Spirit of Kokoda, The (New Edition)

Description

The Spirit of Kokoda celebrates the remarkable achievements of the Diggers who fought battles along one of the most difficult pieces of terrain on earth. This revised edition contains a new intro and foreword, a 'virtual trek' and more photos. 1942 was the year that Australia lost its innocence. By the time the Australian Diggers faced the Japanese invaders in Papua New Guinea, any impartial observer would surely have concluded the Allies had already lost the war. By mid-1942, the Japanese conquests had far exceeded Hitler's, controlling a part of the world three times the size of Europe and the US combined. They were, literally, at Australia's doorstep. Most of the Australians on the Kokoda Track were about 18 years old, and most had never held a gun, let alone fired a shot. Outnumbered six to one, they nonetheless managed to force the Japanese to 'advance to the rear'- the Japanese do not have a word for 'retreat'. The Sydney Swans use the Track as part of a mentorship program, and to help lend some structure to their young players' lives. The book contains accounts by the Swans who have done the trek.

After a long career as a print and television journalist, Patrick Lindsay has also become one of Australia's leading non-fiction authors. Among his published books are: The Spirit of Kokoda (Hardie Grant), the story of the battles which saved Australia in WWII; TheEssence of Kokoda, a concise guide to the Kokoda story; The Spirit of Gallipoli. Cosgrove... Portrait of a Leader; Kokoda Spirit exploring the spirit of the Diggers of Kokoda in words and images; and The Coastwatchers covering the story of the remarkable band of men and women who reported on the Japanese operations, many from behind enemy lines, during WWII. Prior to writing full time, Patrick spent 20 years in network television as a reporter, presenter, producer and writer. During that time he had leading roles on the Nine Network, Foxtel's Lifestyle Channel and the Seven Network. He has also reported, written and presented documentaries and feature series in Los Angeles, New York, Hawaii, France, Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, London, Romania and Papua New Guinea. He wrote and directed the acclaimed documentaries, Kokoda... the Bloody Track and Kokoda... The Last Parade. Patrick devised the format for the highly-successful documentary TV series, In Their Footsteps, broadcast on the Nine Network in 2011. Patrick is a founding director and Chairman of the Kokoda Track Foundation Ltd (see www.ktf.ngo), an Australian philanthropic organisation that aims to repay the selfless help given to Australia during World War II by the beloved Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels of Papua New Guinea by helping to improve the lives and futures of their descendants. In 2015, Patrick was named a Member of the Order of Australia for 'significant service to the media as a television presenter and journalist, to international relations, and to literature as an author'. Patrick and his wife Lisa Cotton live in Sydney. He has three grown-up children, Nathan, Kate and Sarah and one grandson, Lucas.