Pakenham Upper gives more of her best to the A.I.F

Pakenham Gazette May 31, 1918

http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article92154616

Douglas Bruce Black (Service Number (SN) 64799) enlisted on June 28, 1918 at the age of 19 and was sent overseas and arrived in Egypt but sadly died of 'cerebro spinal fever' on December 12, 1918. Bruce was the son of Thomas Montgomery Black and Margaret Ellen Fergus, orchardists of Pakenham Upper. The article refers to his three brothers who were also fighting in France - two of the brothers  were Donald Caldwell Black (SN 7201) and Wallace Moncrief Black (SN 7451). They were both orchardists. Donald enlisted at the age of 24 on January 10, 1917. He Returned to Australia July 7, 1919. Wallace enlisted on July 10, 1917 aged 21 and Returned to Australia July 13, 1919. 

The other brother was Robert Livingstone Conning Black (SN 5985) a 22 year old Engineering student, who enlisted on February 2, 1916. Robert was Killed in Action in France on August 9, 1918. Whilst these brothers were fighting overseas the farm was being run by another brother Thomas Fergus Black. Thomas appeared before the Dandenong Exemption Court on October 17, 1916 for exemption to military service on the grounds that he had 22 young orchards of ten acres each to attend to amongst other work and also employed four men. The case was adjourned until November and as I can find no record of him serving I believe he must have been granted an exemption. 

The Holdensen boys were the sons of Peter Holdensen and Katrine Lindberg of Pakenham Upper although their address is sometimes referred to as Gembrook South. The family arrived from Denmark in January 1898.  Jens Peter Holdenson enlisted when he was 19 on August 6, 1915 and was discharged as medically unfit a month later on September 9 due to 'deformed insteps of feet'.  Paul Holdenson, officially called Povl Jorgen Holdensen, was also born in Denmark but was naturalised in August 1915. Paul enlisted on June 3, 1916 aged 23 and Returned to Australia on December 21, 1919. I can't find any record of Lin Holdensen's enlistment on either the National Archives of Australia or the Australian War Memorials - but I believe his full name was Iver Rasmus Lindberg Holdensen and he was naturalised in June 1918.