13 August 2009
Mr MORRIS (Mornington) — Yesterday during question time the sad news was confirmed to the house that nine Australians, seven of them from our own state, had lost their lives on their way to walk the Kokoda Track. In a cruel irony, their deaths came only days after Kokoda Day, the anniversary of the battle that marked the start of the Owen Stanley campaign. It is a day that commemorates the courageous exploits of Victoria’s 39th Battalion and its success in stalling the invading Japanese forces despite overwhelming odds at Kokoda, and at Isurava a few short weeks later.
Anyone who has walked the track, as Linda and I had the privilege to do last year with a number of colleagues, knows that even in the 21st century you are entering a hostile environment. It is a place of great natural beauty and a place which challenges body, mind and spirit. It is a place where great events have been played out and a place that has seen more than its share of tragedies, this latest so unexpected.
Anyone who has begun the adventure of walking Kokoda, as these nine Australians did this week, understands the trepidation, the excitement, the sense of anticipation and risk when you first see the challenge before you. Tragically the exultation of completing the trek has been denied to them. My sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those who did not return.
Legislative Assembly - 13 August 2009