Our trouble with Harry
S
ower readers may recall the feature about Harry Dormer – “the last colporteur” – in the Winter issue, written by Bible Society historian John Harris. We received two letters in response, the first from a man who worked with Harry and the second from the daughter of another person in the picture, whom we wrongly named as Harry. With apologies, and for the sake of historical accuracy, we are republishing the photo with a corrected caption. Dear friend, My wife and I were delighted to read of our old friend Harry Dormer. Harry was a friend (and contemporary) of my parents when I was a child and my Dad was the Rector at St Anne’s Ryde in the late ’40s and ’50s.
2
Dedication of Harry Dormer’s 4WD truck: Harry, 2nd from left, Rev John Ridden, 2nd from right, Secretary of Bible Society WA.
As a teenage schoolboy, I still remember the week with Harry, who had come as a leader at a school Crusader Camp I attended. I think that is when I was drawn to his humble life, his infectious love for Christ and prodigious knowledge of the Scriptures. Later, in the ’70s, as a young curate at Christ Church Blacktown, I was privileged to work closely with Harry for a couple of years as a fellow staff member. When, a few years later, I became a senior pastor myself, I invited Harry to speak (and show his famous photos) at various meetings. In the 1990s, with Harry and Dorothy now in retirement in Ardlethan [NSW], I was delighted that my wife and I could take our children to meet them in their home. We loved Harry dearly, and treasure the memories and
photos we have of them. He was a wonderful gift of God to those who came across his path. He was such a brilliant one-to-one evangelist; there must still be hundreds around Australia who remember Harry. Your brother in Christ, (Rev) Graeme Begbie Dear friend, I have received my copy of the Winter Sower. I notice that on page 16 you have a photo of colporteurs and the detail at the bottom says, “Harry Dormer, second from right”. The man second from the right is my father, Rev John Ridden, who was Bible Society secretary in Perth, WA, for 20 or more years. He passed away in 1998. Christian greetings, (Miss) Gwendy Ridden.