Kokoda Trail: My Journey - The Conclusion

My journey was coming to an end, but it would stay with me forever. Arriving in Isurava, the site of one of the biggest battles was emotional. The jungle simply opened into a vast expanse of immaculately kept green grass which descended down the side of the mountain. On a leveled area nestles the Australian War Memorial to the battle and the Kokoda Campaign. It was an extremely emotional moment after an arduous trek retracing the steps of the Campaign.

All 10 trekkers just wandered or sat soaking up the emotion. The Papuans were nowhere to be seen. Literally. They had melted away allowing us Aussies time to soak it in and express our emotions in privacy.

Australian War Memorial, Isurava, Papua New Guinea

No one spoke. The only sound being the wind in the trees and the occasional sound from the surrounding jungle. For forty minutes I simply wandered the site, touching the huge granite pillars bearing the four words that define the men that fought the campaign. Honour Courage Mateship Endurance. I wandered to the large boulder on the side of the monument where Bruce Kingsbury gave his life in exchange for the lives of his mates; Another brave Australian son who will never feel the warmth of the Aussie sun on his face. Sitting at the edge of the monument looking down the steep slope towards Kokoda I was filled with the stories and history of the campaign and the battle here. I don’t think anyone could understand what it was like. One had to live it to know. Here the 39th Battalion and 2/27 AIF joined forces to slow the enemy advance allowing the bulk of the Allied forces to retreat. (A fighting retreat). It was the obvious place for a memorial to the campaign and the Australian Government have put together a special place for Australian’s to come and pay their respects.

Paying my respects

Private Bruce Kingsbury (VC)

We awoke the next morning at 4am and gathered at the memorial to sing the Australian National Anthem Advance Australia Fair with the Papuans adding their voices to the signing. They sang their National Anthem and we then began the process of preparing for the descent into Kokoda finally leaving for the 9 hour hike down at around 5:30am.

Descending into Kokoda

Kokoda was pretty much as I expected. A small village with no running water or electricity and houses made from whatever materials could be found. The people live simply and yet happily. We were welcomed by some tribal dancers and spent a couple of hours cleaning up, tending wounds (many of these) and getting our gear squared away for our flight out the next morning. A feast was held in our honour that evening and I spent a little time with my porter Winnie. I handed over my compass, knife, hiking boots, first aid kit, toilet paper, all remaining food and a couple of pairs of awesome hiking socks I hadn’t used. I also gave him some additional money on the sly as a thank you. These people live poorly so every bit helps. That night I slept on a mat on the floor rather than the ground. I’d be flying out the next day I thought, back to Port Moresby and the Airways Hotel. Comfort and civilization. Wrong.

Welcome to Kokoda

My outfit just isn't as colourful

Comfort!

The next morning I awoke with my head in the clouds. Literally. Heavy cloud had descended and on standing up one could only see about 5 feet through the murk. The bad news came through…No flights in. Kokoda sits in a natural valley so planes have to spiral their way down from altitude to land, they can’t simply approach from one direction and descend rapidly to the runway. I say runway but mean large, sort of flat, grass area. Anyway, I was devastated but things have a way of working out.

We ended up being stuck in Kokoda for 3 days, departing on the forth. This caused problems with our flights back to Australia but allowed me the chance to become a local. Remember, I had given everything I brought in away so was completely reliant on hospitality. I got to hang out with Winnie and Ray and a couple of the other porters, was invited to family meals, sing-alongs and general shit-talking sessions. It was like being home and it helped with my longing to be home again which had started to creep into my head. I missed my wife and my cats. However hanging around with these guys, my new friends, was an amazing experience that very few people get. I keep in contact to this day, ten years later.

Meeting the locals

Invited to dinner

The local market

Winnie (his house in the background)

Eventually though the cloud lifted and the small plane was able to land. We said our farewells and departed. I was not the same man though. I was…More humble, grateful and well, reflective I guess. I had journeyed on the same Trail that men fought and died on, I understood them and their sacrifices more. I had spent time with my Kokoda friends and saw how happy they were with their simple lives; The importance of family and of being grateful for what you have. I wondered how that would translate back in Australia and if it would remain with me.

My plane landing in Kokoda finally - Time to go home

Two weeks later back in my comfortable home I was waking up in cold-sweats, disoriented by light coming through the windows and wondering where I was. Moments later I’d remember that I was not in the jungle, that I didn’t have to strive and struggle that day to ascend or descend mountains. I actually went to my doctor to tell him about it and he said that it is normal after extreme emotional and mental duress for this to happen and that it should stop. Fortunately it did.

I had returned to an emotional greeting from my wife a few weeks earlier and was only just now starting to relate my experiences. It’s impossible for me to write them down but I’ve had friends come over and sit in front of my computer to look at my pictures which makes it easier to explain. Obviously I was glad to be back but I was also glad to have come back changed. I valued peace and quiet more highly, avoided crowds and shopping centres where possible and focused on bringing simplicity into my life. I let go of materialism. I was grateful for everything in my life, discarded toxicity from other people and myself. I had grown.

In my first post I said how doing the Trek had changed my life and I meant it. I was a different person. Now, ten years later that has simply taken root and grown deeper. I love talking about my experiences on the Trail, even now all these years later. On returning I spoke at several RSL functions, (Returned Soldiers League), and displayed my photographs. It felt good to talk about and despite getting emotional I enjoyed it. To this day, every year, I send a crate to Kokoda. It’s full of bandages, band-aids and antiseptic, tooth paste, school books, thongs (flip-flops), guitar strings, colouring pencils and blank paper, rulers, pencil sharpeners, chocolate etc. These items are distributed around to the families that need them most with the first aid items going to the ill-equipped “hospital.” It’s a fun part of my year as I send it to arrive within the week I had trekked to Kokoda. I get some lovely letters (on paper) a few weeks later from Kokoda.

Phew…Well, I guess that’s it. That’s the end of my Kokoda-experience post. I hope some of you have enjoyed it. If you want to start at the beginning see the links below. I’m no writer so I’ve just written these words from the heart hoping that someone gets some value. I could never relate exactly how it was for me, the pain, exhaustion, emotional stress, highs and lows. I just don’t have the words. But I urge you to go out there and challenge yourself, the way you think and act. To take your life and turn it upside down and shake it about. I’m certain you’ll find some wondrous things about yourself; Things that you can nurture and develop for the journey of life that lies ahead.

https://steemit.com/australia/@galenkp/reflections-from-australian-battlefields-kokoda
https://steemit.com/australia/@galenkp/kokoda-trail-the-war-my-trek-and-reflections-part-one
https://steemit.com/australia/@galenkp/kokoda-trail-the-journey-begins-part-two

Thanks so much for reading. I hope you have enjoyed. It.