I do not know where these ‘plans’ are coming from but I do know they are being done without any consultation at all with the paying customer i.e. the trekker.

The research we have conducted with a significant number of people who have trekked with Adventure Kokoda over the past 18 years indicates that they want the track left alone. They want to trek in the footsteps of our diggers as they did it. They do not want boardwalks and bridges.

The construction of bridges at Eora Creek will desecrate one of the most significant battlesites along the Kokoda Trail. It must not be allowed to proceed in the vicinity of the battlesite. If a bridge has to be constructed because of the wish of some bureaucratic zealot it should be located at least 500 metres to the east of the current wartime crossing. It would be a relatively easy task to cut a track to a suitable crossing downstream from the battlesite to allow locals to use it if they wish.

The same principle should apply to the Goldie River, Ofi Creek and Dump 1 Crossing (I have not heard this name before but I assume they are talking about Templeton’s Crossing No 1), i.e. any permanent swing bridges should not be constructed any closer that 500 metres to the wartime track.

It beggars belief that we would want to replace the substantial log bridge that the local people have built between Efogi 2 and Naduri with a permanent swing bridge paid for by the Australian taxpayer. The crossing is not on the wartime track so it is not an issue as far as the protection of our military heritage is concerned – but it is an absolute waste of time, money and effort.

The same applies to the proposed bridge across Elome Creek between Efogi 1 and 2.

The plan for the proposed permanent swing bridges is ill-conceived and should be halted until a proper interpretative memorial plan aimed at protecting the military heritage of the Kokoda Trail is commissioned.

The Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts was assigned responsibility for Australia’s role and responsibilities in regard to the ‘Joint Understanding’.

Whilst I believe the pursuit of a World Heritage listing is a noble goal it should not be at the expense of the historic military significance of the Kokoda Trail.

I believe the Kokoda Trail should be developed as a national memorial trail that reflects the military significance of the Kokoda campaign.

This should be separated from the feasibility study for a World Heritage nomination for the broader Owen Stanley Ranges and be reallocated to the Office of the Australian War Graves Commission.

Background

The Kokoda Trail had been virtually ignored by successive Australian governments since the end of the war in 1945. It was not until former Prime Minister Paul Keating attended the 50th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign in PNG in 1992 that it resonated again in our national consciousness.

Unfortunately the Department of Veterans Affairs had no vision and no plan for Kokoda at the time. On 18 February 2001 the Minister for Veterans Affairs, Bruce Scott MP, wrote: ‘It will come as no surprise to you then that the ‘Government Master Plan’ of which you inquire ‘for the development of the Kokoda Track as a national memorial park’ does not exist ‘.

In spite of this official apathy public awareness increased with the publication of a number of best-selling books on Kokoda and the screening of television features.

Villagers along the track soon began to agitate for increased benefits from the emerging trekking industry. Prior to 2002 they did not have a co-ordinated forum to express their concerns so they took direct action and blocked the track in various places.

During negotiations to re-open the track after a lengthy blockage at Kovello a trek permit system was implemented and a trek fee of PNGK200 was introduced. The purpose of the trek fee was to ensure that villagers received shared benefits from the emerging trekking industry.

The PNG Kokoda Track Authority was established in 2004 and an Australian expatriate and former Kiap, Mr Warren Bartlett, was appointed as Chief Executive on a salary of A$13,000. He was not allocated any staff.

A Board of Directors was appointed but they were not qualified for the role. The Board quickly became dysfunctional and more than a $1 million was misappropriated.

Neither the Australian nor PNG governments displayed any interest in the dysfunction of the Authority until a proposal to mine a section of the Kokoda Trail became public.

The resultant outcry caused an over-reaction from the Australian government. It was obviously decided that the best protection against any future applications to mine or log any part of the trail would be to have it listed as a World Heritage site.

The Heritage Division of the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts was allocated responsibility for working with the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation to bring this about.

A new Board was appointed by the PNG Government and Australian representatives from the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts were assigned to work with the Authority and the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation.

Joint Understanding

A Joint Understanding covering ‘both the sustainable development of communities along the Kokoda Track corridor, and protection and sustainable use of the natural and cultural resources of the broader Owen Stanley Ranges region’ was signed on 23 April 2008.

The first hint of our ‘big brother’ approach is our refusal to use the official name as recorded on the statute books of the PNG Government i.e. ‘The Kokoda Trail’ (PNG Government Gazette No. 88 of 12 October 1972, page 1362, column 2. Notice 1972/28 of the PNG Place Names Committee refers).

Of more concern is the fact that the Joint Understanding does not contain any references to the military significance of the Kokoda Trail. The words ‘Kokoda campaign – military history – memorials – battlesites – etc’ do not rate a mention in the entire document. I regard this as a serious omission.

Process

From my viewpoint – as a trek operator, a trek leader with 55 crossings of the trail over the past 18 years, the son of a New Guinea veteran, a Vietnam Veteran with 21 years army service, and one with a long term interest in the preservation of the military history of the Kokoda campaign – the process seems to be seriously flawed thus far.

There has obviously been a lot of activity at the departmental level as representatives have been assigned to PNG and others have flown into villages by chartered aircraft to familiarise themselves with their needs.

There has also been much talk – a conference with academics in Canberra, superficial meetings with trek operators, and discussions with other ‘stakeholders’. To date these have not yielded any identifiable outcomes along the track.

For example one of the objectives in the Joint Understanding was to ‘address immediate needs for the 2008 trekking season and create interim Kokoda Track management arrangements’.

I have trekked Kokoda six times since April 2008 and I can report that not a single outcome has been achieved in this regard – and we are now well into the 2009 trekking season!

Another objective was to conduct ‘an economic participation study to cover such options as agriculture, food services for trekkers, and participation in delivering development programs’.

Nothing has happened in this regard!

I have advised of the availability of an agricultural scientist who is fluent in Tok Pisin and Motu and has worked extensively in Melanesia. That person has written extensively on the needs of the Koiari and has previously worked for the (now-defunct) Koiari Development Corporation. He is currently living in semi-retirement in Australia and is willing and able to live in villages for extended periods of time to assist them with agricultural development and value-adding activities. He would also be able to provide valuable feedback on the cultural and environmental impact of the current trekking industry.

My requests to engage this person over the past 18 months have been ignored.

I understand AusAID has completed a survey of the Kokoda Trail but this has not been distributed to trek operators or villagers for comment. This is not conducive to an atmosphere of trust between the key stakeholders and the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts.

I could go on!

Outcomes

Whilst there has obviously been a great deal of departmental activity in regard to the Joint Understanding I can report that, after 15 months, there has not been a single outcome on the track. For example:

• There is no credible Trek Permit system in place
• There is no campsite booking system.
• There is no trek operator accreditation system.
• There is no standardised medical clearance form for trekkers.
• There is no co-ordinated system for medical evacuations in place.
• There is no campsite accreditation system in place.
• There is not a single environmental toilet between Owers Corner and Kokoda.
• There has been no attempt to identify clan leaders and landowners along the track.
• There has not been a single workshop in either the Koiari or Orokaiva areas on the track to identify villager needs.
• There is no minimum standard of pay and conditions for PNG trek guides and carriers.
• There is no training or development system in place to assist villagers to ‘value-add’ to the opportunities presented by trekkers passing through their villages.
• No action has been taken to identify (and make safe) unexploded ordnance along the trail.
• There is no plan to upgrade the road between Sogeri and Owers Corner to a safe all-weather standard.

The Australian Trekker

Australian trekkers make a significant commitment in both money and time when they decide to trek Kokoda. In return for this investment they need to be assured they will be safe and that they will learn about the military history of the Kokoda campaign; the culture of the Koiari and Orokaiva people along the track; and the physical environment.

They also expect to have hygienic toilet and ablution facilities at campsites along the trail.

Trekkers are the basic building block of a sustainable trekking industry along the Kokoda Trail. Without them there are no benefits for villagers to share. Unfortunately their needs have been ignored thus far.

The Koiari/Orokaiva Villager

The land in question is owned by traditional Koiari and Orokaiva landowners. The tracks connecting villages between Owers Corner and Kokoda have special significance to our military heritage because of the desperate campaign fought across it during the period 27 July to 2 November 1942.

Clans along the Kokoda Trail are the custodians of land sacred to our military heritage. They will protect and nurture our battlesites provided they receive benefits for doing so.

Villagers are currently missing out on significant potential earnings because they are yet to be taught the concept of ‘value-adding’.

Teaching them to wash and dry trekkers gear, brew coffee, bake scones and produce village billum bags is not PhD stuff. This year they will miss out on the opportunity to earn at least PNGK 1 million because of a lack of basic training in these areas.

The construction of interpretative memorials at significant sites on their land will also provide them with an incentive to further ‘value-add’ to a trekkers Kokoda experience.

Stakeholders

There are many people and organisations of goodwill who want to do good things as a result of their Kokoda experience.

If this is harnessed in a co-ordinated way the PNG government would not have to spend any funds along the trail for education or health services. This would allow them to work with Provincial and Local Level Governments to support Koiari and Orokaiva villages in remote areas off the trail.

Currently there is no plan – and there is no co-ordination. The end result is that inappropriate memorial structures have been erected; inappropriate structures have been build for health and education purposes; and village children are showing signs of tooth decay because of the amount of lollies handed out.

Two recent examples indicate the state of planning flux in the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts:

• During the last two weeks of this month a team from the Kokoda Track Foundation was dispatched to Kokoda to do a ‘livelihood study’ in villages along the track. It seems that the PNG Kokoda Track Authority did not know they were doing it until they arrived in country. The Kokoda Track Foundation is a registered charity – their lack of experience with villagers along the track means they were ill-equipped for the task. Nobody seems to have been consulted on the tender process, the terms of reference; or the desired outcomes for the study.

• On 31st March we received a request to assist a company who has been asked to tender for a ‘Condition Analysis’ of the 96 Km Kokoda Trail. We do not know if the tender refers to today’s popular eco-tourist track; the wartime trail, the original route of the 39th Battalion; the eastern side of the Yodda Valley where the 53rd Battalion fought; or the connecting tracks to and from Lake Myola 1 and 2. We do not know what the terms of reference are, or the required outcomes. The company has been given 5 days time to submit their tender!

These studies are a sham and are obviously motivated by the need to spend money before the end of the current financial year. Neither study is related to an assessment of the military heritage of the trail; the needs of the paying customer i.e. the trekker; or the needs of villagers who will shortly be getting fed up with the number of inexperienced and ill-informed consultants asking banal questions about their needs and lifestyles.

Non-government, community and charitable organisations not involved in trekking should also be encouraged to direct their goodwill to village areas remote from the Kokoda Trail as part of a strategy to ensure shared benefits are more widely spread.

The Kokoda Honeypot Effect

I first trekked Kokoda in 1991. In 1994 I submitted a paper on the need to develop Kokoda as a national memorial park. In 2000 I founded the Kokoda Track Foundation to develop a strategic plan for Kokoda. This was completed and presented to Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and the Australian Minister for Veterans Affairs in 2006.

My purpose has always been to develop Kokoda as a model that could be used for other Pacific War battlesites in PNG – the Black Cat Track, Shaggy Ridge, Buna/Gona, Rabaul, etc.

Unfortunately everybody has flocked to Kokoda. There are now more than 30 trek operators and a myriad of other stakeholder organisations seeking to do ‘good things’ along the trail. It risks being overwhelmed with goodwill while nearby villages off the track are neglected. This has the potential to lead to dissent and disruption in the longer term. For example landowners on Mt Victoria are continually sabotaging the VHF communications tower.

We therefore need a strategic plan to get a proper balance in our approach to honouring the legacy of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and coastwatchers throughout New Guinea during the Pacific War.

Ministerial Responsibility

In the latest budget an amount of $10 million was allocated to the Office of Australian War Graves Commission for the development of an interpretative trail in France and Belgium to honour the sacrifice of our veterans in WW1.

The same approach needs to be adopted for Kokoda which is our interpretative trail for WW11.

Conclusion

Kokoda is a national shrine. The trail between Owers Corner and Kokoda contains battlesites sacred to our military heritage. The expertise gained by the Office of Australian War Graves in the development and management of the interpretive trail in France and Belgium should be applied to Kokoda.

The Office of Australian War Graves should establish a close partnership with the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts who administer the Act that has Kokoda listed as an Overseas Area of Special Significance. The Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts s also responsible for the broader long-term goal of working with the Government of PNG to achieve a World Heritage listing.

The Office of Australian War Graves should also work in partnership with PNG Tourism to develop models for visits and treks to other significant military historical sites throughout PNG.

Recommendation

I recommend that responsibility for the development of an interpretive trail between Owers Corner and Kokoda be transferred from the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts to the Office of Australian War Graves.

Charlie Lynn
Adventure Kokoda
PO Box 303
Camden
NSW 2570
charlie@kokodatreks.com.au

And no wonder.  Orokaiva warriors fearlessly resisted incursions into the Yodda valley when gold was discovered in the late 19th Century.  Many early explorers and missionaries ended up in village cooking pots as they were stalked in the remote jungle-clad mountain ranges.

Then came the war. Kokoda was the first pitched battle fought against the Japanese. It signaled the beginning of a campaign where Australia’s fate hung in the balance as our diggers fought a fanatical enemy, treacherous terrain, legions of deadly mites, malarial mosquitoes, venomous snakes – and cold fear.

But the enemy our commanders feared most was the ignorance of the armchair generals and bureaucrats. ‘Build a road!’ – ‘blow the Gap!’ – ‘die at Imita!’ – they bellowed from the safety of  cocooned offices in their parallel universe back in Australia.  They didn’t appreciate, from their limited knowledge of the ground and its intricacies, just what was needed to do the important job at hand.

Some things never change.

After decades of neglect by successive Australian Governments Kokoda is beginning to stir in our national consciousness. Political correctness, ridiculous OH&S laws and layers of social safety nets have all but transformed Australians into a risk averse society.  ‘Koko’ ‘da’ now presents an opportunity for them to pay respect to the lives of our diggers – and give some meaning to their own.

Australians from all walks of life now want to walk in the footsteps of the brave and ‘do it tough’ as a mark of respect to a generation who grew from the challenge of adversity. 

A common theme among those who take up the challenge is ‘to do it like our diggers did it!’  They don’t want environmental boardwalks – they want mud. They don’t want an eco-evangelical levitation – they want the historical hardship of the track. They don’t want to be clean and green – they want to be dirty and sweaty. They don’t want Kakadu – they want Kokoda!  The Trek gives participants that special feeling that they are treading sacred ground, not without good reason!

But Kokoda is in danger of being transformed into a monument to environmentalism rather than a living memorial to our diggers.  It shouldn’t be “fenced off” but used in the proper way that befits its dedication to the memory of the brave sacrifices of the Australian and New Guinea defenders who trod this track during WWII.  The custodians of our military history seem to have been sidelined in the process of developing the track between Owers Corner and Kokoda as a memorial trail .

In last year’s five page ‘Joint Understanding between PNG and Australia on the Kokoda Track (sic) and Owen Stanley Ranges’ the word ‘memorial’ or ‘battlesite’ is not mentioned – once!

The document is peppered with the new language of the global warmers – ‘carbon partnerships’, ‘national forest carbon accounting systems’, ‘future international emissions trading’, ‘REDD demonstration activities and global climate stability underpinning global eco-systems, etc. etc. etc’.

‘Military heritage’ has been replaced by ‘World heritage’.

The Joint Understanding commits to ‘deploying experts to the PNG Department of the Environment and Conservation to facilitate PNG Government processes to enable identification and consideration of a proposed World Heritage Site, etc. etc’. No mention is made of deploying military historians to identify battlesites sacred to our heritage, to dispatch bomb disposal experts to assess the dangers of unexploded ordnance along the track, or experts from our War Memorial to establish a similar institution in Port Moresby. The preservation of our joint military heritage does not rate a mention.

It is easy to interpret ‘joint understandings’ between Australia and PNG as a euphemism for ‘big brother’. It’s OK for Australia to send ‘experts’ to PNG but we continue to deny them access to our seasonal markets even though our farmers have desperate labour shortages. It is easier for a PNG citizen to get a casual job in London than in Brisbane. Proper ‘joint understandings’ don’t have one-way valves!

This fact is not lost on leaders in PNG.

Trekker numbers have grown exponentially over the years – from 76 in 2001 to more than 6000 in 2008. We watched as an inexperienced and unqualified authority was established to manage our sacred ground along the track. We watched as it morphed into a self-indulgent system of corruption. We have calculated the benefits to the PNG economy to be around $15 million dollars in 2008 but we shy away from the fact that very little reaches the villages along the track. It is little wonder that landowners are attracted to mining and forestry opportunities.

The Australian – PNG Joint Understanding committed to ‘addressing immediate needs for the 2008 trekking season and create interim Kokoda Track management arrangements’. This is the most important priority when the froth and bubble has been cleared from the document. But as thousands of Australians make the pilgrimage across the track we failed to meet this key commitment. Nothing happened.

And as we are now well into the 2009 trekking season and still nothing has happened!

Two trekkers have died. The track has been closed at Kovello. There is no proper trek permit system. There is no campsite booking system – or accreditation system. There is no need for a medical clearance. No need to submit a trek itinerary. No need for qualified expedition leaders. No requirement to carry satellite phones. No co-ordinated medical evacuation system. No minimum pay and conditions for PNG guides and trekkers. No community development program for villagers. Nothing.

Rumour has it that there is much feverish activity in the parallel universe of the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts in Canberra. This activity is obviously directed towards the application for a World Heritage Listing for the area. 

It is time we said good bye to this well intentioned but misguided concept.

It’s time we refocused on the need to preserve and honour the military historical integrity of the Kokoda Trail. There are plenty of other areas in Papua New Guinea where eco-evangelists can get their rocks off. They should be encouraged to go and find them.

We need to take the following actions steps to ensure Kokoda takes its proper place as a jungle shrine. We need to understand that it is the most significant pilgrimage an Australian can make in search of the qualities that define our national character.

We need to ensure departments entrusted with the preservation of our military heritage such as the Australian War Graves Commission, the Australian War Memorial, Defence and our ex-Service community have input into assisting our Papua New Guinean cousins to care for our sacred sites from the Pacific War.

We need to demonstrate that villages along the Kokoda Trail, and other battlesites throughout Papua New Guinea, will have a sustainable economic future as a result of our emerging interest in the Pacific War. This is key to the future of the track!

Kokoda is a pilgrimage for those who had a relative serve in the war. It is a ‘rite of passage’ for young Australians from different lands and cultures. It is a bridge for those who want to learn more about our military history and our Melanesian neighbours.

In the recent budget the Government announced $10 million dollars to develop an interpretive trail in France and Belgium so that visitors to the area can understand the contribution and the sacrifice Australians made for freedom.

In the same budget absolutely nothing was allocated towards the development of an interpretive trail between Owers Corner and Kokoda!

For this reason alone the responsibility for the development of the Kokoda Trail as a National Memorial Trail should be transferred to the Australian War Graves Commission.

The Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts should continue with their assistance to achieve World Heritage listings in partnership with their Papua New Guinea counterparts. There is much to be done to provide a sustainable alternative to the ravages of the logging and mining industries in the country. A review of Ministerial Media Releases indicates that these areas are their raison d’être – of the 340 media releases issued over the past 12 months only one refers to Kokoda!

Now we understand why the words ‘military heritage’ and ‘memorials’ were not included in the Joint Understanding signed over 12 months ago.

Now we understand why nothing has been done – apart from a few smoke and mirror demonstrations – across the Kokoda Trail during the past two trekking seasons.

Now we understand why the responsibility for the preservation of our military heritage along the Kokoda Trail has not been given the due attention it urgently needs it must be reallocated to the Office of the Australian War Graves Commission as a matter of priority.

Lest we Forget!

Any business, industry or service provider who dared treat their customers with as much contempt as the Kokoda trekker receives would be placed in the hands of a commercial undertaker in a very short period of time.

Over the past five years Australian trekkers have invested more than $100 million to trek across the Kokoda Trail. The Australian and PNG governments have creamed more than $12 million in GST and a veritable bonanza in taxes from the airline, hotel, transport and camping gear industries.

Trekking Kokoda provides part-time employment to more than 12,000 PNG guides and carriers who would otherwise be working in remote village gardens at a subsistence level.

Local villagers earn more than $1.5 million a year from campsite fees.

In return for this the Kokoda trekkers receive nothing. Neither government provides any support to help facilitate or enhance their experience. Villagers along the way, the second most important building block in the Kokoda trekking industry, are also totally neglected.

Kokoda trekkers are unable to book campsites in advance because there is no booking system. They are not able to have a comfortable crap because there is not a single environmental toilet along the entire track. They have no protection from unscrupulous trek operators because there is no system of accreditation. They have to negotiate a gravel ‘road’ between Depo and Owers Corner which is more dangerous than anything on the track. They are left to their own resources to arrange any emergency evacuation.

Most Kokoda trekkers are motivated by a desire to trek in the footsteps of our diggers and learn about the battles that took place along the track. They reflect the egalitarian nature of our diggers and come from all walks of life: male, female, young, old, professionals, farmers, tradies, teachers, students, veterans, Christians, Muslims, agnostics, etc. etc. etc. It is a unique Australian journey, a pilgrimage for many, a rite-of-passage for others, a powerful emotional experience for all.

Trekkers who commit to the journey make a substantial financial investment towards their venture. They also have to plan time off from their jobs and commit to a long-term rigorous physical preparation program. In return for this investment they want an assurance they can complete the journey safely and that they will gain a greater insight into the Kokoda campaign.

Neither the Australian nor the Papua New Guinea Governments provide this assurance. Trek operators have to fill the void to the best of their ability.

The road leading to the start of the track, between Depo and Owers Corner, is the most dangerous section of the journey between Port Moresby and Kokoda. It is only a matter of time before Australians are killed on this road. Once on the track Kokoda trekkers are on there own. There is no opportunity for them to book campsites; there are no environmental toilets on the track; there is no co-ordinated emergency evacuation system in place; there are no commemorative/interpretive memorials at significant battlesites along the track (apart from the splendid memorial at Isurava); there are no programs in place to ensure villagers and landowners benefit from trekkers; etc. etc.

The Australian and PNG Governments are currently reaping a bonanza from trekkers.

The recent deaths on the Kokoda Trail and the ongoing threats to close the track by disgruntled landowners are wake-up call for both governments to ensure the needs of trekkers are addressed before it is perceived to be too ‘dangerous’ or too ‘negative’ to make such a significant commitment to.

We hope that the social mapping study and track analysis planned by new Kokoda Track Authority Rod Hilman will signal the start of a new approach to work upwards from the basic building blocks of the trekking industry to stakeholder organisations and government departments. The objective must be to build a model for a sustainable eco-trekking industry in the land of a thousand cultures.

Port Moresby Grammar School grade 12 students, Alfreda Nakue and Margaret Aitsi, have a different view of the Kokoda Trail from what history teaches them. Having walked the track recently, both girls say their real life experience of the track has given history a different dimension where they can relate more meaningfully.

Alfreda and Margaret have been back from the track a few weeks but it is obvious talking to them that surviving the Kokoda Track has done them a lot of good and when they tell their story, it is a fresh as if it was just yesterday. The power of that reality is that many more young people will be motivated and inspired. The crowning act of Alfreda and Margaret’s experience is the harnessing of youth power to direct change; the importance of it being that the future belongs to the youth. This is Alfreda and Margaret’s story of how they survived the Kokoda Track and become known as Charlie’s angels, completed with certificates to prove their conquest.

Their adventure lasted six days between April 02nd and 03rd May when 15 other young Australians calling themselves ‘Mateship Kokoda’ came up from Sydney. The Australian team was led by New South Wales MP and Adventure Kokoda legend Charlie Lynn. It included two other MPs; Scott Morrison and Jason Clare. The idea behind it was to heal the wounds of the Cronulla beach race riots.

Charlie Lynn sponsors Alfreda’s education so he included her in the tour and grabbing the opportunity the school picked Margaret to accompany her. Both girls are very personable, charming and charismatic which is not surprising especially when your dad works in a media organisation. Margaret’s late father John Aitsi worked for the Post Courier as a Company Secretary for many years and retired very recently. She is a bright spark so the school made an excellent choice by selecting her for the interaction with the Australian youths on the track. Pressed by the Australians to sing the national anthem, the two girls granted the wish, adding much nationalistic flavour to the walk. Feeling encouraged, Alfreda and Margaret also cited the pledge which amazed their Australian companions. To hear young voices singing the anthem and saying the pledge in the bush with a deep historic background seemed to turn nostalgia into fanfare and the girls felt it. “The feeling that overcome us was really special, quite unique and we felt really proud that moment to be Papua New Guineans and that this was our land where the history linked us to our future.”

They said they expected Kokoda Track to be remote and rugged but they did not expect the mountains to be so steep. “It was very challenging. Just learning history does not tell you about the physical side so you do not feel the hardship. So experiencing the physical side brought appreciation and we now fell very grateful to the fuzzy-wuzzy angels for what they did”.

We saw how very remote the villages are; they lack transportation, health and education. It was sad to see villages walking across those mountains in search of transport to come to the city.

We had very good porters who were willing to take all risks for us and they were the descendants of the fuzzy-wuzzy angels of World War 11 fame. Australians witnessed this at first hand and this is what defines Papua new Guineans. The popular view is that the world judges by the bad things that happen. But when you meet the people, you get a totally different picture and it happened on the track.

After 67 years, we walked the path the 39th battalion of the Australian Army took in 1942 and we were welcome with open arms by the villages. The way they sang songs and how they looked solemn and stood still touched everyone. We feel our school has made an important contribution to the future of the track because the Australians want to make more use of our school in their ‘Mateship Kokoda’ initiative.
We were asked by the visiting Australians about our feelings of the track and we said that the track should not be modernised; it should be the saved in its pristine state. We also said that the porters and guides should be insured and that they should carry two-way radios. The Australians said they would look into our recommendations.

It was the singing of the national anthem that earned them the tag: Charlie’s angels. But everyone agreed at the end of the journey that they had survived Kokoda.

The group was airlifted from Kokoda and had an audience with the Australian High Commissioner Chris Moraitis in Port Moresby during which Alfreda and Margaret’s recommendations were raised. A solemn visit to the Bomana War Cemetery and a camp at Sogeri sealed their conquest of the track and they split with a memorable meal at the Aviat Club.

Apart from the steep mountains, were there any other shocks? Margaret: when we got to Owers corner, the toilets were quite interesting. There was just a hole and you had to stand to do your business (giggle). The Aussies expected the road to be sealed. Here in the city we take things for granted; there are people out there who need it most, they are the people who need help. The climate was very pleasant. At Myola, I asked if the children were in the gardens. The villages were beautiful but the place seemed deserted; there was an aid post, though”.

To conclude their “Mateship Kokoda” connectedness the trek group were invited to Port Moresby Grammar School where a school assembly was not only designed to welcome back Margaret & Alfredah but to include their fellow trekkers from Australia in the Papua New Guinea way of education. Everyone had a fabulous time, especially when this involved the visitors dancing with the Pom Grammar Preps in doing the Margarema.

After spending their first night in a heavily guarded 4-star hotel they catch a charter flight over the Owen Stanley Ranges to the village of Kokoda.

As they move from the airfield, which was a key factor in the decision to send troops to Kokoda in July 1942, they are greeted with shouts of ‘Oro! Oro! Oro!’ (Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!) as they climb the plateau towards the village. ‘Koko’ is an Orokaiva word meaning ‘place of skulls’ ‘Da’ is village. Australia’s first Victoria Cross winner, Private Bruce Kingsbury was buried here. His body was transferred to Bomana War Cemetery after the war.

On the north western edge of the plateau is a large generator installed when PNG was governed as a mandated territory by Australia. It has been idle for more than 20 years and the network of power poles connecting houses and administration buildings are derelict and rotting. A large disused concrete tank is a haunting reminder that the village once had a water and sewerage system.

As trekkers follow the footsteps of the brave back along the track they come into direct contact with remote village communities. On day 3 they arrive at Templeton’s Crossing which is the boundary between Oro and Central Province. The Orokaiva and Mountain Koiari clans in this area have been converted to the Seventh Day Adventist Church. They stay converted under the watchful eye of local pastors who conduct church services twice daily at 6.00 am and 6.00 pm. Children with angelic voices and swollen bellies sing hymns in perfect harmony.

A noticeable aspect of village life is the absence of young men who are either working in distant gardens or have gone down the track to seek better opportunities amongst the bright lights of Moresby. Older men sit around their huts while women care for the village, nurture the young and prepare the meals.

Those who venture down to Moresby find there is little work available and are soon reliant on their ‘wan tok’ system for sustenance. Some turn to crime to meet basic needs while others join the fasting growing industry in the country – security! Thousands of uniformed guards with fierce dogs are trucked into the city before dusk each day to stop their own people trying to breach the razor wire fortresses around Moresby.

Back in the villages trekkers notice basic Aid projects designed to support subsistence living in remote areas. Water systems, classrooms and medical centres are in various states of disrepair due to a lack of recurrent funding for maintenance, a lack of regular school/medical supplies and inconsistent payment of wages.

Despite these daily challenges villages are warm, friendly and generous with their offerings of food and assistance to trekkers. The legacy of their ‘fuzzy wuzzy angel forbears is evident to all who trek Kokoda. During their ordeal they establish bonds with local guides who tell them of their daily struggle for survival and of their plans for the future.

On return to our affluent society many trekkers want to help but they soon find this is easier said than done. There is no guarantee that clothing parcels, medical supplies, electronic goods or even letters will reach the intended recipient due to the lack of a reliable distribution service to remote villages. Phone, fax and email communications are out of the question. Assistance with educational programs are almost impossible to monitor as school fees are easily misappropriated and students often substituted.

This may well be the reason why World Vision does not have a sponsorship program for PNG students!

The encouragement of ‘village cooperatives’ should be considered as a means of ensuring benefits gained from the emerging eco-tourism industry are shared for the benefit of all. A ‘Council of Clan Leaders’ from each village could be established to manage the cooperative. Such a system would place the responsibility for the development of the village and the care of its inhabitants in the hands of local leaders

Issues which would form part of the charter of a village cooperative would be the establishment and operation of community schools and health centres, support for students identified as suitable for further education in Provincial schools, training of medics and nurses and the maintenance/development of basic village infrastructure.

There is no shortage of eco-trekkers who will support educational and health programs if they can be assured that their contribution will not be siphoned off by the person with the key to the village mailbox in Port Moresby or misappropriated by influential ‘wan toks’ in local, Provincial or National Government departments.

The establishment of ‘village cooperatives’ would also allay much of the frustration of local landowners who are suspicious that they not be getting their fair share of the benefits generated by the emerging eco-tourism industry.

All the economic and social indicators say the colonial system of government inherited by PNG at independence has clearly not worked in the land of a thousand cultures. A reversal of the system whereby local village/tribal communities are empowered through the establishment of village councils may just be the panacea the country needs to attract the support of eco-tourists and well intentioned philanthropists.

Why would a mother of two and physically unfit choose to walk The Kokoda Trail? Well, it all began on 31st August 2005 when my daughter was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia at the age of 17 months old. I was devastated, I blamed myself as I suffered with depression throughout my pregnancy and after she was born my depression didn’t improve.

I honestly feel now that there is always a positive in a negative situation and my daughter and I now have a bond that we never had before. This feeling of always looking on the bright side and finding a positive was reinforced in me when I was walking The Kokoda Trail.

I decided to fundraise for The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, as they are helping save my daughter’s life, but I didn’t know how or where or when. Shortly after being discharged from hospital I was watching Getaway, they were doing a story on The Kokoda Trail by the end of it I knew how I was going to fundraise!

On the 7th August 2006 I flew out to Port Moresby and the next day I was on a bus to Ower’s Corner and my adventure was about to begin. I was very nervous because I suddenly thought I wasn’t fit enough, what if my children needed me, what if Hannah relapses, there were a lot of what if’s running around my head. I wasn’t going quit before I even started and the children world wide needed me to finish, as all the money I was raising was going to the Medical and Research Centre at Westmead.

I proudly can say that I finished the track but it wasn’t without many a tear shed and with the support of my trekking group, my fabulous trek leader John Nalder and my personal carrier, Joseph, who all had kind words of encouragement or just walking with me.

The Kokoda Trail has a magic of it’s own to share with you. The history of it is amazing, sad, and happy all the emotions rolled in together. The track is also very beautiful in many ways, the people who live along it so full of love, the incredible wildlife (especially the butterflies), and the fauna. We take so much for granted and we don’t appreciate what and who are in our lives.

The Kokoda Trail means so much to me, it pushed my comfort zone boundaries further each day and I know that I am strong enough physically and mentally to survive what life throws at me.

I could write so much but yet it is so hard to find the words to express how the track has had such an impact on my life, it is an experience that I will cherish dearly. But if I didn’t have the support from family, friends, Charlie Lynn, John Nalder and my fellow trekkers it would not have happened and I am very grateful to all.

I hope my story reinforces to everybody what Kokoda means to them and we tell all our friends about our brave soldiers and fuzzy wuzzy angels who gave up their lives so we can enjoy what we have now.
Thank you for reading.
Renee

Osmar White Wartime
journalist, writing from the track in 1942

Article by Charlie Lynn

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.”