Papua New Guineans living along Kokoda trail are peace loving people and trackers respect them highly, says tour operator Charlie Lynn.
Lynn over his 25 years bond with the World War II trail that links Central and Northen Provinces by high rugged bushland said he owes his life to the locals.
He had walked across the trail 79 times and organised the walk for 5000 Australians without once having encountered a problem with the locals when tracking.
The former Australian Army soldier and New South Wales parliamentarian retraced his steps, saying how he nearly lost his life from self-inflicted wounds and injury along the track but with help from locals he has lived for another day.
“I have been carried off the track three times.
“I owe my life to the people along the trail.
“I trust my life with this people on the trail, I have carriers working with me who were not born when we started, and we have high level of trust with them.
“Last year I took two groups of young women from Penrith Panthers (Australian rugby league team) in a leadership program, I have absolutely no concern for their safety when they were in the care of Koiaris and Orokaiva people along the trail,” Lynn said.
The Kokoda Trail is symbolic because it is where Australians backed by local carriers known as ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ defeated the invading Japanese in 1942.