The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers explained

The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers
Abbreviation:ANZAB
Predecessor:New South Wales Association of Change Ringers (formed 1946)
Type:Membership organisation

The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers, known as ANZAB, is the organisation responsible for the promotion 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, byRoyal Navy sailors, visiting 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 ANZAB. While historically change ringers have been somewhat hostile to the carillon,[13] ANZAB has maintained a friendly relationship with carillonneurs who have performed at ANZAB events such as the 2016 Festival in Bathurst, due to the proximity between the Bathurst War Memorial Carillon and the change-ringing bell tower of All Saint's Cathedral.[14]

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.

Region Church data-sort-type="number"Bells (tenor weight) !Reference
Australian Capital Territory 8 (4-1-12) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South Wales 8 (7-3-12) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales St Peter's Cathedral, Armidale8 (7-0-7) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (11-3-14) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South Wales 6 (14-0-25) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South Wales 8 (11-0-8) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 6 (3-1-20) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (8-1-26) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 12+1 (21-3-8) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 6 (9-0-12) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 6 (2-3-0) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 6 (5-3-13) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 5 (2-3-1) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (6-3-14) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (7-2-2) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 6 (14) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (7-1-27) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 6 (10-0-4) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (6-3-15) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (10-1-5) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (14-1-25) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (4-3-17) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (9-3-26) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 10 (10-3-8) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 12+1 (29-0-4) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (10-0-12) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South Wales 12+2 (34-1-3) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South Wales 8 (18-2-21) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New South Wales 8 (9-3-12) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 8 (6-2-0) Dove, ANZAB
New South Wales 6 (6-1-13) Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, North Island 8 (17-2-0) Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, North Island 6 (12¼) Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, North Island 8 (20-2-6) Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, North Island 5 (3-3-25) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New Zealand, North Island 12+2 (27-1-24) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
New Zealand, South Island 8 (6-3-26) Dove, ANZAB
New Zealand, South Island 8 (6-0-26) Dove, ANZAB
Northern Territory 6 (5-2-1) Dove, ANZAB
Queensland 12 (16-1-17) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Queensland 6 (14-2-24) Dove, ANZAB
Queensland 8+1 (18-1-5) Dove, ANZAB
Queensland 6 (7-2-21) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
South Australia St Francis Xavier's Cathedral, Adelaide12+1 (28-2-1) Dove, ANZAB
South Australia 8 (41-1-0) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
South Australia 8 (13-2-13) Dove, ANZAB
South Australia 8 (11-1-2) Dove, ANZAB
South Australia 6 (12-3-17) Dove, ANZAB
Tasmania 8 (9-0-10) Dove, ANZAB
Tasmania 10 (21-2-8) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 8 (11-2-26) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 8 (22-0-10) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 6 (4-0-25) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 8 (14-2-4) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 6 (5-3-9) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 6 (5-0-25) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 8 (13-0-6) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 8 (13-0-7) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 8 (12-1-10) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Victoria 12+1 (29-1-12) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 8 (16-3-23) Dove, ANZAB
Victoria 8 (5-3-27) Dove, ANZAB
Western Australia 8 (7-3-1) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western Australia 6 (6-1-21) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western Australia 8 (7-2-8) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western Australia 8 (4-0-22) Dove, ANZAB
Western Australia 8 (11-0-18) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western Australia 16 (29-0-14) Dove, ANZAB, homepage
Western Australia 8 (3-0-19) Dove, ANZAB
Western Australia 8 (4-2-16) Dove, ANZAB

See also

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Bleby, Elizabeth. We Sing in a Strange Land: a History of Change Ringing in Australia and New Zealand. 1989. The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. South Australia. 0-7316-7007-8. 61.
  2. Web site: Cummins. John. The Rocky Road to ANZAB. Privately published monograph, 1998. National Library of Australia collection..
  3. Web site: Donating to the ANZAB Public Donations Fund. ANZAB. 3 April 2014.
  4. News: The Six Ringing Towers of Sydney. . NSW . 4 February 1947. 2 April 2014. 2.
  5. Web site: ANZAB. The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. 30 March 2014.
  6. Web site: Rolfe. Dominic. There with bells on. Sydney Morning Herald. 3 April 2014. 3 January 2014.
  7. Web site: Ringing the bells: FAQs. National Council Events & Program. Centenary of Federation. 6 April 2014. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20021114130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10492/20021115-0000/bells/bells_p3.htm. 14 November 2002. dead. 2001.
  8. Web site: Elliot. Tim. Lords of the rings to mark bells' 25 years of appeal. Sydney Morning Herald. 3 April 2014. 3 November 2011.
  9. Web site: Annual General Meetings. The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. 2 April 2014.
  10. Web site: Ringing Towers. The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. 3 April 2014.
  11. Web site: Branch and Local News. The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers. 3 April 2014.
  12. Web site: CPR and First Aid Training. anzab.org.au. 2015-07-06. The Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers.
  13. News: Bell Ringers Protest. . NSW . 20 June 1950. 3 April 2014. 2.
  14. News: Doyle . Julie . 2016 . ANZAB 2016 . 5–6 . 70 . 2.