One of the finest soldiers and most courageous leaders I have ever known. – Lt Doug McClean, D Coy, 39th Battalion If you have trekked Kokoda, then the campsite of Templeton's Crossing will be familiar. Discover the story of the man behind the name. Captain Sam Templeton was the first Australian Officer to be captured by the Japanese in the Kokoda Campaign. After being interrogated by his captors he was executed on the battlefield. Templeton had predicted his fate, telling a platoon commander, if ‘he went into action, he wouldn’t come back’. Having resigned himself to his destiny, Templeton misled his captors on the numerical strength of the Australian forces waiting in Kokoda and Port Moresby. Did Templeton’s misinformation slow the initial push by the Yokoyama Advance Force into the Owen Stanley Range, allowing the Australian Imperial Force to join the fight earlier? Did Templeton create doubt in the mind of the commander of the South Seas Force, influencing an operational change for the attack on Port Moresby? A quiet and often aloof character, Templeton’s name and actions became synonymous with Kokoda. Originally from Belfast, Templeton is reputed to have helped quash the Irish rebellion, served in submarines with the Royal Navy during the First World War and to have fought with the International Brigade in the Spanish Civil War. Kokoda Legend goes beyond the myth to discover the real contribution Captain Sam Templeton made to stopping the Japanese advance over the Owen Stanley Range in 1942.

Kokoda: Beyond the Legend provides readers with a complete understanding of this major turning point in the Second World War.

‘an engrossing narrative, beautifully controlled by a master storyteller' Michael McKernan, Sydney Morning Herald The bestselling, acclaimed, authoritative account of one of the most famous battles in Australian military history – now established as a classic. For Australians, Kokoda is the iconic battle of World War II, yet few people know just what happened – and just what our troops achieved. In his bestselling book, Peter FitzSimons tells the Kokoda story in his distinctive gripping style. Conditions on the track were hellish – rain was constant, the terrain close to inhospitable, food and ammunition supplies were practically non-existent and the men constantly battled malaria and dysentery, as well as the Japanese. Kokoda was a defining battle for Australia – a small force of young, ill-equipped Australians engaged a highly experienced and hitherto unstoppable Japanese force on a narrow, precarious jungle track – and defeated them.

Everything you need to know about the Kokoda Trail and its place in Australian history Interest in the Kokoda Trail is growing rapidly among many Australians, both for its attraction as a hiking destination and for its historical significance. Kokoda For Dummies offers a fast track tool for learning everything you need to know about this unique thoroughfare, in one concise volume. Part history book, part practical guide, Kokoda For Dummies is perfect both for those considering following our Diggers’ footsteps along ‘the track’ or armchair travellers who want to learn about its history. Covering the full history of the Kokoda Trail, from its beginnings as an overland mail route to the fierce battles between the Australians and the Japanese that took place along its length during World War II, the book also includes important information on walking the trail yourself. From the steps you need to take to get ready to what to bring, Kokoda For Dummies is the definitive resource for anyone looking for a comprehensive overview of this significant landmark. Focuses on walking the track as a pilgrimage and a history lesson for history buffs and hiking enthusiasts alike Covers the health and safety concerns involved with walking the track, including a basic Kokoda itinerary Contains eyewitness accounts of the Kokoda battles gleaned from interviews conducted with Australian and Japanese war veterans A comprehensive but accessible history of the Kokoda Trail and its significance to Australia, in one volume.

‘To walk the Kokoda Track is to undertake two journeys. The first starts at Owers’ Corner and undulates through 96 kilometres of primary jungle over the Owen Stanley Range until you reach the village of Kokoda on the other side. This journey is ordinarily taken in the company of others and with a backpack, which you may hire a porter to carry for you if you wish. The second journey began the moment you were born. It brings to the track baggage of a different kind. This you must carry yourself, and the journey you must make alone.’ So begins JFK Miller’s account of his ten-day jungle trek along Papua New Guinea’s Kokoda Track. The journey was effectively two journeys. The external journey was the physical ten-day trek over the track. The internal journey was the emotional aspect, including what Miller brought to the experience — the mental illness of depression — and what he gained from it.

Unveiling the inside story of how Paul Keating and John Howard changed Australia, this record presents these two personalities as conviction politicians, tribal warriors, and national interest patriots. Divided by belief, temperament, and party, they were united by generation, city, and the challenge to make Australia into a successful nation for the globalized age. The making of policy and the uses of power are explored, capturing the authentic nature of Australian politics as distinct from the polemics advanced by both sides. Focusing on how these prime ministers altered the nation's direction, this study also depicts how they redefined their parties and struggled over Australia's new economic, social, cultural, and foreign policy agendas. A sequel to the author’s bestselling The End of Certainty, this survey is based on more than 100 interviews with the two key players as well as other politicians, advisers, and public servants.

Japanese Major General Horii Tomitarô, commanding the South Seas Force, had the Australians on the back foot. Australia was holding the last defendable ridge in the Owen Stanley ranges, Imita Ridge. Horii to his distress was then given orders from Imperial Headquarters in Tokyo that he was to fall back across the mountains to the Japanese beachheads at Gona, Sanananda, and Buna, leaving a force between Templeton’s Crossing and Eora Creek to stop any Australian advance through the mountains. The Japanese, unknown to the Australians evacuated Ioribaiwa Ridge just before they launched their attacks and to their amazement on storming the heights, the Australians encountered no resistance – the Japanese had gone. This, however, did not mean the fighting on the Kokoda Track was over, far from it. Three more desperate actions would be fought by the Australians and Japanese, before the decisive battles for the Japanese beachheads could be decided – the battles for Templeton’s Crossing, Eora Creek, and finally the Oivi-Gorari positions on the northern lowland plains. Just 15-kilometres east lay the Kumusi River, the last geographical barrier before reaching the strongly fortified Japanese beachheads themselves.

Yet another great read from Garry Willmott. Small Farm Warriors is filled with lives and stories of men who contributed, in a special way, to the Australia we all know today. From the war-torn streets of France to emus in the Outback, from Kokoda to sheep farms - Garry tells us how these fellas fought and then worked to create a life for themselves and their new families. In some cases, this appears not to have worked so well and in others ... well, where would we be without their efforts on the land? I enjoyed this book and I learnt stuff I didn't know. Thanks, Garry. - Guy Walton, Singer-Songwriter For those with an interest in Australian Military History, this book not only draws one's interest to the life in the trenches of WW1 and to their sons in WW2 that occurred twenty years later but also the 'larrikinism' of the Aussie digger abroad during these periods in history. This book held my interest for its full length with just the right amount of all the emotions depicted. The ups and downs of the men both when serving and on their return to Australia. A well researched and written book which does not disguise the author's interest in the Soldier Settlers of Australia and Commonwealth countries. Definitely a good read. - G & F Threlfall

This book is about war, yet it's not a novel about enemies fighting to the death or examining the strategies of battles. This novel is about young boys some as young as eight, fighting, killing and being killed. The first six chapters follow the lives of two normal happy teenagers attending school, playing sport and learning about girls. This creates a comparative scenario highlighting the difference between a modern teenager and the boys that carry guns and fight in horrendous conditions, their innocence lost forever. Boy's Own War is a tightly woven, precise narrative that intertwines historical fact with both real and imagined characters. It is a novel that works on many levels, and it is impossible to locate it within any single genre; it is all the more impressive as it blends a considerable amount of informative research with elements of realistic human drama. It is an important book. Not only does it remind us of the courage and sacrifice of boy warriors who lost their lives in wars but also it reminds us of the significance of those wars and the effect they have had on humankind. By showing the waste and futility of war, and how children become entrenched in horrendous battles losing limbs and lives, Boy's Own War also seeks a more general lasting peace for humankind. This is an extraordinary story, one that provides insights into the dualities of human nature, especially against a background of war. Generally, parents nurture their children, educate them hoping they will become responsible adults. The parents of the boys in this book lost their children to the ultimate human evil... war. We are confronted with the potential within all of us for both heroism and cowardice, honesty and deception, altruism and greed; there is, in the intensity of wartime, a heightened awareness of moral dilemmas, choices between good and evil which have eternally confronted humankind.

Commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Battles in New Guinea David W. Cameron one of Australia's leading military historians new Kokoda Campaign series will take you from the Battle for Isurava to Port Morseby and finally the retaking of Kokoda. For the first time, these significant battles of Australian troops are comprehensively explored. After taking Kokoda Plateau in late July 1942, Japanese forces entered the Owen Stanley Range, their mission was to capture Port Moresby. After the battles for Deniki and Isurava, the Japanese pushed south through the mountains. The Australians were in a determined fighting withdrawal. After a delaying action at Templeton’s Crossing, they took up a position along Mission Ridge, south of Efogi Village. After two days of bloody hand-to-hand fighting, in a battle known as ‘Butcher’s Corner’, the Australians were again forced to withdraw. After further delaying actions, fewer than 300 Australians took up a position on Ioribaiwa Ridge, just 50-kilometres north of Port Moresby. They were reinforced by the 25th Brigade. After a week of fighting, the Japanese cut through the 25th, forcing the Australians to fall back to Imita Ridge, the last defensible ridge in the Owen Stanleys – immediately behind lay Port Moresby.