News

Kokoda – 96 kilometers with lots of ups and just as many downs

14 Dec 09










 In November, five AFL Umpires - Stefan Grun, Shaun Ryan, Justin Schmitt, Scott Jeffery and Matt Stevic - undertook a journey of a lifetime, walking the Kokoda Track.

Stefan shares his recap of their expedition...

Why on earth would you want to spend your holidays doing that? This was a question I was asked many times before and after people learnt of my trip to walk the Kokoda Track in November 2009.

When I left Australia to start the journey of a lifetime, I had a range of expectations. I was looking forward to learning more about the soldiers who fought along the track. Brave soldiers who scarified so much so those Aussies who follow them could live the privileged life we lead. Walking in their footsteps to commemorate their deeds was a big factor for me.

I was looking forward to testing myself both physically and mentally on a journey which had been described to me as relentless torture. Sharing this experience with four of my closest friends and umpiring colleagues was also a key factor in the trip and finding a unique challenge to further strengthen our bond and friendship.

When you are involved in an elite sport such as umpiring AFL you are constantly placed in situations that test your inner resolve and desire to continue. Walking the Kokoda Track turned out to be no different.

Each day, one or more members of our group were feeling sick, tired and grumpy from a lack of sleep, were sporting aches, pains and massive blisters, or were simply just physically exhausted. Spending 10 days in a jungle, living out of each others pockets and with no creature comforts put an added pressure on the situation.

When you’re in the middle of a jungle, miles from civilization, your options are limited. Turning back is pretty hard as your journey back could be harder than the one ahead. Quitting is possible, but without a medical reason, the medivac helicopter flight would be an expensive trip home. You have to keep going, regardless of how you feel.

I have always believed that when times are tough, the real person stands up to be counted. One of my fondest memories of the trip will be the group slogging up the many climbs such as from Templeton’s Crossing, the Nine False Peaks from Nauro Village or Imita Ridge and seeing how the true colours of the group shone through. The encouragement and support was amazing and a huge reason some of us made it to the top of some of the steepest climbs we’d ever seen. Even our inimitable and unflappable head guide Jonesy was impressed by how the group worked together.

The four pillars guiding the Australian troops in battle were courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice. In my opinion these are four characteristics which also define our identity as Australians. It was certainly a huge part of our survival on the track, just like the troops who had walked before us.

Standing at Isurava on Day 2 was one place where the real significance of the real Kokoda experience hit home. It’s hard to believe the beautiful hill looking out over the valley which is now a memorial to our fallen soldiers was the site of one Kokoda’s bloodiest battles and the place where Private Bruce Kingsbury sacrificed his life. Just one of many examples of one bloke sacrificing all for the betterment of others.

As we slog it out in preseason training, we remember the slog of Kokoda and the lessons learned of Courage, Endurance, Mateship & Sacrifice – these are lessons in life, but so very relevant to our job of umpiring AFL football.

Whilst there was a lot of time for hard work and reflection on the trip there were also many chances to kick back and have fun too. One of Shaun’s much-loved race calls brought some light hearted relief to a Melbourne Cup day away from family and friends. Luckily for Shaun he narrowly avoided popping a gasket as the horses made their final run for the post. Matt’s endless supply of conversation topics ensured we were never short of material, although I’m still unclear as to who is Australia’s most under-rated sportsman and if anyone agreed that "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" is one of the best films of all time.

Our group was made up of old friends and new. Wise old heads and cocky young bucks. People from a range of backgrounds with a range of life experiences. Lucky for us it was more than just umpires.

One of the many highlights was getting to know Tom Couch. Tommy had grown up in a well known football family and is a great bloke, clearly suffering no ill effects from being the son of a Brownlow Medalist. Despite being involved in footy for so long, he had never spoken to an umpire outside of a game:

“I had never had a chat with an umpire off the field before so it was a great insight into how they view the game and their thoughts on different things.  It might seem surprising to some, but they see the game basically the same as the players and fans.

“There's a perception that umpires are stiffs and aren't much fun, but I was in stitches half the time, always mucking around with the boys having a bit of a laugh so I guess that's not right.”

We didn’t pay Tommy to say that but hopefully this was an experience he can share with some of his playing colleagues and help break down some of the barriers the modern game places between player and umpire relations. None of us will forget Tommy’s valiant attempts at chook wrangling and even the local villagers were ecstatic when he finally snared one, late on the last day.

Tommy’s catch was helped dramatically by the fleet feet of our amazing porters. One of many examples of how the groups mixed together – the relationship starting with our reliance on their expertise and helping hands over treacherous terrain which grew into touch footy games, practical jokes and much laughter.

Mixing with our porters and the local villagers was one of the real highlights and we will all cherish the memories of amazing meals, hand carved sticks and the sounds of glorious singing wafting around camp. Our attempts to match the locals in the signing department were struggling until Justin pulled the Wiggles “Hot Potato” from the kit bag and the universal appeal of the Wiggles quickly became apparent. I would love to see the looks on the faces of the next group of trekkers stopping in Kagi who are treated to the updated song list.

Living the privileged life we do in Australia it’s easy to forget how lucky we are. In a country where unemployment and poverty levels are high, our porters wore the same clothes for all 8 days of the trek and children have almost no toys or games. However you will not find happier people on the planet. Any group member who produced a tennis ball or footy in a village was quickly mobbed by hordes of excited kids. Hours of excitement would follow as kids chased balls and people all over the hilltops. Laughter is clearly the best medicine and the kids of Kokoda seem to have plenty of that.
 
Whilst spreading the umpiring word was never out intention, it was great to watch Matt teach some children the finer points of bouncing a footy was priceless although it was a little demoralising to see them bouncing it dead straight after only 30 seconds of practice. Perhaps Kokoda will be the next recruiting ground for AFL umpires.

The Kokoda experience was amazing for each and every member of our group. Whilst we will all take away different memories and highlights, one thing we will all share  is a special bond for the rest of our lives. As Jonesy and Mick would ask us every morning  before leaving camp “What are we? Brothers! What are we? Brothers! What are we? Kokoda Brothers!  Rock and roll.”

AFL Umpires Matt Stevic, Shaun Ryan, Justin Schmitt, Scott Jeffery and Stefan Grun were part of a group of 14 who travelled to Kokoda in November 2009.



 


Top | Back