Where brave men lost their lives

THE Second World War and its varied impacts on Papua New Guinean lives is a well documented and remembered event in the history of our country.
To this day the many remnants of that bitter battle litter the depths of our oceans, beaches and the vast jungles in which intense fighting was encountered.
Visitors to provinces that saw much of the action, will find rusting anti aircraft artillery and other remains including those of downed fighters and sunken ships in some places.
Museums in Rabaul, Port Moresby, Goroka and other places with their collection of relics give some account of the scope of the war that was fought in the country.
A visit to Wewak’s Cape Wom War Memorial Park also brings to the fore the reality of the war that raged along that coastal township. The remains of what had once been active anti aircraft and other smaller guns are abundant in this park.
Cape Wom Memorial Park is located on the precise spot where the Japanese Lieutenant General Adachi (18th Army) signed the official surrender and handed his samurai sword to Australian Major General Robertson (Australian 5th Division) on Sept 13, 1945.
This significant event is inscribed onto a monument that marks the surrender of the Japanese forces to the allied forces signaling the end of the Second World War in the country.
While some Papua New Guineans have had the privilege to get a glimpse of these places, there are others that have only read, heard or seen pictures of them.
For a Highlands family, a first time visit to Ower’s Corner, a place that had its share of heavy fighting between the Japanese and Australian forces was an astounding experience.
Coming from Ialibu and Mendi in Southern Highlands we had only heard of the war.
But standing at Ower’s Corner, approximately 50 km north-east of Port Moresby was quite an experience for the Pondo and Yamo family.
The Kokoda Track starts, or ends here in the Central Province and then crosses rugged and isolated terrain into the Oro province, which is only passable on foot.
This spot was named after Lieutenant (later captain) Noel ‘Jerry’ Ower’s who then served in the Australian army as a surveyor.
In 1942 during World War 2, Japanese and Australians fought on the Kokoda Track in PNG leaving battle sites that trekkers visit when hiking the Track.
Ower’s Corner is one renowned battle site because the Kokoda Track begins here although some consider McDonald’s Corner as the beginning of the Track.
Most importantly this was the last spot where the Australians held back the Japanese advance from reaching Port Moresby.
Artillery wheeled in from Port Moresby to Ower’s Corner and put in range was used to bombard and disorient the advancing Japanese army.
More so Australian army supplies could be trucked forward to support the retreating Australian forces while the Japanese carried supplies all the way from the north coast.
Today a 25-pounder field gun that pounded the Japanese advance proudly stands at Ower’s Corner. Although its glory days are long gone it signifies its importance in the Kokoda campaign.
We reached the end of the dirt road from Sogeri, and I sighted the familiar structure of the memorial that I’d seen in magazines.
I was overwhelmed by the thought of how many brave men had endured the rugged and unforgiving terrain, under trying conditions to hold off the advance of the Imperial Japanese Army.
Standing at this memorial we were captivated by the beautiful view of the mountain ranges that formed part of the Owen Stanley Range and the back drop of the Ower’s Corner Memorial. To the eye the scenery was an impenetrable barrier.
The weather on this Sunday afternoon was fine and the mountain air so refreshing.
For a moment I thought we were back in our hinterland of the Southern Highlands. 
But with view of the memorial we took time to read the information engraved on plaques laid across the memorial.
A monument next to the memorial marked the areas where the many skirmishes between the Japanese and Australian forces took place along the Track.
Details of the plaques although brief were adequate to give the visitor with a keen mind some historical perspective of the Track.
The memorial also gives quite moving details of the various fighting outfits from all Australian states who withstood the onslaught of the Japanese army on the Kokoda Track.
Like other remnants of war, Ower’s Corner is part of what has been left since then.
Of the various plaques showing Australian units that engaged in the Kokoda campaign, one plaque that interested me belonged to the Papuan New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, First Papuan Infantry Battalion, Australia New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) and the Royal Papuan Constabulary.
These units comprised Papuans and New Guineans who served with Australian service personal under Australian command. Many natives also gave service to the Australians outside the Australian Army establishment structure, particularly as stretcher bearers and supply movers.
Their selfless deeds earned them the affectionate nickname “The Fuzzy Wazzy Angels” from the Australian soldiers.
It is documented that with the undying support of the natives the war would never have been won.
But did our compatriots know what they were fighting for or whose war they were fighting? Their bravery today is remembered annually on Remembrance Day.
A day all Papua New Guineans ought to be proud of, to mark the raw bravery of semi educated men who knew nothing but to fight and give service to what seemed to be their masters.
While many historians consider the Kokoda campaign a significant milestone in the Pacific War as it was the first time the Japanese had been turned on land from Ower’s Corner in their push south. John Costello (1981) said “Papua had been saved by the tenacious valor of the Australian fighting soldiers.” 
But what about the Papuans and New Guineans who were the main stay of this battle being won? The First Papuan Infantry Battalion was the first Papua New Guinean fighting unit to engage in full fledged combat at Awala on 23 July, 1942 alongside the 39th Australian Infantry Battalion.
Today, a trek across the Kokoda Track is more than a physical challenge, or a time in the pristine tropical rainforest.
It is considered by some as a chance to pay reverence to the Australian soldiers who fought and died on the Track protecting Australia in 1942.
It ought to also be a time to remember those Papua New Guineans who died fighting another man’s war if it was truly to protect Australia.
Most often very little is mentioned of the valor of the Papua New Guinean fighting outfits.
Thoughts of their brave deeds can only be imagined.
But to get a feel of the bravery of these innocent men a visit to a site like Ower’s Corner can be fulfilling.
To our one year old Jethro Jemen Yamo and Iris Pondo (five), standing beneath the memorial plaque at Ower’s Corner may have meant nothing to them.
Although Iris was briefly told that we were at a place in which many men had died.
It may have sounded like a fable to her.
From the foot of the memorial, it was very difficult to forget that under the vast green canopy that blanketed every slope and valley, there was a track on which so many men had lost their lives.
After almost an hour we left satisfied that the trip to Ower’s Corner was worth it.
We had seen one spot that we’ve always seen in pictures.
For Port Moresby residents who wish to get out of the city and take in the scenery and fresh air, it is worth visiting Ower’s Corner.
Once there you will get a feel of what it was like for those who fought and gave their lives on the Kokoda Track.