Australia’s Toughest School Charity Event

There is a very good reason why thousands of school teahers and students register for The Kokoda Challenge as a school charity event year in and year out. Not only is it an educational experience for students to gain a greater understanding, respect and knowledge about Australia’s military history, they also foster a greater sense of community through their fundraising and build a firsthand appreciation of how team building can help you and your school mates achieve incredible things.

After you’ve registered for The Kokoda Challenge, you’ll receive information about the history of the 1942 Kokoda Campaign and you’ll also see informational signs throughout the course while you’re hiking or trail running the event. These signs are situated throughout the trail to remind competitors that this event exists to pay homage to the sacrifices of those generations before us, and for teams to grasp a greater sense of the hardship our Diggers endured while defending Australian soil in New Guinea. 

Each team is also required to fundraise for youth programs that we offer free of charge that mentor kids in the local community. Students will need to put their thinking caps on to come up with different ways in which they can raise the required funds and give back to others. The illustrious Bruce Kingsbury VC School Cup is awarded to the school team that raises the highest funds to recognise their hard work. 

There is also the opportunity for students to join our youth programs, more information about these programs can be found on our Kokoda Youth Foundation website.

During The Kokoda Challenge event, we have a very strict rule that you must stay together as a team throughout the entire event. Any teams found separating from one another risk disqualification. The rule is that all teammates must stay within eyesight of one another with the goal to reach the finish line as a whole team, with no team members dropping out; leave no one behind!

This teaches students that they can’t just power ahead of their teammates if they’re being too slow and they want to go faster. We suggest that the fastest team member remains at the back and the slowest are at the front so that they can set the team’s pace. This can be difficult for some students who are high achievers when it comes to sport as they’re accustomed to focusing on their personal goals. However, this event requires students to be considerate and compassionate with others and not just focus on their own wellbeing. That’s how our Diggers prevailed along the Kokoda Track in 1942 and that’s what will get your whole team to the finish line. 

It is an extremely rewarding experience for both teachers and students from the fundraising all the way through to crossing the finish line. You’ll build strong bonds with one another and gain a deeper understanding of Australia’s military history.

Click here to hear from Karen Ball from The Lakes College, who enter multiple schol teams in our events every year.