Carissa Staff - KK 2007

My Kokoda Experience 

Well I left school in year 9, I had gone to a few schools and wasn’t happy anywhere I went. So I started attending a Government founded course for kids who didn’t really know what they wanted to do. And that’s where I met Doug!

Doug came to the course and did a talk about the Kokoda Youth Program.  Once I heard about it I wanted to do it straight away, I didn’t really know what I was in for but I thought it was something I could apply myself to so I thought, why not? So I put an application in and got an interview and got in!!!

We started off by our first training day and it was one of the hardest things I’d done. But after a few weeks that first training day was nothing. I trained hard and made awesome relationships with the other kids.

We all did the Kokoda Challenge, and that made a massive bond between us, which carried through to the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea. We didn’t get to go with all of the kids we started off with, but it was part of the experience.

Walking the Kokoda Track is the most amazing thing I’ve done in my life and I will never forget it. And learning about what the diggers did over there in 1942 to save us and give us the freedom we have today is extraordinary, going with all the kids made it so much better. I got to walk with Doug part of the way, and that was very moving, I knew if Doug could do it, I could. It was sad watching him go, but we had another 80k to walk! No mountain in Australia could compare to PNG, so all that training paid off, it was hard but we all did it and helped each other the whole way, and none of us could have don’t it without our amazing porters.   

So I finished the track! Along with all the kids, I’ll never forget it, The Kokoda youth program has given me so much confidence in all parts of my life. Port Moresby showed me how lucky I am to live in this beautiful country, and I take so much for granted.  Its 80% unemployment over there so once I got back to Australia I went straight out and got a job - I am doing well in school and better relationships in my life.

Thank you Doug and team, I will never forget this experience.

Carissa