Tham Yau Kong has spent years leading politicians, diplomats and veterans along the Sandakan-Ranau death march trail using a hand-drawn mud map.
The Malaysian tour guide has now been given an honorary Medal of the Order of Australia for his work in keeping alive the memory of the sacrifice of Australian prisoners of war.
Between 1942 and 1945 almost 2500 prisoners of war tragically died in Sabah, Malaysia and more than 1000 lost their lives on the infamous death marches.
About 1800 of the POWs were Australian.
Mr Tham, a highly respected tour guide and expert jungle trekker, has been integral to shining a light on the bravery and endurance of the POWs, only six of whom survived the ordeal.
He self-funded a rediscovery trek of the Sandakan-Ranau death march and helped establish several memorials along the route.
In 2006, the Australian Defence Force recognised the importance of what Mr Tham had achieved by sending a delegation to be the first Australians to walk across the “lost” section of the track since 1947.
Since the first trek, Mr Tham brought the death march story to a wider audience by establishing a cycling route along the lower part of the track, creating programs aimed at students and regularly lecturing local guides in the importance of bringing the war history to Australians and Malaysians alike.
Among those to have taken part in his tours are former prime minister Scott Morrison, Labor frontbencher Jason Clare and former independent MP Rob Oakeshott.
Mr Clare told AAP not enough Australians knew the story of what happened at Sandakan.
“It is the worst atrocity in Australian military history,” he said.
“It’s a horror story, gut-wrenching horror. It’s hard to tell, but it needs to be told.
“It’s people like Mr Yau Kong Tham who are telling this story, ensuring that more people know what happened here.
“He is keeping the memory of these men alive. I pay tribute to Mr Tham and congratulate him on this richly deserved recognition.”
Mr Tham earlier this year received an MBE for his work in raising historical awareness.
The Labuan-born engineer began work as a tour executive in 1990, having been involved in outdoor adventure expeditions since his early 20s.
-AAP
