Widely regarded as one of the toughest campaigns Australian soldiers were involved in during the Second World War, the remembrance service was organised by the Dubbo RSL.

Kokoda advocate Charlie Lynn also made the trip to Dubbo to attend the service, and he spoke about the significance of Kokoda, the horrors the soldiers faced, and the importance of the campaign being remembered by future generations.

Mr Lynn, Dubbo MP Troy Grant and mayor Ben Shields then laid a wreath at the base of the Cenotaph.

Peter Scott spoke of the impact Kokoda had on his father Corporal Robert Scott, who signed up to the Australia Army just days after turning 21.

He went on to complete two listings in New Guinea, including staying on after the war ended to assist with the clean-up.

“The Kokoda Track Campaign was the making of this man, and whilst he didn’t talk too much about the 663 days spent living in the most unimaginable conditions on the Kokoda Track, it was very clear to those who knew him that this ordeal had made him the man he was,” Mr Scott said.

Another Dubbo man, Greg Salmon, talked about his father Charlie’s experiences at Kokoda.

“We knew little about his history and his proud service in the Second World War, he said nothing about his war experience and it’s only through a book that I’ve learnt so much about what those men endured,” Mr Salmon said.

“This knowledge has come too late for us to express our real esteem for his great service and personal sacrifice.”

Both men have walked the Kokoda Trail and said that experience had given them an even greater appreciation for what thousands of other Australian soldiers had gone through.

“I knew a lot about the Kokoda campaign but when I walked in the footsteps of those men something changed and I get emotional when I think about what happened,” Mr Salmon said.