13. AIDAN GRIMES

Todays guest, Aidan Grimes, is someone very special. Someone I know personally and who has touched thousands of lives for the better. Aidan Grimes is an accomplished coach who, through his unique understanding of history, has helped many people change their perception of the past, equip them to live in the present and empowered them to design the future they wish to have. In 2022 Aidan led his 125th Kokoda Track expedition, in Papua New Guinea(99 kilometres of the most challenging terrain you will ever see) and has inspired all participants as they encounter the mental & physical challenges on the track. He remains the only Kokoda operator to have a 100% completion rate. He has worked with many large corporations including Microsoft, Ericsson, Intel, Apple, and the NSW Police to name a few. He has worked with many sports organisations. In 2012 he was awarded the RSL "Anzac of the Year" award and in 2019 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal by the PNG Governor General in recognition for his contribution to the Kokoda Track and PNG. This interview goes deeper into who Aidan Grimes is and how this story happened. Aidan comes from Ireland and came to Australia at a relatively young age connecting with Australian wartime history, instilling him with a passion to tell the story of our Australian Soldiers, our diggers. At that time Aidan had a limited education from Ireland. Aidan’s interest in Australian Wartime history zeros in on the particular the story of the 400 reservist diggers who defended the Kokoda Track in Papua New Guinea against the might of the then undefeated 2000 hardened soldier, strong Japanese Army, preventing the Japanese continuing into Australia. What is enlightening about this story is Aidan opens up about him living with Asperger’s and ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). People with Aspergers do not recognise facial expression and deal with logic not emotion. They are often seen as outcasts, and ostracized by society because they are different. They normally have an area of expertise that they specialise in. In Aidan’s case his area of expertise has been the History of World War II and Human Performance. This makes total sense that he has now completed 125 Kokoda Tracks , mixing that adventure experience, with a photographic memory of every battle site and a personal stories of the Australian Soldiers who defended the freedoms we enjoy today, on the Kokoda Track in WWII. Aidan used his opportunities in Australia to complete university degrees in Sports Science focusing on High Performance and now intends to further this education in Counselling others who need support, doing a PHD using history and high performance to get more people active in todays world. The interview ends with a great tip for all of us if we want to succeed. Create and build our own Self Belief. Take the time getting to know you. Make your mark, and throw your stones as hard as you can, explore life, try as many things as you can whilst maintaining and improving your fitness and health. Never let others take away your self belief.