Media release - 19^th March, 2013

Agents honour Anzac legacy

A team of intrepid Raine & Horne real estate agents and friends will hike the torturous and energy-sapping Kokoda Track to raise thousands of dollars in support of the Kokoda Angels charity and Investa Treks, an initiative of The Salvation Army.

In April, five agents, including three representatives from Raine & Horne, will tackle the infamous 96-kilometre track in Papua New Guinea, leaving from Popendetta, the capital of Oro (Northern) Province on 14th April, and arriving in Bomana War Cemetery, Port Moresby, on Anzac Day 25th April, for the dawn service.

The Raine & Horne contingent includes Brett Hunter, General Manager of Raine & Horne Terrigal-Avoca, Jason Maxwell, Principal of Raine & Horne Newcastle, and Queenslander Zac McHardy from Raine & Horne Chermside.

“The team chose Investa Treks to lead the journey, with all the proceeds raised by the participants going to building projects in areas of need across Papua New Guinea,” said Mr Hunter.

In addition, the agents are supporting Kokoda Angels, which provides funding for medical assistance and ambulance services for remote villages located between Kokoda in southern Papua New Guinea and Popendetta.

Mr Hunter says marking the 70^th year of the Kokoda Track campaign is an inspiration for the team and a chance to do their bit for a number of important local charities, however, the experience will also deliver the opportunity for the trekkers to learn from their business colleagues.

“This trek will present me with the opportunity to learn from my real estate peers in a unique environment away from the usual pressures of modern day life,” said Mr Hunter.

Mervyn Hunter, circa 1941, who founded Hunters Real Estate in 1951 (which later became Raine&Horne Coastal) On a personal note, the trip also provides Mr Hunter with an opportunity to honour his grandfather Mervyn Hunter, who battled the Japanese on the Kokoda Track in 1942.

“My grandfather was on the Aquitania with the 53rd and 39th Australian Infantry Battalions when they arrived in Port Moresby in 1942.

“As the carrier platoon commander, my grandfather was involved in the defence of the Seven Mile Drome airfield, and transporting supplies to Owers’ Corner at the end of the Kokoda Track.”

A big man, Mervyn Hunter returned to Australia weighing less than six stone, although he soon recovered his strength.

“My grandfather moved to the Central Coast of NSW, where he established our existing business in 1951,” said Mr Hunter.

“Sadly, in 1974 he returned to New Guinea, a land he loved, to do some scuba diving with an ex-army mate, and didn’t return from the trip.

“Mervyn is buried in Honiara and I have been reading his war diary in preparation for the trek, which escaped the censors, simply because my grandfather was in charge of censorship for his regiment.”

Raine & Horne Chermside’s Zac McHardy, who is working hard in the gym in preparation for the Kokoda Track, said his incentives for taking on the trek include picking the brains of his fellow real estate agents and learning more about an important episode in Australian military history.

“The trek will be like the best real estate conference ever, as I’ll be making the journey with some of the finest and most knowledgeable real estate agents in Australia,” said Mr McHardy.

“Finishing Kokoda is also like a badge of honour for Australians, while I have to admit the travel and adventure involved is also exciting,” said Mr McHardy, who has also been training for the trek by taking on the simulated Kokoda Trail on Brisbane’s Mount Coot-tha.

Angus Raine, CEO of Raine & Horne, is urging the real estate community to throw its financial support behind the trekkers.

“The Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels provided Australian troops, including members of my family, with immeasurable support through the Kokoda Campaign, so it’s only fitting that we do our bit to aid charities such as Investa Treks and Kokoda Angels, who are supporting the descendants of these brave angels,” said Mr Raine.

To support the trek, please visit give.everydayhero.com/au/team-agentsvskokoda.

-ENDS-

For further media information contact:

Brett Hunter, Raine & Horne Terrigal-Avoca on 0410 630 222

Zac McHardy, Raine & Horne Chermside on 0403 831 596

Raine & Horne to support memory of Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels with Kokoda Track fundraiser