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 500 members who ring at more than 65 bell towers throughout Australia and New Zealand.
If you are not yet a ringer, we suggest you start with this short introduction to bellringing and our Association.
You can contact our association office bearers or local towers and ringers.
NEWS and ANNOUNCEMENTS
Updated: 21 April, 2021
Vale John Fryer
Ringers will be saddened to learn that John Fryer passed away on 14th April 2021.
You may know that he had been in ill-health for some time and had recently been in hospital. He was readmitted to hospital last week, and moved to palliative care on Tuesday, where he passed away on Wednesday afternoon.
John was a Life Member of St Mary's Basilica Society of Change Ringers, where he was a dedicated ringer for many years. He was very supportive to me and many other ringers in our early ringing. I will always remember his kindness to me as a new learner, and his encouragement as I progressed. Although the tower stairs at St Mary's had been a barrier for some time, he did manage to climb them in September 2019 to attend the unveiling of a plaque commemorating Jack Cummins' contributions to the tower. More recently he had returned to handbell ringing and rung a quarter peal or two in good company.
John's nephew Mark, who has been helping him over the last 18 months, said that he was in good spirits and at peace. The funeral service will be held at St Mary's Cathedral on Friday 23rd April commencing at 10:30am. If you plan to attend please RSVP here.
Murray-Luke Peard
Sydney
ART Course Module 2C at St Jude's, Randwick, 22 May 2021 
St Jude's Randwick will host ART course Module 2C (Teaching Elementary Change Ringing) on Saturday 22nd May. This is a full day course, led by tutors David Smith and Kathi Downs.
Who is it for? Module 2C is useful to those who run practices or wish to run practices in future, as well as ringers who want to improve their own skills in order to strengthen the band.
What is covered? The course shows new and experienced teachers how to support their students and develop the necessary foundation skills for good ringing, and then move forward to ringing changes. You will learn through a mixture of practical and theory sessions about:
- Developing foundation skills - fine bell control, listening, rhythm and ropesight
- Lots of fun exercises to develop these skills
- Coaching skills, building a band and running successful practices
- Introducing Plain Hunt and Covering
- Steps to making the transition into Bob Doubles and Bob Minor
Applications are now open on this page. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Interstate ringers are welcome to apply.
Education Officer
Easter Ringing in Goulburn
The Goulburn team includes three recent learners who had their debut performance on Easter Sunday. Annie, Jan and Paul responded to an editorial in the Goulburn Post in February 2020. After four weeks of lessons the global pandemic put our ringing on hold for a whole year. We restarted ringing lessons in February 2021, and it was with great pride and enthusiasm that we rang as a team on Easter Day.
Easter 2021 ringers were, from left to right in the photo, Paul, Annie, Christopher, Susan, Stephen, Jan, Shane.
from Christopher O'Mahony, April 2021
ANZAB 2021 Ringing Festival and AGM - important notice
Online registration is now open!
Follow this link to the ANZAB 2021 page for details of the Festival program, and the registration form.
Apologies, the registration form was offline overnight on 20/21 April. Since restored.
ANZAB Constitution Amendment 2021
As mentioned in the latest Ringing Towers, and also mentioned at the last AGM, ANZAB is updating its constitution. We aim to move away from an incorporated association under the SA Associations Incorporations Act 1985 (aka IA) to a company limited by guarantee under the Commonwealth Corporations Act 2001 (aka CLG).
The move to a CLG will take two steps. The first step we'll vote on at the forthcoming AGM. In this interim step, the changes will allow us
- the ability to hold general meetings in addition to an annual general meeting, and
- the ability to use technology to enable members to attend a meeting remotely.
The final move to a CLG will be done at a later date, but with these changes we don't have to wait until the 2022 AGM to make them.
We have created a new page in the members' section of the ANZAB website for the 2021 Constitution Changes (you need to log in to see it). Please have a look now to see the current constitution and the proposed interim constitution side-by-side, so it's easy to see what's changing.
If you have any questions about these changes then please email me and I will send them on to the sub-committee. There will also be a chance for people to discuss the changes outside of the AGM in a special ANZAB Zoom meeting on Saturday 15 May 2021. This will be held at 1pm NZST/11am AEST/10:30am ACST/9am AWST. Zoom details will be provided closer to the time.
Peter Harrison
ANZAB President
Safeguarding Guidelines
Follow this link to ANZAB's Safeguarding Guidelines.
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 April, 2021
Visitors are advised to check ahead at all towers due to lingering COVID-19 based restrictions and related changes to ringing times.
anzab diary
Updated: 18 April, 2021
2021
30 April
Sydney. NSW & ACT Branch Workshop for women.
Heavy Bell Ringing (Intermediate level)
Contact:
1 May
Sydney. NSW & ACT Branch Workshop for women.
Heavy Bell Ringing (Beginner level)
Contact:
7 - 9 May
Bathurst. Festival of Bells.
Contact:
16 May
Sydney. NSW & ACT Branch Meeting.
Contact:
20 May
Sydney. NSW & ACT Branch Practice.
Contact:
22 May
Sydney. ART Module 2C Teaching Elementary Change Ringing
Contact:
11-14 June
ANZAB 2021 Festival and AGM.
Bundaberg and Maryborough.
things to ring for
2021
26 June - 200th anniversary of the invention of the Ellacombe Chimes
1 July - 90th anniversary of the first Quarter Peal rung by an Australian woman
This is a very selective list in an ANZAB context. See also the CCCBR's list for events and anniversaries, and ringing.org's peal and quarter peal lengths for appropriate compositions.
about an event or anniversary to list here.
news archive
latest first
2021
Easter Ringing in Goulburn - 15 April
Ringing for the Duke of Edinburgh - 13 April
Locally hosted on-line servers - 15 March
Women in Ringing - new web page - 11 March
ART Award to Laura Goodin of Melbourne - 8 March
Women in Ringing Celebrations - 28 February
12 Bell Weekend - Cancelled - 26 February
Women in Ringing Celebrations - 15 February
Ringing Towers
Latest issue:
vol.75, no. 2, Autumn 2021
Find it on the Members' section.
Deadline for next issue:
1 July 2021.