Educating children to keep Kokoda spirit alive

AROUND 75 years ago, Australia’s liberty and that of modern-day PNG was under threat.
Crucial battles were fought from July 1942 to January 1943, along a jungle path over the precipitous Owen Stanley Range in PNG – the infamous Kokoda Track.
According to a statement from the Kokoda Track Foundation, young soldiers held on against odds of five or six to one for just long enough for Australia’s AIF diggers to be rushed back from the Middle East. They eventually turned back and defeated the invading Japanese forces.
The spirit exhibited by the diggers and their comrades has since inspired generations of Australians and Papua New Guineans.
As Gallipoli symbolised the Anzac spirit of the First World War, Kokoda became its Second World War equivalent.
“Today, the Kokoda Track Foundation is committed to keeping the spirit of Kokoda alive, by educating children, building healthy communities and helping them lift out of poverty, including by empowering women.”
“KTF delivers aid and development activities across six provinces in PNG in education, health, livelihoods and leadership.”
To commemorate the 75th anniversary, the foundation partnered with the Australian High Commission and PNG artists and authors to create a children’s book commemorating the Kokoda campaign.
The children’s book will be written with the help of children from PNG and Australia.
The children will come together to create stories and artwork that keep the story of the Kokoda campaign alive so messages of courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice are told for many generations to come.
Chief executive officer Dr Genevieve Nelson said: “It is such an important year for the Kokoda Track communities and all of us.”