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Perry’s hobby was photography, and to support the
operations of his Ballarat home for ex-prisoners, he set
up a photographic studio in Barkly Street Ballarat. He
also produced lantern slides which he presented with his
Projector, illuminated by a 3-burner kerosene lamp.
Major Frank Barritt, Special Efforts Officer at the
Melbourne Headquarters, visited Perry’s Ballarat
Prison-Gate home and was immediately impressed with the
possibilities of Perry’s new lantern-projector.
He brought Perry and his equipment to Melbourne to
advertise the forthcoming visit of General William Booth
in September 1891. A few months later, Commissioner
Thomas Coombs, along with Barritt and Perry, developed
and presented an illustrated lecture, based on William
Booth’s social text In Darkest England, using
50 lantern slides. This highly successful presentation
went on to tour along the east coast of Australia
Perry’s arrival in Melbourne was the beginning of a
most colourful phase of The Salvation Army history.
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