Peter Kenilorea has vivid memories of an Australian film crew visiting his home to interview his family on Solomon Islands' first Independence Day in 1978.
The prominent Solomon Islands politician was just five years old, and his father, also called Peter, was the country's prime minister when the British protectorate ended that year.
He remembers the excitement of the film crew, and the enormity of the occasion.
"We woke up really, really early and instead of having breakfast in the kitchen, which was the usual thing, we were having breakfast in our dining room," he said.
"I saw a few more cereals on the table that I didn't usually see, like Cornflakes and Weet-Bix.
"It was really, a great time to be living."
Fast forward to 2022, and life in Solomon Islands is a little more complicated.
The country is facing a range of challenges, from the economy to global scrutiny of its growing ties with China.
Mr Kenilorea said he was determined to honour his father's dying wish, that his eldest son would enter parliament and be a future leader.
He said his father had a "massive" influence on him and his attitude towards public life.
Constituents regularly stayed over at the prime minister's residence when his father was in power, as they travelled from their province of Malaita to do business in the capital, Honiara.
"All I knew growing up [was] living in a house that is always crowded and waking up with the curtains gone because somebody has used it as a blanket in the morning in the living room," he said.
"That was [what it was like] being the son of a prime minister back then."
It seems inevitable he was destined for a life in politics.
After 18 years working for the United Nations in New York, Peter Kenilorea Jr – as he's come to be known — returned home in 2017 and was elected to parliament in 2019.
Now, many young people look to him as a future leader.
"I really like him, he's a cool dude and he works well with people, but also with the community, the people that he represents," local filmmaker Neil Nuia said.
"He's got a lot of admirable traits that we young people see in him. He turns up at our events. Well, that's cool."
Closer ties to Australia, scrap China security deal
Mr Kenilorea, 49, is now a key figure in the opposition United Party, which has formed a coalition in Solomon Islands politics.
The current Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has a strong grip on power with his coalition holding 38 seats of the 50-seat parliament.
Mr Sogavare will be seeking a fifth term, although it's still not clear when the election will be. The ABC tried mutiple avenues to speak to Mr Sogavare in Honiara, but our interview requests were ignored.
The Prime Minister is also trying to amend the country's constitution to push back the vote until after the 2023 Pacific Games, hosted by Honiara.
Even if Mr Kenilorea's coalition wins more seats in the next election, there are likely to be a number of contenders for leader and he would need the support of his peers.
He said the talk of him as a future leader was "humbling" and "flattering".
Speaking to the ABC from opposition headquarters in Honiara, he said closer ties with Australia would be a top priority, should they win government at the next election.
"It's quite rare to have a least developed country [low-income country] … two and a half hours away from Brisbane."
He said the coalition would also scrap the country's controversial security partnership with China.
"We don't need that security agreement," he said.
But Mr Kenilorea stopped short of committing to reversing the diplomatic switch from China back to Taiwan.
"It's something we're considering and that'll be a process to do it when we do switch back," he said.
"As we sit here now, there is a big pull to switch back for sure, that's something that we're hearing people telling us already."
He also wants to prioritise the country's youth, who are struggling with issues of unemployment and jobs – a situation he said was "dire".
Among the policies his party will take to the next election is lifting tertiary education rates from 4 per cent to 10 per cent, and encouraging more students in practical fields such as the sciences and engineering.
China on the minds of young people
Young people are among the most eager to talk about the future of their country.
Many told the ABC they are concerned about their country's deepening ties with China.
Frustration spilled over last November, when riots in Honiara razed the local Chinatown.
International police – including from Australia – were bought in to quell the unrest.
"The initial peaceful protests that happened before the riots was really about the power that the provinces have, versus the national government over key decisions," said Dr Anouk Ride, affiliate researcher with the University of Melbourne.
"When the national government changed bilateral relations from Taiwan to China, part of the resentment about that was the decision."
The riots were largely blamed on disaffected youth, and that has angered many young people, including Neil Nuia.
Mr Nuia is deeply embedded in the community and runs workshops for young people through his arts hub, Dreamcast.
"Young people should never be blamed for that," he said.
"The whole thing has been manipulated — the young people are being manipulated to do these things.
"In Solomons, a majority of the young people do not understand how the systems work, especially the governance system and which functions the government play and stuff."
Thirty-two-year-old Joe Wale, from the outer Honiara suburb of Papaho, agreed.
"I think it's an issue inside the parliament and one for the government to resolve."
Young entrepreneur Millicent Barty has recently returned from a year in the United States as a prestigious Obama scholar.
She said she felt her country had changed since she'd been away, and she was uncomfortable about the growing ties with China.
"I'm very happy to be home and I just came at the right time, [around] Solomon Islands Independence Day, but to be honest, it's been different," Ms Barty said.
"I feel with China, it was just sort of like a big wave just came through and no one was prepared.
"And that just heightens the anxiety we feel, especially when a government doesn't communicate openly or is not transparent in its dealings."
'Thank you China': Mixed reactions to upcoming sports precinct
The issue of China looms large in Honiara in other ways.
A large sports precinct is being built in time for the 2023 Pacific Games, funded and built by China.
The ABC met a number of young people playing basketball and futsal near the main Holy Cross Church in Honiara.
Many of them are happy to see the stadium built.
"The other stadiums that will be built by China and other countries will be great for Solomon Islanders, especially with the players, because we haven't had those facilities before," basketball player Alex Masaea said.
Twenty-two-year-old Britney Pasia agreed.
"Thank you, China, for helping Solomon Islands Government, for building this for us."
But Peter Kenilorea said questions remained about how the stadium would be looked after when the games were over.
"Solomon Islanders love sport… but in terms of the actual infrastructure, I think it's a bit of an overkill for us," he said.
"We don't need those big stadiums, we don't need those pools.
"What will happen after the games is my big concern.
"The upkeep of those [stadiums] would be very difficult to maintain."
The ABC has put in repeated requests for an interview with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
The ABC also requested an interview with the Youth Ministry.
Solomon Islands is set to go to the polls next year, but the government has indicated it wants to extend the parliamentary term.
Millicent Barty said she wanted change, and she hopes Mr Kenilorea will be part of it.
"A lot of young people, we love him," she said.
