19 March 2025
When Lance Corporal Georgina Friend joined the Army as a marine specialist, it was out of a desire to serve, travel and assist.
After a career in mining and biosecurity, Lance Corporal Friend wanted to join the Reserves in a marine role but didn’t have the qualifications, so instead, she joined full-time as a marine specialist.
“There was a particular leaning towards humanitarian assistance as well; the work they [boaties] did in Timor during Operation Warden [INTERFET] and disaster relief in the Pacific was a huge selling point for me,” she said.
Australian Army watercraft were also involved with Operation Belisi, a peacekeeping mission to the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, where Lance Corporal Friend was born.
She joined in 2019 and posted to 35 Water Transport Troop in Darwin. Within two weeks she was on her first Operation Resolute, a six-week trip to Exmouth.
Her time in marine was busy with deployments and exercises, and she said the crew became like her family on the long trips.
A turning point came during a trip down the east coast, taking an LCM-8 (landing craft mechanised) to Townsville for routine maintenance.
'I hadn’t really worked heavily with infantry, but it dispelled my previous assumptions that grunts were a bit unfriendly. That’s not been the case here at Bravo Company.'
Lance Corporal Friend was a last-minute addition to the crew, and felt the team was just starting to gel when they anchored near Lockhart River.
Here, two crew members had close encounters with crocodiles, a factor of working at the water’s edge.
The encounter left an indelible mark on Lance Corporal Friend.
“It made me weigh up my other aspirations of wanting to travel and study, so I actually discharged from service last year,” she said.
She had originally posted into 5th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, in 2024 as a marine specialist to assist with the littoral marine troop when she made the decision.
But she wasn’t ready to make the commitment to leaving Defence completely, and transitioned to SERVOP C (Service Option C) as an admin clerk, at B Coy, 5th/7th Battalion, RAR.
Despite initial apprehension about posting to an infantry battalion, she found the experience eye-opening.
“I hadn’t really worked heavily with infantry, but it dispelled my previous assumptions that grunts were a bit unfriendly. That’s not been the case here at Bravo Company,” she said.
“It was so welcoming, it’s been a great experience. We did the re-linking parade last year and that was my first time actually taking part in a parade of that size.
“I’m also looking forward to celebrating Anzac Day on a much larger scale. With a rifle company, they’re very heavy on their tradition and it’s nice to feel like you’re a part of that.”
Lance Corporal Friend speaks Tok Pisin, taking the opportunity to use her linguist skills during her time in uniform.
“It’s about keeping a part of my culture, but for others, it could be helping them with the next stepping stone to progress their career,” she said.
'On my own travels I take out a drone, or create content and put it on social media, just for a bit more PNG and Melanesian representation.'
While in Lae for her linguist qualification, she was noticed by a group, fascinated by her uniform.
“It was just a natural curiosity, because they could see the Australian flag on my uniform, but they knew that I was Papua New Guinean. It opened up a whole conversation with a lot of them,” she said.
“I didn’t realise how much of a catalyst it was for showing a person what’s possible, especially in a country like PNG.
“When you’re in uniform, young girls are seeing you and you’re showing them what’s possible; all these possibilities that a little village girl wouldn’t even think of.”
She also helps Papua New Guineans in Darwin who may feel isolated while studying or working in the NT.
She has now visited 50 countries, most recently Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines – documenting her travels in a blog.
“Around Covid, a black travel movement kicked off, and I noticed Melanesian women in particular were really under-represented,” she said.
“On my own travels I take out a drone, or create content and put it on social media, just for a bit more PNG and Melanesian representation.”
Lance Corporal Friend said it was important to realise women are different, but it shouldn’t be a divisive issue.
“I believe in supporting the sisterhood, but I also believe in supporting anyone who champions it,” she said.
