Courage, endurance, sacrifice, mateship. The words engraved into the four pillars of Papua New Guinea's Isurava Memorial sum up the spirit of what was arguably Australia's most significant campaign of the second World War.
Fifteen-year-old Ash De Clifford, of Stawell, has just returned from trekking the Kokoda Track, the 96 kilometre trail that witnessed some of the bloodiest battles of World War Two.
Ash joined 32 students, parents and teachers from St Patrick's College Ballarat on their third biennial expedition to Kokoda.
Here they walked through Papua's dense and rugged terrain - the same terrain that saw more Australians die in seven months of fighting than in any other campaign.
On July 21, 1942, Japanese troops landed on the northern coast of what was then New Guinea with the intent of capturing Port Moresby.
They began marching over the Owen Stanley Ranges by the most direct route, a jungle pathway known as the Kokoda Track.
A progressively outnumbered Australian force spent the next seven months trying to push the Japanese back to prevent them from capturing the capital. Many of the soldiers were not much older than Ash is now.
The Japanese eventually withdrew and modern history has deemed the campaign as the first real battle by Australians for Australia.
Whether for patriotic reasons or because it is a personal challenge, Kokoda has become a popular pilgrimage for Australians, attracting an estimated 5600 Australians last year.
Ash, who attends Ballarat Grammar, only found out he would be joining the St Pat's contingent in Kokoda a couple of months ago when another student was forced to pull out.
Physical and mental fitness are pre-requisites for what can be an extremely difficult and arduous experience, and St Pat's started preparing last Christmas.
Once you start the walk there is really no turning back and usually the only way out is via emergency helicopter evacuation.
Ash's father, Bob De Clifford, is understandably very proud of his son's achievement and said that even though Ash only found out he was going on the trip a month or so before, he was up with the leaders the whole time.
The group flew to Port Moresby on June 22 where they transferred to Popondetta, on the northern coast of PNG.
After viewing the Buna and Kokoda battlefields the group walked the two kilometres to Saga village, where they took part in a service project.
The St Pat's crew spent three days at Saga, helping to install solar panels on a school and church and running cricket and football camps for the village's children.
For Ash, meeting the locals - especially the children - was a highlight of his adventure.
``The villagers really liked having us there. It's a big thing for them to get the facilities, as they don't have power or anything like that,'' Ash said.
The group began the trail from the Kokoda end, which is the historically correct route, although it is possible to begin the trek from Port Moresby. The Kokoda expedition can take anywhere from three days to ten.
Ash's group did the journey from Saga to Owers' Corner over nine days, carrying their own packs, purifying water to drink, eating dehydrated food and camping at various villages along the way - sleeping either in huts or under tarps.
They spent the first night in Isurava, once a famous battlefield and now the site of a memorial to the Kokoda Track campaign, while the second night was spent at Eora Creek, where 99 Australians were killed and another 92 wounded in October 1942.
About half way through the trip the group stopped at Efogi, the former staging post that hosted many Australian troops overnight as they advanced over the trail.
``One day we walked for 12 hours straight. It was pretty humid and rained twice, but you couldn't do it in the wet season,'' Ash said.
Before setting off for PNG the students were taught a lot about the history of Kokoda; the adversities the soldiers faced through humidity, dysentery, malaria, jungle conditions and enemy fire; and the important roles played both by Australian soldiers and the native Papuans, known as `Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels' who ran supplies and tirelessly ferried wounded soldiers to safety.
``What happened on the track was never far from our minds while we were walking.''
During the trip back to Port Moresby, the group visited Bomana Cemetery, which Ash found a sobering experience.
``There are over 3000 graves there, mainly all Australian,'' he said.
Walking the Kokoda Track was the experience of a lifetime for Ash, who is looking forward to travelling again in the future, perhaps as part of the army or air force.
``It's a really good culture, you get to mix with others and get an understanding of what it's like in a third world country. It really showed us how lucky we are here in Australia,'' Ash said.
``While it wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be, it still felt good to accomplish it. I'd definitely recommend it to other people, It's good to challenge yourself.''
The physical battle scars of the Track may have faded over time, but educating students on the impact of the campaign on Australian values and showing them the actual sites where soldiers gave up their lives for their country ensures the spirit of Kokoda will live on.
Email a friend