Portrait of Right Reverend Dr Charles Perry

Charles Perry (1807–1891), Anglican bishop, was consecrated at Westminster Abbey as the inaugural Bishop of Melbourne in 1847. Arriving in Melbourne in 1848, Perry appointed colonists as lay readers in the face of a lack of clergy. In 1850, along with five other Australasian bishops, Perry advocated self-governance of the Australian Anglican Church. Perry made strong contributions to the establishment of the Melbourne Diocesan Grammar School and the Geelong Grammar School. While he was considered a traditionalist, he lectured frequently in the 1860s on the need for the Church to engage honestly with new scientific theories.
His wife, Frances (Fanny) Perry (née Cooper, 1814–1892) devoted her energies to women’s and children’s issues, taking on roles with institutions including the Melbourne Orphan Asylum and the Carlton Refuge. She is perhaps best known for leading the committee that in 1856 founded the Melbourne Lying-In Hospital and Infirmary for Diseases of Women and Children – aka the Royal Women’s Hospital. Australia’s first public hospital for women, it was also the first hospital in Australia to offer nursing training, and the first to teach obstetrics and gynaecology. Frances served as President of the hospital until the Perrys’ departure from Melbourne in April 1874.