General News
19 July, 2026
Walsh’s special link to Bernie
TAKING Year 11 students to walk the Kokoda Trail every year came with a personal connection last week for the Nationals Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh.
TAKING Year 11 students to walk the Kokoda Trail every year came with a personal connection last week for the Nationals Member for Murray Plains, Peter Walsh.
This was his third trek with students from his electorate of Murray Plains, and across the state, including Wedderburn’s Aidan Wingfield.
Mr Walsh says each trekker is given a soldier to represent on their walk – one who fought and died in the Kokoda campaign – and to visit when they reach Bomana War Cemetery outside Port Moresby at the end of their nine day challenge.
He says this year he was given Charlton soldier Private Bernie Carlson.
“Incredibly I have a strong connection with the Carlson family,” Mr Walsh says.
“When I was farming at Boort, a Bernie Carlson ran a fuel agency at Charlton and supplied me and my business for many years, and I got to know him quite well,” he says.
At that time Mr Walsh owned and operated one of the state’s largest processing tomato growing operations as part of his irrigated horticulture and cropping enterprise, also producing cereals, oilseeds and legumes.
“Bernie is the nephew of the Bernie Carlson who died at Kokoda, in what would prove to be a horrible war for the family, as his brother Francis, fighting with the 2/5 Battalion, would be killed at Lae on January 29 the following year,” he adds.
“The Bernie I know was named Bernard Francis in their memory. He is now retired but still lives in Bendigo and I hope to be able to take him some photos from Bomana and tell him what we all did there, what we saw and what it meant to us.”
Private Bernie Carlson had been a butcher by trade, and lived with his parents at 24 Watson Street, Charlton.
He was one of six sons to have fought in the war, initially sailing from Sydney in October, 1940, for North Africa, where he saw action in Egypt and Libya and then in the Middle East where he took part in the Syrian campaign.
Returning to Australia in 1942, he had time to visit his family in Charlton – not knowing it would be the last time they would see him – before heading to Papua New Guinea.
Barely two months later, the 28-year-old, along with the rest of the 2/14th, Bernie was rushed across the Trail to assist the 39th at Isurava and was caught up in the savage fighting there, where losses on both sides were high.
He survived three days of non-stop attacks on the plateau where the Isurava Memorial stands today, and Mr Walsh says in the fighting retreat south, on August 31, he was one of many more men who were killed.
“Bernie’s comrades who did survive reported he had died around what was known at the time as the Isurava Guest House area,” he says.
“Sadly, like too many other young men who would die in this campaign, and in whose footsteps the students and I walked, his body was never recovered, and Bernie today is remembered on Panel 3 at Bomana War Cemetery.
“I was proud to place a poppy alongside Bernie’s name on the memorial wall in acknowledgement of his service and sacrifice, so we enjoy the freedoms we have in this very lucky country of ours.”
Read More: Loddon Shire