St Mary’s College Year 11 student Chloe Butterworth is the Kilmore Racing May Semple Kokoda Scholarship recipient.
Chloe and Euroa Secondary College’s Amber McNally will be making the 10-day trek along the Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea in July.
Chloe said the scholarship was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and a lot of people want to do it,” she said.
“It’s something that I’ve heard people come back as a better person with a whole different outlook on life.
“I thought that I could really personally gain from that.”
The Kokoda Trail is the location of the 1942 World War II battle between Japanese and Allied, primarily Australian, forces in what was then the Australian territory of Papua.
More than 600 Australians died in the battle.
State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said she was proud to support an initiative to provide local students with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“Through this scholarship, two outstanding local students will now have the opportunity to trek the Kokoda Trail this year and walk in the footsteps of our local veterans,” she said.
“During the trek, they will learn of the immense sacrifice made by our local war heroes, teaching them about the impact these people had towards protecting the lives and freedoms we relish today.
“I want to congratulate Chloe and Amber on receiving this scholarship.
“They are incredibly deserving recipients and I’m sure they will have the trip of a lifetime.”
The trail is a single-file thoroughfare which runs 96km overland, including 60km in a straight line. The hike lasts 10 days, so Chloe has been training to prepare for the trek.
“I’ve just been doing my personal training,” she said.
“At the moment, because I live on a farm with lots of hills at the back, it’s pretty easy to find somewhere to go for a walk.
“There’s definitely a lot of preparation that leads up to it.”
When she applied for the scholarship, Chloe wrote a 400-word essay detailing how the Balmattum Hill Walk in Euroa is her local connection to the Kokoda Trail.
“Halfway up the hill, you find rock stacked there by the training soldiers,” she said.
“I said that that represented the hardship and the dedication and the ‘never give up’ attitude by the soldiers to do this track.”
On Wednesday, April 24, she discovered she was one of the two scholarship recipients.
“I was so happy,” Chloe said.
“I couldn’t believe it.”
She was invited by Ms Cleeland to speak at the dawn Anzac Day service in Seymour.
“I read a poem,” Chloe said.
“It was really good to be able to pay my respects in front of Annabelle and some retired soldiers.”
Ms Cleeland said the Kokoda scholarships were made possible thanks to the generosity of Kilmore Racing Club and the Seymour Club.
Kilmore Racing Club chief executive officer Ben Murphy said he was incredibly proud to support the scholarship.
“Being able to support an initiative like this scholarship is something our racing club and board is very proud of,” Mr Murphy said.
“These students will now have an opportunity to learn about our wartime history by embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime journey on the Kokoda Trail.
“I can’t wait to hear about their incredible experience.”
Chloe said she was looking forward to the trek, which will begin on Wednesday, July 3, and finish on Wednesday, July 10.
“I think it’s definitely going to be hard,” she said.
“I know it’s not going to be an easy thing, but it’ll be a greater achievement once done.”