YESTERDAY should have been a celebration for bell ringer Mike Clayton: he has now rung at every bell tower in Australia and New Zealand.
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But as the ringing master of Christchurch Cathedral, his thoughts were understandably elsewhere. The cathedral’s bell tower was destroyed by Tuesday’s violent 6.3 magnitude earthquake.
The quake struck at 12.51pm, ripping apart the central business district and causing mass carnage in Cathedral Square.
The death toll stood at 75 late yesterday afternoon and, with 300 people still missing, police expect that figure to rise.
Mr Clayton was in Bathurst yesterday with the Ancient Society of College Youths (ASCY), the world’s premier society of church bellringers.
He said the damage to Christchurch Cathedral was gut-wrenching.
“The bell tower is gone,” he said. “We don’t know where the bells are, just that they’d be under the rubble somewhere. It’s devastating.”
Christchurch Cathedral has been a landmark of the city for almost 150 years. The church bells were rung for the first time in 1881; Mr Clayton has been ringing them since 1969.
He was rehearsing in the bell tower one week prior to the quake.
“I was there Tuesday week,” he said. “I can’t imagine the damage around the cathedral now. All I know is what I’ve seen on TV and what the cathedral’s administration have told me. I don’t know if anyone is trapped, but as far as I know, all the staff are okay.”
Mr Clayton said he was relieved to hear that his family was unhurt.
“Everyone over here has been really supportive and sympathetic about what’s happened,” he said.
The ASCY visited All Saints’ Cathedral yesterday as part of their three-week Australian tour.
Mr Clayton said that, despite everything that was happening back home, he was happy to have reached his special milestone.
“Now I’ve been to every bell tower in Australia and New Zealand,” he said.
“Bathurst was the last on the list. It’s a wonderful place.”