- By Liz Park
Brian Gauld arrived home for lunch after a busy morning winding up his role in his accounting firm.
A wave of talk and laughter greeted him – his wife’s music group was lunching with them.
The conversation turned to their music group, the Rainbow Ringers of Howick.
Brian had heard his wife Barbara play with them several times and always enjoyed the magnificent sound coming from 40 or more handbells being played together.
After lunch, one of the players turned to Brian and asked: “Would you like to become a bellringer?”
To his surprise, Brian found himself replying: “Yes, I would!”
Little did he know that, 17 years later, he would still be a bellringer. Or that he and Barbara would have been awarded lifetime membership of the group.
At first, he wondered what he had let himself in for.
Brian had no musical training although, as an accountant, he liked to joke that he could definitely count.
It turned out that counting time was an important skill. New players are shown how to ring the bells and allocated one or two bells in a small part.
Brian had to count the beats in each bar, so he knew when to ring his bells.
“I was surprised how quickly I got the hang of it,” he says.
After three months of weekly practices, Brian found himself performing at his first concert.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking,” he admits, but also very enjoyable to play for an audience and see their response to the music.
Brian was soon playing in concerts at many different venues in east Auckland – retirement villages, community groups and public libraries.
Each audience was different, but the performances always created a buzz of excitement and pleasure.
Barbara was happy to see Brian’s enthusiasm for the Rainbow Ringers.
She herself brought to the group a lifelong passion for music, notably as a pianist and organist.
Once Barbara had mastered the basic bellringing techniques, she quickly became a skilled player.
She was invited to help arrange music for the group and to conduct some of the pieces. Eventually she was appointed as one of the music directors, responsible for selecting and organising the musical programme.
A highlight of Barbara’s time with the Rainbow Ringers was attending the International Handbell Symposium in Australia, along with other members of the group.
They joined together with handbell ringers from around the world to celebrate the international language of music. “We learned so much!”
For several days, they played music from different countries with gifted conductors and went to interesting workshops.
The Symposium culminated in a series of concerts. Barbara reflects on playing together with 300 other bellringers – “it was an amazing experience!”
Barbara and Brian agree that bellringing with the Rainbow Ringers has been rewarding.
Brian has relished the challenge of playing well, while enjoying the close teamwork.
Barbara delights in seeing the group evolve as new members join, bringing fresh energy and talents to the mix.
- The Gaulds encourage anyone with an interest in music to come along and try out the bells, to see if it’s for them. The group practices every Tuesday from 1-3pm. For more information, phone Sue on 021 058 5521.
