Drum – Applications close Friday for once-in-a-lifetime student visit to Gallipoli

· Applications close Friday 13 June for Victorian students to attend the Gallipoli 2015 100th anniversary ANZAC Day Dawn Service
· Victorian Coalition Government will fully fund 80 students and 18 teachers to attend
· The Gallipoli 2015 Tour is in addition to the 2015 Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize Study Tour

Applications are closing soon for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Victorian students to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings at the 2015 Dawn Service in Gallipoli, Turkey.

The Victorian Coalition Government is funding 80 students and 18 chaperones to take part in a six-day tour in the footsteps of the Anzacs at Gallipoli next year.

Victorian students enrolled in Years 9 to 12 next year, along with teachers from schools across Victoria, have until this Friday, 13 June, to apply for one of the 98 places available.

Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Damian Drum today encouraged eligible students to submit their applications before the closing date.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to represent your local community at Anzac Cove, the very place at which the legend of Gallipoli was born,” Mr Drum said.

“As Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, I have met many young Victorians in our community who proudly carry the torch of remembrance and whose participation in their local community reflects the spirit of Anzac that we will celebrate in 2015.

“I encourage anyone who knows an eligible student deserving of this great opportunity to urge them to apply before applications close on Friday.”

Eligible students are required to submit a written application, demonstrating their involvement in and commitment to community activities, and how they plan to share insights gained from their experience with their school and the community.

Applications close on Friday 13 June 2014. Successful candidates will be announced in August 2014.

The 2015 Gallipoli Dawn Service Tour is in addition to the annual Premier’s Spirit of Anzac Prize, which selects Year 9 or 10 students for an overseas study tour of World War One battlefields where Australians have served.

The Victorian Government is marking the Anzac Centenary (2014-18) with a series of commemorative events and initiatives. The government also has a number of grants programs which enable local communities to restore or enhance memorials, and develop projects that commemorate the courage and sacrifice of Australia’s World War One servicemen and women.