Gowerton v Millfield 1988. Click here for Simon Stevenson's account of the game.

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MUSICAL MEMORIES

Please click on the photograph to enlarge it

In spring 1967 I was among a group of Gowerton pupils who attended a one-week orchestral course in Ogmore. I knew some of the other people on the course too as, like me, they were members of the West Glamorgan Youth Orchestra, which met on Friday evenings at Neath Grammar School. At Ogmore I shared a room with three other girls, including, I remember, the only harpist on the course, a girl called Non, who had to get up half an hour before the rest of us because it took so long to tune the harp!

In the group photo I am standing on the left, behind the double bass and next to Non the harpist. On my other side is Catrin Lloyd, a viola player from the year below me at GGGS, probably best remembered by many people who were at GGGS in those days for losing the tip of one of her fingers in a ghastly accident with a school toilet cubicle door! The fingertip was retrieved, taken to hospital with Catrin and successfully sewn back again. Once the finger had healed Catrin was able to continue playing the viola.

Next along the row are two more GGGS girls: Frances Rees, who played the cello and then Gillian Rosser, who like me was a ‘second violin’ and who later taught at Penyrheol.

In the row in front of us, seated fifth from the right is Tony Small. In the front row are two young GBGS pupils: Aled Rees, violin, sixth from the left and wearing a stripy top and ninth from the left, holding his oboe, John Anderson, now principal oboe with the London Metropolitan, Royal Philharmonic and English Chamber Orchestras and Professor of Oboe at the Royal College of Music.

In the back row, fifth from the right with his trombone, is Tim Jones, whose claim to fame these days is that he is father of Wales rugby international, Alun Wyn Jones. I can see a family resemblance there.

As far as I am aware there is only one other Gowerton pupil in the photo. In the fourth row from the front, 8th from right there is a girl called Margaret, who played the oboe. She loved the instrument and played well but she was a Jehovah’s Witness and, for reasons relating to her religion and which are as incomprehensible to me now as they were then, gave up playing her beloved oboe not long after the Ogmore course.

We learned a variety of orchestral works during the week, first practising them in our sections with the various instrumental teachers, then getting together to rehearse with the rest of the orchestra and finally performing at a concert on the last evening, which our parents came to. I can’t remember everything we played, after all it was forty-one years ago, but two pieces that come to mind are The RAF March and a work called ‘In a Persian Market,’ in which we second violins had to do a bit of singing. I don’t know whether the latter is ever performed these days; come to think of it, it probably wouldn’t be considered ‘politically correct,’ but it was great fun.

We worked hard that week but in the evenings we were able to relax and socialise. There were various activities including country dancing, which one or two of the teachers press-ganged us into joining in!

Looking back I realise that we were very lucky to have this opportunity to spend time with other young people with a shared interest in music making, to receive hours of instrumental tuition and to experience the ‘buzz’ of playing in a large orchestra.

Catherine Thomas (née Proud)

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Telynores Llwchwr

Llwchwr Urban Council honoured 13-year-old Margaret Rees, a Gowertonian, by presenting her with an illuminated address commemorating her achievement in being the youngest person ever to be admitted to the Bardic Circle. Her bardic name is Telynores Llwchwr.

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1960s GGGS Art Projects by Lynda Ganatsiou (née Jones)

Christmas brought back memories of my time in the VIth Form. Since I was doing "A" level Art, I was called upon with the other three girls doing the subject to prepare some decorations to be used around the school e.g. school main hall.
	I remember preparing a poster with the manger scene. Unfortunately, when it was put on display in the main hall it looked so small. I don't know what happened to this along the way, but I managed to take a photo of it which I still have to this day.
Another piece of work that I did way back in Christmas 1969 was to make a lino cut of some girl carol singers (in school uniform). A few days ago used it to make a print. When it came out well I decided to add a little decoration, scanned it and finalized the whole thing by adding some appropriate text, and hey presto it's ready to use as a Christmas card!
	Another assignment was to think of something to decorate the main entrance hall with. I decided that using different forms of paper that I could make the three wise men. These turned out to be almost life size and were given a place of honour on the main staircase as one entered the school through the main central doors used by members of staff and privileged visitors (forbidden to all pupils).
Naturally, I couldn't have hoped to keep them, so once again…out came the instamatic camera and I managed to take a snap of them. Some 37 years later…..here they are making their debut once again! I have now added some background, which was supposed to be stars, but instead have come out looking like snowflakes! I've added a frame and some Greek greetings and now I have yet another home made Christmas card. Has anybody else kept any other similar material? Lynda.

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Plas-y-Môr, an imposing property built on the headland overlooking the fifteenth hole of the Ashburnham Golf Club with fine views of the estuary and North Gower, has been Ena's home for almost 40 years.

Ena's book entitled Plas-y-Môr seeks to provide an enjoyable read for those with vivid memories of Burry Port before the Second World War, the part it played in wartime and in the aftermath of the war. In her book, Ena gives a fascinating account of the history of the property by recounting the story of Millie Morris, the wife of a Llanelli solicitor for whom Plas-y-Môr was built in the 1930s and tells us about Millie's ghost who 'still hovers in the wings'. In the last chapter of her book, Ena describes the controversy that has arisen since a Care Home, built within sight of the original Plas-y-Môr, was given the same name.

Former colleagues, friends and neighbours were invited to Plas-y-Môr in July for the launch of Ena's book. Miss Miller, Mrs Eirwen Davies, Mrs Rona Davies, Mrs Elizabeth Hopkins and Mrs Val Richards were amongst those who received a copy signed by Ena, the author and publisher of the book.

Mr Gilbert Davies, 93 years old, former geography teacher at the Gowerton Boys' Grammar School and later a colleague of Ena in the early days of comprehensive education in Lliw Valley, was also present at the launch. A recent photograph of Gilbert appears in the book together with a description of his achievements as a young rugby player.

The book is not available from local book shops because Ena would like all proceeds to benefit the local hospice.

If you'd like a copy (£8.99), or just to contact your former French teacher, you can Ena

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MEMORIES OF A CRUISE TO ADVENTURE – July 1968
by Noelyn Davies (née Jones)

I wonder how many old Gowertonians remember the Baltic cruise of July 1968 on board S.S. Nevasa? It sailed some 4,000 miles from Swansea, to Sweden, Russia and Denmark, with nearly 1,100 schoolchildren from all over Glamorgan, 80 teachers and group leaders and more than 100 independent cabin passengers.

The sun was shining as we sailed from King’s Dock, Swansea with more than a thousand parents, relatives and friends at the quayside waving us goodbye. As the siren blasted, the loudspeakers played out “Men of Harlech”, “Bread of Heaven” and “Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau”.

Gowerton girls were accompanied by the late Miss Nance Jones and Miss Jennifer Williams, who dutifully looked after us well on our fortnight’s adventure at sea. Along with the other teachers on board, they had to deliver the educational lectures, attendance at which was compulsory. Among the 146 lectures given, in total, were titles such as The Baltic Sea, The Russian Revolution and even Bird Migration. There were also a series of lectures given by the ship’s educational crew. Although these were optional, they proved quite popular and were well attended. I remember learning some Russian and have never forgotten how to say “I don’t understand Russian” in the Russian language, which proved very useful in Leningrad.

Teaching was just a small part of their work because the teachers also organised the games, led the parties on shore, dealt out the pocket money and foreign currency and kept an eye on the discipline in the cafeteria and dormitories. Corridors between the separated girls’ and boys’ dormitories were carefully patrolled to deter trespassers and, no one dared to roam.

Interestingly, a photograph of Gowerton girls, enjoying a game of deck hockey with some pupils from Penclawdd Secondary Modern, was featured in an account of the cruise, reported in the South Wales Echo on July 25 1968.

From left to right, girls recognised include: the late Susan Griffiths, Margaret Golding, Christine Dennis, Jacqueline, Christine Hancock, Janet Jones, Noelyn Jones, Linda Thomas and Daryl Morgan.

The additional photograph shows Daryl, Janet, Noelyn and Linda after the hockey game.

Ports of call

Our first port of call was Visby, on the Swedish island of Gotland. “English scholars of Miss Eiry Williams” will remember how this location is mentioned by Chaucer in his “Prologue to the Canterbury Tales”. It was a truly picturesque town, surrounded by a mediaeval wall, from which grew endless blooms of beautifully scented roses. Small single-storey houses opened their neatly painted doors onto the narrow cobbled streets.

This is a photograph of me taken by Janet Jones on Saturday, 13 July 1968.

Linda Thomas then took a photograph of Janet and me outside one of the shops which had opened especially for our trade since it was customary for the shopkeepers to enjoy early closing that day.

We then visited St. Mary’s church, Visby where I am photographed.

We were all impressed by our visit to this historic town, fully appreciative that, were it not for the adverse weather conditions in the Baltic, our cruise was scheduled to go to Helsinki. Rough seas had proved too hazardous for us to go ashore there by ship’s tender and so the decision was taken to re-route to Visby. I remember our dormitory matron was really sad that we could not visit her home city as she wanted us to experience its beauty. However, we all had to admit that Visby was a very interesting alternative.

The highlight of the cruise was a visit to Communist Russia. It was a miserable day when we docked in Leningrad but, despite the rain, the youth brass band dutifully played to welcome us ashore. Prior to this, every girl had to have her hemline carefully measured by our teachers to ensure it was just below the knee. This was not popular, in the height of the mini skirt era, but our nylon pack-a-macks came to the rescue. Those were the days when sellotape secured the turned up hemlines of our macks so all we had to do was readjust the sellotape and lower the hemline to convince Miss Jones and Miss Williams to allow us ashore.

Independent travel was not allowed and so each group was escorted by a Russian student, who spoke English reasonably well. A coach took us around the city and I remember that it was still heavily in ruins from the war. We passed the eternal flame, which burned to commemorate those who had lost their lives fighting for their country. We then arrived at the Hermitage Museum, on the banks of the River Neva, and looked across at the gold domes of the St. Peter and St. Paul fortress.
Inside the Hermitage, we were in awe of the splendid marble staircase that greeted us, as we imagined the opulence of life in this imperial palace during the reign of Catherine the Great. Upstairs, we were ushered through the various rooms, adorned by priceless works of art, but we barely had a chance to stop and admire, as the sombre Russian women, dressed in drab, dark clothes, moved us on so quickly.

Everyone seemed so sad and life was obviously hard for so many at the time. Outside, we passed endless food queues as people desperately waited in the hope of procuring a meagre allowance of food, if lucky. People even approached us for our own clothes and shoes in their desperation. Wedid meet a couple of lads who thought they were so trendy dressed in “Beatles” style jackets but, on the whole, Russian life was not impressive and we were all thankful to be heading for Copenhagen, on our homeward voyage.

Freedom was much more apparent in the Danish capital. We were able to wander around the shops on our own and enjoyed sightseeing in and around Copenhagen. This is a photograph of Miss Jennifer Williams, Janet Jones and me, outside Grundvig’s Church, near Copenhagen on Thursday 18 July 1968.

Later we visited Frederiksborg Castle where this photograph was taken.

When Jon Holliday wrote in the “Echo” of his saga of life at sea with all aboard S.S. Nevasa, he concluded that it was “an education and experience that would affect us for the rest of our lives”. That has certainly been true for me in more ways than one. A few years later, when at Cardiff University, I was reunited with Anna Thomas from Porthcawl, a friend I recognised from the cruise. She was studying medicine and it was she who introduced me to my husband, Tony, who was also studying medicine. Interestingly, he is a first cousin of Ian Evans from Pontarddulais, who was Head Boy in 1969. It was Anna’s mother who gave me the newspaper article featuring Gowerton girls, which has provided me with some interesting details for this article.

I have always treasured my own memories of the cruise and so welcomed the opportunity to revisit the Baltic this summer with my husband, albeit aboard a rather more luxurious cruise ship. It was fascinating to see the changes, most significantly in Russia in the post - Communist era. There was evidence of greater freedom of travel, although we were still escorted by guides. We revisited the Hermitage and, this time, had the opportunity to view the national treasures at greater leisure. Gone was the drab attire of the Russian women, replaced by more colourful clothes and smiles were evident on their faces. Greater wealth was apparent, with lots of expensive cars and even traffic jams, as people left the city for their weekend home in the countryside. Copenhagen had also changed, appearing as yet another cosmopolitan city. Unfortunately, we merely sailed past Visby, en route to other Baltic destinations such as Oslo, Stockholm, Tallinn, and Helsingborg, to name but a few. Just as in 1968, so too in 2006, the Baltic never ceases to amaze and, if reading this article has wetted your appetite, I do recommend a visit.

Noelyn Jones, August 2006.

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Whatever happened to.....................Lynda Jones Gowerton Girls' Grammar School 1963-1970?

Lynda Ganatsiou (née Jones) tells her story.
Lynda Jones in Form 2
Since leaving GGGS my life has been far from monotonous: the saga far too long however, for me to narrate in a limited space. So here, in a nutshell are the major events. It entails having my life threatened on two occasions, by pupils at the school where I taught, when I had only just embarked on my probationary period in teaching! This led me to seek a more civilised job and I duly moved to Stockholm, Sweden to take up a post as a TEFL teacher to small groups of adults. It seemed that I was disaster-prone as bad luck followed me to the land of the Vikings! Not long after my arrival, my flat was burgled. One can imagine how I felt some days later seeing a lady in the neighbourhood wearing my clothes! Employing my Sherlock Holmes talent, I managed to give the police the necessary lead to a group of disreputable people they’d been trying to pin point! My passport being stolen from my classroom followed this incident. One of my students could not refrain from bringing a newspaper cutting to class for all to read, about the trials and tribulations of his teacher Lynda Jones! It seems that police had stopped me when I had supposedly strolled into the crown Prince’s summer castle! The only deduction I could make from this was, that someone was definitely impersonating me using my stolen passport. After all this commotion, I decided that I needed a holiday to recover! Bad choice: Communist USSR was not the place someone so ill fated as myself should have gone. The trip unsurprisingly was not without its incidents. On the onward internal flight from Leningrad to Moscow I was forbidden to precede any further as apparently my ticket was missing. Someone had evidently removed it. It had been there when I’d handed it in along with my passport as required at the hotel reception. Interrogation followed by men dressed in military uniforms. Eventually, I was allowed to continue but it had all been a rather frightening experience when one considers the time and place. The next encounter was almost worse, when a friend and I were held at close rifle range in the former Yugoslavia. It was only the fact that I spoke Welsh and pretended to oblivious to the knowledge of any other language that helped us get away unscathed! Stockholm was not without its advantages as there I met my future husband who incidentally is Greek and was finishing his Masters in Chemical Engineering. After our Big Fat Greek Wedding, we settled in one of the suburbs on the east of the northern city of Thessalonica. This must have caused such a sensation as not long after, an earthquake followed. Feeling the earth move from under one’s feet is not at all amusing I can add, especially when it registers at 6.8 on the Richter scale.
Lynda's home in Greece	View from the kitchen window
Our daughter Joanna was born in 1979 and our son Andreas in 1982. Both studied at British Universities. Joanna got her B.Sc. at Leeds University where she is currently finishing her Ph.D. in the area of risk assessment. Andreas did his B.Eng in Chemical Engineering followed by an M.Sc in Biochemical Engineering at Swansea University. Having finished his studies he then had to do his compulsory military service and was made an officer in one of the elite corps, as a Black Beret. He now works in his father’s company following the subject that he studied.   In the meantime, I have been keeping out of trouble. I still teach and my work mainly entails preparing children for external English examinations and for entry to British universities. Some six years ago I attended a computer course and have been writing articles online for BBC Wales-Tramor (Overseas) section ever since. I also contribute articles to a bilingual magazine, which sells worldwide. This triggered a group from S4C to came over to film me for one of their programmes a few years ago. I have also spoken on Radio Wales on numerous occasions after this.   Other exciting incidents entail having my photograph taken with Barry John at a dinner after one of the post International matches in Wales’ heyday in the 70’s. Similarly with England’s Andy Ripley on the promenade in Durban when the British Lions were in tour back in 1974! Nothing however, can compare with being a spectator in the Olympic Games and see Greece bring home a Gold Medal!
Lynda's Schooldays
Thanks to Lynda for contacting us. Please send us YOUR story.
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The Day Gowerton beat Millfield School on their Home Patch
Read Simon Stevenson's report of the game:-
I played second row for the school first team on that day. The game took place on the 1st October 1988 at Millfield School. We were very 'psyched' up for the game (particularly after the Millfield captain had made comments to our captain about the small stature/build of our team as we departed from the coach - a comment that certainly backfired) and were determined to win a game that  was for many of the players in the team the last time that they would play against Millfield. Millfield had not been beaten at home for 2 years. If I remember correctly we won the toss and elected to kick off.  We  'demolished'  Millfield in the first ruck of the game and this really boosted our confidence.  The game was closely fought and remained at 3-3 for a while following a penalty kick by Robert Rees. We went into the lead late on in the first half after several phases of possession by Gowerton led to a try by  Gareth Small in the corner. The try was converted by Robert Rees.The final score was 9-3 to Gowerton. The game took place early on in what was to be a  very successful season for the team. We only lost one game that entire season (to Llandovery College by a very narrow margin). The team on that day to the best of my memory (apologies to anyone I leave out) was: 1 2 3 4 5 Andrew Williams Ian Thomas David Ellis/ Craig Jones Andrew Gwiliam Simon Stevenson (Vice Captain)                 6 7 8 9 10 Scott Ratti Richard Thomas Huw Phillips David Weatherley Richard Rees         (Captain)           11 12 13 14 15 Stephen Price Andrew House Michael House Gareth Small Robert Rees
It was a great day and one that I will always remember. I regularly 'bore' family, friends and work colleagues with tales about the day we beat Millfield on their home patch.
Simon Stevenson, July 2006
For more information on Millfield School, please click on http://www.millfield.somerset.sch.uk/