Forum Replies Created
- Posts
HI Gail PLease pass on the following message to Sam and Simon. – Congratulations on your achievement. You can be proud of what you have done and those memories will be with you for the rest of your life. Look forward to hearing from Sam when you get home to hear your stories of the trek! Cheers, Brett de Chastel
Hi Gail, You might remember me from the trek I did with Allan Hazell a few years back and when we came over to do volunteer work putting on water systems in a couple of the villages around Kokoda. Anyway, can I get you to pass on a message to Sam. I spoke to him before he left to give him some tips. Tell him – Don't forget to enjoy the journey, mix in with and get to know the local boys and finally, keep focused on the next steps – it will all be worth it at the end. Thanks, Brett
Here is another perspective. Rather than just responding to the survey question, I think that the KT authority shouldn't just be focused on why there has been a downturn in numbers in the last year or so. Instead, a better question is – what would be the maximimum (or desireable) number of trekkers each year for the track? If the track becomes overused, it will lose its appeal and also there will be environmental degradation (examples of litter, problems with toilets etc abound).
Therefore, the fact that fewer people are trekking is not automatically a bad thing. In the long term, a steady but stable stream of trekkers would ensure that the unique challenge, environment and importantly, culture of communities on the track will not be changed forever. Exponential growth as occured about 3 or 4 years ago is not the answer.
Just an alternative point of view to encourage discussion!
Cheers
Brett from Noosa
Trekker in 2006 and visitor back to Kokoda in 2008Hi Gail
Like many others on this forum, I was devastated to hear the news of Kingsley. Can you please pass on my best wishes to Davidson in particular as well as Russell and the Eroro family. I trecked in 2006 with Davidson and also visited Kokoda last year with Allan and Peter Hazell to help put on water to some of the villages to the west of the Kokoda township. Davidson and the Eroro family were terrific to us and I also remember how friendly Grace was at the Post Office when I visited a few times over the years. I can only imagine the sense of loss as the value of family in Kokoda is far beyond what we can imagine or dream of.
All the best at this time
Brett de ChastelPhotograph:
Davidson Eroro (left) and Russell Eroro (right) in happier times when they both walked with a group of Emirates airlines pilots.
Davidson___Russell.jpg
