February is an exciting month, because there are so many new people in town - at Rhodes, at our schools and even a few folk of riper years who have moved into our city. How are you going to contribute to life here while learning new skills and enjoying yourself?
One, obvious answer - learn to ring the Cathedral bells. Grahamstown has one of the seven sets of bells in South Africa that are hung for full circle change ringing. Ours was the first set in Africa, cast in London and hung in the new tower of the Cathedral in 1879.
We have ten bells, the heaviest of which weighs just over 1300kg, but they are well balanced and skill rather than brute force is what is needed. New ringers have to learn how to control individual bells as they rotate, which usually takes four lessons. After learning basic bell control, the learner proceeds to ring a bell in company with other bells and ringers. Ringing is a team effort, and for all our bells to be rung we need a team of at least ten ringers.
Ringers form a world-wide fraternity. There are over 6000 sets of bells hung for change ringing world wide throughout the Commonwealth and the USA. Once ringers have mastered the basics, they are welcome to ring at almost every tower and assured of friendship wherever bells are rung. The Ringers form Guilds, including the South African Guild, affiliated to the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, which publishes a weekly journal: "The Ringing World" keeping ringers in touch with each other. The Council also publishes instructional and other books on change ringing and establishes standards for ringers.
Ringing is great fun, although it demands mental concentration as well as a modicum of fitness. It is a distinctive form of music, reminding all who hear of the presence of God. Ringers are thus both musicians who enjoy themselves and missionaries witnessing audibly to the Christian faith.
Weekly practices are held in the bell tower from 5 - 6pm each Thursday, with service ringing on Sundays from 6 - 7pm. Anyone fit enough to climb the sixty-three steps to the ringing chamber is most welcome to come and see what ringing entails, and, if interested, to join us.
Please will YOU come and see what this musical, mental and physical exercise is like? We need recruits, as do all the towers in South Africa (Cape Town Cathedral and St Mary's Woodstock; Hillandale a few kilometres from Grahamstown; St Paul's Durban and St Mary's Greyville; St George's Parktown; Harare Cathedral and Kwe-Kwe Zimbabwe). At least two further rings of bells are being planned for South Africa, at Kimberley Cathedral and in Johannesburg, so there will be ample opportunities to practice your skills in the years ahead. Come and join us!
For further information, contact Christopher Moore at 076-157-3339
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