Bec’s Unhinged Trek to Kokoda for Soldier On

Bec’s Unhinged Trek to Kokoda for Soldier On

Tuesday 8th Sep

Well… this is actually happening.

In May 2027, I’m going to Papua New Guinea to walk the Kokoda Track.

Even typing that feels completely surreal.

Anyone who knows me or follows Bec’s Unhinged knows that I can usually find something stupid to say about almost anything. And believe me, over the next eight months of training there will probably be plenty of swearing, whinging and questioning exactly what the hell I’ve signed myself up for.

But the reason I’m doing this is something I take incredibly seriously.

I have always had an enormous amount of respect for the men and women who have served our country.

For those who left Australia and never came home.

For the families who received the news that their son, daughter, husband, wife, brother, sister, mum or dad wasn’t coming back.

For those who DID come home, but brought parts of the battlefield home with them.

And for every veteran today who carries things the rest of us may never completely understand.

That’s why I’m incredibly proud that this journey will support Soldier On and the work they do for veterans and their families.

There’s also something incredibly powerful about doing this on Kokoda.

I’m going to walk through places where Australians fought, suffered, sacrificed and died. I’ll stand at places like Isurava and Brigade Hill and eventually travel through to Buna.

I know I will never truly understand what those soldiers endured. Walking the same ground more than 80 years later, with proper equipment, food, support and the knowledge that I get to go home afterwards, could never compare.

And I don’t want to pretend that it does. For me, walking Kokoda is about respect.

It’s about remembering the people who never got the opportunity to grow old.

It’s about acknowledging those who returned home carrying wounds you can see and wounds you can’t.

And it’s about doing something now for the veterans who are still here.

From now until I leave in May, I’m going to document this whole bloody journey  the training, the good days, the shit days, the milestones and probably the occasional moment where I’m halfway up a hill wondering why I didn’t choose a nice charity sausage sizzle instead.

But having this fundraiser running from the beginning means something else too.

It makes me accountable.

Every donation is going to remind me why I’m training.

If someone puts $5, $20 or $100 behind this because they believe in what Soldier On does, then on the weeks when I’m tired, sore or simply cannot be bothered putting my shoes on, I’m going to remember that.

This isn’t just about me getting to the end of Kokoda.

I want us to raise something we can all be incredibly proud of.

So whether you donate, share this page, follow the journey or eventually decide you’re crazy enough to come and walk it with me thank you.

To every Australian who served and never made it home, we remember you.

To those who made it home, thank you.

And to those who are still carrying the weight of their service today, this one is for you.

My Road to Kokoda starts now. 🇦🇺

Let’s bloody do this.

Bec ❤️

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