General News
19 July, 2026
Aidan’s new mission to remember Kokoda
THE Kokoda Trail was more than a 138km walk for Wedderburn College student Aidan Wingfield.
THE Kokoda Trail was more than a 138km walk for Wedderburn College student Aidan Wingfield.
The 2026 local RSL scholarship recipient says the experience was meaningful, surreal and chilling.
He returned home last week “pretty tired and excited to be able to sleep in my own bed again”.
“But I was sad to leave after the surreal experience of walking the line of battle where Australian soldiers fought and died in World War Two,” he said.
“The walk was intriguing and exciting but at the same time chilling being where men died fighting for lives, where you can still see trenches.”
Aidan said he would now share stories with local communities about the service and sacrifice at Kokoda.
“And I would like to see a formal memorial in our district as well. We don’t have anything at the moment and I think we should,” he said. “That’s something I would like to work towards.”
Aidan said the tour group had stopped at places of significance along the trail. “We would talk about the spot and just sit there taking everything in,” he said.
“The biggest impression after the trip, for me, has been that there are still many people who do not know about Kokoda.
“That needs to be talked about a lot more. These are soldiers who were told they would not leave Australia.
“Then they were then sent to fight in New Guinea and they turned the tide of the war in the Pacific,” he said.
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