Reg Chard endured hell as an 18-year-old Australian soldier who fought in 1942 on the infamous Kokoda Trail. Ironically, Kokoda rescued Reg decades later when he decided to take his own life.

After losing Betty, his wife of 66 years, the grief-stricken great-grandfather lost the will to live. But he found new purpose through educating young people, giving guided tours of Sydney's Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway.

On these tours, Reg relives Kokoda every day. He sees an image on the wall of a soldier - a comrade - who died of a jungle disease weeks after the photograph was taken. He feels his heart beating as his patrol chases down Japanese troops who had mutilated women in a jungle clearing. He hears the war cry of a samurai sword-wielding officer charging towards him. And he tells these stories on the walkway tours, preserving the memory of those who never came home.

As one of the last surviving diggers of Kokoda, Reg Chard has become a custodian of its legacy. This deeply moving, healing and inspiring biography of the 98-year-old veteran tells us of Reg's war in the jungle and how, 80 years after the battle that saved Australia, Kokoda still lives within him.

'Every word of this story has meaning, importance and impact and I for one am indebted to those who have served our nation to make it what it is today. ' - Steve Waugh

'The Digger of Kokoda is a gripping read about an all-Australian hero, Reg Chard ... [this] biography evocatively portrays the hardships of the Kokoda campaign, the sacrifices made, and the irrepressible spirit of the Australian soldiers and nursing sisters.' - Peter Fitzsimons

'The lessons and life experiences of Reg Chard are ones all Australians today could learn a lot from ... Warm, moving, heartbreaking and inspiring in equal measure.' - Emma McKeon

'This brilliant account by Daniel Lane, of Reg's war service, reminds us all of the price of peace so many of our predecessors have paid.' - General Sir Peter Cosgrove

'He's a genuine Australian hero whose story could help teach our nation's youth the importance of resilience, grit, and mateship.' - Danny Green

'The Digger of Kokoda is essential reading for any Australian.' - Keith Payne VC

'The Digger of Kokoda offers a deeper understanding of what it means to be an Australian and the inspiration to be a better person.' - Dr Brendan Nelson

'In a world where an internet outage is deemed a catastrophe, The Digger of Kokoda is a masterclass in perspective and relativity.' - John Schumann

'Grittily honest, told with great sensitivity, this is the finest account of Kokoda by a front-line soldier that I've read.' - Paul Ham

'In Reg Chard's compelling account of Kokoda, we gain a unique insight into war's madness.' - Anthony 'Harry' Moffitt

'Reg Chard, a soldier's soldier, shares insights into the graphic, brutal and confronting scenes endured by Australians on the infamous Kokoda Trail.' - Damien Thomlinson

'[A] story that will inspire." - Dr Karl James

'Raw, vivid and searingly honest, Reg Chard's personal account of Kokoda is one of the most moving I've ever read.' - Michael Veitch