A bullet found on a WWII battlefield in Papua New Guinea will provide inspiration for Sky Blues prop Millie Elliott in Thursday night's Origin series opener at Suncorp Stadium.
Elliott was among 23 women who walked the Kokoda Trail with the Mark Hughes Foundation just before NSW players began their seven-week training camp for the historic three-match State of Origin series against Queensland.
While the physical demands of 'The Track', where Australian soldiers fought in World War II to stop Japan’s planned invasion, are notorious, Elliott said the experience was also emotionally draining.
“Everyone talks about the physical components of Kokoda and the walk itself, and yes, you are walking in all different kinds of types of conditions - it's hot, it's humid but then it's also cold at times or raining,” said Elliott (née Boyle).
“You are slipping over, you are going up steep hills, it’s just hours and hours of going up and down through peaks and over mountains and valleys and through water.
“But it’s also very emotional and I don't think people know about that emotional side and how much of a toll it takes.
“Every stop along the way we learned about the significance of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, and how their experience and their knowledge of the land, and the trail itself, helped our Australian soldiers to defeat Japan and stop them invading Australia."
The Sydney Roosters star was moved by the hospitality of villagers living along the 96km trail and their stories of how the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels helped the Australian troops, some as young as 16-years-old, to repel the Japanese.
The group stopped at one of the most significant places in the defensive effort, Brigade Hill, where they found a bullet from World War II.
“We did a big memorial up there, and they were talking about the importance of the hill because that was where they could go up and see the Japanese coming, and they were able to out-manoeuvre and outsmart them,” Elliott said.
“We literally found a bullet, and they said that they see them all the time. There are things up there that are remains from the war, and that makes it real.
“They talk a lot about the original Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels and how they're connected to them, and what it means to them.
“I felt like they were real protectors for our troops, who were mainly young boys from Australia, who weren’t even trained and were going over to fight because our troops were fighting elsewhere in the war.
“It was inspiring to learn about their courage, but also about the courage of these people to help. They would never leave an Australian, even if they were injured or they had passed away, or if they were sick.
“They would carry them on stretchers for hours and hours, days and days, with no shoes and no nothing, just to get them to a safe spot where they could get treatment or return back to Australia with their family.”
Among those assisted by the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels was the grandfather of Kris Buderus - the wife of Knights GM of football and former NSW Blues captain Danny Buderus - who works for the Mark Hughes Foundation.
“He got shot and the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels carried him out. He returned to Australia because of them,” Elliott said.
“I think that just puts things into perspective. Over in Papua New Guinea, they love rugby league - it is like an identity and a culture for them.
“I feel very privileged to be in the position I am and to be able to make a difference when I can, whether it is sending over kit or just spreading the good word of Papua New Guinea and knowing you play a greater role in society than just being a footy player.”
After flying to Kokoda Station in eight-seater planes, the women took eight days to complete the 96km track and they camped along the way.
During that time, they had no phones or electricity, and Elliott said that added to the experience.
“Staying in camp and playing with the kids in the villages, you realise that they live so simply and they're so happy,” she said. “They're just living on the land, from the land and it is a beautiful, beautiful culture.
“We didn't have our normal comforts, things that we get so tied to, and it was really refreshing and a nice reset. I think that gives you a bit of a wake-up call.
“They have nothing but they're so happy, and we have everything and we're still searching for more, so it's just a different way of looking at it. They don't have anything, but they'd give you everything.”
Having played for the Broncos, Knights and Roosters in the NRLW and been a regular member of the Jillaroos squad since 2019, Elliott is a recognisable face in Papua New Guinea, where rugby league is the national sport.
Boyle built for Origin
“They love footy, so they literally know everything about the game,” she said.
“The Broncos played a trial match in Port Moresby in 2019, so I had been there before, and I know how obsessed they are with rugby league, but when you go into a small village it is surprising.
“Justin Olam is like a king there, and they all know Elsie Albert, so it is very special.
"Coming back, you understand your privilege a lot more and that it is a greater role than just playing footy.”