The National Military Heritage Plan was funded by the DFAT ‘Kokoda Initiative’ and compiled by an American anthropologist engaged as Australia’s National Military Heritage Advisor in PNG despite the fact he has no military heritage qualifications or any record of previous military service.

The author’s lack of expertise are evident in the review conducted by Adventure Kokoda trek leaders who have led more than 700 expeditions across the Kokoda Trail since 1991 and have a combined total of 160 years professional military service.

This is a line-by-line review of the DFAT National Military Heritage Plan which should be rejected by PNG.

BACKGROUND

The Kokoda campaign was a series of military battles fought along the Kokoda Trail between Owers Corner and Kokoda from 29 July – 2 November 1942.

Since we led our first group across the Kokoda Trail to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign in 1992 more than 65,000 Australians from all walks of life have trekked across it.

The Kokoda pilgrimage now shares equal status with Gallipoli.

Unfortunately the lack of commemorative memorials across the trail and poor management has diminished the quality of the pilgrimage and led to a decline in trekker numbers over the past decade.

This decline could be reversed with the development of a Military Heritage Master Plan to interpret the story of each battlesite along the trail. The technical nature of military history demands that an accredited heritage architect, advised by a specialist military historian, be engaged to develop such a plan. There are two aspects to the history of the Kokoda campaign:

  1. The strategic and tactical battles between Australian and Japanese Forces; and
  2. The involvement of villagers as wartime carriers and helpers i.e. the PNG story.

The PNG Military Heritage Management Plan was developed under the direction of an American anthropologist engaged by the DFAT Kokoda Initiative as Australia’s National Military Heritage Advisor in PNG. Neither he, nor the DFAT Strategic Advisor have any militiary heritage credentials and neither and neither had ever trekked across the Trail with an accredited military historian to understand the significance of the pilgrimage.

While the project is a welcome initiative it’s a hybrid plan that lacks clarity in regard to both the military history of the Kokoda campaign (by including battles that were not part of the campaign) and does not address the need to acknowledge the service and sacrifice of PNGs wartime carriers.

The project also fails to include the resources available at the Australian War Memorial which is the custodian of our military history.

The plan should therefore be reviewed to allow for specialists in the areas of military heritage/history and PNG anthropology/cultural history to be engaged within their areas of expertise.

Major Charlie Lynn OAM OL
9 November 2018

DFAT-KOKODA INITIATIVE NATIONAL MILITARY HERITAGE PLAN FOR THE KOKODA TRAIL

ADVENTURE KOKODA EXPERT REVIEW OF DFAT-KOKODA INITIATIVE HERITAGE PLAN

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA

“If there was no war, our people would be completely forgotten”
Joseph Avabe, 06 September 2018.

This project is funded through the Kokoda Initiative, a partnership between the governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia working with the Oro and Central Provincial Administrations.

This line comes from Joseph Avabe, a local village leader from the Kokoda area in Oro Province. While the context framing his sentiments comes from a reformist agenda, his reasoning exposes not only the reciprocal relationship between memory and forgetting, but also reminds us rather tacitly that our criteria of being recognised and enumerated with an inclusive framework of the State has its basis in the attendant military history of the Kokoda Campaign.

Imagine if there was no war, Avabe opines, his people would have been left stranded in the cold hinterlands of our national consciousness and sidelined on the margins of the development agenda. The war gave us a name to be counted as a people, etched itself a place to be remembered, and defined a country whose history was created with the involvement of many others.

This humble revisionist statement acknowledges the horrors and complexities of the war but defines a relevance of the war in the present. If there was a phoenix that rose out of the ashes of the war, ours was the Kumul, the exuberant forest dwelling Bird of Paradise that eventually became adopted as our national symbol.

Unlike the countries who fought the war on the soil, the sea and the air above Papua and New Guinea, the indigenous inhabitants of this country were never conscious of themselves as subjects of an entity that imagined itself as a nation. If nations create and wage wars on each other, ours is a story of how a war created a nation.

The idea of our nation-state emanates directly from the experiences of the war. Aside from its traumatic and destructive power, the war was also eventful as an epoch of inspiration and regeneration. Modern Papua New Guinea emerged from the throes of war much like a forest that is regenerated after a bush fire.

The Kokoda Track itself, and the historical surpluses of the war which remain scattered in the bush along its corridors and beyond, are not merely properties of the state. They gained their provenance and currency
as a result of the war. In many respects, they are like treasures out of trash, memories out of incognita, or the liminal vestiges of an epochal event that spilled the embryonic gems of a new a nation.

This military heritage   management  policy—developed by the National Museum &  Art  Gallery  in  partnership with the Kokoda Initiative supported by the Australian Government—addresses and fills an outstanding policy vacuum that has been looming over the management of   the military heritage along the Track and beyond.

While the Policy outlines a general vision that encompasses conservation, commemoration and promotion, its implementation requires the participation of many other agencies and stakeholders that will keep alive the spirit and legacies of the Kokoda Campaign and of the Second World War in Papua New Guinea. In anticipating a spirit of collaboration, the Policy is an invitation to conserve, reanimate, and share these stories for now and for the future to come.

Dr. Andrew Moutu Director
 		Dr Moutu is jeopardising his intellectual integrity by using local ‘story-tellers’ to support the Australian funded National Military Advisory Group’s  search for meaning along the Kokoda Trail.
 
He is also comprising the historical integrity of the National Museum and Art Gallery by refusing to acknowledge the official name of the Battle Honour of the Papuan Infantry Battalion; the name gazetted by the PNG National Government in 1972; and the official name used by the PNG National Mapping Bureau i.e. Kokoda Trail.
 
World War 11 did not create the nation of Papua New Guinea. The process was initiated by the League of Nations after World War 1 when New Guinea was mandated as an Australian territory following the defeat of Germany – it was then referred to as Papua (which was already an Australian Territory) and New Guinea.
 
In 1972 the name of the territory was changed to Papua New Guinea and, following elections that year the Chief Minister, Michael Somare, began the move towards self-government and then independence.
 
The sovereign nation of Papua New Guinea was created in the lead-up to Independence in 1975.

PREAMBLE:

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA
The National Museum and Art Gallery (NMAG) acknowledges the heavy sacrifice, suffering and loss of life among all participants in the Kokoda Campaign, and elsewhere in PNG, during World War II. We approach the task of looking after this important part of PNG’s heritage with respect for the dead and sensitivity for survivors and descendants.The Japanese and Australian losses have been previously recognised in their respective countries but this is not the case in PNG.

It is suggested that the primary role of NMAG should therefore be to establish a National Honour Roll for the estimated 56,000 Wartime Carriers who have never been recognised for their service and sacrifice towards the war effort and to establish a spiritual resting place for those who died.

DEFINITION:

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA
This document outlines the policy elements of the PNG National Museum and Art Gallery’s (NMAG’s) Kokoda Track Military Heritage Management Plan.  Program implementation and site management plans detailing specific activities will be guided by this strategic document.This statement needs to be clarified.

If the document relates to the ‘Kokoda Track (sic) Military Heritage Management Plan’ it should be restricted to the 138 km trail between Owers Corner and Kokoda.

LEGAL BASIS

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA
This Plan is in accordance with Section 2 of the War Surplus Material Act and Section 4 (1) (iii) of the National Museum & Art Gallery Act enforced by the National Museum & Art Gallery.

SCOPE:

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA
The NMAG recognises that the military heritage remaining from the Kokoda Campaign of WWII extends from Port Moresby Harbour to the northern beaches and Oro Bay. Furthermore, the campaign was fought both on the ground and in the air, hence its tangible heritage may extend into the sea at each end, as well as far across the landscape of PNG.

However, this Military Heritage Management Plan specifically applies to the tangible military heritage remaining from the Kokoda Campaign, as a significant element of the cultural heritage of the region, along the Kokoda Corridor between Owers Corner, Central Province and Kokoda Station, Oro Province, extending to the northern beachheads area around Buna, Gona, and Sanananda; as well as the intangible heritage of the Campaign along the Track, and wherever else it may exist.

This Plan is a pioneering exercise. Once policies and practices have been put into place and proven effective, it may be adapted for use in other regions of PNG		The Kokoda campaign was fought along the Kokoda Trail between Sogeri where the troops first dismounted to start their advance across the trail to Kokoda where they raised the Australian flag on 3rd November 1942.

The Kokoda campaign was not fought in the air – it was certainly not fought anywhere near the sea. It was a jungle war between Australian and Japanese infantrymen.

The subsequent battles at Buna, Gona and Sanananda are referred to as the ‘Battle of the Beachheads’ and were acknowledged separately by the Commonwealth Battles Nomenclature Committee in 1953 – they should therefore be the subject of a separate study.

A book on the cultural heritage of the Koiari and Orokaiva people would be a welcome initiative of the National Museum and Art Gallery.

References to the ‘Kokoda Corridor’ should be restricted to the Kokoda Trail which lies between the end of two gravel road-heads at Owers Corner and Kokoda – n between is a 138 km trail over which the Kokoda campaign was fought.

The plan seems to duplicate the role of the Australian War Memorial which is the custodian of Australia’s military history.

VISION:

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA
That the military heritage of the Kokoda Track remains safe, authentic and accessible for residents and visitors for generations to come.A more appropriate vision for the Kokoda Trail would be:

‘To achieve its potential as a high-value, world-class pilgrimage tourism destination for the economic benefit of traditional landowner communities’.

MORAL AND HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA
The Second World War was a radically transformative event in which Papua and New Guinea were caught up in the throes of its global spread. Aside from its traumatic and destructive power, the war was also eventful as an epoch of inspiration and regeneration. Modern Papua New Guinea emerged from the throes of war much like a forest that is regenerated after a bush fire.

Unlike other countries who fought the war on the land, sea and air above Papua New Guinea, the indigenous inhabitants of this country were never conscious of themselves as subjects of an entity that imagined itself as a nation. The nightmare of the war gave us a dream to imagine a future for Papua New Guinea, and its relationship to others as a citizen of the world and as a nation in a constellation of many others.

The historical surpluses of the war which now remain scattered along the Kokoda Track and beyond are not merely properties of the state; they are treasures out of trash, and memories out of incognita as much as they are remnants of an event that prompted the emergence of a nation-state.
Fine prose – but historically irrelevant to the Kokoda campaign.
 
Most of the ordnance along the trail has been ‘collected’ over the past 76 years – they were not ‘the remnants of an event that prompted the emergence of a nation-state’.

The Kokoda campaign was not an ‘event’ – it was a series of battles fought across the Kokoda Trail between July and November 1942.

GENERAL PRINCIPLES:

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA

1.  The Kokoda Track Military Heritage Management Plan (hereafter ‘The Plan’) will provide a vehicle for international engagement, and for local communities to engage more deeply with their own histories.

The Plan will build upon the shared and unifying histories of PNG and Australia, and within PNG as a national narrative.		The most effective means for PNG scholars to engage with their own military history is to seek to establish an Australia-PNG Project with the Australian War Memorial similar to the Australia-Japan Project established a decade ago.

This would be a collaborative project between the PNG National Museum and Art Gallery; the University of PNG; and the Australian War Memorial which includes long-term academic exchange programs.
2.  The Plan will also recognise the prominent roles of Japan and the USA in PNG’s war history, as well as the place of other nations, including the UK, India, Fiji, China, Korea, Taiwan, etc.Japan certainly did have a prominent role in the war – they invaded New Guinea and Papua!

 However the story of their young men is also part of the narrative along with the reconciliation of the 39th Battalion and 144th Regiment who fought against each other along the trail.

The USA, UK, India, Fiji, China, Korea, Taiwan, etc were not involved in the Kokoda campaign – this demonstrates an unacceptable lack of knowledge of the Kokoda campaign by the authors of this document.
3.  Kokoda Campaign history is important to local, national, and international audiences, and the Plan will operate on local, national and international scales as appropriate.The ‘Kokoda campaign history’ is important to Australia and PNG in the first instance.
4.  Kokoda Campaign heritage exists in both tangible (e.g. sites and objects) and intangible (e.g oral history – stories, songs and other narrative) forms. The NMAG is committed to preserving and maintaining both.A complete record of our Kokoda campaign heritage is held at the Australian War Memorial in books by military historians; war correspondents; battalion and unit histories; personal recollections of officers, NCOs, soldiers and civilians; papers by scholars; newspaper reports; and a vast collection of oral histories – see attached bibliography.
5.  The Plan will foreground Papua New Guinean participation in, and voices and memories of, the Kokoda Campaign, incorporating and building upon the 2013- 2018 NMAG/Kokoda Initiative Oral History Project.The Australian War Memorial has compiled a comprehensive record of oral histories over the years.

The opportunity for a credible PNG oral history should be a separate PNG project initiated and funded by the National Museum and Art Gallery.
6. The NMAG recognises that there are significant natural, cultural, historical, archaeological and/or other non- war related heritage values throughout the Kokoda Corridor. While worth preserving in their own rights, they are also deeply interconnected with the military heritage, and serve to enhance the experience of military heritage by both visitors and local people alike. Where appropriate, the Plan will acknowledge these other local heritage values, and will manage these in coordination with greater NMAG national cultural heritage management policies.Whilst the preservation of the natural, cultural and archaeological heritage of the area of the trail is important it seems to contradict the title ‘Military Heritage Management Plan’. 

‘Military Heritage’ should therefore remain the focus of the plan.
7.  The NMAG will work closely with provincial, district and local-level governments to achieve shared military and cultural heritage interests along the Kokoda Track.There should be a focus on showcasing the cultural heritage of the Koiari and Orokaiva people through research papers, books, and documentaries because it enhances the story of the Kokoda campaign
8.   The four PNG Government agencies primary to the Kokoda Initiative (Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), Kokoda Track Authority (KTA), Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA) and NMAG) will develop and maintain close liaisons, so that all are aligned in Kokoda Initiative Master Plan implementation. CEPA, KTA and TPA are considered important stakeholders by the NMAG for the Plan, and will continue to be consulted regarding its design and implementation.Each of these agencies have been jointly responsible for management of the Kokoda Trail for some 10 years and yet there is still no plan in place to honour the wartime history of the Kokoda campaign.

For this project to be successful it is vital that recognised military historians be engaged to advise on the plan!
9.  The NMAG recognises that the people of the Kokoda Corridor are key stakeholders to the Plan, and a critical resource for the Military heritage of the area, through their connections with past people who experienced the war, their custodianship of the stories, artefacts, landscapes, battlefields and other places associated with the campaign, and their continuing occupation and use of those historic places. Community involvement in design and implementation is paramount to the success and future sustainability of the Plan.The most effective way to achieve community engagement is through the conduct of annual workshops in each village to develop plans, provide assistance and monitor progress.

The lack of such workshops and the engagement of all stakeholders in the past is self-evident in the lack of an effective management plan to date.

The design of interpretive memorials should be assigned to an accredited military heritage architect.
10. The NMAG also recognises Kokoda trekking and tour operators as key stakeholders for the Plan, as another critical resource for knowledge of war history, military heritage, and the prospects for project implementation along the Track. The Plan will be sensitive to the commercial viability of the Kokoda trekking industry and the PNG tourism industry as a whole, and will seek input from trekking and tour operators on an ongoing basis.

The Kokoda trekking industry is a commercial enterprise and should be organised as a business that generates profits for its shareholders i.e. the PNG Government and Incorporated Landowner Groups from across the trail.

Tour operators are an important source for advice on the needs and expectations of trekkers however many are limited in their historical knowledge of the military aspects of the Kokoda campaign.

The commercial viability of pilgrimage tourism across the Kokoda Trail will never be realised until a Miltary Heritage Master Plan is developed by an accredited military heritage architect.
11.  By provision of the War Materials Surplus Act, the nation of PNG (through the NMAG) owns all relics from WWII. However, the NMAG recognises local landowners and communities as custodians of artefacts in their possession or on their customary lands. Decisions regarding the management of various artefacts will only be made in conversation and agreement with these local custodians.There are still some significant collections of artefacts in the hands of landowners and there does need to be proper audit of these collections to prevent a repeat of the desecration of the sites at Eora Creek and Myola occurring.

Understandably, most of the landowners are not aware of the significance of what they hold.
12.  The Plan acknowledges that gendered relations and issues of social inclusion influence the implementation of community projects. The NMAG recognises the importance of taking gender and social inclusion into account at all phases of planning, consultation and implementation, and will do so explicitly in each element of the Plan.The most effective means of ensuring women are involved in the trekking industry is through the conduct of local village workshops to determine their needs and priorities – and develop training programs to help them meet the needs of trekkers.

There are also opportunities for women to be engaged with trekking groups but this will not be possible until there is provision for seperate accommodation facilities in campsites.
13.   The NMAG finds that the terms ‘Kokoda Track’ and ‘Kokoda Trail’ are both historically valid appellations for the system of footpaths between Owers Corner and Kokoda. For consistency, the NMAG will use ‘Kokoda Track’ throughout this and related documents. However, this does not indicate a judgment upon historical validity, and the NMAG neither proscribes nor discourages the use of ‘Kokoda Trail’ by others.The author of this statement has no regard for PNGs sovereign right to name their own geographic features. the Term ‘Kokoda Trail’ was gazetted in the lead-up to Independence in 1972 on the recommendations of their ‘Geographic Place Names Committee.

The author also has no appreciation of the signifcance of Battle Honours awarded to regimental units.

The Battle Honour ‘Kokoda Trail’ was awarded to the Papuan Infantry Battalion by the Commonwealth Battles Nomenclature Committee in 1954.

It is therefore a gratuitious insult to belittle this honour.

The failure of aid-funded foreign officials to acknowledge the honour 675 men died for during the Kokoda campaign disrespectful.
14.  The NMAG acknowledges that both heritage management and museum collections management rely upon determinations of significance in planning and prioritizing activities. The NMAG will follow internationally accepted best practices along these lines, starting with the Collection Council of Australia’s Significance Assessment criteria.Local villagers know where there is ordnance along the trail – many of them have small collections in their huts.
15.  he Plan will operate in accordance with the overall NMAG mission statement, and operations as laid out in NMAG Annual Operating Plans, the NMAG Corporate Plan 2016-2020, and NMAG Master Plan 2015-2030.These plans have never been distributed and they are not on the website of the National Museum and Art Gallery.
16. This policy document will be part of that ongoing appraisal, and changes may be made when determined appropriate. The entire Plan will be externally reviewed every five (5) years, beginning with the 80th anniversary of the Kokoda Campaign in 2022.This has all the hallmarks of a self-perpetuating aid-funded job application!

FIVE ELEMENTS OF HERITAGE MANAGEMENT

1. Knowledge

Concerns research, exploration, identification and documentation.

2. Principles

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA
1. An extensive, accurate and organized knowledge base is the first condition for heritage management planning and implementation.The collections and records at the Australian War Memorial already comprise a complete ‘knowledge base’ for all aspects of the war Papua and New Guinea.
2. The NMAG finds that the knowledge of Kokoda Campaign history and heritage can never be ruled complete.As advised previously – a complete record of the Kokoda campaign already is held at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in books by military historians; war correspondents; battalion and unit histories; personal recollections of officers, NCOs, soldiers and civilians; papers by scholars; newspaper reports; and a vast collection of oral histories.

To avoid ‘going over old ground’ NMAG should liaise with the AWM.

The focus of this project should be on research that recognises the significance of Papua New Guinea’s involvement
3. The NMAG values continued effort to expand the nation’s knowledge base concerning PNG military and cultural heritage.Agreed – and the start pointshould be the development of a National Roll of Honour to record the names of all Papua and New Guinea Wartime Carriers; the proclamation of a day to commemorate their legacy (Kokoda Day); and a series of educational books for primary and secondary students throughout PNG.
4. The NMAG values gathering, organizing and using existing knowledge in ways that increase the effectiveness of heritage management.The effective management of the environment and military heritage along the Kokoda Trail should be based on a system of trained rangers and a structured trail maintenance system that employs local landowners and their communities.

The lack of such a system in the past has resulted in ad hoc development and an overall degradation of the trail and its environs.

The landowners of each site will protect the values of the area if they understand its significance and have a financial incentive to do so.
5. Beyond scholarly and professional expertise, the NMAG recognizes local knowledge and experience, and acknowledges the historic and ongoing intellectual contribution of community members to the global knowledge base of the Kokoda Campaign and to the military and other cultural heritage of the area.Local knowledge and experience should be properly researched and validated.

To enhance the quality of the Kokoda experience for trekkers it would be valuable to produce information on Koiari and Orokaiva culture as well as flora and fauna along the trail.

Because of its technical nature military history should be the domain of military historians if the heritage is to be accurately identified, described and maintained .

3. Policy

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE kOKODA
1, Efforts to expand knowledge of Kokoda Campaign history and heritage will be continuous.The lead agency for this should be the Australian War Memorial in partnership with the National Museum and Art Gallery.
2. Existing knowledge will be gathered, organized and used in new and relevant ways.This is already happening at the Australian War Memorial and could be further developed in partnership with the National Museum and Art Gallery.
3. Survey and mapping work will continue, and additions to the knowledge base are expected to continue in conversation with academic and professional experts, community members and trekking operators, and through the interpretation of landscape and archival research.Survey and mapping will continue to improve as technology improves.

From a military historical aspect it is vital to engage military historians with previous military experience who understand the significance of ‘ground’ to the various Phases of War – and the application of that knowledge to each of the battle-sites along the Kokoda Trail.
4. Efforts will be made to further promote linkages and cooperation between community groups and academia.This can be achieved with the establishment of an Australia-PNG Project by the Australian War Memorial.

It would be modelled on the successful Australia-Japan Project established almost a decade ago which provides for academic research from Japanese scholars in the form of papers, books, discussion groups and forums.
5. Efforts will be made to promote research partnerships between the NMAG and colleges, universities and cultural heritage institutions, both in PNG and internationally, and to further increase PNG’s academic and professional capacity.The primary partnership should be between the National Museum and Art Gallery; the University of PNG; and the Australian War Memorial.

Such a project would allow for the long-term exchange of Australian and PNG military history scholars between the Australian War Memorial and the National Museum and Art Gallery.

ACTIONS AND TASKS

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. Mapping: an interactive, multi-layer 3D digital map will be created of the entire Kokoda Track, with extra detail to special sites (Etoa battlefield, Brigade Hill, etc), or separate higher resolution maps will be generated for special sites. This will assist or enable the following:The ‘Etoa’ battlefield is a fabrication by the DFAT Kokoda Initiative – it does not exist!

There is no mention of it in any military history publications from the Kokoda campaign. It was most likely the A Echelon supporting the Japanese F Echelon in their defence of Eora Creek in October 1942.

An accredited Kokoda historian has already verified this!

The development of any interactive, multi-layer 3D digital maps should be developed in partnership with the Australian War Memorial.
a. The collation of different data sets allowing increased visualisation and analysis of landscape and history.Agree.
b. Newer and improved understandings of how terrain and topography influenced the course of the Kokoda Campaign, and present-day heritage.This underscores the need to engage military historians who have studied strategy, tactics and ground; who understand the Phases of War; who understand the principles applicable to each phase; and who have studied the various commanders involved in the Kokoda campaign.
c. The identification of new avenues of investigation into neglected historical sites.ALL historical sites across the Kokoda Trail (apart from Isurava) have been neglected since the end of the war in 1945.

The development of a Master Plan by an accredited military heritage architect is an essential step of addressing this neglect.
d. Detailed planning for military heritage, cultural heritage and other projects.This should be conducted as a partnership between the Australian War Memorial for the military heritage planning and the National Museum and Art Gallery for cultural heritage planning.
e. Development of improved interpretive materials.This should be the responsibility of the Department of Veterans Affairs who are responsible for Commemoration and the Australian War Memorial.
2. Database: The prospects of creating a Kokoda Track database will be explored, bringing together historical material, publications, reports, site lists, artefact lists, etc. This would be integrated with the NMAG collections database and other appropriate knowledge platforms, be engaged with other institutions with related digital records, and may eventually be accessible via the internet.The Australian War Memorial already maintains many of these records.

We have to keep in mind that the Kokoda campaign was primarily a ‘small–arms war’ with machine guns, rifles, bayonets – the heaviest armaments were a few Japanese mountain guns and 3” mortars.

There are few of the small-arms remnants along the trail however more would be found if each major defensive position was examined by army engineers in detail.
3. Field Research: Opportunities will be explored with local landowners and community leaders toward ongoing investigation of heritage-rich sections of the Track, to uncover additional sites and artefacts, and record associated narratives.Agree – but much of this information is already available from trekkers with professional military experience who have been crossing the trail for more than 30 years.
4. Archival Research: The NMAG acknowledges that there are sizeable relevant public collections held internationally, and that these holdings will form part of the Plan’s proposed knowledge base. Efforts will be ongoing to further identify, list, collect, organise and interpret both domestic and international archival records, reports, narratives, etc., related to the Kokoda Campaign, as an element of military heritage.Much of this is held by the Australian War Memorial and National Archives of Australia.
5. Promotion: Efforts will be ongoing to promote this knowledge to researchers, authors, academics, etc; to encourage and stimulate new research, as well as alternate ways of interpreting existing knowledge, because new points of view spur new understandings of history and heritage.This should be accomplished through the establishment of an Australia-PNG Project between NMAG and the Australian War Memorial.

The project would allow for military historians from both countries to research all aspects of the war from a Papua and New Guinea perspective.

It would be similar to the Australia-Japan Project which has now been operating for the past decade.

PRINCIPLES AND CONSERVATION

Principles:

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG values preserving as much of the surviving remnants of the Kokoda Campaign as possible, in balance with public access and interpretation.Agree
2. The NMAG values communities and landowners as custodians of sites, artefacts and oral histories, and will work in partnership with community leaders and landowners toward preservation and conservation of all three.Professional military trek operators have been working with landowners and communities along the trail in these areas for more than 30 years – they should not be discounted as a source for this information!
3. The NMAG recognises the importance of safe and appropriate storage of artefacts held in various collections not on display, and safe and appropriate curation of artefacts on display at the NMAG, and in regional and local museums.Agree
4. The NMAG recognises the importance of thorough, ongoing information management regarding military and cultural heritage.Agree
5. The NMAG values international engagement and will seek to adhere to international best practices in heritage management.Agree
6. The NMAG values community involvement in heritage management, and the training of local custodians to preserve sites and collections.Agree
7. The NMAG values the role of the tourism and trekking industry in contributing to the preservation of sites, artefacts and historical records.Agree
8. The NMAG recognises that it is the national custodian of the story of Kokoda, and that certain artefacts or certain types of artefacts should be collected by the Museum for safe keeping.Agree

POLICY

Site Preservation:

NATIOAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG will work with communities, landowners, tour operators and other KI partner institutions to develop specific management plans toward preservation of historic sites and landscapes along the Track, including restoration where necessary, and protection from further degradation from trekking traffic, environmental forces and other risks.Unfortunately many of these historic sites have already been severely degraded, in some cases to the point of destruction, by non-military trek operators and landowners who do not understand their significance

The first priority must be to engage an accredited military heritage architect to develop a Military Heritage Master Plan to prepare an interpretive plan for each significant site along the trail. In many cases this will require a reconstruction of the sites.

The management plan for each site should include a contract with each of the landowner groups for their protection and maintenance.

NMAG should establish a policy in regard to the design and location of private memorials in consultation with experienced ex-military trek leader.

A Trail Maintenance Plan should also be developed in partnership with all landowner groups along the trail.
2. The NMAG will provide education, training and other support to local custodians and tour operators towards the preservation, maintenance and monitoring of historic sites.This is essential and should be co-ordinated with the appropriate management enterprise.

ARTEFACT PRESERVATION

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
There are several different categories of artefacts (war relics) that require respective policies to be formulated and implemented.

There are not enough war relics along the trail to justify a ‘policy’ for individual categorisation – it is simply a matter of cataloguing and protecting what is there.

1. Unsecured Artefacts Insitu

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG recognises that unsecured artefacts in situ add authenticity to the trekking experience, but that these artefacts are at great risk of removal or damage by human or natural forces. The NMAG will work with landowners to identify the best solution for each artefact or group of artefacts.Too late!

Most sites along the trail have been desecrated under the watch of the DFAT Kokoda Initiative.
2. The NMAG discerns a need to manage the tension between some artefacts’ dual  status  as  both  ‘war relic’ and ‘UXO’. The NMAG recognises that the proper disposition of unexploded ordnance (UXOs) is an important element of the Kokoda Initiative Master Plan’s Pillar One, ‘a safe and well-managed Track’, and will work with appropriate expertise to identify and render safe high-risk UXOs (eg primed munitions) and  to secure others in a safe environment.The ‘Master Plan’s Pillar One, a safe and well-managed track’ has been ignored both before and since it was published!

Most of the ‘unsecured artefacts’ have already been removed by collectors and souvenir hunters.

Artefacts held by landowners would be identified by the military heritage architect as part of the Military Heritage Master Plan.

DFAT-Kokoda Initiative officials have already allowed the two most significant sites containing unexploded ordnance to be desecrated.

A plan for the remainder should be incorporated into the Master Plan developed by an accredited military heritage architect on the advice of a military historian.

2, Artefacts in Local Collections

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
These include collections both on public display and kept privately. The term ‘local museum’ refers here to collections identified as such by the custodian, under public display.
2a. Although by law all physical remains of WWII belong to the nation of PNG, with the NMAG the legally prescribed custodian, the NMAG acknowledges the custodianship of landowners holding artefacts in their possession.Agree
2b. The NMAG will not attempt to dictate to community custodians the fate of the artefacts they hold, rather will work with custodians to determine the best pathways for protection and curation. However, the NMAG stresses that the removal, destruction, or sale of war relics is illegal.Agree

3. NMAG Collections, Curation, and Management

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG Plan recognises that the NMAG collection of war relics is an important and irreplaceable element of PNG’s national heritage.Agree
2, The NMAG values the adoption of internationally recognised best practices for artefact management, eg cataloguing, preservation and curation.Agree

4. Artefacts in other collections (RSL, Private, Yacht Club, International, etc)

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG will survey and catalogue all military heritage sites along the Kokoda corridor, in terms of site layout (topography), significance, current state, and risk factors for degradation.This information is already available from professional trek operators/leaders with military experience – all they have to do is consult with them.
2. For sites deemed in need of preservative action and/ or protection against the impacts of reasonable use (e.g. tourism), the NMAG will undertake to produce site management plans outlining prescribed action, and work to implement these in consultation with local communities and tour operators.The heritage interpretation of significant sites should be planned by a military heritage architect on the advice of a military historian.

The subsequent management of each site should be the result of a contract arrangement between the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs and the Kokoda Trail management enterprise.

ACTIONS AND TASKS

Site Preservation:

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG recognises the significance to PNG national heritage of artefacts held privately, both domestically and abroad.Agree
2. The NMAG will take an active interest in privately held artefacts.What does this mean?

Artefact Preservation

Unsecured Artefacts Insitu:

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1a.  The NMAG will undertake to catalogue all known in situ artefacts along the Kokoda corridor, and collate within the proposed Kokoda Track database (see Knowledge, Actions and Tasks #2), updating the catalogue regularly.Local landowners already know the location of in situ artefacts along the trail.
1b. The NMAG will undertake to secure selected unprotected artefact collections in situ, and determine how best to conserve others.Agree – advice of a significant collections tshould be preserved in situ
1c. In consultation with communities, trekking operators and technical experts, the NMAG will develop and distribute an explicit protocol for communities, trekkers and other visitors to follow when finding artefacts and UXOs.Most artefacts have already been removed due to a lack of interest by DFAT-Kokoda Initiative officials since 2008..
2b. The NMAG will undertake to catalogue all known collections along the Track, and collate within the proposed Kokoda Track database.This should be incorporated into a Military Heritage Master Plan developed by an accreidted military heritage architect.
2c. The NMAG will undertake to discourage the further removal of artefacts from sites without prior consultation with the NMAG.This is the job of the Kokoda Trail management enterprise and responsible trek operators.
2d. Notwithstanding 2c above, the NMAG will seek out, identify and catalogue unknown local collections.An experienced Kokoda Tourism Ranger familiar with the military history of the trail; who is fluent in Tok Pisin; and who has earned the trust and respect of local landowners over a long period of time could complete this task more effectively than anybody else.
2e. The NMAG will identify selected local museums for support in improving structures, display cases, signage, access, etc., to improve visitorship by trekkers and, by extension, community benefits.

This will do little to ‘improve visitorship’ by trekkers and, by extension, ‘community benefits’.

The most effective way of achieving this is through the development of Military Heritage Iinterpretive Centres and Owers Corner and Kokoda.

NMAG Collection ad Curation:

3a. The MHM Project will work in partnership with the NMAG Modern History Department to develop curation procedures appropriate for the existing collection.The Australian War Memorial should be a partner in this process due to their extensive knowledge and experience in this area.
3b. The NMAG will consult with landowners and other stakeholders regarding further acquisition of artefacts currently in situ, held in local collections or elsewhere.Agree
3c. The NMAG will seek to establish and maintain a collection of significant artefacts from the Kokoda campaign, and artefacts representative of the Kokoda campaign, to ensure they are preserved and accessible for future generations.Good
3d. The NMAG will explore the prospects of returning or loaning selected artefacts to local or regional museums, or to prominent sites along the Track, to enhance and/or restore local military and cultural heritage.This should be incorporated into a Military Heritage Master Plan developed by an accredited military heritage architect.

Artefacts in other collections (RSL, Private, Yacht Club, International, etc)

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
4a. The NMAG will undertake to catalogue Kokoda Campaign-related material in other collections held elsewhere in PNG and abroad, and collate within the proposed Kokoda Track database.This should be part of a partnership with the Australian War Memorial.

INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATION

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
The NMAG will pursue a gendered approach to interpretation, highlighting women’s stories wherever possible.No women fought in the Kokoda campaign and there should be no re-interpretation of this fact.

The stories of our nurses and other women in essential support roles for our combat troops should certainly be part of the narrative.

PRINCIPLES

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG finds that the physical remains (sites and artefacts) of the Kokoda Campaign are touchstones for history, and as all histories are stories told in one way or another, the stories connected to places and things need to be told so the places and things do not lose their significance. Along the Track, these stories can be told using interpretive material in the form of various signage. The NMAG values the use of appropriate signage to deliver interpretive content in ways that support the landscape and its history in sustainable ways.This is self-evident and supports the need for a Master Plan to be developed by an accredited military heritage architect.
2. The NMAG values educating tourists and other visitors toward the war history and heritage of the region, through interpretive signage and other means, as well as facilitating education about the wider cultural heritage of communities along the Track, to further enrich the experience of war heritage.The interpretation of military history at significant sites along the trail should be the responsibility of the military heritage architect.

The interpretation of the ‘wider cultural heritage of communities along the Track (sic)’ should be the responsibility of the National Museum and Art Gallery.
3. NMAG values providing historical and heritage information to communities along the Track, to facilitate self-awareness regarding their place in the history of the Kokoda Campaign and its aftermath. Through this local awareness, the tourism experience is also enriched as visitors interact with local people who are knowledgeable about the history and heritage of the area.This should be part of a Military Heritage Master Plan developed by an accredited military heritage architect.

The Isurava Memorial should be used as a model for other significant locations along the trail.

NMAG should develop educational material for local villagers.

Local villagers should be engaged in the Kokoda pilgrimage tourism industry through the provision of services to meet the needs of trekkers.
4. The NMAG finds that local communities can continue to educate NMAG staff and other academic and professional visitors toward the heritage and oral history of the region, and that this element of the relationship is never complete.Agree
5. The NMAG recognises the need for gender awareness in interpretive design and content, and the value of gendered renditions of oral history and other historical material.This is 100% irrelevant to the wartime historical interpretation of the Kokoda campaign.
6. The NMAG wishes to promote the growth of Papua New Guinean and international partnerships in education at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.This is the responsibility of government education departments in Australia and PNG.
7. The NMAG will identify opportunities to improve interpretive signage along the Track, conveying information both for specific sites and overall Kokoda Campaign history.The development of interpretive signage at significant locations should be undertaken by an accredited military heritage architect.

The indigenous names of all geographic features along the trail have already been compiled by Adventure Kokoda via recording the names on GPS devices.
8. The NMAG will identify selected sites along the Track for interpretive development (restoration/re-creation). For instance, selected weapons pits (foxholes) or trenches may be restored, along with their fields of fire, to re-create wartime conditions. In places that such restoration is unworkable, accurate replicas may be produced.All significant sites along the trail have already been identified.

They are now ready for interpretation by an accredited military heritage architect.

The Australian Army should be invited to develop a co-ordinated Adventure Training Plan that allows for troops to research a particular site then visit the area to restore the weapon pits of each position and provide information on the tactile relevance of each one.

Ideally it would be a collaborative task between the Australian War Memorial; the Australian/PNG Army; and a professional military historian.
9. The NMAG will provide local communities with educational opportunities, to enhance their knowledge of the history and heritage of the region. Prospective activities include
9a. Compiling and distributing a war history booklet geared toward communities, trekking porters and guides.Agree – a good project for a PNG writer who has trekked across the trail such as Rashmi Bell, author of ‘Kokoda- A Trail of Woe!’.
9b. Providing evening talks with local historians, trekking guides, senior community members and other knowledgeable people.Could be conducted in conjunction with annual village workshops.
9c. Producing posters and other educational materials for schools.This is the responsibility of PNG Department of Education!
9d. Supporting tertiary education for selected youths (see below).These could be easily sponsored by trekkers if the management body developed a database to maintain contact with them.
10. The NMAG may enhance the tourist experience of the war heritage of the area through the judicious addition of non-war related indigenous cultural and historical information into interpretive content along the Track (see General Principle 5)Excellent idea – environment and cultural interpretive signage should be a collaborative project between the military heritage architect and the National Museum and Art Gallery.
11. The NMAG will seek community input toward interpretive form and content.This should be a collaborative task between the Australian War Memorial, the National Museum and Art Gallery; the Australian Army and a military historian with professional military experience.
12.The NMAG will pursue a gendered approach to interpretation, highlighting women’s stories wherever possible.This should be quite a simple task as there was on one gender engaged in combat during the Kokoda campaign – men!
13. The NMAG will curate and establish exhibitions  at the NMAG in Port Moresby, but also at other sites  as appropriate such as Kokoda, Popondetta, Goroka, regional airports, etc. This may also include travelling exhibitions that can tour the country.If the aim of these exhibitions is to inform PNG citizens of the war in Papua and New Guinea from 1942-45 it should be a collaborative project between the National Museum and Art Gallery and the PNG Department of Education.
14, The NMAG will seek to facilitate educational partnerships and opportunities nationwide, at all grade levels. This may include curriculum input and special projects support at the primary and secondary levels, and the establishment of scholarships, internships and other partnering programs with and between colleges and universities in PNG and internationally.
14. The NMAG will seek to facilitate educational partnerships and opportunities nationwide, at all grade levels. This may include curriculum input and special projects support at the primary and secondary levels, and the establishment of scholarships, internships and other partnering programs with and between colleges and universities in PNG and internationally.See above

COMMEMORATION

Principles:

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG values appropriate and respectful commemoration of the former combatants and local people who lost their lives along the Kokoda Track during the Kokoda Campaign.The initial purpose of NMAG should be to identify the local people who lost their lives supporting the Australians during the Kokoda campaign.
2. The NMAG values appropriate and respectful commemoration of people who participated in various ways in the Kokoda Campaign.This can be achieved by supporting the proclamation of ‘Kokoda Day’ to honour their legacy.
3. The NMAG values appropriate and respectful commemoration of significant wartime events along the track.There were no ‘EVENTS’ during the Kokoda campaign – there were battles.

An official annual commemoration of these battles would be a significant drawcard for pilgrimage tourism across the Kokoda Trail, as well as recognition of the role of those who foughtin those battles.
4. Where appropriate, the NMAG will subscribe to the Principles of Official Commemoration, as defined by the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs.The ‘Principles of Commemoration’ established by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1918 were not developed to be selectively used ‘where appropriate’ – they are enduring principles
4a. The NMAG recognises that interpretation and commemoration often overlap, and care is needed to ensure that all interpretive materials display appropriate respect. Conversely, care is needed to ensure that all commemorative materials contain accurate information.Agree – however ALL interpretive material should be developed in collaboration with an accredited military heritage architect and a military historian to avoid the historical inaccuracies on the panels recently installed at Owers Corner. 
5. The NMAG recognizes the Office of Australian War Graves (OAWG) administration of the memorials at Isurava, Kokoda, Sogeri and Popondetta.The only memorial of significance is the one at Isurava which was designed and developed by an accredited military heritage architect, Michael Pender.

Memorials at Kokoda, Sogeri and Popondetta were installed by representatives of Battalion associations who fought in the campaign.

POLICY

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG will assist OAWG in appropriate elements of OAWG memorial management (e.g. interpretive design and content), where requested.All significant sites along the Kokoda Trail have already been identified and are well known.
2, The NMAG may identify prominent sites for new commemorative installations.‘May identify!’ – all significant sites along the trail have already been identified by qualified military historians.
3. The NMAG will consult with local communities regarding placement and design of non-OAWG commemorative installations.The installation of ‘non-OAWG commemorative installations’ would be a clear breach of the Principles of Commemoration.
4. The NMAG will employ gender awareness in pursuing commemorative design and installation and, where feasible and appropriate, ensure that women’s sacrifices are acknowledged alongside men’s.There are no records of any servicewoman being killed or injured along the Kokoda Trail during the Kokoda campaign.
5. The NMAG will oversee and collaborate on the design and installation of privately organised memorials. New private memorials will undergo NMAG review and approval of design and placement, prior to installation along the Kokoda Corridor.An accredited military heritage architect should be engaged to design all interpretive memorials along the trail.

Private memorials should be restricted to a ‘Rose Garden’ type concept on the Kokoda plateau in the interests of uniformity (one of the Principles of Commemoration).

PROMOTION

Principles:

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1. The NMAG will work with the Tourism Promotion Authority, other Kokoda Initiative partners and relevant stakeholders towards the promotion of Kokoda Campaign Military history and heritage.

This should involve:

1. The proclamation of ‘Kokoda Day’ on 3rd November;

2. The development of a ‘Spirit Haus’ at Bomana War Cemetery; and

3. The inclusion of a ‘Fuzzy-Wuzzy’ re-enactment by PNG students at the Anzac Dawn Service each year.
2. The NMAG will promote community histories and heritage, and foreground the role of women wherever possible.Good

ACTIONS AND TASKS

NATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP STRATEGIC PLAN RESPONSE BY ADVENTURE KOKODA
1.   The NMAG will explore the prospects for the following:
1a. Establishing a Kokoda Track Military History and Heritage website, and/or a social media presence.The Australian War Memorial has already developed a website for the Kokoda Trail on behalf of the NSW Board of Studies.

The National Museum and Art Gallery should seek to work in collaboration with them to include the latest mapping technology as well as additional cultural and environmental information.

A similar website could be developed for the PNG Department of Education.
2a. Further oral history publications, both local stories and stories of veterans.PNG writers should be engaged to trek across the trail to gather local stories for inclusion on the PNG Department of Education website.
3a. Production of videos and/or television programming.These should be based on PNG students trekking across the trail and interpreting their experiences.

The following bibliography has been provided for the use of DFAT Kokoda Initiative officials to ensure they are better informed iregarding the political, strategic, and tactical aspects of the Kokoda campaign.

KOKODA BIBLIOGRAPHY

PAPERS:

  • Higher Command and the Kokoda Campaign by Professor David Horner
  • Command in New Guinea by Major General Steve Gower
  • John Curtin as war leader and Defence Minister by Professor David Horner
  • Another look at Macarthur and Curtin by Peter Edwards
  • Why the Japanese were in New Guinea by Dr Henry Frei (Tsukuba Women’s University)
  • Japanese Army Operations in the South West Pacific Area by Translated by Steven Bullar
  • Milne Bay by Dr Peter Londey

BOOKS:

The Kokoda Trail

  • The Kokoda Trail: A History by Stuart Hawthorne, Central Queensland University Press, 2003
  • 100 Treks by Glenn Armstrong published by TLA MEdia

Military Strategy:

  • Crisis of Command: Australian Generalship and the Japanese Threat, 1942-1943 byD.M. Horner. Australian National University Press. 1978
  • High Command: Australian & Allied Strategy 1939-1945 by D.M. Horner. Allen & Unwin. 1982
  • Inside the War Cabinet: Directing Australia’s War Effort 1939-45 by David Horner. Allen & Unwin. 1996
  • Strategic Command by David Horner. Oxford University Press. 2005
  • The Great Betrayal by Australia’s Secret War’s Secret War: How unionists sabotaged our troops in World War 11 by Hal G.P. Colebatch, Quadrant Books, 2013

Commanders and Leaders:

  • Blamey: The Biography of Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey by John Heatherington. F.W. Cheshire, Melbourne. 1954
  • The Commanders: Australian Military Leadership in the twentieth century by D.M. Horner. Allen & Unwin. 1984
  • General Vasey’s War by David Horner, Melbourne University Press, 1992
  • Blamey: The Commander in Chief by David Horner. Allen & Unwin. 1998
  • Warrior of Kokoda: A biography of Brigadier Arnold Potts by Bill Edgar. Allen & Unwin. 1999
  • The Odd Couple: Blamey and MacArthur at War by Jack Gallaway. University of Queensland Press. 2000
  • Desert Sand, Jungle Lands: A biography of Major-General Ken Eather by Steve Eather. Allen & Unwin. 2003
  • Kokoda Commander: A life of Major-General ‘Tubby’ Allen by Stuart Braga, Oxford University Press, 2004
  • Paul Cullen: Citizen and Soldier by Kevin Baker. Rosenberg. 2005
  • Ralph Honner: Kokoda Hero by Peter Brune. Allen & Unwin. 2007
  • The Architect of Kokoda: Bert Kienzle – the man who made the Kokoda Trail by Robyn Kienzle, Hachette Australia, 2011
  • Kokoda Secret: Ian Hutchison – Australian Hero by S.P. Ramage. Eora Press. 2014

The Kokoda Trail Campaign:

  • Retreat from Kokoda: The Australian Campaign in New Guinea 1942 by Raymond Paull. William Heinemann Australia. 1958
  • South-West Pacific Area – First Year: Kokoda to Wau by Dudley McCarthy. The Australian War Memorial. 1959
  • The South West Pacific 1941-45 by Colonel E.G. Keogh M.B.E., E.D., Grayflowew Productions Melbourne, 1965
  • Blood & Iron: The Battle for Kokoda 1942 by Lex McAulay, Hutchinson Australia, 1991
  • Kokoda to the Sea: A history of the 1942 campaign in Papu by Lt Col Frank Sublet DSO MC, Slouch Hat Publications, 2000
  • Kokoda by Paul Ham. HarperCollinsPublishers. 2004
  • To Kokoda by Nicholas Anderson. Army History Unit. 2014

Infantry Battalion Histories:

  • 2/14th Australian Infantry Battalion by W.B. Russell M.A., B. Ed. Angus and Robertson. 1948
  • A Thousand Men at War: A History of the 2/16th Australian Infantry Battalion by Malcolm Uren. Australian Military History Publications. 1959
  • War Dance: The history of the 2/3rd Australian Infantry Battalion by Ken Clift, P.M. Fowler and the 2/3rd Battalion Association. 1980
  • The 1st at War: The story of the 2/1st Australian Infantry Battalion 1939-45 – The City of Sydney Regiment by The Association of First Infantry Battalion. Macarthur Press. 1987
  • To Kokoda and Beyond: The story of the 39th Battalion 1942-1943 by Victor Austin. Melbourne University Press. 1988
  • Port Moresby to Gona Beach: 3rd Australian Infantry Battalion 1942 Colin Kennedy. The Practical Group, Canberra. 1992
  • Forever Forward: The History of the 2/31st Australian Battalion, 2nd AIF 1940-45 by John Laffin. Australian Military History Publications. 1994
  • Men of Courage: A History of the 2/25th Australian Infantry Battalion, 1940-1945 by Allan W. Draydon. 2/25th Battalion Association. 2000
  • All the Bull’s Men: No. 2 Australian Independent Company (2/2nd Commando Squadron) by Cyril Ayris. PK Print. 2006
  • The Purple Devils: A History of the 2/6 Australian Commando Squadron by Syd Trigellis-Smith. Australian Military History Publications. 2008

From a Japanese Perspective:

  • The Brave Japanese by Kenneth Harrison. Horwitz Publications. 1966
  • From a Hostile Shore: Australian and Japan at War in New Guinea by Steven Bullard and Tamura Keiko. Australia-Japan Research Project. 2004
  • The Pacific War Papers: Japanese Documents of World War 11 by Donald M. Goldstein and Katherine V. Dillon. Potoma Books, Washington. 2006
  • Japanese Army Operations in the South Pacific Area: New Britain and Papua Campaigns, 1942-43. Translator, Steven Bullard. Australian War Memorial. 2007
  • The Path of Infinite Sorrow: Tha Japanese on the Kokoda Track by Craig Collie & Hajime Marutani. Allen and Unwin. 2009
  • Hirohito’s War: The Pacific War 1941-45 by Francis Pike. Bloomsbury. 2015

From an American Perspective:

  • The Riddle of Macarthur by John Gunther. Hamish Hamilton London. 1951
  • The First South Pacific Campaign: Pacific Fleet Strategy, December 1941-June 1942 by John B. Lundstrom.Naval Insititute Press, Annapolis, Maryland. 1976
  • American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964 by William Manchester. Hutchinson Australia. 1978
  • Goodbye Darkness: A Memoir of the Pacific War by William Manchester. Michael Joseph, London. 1981
  • MacArthur Strikes Back: Decision at Buna: New Guinea 1942-1943 by Harry Gailey. Presidio. 2000
  • Macarthur: A biography by Richard. B Frank. Palgrave, McMillan. 2007

From a Papua New Guiea Perspective:

  • Green Shadows: A War History of the Papuan Infantry Battalion by G.M. Byrnes. Self-Published. 1989
  • The New Guinea Volunteer Rifles NGVR 1939-1943: A History by Ian Downs. Pacific Press. 1999
  • ANGAU: One Man’s Law by Clarrie James. Australian Military History Publications.1999
  • The Third Force: ANGAU’s New Guinea War, 1942-46 by Alan Powell, Oxford University Press, 2003
  • Nameless Warriors: The Ben Moide Story by Lahui Ako.University of Papua New Guinea Press. 2012

War Correspondents – Eyewitness accounts from the Kokoda Trail in 1942

  • Green Armour by Osmar White. Australian War Classics, Penguin Books. 1945
  • Damien Parer’s War by Neil McDonald. Lothian Books. 1994
  • War Cameraman: The story of Damien Parer by Neil McDonald, A Lothian Book, 1994
  • Chester Wilmot Reports: Broadcasts that shaped World War 11 by Neil McDonald,ABC Books, 2004

General Reading:

  • The Coastwatchers by Eric Feldt. Oxford University Press. 1946
  • The Naked Island by Russell Braddon. Penguin Books. 1951
  • Hell and High Fever by David Selby. Halstead Press, Sydney. 1956
  • Fear Drive my Feet by Peter Ryan. Melbourne University Press. 1959
  • New Guinea 1942-44 by Timothy Hall. Methuen Australia. 1981
  • Recollections of a Regimental Medical Officer by H.D. Steward. Melbourne University Press’ 1983
  • The Last Bastion by KristinWilliamson. Landsdowne. 1984
  • The Long Green Shore by ohn Hepworth. Picador Pan Mcmillan Australia. 1995
  • The Spell is Broken: Exploding the myth of Japanese invincibility – Milne Bay to Buna-Sanananda 1942-43 by Peter Brune. Allen & Unwin. 1997
  • The Silent Men: Syria to Kokoda and on to Gona by Peter Dornan. Allen & Unwin. 1999
  • A Bastard of a Place: The Australians in Papua by Peter Brune. Allen & Unwin. 2003
  • Pacific Fury: How Australia and her allies defeated the Japanese Scourge by Peter Thompson. William Heinemann, Australia. 2008
  • Fortress Rabaul: The Battle for the Southwest Pacific January 1942-April 1943 by Bruce Gamble. Zenith Press. 2010
  • Hell’s Battlefield: The Australians in New Guinea in World War 11 by Phillip Bradley. Allen & Unwin. 2012
  • Australia 1942: In the Shadow of War by Peter Dean. Cambridge University Press. 2013
  • Kokoda Air Strikes: Allied Air Forces in New Guinea, 1942 by Anthony Cooper. NewSouth Publishing. 2014
  • Australia 1944-45: Victory in the Pacific by Peter Dean. Cambridge University Press. 2016