Ryan Thornton - KK 2008
My Kokoda Experience
When Doug first came to my school to tell us about the KCYP I knew I had to be a part of it.
The first of the training sessions went by relatively easy as I was
already friends with three other kids in the program. At the beginning
this stopped me from mixing with the rest of the group, but by the end
of our camp at Boonah in the second week all nerves had passed and I
knew everyone's names. I walked away from that camp with one of the
most valuable lessons from the whole program: It's not how far you can
go, but how far you can bring your mates with you.
In the weeks leading up to the challenge I was a bit nervous but the overwhelming feeling was deetermination, I was determined to finish the challenge as part of the 2008 Kokoda Kids. I still regard the challenge as the hardest part of the program both physically and mentally. There were points at which I was down and out but the rest of the team pulled me right back up, I think many Kokoda Kids would agree that mateship is what got them through in the end.
In the weeks following the challenge came pack training and on the first day I foolishly didn't weigh my pack properly at home and ended up carrying much more than I should've, a mistake that I never made again. In these weeks there were some of the hardest and best walks of the whole program. By this stage everyone was excited about the PNG trip and when I found out I could make the choice between the track and the village experience I chose the track. I was always going to choose the track, it's what I had been looking forward to the whole time.
The track is still one of the best things I have ever done in my life. I remember walking through the jungle in the mud and rain and thinking that there was nowhere I'd rather be on earth. It was amazing to see how the Papuans lived, they lived with such poverty yet seemed so content and happy. Not all places on the track were such happy places though, many places such as Brigade Hill and Isurava had a solemn feeling resounding around the area. One could not stand there knowing what happened and not be emotionally moved. The battlefield at Brigade Hill brought tears to my eyes, I've never felt more proud to be Australian than I did on that day. Papua New Guinea is a beautiful country and its people are like none other on earth and I know I will be drawn back some time in the future, it's simply a matter of time.
When we arrived back we settled into a much less intense routine of monthly community service. Although not as exciting as our training and PNG it was still a very rewarding feeling to help the wider community and to see the next generation of kids take their own journey.
The Kokoda Challenge Youth Program has changed who I am as a person
for the better. I have made life long friendships, experienced new
cultures and worked out just how far I can push myself until I reach my
limits, but most of all I have developed a deep appreciation of what it
means to be Australian.
Photo: Ryan receiving the Bruce Kinsbury Award at the 2009 Kokoda Kids Graduation & Annual Kokoda Dinner
