A HOLOGRAM is set to replace the Eternal Flame in the Bathurst War Memorial Carillon as part of a bold new plan of works endorsed by Bathurst Regional Council.
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The proposed upgrade will also see the historic carillon finally completed almost 100 years after it was built in Kings Parade.
The carillon was built for the Bathurst community by the Bathurst community in the 1920s but never finished to the standard originally planned.
It was intended that the carillon be played by a clavier – a large wooden keyboard played with closed fists – but a lack of funds at the time meant an electro-pneumatic system was installed instead.
But a clavier will finally be installed as part of an upgrade that will also see the current top octave of bells replaced, a new higher octave of bells purchased and installed, and the purchase and installation of a new “Clock-o-matic” system that automatically strikes the bells every 15 minutes.
The upgrade will be funded by the Bathurst war Memorial Carillon Public Fund Trust that was established in 2007 with a view to finally completing the carillon and the proposed schedule of works has been endorsed by council as owner of the memorial.
Bathurst RSL has also supported the removal of the Eternal Flame to be replaced with a hologram.
The existing Eternal Flame is a gas-powered flame that coats the interior of the carillon – and the bells – with greasy soot and requires regular cleaning.
A hologram flame will put an end to that problem and the RSL hopes to have it in place for the centenary of the end of World War 1 on November 11, 2018.
Bathurst carillonneur Ian Bates – who has played the Bathurst carillon since 2000 – said the installation of a clavier would finally allow the carillon to be played as it was originally intended.
“At the moment when you play it, you hit a keyboard and an electronic signal is sent to the clapper to strike the bell,” he said.
“There is no volume control and no variance in tone, it just strikes.
“With a clavier, though, you have the opportunity to vary the tonal quality and the volume so it becomes more of a musical instrument.”
Planning for the upgrade is being overseen by the Carillon Group convened in 2017 by Councillor Monica Morse.
The new bells and replacement bells will be cast by Taylor’s Foundry in England, the same foundry that cast the original bells in the 1920s.
Representatives from Taylor’s Foundry are due to visit Bathurst in February to provide further expert advice on the way forward for the upgrade.
The Bathurst War Memorial Carillon is one of only two war memorial carillons in Australia. The other is at Sydney University.
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