New initiatives ensure legacy of Kokoda
On 3 November, the 80th anniversary of our troops raising the Australian flag at Kokoda village in the Second World War, we paused to honour and remember their service and sacrifice, and the support of the local Papua New Guinean people.
The four-month battle along the Kokoda Track in 1942 turned back the Japanese land advance on Port Moresby, helping to turn the tide of the war in the Southwest Pacific. The fighting along the Track was some of the most desperate and vicious encountered by Australian troops in the Second World War, with more than 600 Australians killed and 1,600 wounded. Casualties due to sickness exceeded 4,000.
The legacy of Kokoda is one of endurance and comradeship in the face of gruelling conditions.
To help future generations of Australians to continue the tradition of honouring and remembering those who served at Kokoda, the Australian Government committed an additional $409,000 in the October Budget to the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Sydney.
The walkway is an important memorial that will ensure the enduring sacrifice of our troops will be remembered, and provides an accessible interpretive experience for those not able to travel to Papua New Guinea.
With an estimated 5,500 Australian Second World War veterans still living, the walkway is of great significance to local veterans, their families and descendants. The funding will contribute to its ongoing operations and maintenance costs, including staffing, gardening, repairs and general maintenance.
To find out more about the walkway, visit kokodawalkway.com.au.
New website to explore wartime PNG
On the 80th anniversary of the Kokoda Track campaign, in memory of those who served, DVA has launched a new website – the Papua New Guinea Virtual Remembrance Trail – an important resource that helps people learn more about the Papua New Guinean Campaign from the comfort of their own homes.
The new resource uses a ‘journey-like’ approach of step-by-step discovery to tell the story of the Second World War in PNG. The seven trails on the website follow the course of the war in PNG, and are rich with written and audio-visual content, including pins on the map to track every step.
The steps of the trails follow the course of the war through PNG chronologically, geographically and thematically. They combine written, audio-visual and geospatial content to provide a multi-layered journey of exploration. There are also background sections on PNG wartime themes and guidance for teachers on how the resources fit into the Australian Curriculum.
The website is available at pngremembrancetrail.gov.au.