Sir Kostas Constantinou OBE, Patron
Sir Kostas is a prominent business figure in Papua New Guinea, holding a number of high level public sector and private sector appointments. He is the Chairman of various companies; including Airways Hotel and Apartments Limited, Lamana Hotel Limited, Lamana Development Limited, Alotau International Hotel and Bank of South Pacific Limited. He is a Director of Oil Search Limited, Heritage Park Hotel in Honiara, Gazelle International Hotel in Kokopo, Grand Pacific Hotel in Fiji, Taumeasina Island Resort in Samoa, Good Taste Company in New Zealand and Loloata Island Resort Limited in Papua New Guinea. Sir Kostas is also Vice President of the Employers Federation of Papua New Guinea, Honorary Consul for Greece in Papua New Guinea and Trade Commissioner of Solomon Islands to Papua New Guinea.
Sharyn Ghidella
Sharyn Ghidella is an Australian journalist and news presenter. She currently presents Seven News Brisbane with Bill McDonald. Originally from far north Queensland, Sharyn has reported and presented for Seven Network, Nine Network and Ten Network over a career spanning more than 25 years. Sharyn is a mother of two young boys, Austin and Darcy, and has a long friendship and association with KTF. Sharyn’s partner, Paul Croll, is a former director of KTF and has walked the Track more than 20 times. Sharyn is passionate about giving back to the people of PNG, who gave so much during the Kokoda campaign. “I particularly congratulate KTF on the amazing work it does providing desperately needed health services and education for people in large parts of PNG and for helping to foster the leaders of the future.”
Michael Usher
Widely regarded as one of the country’s foremost investigative journalists, Michael Usher is an award-winning reporter, foreign correspondent and newsreader with a career spanning almost three decades. Michael presents Sydney’s Seven News on Fridays and Saturdays, and is called on as live anchor for the network’s rolling coverage of major news events. Michael also hosted Seven’s new, top-rating true crime investigations series Murder Uncovered. Michael joined the Seven News team in October last year after a distinguished 25 years with the Nine Network. Michael is passionate about the work of the Kokoda Track Foundation, particularly around education and keeping the spirit of Kokoda alive. He undertook his first trip to PNG with the Foundation in April this year, where he visited the village of Kokoda and spent time at KTF’s Kokoda College. Michael lives in Sydney with his three young children.
Dr Andrew Moutu
Dr Andrew Moutu is the Director of the National Museum and Art Gallery, KTF Ambassador and former Director (2016-2021). Originally from Wewak in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea, Andrew was trained in philosophy and anthropology at the University of PNG before undertaking a masters and doctorate in social anthropology at the University of Cambridge. He then worked in Cambridge as a postdoctoral fellow for three years between 2004 and 2007 before completing a second postdoctoral fellowship at the National University of Ireland in Dublin in 2009. Following his research fellowships, he was appointed a lecturer in anthropology at the University of Adelaide in South Australia. In 2010, he returned home to help the Government of PNG rebuild the National Museum and Art Gallery and take up the position of Director.
Cronulla Sharks
The Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks FC joined KTF as ambassadors in 2017. Based in the Sutherland Shire, since entering the competition in 1967 the Sharks have appeared in four grand finals, winning their first premiership in 2016 after defeating the Melbourne Storm 14-12. In 2017, the Sharks joined KTF on their first official trek along the Kokoda Track. Players, staff and supporters joined KTF on its inaugural Village Connect trip, where together we installed solar lighting and power systems on every household in remote Manari Village. The Sharks host the annual Kokoda Game that honours the great sacrifices made by the Australian Diggers and Papua Carriers during the Kokoda Campaign in WWII.
Amelia Kuk
Amelia Kuk is PNG international and Brisbane Broncos’ premiership winning women’s football player. Amelia started playing rugby union at 17 years old and made her debut for the PNG Women’s 7’s team at 18 in Hong Kong. From there she switched over to rugby League in 2016 and made the QLD Women’s rugby league team. Amelia played two matches for the Australian Jillaroos in 2017 and recently played in the Women’s Rugby League World Cup for the PNG Orchids. A registered nurse working in a surgical ward at the Princess Alexandra hospital in Brisbane, Amelia is also a master trainer for the Optimisation Hub which is an organisation delivering programs to educate athletes about resilience and mental agility to consistently perform at their best. Amelia is a role model for young women in PNG and uses rugby league as an opportunity to make a difference and show that women are capable of playing at the same level as men.
Tania Nugent
Tania Nugent is a prominent television host, presenter, journalist and lobbyist for domestic violence and has worked extensively in media and communications across both PNG and Australia. Tania’s extensive career spans more than 30 years with over 15 years at ABC Television, and more recently producing and hosting Point of View with EMTV in Papua New Guinea. Tania is an advocate for social justice, equality and the empowerment of women in PNG and her Point of View shows regularly feature women’s health, wellbeing and equality issues bringing to the forefront the treatment of women in PNG. Tania has been a long-time supporter of KTF.
Patrick Lindsay AM
Author, broadcaster and documentary maker, Patrick has been a passionate advocate of the story of Kokoda since he first visited in 1983 and first walked the Track in 1992. He wrote the best-selling book The Spirit of Kokoda in 2002. He has since written 20 best sellers including The Spirit of The Digger; Back From The Dead; The Essence of Kokoda; The Spirit of Gallipoli; Cosgrove, Portrait of a Leader; Fromelles; Our Darkest Day; Kokoda Spirit; The Coast Watchers; True Blue; and his It’s Never Too Late series of motivational books. He created the format for the top-rating TV reality series, In Their Footsteps, and, most recently, created the Kokoda App to bring the story to the digital generation. He is currently working on a feature documentary, Kokoda … the spirit lives, due for completion in 2017 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign. In 2015 Patrick was named a Member of the Order of Australia for ‘significant service to the media as a television presenter and journalist, to international relations, and to literature as an author’. Patrick was the Chair of KTF between 2006 – 2017.