A Global Tour of Bell Ringing Education: An Interview with David Smith
Blog post about our January 2024 podcast episode.
David learned to ring at Bloxham in Buckinghamshire when he was a teacher there more than fifty years ago. But he stopped ringing when he first went to Australia, where he now resides. After a long gap (over 35 years!) he took up ringing again in 2006.
As well as various more local roles, he joined the ANZAB Executive, becoming Secretary and then President (2015-2017). He helped introduce ART to Australia and New Zealand, becoming one of the initial ART tutors of ANZAB. He then got more involved in international ringing, becoming a Central Council representative, joining the CRAG team that reviewed CCCBR's role, and then serving two terms on the newly-formulated Central Council executive.
David helped set up the North West residential ringing course, initially held in August 2022 and then again in 2023, and has recently spent a month in North America running a series of ART modules.
David is also the author of The Ringing World's Education Column.
Acronyms:
ANZAB = Australian and New Zealand Association of Bellringers
ART = Association of Ringing Teachers
CCCBR = Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
This entry was written in November 2023.
In this episode, David Smith makes a much-welcome return to the podcast for another conversation with host Cathy Booth that’s brimming with insight. Find out about about the differences between ringing associations in the UK and those in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. With David’s global ringing...
St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane What’s different about ringing in Australia to ringing in the UK? How is ringing on eight similar to rowing in an eight? How does it feel to be involved in the inner workings of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers? David Smith’s amazingly diverse and wid...
Blog post about our January 2024 podcast episode.