All 13 students will tour the battlefields of Gallipoli and five will have the opportunity to participate in the Anzac Day dawn service marking 100 years since the Australian Imperial Force came ashore in its first major action of World War I.

Among the students with personal connections to the Great War is East Loddon P-12 year 12 student Emma Leech who said she would be the first in her family to visit the sacred site.

"My great-grandfather's cousin was mortally wounded on the 25th of April and he died three days later on a hospital ship," she said.

"He doesn't actually have a grave, but I don’t think anyone's gone to visit."

Emma said she expected the moment she found her relative's name on the memorial to be quite emotional.

"He's on Lone Pine, I know exactly where it is so I'll go and see it," she said.

"It'll be very confronting I think to see where they were and what they experienced."

The students were presented with commemorative bears for the trip by Edith and Ian Dyett, whose own personal connection to the war stretches back to Sir Gilbert Dyett, the first Bendigonian to receive a knighthood.

"Sir Gilbert Dyett was Ian's great-uncle and he was wounded at Lone Pine," Mrs Dyett said.

"Once the war ended he dedicated the rest of his life to the returned men, he was president of the RSL for 29 years."

"We just want to give something back and we want the kids to know that the people of the Bendigo region are wishing them a safe and wonderful journey and we send them with love and peace."

Current Bendigo District RSL president Cliff Richards said the trip would reinforce the post-war friendship formed between the Turkish and Australian people, as well as the horrors of war.

"It think this will be a pilgrimage for them that they will never ever forget," he said.

"It was certainly a pleasure to host these students and every member that spoke to me that spotted them going into the rooms has said how wonderful this is."