'Infantryman's calvary where the pain of effort, the biting sweat, the hunger the cheerless shivering nights were made dim by exhaustion's merciful drug. Surely no war was fought under worse conditions than these. Surely no war has demanded more of a man in fortitude. Even Gallipoli or Crete or the desert.'

Osmar White Wartime
journalist, writing from the track in 1942

elcome to our first Adventure Kokoda Niusleta. Our objective is to keep you informed of developments across the Kokoda track and other wartime trekking opportunities in Papua New Guinea. In future editions we will bring you progress reports on the implementation of our strategic plan for the track; diggers' stories and poems, snippets about the history of the Koiari and Orokaiva people and the Kokoda campaign.

This issue will focus on the journey from what has been a neglected jungle shrine for 60 years to what is now becoming a rite of passage for adventurous young Australians in search of the qualities that have made us what we are today - a proud, strong, prosperous and free nation. We also provide some information on The Kokoda Track Foundation; the PNG Government Kokoda Track Special Purpose Authority; the memorial at Isurava; and the ongoing debate as to whether it is a 'track' or a 'trail'.

When I first trekked Kokoda with a local guide in March 1991 I was struck by the fact that there was no information on the location of places such as Brigade Hill, Butcher's Ridge, Templeton's Crossing, Eora Creek, Imita Ridge, Kokoda Gap. Isurava, Deniki, Kokoda, etc. Ever since I was a small boy I could remember thousands of veterans marching behind battle honours emblazoned with these names. I therefore expected to find these places and be able to navigate around the positions with some sort of information booklet or guide.

I expected to see the remnants of the steps up the infamous ‘golden staircase’; to feel the pain of climbing ‘Jap’s Ladder’; to wonder how our diggers felt in their weapon pits on the forward slopes of Butcher’s Ridge as they waited to meet thousands of fanatical Japanese soldiers; to follow the footsteps of Private Bruce Kingsbury as he led a counter attack against the Japs at Isurava; to stand on the ground defended by Charlie McCallum as he stood bravely between the Japs and his men to protect their escape.

I wanted to see where Captain Butch Bissett was machine gunned; where Ben Buckler led his fateful patrol; where Captain Claude Nye and Captain Brett (Lefty) Langridge led their fateful charge at Brigade Hill; where Lieutenant-Colonel Ralph Honner held his famous parade at Menari with 'Those Ragged Bloody Heroes' of the 39th Battalion; where Corporal John Metson and Sergeant Lindsay Bear crawled on all fours along the track refusing all offers for help because they had mates ‘a lot worse off than us’!

I hoped to meet ‘fuzzy wuzzy angels’ who saved hundreds of diggers by carrying them across some of the most inhospitable terrain on the planet and say ‘thank you’ to their families in the villages.

Unfortunately I was to be bitterly disappointed because there was not a single signpost, monument or memorial along the entire track apart from a few plaques placed by regimental associations and a small plinth erected by a Japanese soldier at Launumu – the forming up place for the Japanese attack against the Australians on Butcher’s Ridge and Brigade Hill on 6 September 1942.

I was further disadvantaged by the fact that my PNG guide knew nothing about the war history of the campaign and there were no maps or signs to assist in identifying important sections of the track or any of the battle-sites.

I was also struck by the fact that we had neglected those who sacrificed so much for us in Papua New Guinea – the legendary ‘fuzzy wuzzy angels’. I learned that none have been issued with a medal for their service and some claim to have never been paid. When I asked one of the elders about the war on the track he explained that they had lived in peace for generations then one day the Australians and the Japanese came, had a big fight in their backyards, caused a lot of damage in their villages, then went away! Our efforts to correct this shameful neglect has been unsuccessful to date however we have been heartned to receive the support of the RSL of Australia - and we will persevere!

The villages along the track are poor and reliant on a basic subsistence economy. They grow food to send to markets in Port Moresby and use the proceeds to support village life which includes building community schools, purchasing rudimentary school supplies and medicine.

It seemed obvious to the people I first led over the track that if we could somehow identify all the battle-sites and train local guides, then young Australian trekkers would want to come – just as they have at Gallipoli over recent years.

We therefore decided to plot the route of the original wartime track. During the process of gathering wartime maps and comparing them to our trek notes we discovered that today’s track bypasses the original ‘golden staircase’ and that the battle-site of Isurava was about an hour’s trekking south of where everybody thought it was at the time. There are a number of other areas where today’s track follows a different route from the wartime track.

The 50th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign was a timely reminder of the need to enshrine the values of Kokoda in our national subconscious. Prime Minister Paul Keating was the first Australian Prime Minister ever to visit Kokoda. Who will ever forget the image of him falling to his knees and kissing the ground on the Kokoda plateau!

During our next few treks we discussed what should be done to properly honour the Kokoda campaign and ensure its legacy is never forgotten. As a result of these discussions we prepared a list of suggestions to submit to the Federal Government in Canberra. This included recommendations that the original golden staircase be reconnoitered and rebuilt; all the battle-sites be identified with ‘educational’ memorials being placed onsite to tell the story of each battle; local ‘village museums’ to be established; life-size bronze statues to be placed along the track to depict the various actions that took place – a fighting patrol at Templeton’s Crossing - a stretcher party coming out of Eora Creek - a medical team in action at Myola - Bruce Kingsbury in action at Isurava - a salvo serving a cuppa at Nauro - and so on. These would act as haunting reminders of what the spirit of Kokoda is all about.

We submitted that the Kokoda track should be proclaimed as a National Memorial Park with the aim of establishing a self-sustaining eco-trekking industry for the Koiari and Orokaiva people who live along it.

The land that traverses the track between McDonald's Corner and the village of Kokoda is subject to traditional ownership by PNG custom and the borders between the various landowners is often not clear. What is clear is that these people are the traditional custodians of land that is sacred to our heritage and such initiatives would provide an incentive for them to protect and maintain the sites that are now sacred to us.

Our next opportunity to put Kokoda on the national - and international - agenda appeared in the early stages of planning for the Olympic Torch Relay by the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG). With the announcement of the plan for the torch to be flown into each Pacific nation for four hours we put forward a proposal that the Olympic torch should be carried over the Kokoda Trail. SOCOG announced that the relay would be a 100 day 'celebration'. We submitted that is should have one day set aside for 'commemoration' (it would have taken 100 Koiari and Orokaiva runners 10 hours to get it across the track) and the remaining 99 days could be for 'celebration'!

We then held meetings with senior staff of the SOGOC Olympic Torch Relay organising team and the Federal Minister for Sport and Recreation. Everybody expressed the view that it was a good idea but we soon got the feeling that it was not on their agenda.

As it transpired the idea was rejected out of hand by the Australian 'Lords of the Rings' - Michael Knight, Graham Richardson, John Coates et al. Their first attemt to discredit the proposal was to assign the task to a 'police security' team who did a reconaissance of the track in a chartered plane and made an 'expert' recommendation that it would be 'unsafe'. We challenged this decision with yet another media release (Olympic Torch bearers at greater risk of being shot in Sydney than mugged on Kokoda!) questioning their rationale over safety and security concerns.

After much 'argy bargy' between us they finally tried the ultimate con job by announcing that the torch would go to the Kokoda Trail. We initially celebrated the idea but were cut short when we looked at the fine print and discovered that it was going to be run from Owers Corner to Port Moresby. We issued yet another media release (SOCOGs spurious rejection of the Kokoda Torch Relay) in an attempt to expose the con but the SOCOG media machine was much more effective than our rearguard action.

As it turned out the all-powerful SOCOG 'Lords of the Rings' - effectively steamrolled the proposal. They should have been tarred and feathered - the subsequent Olympic ticketing fiasco exposed their colours and showed what little regard they had for the average digger - we can at least be assured that history will will not be as kind to them as it will be to our veterans!

What this exercise proved to me was the superficiality of many 'influential' Australians in regard to our military history. They give shallow mealy-mouthed speeches on appropriate days of national significance but when one puts the bite on them to support an ideal they are suddenly reported as 'missing-in-action'!

There is no doubt that if the Kokoda campaign had been fought by the United States Army it would now be part of American folklore. The track itself would be a shrine dedicated to the leadership, courage, sacrifice, mateship and endurance of the soldiers who fought along it. Names like Bruce Kingsbury, Alan Avery, Lindsay Bear, Charlie McCallum, John Metson, Claude Nye, ‘Lefty’ Langridge, Stan and Butch Bissett, Charlie Butler and so on would be legends of the screen and ingrained in the subconscious of every American just as Davy Crockett, Daniel Boone, Colonel Travis and others were at the battle of the Alamo in 1836.

But it was an Australian campaign and they are Australian names - and for some inexplicable reason it had become a neglected shrine - and they are our forgotten heroes! Approaching the 50th anniversay of the Kokoda campaign journalist Frank Devine reflected on the greatness of our troops at the battle of Isurava in an article titled 'Australian Thermopylae' for the Australian newspaper. After recalling the heroic deeds of our young militia troops he asked why have we let the triumph of the 39th Battalion slip from national legend?

'God alone knows. After 18 months in existence, the 39th was disbanded and its soldiers sent to other units. No echo remains of our glorious Spartans in Australia’s military structure.'

'What losses Australia inflicts upon itself by its neglect of past achievement. What vigour a clear memory of our Spartans at our Thermopylae would contribute to national self esteem. The handful of 39th Battalion survivors are now, says Lex McAulay, ‘just the old blokes at the bowling club.’

'Recently, the American journalist Patrick Buchanan argued that his country’s finest generation of the 20th century was the one born in the ‘20s, whose members bore the Great Depression as children or teenagers, fought in World War 11 and created the prosperity of the 50s.’

'When one considers the magnificence of the boy warriors of the 39th Battalion, it is easy to believe that this is Australia’s greatest generation, too.'

The questions posed by Frank Devine in 1991 still haven't been answered and our attempts to engage the government to rectify the situation would indicate that we have a long way to go. The political duckshoving thus far is reminiscent of our political 'armchair generals' of 1942!

On a positive note media interest over the past 10 years has increased public awareness of the Kokoda campaign. A number of television programs have covered various treks and some interesting books have recently been published. Television producer and director Yahoo Serious has trekked Kokoda three times as part of his research for the first feature film on the campaign - one that is long overdue. It is not surprising that he had to secure funding from overseas sources!

Notwithstanding these negatives the Kokoda Track Foundation is now well established and plans to present a strategic master plan for the development of the track as a National Memorial Park to the Australian and PNG Governments on Anzac Day 2006 are well advanced (see following article).

There is still much work to be done but the following testimonial received from the late Colonel Phil Rhoden OBE, Commanding Officer of the 2/14th Battalion at the Battle of Isurava, makes the journey worthwhile:

“The veterans and I, in particular, are aware of your work over many years in you bringing the events in 1942 to the attention of all who would listen to you and some who would not and were it not for that persistence and endeavour of yours the words ‘courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice’ would not be at Isurava for all to see.”

NSW Parliamentary Speeches:

Australia Remembers Commemoration 1995

The Kokoda Track WW11

PNG War Memorials

60th Anniversay of Battle for Isurava and Milne Bay

The AFL 60th Anniversay Kokoda Memorial Game

Visit of Mr Ovoru Indiki to Sydney

Battle for Australia Commemoraion Day

The Kokoda Track Foundation

Tribute to Mr Stephen Soru and Mr Charlie Kobe

The Carriage of the Olympic Torch over the Kokoda Trail

ur exchanges with various government Ministers over the years indicated that the Federal Government view the Isurava Memorial as the end of their commitment to the Kokoda track. The former Minister for Veterans Affairs, The Hon Bruce Scott admitted the government had no plan for the track. Fortunately he was dispatched to political oblivion on the backbench soon after this admission!

At a meeting with his replacement, The Hon Danna Vale, we emphasised our concern over the government's admission that it had no master plan for the development of the Kokoda Trail. We argued that the increasing awareness of the Kokoda campaign would result in increasing trekker numbers and that we all have a duty to ensure they can trek it safely as both an educative and a commemorative experience for them (trekker numbers have since increased by 510% from 365 per year at that time in 2002 to 1,868 in 2005).

To her credit Minister Vale advised that if I was prepared to develop a well researched plan she would present it to the Government for consideration.

We then established The Kokoda Track Foundation to develop a strategic plan. The aim of the plan is to have the track proclaimed as a National Memorial Park. We were fortunate to enlist the support of others who had trekked Kokoda and who were committed to the ideal of having it properly recognised, honoured and preserved. These included Patrick Lindsay, Paul Croll, Yahoo Serious, Kelvin Templeton, Genevieve Nelson, Peter Thomas, Gillian Marks, Andrew Schauble, Brett Kirk and Dr Michael Cooper, all of whom volunteered their services and act in an honourary capacity as Directors.

My company, Adventure Kokoda, provided the funding to establish the foundation and the following objectives were agreed upon:

Establish the Kokoda Track and environs as a National Memorial Park, commemorating those who defended Australia and New Guinea against the invading Japanese forces during World War II;

Educate young Australians in the significance of the Kokoda campaign and to promote the Kokoda Track as a 'pilgrimage' destination;

Develop and improve the Kokoda Track 'experience' for trekkers from the historical, environmental and cultural perspectives;

Build a world-class self-sustaining eco-tourism industry for the people of the Kokoda Track which is capable of being modelled and replicated elsewhere in PNG and the South West Pacific;

Assist in the socio-economic development of villages along track, specifically in the fields of education, health and sport.

Since its establishment in 2003 The Kokoda Track Foundation has:

Established a steering committee under the leadership of Kelvin Templeton of Templeton-Galt to guide it through the process of developing a strategic plan that can be uses as a model for the development of a sustainable eco-trekking industry in Papua New Guinea.

Enlisted the support of Dr Stephen Wearing of the University of Technology Sydney; Mr Paul Chatterton of the World Wide Fund for Nature in Papua New Guinea and Colonel David Knaggs of Davendish Consulting to conduct the necessary research to complete the plan.

In 2004, with the generous support of the RSL and Services Clubs Association, the Foundation was able to sponsor 30 students from villages along the track as boarding students at Sogeri National High School and Popondetta and Iaowari Provincial High Schools. This was increased to 50 boarding students in 2005 in partnership with The Kokoda Track Authority in PNG.

In addition to this the Foundation has raised funds to provide the following support along the track:

A donation of $2000 to each of the seven community/elementary schools along the track. For four of these schools it is the only funding they receive.

A donation of $500 for medical supplies to four villages in need.

A set of football jerseys and balls/pumps to every village between Vesilogo and Kokoda.

A set of football jerseys to Sogeri National High School

An emergency lifesaving operation to a young boy, Billy Matthew, from Hoi village;

Financial support for a young girl, Cathy Nitua, to come to Sydney for a hole-in-the-heart operation which was sponsored by Rotary.

The Foundation, in partnership with the PNG Kokoda Track Special Purposes Authority (KTA), plan to conduct their final workshop in Port Moresby during the period 21 - 23 February 2006. Colonel David Knaggs will then finalise the strategic plan for presentation to the Australian and PNG governments on Anzac Day 2006.

Click below to read:

A proposal for the Development of the Kokoda Trail as a National Memorial Park' by Charlie Lynn dated 26 August 1994.

' A proposal for a Strategic Plan' by Kelvin Templeton of 6 August 2003.

KOKODA TRACK FOUNDATION WORKSHOP REPORTS

Click below to read Kokoda Track Foundation Workshop Reports:

The Sydney Workshop of 8 December 2003

The Efogi Village Workshop of 28/29 April 2004

The Port Moresby Workshop Session 1 of 15 June 2004

The Port Moresby Workshop Session 2 of 15 June 2004

The Kokoda Workshop of 15 and 16 July 2005

KOKODA TRACK FOUNDATION INTERIM REPORT

Click below to read:

'The Kokoda Track Foundation Interim Report of 6 July 2004'.

rime Minister Keating's two visits to Kokoda on the 50th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign created public interest in the campaign and the track that it was fought over. An increase in the number of trekkers led to a number of disputes between landowners over the distribution of benefits. The announcement that the Olympic torch would be going to the track led to a substantial claim for compensation and the track was subsequently closed for almost 18 months.

As part of the negotiations to reopen the track, Oro Provincial Governor Sylvanus Siembo, agreed to a suggestion that trekkers be charged a fee which would be paid to an appropriate authority that would be charged with administering and coordinating trekking activities. This authority would use the fees to deliver shared benefits to landowners along the track.

A rapid increase in the numbers of trekkers across the track (from 76 in 2001 to 1,868 in 2005) inevitably led to a number of disputes between landowners in regard to the distribution of benefits and claims for compensation. These culminated in the closure of the track for almost 18 months in 1999.

An interim body was formed to develop a constitution and liaise with the necessary PNG authorities to bring the organisation to fruition. On 11 Jun 2003 The Kokoda Track Special Purposes Authority (KTA) was proclaimed by the PNG National Government as a statutory government body of the Koiari and Kokoda Local-level Governments. Its Interim Management Committee was appointed on 5 May 2004 and formally sworn in on 9 December 2004.

The membership of the KTA comprises representatives from the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority, the PNG National Cultural Commission, the Koiari and Kokoda Local-level Governments, district administrators for Sohe (Kokoda) and Kairuku-Hire (Sogeri), the PNG Returned Services League and a representative of the trek operators (yet to be appointed).

The role of the KTA is to assist the Koiari and Kokoda Local-level Governments to carry out the following functions within the Kokoda Track Area:

Focus on the significance of the Kokoda Track/Trail due to its part in WW2 and promote this legacy for present and future generations;

Promote trekking and tourism related activities in the Kokoda Track Area;

Administer, facilitate, ensure and/or oversee the implementation of developments and other projects in the Kokoda track area;

Collect, manage and use development revenue from fee paying trekkers and other sources for approved projects;

Consult with landowners on their needs and priorities;

Provide a point of contact for agencies, organizations or persons wanting to initiate activities along the Kokoda Track; etc.

Kokoda Track Authority Awareness Patrol

Soon after the KTA was formally established Mr Warren Bartlett, the Manager/Executive Officer of the KTA organised an awareness patrol across the track with members of the new Board. The succes of the patrol was evident in their patrol report.

Kokoda Trail Developments by the KTA

The introduction of a $100 trek fee has provided the PNG KTA with an income stream independent of Government grants or foreign aid. These trek fees have enable the KTA to fund a number of projects along the track and within villages to meet their needs.

The achievements of the KTA in its first year of operation have exceeded all expectations and are a credit to the leadership of the Chairman, Mr Alfred Amuli; his fellow Board members; the Manager/Executive Officer, Mr Warren Bartlett. It is also a credit to the spirit of cooperation that has developed between the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority; the National Cultural Commission and the Koiari and Kokoda Local-level Governments.

'To a generation of postwar Australian the names, Gallipoli, The Somme, El Alamein, Tobruk, Bardia and Crete are identified if at times vaguely, with significant events in a proud military heritage. For the same Australians, Isurava is a term unknown. And yet around this rain-soaked, muddy and primitive little village was fought one of the most critical battles in Australian history. The nature of the terrain and the consequent problems of supply and communication limited the number of combatants in comparison with those of Gallipoli, France and Alamein. However titanic struggles do not necessarily require massive employment of infantry, armour, and equipment, but are assessed more accurately in terms of the importance of the objectives gained or denied and their immediate and long term historical consequences. Only with the application of these prerequisites does the battle for Isurava assume its full significance'.

Peter Brune - Those Ragged Bloody Heroes

he opening of the Isurava Memorial on the 60th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign was a proud moment for all who fought in the campaign and for those who are determined that their legacy will never be forgotten. The journey began with the desire of a trekker, Graham Scott, to bring some of the veterans from the 39th Militia and 2/14th AIF Battalions who fought at the battle for Isurava, back to Kokoda for a ‘last parade’. We were then requested to find an appropriate site for helicopters to land as close to the battlesite as possible and begin the necessary planning to make it happen. As part of our research we obtained copies of Army Topographical Maps which had been printed from data collected in 1942; some wartime sketch maps from the Australian War Memorial; a portable Global Positioning System (GPS); and as much information as we could glean from the books we had read.

According to the readings we took from our GPS, the battlesite was located approximately one hour’s trekking time south of the where the village of Isurava is located today. We then advised the local clan leader, Mr Ivan Nitua, of our plan to bring the veterans back for a last parade and requested that he organise his people to clear the site and set up some shelters.

Inspector John Rennie an Australian Federal Officer on secondment to PNG, then led a party to explore the battlesite. They did a remarkable job in identifying all the positions occupied by the 39th Militia and 2/14th AIF Battalions during the battle for Isurava. The selection of this ground as the main defensive position to stop the Japanese advance is testimony to the tactical brilliance of the Commanding Officer of the 39th – Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Honner.

The logistics necessary to support such a group of veterans were beyond their resources. We then enlisted the support of Senator Bill Heffernan who is well known as a bloke who 'makes things happen'. At Senator Bill's urging the Australian Government agreed to provide a RAAF Boeing 707 and a medical team to support the veterans. They also provided a RAAF Caribou to fly them from Port Moresby to Kokoda and positioned a Hercules C130 with another medical team at Popondetta in case of emergency. It was a very generous gesture and much appreciated by the veterans and their families.

When the advance party of veterans reached the site they confirmed it was the position they had fought their desperate battle on during 26 – 30 August 1942.

Peter Dorman captured the feeling of these men at 'The Last Parade' in his book ‘The Silent Men’:

"It is August 1998, Bomana War Cemetery, Port Moresby. Stan Bisset kneels beneath Butch’s headstone and places a wreath against it. He utters a silent prayer, then stands to attention. With his head still bowed, he clasps his right hand to his breast, then with moistened eyes searching out into space, he offers a last, crisp salute. A few rows away, Bruce Kingsbury’s sister Jean Pope is steadied by her son Dennis, a Vietnam Veteran, as they both bid their silent farewells. Across the beautifully maintained cemetery, veterans, sons, daughters, grandchildren and other kinfolk search for the last resting place of their brothers-in-arms or relative and acknowledge the loss.

"They are here because Stan picked up the baton from idea sparked by Brisbane psychologist Graham Scott, who had walked the trail. Along with two MPs, Charlie Lynn and Kerry Chikarovski, he has arranged and coordinated a final cathartic pilgrimage to Port Moresby and the Kokoda Track. Forty-six veterans, aged between 75 and 88, and 40 kinfolk and supporters, including me, fly into Moresby by ministerial jet, compliments of the Australian Government.

"We are met by police and Defence Force escorts at Jackson airfield, and given a welcoming party by the Australian High Commissioner, David Irvine. The veterans are overwhelmed by the welcome.

"Some apprehension and emotion is experienced as we board the Air Force Caribou and fly over the Owen Stanley's towards Kokoda. Below, the jungle is compelling, triggering memories and misting eyes as repressed thoughts are confronted, forcing the years to roll back. From Kokoda, we are transported in a thrilling helicopter ride up into the mists of the ranges to land at Isurava. As the clouds part to allow us in, we are met by a colourful sight.

"The children and grandchildren of the Fuzzy-Wuzzy Angels have gathered at Isurava over the last two weeks. They have cleared the jungle to make a helipad and prepared a bivouac camp with shelter to accommodate the diggers. In a display of homage, respect and love, they perform a traditional New Guinea Sing-Sing, they sing welcome and farewell songs and perform native plays. The smells of a roast pig fill the air, and women are cooking taro and chicken. The young natives stand by the silver-haired veterans shielding them from the sun with colourful umbrellas and assisting them as their forefathers did a half century ago, maintaining the bond.

"The emotional ceremony proceeds as anthems, the Last Post and requiems from a lone piper pervade the jungle, However, a highlight for the men is the acknowledgement that the Australian Government is finally recognising the importance of the Isurava Battle. The Minister for Defence and Support, Bronwyn Bishop, who was flown in especially, formally reaffirmed the significance of the four-day battle. There are no dry eyes as the ceremony continues, the veterans trying to relate this peaceful, idyllic scene to the hell-hole of 1942 and its horrendous events.

"After the ceremony, while the veterans search for signs of their old positions, I walk alone into the jungle and look for 9 Platoon’s area. I find an area that fits the description I have been given. The dimness and silence call the ghosts out. I see 9 Platoon lined up: Teddy Bear leading the charge, his Bren gun spurting death. I see Bruce Kingsbury take over as Teddy is wounded, the Bren barking as it continues its killings. On his right, I see Alan Avery grit his teeth and move forward firing his Tommy gun, while Jarmbe follows, firing his .303 with deadly aim. I see the Professor, Hi-Ho Silver and the extending line of men blasting their way into history.

"No doubt, around the perimeter, the veterans are reliving their own personal battles and, with the advantages of time, and wisdom of age, hopefully they may finally come to terms with the killing, the sacrifices, the loss, the guilt, the heroism, the courage and the love experienced in this now sacred place. Hopefully they can put the ghosts behind them. They have saluted their mates and dedicated this mission to the memory.

"For Stan Bisset, the Last Parade has been a triumph. He has celebrated his 86th birthday during the week, and two of his children, daughter Holly Huon and son Jim, have been able to accompany him. Together they have paid their respects to Butch. Amid tears, Jim and Holly have been able to understand the veterans.

"For myself, ‘The Silent Men’ are silent no more. I understand now the reason for their perceived silence, for their reluctance to talk of the indescribable slaughter they have experienced, and the acts of nihilistic savagery they have witnessed. I understand now their comradeship and strong commitments to each other – an inbuilt support system that renders full credence and authority to the treasured Australian icon of mateship. Through these men, I have also come to know my father. I have come to appreciate the silent burden that war placed on his and their shoulders. In the process, I have also come to know myself more intimately, as I place myself beside him, scrambling and fighting over the stony hills of Lebanon, then stumbling through the mud and jungle of the Owen Stanley's. I lie beside him in the putrid, stinking trenches and beaches of Gona, warding off disease as much as the enemy. Deep wells of grief and love flood me as I put my arms around him, as I would my children, and attempt to shield him from the surrounding horrors, the assist him to stagger out of the holocaust.

"As the men bid farewell to the brothers and mates who didn’t come home, I feel a stronger bonding with them. After years of pain, examination and conciliation, I pray this Last Parade can release these Silent Men. I will not forget their sacrifice."

Lieutenant-Colonel Phil Rhoden OBE ED, 2/14th Battalion Commander at the battle of Isurava addressed the veterans:

"We have come here today as pilgrims to be reunited once again in spirit with our fallen comrades of 56 years ago. That is the essential ingredient of a pilgrimage. The journey into a sacred place has an act of spiritual devotion. For the true, the noble and the brave do die in body but their spirit dwells forever more in the habitations and the men they served and loved. Here in this lovely village of Isurava all is now quiet. But 56 years ago on this day the 26th August 1942, the 2/14th Battalion relieved the gallant 39TH Battalion to take on the Japanese who up until then had unrestrainedly pursued its conquest of South East Asia since that infamous day at Pearl Harbour on 7th December 1941.

"The next four days at Isurava are best described by Bill Russell in his history of the 2/14th Battalion. He wrote: “mortar bombs and mountain gun shells burst in the tree tops showering the troops with shrapnel which crashed through to burst on the ground where the noise was de-doubled by the confined space of the jungle. Heavy machine guns cut their own lanes of fire as they chopped through small trees and ricocheted off large trees. Easily concealed snipers fired on our men as they desperately tried to scratch out shallow body holes with tin hats and bayonets. What the Japs had not reckoned with, as they swarmed up between the creek and the track, was the reaction they got.

‘In attack after attack they stormed out of the jungle to reel back before steady fire or violent steel. Those who survived the fire of Bren and rifle were met with tommy gun and grenade and those who came through were met with a bayonet”.

"The Australian newspaper in 1994 published a series of anniversary essays edited by Dr David Horner entitled “Battles that shaped Australia”. One of those essays covered the Kokoda Track battle. The essayist, James Morrison wrote: “on the 30th August General Horii, frustrated at the delay to his advance, threw his large reserve into the attack. The Australians began their fiercely fought withdrawal from Isurava to Ioribaiwa. The Australians had held Isurava for four days. They strained General Horii’s supply lines and they held up his advance to Port Moresby. This was the culminating point of the campaign. The advantage passed from the Japanese to the Australians.”

"From 31st August to 15th September the Australians including the 2/16th Battalion and joined by the 2/27th Battalion at Efogi on the 6th September, against vastly superior numbers fought, as Peter Brune describes in the book “Those Ragged Bloody Heroes”, “…a decisive military game of cat and mouse along the track. Company by company, platoon by platoon, section by section they defended until their comrades passed through their lines, broke off contact sometimes only 20 or 30 metres from the enemy and repeated the procedure again and again down the track. To withdraw too early was to allow the enemy too speedy an acquisition of ground. To withdraw too late meant outflanking, encirclement and annihilation”…

‘What enabled the 2/14th and 2/16th Battalions to turn defeat into victory? Outnumbered probably 6 to 1 and certainly out-gunned, the Battalions strained their undoubted professionalism and experienced to the limit. But there was something else, something that was almost intangible. Firstly, I believe it was the inter-dependence of the unit, one upon the other. Each had a job to do and all depending on the other. Secondly, it was the ability to hold on after all hope is dead, continuing to fight on until there was scarce breath left in the body. Lastly, it was the respect that we had for each other. Only a well trained and happy unit can survive in its hour of need. Nor should we discount Australia’s hour of peril, the troops did not, they were fully aware of Australia’s dependence upon them. Complete failure would have meant Japs at Port Moresby and then Australia itself.

"Perhaps paraphrasing the words of Stephen Spencer’s poem are apt: “The 2/14th are men who in their lives fought for life and left the vivid air signed with their honour.”

‘Now is the time for sober thoughts. The time for remembrance with gratitude the fuzzy-wuzzy angels, those sincere, tender and humane people who did so much for our wounded. A time to recall the sacrificial deeds of Kingsbury, Mc Callum and many others, bringing to mind the immortal words of Alan Avery, “I reckon they all should have got a gong” he said. A time to endorse the thought that the Owen Stanley campaign was a close run thing and that the battle of Isurava was perhaps in the annals of Australian Military History second only to Gallipoli.

‘Those of us now reaching the end of our time should, continue to see that our children and their children embrace the notion that the death of the brave is never in vain and, a good action never lost to the world while there is but one actor or observer left to preserve the record of the event. We, these pilgrims to Isurava, should always remember the future that in the words of Shakespeare in “All’s well that ends well” he wrote, “Such a man might be a copy to these younger times. His good remembrance sirs lies richer in your thoughts than on his tomb.”

Four years later, on the 60th Anniversary of the battle of Isurava the Prime Minister of Australia, The Hon John Howard, and the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, The Hon Sir Michael Somare, opened a magnificent new memorial on this site. The memorial is a simple structure based on four granite pillars that stand as sentinels overlooking the Yodda valley back towards Kokoda. Each pillar is engraved with a single word: ‘Courage – Mateship – Sacrifice – Endurance’

During the commemoration service at Isurava I was chatting with an old veteran who introduced himself as Albert Moore. He was the legendary Salvation Army officer on the track during the campaign who was captured on film by Damien Parer rendering assistance to our diggers. During the conversation I learned that I had grown up with him - he was the milkman and local Salvation Army officer in my home town of Orbost. We all knew him as a wonderful, kind and compassionate mane - but none of us knew what a hero he was.

The 'Last Parade' at Isurava was the first step in the proper recognition of the spirit of Kokoda. My chance encounter with Albert Moore was another reason why their stories should be enshrined in our arts and education systems.

ince the KTA began compiling records in 2001 they have recorded the following numbers of people trekking across the Kokoda Trail:

2001: 76 trekkers

2002:365 trekkers

2003: 586 trekkers

2004: 1181 trekkers

2005: 1868 trekkers

Note: These figures do not include trekkers who booked through Niugini Holidays. This Australian based company does not recognise or cooperate with the KTA - they do not provide trekker statistics and whilst they collect trek fees from their clients they retain the funds in Australia. According to the KTA, as of January 2006, they are K197,450 in arrears - such an amount would procure a lot of medicine and school supplies for the villagers along the track.

wo of our trekkers have emulated the practice of many of our diggers by recording their thoughts in prose.

Beverley Partridge knew she had to trek across Kokoda to understand the father she never really knew. There was no counselling for our young diggers when they returned from the horrors they experienced during the campaign. She often felt he had left his spirit on Kokoda and it was waiting their for her:

Waiting

He knew I would come, had always known
So he lay there, resting, while maggots feasted
on his flesh, and I, inexorable drawn to him,
took an age to comprehend
while he waited.

Preparation, in rain and sun, muscles honed
and lonely hours on the road - to build
an inner strength. The toll I paid in full
to prove good faith.

As time grew near, with patience put to test,
he wandered in his sleep. I saw him, in the sunlight
opaque as glass - etched upon my study wall.
His head was turned. I couldn't see his face -
walking up a mountain, showing me
the place where I could go.

Muddied and torn, his uniform,
tin hat and pack are clearly in my mind.
His body tired and thin, a dignity and steady pace
that clamed my beating heart.
And as his image faded, he slowly turned
and smiled, because he knew
that I would come.

Through steamy jungle, choking vines,
across rivers edged with moss,
Through the wriggling mass of leeches,
I climbed higher - through fatigue
along the Kokoda Track.

At night I'd feel the power of this inner driving force,
each morning stride with purpose and never
did I feel I'd lost my way. While camped beside a river
with urgency frightening
I jolted wide awake!
He called my name - with dying breath.
In that moment, we were one.

Then, at last,
he was at peace.
He knew that I had come.

Matt Lynch, a freelance sound-recordist, was part of a television crew who accompanied a group of students I led from Punchbowl Boys High School. It was a difficult trek in the middle of the wet season - conditions were appalling and gave us all some hint of what our diggers experienced. Matt knew very little of the campaign before he went but felt moved to record his feelings in a poem he wrote under torchlight on a very wet and dark night towards the finish:

A Bit of a Walk

I went for a bit of a walk one day
to see what I could see
And some spirits of our finest
introduced themselves to me

For seven days and six nights
I walked along the Track
From Ower's Corner to Kokoda
there was no going back.

It provided me with a glimpse
of what the diggers must have faced
Fighting the war against the Japs
and dying with their mates

I'll never ever forget that time
when I went for a walk
And if I listen hard enough
I still can hear them talk.

Endurance Courage Mateship Sacrifice
is what they always say
And those are the things I think about
as I live from day to day.

So when I'm feeling out of luck
I just think about those words
then I don't give a fuck
Because the human spirit doesn't waver
lax or even bend
It's forever constant in your heart
it's with you till the end

That’s what the spirit of Kokoda is all about!

ver the years I have searched for a map of Kokoda that put the track into perspective. Unfortunately the only ones that exist are army topographical contour maps and a variety of sketch maps.

I therefore decided to record the heights of the various features during my treks and record their indigenous names. I then engaged a cartographer to download satellite images of the track and include the data I had collected, including wartime sketches from the Australian War Memorial, on it. We also embedded the Australian Army rising sun badge and an image of the Isurava War Memorial are embedded in the mountains.

The words etched in the granite pillars of the memorial: 'Courage - Mateship - Sacrifice - Endurance' are watermarked in the sky as a solemn reminder of the qualities displayed by our diggers and the 'fuzzy-wuzzy angels' during the Kokoda campaign in 1942. The result is a large colour poster map of the Kokoda Trail which can be framed as a souvenir of your trek.

To order your map, go to www.adventurekokoda.com.au and click on the 'Kokoda Map' tab.

hilst the debate over the name 'track' or 'trail' continues to be controversial I am guided by the decision of the PNG Government Place Names Commission in 1972 to proclaim it as 'The Kokoda Trail'. I feel one should respect their decision because they are a sovereign nation and it is their land.

I am also influenced by the official battle honours we see on unit flags every Anzac Day which refer to 'The Kokoda Trail'. The only exception to this is the flag of the 39th Militia Battalion that has the name 'Kokoda' because it is the only unit to have fought a battle in the village of Kokoda. All the other units fought along the track in the Kokoda campaign between the Sogeri Plateau and the Kumusi River.

I therefore refer to the area between McDonalds Corner and Kokoda village as 'The Kokoda Trail' but after that I refer to it simply as 'the track' - or as our diggers often describe it - 'the bloody track'!

Geographically the Kokoda campaign was fought between Imita Ridge and the Kumusi River. After our troops crossed the Kumusi in pursuit of the Japanese forces at Buna and Gona it became known as the 'Battle of the Beachheads'.

Click below for further research on the issue by:

The Australian War Memorial;

Major General Paul Cullen;

Hank Lahn, Australian National University

Stuart Hawthorne, author of 'The Kokoda Trail'; and

Dr Peter Provis of Flinders University.

Lukim yu nekstaim niusleta,
Charlie Lynn