AS family traditions go, this one is pretty gruelling: All four siblings in one Wagga family have trekked on the Kokoda Track.
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With her return to Wagga in October after undertaking the Kokoda Youth Leadership Challenge, Gabrielle Shaw, 16, completed a tradition begun by her older brother and sister.
Zachary Shaw, now 23, and sister Elizabeth, 21, started it all when both were accepted in the program in 2015.
Younger sister Olivia, 19, successfully applied for the 2016 program.
All four of them describe their experiences in Papua New Guinea as extraordinary.
“I was always interested in the war history, especially having a great grandfather and a few other family members go over,” Zachary said.
“It was definitely on the list to do.
“It was probably one of the best experiences I have ever had. I recommend it to everyone.
“You don’t really get a sense of what it’s all about until you go over there and see what they went through.
“It’s quite moving.”
For Elizabeth, it was the chance to learn more about Australian servicemen’s experiences in Papua New Guinea during World War II.
“In school, you don’t seem to focus on it that much,” she said.
“I didn’t know that much about it before I went, so it was a good opportunity to learn more about it.
“It was so moving, hearing the stories and stopping at the battle sites and learning what went on there.”
The siblings say their experiences were made even more moving by knowing they were about the same ages as many of the servicemen would have been.
Carrying their own packs, weighing between 13 and 16 kilograms, gave them some idea of the physical burden the Australian servicemen faced while on the Kokoda Track.
Olivia had heard the stories of her older brother and sisters before she saw it for herself.
“It was just an amazing experience,” she said.
“Obviously I was interested in history, but this was just so different to learning out of a textbook.”
Gabrielle experienced Remembrance Day only four weeks after her return and found it was particularly moving.
“It makes it more meaningful and you can appreciate it more now,” she said.