VERONICA Butcher didn't have to open her mouth to express what singing in a choir meant to her. It was written in the tears trickling down her face.
"You have all these people who spend time together - Friday nights, Sunday morning, Sunday night - doing everything together, and suddenly you don't have that," Ms Butcher said. "There's a loss."
Veronica Butcher is a member of Christ Church Cathedral's choir.
For almost a year, COVID-19 has made it difficult for Ms Butcher and her fellow choristers to give voice to their joy of singing in the cathedral.
The restrictions surrounding COVID-19 meant for months, there was no choral singing in the historic building overlooking Newcastle. Then a maximum of five singers were allowed in the one space, and that was further eased in December to increase the number to 50 together indoors.
The cathedral's Master of the Choristers, Peter Guy, applied for, and was granted, an exemption by NSW Health to allow the singers to face each other, rather than all facing forward, so they could hear each other better, just in time for the Christmas services.
"Everyone was just so grateful, I think, to be here, to be able to sing Christmas carols," Mr Guy said.
But even before the festive season was over, the 30 or so members of the cathedral choir lost their collective voice once more, as the tightening of rules meant the maximum number allowed together indoors was cut to five again. The choristers still had to be 1.5 metres apart, as well as facing forward.
"It came as a shock to all of us, because we'd sung right through Christmas," Mr Guy said.
On January 18, Peter Guy wrote to NSW Health once more, seeking an exemption from the restrictions on numbers, so that the adult choir, along with the children's group of about 18 choristers, could resume singing inside the cathedral.
In his application, Mr Guy argued the scale of the cathedral meant the choir area could allow for 72 people under distancing rules, and that there had been no evidence of community transmission in Newcastle.
He also argued other musical activities involving singing were allowed in areas where there had been community transmission, such as opera performances in Sydney.
Mr Guy also pointed out the restrictions' mental health impact on choir members.
"This is exacerbated by the lack of clarity of communication around singing, the disparity of other events occurring while singing is prevented, and there being no clear guide on parameters that must be met for singing to be allowed once again," he wrote in his application.
Mr Guy said he was yet to receive from NSW Health an outcome to his application. However, he was not confident of a favourable reply, believing the authorities are "anti-choral singing".
"We can manage restrictions here very easily," he said "They're just not giving us the opportunity to do it."
Veronica Butcher said she thought the rules didn't match the reality.
"Yes, you need to make decisions, yes, you need to keep people safe," she said. "But when you you get into a scene like this, it's a massive building, and there's been no cases, it just seems a bit silly."
In a written statement, a spokesperson for NSW Health said the agency did not discuss individual applications for exemptions, before they had gone through the appropriate processes.
"Group singing is considered a high-risk activity, due to the increased chance of spreading COVID-19 when a singer projects their voice," the statement said.
"NSW Health is currently reviewing restrictions on singing."
Peter Guy said if his bid for an exemption was rejected, he would apply again.
On Friday, the choir holds its first rehearsal for the year, but outside, where the five-only rule doesn't apply. While Mr Guy was looking forward to having the choristers together once more, rehearsing outside at "the windiest place in Newcastle" was difficult.
So his push for the full choir to be allowed back inside the cathedral continues.
"I think it's the most magical place to sing in Newcastle, it's one of the most magical places to sing in Australia, it's sitting here, and we can't use it," he said.
"And you think 'why?'. I'd love for [Health Minister] Brad Hazzard to come up here and say exactly why we can't. And give us a real answer, not a politician's answer, when all these other things are happening."
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