St Mary's Cathedral, Darwin
Training in Darwin April-May 2023
ANZAB coordinated intensive training of new ringers in Darwin through April and May 2023 scheduling 13 ringers (from South Australia, Victoria, NSW, ACT and Queensland) to visit Darwin during this period to assist.
L-R: Kathi Downs (NSW), Elijah Shanahan (NT), Moses Shanahan (NT), Priscilla Yuen (NSW),
Claudio Rimondi (NT), Ron Shepherd (NSW)
Ron Shepherd was there for the majority of the time, with most other visitors staying for about one week. Visitors assisted in many different ways in addition to teaching handling. For example, Ian McCulloch and Matt Farthing installed sensors to allow use of a simulator.
With up to 5 lessons per week per learner, at the end of the first month we were able to include four Darwin ringers in rounds with one stander to supervise a couple of them. The hope is that by the end of May there will be at least six Darwin ringers ringing safely and confidently enough to ring without supervision.
Further recruitment and training will be considered at the end of this period.
Deryn Griffiths
12 May 2023
ANZAC Day Ringing in Darwin, 2023
Three visitors joined three locals to ring half muffled rounds on five for the ANZAC Day service.
L-R: Bill Perrins, Claudio Rimondi, Jim Doyle, Kathy Campbell, Ron Shepherd and Steve Allen
Bill Perrins was there training new ringers. Jim Doyle and Ron Shepherd were fine-tuning the installation, as well as assisting with teaching. Local, Steve Allen returned to ringing, having learnt in the UK. Claudio Rimondi rang in Italy before moving to Darwin and is adapting well to the English style. Kathy Campbell is new to ringing.
Installing the bells
Jim Doyle and Ron Shepherd working with a local builder, Eugene Scaturchio, took a week to assemble and secure the frame. Then the bells were lifted to the roof of the church and into the bell chamber through a tiny access door, with the bigger bells having only mm's of clearance. This week the bells will be hung and have the wheels, ropes and sliders etc attached.
The weather has been relatively cool, 30 degrees during the day, and not too humid, yet! But the work was heavy going. Manoeuvring the steel girders in the confined space was challenging. Eugene worked tirelessly and his access to a large workshop turned out to be essential.
The 60th Anniversary of the Cathedral is on Sunday 21 August and the Bishop is keen that the bells be rung at the celebratory mass.
The ABC and Channel 9 both included 2 minute items on the project in their evening news.
Ron Shepherd looking like a proud parent with the new bells
A bell being lifted onto the tower
The access door
Jim Doyle and the parts for the frame
Eugene Scaturchio and Ron Shepherd assembling the frame
The bells in the frame
Jim Doyle and Ron Shepherd, July 2022
Bells for Darwin
The bells at Taylor's Workshop
The six bells for St Mary’s Star of the Sea Cathedral Darwin are on display in Taylor’s Workshop for the Heritage Festival on the 11th September. The following week the bells and fittings will be put in a crate ready for their trip to Darwin. The bell frame is being manufactured by Steel Supply in Narellan NSW and should leave for Darwin the same week.
Ron Shepherd, September 2021
Plans
The tower at St Mary's Star of the Sea War Memorial Cathedral contains four heavy electrically rung bells at the top of the tower. The tower itself is empty except for two spiral stair cases, which limit floor space. It is planned to install a ring of six bells in the top chamber and ring the bells from the chamber below. The back four bells were donated by the Keltek Trust and the two trebles donated by bellringers. The contract to carry out the bell work is being undertaken by Taylor’s Bell Foundry and the bell frame and installation is being carried out by locals. The tower and Cathedral are very strong, both having survived cyclone Tracy. The tenor weight will be 5.5 cwt. All the bells were cast by Taylor’s Bell Foundry.
Ron Shepherd, April 2021
notes
This page supplements the ANZAB Tower Directory, and records further information about the tower, its bells and ringers.
Some of this has been provided by local ringers, but most is historical and has been gathered by the ANZAB Webmaster since 2002.
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