Mary Ellen ran away to join the circus and became the 'Grand Old Lady' of the industry

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Twelve-year-old Mary Ellen Atkins ran away to join the Perry Bros Circus. It would become the first to circumnavigate Australia and kickstarted the nation's circus industry.

12-year-old Mary Ellen Atkins ran away to join the Perry Bros Circus in the late 1800sA life-size fibreglass elephant named Jumbo has been erected in Blackall in tribute to the troupe

"Within 24 hours she decided to run away and join the circus," said Wendy Just, vice-president of the Blackall Historical Society."She became the matriarch of the Perry Bros Circus and … became known as the 'Grand Old Lady of the Circus' all throughout Australia and New Zealand."First to circumnavigate Australia

"Because from the Perry [Bros] Circus we got the Soul Circus, Alberto's Circus, Eroni's Circus and a lot of smaller circus groups, apparently."Andrew Martin, the Mayor of the Blackall-Tambo Regional Council, said it would not have happened if it was not for Atkins joining the troupe. Jumbo the elephant now stands in Blackall as a permanent reminder of the role the town plays in the story of Australia's circus industry.Now, more than 130 years later, Blackall has honoured its circus industry roots in the way all regional Australian towns are wont to do — by erecting a big statue.

"Coffs Harbour's got the big [banana] and other towns have got the big prawn. What town's got a big elephant?" "I don't think there's anywhere else in Australia that's remembering the history of Australian circus as we are," she said.Wendy Just remembers being "dazzled" by the Perry Bros Circus when it came to town when she was a child.Ms Just remembers being "dazzled" by the Perry Bros Circus when it came to Blackall when she was around 10 years old.

 

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