Batemans Bay's Ben Goodwin recalls whirlwind trip to Gallipoli Dawn Service and King's Coronation

"I don't win anything, I can't even get the chocolates out of a factory machine," he said.

So when the 30-year-old submarine technician got the news he would be representing the Royal Australian Navy at the hallowed Gallipoli Dawn Service and be one of 40 Aussies marching in the King's Coronation Procession in the space of just two weeks, he was in utter disbelief.

"I was so chuffed, it was perfect timing. To get selected to go to Turkey this year in particular and then go on to the coronation - it was like winning the lotto."

Bay beginnings

As a teenager, Ben and his family moved to Batemans Bay and enrolled at Batemans Bay High School. His passion for marine machinery skyrocketed when he joined Hunts Marine as an apprentice marine technician.

His passion and discipline only grew as he joined the navy, advancing to become a submariner after vigorous lung capacity tests, psychological interviews and technical examinations.

It seemed he was in the role for the long haul, but life had other plans. Nine months ago, he and his partner Kate welcomed their baby girl, Indigo.

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To bring his growing family closer to home, he relocated from HMAS Sterling in Perth to Canberra, where he gained a spot in Australia's Federation Guard.

"For any ceremony involving Australia's Defence Force, they will send the guard.

"I went from fixing big diesel engines to doing ceremonials."

Road to Gallipoli

For the guard, April is one of the busiest months of the year. Members of the guard were asked to put forward three preferences for dawn services and Anzac ceremonies all over the world.

"Turkey is the pinnacle."

He said most members of the guard chose Turkey in the hopes they would head to Gallipoli for an unforgettable dawn service.

Days later, hundreds of thousands watched as Ben led the four-person Catafalque Party to the Gallipoli memorial on the cliffs of Anzac Cove.

"You can't possibly understand the feeling of it unless you're there. I've been to a lot of Anzac Day services but obviously, this will never beat it," he said.

As he stood at attention for almost an hour, he said "everything" went through his head.

"You think about why you're there and how special it is. I'm not only representing myself and the Australian Defence Force but all of Australia and my parents, friends, family and everyone...I'm there for them.

"It's dead quiet. You could have heard a pin drop, but you could also hear the ocean. It sends shivers down your spine."

Unbeknownst to people watching the dawn service from all over the world, Ben was saturated from a heavy downpour that descended on Anzac Cove just minutes before the service.

"Even with the rain, I forgot how cold it was."

Naturally, Ben said after his long day of duties at the Gallipoli, Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair services, he sat down and cried.

"People dream of this and I got chosen to be there.

"Every time I think about it, I get the feeling that I'm still there. I don't think anyone could take that away from me, it's embedded in me now."

'From one extreme to another': the whirlwind trip continues

Days before he left Australia, he learnt that his international service would not end in Turkey.

Ben, alongside 40 other Australians, were selected to march in London on Coronation Day - an event the world had not seen since Queen Elizabeth II's 1953 coronation.

"I went from one extreme to another."

For seven days, Ben trained with servicemen and women from every Commonwealth country, marching more than 100 kilometres in preparation for the once-in-a-lifetime ceremony.

The 4000-person procession, separated by 19 ceremonial bands, led the newly-crowned King and Queen in the Gold State Coach from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace on Saturday, May 6.

And who was at the front of it all? Ben.

Ceremony called for the Commonwealth countries' servicemen and women to lead the procession in alphabetical order, meaning Australia was at the front with Antigua and Barbuda.

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Ben was effectively leading 4000 soldiers, let alone the King and Queen through the streets of London.

To enter the gates of Buckingham Palace, the 12-file procession had to condense to a six-file form. Dauntingly, this meant Ben was the left marker for all those behind him.

"The left hand file of the whole parade was based off me. If I stepped anywhere, they had to follow me," he said.

Although King Charles and Queen Camilla were two kilometres behind Ben in the procession, he still caught glimpses of the royals during his time in London.

"We had one day off the day before the coronation, so we went out for dinner in London and spotted the King and Queen heading to Buckingham Palace on one of the backstreets."

Camilla waved at Ben from the purple Bentley, just hours before she would be crowned as the new Queen.

Ben said the crowds on coronation day were unlike anything he had seen before.

"I was standing [in front of Buckingham Palace] at attention in the pouring rain and I looked down the Mall at hundreds of thousands of people - they had been sleeping there for three days."

Because Ben fronted the parade, those lining the Mall began cheering and filming when the procession passed them.

"Every single person had a phone, so if I go on to YouTube and search for the coronation parade, I'm in every single video because I'm at the very front."

"I'm not special by any means but it is pretty cool to go on to YouTube and see myself at the coronation."

He said the King and Queen were just metres from him, waving from the Buckingham Palace's balcony while Ben stood at attention "to the highest degree of precision".

"It was weird because I couldn't move but I could see them. The King was right in front of me."

Back to reality

The whirlwind trip ended a few days after the coronation. Ben said his family and friends were itching to see him and hear his stories.

"As soon as I came off the plane I looked at my phone and it was going ballistic."

He is one of forty Australians who were gifted two coronation coins - a priceless piece of memorabilia to mark an unforgettable day.

Ben said the support he received from family and friends in Batemans Bay was overwhelming - businesses shared footage of Ben at Gallipoli and London on social media to rally behind him.

"Where do you get support like that? It was so nice to be able to represent Batemans Bay. I'm super grateful I come from a place like this, there is so much love and support."

Watch Ben Goodwin in the Catafalque Party at the Gallipoli Dawn Service: