WW2 airman found on PNG's Kokoda Track

Updated August 28, 2008 16:54:09

A group of trekkers might have found the remains of a World War Two airman hanging from the jungle canopy just metres above the historic Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea.

Presenter: Steve Marshall
Speaker: David Collins, guide; Carhlie Lynn, Historian

MARSHALL: When Melbourne fire fighter and part time trekking guide, David Collins, was told by his clients they had spotted something hanging in the jungle canopy - he did not think to much of it - then the wind blew.

COLLINS: And it swung, and that the other thing, it's swinging like something, somebody caught in a tree, and that is when you can really see the cabling.

MARSHALL: Photos taken by Mr Collins show a shape of what appears to be a human being hanging about 15 metres above the ground.

COLLINS: What distinguishes it from everything else is it appears to be sitting in some sort of aluminium frame or harness and it is connected to the tree by a cable, like it's swinging quite freely and spinning.

MARSHALL; The object was found about halfway along the Kokoda Track near Myola village, about a four day walk in from the Port Moresby end of the path.

According to track historians like Charlie Lynn, there was just as much action above the track in 1942 as there was on it.

LYNN: There was and I knew a digger who has passed on. He was ejected from his aircraft, he bailed out of his aircraft and he landed by parachute near the trail and he was picked up by Papua New Guineans who led him to the track and eventually led him to safety.

MARSHALL; Charlie, if the object is indeed an airman, what would be the chances that he would be Australian?

LYNN: Well, the chances would be reasonably high I would think, because this was an Australian pilot that I knew that had to bail out of an aircraft. I think there are about six or seven of them and a number of them were killed in that incident. There were only two survivors and he was the only eventual survivor.

MARSHALL; And that was in the same area, was it Charlie?

LING: Yes, yes, it was near the track, and he was then found by natives who then took him to the track and eventually carried him to safety.

MARSHALL; Recently, the Australian and the PNG governments agreed to protect the Kokoda Track, with a view to making it World Heritage listed. The agreement virtually scuttered plans for a controversial new copper mine near the southern end of the path.

Historian Charlie Lynn says possible finds such as this justify protecting the track?

LYNN: You know, decades now, Kokoda's been a neglected shrine, and we know there are a lot of people missing in action up there and if this find is proved to be genuine, then it would verify or validate all the arguments that we have had along the way that the Kokoda Trail should be proclaimed as a national memorial park to protect all this sort of history of the campaign.

MARSHALL: If it is indeed an airman's body, it would be the highlight of a short trekking career for fireman, David Collins.

COLLINS: Oh very exciting, and everyone was very excited. We believe it is a very significant find and when we spoke to the high commission, they were quite excited about it as well.

MARSHALL: According to an Australian Defence spokesman, the location of the find is near a flight path commonly used by Allied aircraft during the war. The ADF and the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby are working to gather more information and are making plans to visit the site. There are also reports of unexcluded ordinance in the area, and trekkers are being asked to stay on the track and not interfere with the site.