July 13 - 19, 2022
For whom the bell tolls By CORAL COOKSLEY
WANGARATTA’S Holy Trinity Cathedral, from where the magnificent sound of pealing bells resonated across the town on the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II last month, held fond memories for Beechworth’s Graeme Heyes. A bell-ringer for the extraordinary June occasion, Graeme had also rung the bells to mark the Queen’s coronation in 1952 at St Peter’s Anglican Church in Ballarat. “It was also special because that was the first time I’d rung a peal and it was something new for me as only one other peal had been rung on St Peter’s 80 year old bells,” he said. “A peal is a generic description of the music we ring on the bells and there is a great variety of music. “The music piece we rang for the Queen’s coronation was called Plain Bob Minor and took about three hours to complete. “To think it’s now 70 years later and to be able to ring on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee was incredibly special.” Graeme, who has been ringing the bells as part of a team at the Anglican Christ Church in Beechworth on and off for close to 20 years, grew up in Ballarat where his interest in the role sparked at just 15 years of age when still at high school. “It appealed to me as it was something very different,” the sprightly 87-year-old said. “It was just after the war and I never had any money, nor did anyone else I knew, but I discovered I could earn 10 shillings and six pence - which was a lot of money in those days - by ringing bells for weddings at St Peter’s Anglican Church in Ballarat.
◆ STILL APPEALING: Playing church bells keeps Beechworth’s Graeme Heyes fit with physical and mental exercise. PHOTO: Coral Cooksley
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