Bellringing co-ordinators at our three cathedrals say volunteer numbers have reached crisis point and they are desperately seeking new recruits.

Already many bellringers share their talents between at St Patrick's, St Paul's and St James Old cathedrals to make up numbers.

On some Sundays, Melbourne's oldest bellringer, Graeme Heyes, 83, who has rung for 68 years, finishes ringing at St James in West Melbourne at 10am, then drives across the CBD to St Patrick's in East Melbourne, to ring at 10.30am, before mass.

"It's pretty much a mad dash," Mr Heyes says. Then he must climb St Pat's 64 winding bluestone steps to the bell tower.

St Paul's bellringing captain Brian Pettet said St Paul's, on the corner of Swanston and Flinders streets, has 12 bells but at December 3 Sunday service only six ringers could make it.

"I'd say it is a crisis," said Mr Pettet, a bellringer of 40 years. "We haven't got new ringers and we're having to rely on ringers ringing at two towers on a Sunday."

He said five of his regular ringers were aged over 70. "When they find they can't come up those [57] stairs, we've got nobody to replace them."

The cathedrals' last recruit was Zachary Chiu, who was 14 when he started training at St Paul's in August 2016, who also rings at St Patrick's.

St Patrick's ringing master Calvin Chai said there are only about 25 people actively ringing in Melbourne, most of them retirees over 60. "Even now you can feel that the number is dwindling - the number of ringers that come and ring regularly."

St Patrick's has eight bells, and Mr Chai said a few times this year, only four people had turned up to practise, and it was "pointless to continue" so it had been cancelled.

Experts say bellringing takes concentration and teamwork. Exponents must memorise many methods, or sequences of changes.

At a recent St Pat's practice, the eight bellringers rang in order, one after another, until Mr Chai called out "two to three" meaning the person on number two bell rang his bell in third spot, and the person on the third bell switched to ringing his bell second in line.

It takes at least three months to learn the basics, with practice one day a week and on Sunday service mornings. Bellringers also volunteer for weddings, for which they're paid.

It was the cash from bellringing at weddings, not some romantic calling, that brought Mr Heyes to the craft in 1949.

As a "very poor student", age 15, he was offered 10 shillings and sixpence to ring per wedding at St Peter's in Ballarat. He soon made friends among other enthusiasts.

He says it still keeps him fit today. He reckons he's good for at least another five years, if the knees hold out.

"I might puff a bit when I get to the top but my knees are OK."

It will be all hands on deck at Christmas: on Christmas Eve, bellringers will ring at St Paul's at 5pm, St Patrick's at 7.30pm at St James Old Cathedral at 10pm. On Christmas Day, it is 9am at St Paul's, 10.30am at St Patrick's, 9.15am at St James.

Prospective recruits can look up the cathedral towers at anzab.org.au.