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Deanna Hart from Mackay has gone out of her way to collect needy supplies for the people affected on the Kokoda side of the Kumusi Bridge.
Yesterday Deanna sent out an email asking for help to send the donated goods to PNG.
This morning the owner of Airlines of PNG, namely John R. Wild has generously agreed to get the goods to PNG from Cairns on their Dash 8 service on space available basis.
This is fantastic NEWS.
For any future trekkers reading this article, PLEASE give them too a helping hand and when booking to fly to PNG, please consider their services as its very much appreciated by all of us here at Kokoda Trekking (KTL).
Bookings can be made ONLINE by logging onto their website: http://www.apng.com or by PLEASE CLICK HERE
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art_logo__Small_.jpgEmail sent to Kochie at Sunrise at 7:
Oro Oro Oro Kochie
Just short and sweet, I walked Kokoda in September and am on a mission to get *BASIC *living items to our boys – see photos inserted.
As you know, the descendants of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels who trek with you as porters and guides, are just as helpful TODAY as they were in 1942 and 1943.*
This week myself and fellow Kokoda trekkers ran a local campaign to get basic living items donated for Kokoda, in doing so we have bagged * 180 lined fertilizer bags this weekend consisting of quality used and new clothing of all shapes and sizes, cooking utensils, pots, pans, tarps, ropes etc! My mission finishes Monday 3^rd December and I expect we will be packing another *100* bags this week, by looking at what's not sorted!
* (Note the photograph is only half the fertiliser bags, we have Clothing Packs, Utensil Packs, Baby Packs and Shelter Packs!)*
I did not or do not ask for any money, our village friends only live a basic existence and need hands on essential life items, something we Australians have plenty of! My god, you can't help but want to give these people anything you can in their time of need.
I don't think you get Kokoda and the battle within PNG until you've done it!
I have chosen new fertiliser sacks as the preferred method of package, as the locals will throw them over their shoulder and walk for hours or days to their village.
Kokoda is cut off from Popondetta as the banks of the Kumasi River have washed away leaving the bridge free-standing. In fact many bridges are gone leaving Gona, Buna, etc and many villages stranded. You know how they live off the land as they did 100 years ago, with crops now flooded they have to regrow them and water is contaminated. The little they have is now less than poor, and I just love these genuine happy people, and want to help them, as I know you'll understand.
My Kokoda contact is an Aussie lady living in Port Moresby for the last 36 years; with her business partner living in Kokoda. She is extremely inspiring, giving much back to the people, for example she purchased an ambulance for Kokoda so they can transport sick people to Popondetta hospital when necessary. She is the only trekking company who looks after the Kokoda airstrip by purchasing two ride-on mowers to maintain the grass, based and housed a family with sat-phone on the property to keep away the rascals; and has built an amenities block at the airport, all on her own with no assistance from the Govt or other trekking companies willing to pay or help! She has also purchased water tanks for those villages on the lowlands that have little rain water.
*This is a lady who will filter the goods down to the people's level and this is where I want the goods to go, TO THE PEOPLE who most need it and
I know, it WILL get there!*
*I ask your help to get the goods from Australia to Port Moresby via plane (boat is too slow) they need our help NOW! *
I am hoping maybe someone like Air Niugini could freight it, I understand this may not be free but I JUST WANT TO GET THIS TO OUR BOYS ASAP. I expect to complete bag packing by this Friday the 7th, I am in Mackay and am happy to get them to Townsville, Brisbane or Cairns. I just need the link from Australia to Port Moresby airport and this is where I need your help, please.
I have never done anything like this before but my heart is with the people, last week the local Channel 7 did an interview with me as did radio stations ABC Tropical North and 4MKFM – follow-ups with both radio stations reporting on the response will be tomorrow morning. Channel 7 local news also wants to follow up when everything is bagged and ready to go!
*I would be honoured if you could help me close this link in the chain – Australia to Port Moresby!
No escape for people living in or around the Kumusi area as the floods came from every angle and cut off people's escape. Everyone just started trying to save their own lives with tubes and left all their belongings.
Photographs just in from Kokoda this morning show what it was really like. The longest bridge in the Oro Province is the Kumusi Bridge and it has been completely carried away. Below is what is left of one pillar.
Photgraphs taken on the day of the flooding:
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IMAG0118__Small_.JPGPhotograph: the latest lot of photographs taken of the same river 2nd December. Villagers are starting to cross over in tubes.
Unfortunately the bridge right at Kokoda has been washed out and vehicles based in Kokoda cannot get past that point. From there on it is by road only.
Ovi Mountain has landslided right down onto the road and no vehicles can pass in this area.
Shorncliffe had a base along the Kumusi River as they won the tender for upgrading and sealing of the road from Popondetta to Kokoda.
Unfortunately they too have lost everything as the river took away all their equipment and machines.
To think how the PNG Government can overcome the restructure of the bridges and roads is a big ask as even before the flooding the roads left a lot to be desired. To drive from Kokoda to Popondetta took on average 3 hours.
The result of this is that stores in Kokoda are now being forced to fly in their goods and prices have hit an all time high along with market goods.
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IMAG0126__Small_.JPGOn behalf of Kokoda Trekking we would like to pass on our sincere thanks to Deanna Hart and all trekkers who walked with us on Trek 397 for a fantastic effort.
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DSCN4747__Medium_.JPGOur KTL staff and Trek 397 seen here on the track and at Kokoda in front of a carving we donated to the Kokoda Station:
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KOKODATREK397__Small_.jpgDeanna has informed me that she was blown away by a complete stranger who contacted her to say he would take up collections in Airlie Beach. The following photographs were taken last weekend when he as promised delivered supplies to her house in a Thrifty Truck.
To the best of my knowledge he has not even walked KOKODA just a guy with a big HEART !
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IMGP1473__Small_.JPGToday we sent out a message to KOKODA to ask one of our boys from each of the affected areas to make their way to Kokoda so we can plan how to distribute these donations.
We will drive to where we can….then wheel barrow to the next point where another vehicle is located and carry on this way until we reach the affected areas, or that is the plan at the present time.
After we have spoken to them we will have a much better idea of how to go about handing out the donations but one thing is for sure, we will get these goods to people who really are in need of them.
Once again, thank you to the people of Mackay and to Deanna, her family, fellow trekkers and anyone else who has helped in anyway at all such as Airlines of PNG to airlift out of Cairns.
They have done their bit, now its time for Russell and myself to do our bit and organise the end result.
Stay tuned for further updates!
Does anyone remember our first ever PNG entrant in our KOKODA CHALLENGE RACE held last year by the name of LULU? We heard from Kokoda yesterday that their family home survived the flood but their win haus come kitchen was washed away along with their food gardens.
They now have no cooking pots n pans/plates/cups etc. Lulu also walked with the Kokoda Kids from the KOKODA CHALLENGE event on the Gold Coast as one of our porters.
Lulu came 9th overall in a time of 30 hour 29 minutes from Owers' Corner to Kokoda out of over 30 competitors:
IMGP4574__Medium___Medium_.JPGA big THANK YOU to Chris Mummery of Cairns International Freight and AIRLINES OF PNG for the first lot of 100 bags of clothes etc destined to arrive in PNG today 9th December.
CG105_SUNDAY_09_DEC.pdf
CG101_WEDNESDAY_12_DEC.PDF
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