Two young Gunnedah girls never thought they would leave the shire, but they will soon be embarking on the trip of a lifetime to Japan - all for free.
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Gunnedah High School Year 10 students Kiah Squires and Macy Friend will jet off to Japan on Sunday through the Girls Academy program.
The seven-day trip is fully funded by Idemitsu Australia Resources, and will include a visit to Tokyo Disneyland, and cultural sites such as Kyoto and Hiroshima.
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Both girls put in last-minute applications and were incredibly surprised when they were chosen.
"I didn't think I would leave Gunnedah, let alone go to Japan, and then it happened and I was like holy shit," Kiah said.
"I've never been on a plane before either and it's like a 10-hour trip."
Macy said that, after finding out she had been chosen, she called her mum, who "started freaking out".
"She didn't believe me at first; I was like, 'I am actually going to Japan'," she said.
"If anyone asked me at the start of high school if I was going to Japan, I would've said 'No, you're crazy' - but it's actually happening."
It’s going to make me want to do it again, like travel to other places and learn different cultures.
- Kiah Squires
Gunnedah High School student Lucy Lincoln was chosen for the 2017 trip, and said it was a great opportunity that changed her confidence.
"I'd always wanted to go to Japan, so I finally had the opportunity to go and I was pretty excited," Lucy said.
"Being in such a small community, a lot of people don't really want to experience things like that; they're not adventurous."
Lucy said this year's girls should "just have fun and explore and look at everything".