Page 24 - The Outdoor Showman October - December 2022

CIRCUS NEWS
Dynasty saved
Back in 1847, George William Perry started arguably Australia’s first circus. The tradition was in danger of dying, until great-great-grandson Tony Maynard re-opened at Springfield, Queensland, Friday, 16th September.
By the 1920s, Perry’s were close to being Australia’s largest circus, covering Australia and New Zealand by train and ship.
Roads were third-world shockers then, but they braved bushfires, floods, cyclones, depressions and World Wars, to bring entertainment across the most thinly-scattered continent on earth.
With up to seven elephants, mobs of horses, exotic and domestic animals,
and a family troupe of top-class human performers, they became outback legends.
Settlers travelled for days on horseback and camped alongside, just for the once-in- a-lifetime experience of seeing the show.
After running a bush pub at Northampton Downs, western Queensland, the family in 1876 got back on the road by swapping the pub for a small circus, which had landed there, exhausted and broke.
Renowned performers
Trucks commandeered by the army, no petrol tickets, everyone away at the war, no staff, no non-family members, no trains, no ships, not much hope.
The family retired to land they owned at Mentone, Victoria, practicing and looking after animals. No mon, no fun.
The family were also famous for splitting up.
The bush
After the War, they tossed coins, to see who’d take what from what was left of the show. Of four brothers, Teddy retired to train horses.
Jimmy and Nellie took out the original Perry Bros’ Circus. They showed capital cities
for a decade, and then television hit.
They were the first big show to travel the 2,500 miles of unsealed road “across the top”, Darwin to Perth.
They stayed in WA for eight years, earning the label in the trade as “The Bush Perry’s.”
Starting with two elephants, they grew to four, after cousin Joe Perry, at Sole’s Circus, bought the tented Sorlie Show in 1962.
Joe also sent them a tent. They’d been performing in side-walls for 18 months, after a willy-willy blow-down shredded their old canvas top.
The WA weather was predictable and safe after that. It helped that Jimmy was proud to become the first all-diesel show in Australia.
Then they took a year to reverse “across the top”, Darwin and another 2,000 miles to North Queensland.
They stayed in the Sunshine State for another seven years, then pivoted into Victoria.
Albertos
Alby, another brother, wife Vera and sons Alby Junior and Robert worked for five years with Wirth’s Circus, Australia’s international-standard show.
Front foot-to-foot wire walker, Muldoon balancer, clown, Alby trained Alby Jnr. to the stage where his round-off-flick-flack on the wire is recorded at the National archives. Robert was a juggler-unicyclist-clown.
In 1958, they started Alberto’s Circus, with a canvas big top, six ex-Lend Lease
In the 1920s, Australian Con Colleano became world-famous by originating the foot-to-
foot forward somersault on the bounding- tight wire. Later, there were only six in the world performing it. Four were Perry’s.
It was too difficult and dangerous, and nobody does it today. Beryl Perry was the world record holder high-jumping equestrian.
They could do anything, train anything.
When they weren’t performing in the ring, they “doubled in brass,” playing in the accompanying brass band.
From a running-board, they somersaulted over two elephants.
Mary Ellen Perry bought a hotel at Ballina, NSW.
War, Depression, Split
World War Two, straight after the Great Depression, nearly ended it all.
From top: Canvas 2-poler, in use to 1980s. Harrington’s Circus Show, 2023, Gilgandra, NSW. Clown gag. Joseph Maynard, Eroni’s,
2022. Lennons Circus family get-together.
From left: Doug Ashton’s performing family, 1970s. Alby Perry, Sr, 1970s. Jane and Marty Grant, Ashton’s, 1990s. Show gear on fire on the road.Practice, Stardust Circus. Tex Morton Show, late 1940s. Sole Bros’Circus, 1920s.
22 THE OUTDOOR SHOWMAN