Conquering the Kokoda Track is no small feat and for Geoff Zipper, he's about to do it for the fourth time.
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The Corlette man will leave for Papua New Guinea on July 6 and said his walk this year will be in honour of his neighbour and friend Vicki Moss who passed away from ovarian cancer earlier this year.
Mr Zipper is also no stranger to cancer, the now 75 year old diagnosed with bladder cancer when he was 56.
"I made a promise to myself that if I got better, I would do the Kokoda Track," he said.
Mr Zipper first did the Kokoda Track in 2019, followed by another trip in 2022, 2023 and now again in 2024 and said he was inspired by the Australian soldiers.
"Those Australian soldiers saved our country and it just brings tears to my eyes thinking about what they went through in Kokoda," he said.
"After I did it once, I just knew that I wanted to do Kokoda again."
For the majority of his working life, Mr Zipper has been with Fire and Rescue and he first joined in 1970, when he was 21.
"I did four years at headquarters in Sydney and then transferred to Newcastle and did a lot of time in communications and hazmat," he said.
When he was diagnosed with bladder cancer, he had to medically retire. "I really didn't know how long I had left, I was in a bad way."
Mr Zipper moved to Corlette in the late 90's and said it was his passion for scuba diving that drew him to the area.
"I was heavily into scuba diving and I was driving boats to Broughton Island and got involved with the boating side of it," he said.
With just over a week until he jets off to Papua New Guinea, Mr Zipper said he's feeling fitter this time round and has been preparing himself by climbing Mount Tomaree every day.
"Mount Tomaree is a walk in the park compared to Kokoda," he said.
The Kokoda Track journey is about eight days and Mr Zipper described Kokoda as steep, muddy and hot.
"You fall over 25 times a day, you walk through rivers and you're virtually wet the entire time from sweat and rain," he said.
But what keeps him going back is the challenge.
"I like the challenge and I enjoy the like-minded people that you meet on the journey."
Each time he returns from a Kokoda trip, Mr Zipper said he comes back as a better person.
"I wanted to put something back into it and that's why this time I decided to give back to ovarian cancer research," he said.
He has so far raised more than $1000 for ovarian cancer research at the Hunter Medical Research Institute.
Laura Rumbel
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
Laura Rumbel is a journalist who has always called Maitland home. She has been with the Maitland Mercury since 2022, and is passionate about all areas of local news.
