Kokoda trekker returns to rest

By Callan Date
A MAN who died trekking the Kokoda Track has been laid to rest in Pakenham, where he grew up.
Ian Bergman was buried near his father, Otto, after the 35yearold’s life was tragically cut short in Papua New Guinea.
Mr Bergman spent the first 16 years of his life in Pakenham before moving closer to Melbourne to work as a chef.
He was two days into a hike on the famous track when he suddenly collapsed and died earlier this month.
Friends who accompanied Mr Bergman on the organised trek attempted to revive him but were unsuccessful.
Mourners travelled from around Australia and overseas to pay tribute to Mr Bergman on Monday.
Family and friends attended the funeral service at the Berwick Regional Church of Christ. Mr Bergman was buried at Pakenham Cemetery.
The man, described by friends as caring and generous, attended Pakenham Consolidated School throughout his primary years and moved on to Warragul Technical School.
He also had many mates at the Pakenham Football Club, where he spent several years playing junior football.
Mr Bergman’s mother, Jan Wymond, described her son as a kind and warmhearted person who made everyone he met feel special.
“I saw him only a few days before he left for the trek and he looked the best I had seem him for some years,” Ms Wymond said.
“He was a very fit man who did a lot of training for the trek — walking up and down hills with a heavy pack on and other fitness work.”
Ms Wymond said she had been overwhelmed with messages of support from friends and neighbours from the family’s time in Pakenham.
A bus load of Mr Bergman’s work colleagues were among the mourners who travelled to Berwick to pay their respects.
Ms Wymond said her son had a love for war history, which resulted in his motivation to walk the same path that many Australian soldiers did during World War II.
Mr Bergman’s official cause of death was recorded as a “probable electrolyte imbalance as a consequence of dehydration and heat exhaustion”.
A memorial for Mr Bergman has been set up on the Kokoda Track for a man who lost his life doing something he loved.