Today I commend the year 9 students and three staff members from Pittwater House who successfully completed the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea in June this year. The students from years 8 and 11 worked together with their Adventure Kokoda trek leader, Major Scott Babington, to finish the monumental 96-kilometre journey in nine days.
I can only imagine the weight that sat on the students' shoulders while they completed the trek—not just the physical weight of their large backpacks in the humid climate, but also the gravity of this solemn experience, walking in the footsteps of Australians who fought there more than 80 years ago. After completing the trek, the students had the honour of visiting the Bomana war cemetery, which contains the graves of 3,824 Commonwealth soldiers who gave their lives during battles in Papua and Bougainville Island in the Second World War. I congratulate the students on their bravery and fortitude in taking on this mammoth trek. I am certain it was a deeply rewarding experience for each of them and something to cherish for the rest of their lives. Well done!
18 October 2024, 13:19.