Military History Presentations

'BEYOND THE BATTLEFIELD' TALK SERIES

In 2023, the KTMW Board re-commenced their series of military history-related talks, which are now presented in the ‘Beyond the Battlefield’ series.

Aim

Presentations will have a military history focus, including the PNG/Kokoda campaigns. Many speakers will have published works on their topic, or will have detailed knowledge of the subject matter. As the series title suggests, the presentations will often examine issues, individuals or events beyond the battlefield, but conflict has impacted them nonetheless.

The talks are designed to encourage discussion and debate on military history, a field that is constantly re-examining past events, as new evidence, documents and the like emerge, allowing us to better understand the context in which they occurred.

Format

The talks are held in the Ralph Honner Kokoda Education Centre on Saturday mornings, and are approximately an hour in duration, which includes time for questions.

If you are a Friend of Kokoda (FoK) admission is free, while a small admission charge ($5.00) applies to members of the public.

Please arrive 30 minutes before the talk is due to commence to enjoy light refreshments.

See here for transport options to the Walkway.

Support from publishers

The Walkway would like to acknowledge the support of Simon & Schuster, Affirm Press and Big Sky Publishing for providing titles from their catalogues for giveaways at our talks.

RSVPs/Payment

Those FoK members attending should email us a week before the talk, while non-members should complete the below payment form before the talk.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback/suggestions (after attending a talk) please contact us.

The talks are open to the public for a small charge, and free for ‘Friends of Kokoda’ (FoK) members.

2026 talks brochures: February to June flyer here and August to November flyer here.

TALK SCHEDULE

Thank you to those FoK members and others who have attended previous talks – we appreciate your support!

2026 Talks

Speakers have been organised for the 2026 series:

11 April: Dr Peter Williams What did Japanese veterans think about WWII?
13 June: Colin Burgess Australian Nurses Under Fire.
8 August: Dr Jan McLeod ‘What doors of indiscipline might be opened?’ Casualties and controversies in the Aitape-Wewak campaign 1944–45.
10 October: Andrew Johnston From Soldier to Storyteller: Uncovering the Legacy of the 1943 Wodonga Train Disaster and the Journey to Healing.
28 November: Dr Seumas Spark The Frontier Wars – the Warrigal Creek Massacre, GunaiKurnai Country (Gippsland), 1843.

Download the flyer for the first three talks in 2026 here, and the final three talks in 2026 here.

Military History Presentation: Payment form

"*" indicates required fields

2026 Talks

Use this form only if not a Friend of Kokoda (FoK). FoK should email admin@kokodawalkway.com.au if attending.

Name*

Phone*

Email*

Organisation/Group

Which presentation? (Choose all applicable)*

11 April 2026: Peter Williams 'What did Japanese veterans think about WWII?'

13 June 2026: Colin Burgess 'Australian nurses under fire'

8 August 2026: Jan McLeod 'Casualties & controversies in the Aitape-Wewak campaign 1944-45'

10 October 2026: Andrew Johnston '1943 Wodonga train disaster'

28 November 2026: Seumas Spark 'Frontier Wars - Warrigal Creek Massacre'

Please arrive 30 minutes before the presentation start time

Number attending*

Name(s) of those attending. If a group indicate if any are FoK*

How did you learn about our talks?*

Payment ($5.00/person if not FoK)*

Enter your payment amount

Total

Thank you for your payment and for supporting the Walkway. We hope you enjoy the presentation! All monies raised are used to sustain the Walkway's educational and commemorative focus.

PAST PRESENTATIONS: IMAGES

The Walkway Board is proud to have hosted many prominent speakers at our ‘Beyond the Battlefield’ talk series, and we thank them for supporting the Walkway. We hope to see you soon at a future talk.