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Hokitika Guardian, 24 April 1928, Page 2

An unusual war memorial is to bo dedicated at Sydney to-morrow. This takes the form of a full carillon of bells—some 19 in number-■■which have been installed in the high tower of the Sydney University. The bolls will be. dedicated in the afternoon, and on that occasion and in the evening will be “on the air.” and as they will be broadcasted by 2 K.C. wireless station they will be heard in New Zealand, and. of course, far wider still. The bells have been installed as a war memorial and the tower built spe- dally to contain then). A carillonist lias been brought out specially from England, for strange as it may seem. England is now the home of carillon making. The I ells were developed in Europe some lour or live eeuturit's ago. and there are many famous carillons on the eoutinent. One of the most lamocs. at Louvain, was destroyed when the Germans over-rail Belgium at the outbreak of the Great War. .Unimex and other towns still have famous carillons. In fact, in both Belgium and Holland carillons arc well established. Strange to say the casting of the 4x4ls and the development. of ringers hceanie almost a lost art, till the .matter was taken up in England so mo lew decades ago. A firm now warld-eehdirated, discovered a special process for the manufacture of the hells whereby they are x|>erially tuned, and now carillons are being mniitil'actured in England for all parts of the world. Canada recently secured a carillon, and our own Wellington City has a (arilloii on order, also as a war memorial. The Sydney bolls range in size from twenty pound,s weight to lour tons and a-lialf. and arc manipulated from a Foard and from pedaF. somewhat akin to organ phiying. The art of ipTaying. however. is not mv easily adapted, and good carillon players are scarce. The Tells are not rung as ordinary chimes by being swung, hut are held linn, and arc struck by an inside clapper or tongue ulihli is worked electrically by the player manipulating the antes and pod.-iF. As a form of memorial a carillon would he difticull In excel. The best that is in music can be played, and surely by this means there is a visible and audible token which will tell tn all who see and hear something of the story of the lives who were given so nobly in the Great War. Ao

tlie hells ring out they will he a perpetual reminder of the supreme sacrifice that was made, and oven the requiems that will he played, will amuse the thoughts in grateful sympathy for tlu|;e who liave passed heme, hut whose memory should needs he with us always.