June 8th, 2020St George Church

Trentham’s St George’s Church bell has been chiming 12 times at noon every day as a signal of community solidarity and connection ever since the coronavirus lockdown started. The town has only got one church bell, at the Anglican Church in High Street. But the daily signalling has been an interdenominational effort, with a roster of seven bell ringers from the Anglican and Catholic churches. Each is rostered for one day of the week. The town’s Fay Magee, a local property owner for 22 years, got lucky when she and her dog, Chubbs, scored fine sunny Winter weather last Thursday for her turn chiming out to the town this week with her message to keep collective spirits up.

Words & image: Peter Young

Image 1: St George Church bell

Image 2: Trentham resident Fay Magee and dog Chubbs ringing the church bell