EIGHT of Australia’s best bell ringers will be in Orange on Saturday to ring Holy Trinity Church’s first full peal, in honour of Archdeacon Frank Hetherington’s retirement.
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The eight bells in the Holy Trinity bell tower, installed in 2007, will ring out for three hours across Orange, from 2pm until about 5pm.
The pealers who were involved in the early bell ringing training at Orange will be coming from Sydney and include Bill Perrins, the captain of the St Andrew’s Cathedral bell ringers in Sydney, who will lead the band.
Archdeacon Hetherington said it was a significant honour to have the church’s first full peal in his honour.
“One of the amazing things is the beauty the bells have brought to Orange,” he said.
“People stop and listen in the street.”
Archdeacon Hetherington spearheaded the project to bring the eight bells to Orange, with the oldest bell from Kidderminster in England cast in 1754.
“This tower was built as a World War I memorial, and the bells have competed this magnificent memorial to the men and women of Orange who gave their lives,” Archdeacon Hetherington said.
Holy Trinity bell ringing trainer, Dr Jim Woolford, said Archdeacon Hetherington had put considerable effort into completing the bell tower, which was built in 1919.
“Without Frank, this project would not have gone ahead,” Dr Woolford said.
Dr Woolford, who will be part of the band, said the Yorkshire Surprise Major peal will include over 5000 different sequences.
“It is a complex method but it’s also quite musical,” Dr Woolford said.
“Knowing the band as I do, the peal will be quite good.”
Holy Trinity is inviting everyone to come along to listen to the bells on Saturday, from either inside the church or outside on a picnic blanket.
