How I went from surviving off rats and snails to calling Australia home

David went from a labour camp in Cambodia to Australia - a country he’s proud to call home. He reveals how he gives back to the country which took him and his family in.

David, pictured far left, with his family in Chonburi refugee camp.

Key Points

• David went from a labour camp in Cambodia to Australia - a country he’s proud to call home.
• He reveals how he gives back to the country which took him and his family in.

It was 1974 when my life, and my family’s life, took a drastic turn due to the Cambodian Civil War fought between the forces of the Khmer Rouge (Communist Party of Kampuchea) against the government forces of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

The bombing of Phnom Penh wreaked havoc in the capital and destroyed our house and lives as a result.

My family and I were forcefully marched out of the city and into countryside labour camps where my dad worked to clear the fields for farming and my mum worked in the rice field. Both of my older brothers were forced into herding buffaloes at six years of age, while my younger sister (just a few months old) and I (two years old) were left at home without supervision.

Our home at camp was a simple hut structure made of bamboo and coconut leaves on mud floors, and we slept close together to keep warm at night.

For food, we ate whatever my two eldest brothers could catch on the day, be it a frog, farm rat, giant ants, fish, snails or snakes. We were starving daily, and the labour was arduous, with long hours. We were constantly beaten by labour camp leaders.

Many died from overwork, starvation, disease, or execution.

The Cambodian Khmer Rouge leaders (L-R), Pol Pot, Noun Chea, Leng Sary, Son Sen and other supporters pictured in Phnom Penh in 1975. Source: AAP

We were eventually able to make our way to a refugee camp in Thailand. It was from there that the Australian government accepted our family’s refugee application, and in December 1982, by the grace of God, we finally arrived in Sydney to start our new life.

Australia signified a new beginning for us all. My first impression was how friendly the people were toward us – everyone we encountered treated us with so much kindness and respect.

However, there were also many obstacles to overcome, such as the language barrier, culture shock and the challenges of living with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It was also difficult transitioning from life in refugee camps and adjusting to formal education for the first time.

I started school for the first time in Year 6. I felt the weight of responsibility to succeed in school so that I may one day be able to contribute to this country that has given me so much.

David pictured receiving the NSW Premier's Bushfire Emergency Citation for contribution and service to the NSW Bushfires 2019-2020 emergency response.

As my family adjusted to this new life, my parents instilled in us a core value of giving back to this nation that has provided us with a safe place to live, and told us that we needed to do our best to make this country proud that they took us in. This philosophy is a guiding principle that our entire family is still subscribed to today.

Driven by this desire to give back to the country, I volunteered with the St John Ambulance, NSW in 2010. I started as a first responder, then became clinical educator, divisional officer, and now I am the second in charge of the Blacktown adult division.

I’ve volunteered for some major crisis situations, including the 2019 bushfires, which were the worst in living memory, and the Lismore floods earlier this year, as well as administering COVID-19 vaccinations at the peak of the pandemic.

During my time administering COVID-19 vaccinations, I met an Afghan refugee whom I vaccinated at a quarantine hotel. The man looked stressed and traumatised, and disclosed to me that he had lost his country to the Taliban which he said was like ‘having your arm cut off from your body’.

David pictured volunteering.

This Afghan refugee brought back memories of my childhood and the anxiety of the unknown. I shared my life story with him, telling him that Australia was a beacon of hope for our family in a time of darkness and hopelessness.

I assured him that he too can enjoy such peace and prosperity by becoming a contributing member of this nation and reassured him that Australia accepts him openly.

Volunteering with St John Ambulance has given me a sense of purpose, and the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than myself. My 12 years of volunteering have been instrumental in shaping who I am as a person, and my two children are now volunteering too, which I am very proud of.

I believe that the best sacrifice one can give is time. Time is a precious commodity, so volunteering is the best way to give back. It instils a sense of purpose and community within us and teaches us valuable skills and life lessons.