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Lindsay Apted Becomes Our Youngest Trekker Ever!!
Twelve-year old Lindsay Apted from Melbourne – Victoria, has become the youngest trekker ever to have trekked with us (Kokoda Trekking Limited) as of July 6th, 2005.
The 12 year-old year-7 student from Wesley College in Melbourne has by far become the youngest trekker to have walked with us since the company commenced its tour operations along the renowned WWII Kokoda Trail barely two years ago.
The youngest trekker we?ve taken out on the trail until now was James O?Hara who set the record last year at the age of 14.
Lindsay arrived in Papua New Guinea on the 28th of June with his parents Arthur and Jenny and 15 year-old brother Huw to walk the infamous trail. Accompanying them were some friends also from Melbourne. The other trekkers included, Paul Lindholm and his son Frederik Lindholm who at the age of 13 would be our second youngest trekker, Michael Cameron and son Angus Cameron 15, Bernard Murphy also with son Declan Murphy, aged 14.
Most of the youngsters including Lindsay are students attending different schools in Australia. The group started from Ower?s Corner on 29th June and worked their way towards Kokoda and arrived there on 6th of July.
Maybe he didn?t expect it but when we informed Lindsay that he was the youngest trekker ever to have trekked with us, he just smiled. When I later approached him and asked him how he felt about it, he simply stated, he was happy and at the same time proud about his achievement.
Lindsay said it was his dad?s idea to include him in the group. ?Because Australians were involved in the war here, my dad wanted me to come along. ?He said it was good for me because, then I would see for myself where Australia soldiers fought during the WWII.
Lindsay said he?s only heard about the history of war along the trail and to actually walk the trail and seen it has opened up his mind to a lot of things.
?At Isurava we were shown where Bruce Kingsbury was ambushed with his men. It was a great experience for me. When the guides showed us the place and explained to us what happened during the war and how Kingsbury was killed during the ambush I sort of pictured everything in my head, and now I have a fair idea of how he died,? Lindsay said.
The 12 year-old said he didn't have much training beforehand but didn't expect the trail to be easy either. "It was tough, not as tough as I have expected but I had fun and it was good to see how the people in the villages lived.
"It is very different to the way we live but they seemed really happy when we came across them and were always ready to greet us."
" I played with the village kids and that was fun and all in all it was a great adventure for me," he said.
The energetic 12 year-old endured the gruelling walk on the ardous 96km trail and earned himself a place in the Kokoda Trail Hall Of Fame ? as the youngest trekker ever to have completed the trek.
Congratulations Lindsay and to everyone else that you have trekked with!!
Ends//
Lindsay Apted….Crossing one of the many crossings along the Kokoda Trail
DSC02575.JPGWhen Russell & I met up with Stan Bissett (2/14th WW2 veteran) earlier this year, he indicated to us that he would like as many young people as possible to walk the Kokoda Trail so that their generation never looses sight of what went on during World War II.
By offering Lindsay and the other students on this trek a free porter this is our small way of helping to ensure young people walk and remember our diggers and what they went through so the Japanese did not invade Australia.
Lest we Forget
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