“Now that I look back, I can see how close I came a few times”:  Finlay McKenzie reflects on his experiences as a defence kid in a foreign country.

by Isaac Brown, with permission granted by Finlay McKenzie

Being so young, Finlay McKenzie never really understood the significance of the danger that Papua New Guinea possessed. At not even 10 years of age, he never really understood the murder of his Spanish teacher, the pirate raids that he narrowly avoided, or the attempted robbery of his compound.

Now that he is older, he is able to make sense of his experiences.

Finlay, the oldest son of two parents working in defence, was moved to Papua New Guinea when his father was offered a position in Port Moresby. Due to the prospect of staying for a few years, the Port Moresby compound quickly became a home that Finlay grew used to. 

Port Moresby is the capital city of Papua New Guinea, home to various defence-based compounds and bases, where Australian diplomats and military workers live. It symbolises the diplomatic history of Australia and Papua New Guinea relations. 

During WWII, Port Moresby was under threat from the Japanese as they advanced through Papua New Guinea. After their successful raid against Rabaul, a serious threat was placed on Australia’s security if the Japanese took Papua New Guinea. After being pushed back significantly, just 56 km away from Port Moresby, Australian and Papua New Guinea forces were able to wear out the invading forces (Britannica, 2017). They ended the Japanese Kokoda Track Campaign, thus forging an international relationship that is still operating today.

Currently, Australia is focusing on strengthening Papua New Guinea’s defence capabilities and security, as PNG is committed to making long term investments in its infrastructure, stability and equipment (Australian High Commission, n.d and AFP, 2009). Additionally, 10.5% of Australia’s Official Development Assistance (ODE) goes towards investments in PNG health, education and government, as well as eco-political cooperation on environmental issues (State Library of NSW, 2016). 

Although Finlay wasn’t consciously aware of the political dynamics at play, they shaped the safety and structure of his life in Port Moresby. 

For Finlay, though, the historical and diplomatic importance of Port Moresby was a distant thought; his childhood was more impacted by barbed-wire fences and security guards.

The difference between Australia and Port Moresby was profound. Finlay spent his time either at the international school or in the compound, as it was too dangerous to be in public. His skin colour would make him a target in a developing nation. 

Although the tall, barbed security fences were always present, keeping him safe, he began to grow used to life at the base. Finlay even began to enjoy his time at home, frequently using the facility pool and enjoying the weather.

“I liked the weather a whole lot more than here, it was much warmer there. Each compound had a pool, so it was always nice to go down there, it was very fun.”

The day-to-day routine of a defence kid was very structured. On an average day, Finlay had a 6 am start, where he’d prepare for school and then go down to the front of his building and wait for the bus. The bus would pick up all the defence kids and drive them to Konedobu, another compound a kilometre away. There, he’d meet with all the other kids from other bases who were dropped off in a similar fashion. From there, they’d get in a convoy to school, which would take them safely through the city. 

School grew to be Finlay’s least favourite part of the day.

The school consisted of large, very old buildings that were nearly falling apart. He was surrounded by large fences and security guards kept an eye on everything that was happening.

“I didn’t really like school too much over there, that probably had a negative impact on my experience there. I prefer school here in Australia rather than PNG.”

Finlay did learn about Papua New Guinea culture in school, even performing cultural dances with his classmates for important guests. He didn’t learn much of the language, though his parents had to. 

“I only learned a few phrases like “tenkyu tru”, which means thank you truly.”

Despite being isolated from the public, he did learn about the world outside his compound. To the south of his compound was a city-like area with tall buildings and established infrastructures. However, to the north was a village built over the harbour areas, showing a stark contrast in conditions.

“It was very cool how people had built jetties, as in like, 800 meters long, on top of the water and built houses of the side of that”

Outside of his compound was a small local IGA, where his parents took him and his brother shopping once. “It was the closest I’d ever come to the public”. He noticed how close together all the buildings were and the dirtiness of the street, which was completely different from the cleanliness of the compound.

However, it was the security guards that truly demanded his attention more than anything as a young boy.

“The main thing that scared me when I was younger was that the security guards had shotguns to ward off any thieves. That came as a shock to me when I was younger. That, I understood, and it scared me.”

During his time in Papua New Guinea, Finlay did experience just how dangerous it could be.

The murder of his Spanish teacher was hushed very quickly. One night, at 2 am, a local student snuck in through the window to let his uncle and dad in. They quickly killed the teacher. To Finlay, none of this really made sense at the time, especially when he only found out by accident.

“I didn’t really understand it that well, the only reason I know about it is that one of my other teachers was telling me about it until they had to stop.”

One night, Finlay woke to the sound of glass breaking and an alarm blaring. Yelling filled the darkness - Finlay was scared and confused. Two men had tried to rob the floors below his room and he could hear their footsteps as they ran off.

Compound security didn’t arrive for 2 hours, which did nothing to help him calm down.

Finlay’s luckiest escape occurred during one of his vacations to the Tawali Resort. It was a nice, luxury resort with access to vibrant coral reefs. He loved coming to these places, but Tawali was raided by pirates annually. They were forced to time their vacation in between attacks because they would leave the place completely ravaged.

“Once when we went there, we only missed them by a few days, so we were pretty lucky.”

Having these experiences at such a young age, Finlay never really understood the significance of these events: “because I thought pirates were like what you see in the movies”. Therefore he hasn’t been personally affected in his later years. He believes that the only impacts he has had is a greater understanding of what occurred when he was there.

“Now that I look back on it, I can see how close I came a few times.”

Life in PNG had ups and downs. Though he didn’t like school and the feeling of isolation, he really enjoyed the climate and the places he got to see.

Though he prefers his life here in Australia, Finlay enjoyed his experiences in Papua New Guinea. Being in defence programs has provided him with extremely valuable experiences of the world, that provide a unique perspective on society.

“It has really made me more grateful for how lucky we are in Australia.”