Kokoda Memorial Foundation
 

Home

Projects already completed by KMF        

Following the successful application from the Australian Government - Department of Veterans' Affair for a grant, KMF returned to restore some of the memorials it had installed some years before. The tasks included repainting the stick figure at McDonalds' Corner and fix its garden, repaint Archway at Owers’ corner, repaint the 25-pdr gun at Owers’ corner, and repaint the plaque, plinth and flag poles at Owers’ corner.

The hills above Ioribaiwa Village was an important turning point in the Kokoda campaign for the Japanese. It is where the Japanese Army had dug themselves in along the ridge line able to see the lights of Port Moresby and the Coral Sea. It was also to be the most southern point where they would advance. With very limited supplies the Japanese command in the Pacific decided to retreat troops back to the north coast. KMF has installed a plinth and plaque in Ioribaiwa Village to illustrated to walkers the history that took place over 60 years ago.

A small ridge along the Kokoda Trail called Imita Ridge is where the Australian soldiers had drawn the proverbial 'line in the sand'. A short journey to Owers' Corner the Australians had the advantage of a shorter supply line. The Japanese troops had positioned themselves across the valley to the Ioribaiwa hill tops. Here they dug in with virtually no supplies. KMF installed a plinth and plaque in a small saddle where the trail intersects the ridge.

Inspired by the name of their street, some residents of Kokoda Avenue, Turramurra in Sydney decided to create a memorial to the memory of the soldiers that fought and fell along the Kokoda Trail, PNG and approached the Kokoda Memorial Foundation to build the memorial on their behalf. A small team of skilled volunteers from KMF completed the project over a six-week period in 2005 using local sandstone and bronze plaques similar to those found on the Owers’ Corner Archway in PNG.  

At the dedication ceremony on 20^th November 2005 Lt General Peter Cosgrove unveiled the memorial in front of a gathering of local dignitaries, State and local council representatives, ex veterans and the local community.
 

A minor creek crossing several hundred metres before the  Vesulogo village proves impassable in the wet season. KMF through the generous donations of individuals and companies from Australia was able to fabricate and install a 9 m bridge giving back access for villagers and visitors.
 

When the Japanese reached Ioribaiwa a single battery from 2/14 Field Regiment was located at Owers' Corner. The 25-pounder donated by ADI Ltd - Lithgow was restored and mounted at Owers' Corner in memory of the men whom handled the gun in horrendous conditions.
 

To aid in protecting the villagers assets in the dry season from uncontrolled fires, KMF provided fire protection equipment positioned at various sites around the village. The villagers were given training on maintenance & use of equipment.
 

The dirt road to Owers' Corner which is a life-line for several thousand nationals deteriorates every wet season to a point where no vehicle can pass. KMF has brought and supplied a grading blade to be fitted to the village tractor so the road can be graded for vital access by all.
 

The local school which consisted of a single open thatched roofed room with one blackboard and crude benches was in desperate need of a make over. KMF supplying the manpower built a totally enclosed school with local materials. All funding was provided by Mosman High School, Sydney, Australia.
 

St Patricks College at Strathfield had surplus good quality school furniture which KMF secured and the RAAF transported to PNG. The pool of furniture was distributed to about four schools in the area.
 

This memorial sited at the southern start of the Track where the road from Port Moresby ends and the jungle of the Owen Stanley Range begins. The memorial encompasses many facets of construction and design and is Kokoda Memorial Foundation's largest project.
 

In the Kokoda campaign, Depot was major re-supply and staging area before approaching the beginning of Owers' Corner. Depot is where the road to Owers' Corner branches off the road from Port Moresby. The memorial sited here was refurbished by KMF to give the recognition it deserves.
 

Prior to KMF arriving in 1999, the water pipe from the local dam to the village which had not been dug into the ground was severely damaged by villagers burning off or cutting grass with machete. With new poly pipe and fittings from Vinidex (Aust), KMF using villagers as the main source of labour dug in two kilometres of poly pipe to secure a constant water supply.
 

To ensure villages above the local dam had water to see them through the dry season, rain water tanks donated from Bushman Tanks of Dubbo were installed at various sites to ensure the maximum benefit of the wet season rains for as many people as possible.
 

In times of drought in the area, the local water supply in the dam was insufficient for the three hundred people of the local village – Vesulogo. KMF with donated materials from Australian companies raised the existing dam by 0.5 m which has guaranteed a water supply through the dry season.
 

The first of the projects by KMF, a petrol driven electric generator was donated to the village of Menari. The generator is used for lighting the church and also provides a source for the village when it is used by trekkers in the guest house.