Australia's Last Kokoda Campaign Veteran, Reginald James Chard, Dies Aged 102

Australia's last surviving Kokoda campaign veteran, Reginald James Chard OAM, has died aged 102.

RSL Australia announced he died "peacefully" on Friday, saying it was with "heavy hearts" that it farewelled one of the nation's last links to the soldiers who fought along the Kokoda Track during World War II.

"We extend our deepest condolences to Reg's family, friends and all the lives he touched throughout his incredible life," the organisation said in a statement.

Chard enlisted in the Australian Army in 1942 at the age of 18, serving in Papua New Guinea, where he marched through the rugged mountains, survived repeated bouts of malaria and endured the fierce fighting at Sanananda.

After returning home from the war, he built a life with his wife, Betty, and later dedicated himself to preserving the legacy of the Kokoda campaign through the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Concord.

RSL Australia said Chard devoted his later years to honouring the sacrifice of his fellow soldiers, becoming an "irreplaceable" presence at the memorial.

Education Minister Jason Clare paid tribute to Chard, describing him as a "dear friend".

"After losing the love of his life, Betty, Reg volunteered as a guide for school groups at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Concord, helping keep the legacy of his generation's service and sacrifice alive," Mr Clare said.

"Rest in peace, my friend."

Canterbury-Bankstown Mayor Bilal El-Hayek also paid tribute to Chard, recalling meeting him on his 100th birthday in 2023.

"He was one of Canterbury-Bankstown's last surviving WWII veterans, and fought along the Kokoda Track," the mayor said.

Cr El-Hayek shared what he said were Chard's final words of advice to younger generations: "Number one: Use manners. Number two: Be kind. And if you can help someone, do so."

RSL Australia said: "Rest easy, Reg. Your courage lives on in every step along that track.

"Lest we forget."

From baker to battlefield

Before enlisting, Chard was an apprentice baker in Sydney.

He underwent months of infantry training before being deployed to Papua New Guinea, where he first helped build an airstrip at Milne Bay before joining the fighting along the Kokoda Track.

While serving near Eora Creek, Chard contracted malaria and was evacuated unconscious. After recovering in hospital, he returned to the front, where he fought at Sanananda.

He later recalled watching two close friends from Sydney killed by Japanese sniper fire within moments of each other during the battle.

Later in the campaign, Chard was struck down by another bout of malaria and scrub typhus.

"They gave me quinine three times a day for 14 days," he later recalled.

The Kokoda campaign was fought between Australian and Japanese forces in Papua between July and November 1942, after Japan attempted to capture Port Moresby by advancing overland through the Owen Stanley Ranges.

After weeks of fierce fighting in some of the world's most challenging terrain, Australian troops halted the Japanese advance before forcing them into retreat.

The campaign continued with bitter fighting around the Japanese beachheads at Buna, Gona and Sanananda, and is regarded as one of Australia's defining battles of World War II.

About 625 Australians were killed along the Kokoda Track, more than 1,600 were wounded and thousands more were struck down by disease.

When Chard returned to Sydney in 1943, he had lost almost 30 kilograms during the campaign.

He married Betty in October 1945 but was unable to return to baking because of the lingering effects of tropical disease.

He later worked in an iron foundry before spending 38 years driving trucks.