David Howell

David Howell is a Melbourne-based author, tour guide and historian specialising in the South West Pacific Area of Operations during the Second World War.

With extensive experience as a guide at the Friends of Kokoda at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Concord and the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, educating visitors about the significance of the Kokoda Campaign.

David created and was the editor of the Shrine's history magazine-Remembrance at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, and also created and ran the Friends of the Shrine program. In 2015 he returned full-time to Kokoda Historical. He is the currently the history chair and Life Member of the 39th Battalion Association and the Secretary of the Mornington RSL.

David also served for fifteen years as an infantry soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. In 2008 he deployed on peacekeeping operations in the Solomon Islands. David is well published on Australian Military history and a regular guest on many radio and television history programs including the award winning SBS series Who Do You Think You Are.

David is married with two children and resides on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria.

Peter Ryan

Peter Ryan has been involved in the trekking business for over 40 years, from hiking in remote Panama, Columbia, Nepal, New Zealand and Australia. Peter’s love of hiking turned into a business when Wild Trek Tours was formed to bring along like minded clients to enjoy the wilderness areas on some of the best treks in Australia, including the Overland Track, the South Coast Track, the South West Cape, and more. Peter’s father had served with the 2/14 th Battalion during WW2, and had fought along the Kokoda corridor, Gona, and Shaggy Ridge. Peter has that personal connection, and trekking Kokoda was added to the hiking tours after Peter’s father passed away. Peter shares that personal connection when retelling the history of the battles. Peter resides on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, and is a member of the 2/14 th Battalion Association, PNGAA, Mornington RSL, silver sponsor of the KTF (Kokoda Track Foundation), KTOA (Kokoda Tour Operators Association), Tasmanian Wilderness Guides Association, and the HWC (Hobart Walking Club).

Justin O'Mahoney

Justin O’Mahoney first walked the Kokoda Track in 2010 where he continued to follow his passion for military history. Serving in the Army Reserve with 49 Royal Queensland Regiment (Bushman’s Rifles), Justin followed their story of fighting in the Kokoda Campaign. This has included retracing the Battalion’s steps along the Sanananda Road and at the Northern Beachheads. His many visits over the years to Kokoda led him to becoming a guide for Kokoda Historical in 2014.

Justin is a mechanical fitter and farmer in North Queensland where he has lived all his life. He wants to ensure that all trekkers that accompany him to PNG get a sense of the experience that the original Diggers would have endured and ensures as he shares many of the personal of the wonderful and sometimes colourful characters that served during the Second World War. 

Greg Mercer

Mr Greg Mercer has served with the Australian Defence Force (Army) with the 3rd Royal Australian Regiment (Parachute Infantry Regiment). Whilst serving with 3RAR) in 2002 Greg was deployed to East Timor as part of Operation Tanager/Citadel on peacekeeping operations. Greg first walked Kokoda in April 2015 with Dave Howell and Kokoda Historical as part of a Veterans awareness campaign on PTSD. The campaign was sponsored and supported by numerous charities and businesses and was a great success.

Greg’s love of the outdoors had seen him complete numerous other treks both in Australia and around the world; Mt Kosciuszko, Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain in Peru, to name a few. Greg’s passion and respect for Australian military history along with his own service and experience in the field, makes him a great addition to the Kokoda Historical Team.

Kila Jons

Kila lives in the village of Kokoda. Kila has made well over one-hundred successful crossings of the Kokoda Track and has worked as a guide for many of the major tour companies that operate in PNG before forming his own business.

In 2005 he co-founded Kokoda Historical with David Howell. The two of them had met a year prior and it was at the Kokoda Plateau, when David had returned in 2005 with a group of veterans from the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway. Kila & David came up with the idea to form Kokoda Historical. Kila is both a partner and the head Papuan guide on our Kokoda tours. Kila's grandfather was a Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel who passed on many personal stories to Kila.

Kila has a fantastic understanding of the history, both from the Australian and Papuan perspective. 

Bruce McClean

Mr Bruce McClean first walked the Kokoda Track in 1998. He developed a passion for all things Kokoda when he picked up his first book on the subject which was Peter Brune's newly released book "Those Ragged Bloody Heroes" and read about his uncle, Lieutenant Douglas McClean MC of the 39th Battalion.

Since then he has walked the track many times and in recent years started leading treks for Kokoda Historical.

He has a great sense of wanting to get the correct history as much as possible and hopes to pass on to his fellow travellers some knowledge of the fighting and of the personalities along the track as well as enjoy the company and companionship of a shared adventure.

Bruce also has a passion for all things relating to Australian military history and is an active member of the Creswick Light Horse Troop. Bruce has been a member of the Army Reserve and continues his passion for military history by conducting many public presentations on the subjectt. 

Dean Anderson

Mr Dean Anderson has served in the Australian Army Reserve for over 20 years. During his military service he was deployed on peacekeeping operations to the Solomon Islands on Operation Anode as a section commander. He continues to serve in 5/6 Royal Victoria Regiment in Melbourne and is responsible for the training of reserve infantry soldiers. He also recently deployed on Operation Sovereign Borders.

In addition to serving in the military, Dean also has over 12 years service with the Victoria Police. During this time he has been recognised for bravery. He retired from the police force in 2015 to follow a career in teaching in secondary schooling. He is currently undertaking further study in this field.

Dean has a degree in modern history and a keen interest in all things military. His wife's great-uncle is buried in Bomana War Cemetery, having being killed in action whilst serving with the 2/31st Battalion on the Kokoda Track.

With his family connection, understanding of Australian military history and a working knowledge of what it is to be an Australian infantryman, Dean makes a great addition to the Kokoda Historical team.

Gary Traynor

Gary first visited Owers ‘Corner in 1978 as a young boy; this sowed the seed in terms of his passion for everything 'Kokoda'. He was privileged to have been made a Life Member of the 2/33rd Australian Infantry Battalion by the last surviving veterans of that unit and in accordance with this, Gary's target is to complete 33 crossings in honour of the Second Thirty third. Gary qualified as a guide at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra during 1999 and was a full time Assistant Curator in Military Heraldry & Technology. So identifying battlefield relics, uniforms and equipment is his specialty. Prior to working at the AWM, Gary served with the NSW Police Force as a front-line officer for 23 years and is a former member of UNSWR and 4/3 RNSWR in the Australian Army Reserve. Gary has ancestral ties to the battlefields of Gallipoli, Fromelles, Parit Sulong, Singapore and Sanananda amongst others. As such, he lives and breathes 'military history' and is the Curator of the No. 11 OBU RAAF Museum on the south coast of NSW. Gary was also the founder of the not for profit organisations; Medals Gone Missing and The Kuttabul Commemoration Project. If "the history" is what you seek on your trek .... then Gary is the guide for you.

The Kokoda Guides, The Green Masin (Machine)

All of the guides that walk with our groups come from areas in which we trek/ tour in. For example when we trek Kokoda, all of our boys are from the villages of Kokoda, Hoi, Isurava, Kagi, Efogi and Sanananda just to name a few. The majority of our team have walked the areas pertaining to their locality many times over the years. Their experience and dedication to the safety of our trekkers are second to none.

Kokoda Historical and our partners help to provide our guides and their families with education, health care and employment. Our guides interact as much as they can with our clients and are only to happy to share their knowledge.

In addition to looking after you we also look after our wonderful team the Green Masin (Machine). Here are some of our key concerns when it comes to looking after our staff.

• Maximum allowable weight of 18 kg;
• Trek uniform - cap, shirt & shorts;
• Provide boots and/or allowance to maintain footwear;
• Sleeping bag;
• Sleeping mat;
• Wholesome meals;
• Gratuity equivalent to one day's pay at the end of each trek; &
• A 'Walk-Home Allowance' of PNGK250 to allow our guides and carriers to walk back to their villages after each trek if desired and option is available.

We also carry a full medical kit within the carrier team so we look after their specific medical needs along the way.

Last but not least if any of our staff suffer serious illness or injury during the trek, we arrange for them to be evacuated and treated at the Port Moresby Hospital - they receive the same care, attention and treatment as you our trekkers do!

At Kokoda Historical, we are proud to have a team of passionate and knowledgeable guides who are dedicated to providing an authentic and educational experience on the Kokoda Track. With their expertise in military history and personal connections to the track, our guides ensure that every trekker gains a deep understanding of the historical significance of the Kokoda Campaign. Join us on a journey through history with our experienced team at Kokoda Historical.