Friday 4 May 2012

ADVICE TO KOKODA TREKKERS

I have been a Kokoda Trek leader for 5 years when I was not busy in Port Moresby. During that time, I have been trek leader or assistant leader for 14 treks.

I enjoy trekking Kokoda for a number of reasons. Having lived in this country for 18 years, I enjoy spending up to 8 days with a group of Australians.

My Aussie sense of humour returns within 20 minutes. I also welcome the chance to remember the sacrifice of the Australian soldiers.

I also remember my father and uncle who fought in the Middle East and New Guinea as gunners of 4th Light Ack Ack of the 9th Division AIF. They were stationed on the same gun.

My father also fought on the troopships Queen Mary and Ile de France on route to and from the Middle East. He came back from the war bitter about the role of the militia or chocos.

As a young boy, the issue of chocos was part of my life. But the AIF was not well informed about the militia on Kokoda, Buna and Gona. My father died of hypertension at 53 years old like LTCOL Cameron.

BRIEFINGS FOR KOKODA TREKKERS: AUSTRALIANS FIGHT ... 

briefingsforkokodatrekkers.blogspot.com/.../australians-fighting-aust...Cached
30 Apr 2011 – This website sets out a range of problems that Kokoda trekkers will face
on the track and ways that the problems can be overcome. There will ...

BRIEFINGS FOR KOKODA TREKKERS: CHOCOLATE CREAM ... 

briefingsforkokodatrekkers.blogspot.com/.../chocolate-cream-soldier...Cached 
27 Mar 2011 – This website sets out a range of problems that Kokoda trekkers will
face on the ... He shouted that the bloody chocos were fighting on Kokoda.

I stopped regularly trekking about 3 years ago after falling down a cliff at the base of Brigade Hill.

My fall may have been the last straw as the track has been detoured to avoid the rock in the creek on which we find the Damian Parer memorial.

BRIEFINGS FOR KOKODA TREKKERS: FELL FOR A WOMAN ON ...

briefingsforkokodatrekkers.blogspot.com/.../fell-for-woman-on-kok...Cached
10 Apr 2011 – This website sets out a range of problems that Kokoda trekkers will
face on the track and ways that the problems can be overcome. There will ...

In Port Moresby, I run a care organization called AIDS Holistics after my son and his mother died of AIDS. We promote Positive Living in families which is the only option for most, if not all PNG people.

In doing so, I have run foul of Australian advisors who have tried to set up a gay and lesbian agenda by squashing the family agenda.

They very much oppose a family message. I wonder how many Kokoda soldiers fought to protect their families from Japanese invasion.

I believe that I have stayed with the Positive Living message with strength and courage. Perhaps I always have in mind the courage of Australian soldiers in New Guinea and elsewhere. I am my father's son.

I have great admiration for many soldiers on Kokoda, particularly LTCOL Ralph Honner. Trekking Kokoda helps me go on when the load is heavy. HIV/AIDS support has at times been a heavy load.

I was once asked by pastors of the Seventh Day Adventist Church to give briefings on HIV/AIDS to Kokoda villagers. This was not a wise move in some ways.

There was a campaign by Australian gays and lesbians to blacken my name among Kokoda trekking groups and intimidate them from using me as a trek leader.

They set up a fake email in my name and sent obscene emails to women. The report Re: About HIV activist below seems to refer to this. It is all a bit lower class and rat cunning.

Obscene emails are not really my style. One lady brought it all unstuck on receiving a batch of hate emails: Please click:

GREAT LADY SPEAKS OUT

Re: About HIV Activist & Kokoda Trekker Bruce Copeland, anti-PNG ...
www.voy.com/29589/416.htmlCached
15 Apr 2012 – In reply to: Campaign against spammers against Papua New Guineans 's
message, "About HIV Activist & Kokoda Trekker Bruce Copeland, ...

They wanted to cut off all sources of funding for AIDS Holistics. There was once a trekking group of gays who seemed to know me before they came. They gave severe problems on the track. But they had a hidden agenda I am sure.

I have been an army officer for 22 years and involved with PNG for much of that time. I worked at the RAAF School of Languages for 14 years preparing almost 4000 Australian and New Zealand service personnel for postings to PNG.

FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS: TOK PISIN FOR ...
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/.../tok-pisin-for-aussie-defence-an...Cached
25 Aug 2011 – TOK PISIN FOR AUSSIE DEFENCE AND FAMILIES. This blogspot is ... The
children attended the international schools. ... A terse response came back from the Commanding
Officer to say that he was not interested in teaching broken English. After all ...

I taught them Tok Pisin and helped them to understand the culture of the nation. In 1985, I was awarded the 10 Year Independence Medal for service to the PNGDF.

MASTERY LEARNING FOR PNGDF TRAINING - FAMILY POSITIVE ...
familypositiveliving.blogspot.com/.../mastery-learning-for-pngdf-trai...Cached
10 Sep 2011 – FAMILY POSITIVE LIVING - AIDS HOLISTICS ... MASTERY
LEARNING FOR PNGDF TRAINING ... Ah, PNG, the land of the expected.

I have contributed to the Kokoda trekking with briefings on Google. I hope that my
advice is practical and helpful to all intending trekkers. Several people died on the
track in recent years.

BRIEFINGS FOR KOKODA TREKKERS: NO NEED TO DIE ON ...

briefingsforkokodatrekkers.blogspot.com/.../no-need-to-die-on-koko...Cached
25 Mar 2011 – NO NEED TO DIE ON KOKODA. Trekkers should know what to expect on
Kokoda . They will move with a group of trekkers who may want to ..Now I have the same long
term commitment to the PNG people in helping them to survive the world AIDS pandemic.

BRIEFINGS FOR KOKODA TREKKERS: GIVE THE 53RD A FAIR ...
briefingsforkokodatrekkers.blogspot.com/.../give-53rd-fair-go-mate....Cached
8 Apr 2011 – This website sets out a range of problems that Kokoda trekkers will face on
the track and ways that the problems can be overcome. There will ...

BRIEFINGS FOR KOKODA TREKKERS: GUIDANCE FOR NEW ...
briefingsforkokodatrekkers.blogspot.com/.../guidance-for-new-trek-l...Cached
23 Apr 2011 – This website sets out a range of problems that Kokoda trekkers
will face on ..... AIDS Holistics and help people of PNG suffering from HIV/AIDS.

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