I do not have a direct connection with the Java Campaign as my grandfather fought with the second forming of the 2/2 Pioneer Battalion in New Guinea. My knowledge comes primarily through researching for the website and my large military library. I mainly went on the tour to gather more firsthand information, photos, etc for the website but gained far more personally from the experience than I ever imagined.

So now we had arrived at Jakarta into the unknown. Various horror stories of traffic conditions and primitive medical facilities were topmost in my mind as a first-aider. My only prior overseas experience was Malaysia (in transit) and France. In France, your reception was very cool until they realised you were Australian (not English or American); then everything changed. This meant that tourists from different countries tended to stay together. So I wasn't sure what reception we would get from the locals. It was therefore a considerable shock to discover how friendly the Javanese are. Everyone, everyone, smiled at us; no matter what their background. This meant being so comfortable with the locals that I really did not mix with tourists outside of our group.

The amount of information collected by the group has taken nearly 4 weeks to sort and present on the website. Nor is that the end. I expect tour comments and more photos to be added by other members of the group.

Also, previously unknown information about 35 gun emplacements being found along the Allied ridge at Leuwiliang by the local museum curator may mean another trip to locate and map each one.

The battle at Leuwiliang and the Java Campaign in general has received scant recognition. This needs to be rectified, perhaps with the media, certainly with a memorial at the river.