The bells of St Saviour’s church sung out in a mixture of glorious tunes on Sunday afternoon thanks to a group of bell ringers from England.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 12 participants were guided by leading bell ringer, Ruth Curtis, and rung the bells as a band for three hours and 20 minutes.
Their second trip to Goulburn, the bell ringers are currently on a tour around Australia and New Zealand and plan to head to Wagga Wagga and Griffith in the next couple of weeks.
St Saviour’s Cathedral tower captain Stephen Relf described the experience as a great day.
“The art of bell ringing is a mathematical and numerical process,” Mr Relf said. “It’s more mentally draining than physically enduring.”
Every bell ringer is given a number. The aim is to complete a perfect sequence of rings at the right time.
Instead of ringing tunes, the bell is rung based on changes, with each person responsible for one bell. The sequence of ringing bells is called a peal.
Each peal comprises over 5,000 unique changes, and no change is repeated. The duration of a peal is three hours.
The heaviest bell housed at St Saviour’s is 1007kg and the lightest is 200kg.
“St Saviour’s is unique because it is the only regional bell tower in the Southern Hemisphere that has more than 10 bells,” he said.
“Bell ringing is a ministry to the cathedral and to the Goulburn community, to any community that it is a part of.”
Mr Relf decided to give it a shot in the summer of 1996 after he was invited to look at the bells after service.
“It’s certainly not a regular hobby, or a commonly heard of activity,” he said.
“There is a beauty in the English style of ringing which has developed and grown across the English speaking countries around the world.”
As for the future, he hopes that bell ringing will continue to thrive and be passed on to younger generations.
“When bell ringers are in a group, we maintain a happy and encouraging environment,” he said.
“We are challenged to go to the next step or level. We not only encourage people to learn, but to stay on so they can pass the knowledge and keep it going.”
There is a core team of six local bell ringers. More people are to be taught in coming months.
Mr Relf said there was a community of bell ringers, young and old, scattered across Australia who travel and communicate with each other.
St Saviour’s organises guided tours on the first Saturday of every month. The next tour is on February 4. Sessions will be held at 10.30am and 2.30pm. Tours are free but donations are welcome.