Conquering Kokoda in Support of MAF
What do you get when you mix a small group of MAF supporters and the infamous Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea? Answer: A group of muddy, sweaty, tired, yet enthusiastic trekkers who raised around $60000 to assist the ministry of MAF.
MAF Australia in cooperation with trekking companies Inspired Adventures and Back-Track Adventures recently organised a fundraising activity with a difference. MAF supporters were encouraged to get fit, raise funds and experience an extraordinary adventure walking in the footsteps of Australian soldiers. For 12 days in June this year, eleven people aged from 14 to 60 did just that.
The Kokoda Track is located in the eastern mainland of PNG and holds a great deal of historical significance for Australians. During World War II, Japanese forces landed on the north coast of New Guinea and began to advance towards the Capital Port Moresby by way of a narrow, jungle track over the Owen Stanley Range. If Australian soldiers could not prevent the Japanese advance, then Port Moresby would be occupied and used as a launching point to strike Australia. After six months of ferocious fighting in appalling conditions, the Australians pushed the Japanese back, but not without suffering enormous losses. Today, many people are walking the Kokoda Track as a mark of respect to those who gave their lives during the Kokoda campaign.
The Kokoda Track starts at Ower’s Corner, two hours drive to the north-east of Port Moresby and runs for 96 kilometers over extremely rugged mountain ranges. Combine this with tropical rain, heat and humidity and trekkers are faced with a daunting challenge to reach the small community of Kokoda on the northern side of the Owen Stanley Range.
The eleven MAF trekkers, with Australian guide Dan Tones and twenty national support crew, took ten days to walk the track. We spent our days climbing and descending torturous mountains, crossing swollen creeks and exploring the rusty relics of war. Walking in the mountain mist, surrounded by thick jungle and towering mountains, was often a surreal feeling. Watching beautiful butterflies and strange insects as we carefully negotiated the slippery, root-covered track was a challenging yet memorable experience. At night time, we bathed in frigid mountain streams, washed our sweat-stained clothes and talked around the camp fire of the day’s adventures and the important work of MAF.
PNG is known as the “Land of the Unexpected,” and so it proved to be on the last day of our trek. The plan was for the MAF Twin Otter based in Goroka to collect our team from the remote airstrip at Kokoda and return us back over the Owen Stanley Range to Port Moresby. Unfortunately, the day dawned rainy and overcast. In true PNG style, as the morning progressed, the poor weather continued and alternative plans were quickly devised to collect us from a larger coastal airport. As MAF is so often required to do, the pilots adapted to the changing situation admirably and delivered us safely to Port Moresby later in the afternoon. Interestingly, the flight only took 40 minutes and was a perfect illustration of the significance of MAF’s work in PNG. The trek which took us 10 days to complete by foot, took less than an hour by air. That is why so many communities rely on MAF to overcome the barriers of isolation. As a group of MAF supporters, it was a real privilege to see MAF in action and to experience their professionalism and friendly service. What a blessing they are to many people in isolated places around the world.
Despite tired muscles, sore feet and muddy boots, the MAF team finished the trek with a smile and a real sense of satisfaction. After hiking a total distance of 120km over a narrow, slippery track, the unrelenting mountains, heat and humidity couldn’t dampen our achievement. Conquering Kokoda in support of MAF was certainly worth the effort.
Written By: Keith Maag, June 2017