KOKODA

CONGRATULATIONS to our Year 11 students Pyper, Tess, Indiana & Isabella, along with staff member Tayla for completing the grueling 96km trek.

Recount by Pyper, Tess, Indiana & Isabella presented at Assembly today:

INDIANA

Good morning, On behalf of everybody I would like to welcome the AKD staff joining us today, Janelle, David and Simon thank you so much for being here. Three weeks ago today, Miss Leersen, Pyper, Tess, Isabella and I began the Kokoda trek, alongside a group made up of people from Trinity and AKD.

 The 9 day hike through the Owen Stanley Mountain range of Papua New Guinea challenged each of us in numerous and unique ways, both physically and mentally. We were far and isolated from home, facing the risk of illness and injury, and at times, found ourselves doubting our physical abilities.

 The trek provided a range of diverse and rugged terrain, including dense rainforests, steep ascents and descents, thick, deep mud and river crossings. The tropical climate was humid and hot on most days, whilst rain made the track extremely slippery along certain points, turning hour long sections into 2 to 3 hour long sections on some days.

Along the trek we were granted the opportunity to pay our respect at several war memorials and sites of historical significance, serving as reminders of the sacrifices made during the Second World War.

We each committed ourselves to 6 months of training in preparation, 2 mornings a week in a variety of locations throughout Colac, with numerous additional weekend hikes along the coast. In this time we slowly but surely started to learn about one another and form the beginning of the team that we would eventually become. 

ISABELLA

During WW2 Japan and Australia fought in the Owen Standly ranges over the island of Papua New Guinea. This campaign, the Kokoda campaign was one of the most devastating but equally important battles in Australian history. For if the Japanese had been successful in their advances and taken Papua New Guinea they would have had a perfect attack point to invade Australia, and that’s exactly what they intended to do as their forces snaked through the Pacific islands. Many people are oblivious to the tragedy that occurred on the Kokoda trek, the conditions the soldiers were faced with, while battling an enemy that had been deemed a superior force and yet these brave Australian men persevered and continued the fight that saved not only Papua New Guinea but the land we currently stand on. At the memorial of Isuarva on the trek there are four pillars: Mateship, Sacrifice, Endurance and Courage, attributes displayed by not only the Australian soldiers during the Kokoda campaign but also the population of PNG who assisted our Australian soldiers, known as the fuzzy wuzzy angels. 

PYPER

Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels was the name given by the Australian soldiers to the local Papua New Guinea people who, during World War II, were recruited into service to bring supplies up to the front line and carry and lead Australian troop most injured down the Kokoda trail during the Kokoda Campaign.

Some of our porters were descendants of the original fuzzy wuzzy angles that helped Australian troops and now follow on the tradition of helping guide us through the Kokoda trail.

The incredible strength and kindness they had every step of the way stopping us from falling of mountains, tripping or falling over, helping us through river crossings, carrying our belonging if we couldn’t plus the food, tents and their belonging, setting up our tents and beds decorating them with flowers every night, filling up our water, cooking all our meals and our some of our favour parts of the day when they would all sing to us, every morning before we started to walk and every night after tea before we went to bed.

 Some of the porters have done the trek over 20 times and some it was the first time but they all shared one thing in common and that was the enthusiasm to help us. watching each step we took putting themselves on the line to make sure we got troops through the trek safely.

The mateship between the fuzzy wuzzy angles and the Australian soldiers played a huge role in the Kokoda campaign becoming one of the pillars that there success was built on.

Mateship is a crucial part of the Kokoda Trek experience, where the physical and emotional challenges are huge. The trek, known for its difficult terrain and historical significance, it is a journey that demands not only personal strength but also a strong sense of teamwork. To ensure everyone can manage the trek, we had a buddy system, where each day we paired with a different person we would call our buddy. This buddy is someone who you would look after for the whole day, and they will look after you.

This system was important because it created support among us all. You and your buddy would remind each other to drink water, check that you’re eating enough, and offer encouragement when it gets tough, playing different games or starting a random conversation would help distract you and your buddy from the fact that you're going up a massive hill. The terrain is unforgiving, and the weather can be harsh, so having someone by your side who is looking out for you makes a huge difference. Each day, having a new buddy builds strong relationships with everyone in the group.

Deep bonds are formed as you come to rely on each other in many ways. This gives a deep sense of trust and respect. By the end of the trek, we had shared many stories and emotional experiences and created so many lifelong memories with everyone It is almost like you have a new family by the end of it. The sense of mateship that develops is powerful and lasting, creating strong friendships and a deep sense of feeling like you belong.

INDIANA

Sacrifice was a vital part of the trek, the Kokoda campaign itself was successful due to the extreme sacrifices made by Australian and allied soldiers during the second world war. Trekkers and porters alike must make many sacrifices for completing the trek to be possible. we, the trekkers, had to sacrifice being inside of our comfort zones,

 The trek would have been impossible without the porters ensuring that the experience was not only do-able but safe and enjoyable for each of us, every one of them risked their safety and sacrificed their comfort, carrying packs often more than twice the weight of our own to ease our discomfort, no matter their own.

ISABELLA

Endurance was displayed throughout the trek, but particularly on our seventh day, the False Peaks Day. It was an eleven-hour trek from point A to B through areas exposed to the sun, steep climbs and harsh declines stretching for multiple hours at a time. Everyone always thinks that uphill is the hardest part of the climb, but for me and many others on the trek, we found the descends more difficult, physically and mentally. This is where the ability to endure becomes so important. Eventually, the ache in your knees paired with the intense humidity was near defeating, during periods like that it was easy to believe the slope was never ending, but it always does, it always ends. No matter what we put one foot in Infront of the other, we kept moving. And as a team, we made it through every time. 

TESS

Courage is vital in completing the Kokoda Trek. It is perhaps the most essential pillar among the four. Without courage, none of us would have ventured to participate in this challenging journey. However, the courage each of us displayed was amplified by the support of the other three pillars: mateship, endurance, and sacrifice.

Courage alone is not achievable without the assistance provided by the other pillars. Every participant embodied these principles, but the bravery demonstrated by each individual throughout the trek was truly commendable. Stepping beyond one's comfort zone is never easy, yet all 17 of our trekkers exhibited remarkable bravery, not only pursuing personal achievements but also advancing the goals of our group.

The commitment to waking up each day and choosing to be courageous is a testament to our team's dedication to completing this trek. It is through this collective bravery and support that we have achieved our shared goals and forged lasting, life-long memories.

In conclusion, the Kokoda Trek has taught us a valuable lesson: we are capable of far more than we realize. It has highlighted the importance of seizing opportunities and challenging ourselves beyond our comfort zones.

On behalf of all of us I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to several individuals and organizations who made this experience possible. Firstly, to Pete Condon from Kokoda Courage, who organised our entire trip from start to finish and supported us throughout our training. To John Miles, our exceptional trek leader, who had extensive knowledge of the Kokoda campaign and was able to share a lot of this knowledge with us. An especially huge thank you to Noreen Marshall, our trek medic, for ensuring our safety and well-being throughout the journey.

To AKD for sponsoring our trek and providing us with the opportunity to embark on this incredible adventure, we are immensely grateful. Especially to Rachel Dennett who put in a massive effort to get us there, and Shane Black and Shane Vicary for running our weekly training sessions. To our school for facilitating this experience and Miss Tayla Leersen and Rob Elborough from Trinity College for your dedicated support and care of us students throughout the entire process.

Lastly, a thank you to all our fellow participants. The bonds we have formed, the friendships we have forged, and the memories we have created together are life-long. We could not have asked for a better group of people to share this journey with.