says.
He still paints country scenes from around Wagga Wagga, where he is based. But the work now carries a broader intention.
As ANZAC Day approaches, his focus is firmly on continuing to support others navigating life after service, helping them find the same sense of purpose he once thought he had lost.
‘It was something I needed,’ he says of picking up a brush for the first time. ‘And it’s turned into something bigger than I expected.’
For a veteran who once expected to serve for life, that purpose now lives on in a different way, in the commitment to creating art and the ongoing work of helping others rebuild beyond the uniform.
