Education Centre

In 2023, the KTMW Board re-commenced their series of military history-related talks, which are now presented in a series called ‘Beyond the Battlefield’.

Aim

Presentations will have a military history focus, including the PNG/Kokoda campaigns. Many speakers will have published works on their topic, or will have detailed knowledge of the subject matter. As the series title suggests, the presentations will often examine issues, individuals or events beyond the battlefield, but conflict has impacted them nonetheless.

The talks are designed to encourage discussion and debate on military history,  a field that is constantly re-examining past events to better understand the context in which they occurred.

Format

The talks are held in the Ralph Honner Kokoda Education Centre on Saturday mornings, and are approximately an hour in duration, which includes time for questions.

If you are a Friend of Kokoda (FoK) admission is free, while a small admission charge ($5.00) applies to members of the public.

Please arrive 30 minutes before the talk is due to commence to enjoy light refreshments.

See here for transport options to the Walkway.

RSVPs/Payment

Those FoK attending should email admin@kokodawalkway.com.au a week before the talk, while others should complete the below payment form and submit before the talk.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback/suggestions (after attending a talk) please contact us.

Thank you to those FoK members and others who have attended our talks over the past two years – we appreciate your support!

2025 Update

The schedule for the first talks in 2025 is:

• Saturday 8 February (10.30am): Mark Dapin. The Emu War and other myths and misconceptions about Australian military history.
• Saturday 29 March (10.30am): Steve Preece. How the development of photography has shaped our perception of war.
• Saturday 14 June (10.30am): Ryan Butta. Adventurer, Digger, Spy – The many lives and tragic death of Harry Freame.

Download a flyer for these talks here.

2024

• 10 February. Dr Tom Lewis OAM: ‘The 1942 midget submarine raid on Sydney’. (55m 23s)
• 13 April. John Tannock:  ‘The installation of a monument to commemorate the Battle of Oivi/Gorari’. (1h 04m)
• 15 June. Dr Jan McLeod: ‘War Crime or Legitimate Act of War? The 1942 Japanese bombing of Allied medical establishments at Soputa in Papua’. (1hr 36m)
• 10 August. John Hall: ‘”Forgotten” facts: obscure wartime anecdotes’.(1hr 26m)
• 12 October. Dr David Stevens: ‘The German U-Boat campaign against Australia, 1944-45‘. (1hr 39m)
• 30 November. Dr Seamus Spark: ‘”White man’s war”: Papuan and New Guinean experiences of the Second World War’. (1h.02m)

2023

• Dr Jan McLeod: ‘Stout-hearted men’ (1:16mins).
• John Hall (KTMW Project Officer): ‘Game to Give it a Go’: the Italian POW Rural Labour Scheme in Australia 1943-1945. (1:20mins)
• Dr David W. Cameron: ‘The other Isurava – the Battle for Abuari’ (58m 41s)