The Kokoda Track is considered an extremely difficult walking challenge, but that didn’t stop two Wyndham students from tackling it head on.
Jaileigh Turner and Carlee Ferguson, of Hoppers Crossing Secondary College, were two of 17 students from across Wyndham who recently returned from walking the track.
About 10 months of training prepared them for the physical challenges of the 10-day trek, but nothing could prepare them for the mental challenges it presented.
Carlee said it took her five days to discover the right approach.
“I realised I just had to keep my head down and not look at every hill or puddle that was coming next,” Carlee said.
“It’s crazy to think of how much I struggled compared to the people who did it during the war. I couldn’t imagine trying to do it if you were carrying ammo and being shot at.”
Jaileigh said she found that if she woke up with a positive attitude, the day of arduous walking would not be as difficult.
She said the experience had changed the way she looked at the world.
“It made me realise that to get through you need help from other people,” Jaileigh said.
For the finale to their life-changing experience, the girls attended an Anzac Day dawn service in Port Moresby.
