As a child growing up in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, Captain Jeffrey Sios spent countless afternoons exploring creek beds with his cousins, climbing through bushland and playing in waterways that cut through the province’s volcanic landscape. 

He never realised unexploded bombs were scattered beneath his feet. 

Earlier this year, while conducting reconnaissance for Operation Render Safe with explosive ordnance disposal [EOD] teams, Captain Sios returned to one of those same creeks for the first time in years. 

“We walked along a creek bed where my cousins and I used to play as kids, and some of the EOD boys pointed out like 10 or 15 unexploded ordnances,” Captain Sios said. 

“We used to walk down this exact same place, and I had no idea any of this stuff was there. 

“It’s been surreal knowing places kids still go to are filled with these things.” 

After moving to Australia to study and eventually joining the Australian Army, Captain Sios returned to East New Britain in uniform as the logistics officer for the multinational mission working to remove explosive remnants of war throughout the region. 

Across East New Britain, remnants of World War II lie hidden beneath villages, coastlines, gardens and creeks more than 80 years after the fighting ended. 

Personnel from Papua New Guinea, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States are disposing of unexploded ordnance identified during previous missions. 

'I left the country to get an education and build a life for myself, and now I’m coming back and giving back to the country where I was born.'

As the logistics officer, Captain Sios oversees the movement and sustainment of their equipment. 

Growing up in PNG speaking Tok Pisin has allowed him to connect with local communities while helping fellow soldiers better understand the culture, traditions and customs of the country. 

“Most people know the capital, or the headlines, but they don’t know the people,” he said. 

“It’s close to the heart because I’m from here too, and hopefully it makes people want to come back and keep helping this area.” 

For his mother, Janet, seeing her son return to serve in the province where he grew up has been special. 

“When Australians come to Papua New Guinea, they need to connect with people at a personal level,” Mrs Sios said. 

“You have to understand families, traditions and culture. Once you do that, you become part of the community. 

“That’s something Jeffrey understands very well – he is a very good bridge between our cultures, and I know he will do the same for the other nations here too.”  

Returning has brought back memories of the place that shaped Captain Sios. He remembers fishing with family, swimming in the ocean and spending hours outdoors with cousins in villages around the province. 

“You grow up somewhere just seeing it as home,” he said. “Then you come back years later and realise there’s this whole history and danger still sitting there.

“I left the country to get an education and build a life for myself, and now I’m coming back and giving back to the country where I was born. 

“It really feels full circle.”