'It's an instrument': Australia's carillons come to life in new book

"My mum was at the opening of the carillon and pregnant with me at the time," she said, with a laugh.

Fifty-four years later, Melissa, a former Commonwealth Treasury senior executive, has written a book about Australia's three carillons and the people who play them.

The National Carillon, on Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, opened in 1970.

The Bathurst War Memorial Carillon was constructed in 1933.

The University of Sydney War Memorial Carillon was unveiled on Anzac Day in 1928.

While the others are war memorials, the National Carillon was a gift from the British Government to Canberra to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the founding of the national capital.

Standing outside the National Carillon as the fog lifted on Wednesday, Melissa said she wanted to draw attention to the musicians who bring the carillons to life.

"It's interesting because many people know this building behind me but they don't know it's an instrument and they certainly don't know much about the musicians who play it," she said.

Her book - Australian Carillonists: respect for the past and a vision for the future - is being launched in Canberra on Sunday and comprises 20 profiles of musicians who play the three carillons.

There is also information and photographs of the three carillons and a glossary of carillon terms.

Melissa said a carillon was "effectively a really big bell tower that contains at least 23 bells (weighing up to 10 tonnes) that can be played by a person using a keyboard, known as a clavier".

She was inspired to write a book about carillons by her 24-year-old son Peter who last year was studying at the Belgium Carillon School and is currently in Belgium preparing for the "Olympics of Carillon", the Queen Fabiola competition from July 10 to 14.

"I'd been in Belgium last year and they'd done a book over there and I thought, 'Fantastic, we should do the same here'," she said.

Peter, a former Marist College student, also plays the National Carillon and is one of the carillonists profiled in the book. His interest was sparked when he attended an open day for the 40^th anniversary of the structure, in 2010. He already played the piano so, during his visit, was asked to give the carillon a go.

"He just loved the idea that everyone could hear it," she said.

"And when he was mid-way through high school, the National Capital Authority, who administer it, were putting on a program for high school children to have a go at it.

"So he applied for that and it turned out he was pretty good at it. He's been doing it for 10 years now."

The carillonists in the book range from people who have been playing for more than 60 years to those just starting to perform.

The National Carillon, meanwhile, is currently closed to the public, undergoing an upgrade to its facade and instruments.