I'm not sure you could get try { BLOCK } catch { BLOCK } kind of syntax without prototypes,

You can't¹. You'd have to write it as:

try sub {BLOCK}, catch sub {BLOCK}
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I wouldn't want those new to perl to be writing that code as they probably wouldn't understand the details of prototypes

That's quite an elitist remark which I do not agree with.

¹ Well, you can if you leave Perlland, and enter the world of source filters. Or perhaps the world Devel::Declare or some other universe that messes with internals.