Kokoda _____________________________________Page

Courage, Endurance, Mateship, Sacrifice.

These four words are engraved on the four pillars at the Isurava Memorial on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. For 9 days in June and July this year, 6 St Joseph’s College students ,1 teacher and 2 dads had the opportunity to appreciate the rugged beauty of the Kokoda Track, and think about these 4 words and in particular the sacrifices of the soldiers who walked the same track in WW2. Those brave young men who gave so much for our freedom. We all appreciated a very sobering moment at the end of the walk when we came to the 3779 war graves at the Bomana Commonwealth Cemetery where we saw rows and rows of headstones, some unidentified - with the words “An Australian Soldier of the 1939-1945 War” “Known Unto God”.

Our trip was physically demanding and we were out of our comfort zones, so it was hard at times, however our trip was done in comfort compared to the soldiers. Personally I enjoyed everything about this well organised trip. “Doing Kokoda” had been on my bucket list for a few years and I was so excited to be able to do it and was fortunate to do it with my son! There were steep and seemingly endless hills that were just as hard to go down as they were to go up. The conditions were hot and humid and we gave a lot of sweat. There were some muddy parts (fortunately it didn’t rain much on our trip) and plenty of tree roots to negotiate. Some of us had some difficult times with sickness and injuries but we all endured.

Nigel, our tour guide from Australian Kokoda Tours did an excellent job explaining the history and the significant points along the track. We learnt about the bloody battles; saw memorials and plaques and the evidence of war in the form of fox holes, slit trenches, grenades, mortar bombs, helmets and boots.

The porters and our guide made sure everyone was safe and having fun. The porters were amazingly skilful at negotiating any terrain either barefoot or in thongs. They looked after us by navigating and advising which water to drink, cooking our meals (which were delicious and hearty), cleaning up and carrying the food, cooking pots and our tents and even being “taggers” for the 2 dads (to grab hold of the old guys in case they fell). We have so many memories; the fantastic views, the mist in the valleys, the villages, the local children, the beautiful singing and playing rugby with the locals. There were cold showers to endure, the swims, the drop toilets; the damp, sweaty, smoky smell of our clothes (even after washing them), 5am wakeup calls and the chant every morning as we left camp. We had moments of reflection, there was playing cards at night, the local mandarins, bananas, avocados, the packets of twisties, the cans of coke, the cup of soups and the salami and cheese on biscuits for lunch…….. For me one of the best memories of all was the final gruelling climb in the sun and the walk under the arches at the end.

It was a pleasure getting to know everybody, from the early morning training sessions and the weekend training hikes to the fun and mateship on the track.

Bomana War Bomana War Cemetary Cemetary

Isurava Memorial Isurava Memorial

- Greg McCorkell, (proud Dad of Jake in Year 10)

Finishing at Owen’s Finishing at Owen’s Corner arches

Templeton’s Waterfall & Village Templeton’s Waterfall & Village