19 cadets graduate from military academy

 By LARRY ANDREW
THE Papua New Guinea Defence Force Academy at the Igam Barracks in Morobe yesterday closed a significant chapter in the history of army training in the country when the last group of cadets graduated there.
Nineteen officer cadets, including a  female, were the last to graduate from the academy that was established 36 years ago.
The next pass-out will see a combined disciplined forces parade after a joint services college was re-established this year.
Igam Barracks commandant Colonel Carl Wrakonei said: “After this graduation, we will have joint services cadets graduating.”
Wrakonei said the military cadet course began in 1980 when the initial joint services college was downgraded to a defence academy.
The academy had been training and graduating military cadets with assistance from Australia and New Zealand.
The graduates went through 18 months of basic training on how to interpret ceremonial duties, introduction to internal security and disaster management operations.