The Echo

Katoomba resident James Giddens is a campanologist, a ringer of bells. He learned the art of ‘change ringing’ as a ten year old choirboy, ringing the church bells in the beautiful gothic bell tower of St Jude’s Church in Randwick.
“There are a few ways to ring a bell” he explains. “You can tie a rope to the clapper and beat it against the side of the bell. Or you can rock the bell – that’s called chiming. And then there is change ringing”
Change ringing is the method that gives the mellifluous tones we associate with cathedral bells. A bell tower will have six to eight bells in different sizes, and these are actually hung upside down. When the bellringer pulls on the bell rope, it turns the bell 360 degrees, and sounds a long slow note. Bellringers have developed their own unique form of music to make the bells sound in a different order each time they swing. The lovely resonant flow of sound is actually based on a precise mathematical pattern that aims to play every possible arrangement of the six or eight distinct notes. This is called a ‘peal’.
The method originated in England in the 1700’s and was exported to Australia with English culture and continued in churches with English styled bell towers. “Not all bellringers are associated with the Church,” said James. “Many people just enjoy it for its own sake.”
The Church did play an important role for James, however. He sang in the choir, rang the church bells and played the church organ at St Judes, and later at the Scots Kirk in Mosman, and St John’s in Maroubra.
James continues to teach piano and voice at both the Mitchell conservatorium and Mary Mackillop Girls’ school in Bathurst, as well as teaching privately with his business “Singing Satisfaction”.
He also conducts a fledging choir at St Alban’s in Leura. And, of course, he continues to ring church bells, in Lithgow at the Anglican Church once a week.
“It’s a passion that stays with you,” says James. “You often find that bell ringers have been ringing bells since they were quite young.”

Historic Bells Ring Out
History was made in Bathurst recently when the recast bells of Bathurst Anglican Cathedral were rung for the first time in over one hundred years.A team of bell ringers, including Katoomba ringers Hannah Musgrove and James Giddens representing the Lithgow bell tower, had the honour of ringing the Bathurst bells for the first time since the mid 1890s.
Bell towers usually have eight bells tuned to the musical octave, each bell requiring one ringer. While the effect for the listener is musical, the appeal for ringers is the mathematical sequencing and the moderate exercise. Active bell ringers of all ages, male and female, and from all walks of life enjoy the mental and physical stimulus and the camaraderie. For further enquiries contact James Giddens on 4782 5782 or 0427 472 166.