Travelling with Royalty By Jane Grieve

When Soc Kienzle decided to take his daughters back to PNG to trace their roots and walk the Kokoda Trail in July, there were a few intrepid souls who lined up to accompany them.

Each had a reason, and all were surprised and overwhelmed by the ecstatic welcome Soc and his family received from the local population. Both at Kokoda and all along the trail it was apparent that the name Kienzle has been and will continue to be spoken reverently and passed down through generations.

Soc’s father, Bert Kienzle, was a plantation owner at Kokoda at the outbreak of World War II. When hostilities grew to include Japan’s intention to “free Asia from the yolk of colonialism”, and the Japanese army swept unbeaten down through Malaya and Singapore, landing in PNG and Australia’s doorstep, Australia was caught unprepared to defend itself. Its army was fighting in Europe and it had only ‘chocolate soldiers’, or barely-trained young militia boys, to defend its shores.

Those Chocos were sent hastily to PNG. Captain Bert Kienzle had been retained in PNG since the beginning of the war because of his local knowledge, and was placed in charge of providing a road and supply line for their advance over the wild and rugged Owen Stanley Ranges to meet the invading enemy.

Captain Kienzle and his friend, Dr Vernon, became largely responsible for the conscription, care and management of the famed “Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels” who are now so profoundly entrenched in the Australian psyche.

The descendants of those same Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels acted as porters for Soc’s group of intrepid adventurers. The members of the group had associations with soldiers involved in the conflict, and friendships with the Kienzle family. All were deeply interested in the evolving history of the Kokoda Trail, and deeply moved by their experiences in company with the returning Kienzles.

Full word count 1181 words