A long jungle walk to remember

By GYNNIE KERO and CHARLES MOI
PRIME Minister James Marape and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese completed their two-day walk along the Kokoda track, arriving at Isurava in Northern after a seven-hour walk yesterday.
Marape said: “(The) leader (Albanese) of the world’s 13 biggest economy could have chosen to fly into Isurava where the battlefield of World War Two was, and then walk down. (That was) the easier option. But he chose the harder upward walk.”
The two leaders began their walk on Tuesday, arriving and overnighting at Deniki, before continuing to Isurava yesterday.
Albanese in a message posted on his Facebook page last night described the walk as a “humbling experience”.
“The Kokoda Track runs across the hills and mountains of Papua New Guinea. And the Australians who fought here repelled relentless attacks from the advancing Japanese forces despite being malnourished, exhausted and outnumbered.
“Just walking the section between Kokoda and Isurava brings home the unforgiving terrain they faced. It’s something every Australian I’ve met along the way says to me.”
Albanese who met an Australian hiker along the track told him: “Such incredible determination and sacrifice. I’m proud to be an Australian.”
Albanese said he was “truly humbled by the experience of walking in their footsteps alongside PNG Prime Minister James Marape. Our countries share a proud history. And we are still going in the same direction, walking side-by-side.”
Albanese and Marape spent last night at Isurava. This morning they are expected to commemorate Anzac Day with a dawn service there, before returning to Port Moresby
In a statement last night, Marape told PNG, Australian and New Zealand people to remember the hardships Anzac soldiers and Pacific volunteers faced during the two world wars – from Gallipoli in Turkey to Kokoda and Sanananda in PNG.
“May the Spirit of Anzac, underscored by the bravery and courage these young men exhibited and the mateship that grew between them and our Pacific and PNG carriers, never be forgotten,” he said.
April 25, Anzac Day, is the annual National Day of Commemoration in Australia and New Zealand to remember victims of war.
The sacrifices made by Anzac soldiers included PNG’s volunteers, better known as “Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels”, who contributed to war efforts as carriers of war supplies and wounded soldiers for care and recovery.
“Needless to say, wars are never a good thing. The world we live in has always been full of
conflicts, going far back into antiquity. History is littered with conflicts that have led to wars, which in turn have brought upon innocent lives destruction, famine, death, and the fall of nations. Wars give rise to tyranny,” Marape said.