Myanmar was seemingly in a state of repair when Paul Thu left for Australia in 2012.
Unlike most of Australia's Myanmar population who arrived as refugees, Dr Thu arrived in Adelaide on a study visa to complete his general practice training.
Growing up in the country's capital, Yangon, under the military regime, he took comfort in Western music and movies.
"I'd always wanted to live in one of the Western countries, and my father said Australia would be good.
"Since I arrived I always felt this was my home."
When he left Myanmar, hundreds of political prisoners had been released under a new civilian government, including democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
"It was the moment where we didn't really know what was going to happen, whether the military was going to take over," Dr Thu said.
"On the other hand, people were so excited about the openness of the community.
"People were starting to speak out and were allowed to mention the name of Aung Sun Suu Kyi without having to go to jail."
While glad to see Myanmar going in the right direction at the time, Dr Thu focused on his life and the Australian dream he so wanted.
He didn't really have friends from the Myanmar community in Adelaide, yet his move to regional Mount Gambier in November 2020 sparked unexpected connections with his birth country.
Dr Thu is Burmese, however Mount Gambier's Myanmar population is largely Karen and Karenni — ethnic minorities that have suffered military brutality more than others.
"The only Burmese that they have seen are the Burmese soldiers who have killed and raped their families," Dr Thu said.
"A lot of them are not really exposed to the Burmese civilians."
When the country returned to full military rule in February 2021 after 10 years of quasi-democracy, Mount Gambier's Myanmar community was determined to come closer together.
Learning more about Myanmar in Australia
There are about 350 Karen and Karenni community members in Mount Gambier; Karen is now the second-most-spoken language in the regional centre after English.
"When I first came to Mount Gambier, I thought Karen and Karenni were the same," Dr Thu said.
"We've got 135 ethnic communities ... I realised how diverse Myanmar is, it's amazing."
In Yangon where Dr Thu grew up, most people are Burmese.
"You don't really get to know about Karen and Karenni, but I've got to know them here.
"People tend to stay where they are [in Myanmar].
"The difficult thing is actually accessing other places; bumpy roads put people off travelling to other states."
As well as the painful association with Burmese people, the Karen and Karenni communities speak different dialects.
"It took me a while to build the friendship and it is very precious because it is a hard-earned relationship," Dr Thu said.
"They're lovely people. The more you know them, the more you love them."
Help for Myanmar
Dr Thu said last year's military coup brought the local Myanmar community closer together.
Earlier this month they hosted a fundraiser event for family and friends suffering in Myanmar while on the run from the military.
"We had no issues at all, we tried to understand each other and wait for each other," Dr Thu said.
"It's very special, it's probably one of the biggest achievements I've ever had in my life."
Talking about what is happening in Myanmar is tough, but Dr Thu feels he has to do something.
"People I went to school with are having a very tough life while I'm enjoying the good life in Australia.
"Some friends have totally lost contact."
One counterpart fled Yangon to Karenni state to set up a clinic in a church. It was bombed.
"Every image or video that I see of the military arresting or torturing or killing people is a driving force for me to do something to help people understand," Dr Thu said.
"Australia alone is not able to make a change but we can play our bit."
