On April 8, I graduated with a PhD in international maritime security from the University of New England. Contradictions abound, because why would a student from The Netherlands, once the most powerful seafaring nation, come to a regional university, located at more than 900m above sea level, to study pirates, people smugglers and illegal fishers?

To answer this question, I must go back a few years to 1999. On August 11 of that year, I left Amsterdam to fly to Coffs Harbour. A year-long exchange program at Orara High School was the initial reason, but my wonderful host family and astonishing surroundings ignited a love for this country I feel as strongly today as I did the day I arrived.

My high school year in Coffs Harbour finished mid-2000, and I returned to The Netherlands. I graduated from high school, and after a failed attempt to study European and international law, I ended up working in the insurance sector. My ambition to study never disappeared though.

On February 2, 2009, London’s weather was unforgiving: a snowstorm caused a rather bumpy start to my renewed academic ambitions. Only months earlier, I had been accepted into a Bachelor’s degree at UNE and was offered accommodation at Drummond & Smith College. A few snowflakes could not prevent the immense sense of joy I felt to be departing on what was to become the most exciting time of my life.

The colleges pride themselves on being a “home away from home”. Nothing was truer for me. Then, for five years as Senior Resident Fellow at Drummond & Smith, I attempted to return the favour by enabling  students to experience the same growth and development.    

With the warm support of college staff and friends, I finished my bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a graduate certificate. Not a career in academia, but a genuine interest in research led me to apply for a doctoral program at UNE.

The support I received during my candidature was unparalleled. The constant encouragement of my supervisory team, financial support from the university and even personal interest from the Vice-Chancellor allowed me to undertake an attachment with the UN’s International Maritime Organisation in London (which, in the summer of 2015, made up beautifully for the dreadful snowfall of 2009).

You see, coming to Armidale to study the perils of the high seas is not that strange after all. Jean-Jacques Rousseau told us “we should not teach children the sciences, but give them a taste for them”. It was in regional Armidale that I found this taste: an academic environment aimed to support, develop and empower students to pursue their own interest, no matter what those are. 

I am not quite sure what the future has in store for me. Deep down, I am hoping on a small miracle (especially if this miracle takes place at an office of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection) so I can repay some of the kindness UNE, Armidale, and Australia has shown to me.