A first milestone

A GROUP of secondary school students from Prince Hills Secondary School in Melbourne, Australia, have become the first international students to reach the summit of Mt Wilhelm in Simbu province.
The 17 Grades 11 and 12 students with their school principal John Stone arrived in the country last week during their school holiday and flew to Mt Hagen and headed straight to Gumine district, one of the remotest district in Simbu and lived there with the people.
The following day they went to Gembogl district and began their ascent up Mt Wilhelm.
 Mr Stone said it was a real lifetime experience for his students to climb the highest peak in PNG which only six of them did manage to reach the summit.
He said it was also the first group of international students although many foreigners had climbed the peak before.
Mr Stone said it was also a life sharing experience for his students to actually  stay with the locals and learn from them about life in rural PNG.