Alice Springs was no place to call home, at least not if you cared about peace and quiet.

Growing up there, you learned pretty quickly that the streets weren't exactly safe, especially after dark.

Crime was a regular part of life, and you couldn't go far without hearing about someone getting into trouble.

Fights, robberies, and worse.

It was all pretty normal.

Some people called it the Wild West of Australia, and to be honest, they weren't wrong.

Even the government had to step in, banning alcohol sales and putting curfews in place.

It got that bad.

By the time I turned 20, I was ready to start working and getting out on my own.

That's how I ended up working as a night security guard at a local youth center.

Now, this wasn't some fancy building or anything.

It was just a place where local kids could hang out, play video games, watch TV, and stay

out of trouble.

But it was packed with expensive stuff, and in a town like Alice Springs, that made it a target.

The youth center had all sorts of electronics that would catch the eye of local thieves,

TVs, stereos, and video games. People were always trying to break in and swipe whatever they

could get their hands on. That's where I came in. My job was to make sure that didn't happen,

at least during the nights I worked. I wasn't alone, though. Most nights I worked with Simon,

an older guy who had been doing security jobs for years. He knew the town and its dangers better than

anyone. Simon had this laid-back attitude, but he was no fool. He'd been around long enough to

know when things were about to get out of hand.

Some nights, we'd just sit around and talk while keeping an eye on the place. Other times,

...