The Canobolas Rural Technology High School year 11 students Rebecca Steedman, Alissa Meagher, Jacinta Percival, year 12 student Andrew Gray and HSIE head teacher Kirsten Hutchinson will attend the 100th anniversary commemorations at Gallipoli including the dawn service and a service at Lone Pine.

They are among 100 NSW students from 25 schools to be selected, after completing separate submissions based on World War I last year.

The nine-day trip will include four days of travel and five days spent at the Gallipoli battlefields where they will attend Anzac services, go on battlefield tours and learn more about soldiers’ experiences from both Australian and Turkish perspectives.

Each of the students said they had different reasons for wanting to go, but seeing firsthand where the soldiers were sent and learning more about their experiences were common motivations.

Jacinta said the significance of the trip had not hit her on Friday, but expected reality to set in on the plane and for the trip to be emotional.

“It’s going to be hard to keep a hold of the emotions while we are there,” she said.

Ms Hutchinson said growing up in a small community where there was a large emphasis on the WWI contribution made her more committed to Anzac Day.

She encouraged the students not to spend all their time looking from behind a camera while in Turkey.

“I though their understanding really shone through in the entries they did initially,” she said.

The NSW government has contributed $1 million for the 100 high school students to go to Gallipoli, with member for Orange  Andrew Gee describing the journey as a trip of a lifetime.