Shylee Donaldson (left) with a fellow student and some of the kids from a village along the trail.
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Sitting in a classroom at St Augustine’s College in Kyabram, Shylee Donaldson is worlds away from the situation she was in just weeks ago.
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Pushing through the dense Papua New Guinean jungle, wading through rivers and scaling mountains, the 16-year-old found the Kokoda Trail was far more than a physical challenge — it was a life-changing wake-up call.
Shylee was one of 35 students from across Victoria selected to walk in the footsteps of fallen soldiers on the Kokoda Trail.
Even weeks after returning, the teenager still couldn’t quite believe what she had just experienced.
“It was definitely the hardest thing I’ve done in my life so far, but it was a lot easier compared to what (the soldiers) had to go through,” Shylee said.
The group started from the Owers Corner end of the trek, waking up at 4am and walking between 10 and 22km each day until they reached Kokoda.
Shylee Donaldson with her fellow trekkers at the top of Brigade Hill.
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They stopped in towns along the way, meeting with locals and immersing themselves in their cultures.
With the trip being the first time she had flown outside Australia, Shylee said meeting people from different walks of life was a highlight.
“I took about four pencil cases filled with pencils and some notebooks … I gave them to the teacher so they could choose who needed them most,” she said.
“Some of the other kids brought sticker books and balloons, and they (the local children) got so excited … another girl brought glow sticks, and they were all waving them around. Best day ever.”
While each student was assigned a fallen soldier to honour throughout the journey, for Shylee the trek carried an even deeper personal meaning — she was also retracing the steps of someone much closer to home.
“My great grandpa fought in World War II in north Borneo,” she said.
“I never got to meet him, so I just wanted to put myself in a soldier’s footsteps and see what it would have been like.
“It was really quite confronting because of what they gave to save Australia and what they sacrificed for the battle.”
Also attending the trip was state Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh, who completed his second and final walk of Kokoda as a sitting member.
Shylee gives the kids at Isurava Village a rugby ball to keep.
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Mr Walsh said the students were quick to settle into the Kokoda Trail lifestyle.
“When you first start, there’s some that are homesick ... all the usuals of being away, but then they settle in, and they love it … and they come away with a lot of history and a lot of knowledge at the end,” he said.
"What we want to achieve is to have the next generation understand the history and be immersed in it … the physicality of the walk and the history combined gives them a lot better understanding.
"We need the next generation to actually appreciate the history and the sacrifices, so they know what was done."
Mr Walsh said that thanks to the dedication of the students and the generous support of community sponsors, the program had well and truly delivered on its goals.
Shylee was also keen to acknowledge the generous sponsors who made her Kokoda journey possible, including the Kyabram Club, the Freemasons Foundation and the Victoria and Tiverton Agricultural Impact Fund.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be able to have the opportunity to experience what I did,” she said.
Back at her desk in St Augustine’s, Shylee may have washed the mud off her boots, but the lessons of the trail are staying put.
“I think I’m going to take away to try and push myself more and live my life the best that I can,” Shylee said.
“Because I’m able to live in this country the way that we do because of them.”
Shylee with her fellow trekkers at the end of the Kokoda trek.
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