This Australia–Papua New Guinea joint issue recognises the shared wartime heritage of the two countries. During the campaign
Australian soldiers – displaying courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice – halted the Japanese invasion of Papua and New Guinea on the Kokoda Trail in 1942.
They also forged strong links with Papuans and New Guineans who were
affectionately known as “Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels”. These Angels were
responsible for faring sick and wounded Australian soldiers to safety.
Their contribution to the war effort will never be forgotten.
Today a new generation of Australians, helped by Papua and New Guinean guides, undertake the arduous climb of the Kokoda Trail where their
forebears once saw fierce fighting. As a result new links are being forged
between two peoples whose wartime heroism is the stuff of legends.
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