Kokoda is 96 kilometres from Port Moresby and about a million miles from the experiences of the average 18 year old Australian today. Arguably, this was the objective in 1942 and why Kokoda is now visited by many Australians who go there to pay homage to the Courage, Mateship, Endurance and Sacrifice forged there.
Eighteen was the average age of the Aussie troops sent to Papua New Guinea on the Kokoda Trail campaign in WWII.
They struggled single-file with blistered feet, climbing up rugged mountains and down steep valleys. They endured hot humid days, intensely cold nights, torrential rainfall, ravenous mosquitoes and tropical diseases like malaria. They moved with the weight of their lives, their country and the world on their shoulders, and engaged in deadly (but ultimately successful) combat with enemy soldiers.
The 1942 campaign took place between Japanese and Allied forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua. At the time it was believed that Australia’s security directly depended on the outcome of this series of battles and it played a significant role in our notion of the ANZAC Legend. At the same age as the average Aussie soldier who served on the Kakoda Trail, Matthew Brown, a year 12 student at local Canterbury Boys High School, was not only preparing for his HSC but decided to also train and embark on the Kokoda Youth Challenge.
Said Matthew, “The Kokoda trek is not something to be taken lightly. I wholeheartedly agree with the trek leader who said the track is forty percent physical and sixty percent mental.” He recounted, “One of the milestones of the trek was standing on top of Brigade Hill; where 1000 Australian soldiers (who were outnumbered 6 to 1) halted the Japanese advance until they were surrounded. Another big moment was meeting Ovuru, one of the last remaining fuzzy wuzzy angels; those special heroes of the war that saved countless Australian lives.” Sponsoring Matthew is another important initiative of our Club in support of the local community. Said David Horder, Assistant CEO, “We are glad to have helped a youth within the community to experience and appreciate the environment in which so many of our fallen soldiers endured for us. Having spoken to Matthew both before the trek and since his return, I recognise what this journey meant for him and how it has aided his own personal development as a man.”
“Finishing the trek is something that will remain in my mind for the rest of my life. It has changed my perspective,” concluded Matthew. “I’ve learned to value the little things in life and to push through obstacles no matter how hard they may seem.”
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