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Wednesday, February 9, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER c t t' B1 OnKV-.. 120 M AVY O A K V « -i--» O'cLi FO U RTH LIN E AUTO F o r A l i Y o u r C a r's N e e d s Drive Clean Emission Testing Government Safety Inspection T u n e -U p s · B ra k e s · E x h a u s t · C o o lin g S y s te m s Li! iX4 OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR O FTH E OAKVILLE WATERFRONT FESTIVAL Fo cu s CAA Approved Shop 559 Speers Road 842-3001 In Business in Oakville Since 1979 Oakville Beaver Focus Editor: WILMA BLOKHUIS 845-3824 Ext: 250; Fax: 337-5567; Email: blokhuis@haltonsearch.com THE WUS Of C T. JIM 'S P a s s io n fo r b e ll rin g in g By Wilma Blokhuis BEAVER FOCUS EDITOR he bell ringer of the historic and beautiful St. Jude's Anglican Church entices the curious visitor up the narrow stair ways of the bell tower, and through its trap doors. Each opening rewards the visitor with a peak at one of Oakville's best kept secrets. "People have heard the bells for years," says Dan Tregunno, St. Jude's `bell king,' adding very few have ever seen them. `These bells should not only be heard, but seen. I love showing them to peo ple." One gains a greater appreciation for this musical instrument in the belfry by T if m 1 Tregunno explains "bell ring ing is more mathematician than musician. Timing is everything." He learned the art of bell ringing at St. James Cathedral in Toronto, which has the largest ring of bells in North America, 12 swing ing bells. It took him about six months to learn this skill, thanks to the one-on-one instruction he received. "I've always been fascinat ed by bell ringing," says Tregunno of his passion. "I've learned that there are different methods and pat terns to bell ringing, plus true change ringing (using bells that swing instead of clap pers)." Tregunno, a development consultant, has rung the bells at St. Jude's since he moved to Oakville in 1983, following in the footsteps of Photos by Peter C. McCusker Dan Tregunno, head bell ringer at O akville's historical St. Jude's Anglican Church, reposes among the bronze bells in the Bell Tower. BELOW, he plays a hymn by pulling ropes. The ropes are connected to pulleys that activate the clappers to ring the bells. I :A - s M ; * taking a tour. A small spiral the late Howard Kelley who I- ' ij'V I S * 'm m i S i i l l I rung the bells for 53 years. staircase takes visitors to the He became the head bell second level, the Ringing ringer about five years ago, Chamber, where the bells taking over from Jean are rung by rope and pulley. Badgely who was assisted by A large rope - just long John Simkins (the Beaver's enough for Tregunno to long time gardening colum maintain his grip - rings the nist). Both continue to share huge tenor bell. Weighing bell ringing duties with new just under one ton, this recruits Stephen Winter and `king' of bells swings full Bob Gordon. All of the bell circle, as the bell ringer ringers, including Tregunno, guides the rope with the are volunteers. rhythm of a percussionist, As the tour continues up grabbing the looped and the tower, one quickly dis knotted end and the red, white and blue striped sally Dan Tregunno's sketch o f the Bell Tower at covers there's a lot more to bell ringing than pulling like a juggler. S t Jude's Church shows the details o f its ropes. Then he turns to the nine stairways and various chambers. Two fairly comfortable stair ropes arranged in accor ways take the visitor up past the ropes. Then a set of dance with the musical scale, `C ' to `C ' including `Bsteps, only about one foot wide, leads to a trap door, flat', in a wooden frame on the wall, and plays a where one can see the ropes leading to the pulley familiar hymn. The ropes covered in sections of gar boxes of the tenor bell and the eight bells located den hose, when pulled, cause the clappers to hit the around it. Up a few more steps up the aluminum lad bells. der fastened to the wall, and through the trap door to Between 40 and 50 hymns are written for bell the catwalk on the third level, one sees all of the ringing, explains Tregunno. The tunes include the tra bronze bells, weighing 6 tons in total, suspended on a ditional `peel of the bells' played at the end of all steel frame in the Bell Chamber. Royal weddings - and marriages at St. Jude's. (See `Bell ringer. . . ' page B3) Asked if he considers himself to be a musician, ( 'F A B m C L A N D ) CANADA'S LARGEST FASHION FABRIC DISTRIBUTOR J N o w a v a ila b le w ith a ro m a n tic to u c h Q ualcom m Q C P 2760 H O M E DEC D A Y S! 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