¤ ¤ 00:00:01.96\00:00:29.89 I'm standing on what is considered sacred ground 00:00:29.92\00:00:32.86 by many Australians. This is the village of Kokoda on the 00:00:32.89\00:00:38.33 northern slopes of the Owen Stanley mountain range in 00:00:38.37\00:00:40.97 Papua New Guinea. The name Kokoda is significant to 00:00:41.00\00:00:46.21 Australia because many Australians fought and died here 00:00:46.24\00:00:49.21 in World War II. This village gave its name to a track that 00:00:49.24\00:00:54.88 snakes its way for about 100 km south from here to Ower's 00:00:54.92\00:00:59.39 corner near Port Moresby the capital of Papua New Guinea. The 00:00:59.42\00:01:04.93 Kokoda track or trail is a narrow precarious path that 00:01:04.96\00:01:09.96 winds through some of the most inhospitable and isolated 00:01:10.00\00:01:13.20 terrain on earth. It crosses high rugged mountains, drops 00:01:13.23\00:01:17.77 down into deep valleys and passes through fast flowing 00:01:17.81\00:01:21.71 rivers. It cuts through dense jungle that's infested with 00:01:21.74\00:01:26.68 snakes, leeches, mosquitoes and other nasty bloodsucking insects 00:01:26.72\00:01:29.58 The track is often drenched by tropical storms that make it wet 00:01:29.62\00:01:35.59 muddy, slippery and dangerous. It's really hard going. The 00:01:35.62\00:01:40.70 steep gradients are demanding and exhausting. It was on the 00:01:40.73\00:01:47.17 Kokoda track under hellish conditions that a small force of 00:01:47.20\00:01:51.44 young, ill-equipped and under- trained Australians held off the 00:01:51.47\00:01:54.81 Japanese army and stopped it from advancing along the track 00:01:54.84\00:01:58.58 towards mainland Australia. The fighting was desperate and 00:01:58.61\00:02:04.82 vicious. The Australian troops were wounded and exhausted 00:02:04.85\00:02:08.92 beyond belief. But somehow they always managed to find that 00:02:08.96\00:02:13.56 extra bit of spirit to fight on with the help of angels, angels 00:02:13.60\00:02:19.60 with black faces and frizzy hear local people that they 00:02:19.63\00:02:23.24 affectionately called fuzzy wuzzy angels because of their 00:02:23.27\00:02:27.74 compassion, care and dedication. Their story will surprise you 00:02:27.78\00:02:33.92 and inspire you. 00:02:33.95\00:02:36.85 ¤ ¤ 00:02:36.89\00:02:48.46 (gunfire) 00:02:48.50\00:02:54.60 War came to the Pacific in December 1941. The Japanese 00:02:54.64\00:02:58.54 attacked Pearl Harbor, invaded the Malay peninsula and bombed 00:02:58.71\00:03:04.11 Singapore. After capturing Singapore in February 1942, 00:03:04.15\00:03:08.28 they next planned to advance southeast and capture Port 00:03:08.32\00:03:12.55 Moresby with a seaborne attack using their navy. However their 00:03:12.59\00:03:18.06 plans were disrupted when the American naval victories in the 00:03:18.09\00:03:22.43 Battle of the Coral Sea in May and in Midway in early June 00:03:22.46\00:03:26.13 broke the dominance of the Japanese navy in the Pacific. 00:03:26.17\00:03:30.07 But this setback didn't change Japan's plans. Their goal was 00:03:30.11\00:03:36.44 still to establish a stronghold in Port Moresby and if they 00:03:36.48\00:03:40.32 couldn't do it through their navy then they'd do it through 00:03:40.35\00:03:44.12 their army by marching overland along the Kokoda track and 00:03:44.15\00:03:49.29 across the Owen Stanley ranges from here the northern shore of 00:03:49.32\00:03:53.23 Papua New Guinea. On the 21st of July 1942 Japanese troops 00:03:53.26\00:03:59.43 landed here in the Gona Sanananda area and established a 00:03:59.47\00:04:04.84 beachhead. A full scale offensive was soon underway as 00:04:04.87\00:04:08.94 they moved south towards Port Moresby. The Kokoda campaign 00:04:08.98\00:04:13.28 had begun. It consisted of a series of fierce battles fought 00:04:13.31\00:04:24.49 along the Kokoda track over four months between July and November 00:04:24.53\00:04:30.57 1942. The Australians were determined to stop the Japanese 00:04:30.60\00:04:34.57 advance along the track and prevent them from establishing 00:04:34.60\00:04:38.21 a base in Port Moresby that would threaten Australia and 00:04:38.24\00:04:42.68 leave it isolated and vulnerable Kokoda was the defining battle 00:04:42.71\00:04:48.82 for Australia and perhaps the most significant campaign fought 00:04:48.85\00:04:52.22 by Australians in World War II. More Australians died in the 00:04:52.25\00:04:56.86 months fighting in Papua New Guinea than in any other 00:04:56.89\00:05:01.30 campaign of the war. Conditions along the track were horrific. 00:05:01.33\00:05:08.00 The terrain was steep and inhospitable, the rain was 00:05:08.04\00:05:11.61 constant, the track was muddy, slippery and treacherous. Food 00:05:11.64\00:05:16.64 and ammunition supplies were practically nonexistent. The 00:05:16.68\00:05:21.05 Australian troops were young, inexperienced and poorly 00:05:21.08\00:05:25.62 equipped and they constantly battled malaria and dysentery as 00:05:25.65\00:05:29.99 well as the Japanese. Australia's 39th battalion along 00:05:30.03\00:05:34.86 with elements of the Papuan infantry battalion were the 00:05:34.90\00:05:38.23 first to engage the advancing Japanese in a series of short 00:05:38.27\00:05:43.27 but critical encounters. They were part of the so-called 00:05:43.30\00:05:47.51 Maroubra force. The 39th battalion was under strength 00:05:47.54\00:05:51.21 consisting of only around 600 men and many of them were 18 00:05:51.25\00:05:56.35 and 19-year-olds who were involved in battle for the very 00:05:56.38\00:06:00.49 first time. The Japanese advanced southwards into the 00:06:00.52\00:06:06.03 foothills of the Owen Stanley mountain range and after a 00:06:06.06\00:06:09.76 fierce battle against an Australian force that was out 00:06:09.80\00:06:13.70 numbered, outgunned, and out equipped, they captured the 00:06:13.74\00:06:17.24 village of Kokoda along with its strategically vital airfield. 00:06:17.27\00:06:21.28 From Kokoda, the Australians fell into a long fighting 00:06:21.31\00:06:26.68 withdrawal along the track across the Owen Stanley range. 00:06:26.72\00:06:31.65 They were determined to resist the Japanese advance as much as 00:06:31.69\00:06:35.02 possible, ambushing, delaying, counter attacking and 00:06:35.06\00:06:41.03 frustrating the enemy as best they could. There were major 00:06:41.06\00:06:43.83 battles at Isuarava, Fisher Ridge and Brigade Hill. But the 00:06:43.87\00:06:48.30 Japanese juggernaut continued its relentless advance 00:06:48.34\00:06:53.07 southwards toward Port Moresby. A desperately tired but 00:06:53.11\00:06:56.91 determined Australian forces kept continually defending, 00:06:56.95\00:07:00.82 retreating and counter-attacking until they came to Imater Ridge. 00:07:00.85\00:07:05.99 Here, with Port Moresby virtually insight, the 00:07:06.02\00:07:11.69 Australians dug in to make a final stand. This ridge was the 00:07:11.73\00:07:16.56 last natural defensive position before defeat. There was nowhere 00:07:16.60\00:07:21.37 else to go. The time had come. The moment of destiny had 00:07:21.40\00:07:27.54 arrived. The Japanese held the opposite ridge at Deoebama. This 00:07:27.58\00:07:33.58 was the final showdown. But now the tables had turned. The 00:07:33.62\00:07:39.85 Japanese were at the end of a long desperately tiring march. 00:07:39.89\00:07:43.46 Their supply lines were stretched to the limit. They 00:07:43.49\00:07:48.23 were exhausted and the Australians had one last-ditch 00:07:48.26\00:07:54.10 surprise for the Japanese. They had laboriously dragged 25 00:07:54.14\00:07:59.31 powder guns up from Port Moresby and suddenly they opened fire on 00:07:59.34\00:08:04.85 the Japanese positions. That was the turning point of the Kokoda 00:08:04.88\00:08:10.79 campaign. The Australian shelling smashed the Japanese 00:08:10.82\00:08:16.06 barricades. Ioribaiwa was as far as the Japanese advanced. From 00:08:16.09\00:08:21.53 that time on the Japanese began a long retreat back along the 00:08:21.56\00:08:26.27 track to Kokoda and back to the sea with the Australians 00:08:26.30\00:08:31.27 pursuing them and attacking them the whole time. Now it was the 00:08:31.31\00:08:37.11 turn of the Japanese to experience what the Australians 00:08:37.15\00:08:40.58 had put up with during the proceeding months. 00:08:40.62\00:08:43.99 The Australians drove the Japanese back to Gona and 00:08:44.02\00:08:47.32 Sanananda and the northern shore of Papua New Guinea and by the 00:08:47.36\00:08:51.96 22nd of January 1943 all organized resistance by the 00:08:51.99\00:08:57.70 Japanese in Papua New Guinea had ceased. In the fierce and 00:08:57.73\00:09:03.91 desperate battles along the Kokoda track more than 600 00:09:03.94\00:09:08.24 Australians were killed and 1600 wounded with a further 4000 00:09:08.28\00:09:13.82 casualties due to sickness and disease. But those figures would 00:09:13.85\00:09:19.15 have been a lot higher and the outcome of the Kokoda campaign 00:09:19.19\00:09:22.92 far different if it were not for the help of the local people who 00:09:22.96\00:09:27.66 the Australians affectionately referred to as fuzzy wuzzy 00:09:27.70\00:09:32.07 angels. During those grueling days of the Kokoda campaign 00:09:32.10\00:09:35.17 thousands of local natives from along the track and further 00:09:35.20\00:09:40.74 afield were employed as carriers or porters. They 00:09:40.78\00:09:45.35 carried food, weapons, ammunition, equipment, supplies 00:09:45.38\00:09:49.28 and medicines, in fact all that was required for the war effort 00:09:49.32\00:09:52.75 forward along the track to the front lines. They walked long 00:09:52.79\00:09:57.96 distances with heavy loads and then these brave and selfless 00:09:57.99\00:10:02.40 men would turn around and carry the increasing number of sick 00:10:02.43\00:10:07.84 and wounded back through the mud to safety using stretchers or 00:10:07.87\00:10:12.17 supporting and guiding those who could walk. These fuzzy wuzzy 00:10:12.21\00:10:16.58 angels were named for both their frizzy hair and their kind 00:10:16.61\00:10:20.48 helpful role. But they hadn't always had a caring and 00:10:20.52\00:10:24.82 compassionate reputation. Most of the fuzzy wuzzy angels 00:10:24.85\00:10:29.62 belonged to the Koiari tribe who lived in the villages along 00:10:29.66\00:10:32.69 the Kokoda track. Traditionally the Koiari were a hostile and 00:10:32.73\00:10:38.00 warlike people who had a reputation for bloodshed and 00:10:38.03\00:10:41.80 violence. They were feared by the neighboring tribes. But 00:10:41.84\00:10:46.27 early in the 20th century an amazing transformation took 00:10:46.31\00:10:51.88 place. In 1908, the first Christian missionaries moved 00:10:51.91\00:10:57.99 into the Koiari area and established the Bisiatabu 00:10:58.02\00:11:02.32 mission station near the entrance to the Kokoda track. 00:11:02.36\00:11:05.19 Under the leadership of Septimus Carr, they built schools and 00:11:05.23\00:11:09.93 taught the people to read and write. They built medical 00:11:09.96\00:11:13.84 clinics shared the principles of health, hygiene, and clean 00:11:13.87\00:11:19.27 living. They built churches where the Christian message of 00:11:19.31\00:11:22.04 grace, commandment-keeping, temperance, peace, and 00:11:22.08\00:11:26.82 compassion was preached. Then in 1924 pioneer Seventh-day 00:11:26.85\00:11:33.22 Adventist missionary William Lock and his family moved inland 00:11:33.25\00:11:37.53 along the Kokoda track to the village of Efogi. There they set 00:11:37.56\00:11:41.73 up a clinic and a mission school and soon the Christian message 00:11:41.76\00:11:45.63 of peace and kindness spread throughout the region and was 00:11:45.67\00:11:49.77 embraced by the other villages along the Kokoda track. The 00:11:49.80\00:11:54.84 people had been transformed. Bloodshed and violence was 00:11:54.88\00:11:59.75 replaced by peace and kindness. When the war came to the Kokoda 00:11:59.78\00:12:04.09 track villages in 1942 the changes that Christianity had 00:12:04.12\00:12:09.42 made to the people's lives came through. The war had a 00:12:09.46\00:12:14.30 devastating effect on the local people. Their villages were 00:12:14.33\00:12:18.13 bombed, their homes burned, their gardens destroyed, their 00:12:18.17\00:12:22.87 livestock shot. They were displaced, yet through 00:12:22.90\00:12:26.51 it all they remained faithful to the Christian message of peace 00:12:26.54\00:12:30.95 and compassion and loyal to the people who shared it with them. 00:12:30.98\00:12:35.92 Historian Alan Smith highlights this: 00:12:35.95\00:12:39.45 This view is confirmed by the descendants of the fuzzy wuzzy 00:13:00.61\00:13:04.58 angels today. Many of them continue their family tradition 00:13:04.61\00:13:08.85 of carrying supplies for Australians along the Kokoda 00:13:08.88\00:13:13.49 track, only now it's for the thousands of tourists who walk 00:13:13.52\00:13:17.86 the track each year. 00:13:17.89\00:13:20.83 ¤natives singing¤ 00:13:20.86\00:13:32.57 My grandfather was the fuzzy wuzzy angel who helped the 00:13:32.61\00:13:37.01 Australians carry their food stuffs and their wounded people 00:13:37.05\00:13:41.42 to the nearest clinic hospital to be treated. 00:13:41.45\00:13:45.55 When the missionaries 00:13:45.59\00:13:46.92 first came into Papua New Guinea they started schools so that we 00:13:46.96\00:13:49.72 can know how to read and write. And they also taught us how to 00:13:49.76\00:13:53.93 live a better life. And then they also teach us how to live 00:13:53.96\00:13:58.30 and help each other like Jesus. So when they saw the wounded 00:13:58.33\00:14:01.07 they wanted to be like Jesus so when they needed to help the 00:14:01.10\00:14:04.61 wounded out of the jungles to hospital. 00:14:04.64\00:14:09.48 My name is Peter Iga and I've been working with Koiari people 00:14:09.51\00:14:13.98 and working for the Koiari people most of my life. When the 00:14:14.02\00:14:18.05 war came they had been Christians for some time now and 00:14:18.09\00:14:20.29 therefore they wanted to show their kind of love that they 00:14:20.32\00:14:24.13 heard about Jesus from the missionaries. 00:14:24.16\00:14:26.36 The local people's positive attitude, respect and loyalty 00:14:26.39\00:14:32.13 toward the Australian missionaries was transferred to 00:14:32.17\00:14:35.94 the Australian troops. The Christian Koiari villages along 00:14:35.97\00:14:40.61 the Kokoda track saw the Australians as neighbors and 00:14:40.64\00:14:44.15 natural allies and volunteered for the allied cause. This is 00:14:44.18\00:14:50.15 demonstrated by a report by Robin McKary, an Australian 00:14:50.19\00:14:53.76 commander in this region. He said this: 00:14:53.79\00:14:57.13 This loyalty was also experienced by 00:15:41.54\00:15:44.11 Lieutenant R.W. MclIRay. He was in a group of five Australian 00:15:44.14\00:15:48.44 soldiers that was cut off behind enemy lines here in the Menari 00:15:49.21\00:15:53.72 village while out on patrol. They were in serious danger but 00:15:53.75\00:15:58.39 were found and guided to safety by local Christian villagers 00:15:58.42\00:16:02.66 from Menari. Soon after their rescue Lt. MclIRay wrote a 00:16:02.69\00:16:08.80 letter of appreciation: 00:16:08.83\00:16:10.17 The positive influence of the Australian Christian missionary 00:16:45.17\00:16:47.57 and the Lock family in particular is one of the major 00:16:47.60\00:16:52.77 reasons the Australian forces managed to get so many local 00:16:52.81\00:16:57.05 native carriers in such a short space of time and 00:16:57.08\00:16:59.65 why the carriers 00:16:59.68\00:17:01.02 worked so hard for so long in such atrocious conditions. 00:17:01.05\00:17:07.82 In this terrible war without mercy fought back and forth 00:17:07.86\00:17:11.69 along kilometers of mountains, jungles and river crossings with 00:17:11.73\00:17:16.36 the Australian soldiers wracked by hunger and disease and 00:17:16.40\00:17:20.64 terrified of falling into enemy hands, the local people, the 00:17:20.67\00:17:26.34 carriers rose up and reached out to them with raw compassion and 00:17:26.37\00:17:31.68 care. They were heroes who showed selflessness and courage 00:17:31.71\00:17:35.65 in times of fear and hardship. And in particular they displayed 00:17:35.68\00:17:41.22 remarkable kindness and care assisting wounded and sick 00:17:41.26\00:17:44.99 Australian soldiers through the mud to safety. The fuzzy wuzzy 00:17:45.03\00:17:53.94 angles gained a reputation for dedication, gentleness and 00:17:53.97\00:17:58.57 bravery that inspired Australian soldiers to send home poems and 00:17:58.61\00:18:04.05 reports of the help along the muddy and treacherous track 00:18:04.08\00:18:07.48 over the Owen Stanley Range. One of the most famous was a poem 00:18:07.52\00:18:12.92 written by an Australian combat engineer Bert Buras called 00:18:12.95\00:18:18.49 Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels: 00:18:18.53\00:18:20.00 It's not surprising that when a mother back in Australia read 00:19:32.73\00:19:36.74 these words, she was moved to write this touching response to 00:19:36.77\00:19:40.88 the challenge in the poem: 00:19:40.91\00:19:43.35 Another Australian soldier at the time expressed his gratitude 00:20:48.84\00:20:52.91 to the fuzzy wuzzy angels this way: 00:20:52.95\00:20:55.15 Captain John Carthy agreed with these sentiments of 00:21:15.70\00:21:19.57 gratitude. He said: 00:21:19.61\00:21:22.91 Paul Keating, the former prime minister of Australia recognized 00:21:31.92\00:21:36.02 the vital role of the fuzzy wuzzy angels. At the 50th 00:21:36.06\00:21:39.83 anniversary of the Kokoda campaign, he said: 00:21:39.86\00:21:43.20 Yes, the fuzzy wuzzy angels became endeared to the 00:22:16.50\00:22:23.00 Australian people because of their gentleness, kindness and 00:22:23.04\00:22:26.21 care that they showed to sick and wounded Australians as they 00:22:26.24\00:22:29.61 carried them to safety along the muddy and treacherous Kokoda 00:22:29.64\00:22:33.82 track. But they weren't always like that. Not long before they 00:22:33.85\00:22:39.29 were a warlike, blood thirsty people. What changed them? What 00:22:39.32\00:22:44.56 was it that turned violent warriors into fuzzy wuzzy angels 00:22:44.59\00:22:49.00 of mercy. It was the Bible and the message of Jesus. They found 00:22:49.03\00:22:54.74 joy and fulfillment in accepting Jesus and following his 00:22:54.77\00:22:59.37 teachings. The transformation of individuals and tribes can be 00:22:59.41\00:23:04.35 attributed to the Bible and one man, Jesus Christ. They were 00:23:04.38\00:23:09.55 changed when they met Jesus Christ and let him guide their 00:23:09.58\00:23:13.89 lives. Christianity and its message is still relevant today 00:23:13.92\00:23:18.29 and the Bible and it's message still changes people today. 00:23:18.33\00:23:23.03 That's why the Bible is called the Living Word of God. It 00:23:23.06\00:23:28.54 carries an amazing power with it wherever it goes, a power that 00:23:28.57\00:23:33.24 changes lives, transforms character, gives strength to the 00:23:33.27\00:23:37.35 weak, courage to the depressed and hope to the dying. No one 00:23:37.38\00:23:43.22 can read the Bible faithfully every day without God's book 00:23:43.25\00:23:48.59 changing them and if you spend time each day reading the Bible 00:23:48.62\00:23:51.36 it will change you too. Jesus spent his time changing people. 00:23:51.39\00:23:58.73 That's the heart of the Christian religion and it's the 00:23:58.77\00:24:01.40 heart of the Bible, the secret of its power. Jesus knew what 00:24:01.44\00:24:06.71 power it was that changed people Listen to what he said in 00:24:06.74\00:24:11.51 John chapter 8 and verse 32: 00:24:11.55\00:24:14.72 It's truth that sets people free that changes people. It's the 00:24:21.56\00:24:26.09 truth that makes a drunkard a sober and loving father. It's 00:24:26.13\00:24:30.30 truth that frees the drug abuser. It's the truth that 00:24:30.33\00:24:35.70 transforms tempers and gives integrity and purpose in life. 00:24:35.74\00:24:39.27 Millions of lives have been changed as people have studied 00:24:39.31\00:24:45.51 the Bible. No greater power exists in the world to touch 00:24:45.55\00:24:48.52 hearts and change lives. If you'd like to experience the joy 00:24:48.55\00:24:53.92 and fulfillment that comes from accepting Jesus and following 00:24:53.96\00:24:57.93 his teachings why not invite him into your life today as we pray? 00:24:57.96\00:25:03.87 Our dear heavenly Father, thank you for your word, the Bible. We 00:25:03.90\00:25:10.27 want to experience the power, the life changing power that's 00:25:10.31\00:25:14.48 in the Bible. We'd like you to begin changing us today and 00:25:14.51\00:25:19.68 every day from now on. We want to surrender our lives to you. 00:25:19.71\00:25:23.65 We want to learn to live our lives in your love and be filled 00:25:23.69\00:25:28.59 with your love and compassion. Help us to accept others just as 00:25:28.62\00:25:33.80 you've accepted us. Help us to love others unconditionally just 00:25:33.83\00:25:39.13 as you loved us. Help us to forgive others totally just as 00:25:39.17\00:25:44.71 you've forgiven us. Help us to value others as much as you 00:25:44.74\00:25:49.01 value us. We ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. 00:25:49.04\00:25:56.28 If you'd like to get closer to God, live a better life and find 00:25:56.32\00:26:00.66 true peace and happiness then I'd like to recommend a free 00:26:00.69\00:26:04.23 gift we have for all our viewers today. It's the book Secrets of 00:26:04.26\00:26:11.23 True Greatness. This book is our gift to you and is absolutely 00:26:11.27\00:26:15.44 free. There are no costs or obligations whatsoever. 00:26:15.47\00:26:19.51 Thousands have been blessed and inspired by this book, Secrets 00:26:19.54\00:26:24.55 of True Greatness. So make the most of this wonderful 00:26:24.58\00:26:28.52 opportunity to receive the gift we have for you today. Here's 00:26:28.55\00:26:33.02 the information you need: Phone or text us at 0436333555 in 00:26:33.05\00:26:42.26 Australia or 0204222042 in New Zealand or visit our website 00:26:42.30\00:26:50.47 www.tij.tv to request today's free offer and we'll send it to 00:26:50.51\00:26:57.78 you totally free of charge and with no obligation. 00:26:57.81\00:27:02.32 Write to us at: 00:27:02.35\00:27:20.97 Don't delay. Call or text us now 00:27:21.00\00:27:24.91 If you've enjoyed today's journey to Papua New Guinea and 00:27:24.94\00:27:29.88 along the Kokoda track and our reflections on the Bible and its 00:27:29.91\00:27:35.02 power to change lives for the better and bring joy and 00:27:35.05\00:27:39.02 happiness, be sure to join us again next week. Until then 00:27:39.05\00:27:42.39 remember the ultimate destination of life's journey. 00:27:42.42\00:27:46.59 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth. And God will wipe away 00:27:46.63\00:27:51.03 every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death 00:27:51.07\00:27:54.04 nor sorrow nor crying. There shall be no more pain for the 00:27:54.07\00:27:58.21 former things have passed away. 00:27:58.24\00:28:01.68 ¤men's chorus singing¤ 00:28:01.71\00:28:25.80