The Architect of Kokoda Bert Kienzle - The Man who made the Kokoda Trail

摘要

Published by Hachette Australia RRP $35.00 (paperback) ISBN 9780733627637 During his lifetime Bert Kienzle resisted attempts several historians to - an important one given his pivotal role in the eventual victory of Australian forces in Papua New Guinea. It fell to his daughter-in-law Robyn Kienzle to fill the gaps in our knowledge and reclaim Bert Kienzle's place in our history. Part Samoan and German/English, born in Fiji and raised in Germany and Australia, he was managing a rubber plantation and gold mine in Papua New Guinea at the outbreak of WWII. His knowledge of the terrain and of the local indigenous population were critical factors in establishing the track, which became a vital supply route during the war. This is indeed a unique story of the man who should be remembered by history as the man who blazed the Kokoda Trail and especially by those for whom the destination is a test of endurance on an adventure holiday.