 Cherry was born on 4 June 1895 at Drysdale , Victoria , to John <unk> Cherry and his wife Elizabeth , née Russel . When he was seven years old , the family moved to Tasmania and took up an apple orchard near <unk> . Cherry attended the local state school until he was thirteen , after which he received private tuition . He worked with his father and became an expert apple packer ; at fourteen he won a local case @-@ making competition at the Launceston Fruit Show by packing thirty @-@ five cases of apples in an hour . Joining the Australian Army Cadets in 1908 , Cherry soon became a sergeant and later a second lieutenant , where he used to drill cadets in four different districts . At the age of sixteen , he won the President 's Trophy and Gold Medal for being the best shot at the rifle range in Franklin . He also rowed with the Franklin rowing club , played the cornet in the Franklin brass band and sang in the Anglican church choir . In 1913 , Cherry joined the Citizens Military Force and was commissioned into the 93rd Infantry Regiment as a second lieutenant . 
