AS they shared smiles and a loving embrace, it wasn’t hard to see how touched war veteran Nic Fothergill was by the sweet voice of his granddaughter Sophie.
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They stood side by side while Sophie, 8, sung him The Anzac during Victory Lutheran College’s Anzac service.
She stood tall beside her grandfather as if she was trying to reach his height while he wiped tears from his eyes.
“I was thinking I wish I had some sunglasses to hide my tears,” Mr Fothergill said.
“You could see me tearing up on stage because I was so proud of her.
“She has a very good singing voice.”
Mr Fothergill said it was the first time she had ever sung to him.
“I thought it would be a really nice thing to do because he fought in Vietnam,” Sophie said.
“I was a bit nervous but I felt really good when he was standing next to me.”
Mr Fothergill said “special” was the only way to describe the feeling of a younger generation paying tribute to war veterans.
Even though he does not speak to his granddaughter a lot about the war, he broadens her awareness by showing her medals and photographs.
“I tell her about the good parts,” he said.
“When she’s older I might tell her more.”
Principal Cain McDonald said it was hard for younger generations to comprehend what occurred in the past.
“Through personal stories we can give what happened a human face and help them understand,” he said.
