89 Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels awarded medals

Former Senator Guy Barnett (far right) with Bruce Scott President of the Scottsdale RSL, Sigh Faole, Ivan Dean MLC, Mrs Faole and Faole Bokoi (seated)

Saturday 3 November 2012

89 PNG ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ have been officially recognised for their service to Australian soldiers during World War 2 by the Australian Government, Mr Guy Barnett said today to mark the 70 year anniversary of the Kokoda campaign (Kokoda Day, Saturday 3 November 2012).

“These Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels deserve the Commemorative Medallion which is a symbol of Australia’s appreciation for the care, assistance and sacrificial service to Australian soldiers along the Kokoda track and other parts of PNG in 1942. They supported the sick and wounded and carried food and medical supplies amidst the harsh terrain while avoiding enemy fire from the Japanese. They acted above and beyond the call of duty.

“Many Australians, wounded and suffering terrible illnesses, owe their lives to these PNG nationals.

“Together with other Tasmanians I was fortunate enough to meet two Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels on the Kokoda Track in April 2008. Following my return as a Senator I lobbied the Federal Government for their official recognition and was successful in moving a Senate motion calling on the Government to act.

“I am pleased to learn that 70 years later at least 89 of these Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels have received official recognition with another 23 applications still under consideration by the PNG Government Awards Committee. However, the Government estimated there were 1,200 Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels still living when it agreed to my call for recognition in 2009. It is better late than never. There were an estimated 50,000 thousand PNG nationals who supported Australian soldiers during WW2” he concluded.

The following Motion moved by Senator Barnett in the Senate on 24 June 2008 was supported by
Labor, and the Government has now acted to recognise Papua New Guinea’s Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels:

That the Senate—

(a) recognises the importance of the Kokoda Track campaign in World War II in stopping the overland Japanese advance to Port Moresby, which would have given the enemy a beachhead into Australia;
(b) acknowledges the courage, endurance, mateship and sacrifice demonstrated by the Australian Defence Force personnel during the Kokoda battles;
(c) pays tribute to the contribution of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) nationals, specifically the Koiari people, affectionately known as ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’, in carrying supplies and equipment for Australian soldiers in the Kokoda campaign as well as the carriage of wounded to safety;
(d) notes that the Kokoda battles were fought in PNG from July 1942 on Australian soil; and
(e) in recognition of this contribution, urges the Australian Government to:

(i) acknowledge the service of the PNG nationals affectionately known as Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels,
(ii) direct the new Defence Awards and Honours Tribunal to promptly determine the most appropriate form of medal or recognition for the remaining Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels or their surviving families,
(iii) consider any other appropriate initiatives including making a small ex-gratia payment to each Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel, in recognition of their contribution over and above the call of duty, and
(iv) examine and where appropriate fund initiatives to upgrade the health and education status of the PNG people in the isolated villages along the Kokoda Track.
Guy Barnett