This year five students from Goulburn’s high schools have been chosen to walk the hallowed track and experience what Aussie Diggers did in 1942.

The students are part of the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge (KYLC) Trek program sponsored by the RSL & Services Clubs Association of NSW, of which the Goulburn Soldiers Club is a member.

The challenge aims to stretch trekker’s physical and mental boundaries, develop their leadership skills and to understand more about Australia’s military history.

Tom Foley and James Croker from Trinity Catholic College, former Goulburn High student Braydan Fenwick, and present Goulburn High students Maddison Cranston and Jackson Kofod will embark on the adventure of a life time when they hike the Kokoda Track in September.

They also heard from Adventure Trek founder and Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge leader Charlie Lynn, himself a former Vietnam veteran and army major, who founded the trekking company in 1991.

Mr Lynn told the Post that the five young people chosen to undertake this year’s trek will have the experience of a lifetime.

“We’re going to Papua New Guinea, which is a very remote country, so we have to organise everything - it’s a major logistical exercise,” he said.

“In fact trekking is the easy part. To us it’s more than a trek, it’s a program - it’s about leadership, about understanding where we are, and it’s also about appreciating the legacy of the veterans over there which we often take for granted.”

Mr Lynn said the Kokoda track was a model for leadership.

“The Kokoda Track for me is an Australian leadership laboratory, and no matter what level you want to learn about leadership, you will learn it at Kokoda,” he said.

“Hopefully, this will be the gateway for these young people to learn more about our military history (of which we should be very proud), and more about our closest neighbour, Papua New Guinea, which is our international area of responsibility, and surprisingly we know very little about them.

“Young people that apply for this trek are already natural leaders, and therefore what we’re doing is advancing their maturity by four or five years through this program.”

He also emphasised that Goulburn had a ‘critical mass’ of young leaders and should be congratulated for their commitment to it.

Mr Lynn won’t be leading the expedition this time, but has left it in the capable hands of assistant Simon Hart, himself a former captain of HMAS Brisbane and HMAS Hobart.

“Mr Hart’s a great leader, and retired as a commodore,” Mr Lynn said.

“The group will learn a lot from him. They will also be accompanied by John Nelder, who used to work for Steve Irwin. John’s a paramedic, a great bushman and has got a lot of experiences to share.”

Bede Tongs, 93, inspires students

This year’s reception was given extra significance, with the attendance of 93-year-old Kokoda veteran Lieutenant Bede Tongs, a soldier in the 3rd Infantry Battalion who was involved in an attack on the Japanese on October 17 1942 at Templeton’s Crossing.

He was awarded the Military Medal (MM) during the war for his efforts in the campaign. 

Trekkers from previous years and the current nominees listened intently to Lieutenant Tongs’ stories of bravery during the conflict on the track.

Ashleigh Craig took part in the trek in 2010, and endured the highs and lows of taking part in such a momentous trek. She told the Post that not only does the trek take its toll on people physically, it also affects them emotionally.

 “The trek at times was really hard, so hard that sometimes you just broke down crying,” she said.

“You would slip over and not necessarily hurt yourself, but you would just be bawling your eyes out! It was so mentally draining. You’ve just got to think that you can do it. If you think you won’t be able to do it, you won’t make it very far. Overall though, the trek was one of the most amazing things I have ever done in my life. It was just incredible.”

She also gave some words of advice to this year’s participants.

“Take every experience in, and don’t just fob it off,” she said.

“If one of the trek leaders say ‘Hey let’s go down to this waterfall’ go down there with them - don’t just sit up at camp because you’re tired. Experience every single little thing, because if you don’t you’ll regret it as soon as you come back.”

Trinity student Tom Foley is looking forward to taking part in this year’s trek, and was amazed by the experiences of Bede Tongs.

“I think it will be really difficult at first, but it will be a great experience, and something I can look back on as a highlight in my life and some thing I can be proud of,” he said.

“At least people won’t be shooting at me when I do it, like they were at Mr Tongs, but it’s still going to be pretty difficult. If you don’t know the history of the Kokoda Track, then it’s just another walk, but if you hear about the history of it and actually talk to people who have been there such as Mr Tongs, it becomes more than just a walk, it gives it more significance and means a lot more to you.”

The Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge will take place from September 23 to October 4 with 25-30 young Australians altogether from every state taking part.

For more information on the challenge, visit the RSL & Services Clubs Association of NSW website at www.rslservicesclubs.com.au/default.aspx?id=2.