Tertiary Scholarship opportunity for Kokoda students - the KTF Bisset Medal

KTF is delighted to announce the Bisset Medal Scholarship Program, named in honour of the Bisset brothers, who fought valiantly in the Kokoda Campaign alongside the brave Papuan Infantry and Fuzzy Wuzzy Angel carriers. The Bisset Medal keeps the close bonds forged between Papua New Guinea and Australia along the Track, and the spirit of Kokoda alive.

A tribute to shared sacrifice and shared future, the scholarship will support two tertiary students from communities along the Kokoda Track (Owers Corner to Kokoda) to pursue further education in Papua New Guinea.

The Scholarship will cover tuition and boarding fees for 2026, and include a visit to Australia on a short exchange programme and to participate in work experience and mentoring opportunities.

In 2026, two scholarships will be awarded, one each to a female and a male recipient.

Applicants may be studying any field of study, at any recognised tertiary institution in PNG, and at any stage of their course. The Bisset Medal is not limited to first-year students. The successful applicants will hope to benefit their communities in the future through their education.

Applications for the 2026 Bisset Medal scholarships are now open, and close 15 February 2026.

To apply, click here.

About the Bisset brothers

The Bisset Medal is named in honour of brothers Stan and Thomas Harold “Butch” Bisset and the courage they displayed in battle along the Kokoda Track. The brothers were raised in Warrandyte near Melbourne, where a close bond grew through sport and outdoor life. Stan was an elite sportsman who had been selected for the Wallabies before the war, while Butch, known as a friend to all, rose to the rank of Sergeant.

Both enlisted in the 2/14th Battalion and served in Syria before being sent to Papua New Guinea in 1942 to fight in the Kokoda Campaign. During the fighting against the advancing Japanese forces, Butch was critically wounded, and Stan stayed with him through the night, comforting him until he died in his arms. Stan later received the Military Cross and an OAM, but the brothers’ story above all symbolises the courage, sacrifice, and personal loss endured by both Australians and Papua New Guineans defending Port Moresby along the Kokoda Track.

Butch rests in peace at Bomana War Cemetery in Port Moresby (Row C 6 F13).

Stan was a very dear friend to KTF until his death in 2010, aged 93.