“Govt spends $10m to fix national war memorial bells, fires only person who can play”
The government spent over $10 million to do up the country’s bell tower that plays for fallen soldiers, but is now getting rid of the only person who plays it. The country’s sole carillonist, Timothy Hurd, has been playing the bells – 74 of them, totalling 70 tonnes, spanning six octaves – for about 40 years in a bell tower that is now the centrepiece of Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington.
Hurd used to play them three times a week. But once the tower reopened after seismic-strengthening early next year, that would be cut right back. The tower is scheduled to reopen by Anzac 2026, and Hurd’s job is set to be disestablished that same week. This followed months of him working to refurbish the complicated instrument and advising builders how to strengthen the bell frame. The ministry refused to discuss individual jobs “while we are still going through a change process“.
For Fuck’s Sake !! How bloody stupid can these people get? Come on Wellington, let’s do something about this – let’s get this height of stupidity stopped in its tracks. Names of people to write to? Who is the absolute knob-head that is proposing this stupid decision? How absolutely pathetic can a country get? Who is the Minister in charge of Culture and Heritage? Let’s declare war on this idiot! Who are they? Do they have a name? Let’s get a letter-writing campaign going ! Well, not actually letters, because no one can actually find a piece of paper and a stamp any more, let alone where to post one, but seriously – what the ACTUAL fuck is this pathetic country coming to? Makes me want to go and beat my head against a brick wall. Aaaarrrrggghhh!!
There you go! All it took was an infusion of blind rage to get the Fish back in the water.
The chief knob-head is your friend and mine the Hon Paul Goldsmith, whose main role seems to be to make the Hon Christopher Finlayson look better and better in retrospect.
Trouble is, if MCH are shamed into reinstating the carillonist-in-chief while absorbing all the coalition cuts, they’ll just end up firing another historian to pay for it…
Robust, angry digital letter sent to the relevant Ministers.
How old is this joker to have been playing the d*mn thing for forty-odd years? Old enough to need a succession plan?
Out of idle curiosity, what happens to the dozens of carillonists who graduate each year from the School of Music?
Are there dozens though? What do they practice on, seeing as we only have one of these damn things and it hasn’t worked for ten years? I’m sure it is different from a piano?
Or an Organ? I just watched a ‘Gram of a young woman Sally ? Wood playing the organ in Koln Cathedral – to two sold out shows of over 10,000 each !!!! That’s the way (uh hah, uh hah) I like it !
Sorry – it is Anna Lapwood – search for @AnnaLapwoodOrgan
You might like “Virgil Fox – Heavy Organ” from the late 60$ then.
In the meantime, the Ministry have spent G*d knows how much money restoring an instrument that nobody in New Zealand will know how to play in (say) ten years.
It’s called succession planning, and as a rule, New Zealand isn’t very good at it.
Sounds like something out of a Clarke & Dawe skit. Seriously though, it’s the foreseeable outcome of people in charge who see the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
DOGE is in the house.
Many years ago, back in 2004, I was a teenager who showed a vague interest in either music or architecture. My dad and I were at the entry to the war memorial outside the Hall of memories, and this guy comes out of the side and says he’s the carillonist (it must’ve been Timothy Hurd) He takes us up in this tiny little lift and shows us the Carillion keyboard. Two in fact, the main one connected to the bells and a dummy one for practice. He let me play a few bells on it, and this awkward 15 year old kid was so excited. Anyway long story short, the Carillion guy, who I assume is Timothy, was a good man. And it’s the dumbest decision to fire him. Hopefully MCH sort their shit out soon.
Side note, I chose a career in architecture, not music. Not sure if that was a dumb decision….
DPM – i think it is wonderful that you met Mr Hurd and got to ring a few bells. I once visited a cousin in the UK who was a bell-ringer for the local village church – man, that was an eye opener!! A circle of six people who hated each other but depended on each other, having to stand and stare at each other and count under their breath, as each bell peal has a different rhythm. Extraordinary experience. So much harder than I thought it would be. And dangerous too if they got it wrong as the bell could fight back.
No idea if the carillon has any of those issues !! But I’m glad you chose architecture. Not music. This way, you’re only unemployed one year in ten, instead of being unemployed nine out of ten….