Community leader Jack Thompson rang the church bell at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Mt Victoria, on November 11 to commemorate the centenary of the armistice that ended the First World War in 1918.
Sydney Anglican Archbishop, Glenn Davies, had requested that bells be rung in all Anglican churches in the diocese for the first time since the Great War hostilities ceased – and Mr Thompson, a pillar of the church, responded vigorously.
St Peter’s is the oldest Christian church in the Blue Mountains. Its first services were held in 1875, and it is also the highest (in terms of elevation) in the Sydney diocese.
Mr Thompson’s bell ringing was endorsed by fellow parishioners who remained at church after Morning Prayer for an hour until the tolling at 10.59am.
“We have a tradition of bell ringing at St Peter’s,” Mr Thompson said. “The bell is rung every Sunday before the morning service and it has always been kept in good maintenance over the years thanks to Ross Fragar.”
