The Gallipoli 2015 School Tour program was released this week and showed the closest school to Maitland to be selected was the Hunter River High School in Raymond Terrace.

But there will be 24 students from the Hunter going to the momentous event – four from HRHS and one each from 20 high schools who were selected in a special Hunter Valley District RSL clubs program four years ago.

The government’s selection process was slammed yesterday by Maitland RSL sub-branch president Eric Bell who said he was disgusted.

“For the Hunter and Upper Hunter, our real fear was realised, in that nobody from this area [Maitland] was considered,” Mr Bell said.

“It is fortunate that the RSL and other schools took the initiative four years ago to develop a program so every high school in our area has a representative to experience this trip.

“It goes to show that if you are not in a metropolitan area of NSW, you are at a disadvantage.

“I am disgusted. 

“There was no school selected from Maitland, the fastest growing inland city in the state.”

Mr Bell said he had discussed the situation with Maitland MP Robyn Parker.

“She has undertaken to make our concerns known to the government – and we wait her reply,” he said.

“To me, this government selection almost says: ‘If you are not from an area we think is important, you don’t get a look in’.”

But a spokesman for Veterans Affairs Minister Victor Dominello said: “Of the 25 schools drawn in this ballot, 11 were metropolitan government schools, four were metropolitan non-government schools, eight were non-metropolitan government schools and two were non-metropolitan non-government schools.

“A war widow drew the ballot – literally out of a hat – and this was done in a fair and equitable manner, so we could ensure no school or area was given preferential treatment.”

Asked why not a single school from the Maitland district had been selected, the spokesman said: “It is ­disappointing, but we wanted to keep political control out of this.”

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