Peter Cosgrove graduated from the Royal Military College Duntroon in 1968 and has risen to become the Chief of Australia's Defence Force. He was born in Sydney on 28 July 1947 and educated at Waverley College. Having decided on a military career, Cosgrove entered Duntroon in 1965 as Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War was escalating. Graduating as a lieutenant, he was posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR) in December 1968 and subsequently served in Malaysia.
Cosgrove's next posting was to the 9RAR. He commanded an infantry platoon in Vietnam and was awarded the Military Cross. In 1970 he returned to Australia and was posted to the Methods of Instruction Team. After two years in this post, Cosgrove became Aide-de-Camp to the Governor General in 1972. The following year he was posted as temporary captain to 5RAR as second in command and in 1976 became an instructor at the Infantry Centre.
In 1978 Cosgrove went to the United States to attend the Marine Corps Command and Staff College at Quantico. Having returned to Australia in 1979 he began four years of staff appointments in Sydney, took command of 1 RAR in 1983 and became the Australian Army Exchange Instructor at the Army Staff College in England in 1984.
Cosgrove's career continued apace. In 1987 he became Military Assistant to the Chief of the General Staff. By 1990 he had become the Army's Director of Infantry and Commandant of the Infantry Centre, and two years later was appointed commander of the 6th Infantry Brigade. Another overseas posting, to India, followed before Cosgrove took command of the Australian Defence Force Warfare Centre in 1996. The next year he became Commandant of the Royal Military College, Duntroon.
In 1999 Cosgrove was promoted to major general and assumed command of the Deployable Joint Force Headquarters. This appointment would lead to the role which catapulted him to public prominence - commander of InterFET (International Forces East Timor), where he was responsible for overseeing East Timor's transition to independence. He returned to Australia in 2000 having won plaudits for his performance in East Timor where he combined the roles of soldier and diplomat to ensure that a difficult and dangerous situation was managed with a minimum of bloodshed. The following year his efforts were recognised with his being named Australian of the Year and appointed a Companion of the Military Division of the Order of Australia.
Further recognition followed with Cosgrove's promotion to lieutenant general and appointment as Chief of Army in 2000, which was followed in 2002 by promotion to general and his appointment to Chief of the Defence Force.
He married his wife Lynne in 1976 and the couple have three sons. Outside his life in the military, Cosgrove has been a life-long sports enthusiast and was at one stage patron of the Australian Army and Combined Services Rugby Union and the Australian Services Cricket Association. He has received numerous international honours and awards and retains membership of several clubs and associations.
Brian Freeman has led a fascinating life, travelling the world in a successful career as a Special Forces Officer in the Australian Army as well as through his passion for adventure. Brian joined the army in 1981 as a 17 year old from a small country town called Minlaton on the York Peninsula in South Australia. Brian completed 20 years service to the Australian Army primarily employed as an Infantryman and later as a Commando Officer or Special Forces Officer.
The highlight of his career was being deployed to East Timor as part of General Cosgrove’s Operations Team on the first day of the UN sanctioned INTERFET mandate – 21 September 1999.
On return from East Timor he commenced his separation from the Defence Force which was formally affected on 23 April 2001. Since leaving Defence, Brian has been involved in the thriving adventure travel industry and is the founder of Adventure1000. This was a natural career progression for Brian with his experience in roping, climbing, abseiling, parachuting, navigation and most importantly his qualifications in risk management in adventure environments.
Over the past 10 years he has planned and led well over 100 adventures in areas all over the world; programs such as survival in the Pilbara, walking the Simpson Desert, following the Iditarod Dog Sled Race in Alaska on snow mobiles and dog sleds, climbing the great mountains of the world, diving with great white sharks and riding Harley Davidson’s across Australia.
On Kokoda, he has personally led well over 35 treks, completing the Trail in extraordinary ways – as well as having set the world record for the fastest one-way unsupported, self-navigating crossing of Kokoda for his 40th birthday in 2005 in 24 hours and 59 minutes. In addition, he planned and organised the first Anzac Day Service on Brigade Hill and then planned, organised and ran the Isurava Memorial Anzac Day Service in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Brian has led programs for Kevin Rudd, Joe Hockey, Mal Brough, Lachlan Murdoch, John Singleton, Geoff Dixon, Mal Meninga, Allan Border, Vicki Wilson, the Damien Parer family and the Hawthorn Football Club - his experience in adventures is undoubtable.
In the past 10 years, in treks alone, he has spent very close to a full year on Kokoda. His interest in Kokoda stems from the unique military history coupled with the strong physical challenge. He believes it is the hardest sea level trek of its distance anywhere in the world, and adding to the challenge is the amazing beauty of the rainforest, the culture and friendship of the locals.
Brian has formed a unique bond with the Alola Village as a result of his extensive trekking in the area. His association with Alola Village stems from his relationship with the late Eddie Elave, who was his head guide and friend for 8 or so years. Brian also worked closely with Eddie’s eldest son Kila Elave who is now Brian’s head guide and also who revealed the secret of The Lost Battlefield to Brian. His friendship to the Alola people has seen him raise and contribute his own money to the building of their guest house, school and church; fly sick children from the village to hospital; and in a final tribute to his long time friend, he ensured Eddie returned home to be buried when he died suddenly in Port Moresby.
Kokoda holds a special place for Brian, who even met his wife on the track. Within two years they were married and are now proud parents of identical twins.
David Moffatt has a passion for business, adventure and community. He regularly integrates these passions by conceiving, organising and participating in endurance challenges to raise much needed funds for charitable and community organisations.
A successful business career enables David to finance his passion for adventure based charity. Formerly Telstra’s Chief Financial Officer and Group Managing Director, Telstra Consumer after 9 years at the Telco he resigned in 2009. Prior to Telstra, David spent 10 years at General Electric where he was CEO of GE and GE Capital, Australia and New Zealand.
David’s taste for adventure started young. At age six, as a result of drought, he joined his parent’s droving their large flock of merino sheep from Armidale, NSW to Warwick QLD and back. At 17 he participated in the round the world scientific expedition, Operation Drake. The expedition was responsible for surveying and then establishing marine and land based heritage wilderness areas in Sulawesi, Indonesia. David built aerial walkways in the jungle; chaperoned scientists in their remote area data collection activities; scuba dived in search of Drakes Cannons and explored for ancient megaliths.
David has kayaked Bass Strait, driven a dog sled and skidoo for over 600 km of the Iditarod Trail in Alaska, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, walked the Kokoda Track, participated in four Mark Webber Challenges and completed over a dozen long distance charity bike rides. Some of the charities David’s adventures have supported are The Book of Light; Melbourne Hope School - China, Peter MacCallum Cancer Foundation, Giant Steps - Sydney, Open Family, Canteen, Save the Tasmanian Devil, and the Leukaemia and Prostate Foundations.
David first met Brian Freeman on the ANZAC Kokoda Trek in 2005. He was impressed with Brian’s leadership and organisational abilities. This led to David becoming an early investor in Brian’s adventure business. The discovery of “The Lost Battlefield” brings them together in a unique and historically significant project where they will honour the fallen; re-instate The Lost Battlefield as it was on Oct 29 1942, and develop a Community Program for local Villagers.
On 7 June 2010 David and Brian joined fellow athletes and adventurers John Jacoby and Chris Bradford on a 1,200 km adventure epic. They mountain biked; sea kayakd and trekked from Cape Tribulation, across Torres Strait from Australia to Papua New Guinea before crossing the Kokoda Trail. Their charitable goal was to raise funds for The Lost Battlefield Trust.
Eddie Elave was the former head man of the Alola Village and first met Brian Freeman in 2000. The two struck an immediate friendship when, one very wet rainy afternoon at the Alola Village, on Brian’s first or second trek of Kokoda, Eddie offered his own hut to accommodate Brian and a group of his trekkers. Their ongoing friendship saw Eddie commence guiding trekkers from Brian’s adventure company and he quickly rose from porter to head guide.
Brian and Eddie remained friends for many years and in 2008, when Eddie suddenly passed away while in Port Moresby, Brian ensured that Eddie was returned to his people at Alola village to be buried as his family wanted. Eddie Elave is buried on the high ground to the rear of the Village overlooking his family huts.
Kila Elave, who is the son of Eddie, has taken on the role as the leader and conduit between Brian Freeman, his adventure company Adventure1000 and the Alola Villagers. Kila is married with a daughter named Joanne. In this region the infant mortality rate for children under two years of age is 50 per cent and unfortunately Kila himself lost his infant son in the same year as he lost his father.
As head guide, Kila and Brian have a special friendship which led to Kila sharing the secret of The Lost Battlefield with Brian.
