Once a minister at Tingha, Kerry will hold three talks at the Inverell Christian Centre on Saturday and Sunday.

Kerry said the visit brought back many memories, which he couldn’t wait to share with locals. One fond memory was of an unusual Anglican church fete.

“We came up with the idea of the world dung throwing championships,” Kerry said.

“Some of the little old ladies were most distressed that people were tossing manure from the church roof!” Kerry’s good friend Henry Fong was the ultimate winner. 

“The Inverell Times on Monday had this big headline, and the headline read: Fong flung dung,” Kerry laughed.

Kerry will also speak on God’s love for bushrangers.

Inspired by the stories he heard growing up Gunning, where the Ben Hall gang operated, Kerry wrote two books on bushrangers. One focuses on teenager John Dunn’s letter to his parents before he was hanged, asking for forgiveness, while the second asks whether Ned Kelly could be in heaven.

He felt the tales showed that people can be redeemed.

“I want broken and wounded men and children and women, who think that God doesn’t love them because they’ve done very unpleasant things, to know that they haven’t stepped away from God’s love,” he said.