Pakenham Upper Community Hall and Church

In 1872, Gembrook South’s first settler, a Mr Matters donated half an acre of land on which a hall to be used as a church and meeting place was to be built. A young Joe Moyle, employed by Mr Matters at the time cleared and fenced the land and the building was erected by volunteers supervised by Mr Clink. In 1879 the building was leased by the Government for the South Gembrook School which opened on the 11 July 1879 and remained here until the school was transferred to a new building in 1923.

Progress meetings began in 1906 when a Mr Black came to South Gembrook and because the area had a closer affiliation with Pakenham, the name was changed to Pakenham Upper in 1913.

Mr Warner was a Sunday School teacher and Mr Carne was the church organist.

Reference:
The Pakenham Upper Community Church Hall 1879-1992 edited by Joy Carberry  

Andrew Brydie Warner plaque

Transcription

In loving memory of / Andrew Brydie Warner, / one of the foundation members of this / church, who gave of his best to the / Lord, in his day and generation. / Died December 17th 1932. / “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord.”

William Henry Carne plaque

Transcription

In loving memory of / William Henry Carne, / for his service to the / district and devotion / to the church. Organist for 30 years, / who passed away on Dec 5th 1954. / “His memory will never fade.”

Plaques on chairs in Church Hall

Transcriptions

To the glory of God / in memory of / William James Carne
In Loving Memory of / William Henry Carne / for service and devotion / to this Church. / Died, December 5th 1954

Plaque on Cross at west end of Church

Transcription

In memory of / John MacDonald / a member and elder / of this congregation / for 41 years

Plaques on chairs in back room

Transcription

In Loving Memory of / Andrew Brydie Warner / Died, December 17th 1932.

Christening Font plaque

Transcription
In memory of / Jane Moyle, / a member of this church / for 40 Years / 1946

Pulpit plaque

Transcription

This Pulpit was erected / to the Glory of God / and in memory of / Mary Keable / who died November 29th 1943.

Altar Table plaque

Transcription

Presented by / Pakenham Upper / PFA / Oct. 7. 1945.

Collection Plate plaque

Transcription

Presented to the Upper Pakenham / Presbyterian Church by the / Sunday School 11.12.38

Roll of Honor book

The Roll of Honor is handwritten in ink and commemorates the local men who enrolled and served in World War 1. Our volunteers have remarked on how privileged they felt to be given access to such a wonderful little book and their hopes for its continued preservation.

Transcription

Title Page
1914 – Roll of Honor – 1919 / Pakenham Upper School / Justice Liberty / “Best Always” / 1920

Robert James Warren (no photo)
Eldest son of Robert Charles & Catherine Warren / of Nar Nar Goon North.

Born at Carlton on May 8th 1897. Before enlisting / for active service he was connected with his / father in orcharding. Joining the Australian / Forces in February 1916, he went into training at / Royal Park and was transferred to Seymour, / then to Broadmeadows.

Embarked on July 3rd on the Ayrshire with the / 21st Battalion. Saw service in France and was / badly gassed.

Returned on the Shropshire. Disembarked on May 17th 1919. Discharged, June 30th 1919.

Gerald Culcutt
Son of JR & SM Calcutt, Victoria Street, / Williamstown. After leaving the State School / at Pakenham Upper, he matriculated at the / Melbourne University, then entered the bank / as a clerk. Immediately war was declared, / August 1914, he enlisted. After training at / Broadmeadows, he embarked on Oct. 21st on / the Hororata with the 7th Battalion. / He was at the landing on Gallipoli on the / morning of April 25th. Nothing more was / heard of him, until he was officially re-/ported killed in action 25.5.1915.

David Orchard  (no photo)
Son of John & Sarah Orchard.

Born at Emerald on January 13th 1888. / Before enlisting, he was employed at the / General Post Office as a telephone linesman. / Enlisted on Sept. 5th 1916. Being trained at / the Domain & Royal Park camps, he embarked / on the Hororata with the 5th Battalion on / Nov. 23rd 1916. Saw active service in Belgium / & France, & performed guard duties in Melb-/ourne. He was wounded in the chest and / lungs at Pozieries on Aug. 10th 1918. Returned / on the Suevic on January 5th 1919.

Discharged – February 4th 1919.

William Robert Comb
Son of Alexander & Helen Comb of Merbein / via Mildura. Attended South Gembrook School. / Followed the occupation of an horticulturist. / Enlisted on July 5th 1915, and was trained at / Broadmeadows. Sailed on the Ascanius on / November 9th 1915.

Saw service in Egypt with “C” Company, / 29th Battalion 8th Brigade. July 19th he fought / at Fleurbaux, and was killed by a sniper / on July 31st 1916.

Francis Bertram Doyle
Son of John & Georgina Doyle. / Born at Elaine on January 11th 1896. / Leaving his employment, he joined the army / on July 14th 1915. Saw his first military service at / Broadmeadows & the Show Grounds. He was / then joined up with the 6th Batt. and sailed / from Port Melbourne on the Demostheneson / Dec 29th 1915. Saw the severe fighting around / Pozieries, and was in the advance on the / Somme 1916. Receiving a gunshot wound, he / was removed to England, and entered the / Nelley(*) Hospital, South Hampton. After / an operation he passed away on Dec 16th / and was buried in the grounds, close by the hospital.

(*we feel that this should read Netley Hospital)

Douglas B Black
Son of Mr & Mrs TM Black of Pakenham / Upper. Born July 20th 1898 at Mooroolbark. / Attended Pakenham Upper State School, which / he left after obtaining his merit certificate. / He was engaged in orchard work before en- / listing. On June 25th 1918, he went into camp at Broadmeadows & was chosen for the Light Horse, / 7th General Service Reinforcements, Egypt. Sailed / from Sydney in Oct 1918 on the Malta. / He contracted influenza on the ship, and arr- / iving at Egypt was taken to the military / hospital, Abbassia. His illness developed into / cerebro spinal fever, of which he died on / Dec 12th 1918, & was buried in Cairo cemetery.

Wallace M Black
Son of Mr & Mrs TM Black of Pakenham Upper. / Born Feb 1896 at Ascot Vale. Educated at the / Pakenham Upper State School, then sought / experience in order to become an orchard- / ist. Enlisted in the AIF and went into training at Broadmeadows with 5th Batt. / Aug 4th 1917, sailed from Port Melb on the Themistocles. While in England he att- / ended a wireless telegraphy school & passed / the exam.s with credit. He was then drafted / to France early in 1918, & served in the 5th Batt. / August 1919 returned to Australia on the / Persic, and was discharged on Sept 29th 1919.

Povl Jergen Holdenson
Son of JP & K Holdenson, Linden, Pakenham. / Attended Pakenham Upper State School. / Before enlisting on June 3rd 1916, he was engaged in orchard work. Having been trained at / Seymour with the 8th Machine Gun Coy., he / left for England on the SS Commonwealth, / & landed on Nov 8th. April 24th 1917. he went across / to France. August 9th 1918, received bomb wounds / in the legs & arms & was invalided to England / on Aug 13th. Dec 22nd sailed for Australia on / Mamari, arriving at Melb. on Feb 4th 1919. / Discharged March 14th 1919, & returned to / Pakenham.

Charles H Warner
Eldest son of AB & RS Warner, “The Burrs” / Pakenham Upper. Born at Melbourne on / July 7th 1886. Before enlisting, he was farm- / ing and connected in orcharding. / Joining the AIF in Oct 1916, he was trained / at Royal Park. Nov 23rd 1916, he embarked on / the Hororata with the 7th Battalion. After / training as a bomber, he went into action / at Glencowise Wood, where he received a / wound in the chest, & was invalided home / on the Port Darwin, which arrived in Melb. / on Mar 4th 1918. He was admitted to St. Kilda / Rd Hospital, where he was operated on, but / died on Mar 9th 1918, & was buried at the / Coburg Cemetery.

Charles Calcutt
Son of JR & SM Calcutt, Victoria St / Williamstown. Born on Dec 3rd 1879. / Attended Pakenham Upper State School in / 1895. He was engaged in clerical work, and / eventually settled down in Cape Town, / South Africa, being employed in the Railway / Dept. Enlisted Nov 16th 1916, & was trained / at Rosebank. Sailed for active service on / the RMS Durham Castle on 21.11.16, as / a sergeant, being promoted to Coy S Major / on July 5th 1917. Early in 1918, was promoted / to Lieutenant. Returned to Sth Africa / on the Edinburgh Castle on 7.8.19. / Discharged Sept 1919, & rejoined Sth African / Railways.

Alexander Priest
Son of the late JH & Jane Priest. / Enlisted on Oct 6th 1916. After training for a / fortnight, he was sent to Moore Park, Sydney, / with the 7th Field Engineers, 2nd Division. He / embarked on the Marathon on May 10th 1918. / From Dec 17th 1918, till the armistice, he was / the driver of a 6 horse team in a pontoon, / from St Quentin to the Somme, Amiens, / Villiers, Bret. & Albert. He returned on / the Chemnitz on Sept 5th, & was discharged / on Oct 22nd 1919. Since then he has returned / to his previous occupation.

Robert Ramage
Son of Mr & Mrs James Ramage, born at / Pakenham Upper in 1887. Educated at the local / school. Regimental No 383, Rank Corporal. / Enlisted May 1916 in camp at Seymour, left / Australia September 19th 1916 on board / SS “Commonwealth” and landed in England. / Saw action in France at the following places: / Passchendaele, Polygone Wood, Ypres, Bullecourt, / Moilencourt, Sailly-le-See, Villers Brettoneux / Slightly wounded on one or two occasions but / never enough to figure in a casualty list. / Returned to Australia September 14th 1919 on / board SS “Demosthenes.”

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Pakenham Upper VIC 3810, Australia