Call for PNG to take back Kokoda
Time for PNG to reclaim ownership of the Kokoda Trail
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Tag: Kokoda Trail
‘My Kokoda Journey’ 1991-2024 – Charlie Lynn
Over the past 32 years I have led 101 expeditions across the Kokoda Trail. During this time I have also travelled to Canberra to brief eight of the 11 Ministers for Veterans Affairs and three of the Ministers for International Aid and the Pacific, on the need to protect our shared military heritage across the Kokoda Trail.
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Wayne Wetherall – Kokoda Spirit Charlatan!
According to Oxford a ‘charlatan’; ‘ is defined as:’a person falsely...
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The Kokoda Trail – 10 Essential Facts
The Kokoda Trail: 10 Essential Facts
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The Rise, Fall and Future of Kokoda Tourism: 1991-2023
This paper is based on my experiences leading 101 expeditions across the Kokoda Trail over a 32 year period between 1991-2023.
Prior to this there was no Kokoda tourism industry and subsistence villagers earned zero income.
During my time in PNG I spent 95 percent of my time on the Kokoda Trail working with our guides and carriers on the Trail and either living in their villagers or with them on the Sogeri plateau.
My purpose is to summarize the situation which led to the rise of Kokoda tourism under PNG management from 2004 – 2008; its demise under the management of Australian environment officials from 2009 – 2023; and its potential it as a world-class pilgrimage tourism destination.
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Kokoda Historical – Trekker Alert!
‘Kokoda Historical’ is a Business Name masquerading as a company in PNG. The owner, David Howell, is a subrban salesman, masquerading as a historian – his transformation to a self-proclaimed ‘Kokoda expert’ without any previous military service credentials or any association with the veteran community is a compelling tale.
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Albo’s Kokoda Masterstroke!
Nobody could ever accuse me of being a partisan Albo supporter, however I believe his decision to spend a couple of days on the Kokoda Trail with his PNG counterpart, Prime Minister James Marape, has been a diplomatic masterstroke.
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Will Albanese be the latest PM to botch a Kokoda visit?
Anthony Albanese is the latest Prime Minister after Paul Keating, John Howard, Kevin Rudd and Scott Morrison to link himself with Kokoda.
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Kokoda Testimonials: Veterans, Celebrities, Trekkers, Influencers
Kokoda is much more than a trek – it’s a pilgrimage to a special place for patriotic Australians from all walks of life in honour of our military heritage.
The apprehension of a visit to a ‘land of the unexpected’, a connection to just two of Papua New Guinea’s 800 cultures, and the challenge of a formidable, jungle-clad mountain environment to walk in the footsteps of the brave is a compelling drawcard.
The experience has left a lasting impression on those who have committed to it,
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Time for PNG Women to take the lead on Kokoda Tourism
The recent humiliation of Kokoda tourism management in the PNG National Court has lifted the scab off a web off insidious political agendas, the use of aid-for-influence, nepotism, incompetence and corruption within the DFAT funded Kokoda Initiative network.
The common denominator in the web is . . . MEN!
The Kokoda Track Authority Board of Directors are all . . . MEN!
The Kokoda Initiative Committee appointed by the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change are all . . . MEN!
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CHAPTER 1: Executive Summary
The rise in Kokoda tourism can be traced to former Prime Minister, Paul Keating spontaneously dropping to his knees and kissing the ground at Kokoda on the 50th anniversary of the campaign in 1992. He was the first Prime Minister to visit the place since the end of the war in 1945.
Keating’s gesture, and his epic speech, led to the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between PNG and Australia[1] regarding the significance of our shared wartime heritage.
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Adventure Kokoda License Restored by PNG National Court
Charlie Lynn has welcomed the PNG National Court order to restore Adventure Kokoda’s tour operator’s license.
In her judgement handed down on 14 December 2023, Justice Susan Purdon-Sully found that Minister Simon Kilepa’s decision to cancel our license was unlawful.
Her Honour also declared the Kokoda Initiative Committee (KIC) meeting convened on 21 April 2023 was not free from bias and conflicts of interest given the presence of the Strategic Management Advisor for the DFAT Kokoda Initiative and Secretary to the KIC, Mr. Mark Nizette MBE, and Oro Governor Gary Juffa MP.
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