The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers

The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers
logo of ANZAB featuring a bell with the word ANZAB written on it
Abbreviation ANZAB
Predecessor New South Wales Association of Change Ringers (formed 1946)
Formation 1962 (1962)
Type Membership organisation
Website www.anzab.org.au

The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers, known as ANZAB, is the organisation responsible for the co-ordination of English-style "full circle ringing" – namely change ringing and method ringing in bell towers with a peal of bells – across Australia and New Zealand.

History

ANZAB was formed in 1962, through the renaming of the New South Wales Association of Change Ringers and the inclusion of ringers from other Australian states and New Zealand.[1][2] Its purpose is, "To encourage and provide for the installation, restoration, augmentation and maintenance of rings of bells and to provide technical, financial and other assistance in respect thereof."[3] The NSW association was formed in 1946 by visiting Royal Navy sailors from the British Pacific Fleet who brought their skills to the six existing towers around Sydney.

Before the formation of the association, a quarter peal had not been rung in NSW during the previous 40 years.[4] As of 2014, ANZAB has around 500 members who ring at 64 bell towers.[5]

Functions

Aside from regular religious services, ringing is often conducted for special occasions such as state funerals, anniversaries, memorials and other locally or nationally significant events.[6] For example, there was a national simultaneous ringing of bells in celebration of the centenary of the Federation of Australia on 1 January 2001.[7] ANZAB is affiliated with the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, founded in 1891 and based in the United Kingdom. While most bells are hung in churches, there is no expectation of religious affiliation among the ringers themselves.[8]

ANZAB has branches in most Australian states, and these branches foster and encourage ringing at a local level through education and training. The branches organise regional ringing events, such as striking competitions, local advanced ringing sessions, and inter-tower visits and tours. ANZAB itself holds an annual ringing festival in conjunction with its Annual General Meeting. The location of the festival changes from year to year and is usually held in locations where two or more towers are easily accessible.[9]

ANZAB publishes a quarterly journal, Ringing Towers, containing articles of general interest to bellringers, reports of social and ringing events in Australia and New Zealand, and all Quarter Peals and Peals rung for ANZAB or in ANZAB territory.[10] The state branches also publish newsletters or websites related to their activities.[11] In recognition of the lifesaving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provided to Alan Coates who suffered a heart-attack while ringing in 2015, ANZAB now provides for first-aid and CPR training for two members in each tower.[12]

ANZAB members also ring changes on handbells, a practice which was popularised in the United Kingdom during the Second World War when church bells were not allowed to be rung. As Carillon bells are not rung in full-circle style they are not affiliated with, and have been criticised by, ANZAB.[13]

List of bellringing towers

Bells are usually tuned to a Diatonic major scale, with the tenor bell being the tonic (or key) note of the scale. Some towers have extra bells, indicated by the + sign, which are used to allow different subsets of the full number to be rung, still to a diatonic scale.

By convention, the weights of the tenor bells are shown in the imperial units: Hundredweights-quarters-pounds.

The tower of Christ Church St Laurence, "the oldest ringing peal in Australia".[4]
The Bell Tower, or "Swan Bells", Perth. The largest set of change ringing bells in Australia.
RegionChurchBells (tenor weight)Reference
Australian Capital TerritorySt Paul's, Manuka8 (4-1-12)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South WalesSt Matthews, Albury8 (7-3-12)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Peter's Cathedral, Armidale 8 (7-0-7)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesAll Saint's Cathedral, Bathurst8 (11-3-14)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South WalesSt Benedict's, Broadway6 (14-0-25)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South WalesSt Paul's, Burwood8 (11-0-8)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesWesleyan Chapel, Castlereagh6 (3-1-20)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Mark's, Darling Point8 (8-1-26)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Saviour's Cathedral, Goulburn12+1 (21-3-8)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Alban's Cathedral, Griffith6 (9-0-12)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Hilda's, Katoomba6 (5-3-13)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesHoly Family Catholic Church, Lindfield5 (2-3-1)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Andrew's, Lismore8 (6-3-14)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesHoskins Memorial Church, Lithgow8 (7-2-2)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Paul's, Maitland6 (14)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt James', Menagle8 (7-1-27)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Leonard's, Naremburn6 (10-0-4)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesHoly Trinity, Orange8 (6-3-15)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesAll Saints, Parramatta8 (10-1-5)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Jude's, Randwick8 (14-1-25)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesAll Saints, Singleton8 (9-3-26)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesChrist Church St Laurence, Sydney10 (10-3-8)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney12+1 (29-0-4)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt James', Sydney8 (10-0-12)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South WalesSt Mary's Cathedral, Sydney12+2 (34-1-3)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South WalesSt Philip's, Sydney8 (18-2-21)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South WalesSt James', Turramurra8 (9-3-12)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt John's, Wagga Wagga8 (6-2-0)Dove, ANZAB
New South WalesSt Clement's, Yass6 (6-1-13)Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, North IslandSt Matthew in the City, Auckland8 (17-2-0)Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, North IslandSt Andrew's, Cambridge6 (12¼)Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, North IslandSt Peter's Cathedral, Hamilton8 (20-2-6)Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, North IslandOld St Paul's, Wellington5 (3-3-25)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New Zealand, North IslandSt Paul's, Wellington12+2 (27-1-24)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New Zealand, South IslandFirst church of Otago, Dunedin8 (6-3-26)Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, South IslandSt Paul's Papanui, Christchurch8 (6-0-26)Dove, ANZAB
QueenslandSt John's Cathedral, Brisbane12 (16-1-17)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
QueenslandSt Paul's, Maryborough8+1 (18-1-5)Dove, ANZAB
QueenslandSt Andrew's, South Brisbane6 (7-2-21)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
South AustraliaSt Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Adelaide12+1 (28-2-1)Dove, ANZAB
South AustraliaSt Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide8 (41-1-0)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
South AustraliaTown Hall, Adelaide8 (13-2-13)Dove, ANZAB
South AustraliaSt Cuthbert's, Prospect8 (11-1-2)Dove, ANZAB
South AustraliaSt Andrew's, Walkerville6 (12-3-17)Dove, ANZAB
TasmaniaHoly Trinity, Hobart8 (9-0-10)Dove, ANZAB
TasmaniaSt David's Cathedral, Hobart10 (21-2-8)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaSt Peter's, Ballarat8 (11-2-26)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaTown Hall, Ballarat8 (22-0-10)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaChrist Church, Beechworth6 (4-0-25)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaSt Paul's Cathedral, Bendigo8 (14-2-4)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaSt James', Brighton6 (5-3-9)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaSt Bartholomew, Burnley6 (5-0-25)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaSt Paul's, Geelong8 (13-0-6)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaSt James' Old Cathedral, Melbourne8 (13-0-7)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaSt Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne8 (12-1-10)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
VictoriaSt Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne12+1 (29-1-12)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaHoly Trinity Cathedral, Wangaratta8 (16-3-23)Dove, ANZAB
VictoriaSt Pius X, West Heidelberg8 (5-3-27)Dove, ANZAB
Western AustraliaSt Patrick's Cathedral, Bunbury8 (7-3-1)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western AustraliaChrist Church, Claremont6 (6-1-21)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western AustraliaChrist's Church, Mandurah8 (7-2-8)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western AustraliaSt Hilda's School Chapel, Mosman Park8 (4-0-22)Dove, ANZAB
Western AustraliaSt George's Cathedral, Perth8 (11-0-18)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western AustraliaThe Bell Tower, Perth16 (29-0-14)Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western AustraliaCivic Centre, Rockingham8 (3-0-19)Dove, ANZAB
Western AustraliaHoly Trinity, York8 (4-2-16)Dove, ANZAB

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bleby, Elizabeth (1989). We Sing in a Strange Land: a History of Change Ringing in Australia and New Zealand. South Australia: The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. p. 61. ISBN 0 7316 7007 8.
  2. ↑ Cummins, John. "The Rocky Road to ANZAB". Privately published monograph, 1998. National Library of Australia collection.
  3. ↑ "Donating to the ANZAB Public Donations Fund". ANZAB. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  4. 1 2 "The Six Ringing Towers of Sydney". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954). NSW. 4 February 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  5. ↑ "ANZAB". The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  6. ↑ Rolfe, Dominic (3 January 2014). "There with bells on". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ringing the bells: FAQs". National Council Events & Program. Centenary of Federation. 2001. Archived from the original on 15 November 2002. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
  8. ↑ Elliot, Tim (3 November 2011). "Lords of the rings to mark bells' 25 years of appeal". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "Annual General Meetings". The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Ringing Towers". The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  11. ↑ "Branch and Local News". The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  12. ↑ "CPR and First Aid Training". www.anzab.org.au. The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. Retrieved 2015-07-06.
  13. ↑ "Bell Ringers Protest". The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 – 1954). NSW. 20 June 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 3 April 2014.

Bibliography

  • Bleby, Elizabeth (2001). Their sound has gone forth: a history of change ringing in Australia and New Zealand to 2001. Millswood, South Australia: Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. ISBN 0957873603.
  • Bleby, Elizabeth (1989). We sing in a strange land: a history of change ringing in Australia and New Zealand to 1988. South Australia: Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. ISBN 0731670078.
  • Ringing Towers: The quarterly journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers, Libraries Australia ID 2682232
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