Welcome
Welcome to our Adventure Kokoda blog.
We have establised our blog to engage those with an interest in the Kokoda campaign – and our Australian Military History in general.
Over the past 17 years we have led a couple of thousand Australians of all ages and backgrounds across the Kokoda Trail and tried to tell the story of the campaign as best we can.
At the end of each trek there is a pervading sense of betrayal amongst our trekkers.
They feel betrayed by our education system because they knew virtually nothing of the detail of the Kokoda campaign – or any other theatre of war where our diggers were committed during World War 11. They feel betrayed by our arts industry because the movies and documentaries necessary to create our legends and tell our stories have never been produced. They feel betrayed by our political leaders because of their lack of commitment to educate our children, and to assist neighbouring nations to preserve and protect battlesites that are sacred to our heritage.
We must therefore do something about this because we are the link generation between our fathers who fought for the freedom we enjoy today – and our children who wll be unaware of the terrible price they paid if we fail to pass on their story.
We don’t expect everyboy to agree with the opinions expressed in our blog but we do hope for constructive debate on issues we raise – or you would like us to raise.
Lest We Forget,
Charlie Lynn
July 11th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
Hi Charlie,
Reading your words about the education system betraying Australians on their military heritage has reopened recent wounds. I trekked with Adventure Kokoda in June/July ’06 and, as a history teacher, came back determined to rectify what I regard as an inexcusable gap in the education of young Australians. That led to my spending the next twelve months putting together material for a Battle for Australia website, ably assisted in such endeavours by the teacher-librarian and the IT wizard at the school where I teach.
Came the big day when it was all done, and I proudly put in the unit for the consideration of the powers that be, to be taught in 2008. The decision was “No”, though they thought it was a very good unit. The reason given was that there was already a broad choice of SOSE modules (I think they call it HSIE in NSW) and introducing another was not wise at this point. They did say that it seemed to be right in line with a bi-partisan political push for teaching more Australian history; and, if the National Curriculum push came to anything, they might reconsider.
To say I was (and am) upset would be one of the understatements of the 21st century. Whatever the merits or otherwise of what I’d put together, it’s a sad commentary on the progress of economic rationalism and the death of national histories that business/commerce/law units and history modules on the Incas and the Renaissance get a guernsey, while the Poor Bloody Infantry of 1942-43 are consigned to the waste bin!
So, Charlie, your sentiments are spot-on. I shall continue to stir whatever pots I can to change the status quo, without great hope or expectation. The pity of it, as you are only too well aware, is that a marvellous, terrible, relevant chapter of our history has been neglected to the detriment of our society, and especially our young.
Keep up the great work!
Regards, Derek.