Australian in Gore’s parade

Gore’s Anzac Day service was a rather poignant one for 18-year-old Harrison Lehman.

As the Gore District Council’s sister city committee’s Anzac exchange pupil, he carried the Australian flag in the Gore parade and laid a wreath at the town’s memorial.

‘‘It’s been a bit of an honour. I feel very privileged to represent Australia here this morning.’’

Thoughts turned to home when the Australian national anthem was played.

‘‘I wasn’t homesick but I was very proud, even though I was the only one there that knew the song.

‘‘When the Kiwi anthem started it sent shivers down my spine with everyone singing.’’

Lehman hails from Tamworth, Gore’s sister city, and attends Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School.

‘‘Tamworth City Council interviewed all of the captains from the high schools and picked one of us. It’s a really cool exchange.’’

There were differences between the Gore and Tamworth Anzac services which Gore High School student Jake Miller, who is Gore’s exchangee, would notice.

Miller attended the service in Tamworth, which started at 10.45am, laid the wreath with the Tamworth mayor and accompanied him to the Returned and Services League luncheon, where he made a speech.

‘‘This is a lot colder than Aust- ralia for starters. But at home we have a dawn service with no march, and then we march for about a kilometre at 11am,’’ Lehman said.

‘‘There’s two laying of wreaths, one at each service.’’

This year is the second year the exchange had been held.

The selection process involved Gore High School and St Peter’s College each nominating three candidates.

They are interviewed on an Anzac-related topic. This year it was about the battle of Passchendaele, given the centenary is coming up in October.

‘‘It’s an honour to come here today considering how close our countries are,’’ Lehman said.