Former rugby players to walk Kokoda

 By Stacey Tarura
THE famous Kokoda Track will be playing host to former rugby league legends who are tracking the rugged terrain to raise awareness and funds for a cancer foundation.
David Fairleigh, a member of the team that will walking alongside their counterparts from Wild Spirit Adventures, said the coast-to-coast journey was to raise awareness about brain cancer and raise funds that would go towards research and finding cures for the cancer and hopefully to come up with solutions.
“A group of former rugby players, local businessmen and people from around the entire community have got together and decided to take on this challenge with Wild Spirit Adventures, and we are doing this over seven days and we have to hang in there and pull together and show courage and determination,” Fairleigh said.
Fairleigh said no member of the team had tracked Kokoda before but they all had heard about the walk.
“The Kokoda Track is becoming more and more popular so it’s something I have personally wanted to do.
“To get the opportunity to get together with some friends for such a great cause is very special,” Fairleigh said.
The group of trackers are made up of former Newcastle Knights legends like himself, Brad Godden, Paul Harragon and Billy Pidden.