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Today we will get to meet up with our latest trek about to head out on the Kokoda Track. Its one of our biggest treks of the year and has Wallace Lemeki as the guide who does not hail from Kokoda but from Milne Bay. Wallace moved their with his adopted family some years ago and now calls Kokoda home.
Wallace also looks after our base in Kokoda and does a really good job. He is in charge of hiring staff and logistics and more recently Managing Orohaven Kokoda Retreat. Wallace will be assisted by Harold Hauro. Both Wallace and Harold have walked with Soc Kienzle who has been giving them history lessons for which they will be forever grateful as it has given them a much better understanding of what happened during the war.
Trek 531 has some return trekkers within the group who have brought along some of their friends. In fact it was Catherine Pethybridge who selected Wallace as their guide and I am sure he will not disappoint her or other trekkers as he takes his job very seriously.
Trekkers in this group include :
- Sue Lawlor – porter – (Jimmy Barai)
- Catherine (return trekker 2008) & hubby Jeff Pethybridge + Shared Porter with Jeff – (Ramsey Idau)
- Andrew Evely – Shared Porter 'Brendan Buka' with Tracy
- Tracy Wilson – sharing Brendan Buka as a porter with Andrew
- Greg Taggart + Requires a porter – (Ray Olen)
- Hugh Taggart + Requires a porter – (Homer Ino)
- Michael Lee + Requires a porter – Jerry Imaita
- Cameron Lee
- Adam Gregory + Requires a porter – (Hobert Keke – a real character and fun to be around)
- Keith McLennan + Requires a porter
- Loretta Monaghan (return trekker 2007) + Requires a porter (Wayne Urina)
- Neil Perry + Requires a porter – (Duggie Eroro)
- Nicholas Perry + Requires a porter – (Justin Egimbari)
- Michael McKellar + Requires a porter – (Conwell Barai)
- Adam McKellar + Requires a porter – (Tommy Bareo)
- Aaron Little + Requires a porter
- Kerry Little + Requires a porter
As we have no idea until they return today what the road will be like tomorrow, we felt it was easier to move the porters out today so the 4wheel drive vehicles can ferry the trekkers up to Owers' Corner tomorrow.
Photographs:
Pic 1: Wallace enjoying a few moments on the track
Pic 2: Wallace on a cleaning mission picking up rubbish at the end of one of our trekking seasons
Pic 3: On his first ever trek he walked with John Prossor. Next month will see John Prossor return again to walk with Wallace. John was also instrumental in inviting Wallace to attend the Lord Somers Camp in Victoria three years in a row.
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Clean_Up_Ua__Ule_Creek_Wallace_Lemeki___resized.jpg
IMGP0228_Wallace_Lemeki_1st_trek.jpgAs part of our porters accompanying these trekkers there are some famous names. Brendan Buka is the trek champion in both directions. In the direction they will be trekking, from Owers' to Kokoda Brendan left Owers' Corner end of August last year at 7am and was in Kokoda 16 hours and 34 minutes later. Wayne Urina also on this trek as a porter walking for the second time with Loretta Monaghan. Wayne came second to Brendan in the 2008 Kokoda Challenge Race in a time of 18:34. Wayne has just come off a trek walking with Paul Croll (Frontline Kokoda) who sub contracts to us for logistical support.
Photographs:
Pic 1: Brendan Buka 2006 winner
Pic 2: Brendan Buka 2008 winner
Pic 3: Brendan in his role of as a porter
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Brendan_Buka_Brigade_Hill_as_porter.jpgAs I type this our staff which totals 28 including food porters are being driven up to Owers' Corner where they plan on enjoying themselves whilst waiting for our trekkers to arrive tomorrow morning as it beats hanging around Port Moresby doing nothing in the heat. No doubt they will head down to Goldie River for a swim and to prepare for their trek tomorrow. Wallace has gone along for the drive and will come back in to meet up with his trekkers at 6pm tonight leaving Harold in charge of the team at Owers' Corner.
As we have no idea until they return today what the road will be like tomorrow, we felt it was easier to move the porters out today so the 4wheel drive vehicles can ferry the trekkers up to Owers' Corner tomorrow.
Photographs:
Pic 1: Goldie River
Pic 2: An ex trekker being carried across because he did not want to take his boots off again! So the boys did it for a bit of a laugh
Pic 3: Our cover girl Amelia, a lawyer from Brisbane, at the end of her trek showing that girls can also walk KOKODA. Amelia was our very first female trekker.
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Porter_Paul_urges_on_exhausted_trekker_Amelia__a_Brisbane_lawyer__on_the_home_stretch_across_the_Goldie_River.jpgGee Whiz it was great to see those photos of my good mates Wallace and Brendan those on this trek are certainly in good company and will be looked after very well.
Gail do say Good Day to Wallace and Brendan for me let them know that I am hoping to be seeing them again possibly with our 8 year old grandson Jacob, whom Wallace has met, 2nd half of 2010.
Envious wish I was on the trek now.
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