Taking on Kokoda, and Winning

Villawood’s Vic GM Andrew Duggan is looking more hirsute than a week earlier, after completing the rugged Kokoda Trail jungle trek with Geelong Youth Engagement.

The newly-bearded AD was one of two dozen teens and mentors who took part in the grueling hike, a key element in GYE’s work to assist at-risk young people via in what invariably proves a life-changing experience.

Villawood is helping GYE through its Villawood Foundation and also actively immersing staff into the program. Executive director Rory Costelloe joined the trek last year, Andrew this year and Mike Treloar has raised his hand for 2025.

Through the GYE program, the steamy Owen Stanley Range mountain trail, once a desperate World War Two battleground, is the site of rejuvenation for teenagers confronted with different dangers such as domestic violence, mental health issues, homelessness, low-socio economic challenges and a lack of opportunity.

As GYE CEO Andy Brittain says: “You see these lives change right before your eyes, each day. And these kids go on to become leaders – cops, nurses, PSOs, physios, tradies. It’s a really unique experience. We’re changing people’s lives.”

And judging by the grins on the faces of the hikers, including the unshaven ones, the program’s working its magic.