Bell from HMCS St. John's ringing in city council chambers
The City of St. John's has added a little pageantry to the start of its weekly council meetings, thanks to a special bell from a vessel that bears its name.
The city recently received the ship's bell from the HMCS St. John's. The bell was located in the city's archives, and refurbished by retired firefighter George Pottle.
It's sergeant-at-arms Jim Power's duty to tap the bell once, and announce the arrival of the mayor, before placing the mace.
Power told CBC that often numerous people in the chamber and gallery are talking prior to the start of the meetings, making it difficult to make an announcement.
"So we thought that maybe we would revisit the issue of bells in the chamber. So we've started using it ... this is about our third week. People are starting to get used to the ringing of the bell," he said.
"I think it goes back to something different. It adds a little bit of pageantry I think, to some degree, to the event," said Power.
"Going through the rules and procedure, the bells have been used all through the ages in parliamentary procedures."
'Ties together very nicely'
Power said the bell is an appropriate choice in council chambers, given the city's rich naval history.
"Look at the motto for the HMCS St. John's — it's the same motto that's on the City of St. John's flag. So it all ties together very nicely for the ceremony," he said.
"We were even doing some research to find bells that have possibly been taken off shipwrecks here in Newfoundland or in other parts of the country, to see if we could get a bell. So when this one came along, it was a treasure re-found."
