WELCOME
The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers was formed in 1962 to promote the art of change ringing in our two countries. There are currently around 350 members who ring at more than 70 bell towers throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Non-ringers might like this introduction to bellringing.
Ringers and potential ringers can contact our association's office bearers or local towers and ringers.
NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Updated: 6 November, 2024
Online Lectures 
Resources
YouTube recordings of theory classes held over Zoom during COVID restrictions.
Raising and Lowering in Peal
Treble Bob Hunting
Cambridge Surprise Minor
Scientific Triples
Reading touches in the RW Diary
Calling Touches
Calling Grandsire Triples
Conducting Stedman Triples
Belfry Maintenance
Recruiting
Running a Practice
Better Striking
During 2021, when ringing was either prohibited or severely limited due to COVID lockdowns, the NSW and ACT Branch explored video conferencing as a way to maintain connection and provide education. The Branch hosted a series of online lectures covering a broad range of topics - from call changes and Plain Hunt through to conducting Grandsire Triples.
The sessions were recorded and uploaded to YouTube, where they've since proved valuable as teaching resources. They're now available to the wider ANZAB community on the Branch's YouTube channel at the NSW and ACT Branch of ANZAB. See the link to the left with the list of topics. This may be found at any time on the NSW and ACT Training page of the ANZAB website.
Many thanks to all the presenters who gave their time and shared their expertise through these talks.
Richard Webster
November 2024
Wellington Ringing Festival 25-28 October 2024
I attended the 19th Wellington Ringing Festival in a bid to learn and practice more advanced methods that I otherwise couldn't at my local tower.
Over the weekend, I was able to try several Surprise Major as well as general 10 bell methods - some I've never even heard of before!
I was able to ring everything I wanted to practice and more. Thanks for the fantastic weekend Derek!
I'm thankful for the ANZAB subsidy making this event more accessible for people wanting to improve and blossom as a ringer. I can happily say I'll be back next year!
Christian Westrip
Diana Bleby
Diana's funeral service will be at St Peter’s Cathedral, Adelaide, on Thursday, 7th November at 2:00pm.
Live streaming of Diana's funeral service will be via this link.
2024 Sydney Ringing School - A Participant's Perspective
For me, the Sydney Ringing School started at St Mary's Cathedral. The first challenge was the 100 steps up the tower, followed by a short traverse across the roof (with marvellous views of Sydney Harbour) before entering the ringing chamber. Compared with our tiny tower in Darwin, the ringing chamber is enormous, with plenty of seating and running water! After ringing, we headed up to have a look at the very impressive bells and then we headed off to the pub to join the other group of ringers for dinner.
We worked a lot on Plain Hunt over the weekend, focusing on exercises to improve our rope sight and timing and we all made significant progress.
The weekend was of enormous benefit to us. We left Sydney with our brains buzzing and felt like we had crammed a year's worth of learning into a long weekend! We have a number of new exercises and ideas to share with our tower back in Darwin.
It was wonderful to meet other regionally based ringers and hear their ringing journeys. Ringing at a wide range of different towers was also a novel experience for some of us new ringers and a good way to develop our skills.
A longer report and more and photos are available here.
Jo Cruickshank
St Mary's Star of the Sea, Darwin.
Sydney 12-Bell Weekend
Over 30 ringers took part in the annual ANZAB Sydney 12-Bell Weekend, 11-13 October.
The weekend commenced with 10 bell ringing at Christ Church St Laurence on Friday afternoon including a quarter peal of Grandsire Caters - a first of Caters for Inga Griffiths-Hunt, Patrick Meyer and Luka Sostarko. Inga and Patrick were the recipiants of this year's Young Ringers Scholarships and it was great to see them (and other young ringers) making the most of the opportunities.
Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday saw 10 and 12 bell ringing at St Mary's and St Andrew's Cathedrals, and an excellent workshop: "Stedman Cinques - calling positions, touches and peals, course ends and what to look out for when conducting" led by Thomas Perrins.
Both Inga and Patrick conducted 10-bell quarter peals (see here and here), and Luka rang Cambridge Maximus very capably. The weekend finished ten minutes early in a spectacular manner when the clapper of the 11th at St Andrew's broke.
See a more detailed report, including on the pre-weekend ringing at Goulburn, here.
Put next year's 12-Bell weekends in your diary (June in Adelaide and October in Sydney). If you're under 30, consider applying for a Young Ringers Scholarship of $500 towards travel and accommodation costs for next October's weekend. All ANZAB members can apply for subsidised accommodation for the weekends.
Phil Goodyer
ANZAB CPR Training and First Aid Assistance
ANZAB offers funding to all towers for ringers to train in Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid, to a maximum of two ANZAB members per tower. Each tower is also being offered a free poster providing details of CPR.
Read more about the Assistance scheme, and how to apply, by following this link.
in brief
Updated: 4 November 2024
There are no in brief items
anzab diary
Updated: 6 November, 2024
2024
10 November
NSW-ACT Branch Quarterly Committee Meeting
Contact:
16-17 November
Bathurst-Lithgow. Intermediate Ringing Course
Contact:
or
22-24 November
Armidale 28th Anniversary Weekend
Contact:
24 November
Sydney. Intermediate Ringing Course
Christ Church St Laurence
Contact:
or
news archive
latest first
2024
Online Lectures - 5 November
Wellington Ringing Festival - 29 October
Sydney Ringing School - A Participant's Perspective - 26 October
Sydney 12-Bell Weekend - 20 October
Hoskins Day Ringing 2024 - 17 October
Goulburn Extension - 11 October
Sydney Ringing School Interim Report - 7 October
Ringing Towers
Latest issue:
vol.78, no.4, Spring 2024
Download the electronic version
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Deadline for next issue:
31 December 2024.
Early submissions appreciated,
and essential for longer articles.
Daylight Saving Time (DST)
New Zealand and Australia
New Zealand: DST commenced on 29 September 2024 (UTC +13 hours) and will cease on 6 April 2025 (UTC +12 hours).
New South Wales, A.C.T., Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia: DST commenced on 6 October 2024 (UTC +11 hours, South Australia UTC +10.5 hours) and will cease on 6 April 2025 (UTC +10 hours, South Australia UTC +9.5 hours).
Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory: No DST.