The Last One Gone R.I.P

[CINDERS]

Sad passing of the last "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel" whom our troops in those desperate days fighting the Japanese soldiers in Papua Guinea very early 1942 just scant months after Pearl Harbour depended so much on through the whole campaign of those islands.
Not only for the devotion to our wounded carrying them through the jungle & Owen Stanley's but fighting the Japanese as well side by side with our troops.
I am reading this book I just purchased on the IJA threat to Australia and thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in just how dire the threat was to this nation.
At times our troops on those remote Islands faced odds of 20/1 and caused the IJA numerous headaches inflicting serious losses on them before melting into the jungle beating the Japanese soldier at his own game.
The Japanese Army had never been defeated in jungle warfare until they came across our troops left behind on Timor as it was an 11 month campaign for our rear guard troops the shock of that loss reverberated all the way to Tokyo whom they sent crack commanders to kill the marauders.
To which our guys simply killed them in ambushes as they lead their troops on a search and destroy missions against them.
There is a good write up on General Douglas McArthur and his grasping of the dire threat to this nation in that very early period, he was appointed supreme commander of forces in the Pacific region through his influence, our troops tenacity and aid from the USA the tide turned but it was a very close race indeed.

I have copied the article so all of you can share;

The last known Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel, Havala Laula, has died in his remote village in Papua New Guinea. His death comes 75 years after he helped evacuate wounded Australian soldiers in World War II.

Laula died on Christmas Eve, aged 91, in his remote village of Kagi, which is located approximately halfway along the Kokoda Track.
Mr Laula was a teenager in 1942 when Japanese troops landed in PNG and tried to fight their way south along the Kokoda Trail to launch an attack on Australia.

Throughout the Kokoda campaign, an estimated 50,000 Papuan civilians helped provide supplies to Australian troops and evacuate injured soldiers.
The nickname, Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel, was a term of endearment given to the villagers by Australian soldiers.
Mr Laula visited Australia in February this year for the 75th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign, a campaign which involved some of the war’s bloodiest battles.
During his visit to Melbourne, Mr Laula met with surviving diggers from the 39th Battalion, and his passing marks the end of an important chapter of our nation’s military history.

In a recent interview, Mr Laula reminisced on his experiences during World War II and stressed the importance of an ongoing bond between our two nations.
“Friendship between Australians and Papua New Guinea must live on in all generations to come,” said Mr Laula.
“When we die, our children and their children’s children must keep that bond forever, until the end of time.”

At a commemoration event at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra last month, Veterans’ Affairs Minister Dan Tehan reflected on Australia’s debt of gratitude to the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels.
“We also remember that an estimated 50,000 Papuan civilians — known as the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels — provided supplies to Australian soldiers and evacuated our sick and wounded. It is testament to Australia’s enduring friendship with PNG,” Mr Tehan said.

“On the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Kokoda we will pause and reflect on the experiences of the Australians who defended our country and values in PNG.”

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