THE Holy Trininty Orange Pealers are continuing to ring the Anglican church bells at services and funerals after reaching their goal of winning the Cockatoo Shield recently.
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The bell ringers were thrilled to learn they had won the shield, which is awarded to the best bellringing band in an eight-bell striking competition.
The shield has been coveted by the Orange group who have been runners up for the last few years.
Orange Pealers tower captain Sheena Snowdon said the band had to submit a set eight minute recording comprising of several changes to the order in which the bells are rung.
“This requires intense concentration on behalf of the ringers to ensure the spacing between each bell sound is even,” Mrs Snowden said.
“We always came a narrow second, but this year we finally managed to win.”
The Armidale band had won the competition for several years and the Orange group felt as though the shield was firmly bolted to their wall.
However, the Cockatoo Shield is now fixed to the wall in the Holy Trinity bell tower.
The Orange Pealers also toll a tenor bell during funerals when requested and took part in the Bellringing Festival in March.
More recently they contributed to Orange Anzac Day commemorations when they rang the bells half-muffled for 45 minutes leading up to the morning service.
They half-muffled the bells by strapping a thick leather pad to one side of each bell’s clapper deadening the sound of alternate strokes of the bells, although the tenor bell was left unmuffled for contrast.
