Kylie James

~ On the Canvas Of Service, 2022

Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Ret’d

Australian Army

Content Advisory:

The following story contains personal reflections from an Australian veteran that may include themes of trauma, war-related experiences, mental health struggles, and suicide. These narratives are shared with deep respect and the intent to honour service, foster understanding, and offer hope to those facing similar challenges.

If you are feeling distressed or need support, we encourage you to reach out. Help is available.

• Lifeline Australia: 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support)

• Open Arms – Veterans & Families Counselling: 1800 011 046 (24/7 support for veterans and their families)

Please proceed with care and compassion.

She called it her happy place.

A modest, open-armed farm stay nestled in the hills—quiet, unpolished, real. The kind of place where you feel the past in the soil, and the healing in the air. Kylie welcomed me like she’d known me forever. No ceremony. No barrier. Just a sense that I had arrived somewhere meant to be shared.

It wasn’t built for anyone but her. And yet, of course, it became something for others. Veterans. First responders. Families. Strangers who needed a place to stop unraveling.

Kylie told me her story with warmth and sharp clarity. She hadn’t planned on the Army. She just saw an ad—“…the army ad with the helicopter…”—made a call, and the next thing she knew, she was in. There was humour in her voice when she said it. She never expected it to suit her. But it did. “…I think I was the perfect fit,” she said, and I believed her.

The end of her service didn’t come as cleanly. There was medical leave. A sense of drifting. “I was very lost,” she said. And then, unexpectedly, a return to something old—a memory of sheep from childhood, stirred back to life by six rescued animals and one twin birth on Good Friday. “That’s kind of where the crazy sheep lady came from,” she smiled. 

The place she’s created now doesn’t boast or preach. It just is. And in that stillness, it offers something few systems manage to hold: dignity.

Kylie doesn’t hide her disappointment in how things are handled. “We’re the biggest investment they make. But it’s easier to get rid of us than a torn tent.” It wasn’t anger—just truth, laid bare.

But she’s not stuck in the hurt. She’s moved through it, and now stands in something softer.

Kylie isn’t waiting for a system to heal people. She’s already doing it—with open gates, rescued sheep, and the kind of space that doesn’t ask you to explain who you are to deserve being held.

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The content featured here is extracted from Of Service, the original fine-art publication by Jenani Therone. It is reproduced with permission from both the author and the publisher. All rights are reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means without explicit permission.