Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to talk briefly about an honour that was bestowed upon me between 12 and 19 July this year when I, as the patron for the Darling Range Sports College in Western Australia, which used to be the Forestfield Senior High School, had the honour and privilege of taking nine students through the East Kimberley on a trek. For those opposite who may not have had the pleasure of seeing the East Kimberley region, we ventured out of Kununurra at the top end of WA on a 40-minute flight south-west to a place called Kachana Station. I have to tell you that 16 years travelling as a truckie through that part of the world was pretty tough from inside an air-conditioned cab looking out of the windscreen but to actually get out there, walk the country, live on it and live off it really did open my eyes.

As I said, I took nine students out there with the help and support of some very decent people—some of whom I would like to mention. One of them is Mr Greg Maynard, who is the director of the sports college. I would also like to mention his fellow assistant teacher Ms Amanda Fleming. I was also joined on that trip by some supporters—namely, Mr George Takla and his son Medhat. Mr and Mrs Takla are in the gallery today and I welcome them here to Canberra. It is great to see them. George was absolutely fantastic in more ways than one in supporting us.

But, as we travelled through, there is one person I really must congratulate and thank. He is a great friend of mine, one Mr John Davis, affectionately known as JD. JD and I have been mates for a long, long time; we came through the trucking industry together. It all started when JD said to me that his granddaughter goes to a state school and suggested that we should visit and have a look at this state school because it is something out of the ordinary. I did that, and I must say that it is a special school.

But I have more to say on the trek. What happened was that we were taken by two Cessna Caravans to Kachana Station—as I said, about 40 minutes south-west of Kununurra—and were dumped on a remote airstrip. I have to tell you that it looked lovely from the air. Once we hit the ground, we were at the Chamberlain River, if I remember rightly, where we had a very enjoyable lunch while we put our 18-kilogram backpacks on. I think that was the last enjoyable lunch till the Saturday seven or eight days later.

The students learnt orienteering and how to survive out there on their own. They learnt leadership skills. We had a group that took us out there called Adventure Out. Adventure Out had some very fine scouts, assistants or whatever they are called—I am sorry; I do not know the proper word. They told us that this was the last bastion. They said, ‘It’s pretty easy.’ They said, ‘If you want to have a good trek and enjoy some hardness and hardship, do Kokoda; if you want to get the living daylights flogged out of you for the next seven days and really question your place in this world, then you do the Kimberley.’ They also told us that there would be no porters and that we would be carrying everything ourselves. As I said, 18-kilogram backpacks are not bad for the first hour, but it is different when you are traipsing across some of the harshest country in this fine continent of ours, where with just about every step we took we did not know what was under our feet. I have never walked on so many rocks in my life, let alone through spinifex and through creeks, and it was absolutely amazing.

All our water was collected as we walked. We did not have Powerade, Coca-Cola or choc milk at every turn. Everything was collected as we went. The food we ate was dehydrated. I must say, Mr President—you know me well enough—that I am proud to say that I lost four kilograms that week; that is how harsh it was. So I can recommend it to a lot of senators if they really want a challenge. Join me next year; put your hand in your pocket, fund one of the kids whom we are taking and join us. It is there for the taking.

To talk a little bit about how the kids conducted themselves, these students—make no mistake—earned their right. It was not decided by names drawn out of a hat. These students—these young Australians, 17-year-olds—actually had to apply to do the trek. I tell you what: what a fantastic bunch! We had three boys and six girls. It is just amazing how they left us oldies—I do not think my good friend George up there would mind my calling us oldies—for dead. I tell you what: they were an inspiration to us; they really were. They carried us through—some of the older ones, who found each day a little bit harder.

Bill Heffernan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Heffernan interjecting—

Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I look at you, Senator Heffernan, and I will drop the ‘oldie’ comment. As I said, these students took a lot out of that. There were seven days of sleeping rough. I say ‘sleeping rough’, because what we actually slept on—and I am not kidding you—was about three centimetres of foam on a black groundsheet. I said to my daughter, who accompanied us, at the time, ‘Look, babe, I cannot wait till we get home; I’m going to put a rock garden in the front because you and I will have nowhere to sleep when we get home.’ It is absolutely amazing what the human body can do. There were not the comforts of the fridge, TV or a nice hot shower every night, but where you pulled up was where you slept, and I tell you that you slept really well until four o’clock in the morning, when it was time to get up, pack your tent up, get your gear together, have your powdered milk and your Nutri-Grain and go off for another 12 or 13 hours of trekking.

As the trekking guides—that was the word I was looking for: the guides—had never done that trek before, they had warned us that there could be some interesting species of animal on the way. I have to tell you quite simply that there was no shortage of crocodiles. So as not to put the living fear up the children’s parents if they happen to read the Hansard, let me tell you that they were freshwater crocodiles, but we were told that there was a fishing hole where the guides had heard that we could not go into the water. It might only have been a three-foot freshie, but it soon put a shiver up your spine and we learnt to go without a tub that night if we had not bathed in the day.

Also, we were confronted by rogue bulls at Kachana Station. For 16 years, proudly running up and down that highway, I had never heard of Kachana because there is not a road into Kachana Station. You can imagine that, if you want to go into Kachana, you go in and come out by aeroplane. There is no livestock being traded; they are rogue bulls. Even at this fine hour of night, I look across the chamber and, as soon as I mention a rogue bull, I have Senator Heffernan looking at me! I have to tell you, Mr President, that I would rather confront him at 10 o’clock in the chamber that what we had to confront out there! But we were not alone. The kids were absolutely brilliant; they were fantastic. I commend the school and the students.

So that I do not run out of time—and I could talk about it all night—in the short time I have left I would like to thank, firstly, the students: Taryn Friend, Denise Shepley, Teagan Trainor, Nadia Murcha, Lyndal Evans, Joshua Martens, Jordan Hayden, Shaun Hawkes and Jonna Davis. What a fine, outstanding bunch of young Australians! I am sure they did their parents proud. Their parents should be proud of how they conducted themselves, getting us oldies through there as well.

But it could not have happened without the financial and professional support of some fine Western Australian businesspeople, who I would like to take this opportunity to name and thank. I cannot thank them enough. Once again, I thank Messrs George and Medhat Takla. Thanks, mate. I tell you what: you are coming back next year! While I am at it, my good mate JD said that we were not going and that no-one was going again, but he found that George was one year older than him, so JD thought to himself, ‘I’ve got to beat George!’ And George has just told me tonight that JD is not going to beat him because George is going to be back on the trek next year. I would like to thank Mr Ian King and Mr Derek Nathan from the Transport Forum WA, two very fine gentlemen in the transport industry—and that is coming from me; I do have friends on the other side in the transport industry. I would like to thank Mr Malcolm Bradshaw and Mr Brad Geatches from the Westralia Airports Corporation; and Mr Jack Diamond and Mr Paul Kelly from Members Equity—fantastic help, guys; thank you. I thank another good friend of mine on the other side of the transport fence, Mr Marc Cardaci from CFC Holdings; Mr Mario Strazzerri of WA Freight Group; Mr Nick D’Adamo—you see, they all have the similar names to mine; we have a lot of things in common, and they are fine transport people—from Keys Bros Removals; Frank Ferrari from Subiaco Print; and Hugh Davin from Skywest.

To those businesses and individuals, thank you very much. I will come back knocking on your door next year, because I am told that the nine students who did this trek this year have all put in to come back next year. Sadly, they will not be at the school, and there will no room for them, but I believe they have gone back to their school and done nothing but talk about that fantastic adventure that they had through the Kimberley. As I said, everyone talks about Kokoda, and Kokoda is very close to our hearts and always should be—it is a very proud part of our history—but there is also a fantastic part of the world within our own shores, and for other reasons.

I would encourage any Australian to go. I am not looking at Senator McEwen, but I am throwing the message over to my good friend Senator McEwen, who is a well-known trekker and walker: come over, mate; we will take you up there and show you what it is like in the Top End. Once again, to all those supporters, to those students, to the school, I wish them all the very best. I look forward to conducting the same trek next year. This year I am in the gym and I am getting ready.