Perrin, Florence (née Dawson)   (1884 - 1952)

Born in 1884 in Launceston, Tasmania; she died on 25 April 1952 in Launceston, Tasmania.

She was the daughter of the Revd William Dawson, a Methodist minister, and Mary, the daughter of T. W. Monds.

She married George Perrin in 1907, with whom she shared a love of the bush, skiing and photography.

The couple lived in Launceston, farming at Low Head. Enthusiastic bushwalkers and climbers, the peak Perrins Bluff was named after them.

She was the first woman to climb many of the peaks in the Cradle Mountain - Lake St. Clair region. From 1914 to 1917 she climbed Mt Pelion, Mt Achilles, Mt Thetis, Perrin's Bluff and Mt Ossa.

Florence was almost certainly the first woman in Northern Tasmania to take up snow skiing, being a founding member of the Northern Tasmanian Alpine Club.

An active member of the Launceston Horticultural Society. Florence's interest in botany enabled her to collect almost all of the ninety-plus orchids then known to be native to Tasmania.

She was co-author with Arthur Lucas of 'Seaweeds of South Australia', which was recognised as the standard work for southern Australia at the time. Lucas visited the Perrins often. Together he and Florence explored Lord Howe and Low Islands in Queensland. (see full photo with algae collections)

Florence was a keen painter, using the medium of water colours to paint all the flowers she collected.

She took many photographs on her expeditions, including a large number of stereographs, and her photography shows an artistic eye for detail unusual in photography of the time. As the Northern Tasmanian Camera Club, of whom George Perrin was a member, did not allow women, Florence Perrin went un-recognised for her photography for many years.

Florence Perrin died on 25th April, 1952, and her husband donated a stained-glass window to St. Aidan's Church in her memory.

Source: Extracted from:
https://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/cpp/community-policy-and-engagement/significant_tasmanian_women/significant_tasmanian_women_-_research_listing/florence_perrin
https://plants.jstor.org/stable/10.5555/al.ap.person.bm000332965
https://www.daao.org.au/bio/florence-perrin/biography/
https://resources.allsaints.network/histcoll/index.php/Detail/entities/P048
Portrait Photo: Tasmanian Times (24/1/2022) https://tasmaniantimes.com/2022/01/whats-all-the-fuss-over-perrins-paddock/

Collecting localities for 'Perrin, F.' from AVH (2024)

Data from 5,760 specimens