Get Active

Come to our Events


Ralph Honner Oration Dinner

Each year, the Kokoda Track Foundation hosts the Ralph Honner Oration Dinner. This is an opportunity for our friends and supporters of to come along and hear about the work of the Foundation in the presence of the Kokoda veterans.

Ralph HonnerEach year, the Kokoda Track Foundation invites an eminent Australian to deliver an oration on leadership in memory of the late Ralph Honner, one of the key figures in the Kokoda campaign and one of Australia's most outstanding leaders of men. Ralph was born in Fremantle on August 17 1904 and died in 1994. A school teacher, linguist, barrister, soldier, sportsman, writer and orator, he was a Renaissance man who believed passionately in chivalry and lived his life according to his ideals. He was one of our finest tactical military leaders. Ralph anticipated WWII and was one of the first to enlist in WA as his service number, WX15, suggests. He was then 35 years old, married with a young family. He distinguished himself as a company commander in the Middle East, at Bardia, Tobruk and Derna. He did it again in the disastrous campaigns in Greece and Crete where he escaped from the Germans and was awarded a Military Cross. His citation read: "This officer is the best company commander I have known in this or the last war. Throughout the campaign he has led his men on all occasions with courage, cheerfulness, calmness and skill." But Ralph's greatest feat of leadership was surely his efforts when called on to take over from the fallen commander of the fledgling 39th militia battalion on the Kokoda Track. Aged 37 when he was rushed up the Track after returning from the Middle East, he led troops, with an average age of 18, who had little training, few supplies or ammunition and who were faced, in their baptism of fire, by a hardened Japanese force which outnumbered them ten to one. It's difficult to imagine another man who could have triumphed in this situation. Exhibiting brilliant leadership, he galvanised the young Diggers and held the position at the battle of Isurava long enough for reinforcements to reach him and allow a fighting withdrawal down the Kokoda Track which would ultimately defeat the Japanese invasion force.

Ralph continued to lead the 39th, and later the 2/14th battalion, in New Guinea until his fighting days were ended with a bullet which shattered his hip in the Ramu Valley. After the war, Ralph chaired the War Pensions Assessment Appeals Tribunal and won acclaim for his fair treatment of veterans. He was later appointed Australia's Ambassador to Ireland.

CLICK HERE to find details for this year’s Ralph Honner Oration Dinner.


Volunteer

KTF Volunteers

The Kokoda Track Foundation relies on the great support of its volunteers! Whether you have skills in marketing, event management, website design, cooking, education, or sports... chances are we need your help! If you are interested in volunteering for the Foundation, please contact our executive director, Gen Nelson to find out more!


Fundraise

Maybe you are about to embark on your own journey along the Kokoda Track? Maybe you have just returned from the gruelling 10 days on the Track? Maybe your father or grandfather fought in the Kokoda campaign in WWII? Whatever the reason, if you have a desire to give back and assist the descendents of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels, then we need your help!

The Kokoda Track Foundation relies on the generous support of its members and donors in order to carry out its programs in education, health, and community development in PNG. One way that you can help us to help the people of PNG is to carry out your own fundraising event! Whether it be asking people to sponsor you for a trek along the Kokoda Track, holding an event of your own, or running workplace fundraising activities, you can contribute to the work of the Foundation.

Please contact our executive director, Gen Nelson, if you are interested in fundraising for the Kokoda Track Foundation. All donations are fully tax deductible