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Trek Leaders
Major Charlie Lynn
Charlie served in the Australian Army for 21 years. During this time he saw 
active service in Vietnam; was assigned to the joint Australian, New Zealand and British (ANZUK) Force in Singapore/ Malaysia and was selected as an exchange instructor with the United States Army. He is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College.
During his assignment with the US Army he completed the Special Forces Military Freefall course which involved tactical HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) parachute jumps from 20,000 feet - on oxygen with full combat equipment - at night!
After leaving the army Charlie worked with the Australian Rural Leadership Program in the Kimberly running outback leadership survival programs in remote areas.
He has been leading expeditions across the Kokoda Trail since 1991 and recently completed his 49th crossing of the track. He is a keen student of the Kokoda campaign and an activist for improving our relationship with PNG. In 2001 he was made an 'honourary chief of the Orokaiva' because of the special relationship he has developed with the people along the track.
Charlie was the founding Chairman of The Kokoda Track Foundation that provides scholarships to students across the track, sponsorship of local community schools and health support to village medical centres. The establishment of the Foundation was funded by Adventure Kokoda.
In 1987 Charlie held the NSW State Ultramarathon record with a distance of 213 kilometres in 24 hours. He was placed 2nd in the Bathurst Centenary 100 km ultramarathon with a time of 8 hours 26 minutes.
Major Chad Sherrin MM 
Chad is a Vietnam war hero who was awarded the Military Medal for bravery in action. Chad first joined the 8th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (8 RAR) as a tracking dog handler. He was promoted through the ranks to Sergeant while serving with 8 RAR and served with the Battalion in Malaysia and South Vietnam.
After instructional and regimental postings at the Infantry Centre and the 2nd/4th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment he was selected, in 1976, for commissioning through the Administrative and Technical Officers’ Qualifying Course.
He served in a variety of regimental and instructional appointments with the 1st Battalion, the Royal Victoria Regiment; 2nd/4th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment; and the Land Warfare Centre. At the Land Warfare Centre he was responsible for jungle warfare training, implementing the skills first learned by Australian Diggers on the Kokoda Track and honed over years of operational service in the jungles of South-east Asia.
He retired from the Army in 1990 from the position of Battalion Second-in-Command of the 8th/9th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment after 25 years service.
Chad's knowledge of the jungle and its surrounding flora and fauna qualifies him as 'the bush-tuckerman of Kokoda. He also has a detailed knowledge of the Kokoda campaign and the battles fought along the track.
Chad is also a great raconteur of Australian bush poetry and will keep you entertained around the campfire each night on the track.
Trekker feedback on Chad's treks . . .
'Among other things, we all thought Chad Sherrin's knowledge and infectious enthusiasm for all things involving Australia's military history was a highlight of the trek which I'm sure could not be duplicated with any other trekking company . . . '
‘Chad maintained professionalism, strong leadership and was a natural motivator. His energy was inspiring – he was a friend, a teacher and sometimes a disciplinarian in exactly the right moments . . .'
‘Chad has such a passion for history. He gave me a whole new understanding of what my father had been through and I thought I was reasonably well informed . . .'
‘What more can one say. Obviously lives and breathes what he is doing. Passionate would best describe his efforts . . .'
‘Chad (ably assisted by Bernie) was superb. Briefings about the day’s trek were spot on, he conducted the battlefield tours with expertise and passion, and made sure that porters and trekkers wre in good nick. I would volunteer for his platoon anytime! . . .'
'The emotion, knowledge and passion shown daily by Chad and Bernie comes from deep down and I consider myself fortunate to have trekked with these two guys . . . '
Captain Simon Hart
Simon served in the Australian Navy and carved out an outstanding career spanning 33 years. He specialised in maritime surface ship operations and spent the majority of his career at sea.
Simon was appointed to command two of Australia's most important battleships - HMAS Hobart and HMAS Brisbane (both were guided missile destroyers and frigates). He was awarded the Conspicuous Service Cross for outstanding Leadership and Management as a result of these two command appointments.
Simon was later promoted into positions serving in senior tri-service and Maritime Operational Headquarter staff positions during the Timor and Bougainville Operations where he was promoted to Commodore. His last occupation in the Service was as the Commander, Surface Combat Force Element Group based out of Sydney.
Simon, despite his existence predominantly in a maritime environment, had always developed and maintained bushcraft skills as an experienced bush walker. This experience was enriched during his Naval Career by a short but action packed secondment with the Australian Army in the late 70’s where a Major Charlie Lynn was conducting extreme survival course activities in the Colo wilderness. This positive education and experience as it turned out was the essential pre-requisite for leading Kokoda Treks!
In April 2006 Simon traded his membership of the Australian Navy’s Senior Leadership team for a more active lifestyle in the private sector. Having completed the 800 km trek across Northern Spain in June 2006, Simon was delighted to be invited to join the Adventure Kokoda team where he commenced leading Adventure Kokoda Trek teams in December 2006 and has seldom stopped trekking since!
Trekker feedback on Simon's treks . . .
'Simon was fantastic. You would expect nothing less from a true professional. Told the story with passion which everyone appreciated. Have recommended to others to request him with their groups . . .'
‘Simon demonstrated excellent leadership skills – he was able to communicate a great sense of belief in each person’s ability. Good military history, good fun, could take a good joke . . .'
‘Simon was a fantastic trek leader – very knowledgeable – kept people going and encouraged them . . .'
‘Simon was a great role model during the trek. His leadership and organisation is of a very high standard . . .'
‘Couldn’t have asked for a better leader than Simon in all respects . . .'
Corporal Martin Josselyn
Marty was a professional soldier with the 2/4th Infantry Battalion for six 
years. His specialist qualifications as an infantry soldier included reconaissance, mortars, and machine guns. After leaving the army he worked for World Care Security who specialise in providing private security and extraction teams for Doctors Without Borders in third-world or war-torn countries.
Marty has since worked on the land as a stock and station agent and farmer. He is qualified in remote area first aid and is an expert bushman.
Trekker feedback on Marty's treks . . .
'Martin had a significant impact on the success of our trek. He is very knowledgeable about Kokoda and was able to relate to the members of our group in a friendly relaxed manner . . . '
'Martin did a great job. Not being rushed and being able to go at our own pace was good. Battlesite briefings were very good. Great sense of humour and very knowledgeable of country and history . . . '
'absolute brilliant at what he does and an absolute credit to your company . .
'Both Simon and Martin were excellent as our tour guides and I had complete confidence in their organisational skills. I also appreciated the thorough information that they gave regarding the history of the track and events of 1942. All the trekkers agreed that their enthusiasm and passion added to the enjoyment of the experience . . .'
John Nalder
John recently featured on the ABC Compass program when he led a group of young people across Kokoda as part of an ABC television documentary for Compass. Included in the group was a young bloke who burnt the Australian flag during the Cronulla riots - he is now a passionate advocate of Kokoda!
John grew up in north western Queensland before leaving the family sheep and cattle property and moving to the Brisbane area. He owned and operated his own businesses before moving into senior management positions within the tourism industry.
During this period he worked with Aussie icon Steve Irwin at what is now the Australia Zoo.
John is an experienced climber and bushman who became involved with the Queensland State Emergency Service in Vertical Rescues in association with the Energex Rescue Helicopter. From this work he became an instructor in both Vertical Rescue and Land search, instructing Police, Medical personnel, Helicopter Crew and State Emergency Service personnel in these areas.
John is a keen student of the Kokoda campaign and is an association member of the 2/14th Infantry Battalion - he has a special interest in going 'off the track' and exploring lost tracks and battle sites. John has also developed a close association with the Koiari people and has a keen interest in their traditional medicine.
John has been involved in leading young people sponsored by the RSL Services Clubs Association across the track as part of a Kokoda Challenge Leadership Program.
Trekker feedback on John's treks . . .
'John’s commitment, enthusiasm and leadership were obvious and well supported by his knowledge and his relationships with the carriers and the village people . . .'
‘John, with the Papuan people made this trek very special. John’s passion for the track, military history, Papuan people, and future of all these things is amazing . . .'
‘John is obviously a man who doesn’t guide treks for money alone. He has a genuine passion for the track and a love for the locals. His knowledge of the Kokoda campaign and the way he tried to pass that knowledge on to us in such a short time was admirable. His stories brought a tear to my eye on several occasions . . .'
'Very knowledgable and good understanding of culture and history of the campaign
. . .'
Peter Davis
Peter served in the Army Reserve for 7 years and has two grandfathers who 
served in both World Wars - one being a highly decorated soldier.
As a result of his background, Peter has a passion for military history. He has been to Gallipoli twice and led 12 groups across the Kokoda track. On one occasion he took a detour through the remote village of Madilogo off the track and was so struck by their poor situation that he later led a successul aid project back to the village to provide water to the Madilogo people. He has also raised $17,000 for another aid project to provide water to Kemabolo village on the south east coast of PNG.
When he is not trekking Peter runs a 2600 acre property with his wife Narelle. He is an experienced bushman and does all his stockwork on foot to maintain his exceptional fitness. He has a senior 1st Aid Certificate and is qualified in remote area 1st Aid.
Peter's passion is to share the military history of our nation and to help build strong bonds with our PNG cousins.
Trekker feedback on Peter's treks . . .
'Peter provided everything that could be expected of a trek leader. He is a credit to your company and himself. He was very much liked by all, and the group was constantly commenting between themselves on what a great job he was doing . . .'
'I always felt safe. The battlesite briefings by Peter were informative and representative of the history. Peter was friendly to all trekkers and his association with the local land owners is impressive . . .'
‘Peter earned great respect from the group with his willingness to help in anyway that he could, His accounts of the campaign history were excellent and the efforts of the diggers and the PNG people are well regarded by him . .'
'Peter was passionate about the track and the villages and provided interesting and informative commentary throughout the trek . . .'
‘How to comment on Peter Davis – he is now a friend of mine!'
‘Peter is a great guy with an enormous amount of knowledge about Kokoda .'
‘Peter was very knowledgeable and a pleasure to be on the trek with . . .'
OUR DEPUTY TREK LEADERS
Bernie Rowell
Bernie first trekked Kokoda in 2003 as a tribute to his father who saw active service in PNG during the war.
The experience had a profound effect on him and he is now a student of the campaign. Bernie has now trekked Kokoda 16 times as a trek 2IC and is familiar with all aspects of it. He has also established a close relationship with our Koiari and Orokaiva guides and carriers who have enormous respect for him.
Bernie is a Gippslander who started his career in the stock industry at Warragul in Victoria. He has met a number of Kokoda veterans over the past few years and spends a great deal of time with them to get a first hand account of their experiences. He has read every book written on the campaign and now has an intimate knowledge of the track.
Trekkers feedback on Bernie . . .
'Bernie Rowell may have had a supportive leadership role but nevertheless no less important role on the trek. He was very helpful volunteering his services to take lots of photos on the track so each of us had some shots of ourselves to take home. Bernie certainly reduced the discomfort of the 'hard slog' with his morning and evening 1st Aid Stations not only for us trekkers but also rightfully so for our wonderful modern day fuzzy wuzzy angels . . .'
'Would not have been the same experience without both Chad and Bernie. Their knowledge, experience and passion for what they do and why they do it was the icing on the cake.'
Gabrielle Chan 
Gabi is a former columnist with The Australian newspaper. In 2002 she was commissioned to write 'War Diaries' which involved extensive research with veterans for the Kokoda campaign. Gabi is currently researching her next book on the war correspondents who reported on the campaign from the along the track. She has unearthed some interesting information on the outcomes of the conflicts between our battlefield commanders on the track and the armchair generals and political leaders back in Australia. It will be a compelling book. Gabi recently featured on the Channel 9 Getaway program and has written articles for major publications on Kokoda.