Bells and Bellringers of
Christ Church St Laurence
Bellringers
The Bellringers of Christ Church St Laurence are members of the Australian & New Zealand Association of Bellringers.
The ringers photographed are those who rang for the Corpus Christi Service, 2008. They are, from left (with their main tower affiliation): Richard Thomas (St Philip's Church Hill), Alan Coates (St James', Queen's Square), Tony Wyatt (St James', Turramurra), Marylon Coates (St James', Queen's Square), Jim Carter (CCSL), Elaine Lee (St James', Tuarrmurra), Evelyn Wyatt (CCSL), Deryn Griffiths (CCSL), Helen Whitsed (CCSL), Ted Reid (St Paul's, Manuka). Inset is Beatrice Dowsett, a CCSL learner who was watching and listening. Regular CCSL ringers in 2008, not shown in the photo, include Basil Potts, Eliot Ball, Bruce Ledden and Robert Weatherby.
New ringers are welcomed. See the section Learning To Ring below.
Bells The 10 bells are as below.
| Bell |
Weight |
Note |
Date |
Founder |
Bell number 9
(Copyright Andrew Treloar)
|
| 1 |
3-0-21 |
B |
1984 |
Whitechapel |
| 2 |
3-0-23 |
A |
1984 |
Whitechapel |
| 3 |
3-2-8 |
G |
1984 |
Whitechapel |
| 4 |
3-3-20 |
F# |
1984 |
Whitechapel |
| 5 |
4-1-26 |
E |
1852 |
Taylor |
| 6 |
5-1-0 |
D |
1852 |
Taylor |
| 7 |
6-0-22 |
C |
1852 |
Taylor |
| 8 |
6-0-24 |
B |
1852 |
Taylor |
| 9 |
7-1-2 |
A |
1852 |
Taylor |
| 10 |
10-3-8 |
G |
1852 |
Taylor |
Learning to Ring For more information on becoming a Bellringer, contact the Tower Captain at
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. New recruits are always welcome, as are visiting ringers. Ringers come from all walks of life and most age groups, and need not be church-goers. Bellringing is a group activity that combines physical coordination and mental alertness to produce the unique sounds of change ringing. This combination of mental and physical skills, teamwork, and the rich sounds that are produced, ensures a lifetime's enjoyment. Many people ring as a contribution to church and community life; others enjoy learning a traditional skill which has been passed down for centuries. Ringers everywhere enjoy the social aspects of their hobby, meeting regularly to ring bells for various occasions. Visiting other towers is encouraged, and a good way to meet people when travelling. Bellringing does not require great physical strength, nor do you need any knowledge of music or mathematics. It's all about rhythm, memory and concentration. Although a bell rests with its mouth facing downwards, the English tradition of bellringing requires that the bell be raised to the "up" position. The bells swing through a full circle each time they ring. You will need some intensive practice at the outset - perhaps a dozen one-to-one lessons to develop the technique to ring your bell "to the balance". With that skill acquired, you will quickly become a useful member of the band, attending our weekly practice (Tuesdays 6-8pm) and ringing on Sunday mornings and for special occasions. Change ringing comes next, with its intriguing mix of quick-thinking, listening, vision ("ropesight") and fine-tuning of the physical skills. How rapidly and how far you advance depends mainly on opportunity and enthusiasm, but the feeling of achievement and fun starts from the beginning.
Many people find ringing quite addictive and it is common to find older ringers who started ringing when they were in their teens and have never grown tired of it.
For further details about ringing see the About Bellringing section of the ANZAB website .
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