ADF players honour fallen heroes
The Australian Defence Force Women’s Rugby League team visited the Bomana War Cemetery in Port Moresby as part of an invitational tour to Papua New Guinea to play the Papua New Guinea Rugby Football League Women’s XIII team.
CAPTION: Left to right, Corporal Lowana McDougall, Aircraftwoman Emily Harman, and Private Hope Hutchins from the Australian Defence Force Women’s Rugby League team pay respects at the Bomana War Cemetery in Port Moresby, PNG. Story by Captain Jon Stewart. Photos by Corporal Nakia Chapman.
Maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the cemetery contains the graves of 3824 Commonwealth service personnel – 699 of whom remain unidentified.
Established in 1942, Bomana is the largest war cemetery in Papua New Guinea and serves as the final resting place for Australian personnel who fought along the Kokoda Track, throughout the New Guinea Islands, or in the Bougainville Campaign.
For ADF Rugby League team captain, Air Force Corporal Lowana McDougall, visiting the war cemetery was a highlight of the tour.
CAPTION: The Cross of Sacrifice and the Port Moresby Memorial stand vigil at Bomana War Cemetery.
“The rows of white headstones set in these immaculate grounds is a powerful reminder of the significance of their sacrifice,” Corporal McDougall said.
“The stories etched into the memorial stones provided the team with a sense of perspective about the importance of the relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea.”
Contained within the cemetery, the Port Moresby Memorial lists the units and names of all Australian and Papua New Guinean service personnel.
“The panels within the memorial are reminiscent of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and highlight the scale of the cost of war,” she said.
“It’s also humbling to reflect on the storied history of Australia’s military at the memorial with many of the units listed on the panels holding deep connections to current ADF units.”
As part of the invitational tour, six serving Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) personnel joined the ADF team in a symbol of deepened regional partnership and defence cooperation.
PNGDF’s Sergeant Julianne Yallon also found the visit to Bomana with the Australian servicewomen to be significant.
“Joining the Australian women at the war cemetery was a moving experience that reminded me of the depth of our common history,” Sergeant Yallon said.
“As a proud Papua New Guinean soldier, it is an honour that our nation will remain the custodian of fallen Australian servicemen for eternity.”
CAPTION: Members of the ADF Women’s Rugby League team and support staff at Bomana War Cemetery, PNG.
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