Mrs MAY (12:37 PM) —I have spoken on numerous times in this House on the Kokoda fundraising challenge that we launched on the Gold Coast in July this year. As part of that challenge, we launched the Kokoda Youth Leadership Program whereby we engaged with a number of young students on the Gold Coast. We worked with them in the community, they undertook the Kokoda Challenge and they made a commitment of four months training to undertake the walk at Kokoda in Papua New Guinea. Those young people have now returned home and we had a reception for them. We welcomed them home and heard some of the stories that they imparted to us. For most of them it was a real life-changing experience. They could not explain to us exactly what it had done to them but it had certainly changed their lives. It had brought together 12 young people—young men and women—in the spirit of mateship, sacrifice and endurance, as was the case with our young men during that first Kokoda walk.

I want to put on the record today some comments by one of the young men who was on the Kokoda Challenge walk—Tomas Perzelt or TP, as we have come to know him. TP has had a few challenges in his life and I think the chance to go to PNG and undertake the walk has certainly given him a new perspective on life. TP started out by thanking Mr Wal Murphy of the Nerang RSL subbranch and Mr Terry Macdonald, who was the Nerang RSL president, for their help in organising the trek. TP said:

I am afraid the number went back to 12—

I think those words today truly sum up what those young people felt when they were out on the Kokoda Track, how it has given them a new insight into their own lives and the challenges they are facing in their own lives at school. They have also committed to giving back to their communities over the next 12 months and working with the leadership kids that we select for Kokoda next year.

I think the House would agree that it has been an extremely worthy program. Those young people have learnt something of the history of Australia. They have learnt how important Kokoda is to the history of this country. We on the Gold Coast are very hopeful that by empowering those young people with the history of our country, with the history of Kokoda, they will be able to work with and educate other young people on the Gold Coast. We, as a group, look forward to working with those young people with their training next year, with the kids whom we will send up to PNG next year as part of the Kokoda Youth Leadership Program. I commend every one of those children who were involved in the leadership program, each of the kids who completed the walk at PNG. They have all done a tremendous job in representing our country and our history.