Rochester Secondary College student Logan Cooper Archer and other Colin Sinclair Scholarship recipients were happy to take a break while climbing Mt Ida.
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When Rochester’s Logan Cooper Archer walks the Kokoda Trail next month, he won’t just be honouring the memories of the soldiers who fought and died there.
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The Rochester Secondary College student will also be carrying the best wishes of his older brother Lachlan, a serving Australia Defence Force member
Australia’s military legacy is steeped in campaigns such as the Kokoda, but for Logan and his brother — a sapper in the army for the past four years — it is also the story of today.
Logan said for him there would be the “strong connection of history” in the Kokoda, as well as the responsibility of representing Rochester and the Sinclair family.
He said as a recipient of the Colin Sinclair Kokoda Scholarship, it was a significant duty to remember that service as well.
“The Kokoda story tells us to remember and respect the power of ordinary men who showed extraordinary courage,” Logan said.
“I believe these traits are still important in our society today and continue to change and shape Australia's identity.”
Colin Sinclair served as a Private in the 39th battalion and, after fighting through some of the heaviest action of the war in Papua New Guinea, died from wounds received in the Battle of the Beachheads.
Pte Sinclair was just 28 when he died on November 22, 1942.
“His sacrifice represents the many young men from all the surrounding areas who left their homes and families to serve their country,” Logan said.
“Knowing someone from our local area gave his life for this cause makes the Kokoda story even more meaningful.
“I feel walking the Kokoda Trail will allow me to experience first-hand what they had to endure and give me a greater appreciation of their sacrifice.
“Lachlan has been deployed to areas such as East Timor, the Philippines and Malaysia and to experience this walk and learn this story up close and personal will be, I think, a life-changing experience.
“He is currently based in Darwin and I always have so many questions when he comes home and his response is always the same — I need to be part of it, and he believes joining is the best decision he has ever made.”
Logan said teenagers today really did live a different life.
“Understanding why this was so important for young men to lie about their age, to be part of this when they were just teenagers, and to prove to myself I can do the things when I put my mind to them, is the challenge,” he said.
State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh, who organises the Colin Sinclair Scholarship, said it was the support of local businesses and clubs which enabled the students to make the trip.
Mr Walsh said this year money had come from every corner of his electorate.
He said while cost of living had become a major issue, he was determined to ensure the cost of each student’s trip was fully covered.
Going down looks a whole lot easier than going up at Mt Ida near Heathcote when you are training hard.
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He thanked the long-time support from Freemasons Foundation Victoria, along with the generous and ongoing backing from local businesses.
The participants recently did two laps of Mt Ida at Heathcote to prepare.
‘’This year’s trekkers did a fabulous job. It’s nothing like the peaks they will face on the Kokoda, but it has a very steep climb which is quite testing,” Mr Walsh said.
They also headed to Gentle Annie in the Bunyip State Park, south-east of Melbourne, the three or four-hour hike a guide to the eight and nine-hour days ahead.
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