The Digger of Kokoda

The battle that saved Australia. The track that saved one man's life.







Reg Chard endured hell as an 18-year-old Australian soldier who fought in 1942 on the infamous Kokoda Trail in World War II.



Ironically, Kokoda rescued Reg decades later when he decided to take his own life. After losing Betty, his wife of 66 years, the grief-stricken great-grandfather lost the will to live. But he found new purpose through educating young people, giving guided tours of Sydney's Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway.



On these tours, Reg relives Kokoda every day. He sees an image on the wall of a soldier - a comrade - who succumbed to disease weeks after the photograph was taken. He feels his heart beating as his patrol chases down Japanese troops who had mutilated women in a jungle clearing. He hears the war cry of a samurai sword-wielding officer charging towards him. And he tells these stories along the walkway, preserving the memory of those who never came home.



As one of the last surviving diggers of Kokoda, Reg Chard has become a custodian of its legacy. This deeply moving, healing and inspiring biography of the 98-year-old veteran tells us of Reg's war in the jungle and how, 80 years after the battle that saved Australia, Kokoda still lives within him.





Praise for The Digger of Kokoda



'Every word of this story has meaning, importance and impact and I for one am indebted to those who have served our nation to make it what it is today.' - Steve Waugh



'This biography evocatively portrays the hardships of the Kokoda campaign, the sacrifices made, and the irrepressible spirit of the Australian soldiers and nursing sisters. Bravo the lot of them, and this book.' - Peter Fitzsimons



'Warm, moving, heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure. The greatest lesson I take from Reg is his quote: "Make the most of life, because no matter how bad something may seem, life goes on - just make sure you go with it."' - Emma McKeon



'This brilliant account by Daniel Lane, of Reg's war service, reminds us all of the price of peace so many of our predecessors have paid. A great story.' - General Sir Peter Cosgrove



'I have an immense respect and admiration for Reg Chard - the Digger of Kokoda. He's a genuine Australian hero whose story could help teach our nation's youth the importance of resilience, grit, and mateship.' - Danny Green



'The written word of the Kokoda Trail will last long into history like the track itself. The Digger of Kokoda is essential reading for any Australian.' - Keith Payne VC



'The Digger of Kokoda offers a deeper understanding of what it means to be an Australian and the inspiration to be a better person.' - Dr Brendan Nelson



'In a world where an internet outage is deemed a catastrophe, The Digger of Kokoda is a masterclass in perspective and relativity.' - John Schumann



'Grittily honest, told with great sensitivity, this is the finest account of Kokoda by a front-line soldier that I've read.' - Paul Ham



'In Reg Chard's compelling account of Kokoda, we gain a unique insight into war's madness ... The Digger of Kokoda is a modern digger's time capsule full of the human lessons of war and soldering that never change.' -

Anthony 'Harry' Moffitt



'Reg's memoir reminds us of all the extraordinary acts committed by ordinary people and fills a Digger like myself with pride in the honour of donning the same badge they wore.' - Damien Thomlinson



'Raw, vivid and searingly honest, Reg Chard's personal account of Kokoda is one of the most moving I've ever read. One of the last true voices, Reg reaches across the decades to remind us of what our men did, and how much they endured.' - Michael Veitch