The silence of the bells

The clock in a church steeple in a small country town plays a vital part in the regulation of life and daily routines in the community. Traditionally, Churches tended to be found at the centre of a town or village. The clock can be seen from a distance and with the bell chiming the hours and half hours, it is a constant reminder of the passage of time in each working day and one’s ultimate appointment with one’s maker.

Working in the garden at Towerwater, it is convenient to glance up at the time on the church clock down the road. At night the chiming keeps one informed of the time should one be awake. With the town nestled amongst orchards and vineyards, doubtless the clock and bell of the “Gemeente Vandermerwe” Dutch Reformed Church was once a vital source of timekeeping for everyone working in the vineyards and orchards.

The village of Bonnievale was founded in 1922 with the establishment of the Congregation van der Merwe of the Dutch Reformed Church on the 30th of August of that year. The name of the town was arrived at following the building and opening in 1902 of a railway siding called Vale. In 1917 Vale became Bonnie Vale. The town of Bonnievale gained municipal status in April 1953. (Source: Dictionary of South African Place Names, P E Raper, first published in 1987). The current centre piece church of the Congregation van der Merwe, was built in 1952.

During the Covid lockdown, the clock of this church stopped at five minutes past two. With that, the chiming church bell fell silent. It is as if the rhythm of the town has gone. The distant chiming of the bell is not a part of a walk in the country anymore. Walking to town one cannot do a quick time check on the church clock to see how much time one has left before the shops close. It is a natural reflex to glance up at the church clock, to check the time as one passes by.

I believe it is quite expensive to repair or service the church clockwork. With life turned upside down by the pandemic, I am sure the congregation has other pressing priorities. I miss the clock and its bell, now only hand wrung for church services. Their absence has brought a silence that feels out of step with the natural order of things.

With the centenary celebration of the founding of the congregation and church, perhaps there is still a chance that the clockwork might be repaired before the end of the year. I was hoping for the return of the sounds of the church bell chiming the hours through the winter air on 30^th August 2022, but it was not meant to be.