Llew O'Brien (Wide Bay, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today we observe Kokoda Day, which commemorates the day when, on 3 November 1942, the Australian flag was raised above Kokoda village. This year, on the 83rd anniversary of the end of the battle of the Kokoda Track, we honour the bravery and sacrifice of the Australian and Papua forces who fought a brutal seven-month campaign to stop the Japanese army from seizing Port Moresby and advancing towards the Australian mainland. They shifted the Pacific war from defence to offence. The Kokoda Track holds a deep significance for Australians. The 96-kilometre trail through the Owen Stanley Range in Papua New Guinea was the scene of fierce battles, where more than 600 Australian soldiers lost their lives and 1,600 were injured or struck down with tropical diseases like malaria, typhus and dengue fever. Around 2,000 native Papuans, the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, also lost their lives providing vital support to the Allies, moving supplies and carrying wounded troops to safety. Our brave soldiers endured unimaginable hardship as they fought a jungle war amid mud, blood, leeches and maggots, where the enemy was hidden by formidable terrain, thick foliage and driving rain. We honour and remember their bravery, their courage, their service and their sacrifice today, on Kokoda Day.

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