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THE incredible sacrifice and pain Australian soldiers endured for their country during World War II was drilled home to Princetown's Matt Bowker when he led a trek along New Guinea's Kokoda Trail this week.
Mr Bowker led 36 members of the Lord Somers Camp and Power House associations on the 96km track, 62 years after 36 men from the associations battled Japanese troops on the trail.
Colac schoolteacher Michael Barrand was one of the group.
Back home at his family's sheep and beef property, Kangaroobie, yesterday, Mr Bowker said the trip was of great significance for him.
The 31-year-old is a third-generation member of the Lord Somers Camp and Power House associations.
His grandfather, Athol Bowker, fought near the Kokoda Trail, at Milne Bay. Milne Bay was the first place Australians managed to stop the Japanese advance.
Weary and sore from the seven-day trek, Mr Bowker said he was blown away by the incredible job Australian soldiers did on the trail in 1942.
"I'm absolutely dumbfounded," Mr Bowker said. "It's so hard walking the track anyway, to just carry your pack with clothes and your tent was hard enough work without carrying guns and ammunition," he said.
Mr Bowker said the undulating trail was thick jungle all the way and walkers were forced to clamber over roots and rocks and negotiate many creek crossings.
"There were no bridges. Often we had to knock down a tree to enable us to get across the creek."
The farmer said four members of the Lord Somers Camp / Power House group died on the trail.
About 1000 Australian troops took on 6000 Japanese soldiers in the six-week-long Kokoda jungle battle.
The Australians managed to slow the Japanese enough so that their 10 days of supplies were exhausted and many soldiers literally starved
The Australian efforts prevented the Japanese from advancing to Port Moresby.
Mr Bowker said the highlight of the trip was speaking to a Kokoda Trail veteran.
"He said Gallipoli created a nation and Kokoda saved a nation," Mr Bowker said.
Matt Bowker recently retraced the steps of soldiers who endured the Kokoda Trail.
Editors Note: Ourselves, Kokoda Trekking Ltd (www.kokodatrail.com.pg) & Extreme Kokoda Trekking Adventure Tours (www.kokodatrail.com.au) had the honour of taking this group on the Kokoda Trail and thank them for their contribution to helping spread the word of their successful trek and their Kokoda experience.
Photograph: Matt Bowker (Centre front) on the Kokoda Trail:
Bowker.jpg
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