During a 16-day battlefield tour of East New Britain in PNG, Army's Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Award (JCGSA) recipients immersed themselves in a rich blend of culture and military history.
Soldiers spoke with PNG school students, kicked soccer balls with the local children and shared presentations on the history of world wars among iconic locations.
When they arrived at a village, the soldiers were met with warm curiosity. Some locals had never seen an outsider.
Young and old gathered around to hear personal stories and shared histories.
Communities had freshly picked coconuts waiting for the team after a challenging walk.
They bit into juicy watermelon so ripe it dripped down their arms, and pineapple so sweet it was worth travelling all day for.
"The highlight came when we were fortunate enough to witness the traditional Taun dance of the Baining people in Nongia Village," JCGSA ambassador recipient Private Caleb Walker said.
This sacred ritual features dancers wearing elaborate masks and costumes of leaves and reeds, honouring ancestral spirits and ensuring the community's protection.
The rhythmic drumming and chanting carried into the early hours of the morning, though the contingent experienced an abridged version of the ceremony, which usually lasts more than a week.
'Paying tribute to the sacrifices of the soldiers and embracing the local culture has left me with lasting memories and a deeper understanding of our shared legacies.'
The tour visited World War 1 and 2 sites around Rabaul, explored local markets, and examined the wreckage of a Mitsubishi Ki-21 'Sally' bomber on a Japanese-captured airfield, which was hidden under coconut trees when not in use during the war.
They visited a museum of lawns littered with guns, tanks and salvaged engines, and delivered presentations at Commonwealth war cemeteries.
While walking through underground hideouts sheltering Japanese vessels hauled hundreds of metres inland by Indian slaves, the recipients were astonished by the extent the Japanese went to shield them from allied raids.
About 500km of tunnels were dug throughout Rabaul, including a 400m, four-level system built by prisoners of war, which housed a Japanese hospital.
The group paused for reflection at a memorial dedicated to the labourers forced to work for the Japanese, among them the local Tolai people.
Mount Tavurvur, the active volcano near Rabaul, devastated the town with a massive eruption in 1994, burying it in ash, but that didn't stop the tour from hiking up its steep 688m volcanic ridge.
Some ventured to test the hot springs at the volcano's base, where the scalding waters are used by locals to cook food.
By the end of the tour, Private Walker felt a deep appreciation for the opportunity to connect with Papua New Guineans and to the history of PNG.
"Paying tribute to the sacrifices of the soldiers and embracing the local culture has left me with lasting memories and a deeper understanding of our shared legacies," he said.
The Jonathan Church Good Soldiering Award is given to junior soldiers and officers who personify compassionate and ethical soldiering. It is named in honour of Trooper Jonathan Church, a Special Air Service Regiment combat medic who served with the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda where, in 1995, he helped save children whose parents were massacred. Trooper Church was one of 18 soldiers killed in a training accident when two Black Hawk helicopters crashed at High Range near Townsville on June 12, 1996. Award recipients are selected by Chief of Army each year. A number of them are also named as ambassadors.
