Nick is joining 80 Victorian students and 14 teacher chaperones in attending the service commemorating the 100th anniversary of the landing of Australian and New Zealand troops at what would become known as Anzac Cove.

With around 700 students and 100 teachers vying for a position in the contingent, Nick obtained his place by demonstrating his connection with his community and an understanding of the spirit of Anzac.

Speaking to The Ararat Advertiser before he left for Turkey, Nick said he was looking forward to many aspects of the trip, but most of all the Dawn Service, with his great grandfather Alexander Gunning to be foremost in his mind.

"It's the main reason we're going, it's going to be really emotional," he said.

"I will be thinking about everyone, but with my personal connection to my great grand father I will definitely be thinking of him and what he did during the war."

Alexander Gunning enlisted for the First World War in Melbourne on August 18 1915, aged 25, with the rank of Driver in the 3rd Divisional Ammunition Column (No.1 Section) in the Australian Imperial Force.

He arrived in France on November 24, 1916.

Alexander had the task of driving a cart harnessed to donkeys to carry the ammunition up to the front line. Not much more is known about his movements or duties on the Western Front but the soldiers were known to endure long journeys, bitter weather conditions, and only basic food and shelter to contend with, combined with the ever-present mortal danger so it is not surprising that disease took hold too.

He was invalided back to Reading Hospital England on August 9 1918. Fortunately Alec and his brother Jim survived the war and Alec arrived back in Australia in January 1920.

Alec married, raised a family and farmed the land but never spoke much about the war.

Alexander Gunning received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

During the visit to Turkey Nick and fellow students will also take in a number of other historic war sites on the Kesan peninsula visiting battlefields, cemeteries and memorials.

"We are going to go visit grave sites along the Gallipoli peninsula which I'm really looking forward to, it will give me a bit more of a sense of what happened and I will pay my respects," Nick said.

In addition to the Anzac Day services, the students will also visit the Grand Bazaar, enjoy a Bosphorus cruise and visit the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Underground Yerebatan Cistern and the Hippodrome in Istanbul.

The students will also visit Gelibolu (Gallipoli) Anadolu Lisesi Anatolia High School to meet with students and enjoy a choir performance, folk dancing and time for students to interact.

"We get to be tourists in Istanbul and look around the mosques and we also get to go to a Turkish school close to Gallipoli to see their generation from Turkey and speak to them and see what they thought of the whole battle of Gallipoli and World War I.

"It will give us a great perspective.

"I reckon it's amazing that (despite) something so terrible that can happen, we can all bond over it and band together and for the Australian soldiers who never came home Turkey has accepted them and said they will look after them."