Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers

Goulburn goes Gangbusters

One of many summer holiday experiences available in Goulburn this January was a "Welcome to Bellringing Experience". Hosted at St Saviour's Cathedral from January 19 to 23, six young locals climbed the spiral staircase to try out this fascinating activity.

Front row learners Josie, Mick, Myles and Callum. Back row learners Henry and Tom.
Flanked by their trainers Mary Symes, Gabriel Moss and Christopher O'Mahony

We were very pleasantly surprised by the uptake from local families. Participants ranged in age from 11 to 17. They have all been genuinely interested in this unusual hobby, and all have a strong aptitude for it. By the end of the week, three were ringing in rounds unassisted, while three others still required a small degree of trainer assistance.

We offered 15 hours of training over the course of the week, and this concentrated focus enabled really solid progress to be made. We look forward to these young folk carrying on with bellringing, and taking up full membership of our bellringing society.

Meanwhile, on 3rd February 2026, 12 Goulburn ringers turned out for our regular practice. Not bad for a regional tower.

Goulburn ringers at practice on 3 February 2026

Christopher O'Mahony

Commissioning of Ringers

Some of Goulburn’s recent ringing recruits were "commissioned" during the regular Sunday morning service on 14th November 2021. This was a welcome acknowledgement of the essential link between "upstairs" and "downstairs", and a worthy endorsement of the ongoing task of rebuilding the ringing team here.

In a brief ceremony following the sermon, Dean Phillip Saunders led the congregation in prayer: "Grant, O Lord, that these bell ringers who have been appointed to ring the bells in this Cathedral church may do it worthily and to your glory; and that those who shall be called by the ringing of these bells to worship you may enter into your gates with thanksgiving and into your courts with praise…". And then, drawing on Psalm 150, the Dean intoned "Praise him with sounding cymbals" – to which all responded "Praise him with loud clashing cymbals!"

We reassured the Dean after morning service that we’ll keep the "loud clashing" to a minimum!

With the Cathedral choir able to sing openly for the first time in many months, we were able to join enthusiastically in a rendition of the "Ringers’ Hymn", as well as enjoy many other familiar choral selections in this fine Blacket building.

A quarter peal of Grandsire Triples was rung following the service to celebrate the event, after which ringers and supporters enjoyed a BBQ lunch and handbells in the parish hall.

The above photograph shows Goulburn ringers on Sunday 14/11. From left to right: Stephen, Jan, Georgina, Annie, Christopher, Paul, Shane.

With recent improvements to capacity limits, Goulburn welcomes visiting ringers at any time – we look forward to seeing you!

Christopher O'Mahony, November 2021

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

Goulburn's First Peal on Twelve (1 October 2006)

Such was the importance of this event, an ANZAB band was assembled from across the continent on Sunday October 1st 2006! The President of the Association, Roger Lubbock made the journey from Perth, while Immediate Past President Douglas Nichols travelled from Hobart and Matthew Sorrell came across from Adelaide. Other members of the team made the 2 1/2 hour journey from Sydney to create another page of ringing history at the St. Saviour's Cathedral tower.

The chosen method was 5100 Erin Cinques, in 3h 23m (22 cwt tenor), composed by Dale Barton. Listening to the precise striking, I am sure that the great Irish ringer, Gabriel Lindoff, would have approved of the choice.

Treble: William T. Perrins (C); 2: Enid L. Roberts; 3: Andrew P.J. Davies; 4: Alexandra A. Prabhakar; 5: Thomas M. Perrins; 6: Mark W. Palmer; 7:Douglas W. Nichols; 8: Matthew J. Sorrell; 9: Thomas W. Goodyer; 10: Roger B. Lubbock; 11: Christopher D. O'Mahony; 12: Ronald E.J. Shepherd.

This peal was a first of Cinques for 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8.

The Peal was dedicated to Elizabeth and the Rev. Ian Lipscomb who were instrumental in procuring the original Taylor 8 from St. Marks Leicester in 1988.

The Band - Back row: William Perrins, Ronald Shepherd, Thomas Perrins, Roger Lubbock, Thomas Goodyer, Mark Palmer, Douglas Nichols.
Front row: Andrew Davies, Enid Roberts, Alexandra Prabhakar, Matthew Sorrell, Christopher O'Mahony.

from Ray Smith

Goulburn's trebles (April 2006)