Figuring out how to fix the out-of-order clock and bells at St Mary's Anglican Church was a problem that stumped almost everyone who took a look, until a clever team of parishioners found the solution.

Leading the charge was St Mary's verger, head server and carer of the clock John Hamilton, who has looked after the clock for 35 years.

After more than a year of mystery and thorough investigation, Mr Hamilton, electrical expert Barry Pont and University of Newcastle physics professor Paul Dastoor figured out the cause of the problem.

These great minds came together to realise the problem wasn't electrical as first thought; there was a very tiny spring that had dislodged itself from the 134-year-old clock.

Mr Hamilton and volunteer Michael Thorne climbed the winding sandstone staircase up the bell tower to the clock mechanism, and with Mr Hamilton's guidance Michael's keen eye found the missing spring.

With the bells ringing out once more, the smile can hardly be wiped off Mr Hamilton's face.

"It is such a good feeling to know that it's working and working right, and keeping a reasonably good time," Mr Hamilton said.

Being the clock's caretaker for 35 years, Mr Hamilton is quite the expert on the topic.

He knows that the bells were made by Taylor's Bells in the UK, the same brand as used in Big Ben, and he knows that the St Mary's clock was among the first three church clocks in Australia.

Mr Hamilton even knows how to play quite the tune on the bells, and is more than happy to do so for special occasions like weddings.

He said a representative from Taylor's Bells came to visit about 10 years ago, and the St Mary's bells are so old that Taylor's didn't know they existed. The representative had to get on the phone and report the bells for their records.

Reverend Sarah Dulley said it's wonderful the clock is working again, and she has come to realise the bells are very important to the community.

"The thing that I'm so proud of is that through collaboration, through the gifting of each other's skills, we were able to get this going again," she said.

"It truly was a collaborative effort, it was just wonderful."

Mr Thorne, who found the spring, said it's magical to hear the bells again.

"What I loved about being up there with John was seeing all the tiny pieces and then realising that such small pieces working together can make such a big thing, this big loud toll throughout the town," he said.

"It's quite magical hearing it again."