35 We come in Peace

The title promises reassurance, yet the scene tells a different story. We Come in Peace opens on a quiet suburban street, the kind of place where nothing much happens and everything is familiar. Trees frame the road, houses sit calmly behind hedges, and the sky is wide and luminous. This is a place of routine and safety. And then, without warning, the extraordinary arrives.

On one side stand the toy soldiers, Deetail Britains figures brought back from England in the 1970s by Uncle Mike and Auntie Rachel. They were some of the best presents we ever received, not simply because they were toys, but because they were loaded with imagination. Each soldier is frozen mid-action: crouching, aiming, advancing. Their green uniforms blend into the grass as they form a defensive line, united in purpose. They are small, fragile things, yet full of determination. These soldiers once populated childhood floors and back gardens, fighting endless imaginary battles long after the boxes were discarded.

Opposite them towers the robot. Bright red, solid, and impassive, it is both magnificent and threatening. This robot was a Christmas present from an aunt in Perth, Western Australia, in the early 1980s, and it marked the beginning of a lifelong love of tin toys. Unlike the soldiers, the robot feels almost indestructible. Its polished surface reflects the light; its blank expression gives nothing away. It does not need to move to dominate the scene. Its sheer presence is enough.

Between these two forces lies the tension of childhood storytelling. The soldiers are clearly outmatched, yet they stand their ground. They defend not just the street, but the idea of home, memory, and the familiar world. The robot, despite the title’s gentle phrasing, is an invader. “We come in peace” is a phrase loaded with irony, borrowed from science fiction films where peace is rarely the true intention. It suggests mistrust, the gap between words and actions, and the fear of the unknown.

What grounds the painting, however, is the small human detail across the road: a casual dog walker, moving through the scene unaware or unconcerned. Life continues. The everyday refuses to acknowledge the drama unfolding at toy scale. This contrast is important. It reminds us how personal battles, fears, and memories often go unnoticed by the wider world. For the child, the conflict is everything. For the passer-by, it is nothing at all.

Colour plays a central role. The red of the robot is bold and alarming, cutting through the greens and blues of the suburban setting. The soldiers, by comparison, almost disappear into the landscape. This imbalance heightens the sense of vulnerability and bravery. It is not about who will win, but about the act of standing firm.

We Come in Peace is about imagination, nostalgia, and the early stories that shape us. It is about gifts that carried more than their weight in tin and plastic. Above all, it is about the quiet heroism of play, where defending the planet was as simple as lining up your soldiers and believing they stood a chance.