KOKODA YOUTH FOUNDATION
Camp Kokoda and Kokoda Park are proudly operated by The Kokoda Youth Foundation.
Established in 2004 by Doug Henderson and his wife Anna, The Kokoda Youth Foundation (KYF) supports Australians by inspiring them to do extraordinary things. Through hiking endurance events, youth programs and an outdoor education camp we challenge deeply held beliefs, allow limits and abilities to be explored, and provide opportunities for growth.
The KYF is a registered charity and Public Benevolent Institution, relying on fundraising, volunteer support, and sponsorship.
The bulk of our funding comes from the fundraising efforts of our Kokoda Challenge Events participants; particularly from ‘The Kokoda Challenge’, the 96 kilometre endurance event held on the Gold Coast each year.
The funds raised through these events enable the KYF to hold a variety of Youth Programs that help young people reach their full potential.
Central to KYF is the Spirit of Kokoda, embodying Courage, Endurance, Mateship and Sacrifice. These values take their origin from Australian soldiers who fought on the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea during WWII.
The Spirit of Kokoda demonstrates that when we work together, look out for each other and show commitment to a task, things that at first seem impossible suddenly become achievable.
On July 21 1942, Japanese troops landed in the Gona-Buna area within PNG and Australia’s 39th Militia Battalion who were untrained and untested troops initially deployed to PNG to assist with the building of an airstrip at Dobodura, were forced into a series of short but critical engagements with the advancing Japanese troops as they are pushed along the Kokoda Track…
