Street Parties

[GaryLockyer]

Steve and Olwen Maltby bought Christ Church and its grounds - oncluding the sunday school.
They knocked it down and built a house there - I think it was/is a bungalow. When you look at the grounds in Google maps there now appear to be three bungalows on the grounds.
When Steve was at Clarke's Garage he was actually building car-wash machines, the garage side of it was run by Peter - who was the mechanic with Clarkes for years. Clarke's was the Rootes dealership for the Rhondda Fach, selling Hillmans, Humber, Singer and Sunbeams - I lusted after a Sunbeam Rapoer for many a year. (I did eventually own one for a while).

On my post page I can only see about half of the picture that you have up Roger. It stops at the lady in what looks like a wedding dress - so I can make no comment on the rest.

From 1962 I used to pick up Elaine from home every morning in my first car, a Morris Minor 1000, 1957, VNY 416 - together with Gill Darley a little further up Ffaldau and then pick up Brian Cornell. We all worked in Llanishen - with 3 of us in Post Office accounts and Brian in the tax office.

Geez, that is 50 years ago - and I can still remember it clearly.

As far as retiring is concerned, I took this little job on a part-time basis a few years ago to past the time. Ooops, I have just realised that it was 8 years ago. It has somehow grown into a monster. I now have staff in 3 States in Australia and 4 offices. I spend as much time travelling between them as I do working. (At least it feels that way). The company is growing and I feel I still have things to offer - so I am still hard at it. I have no idea when I will give it away - probably when I get to 70.

Back to work ............

[RogerWood]

If you're using Windows Garry, then you should be able to right click on the photo and "open in new tab"

[GaryLockyer]

Hi Roger, It is not that simple for me. I am still at work and our IT people don't allow us to do things like that. No facebook - twitter - poker - you name it, we are not allowed it.
Anyway, where is everyone - there are very few recent posts.
Is it time to start a new thread on a different subject?
What should we stir the old grey matter with next?
How about someone that is still living in Ferndale/ Blaenllechau taking some current photographs around the area. Park Road, the old/new colliery area where the lower school and banana tip used to be. Darren Park. Ferndale Rugby club playing field. The new rugby club. Llanwonno pub. The main road showing how the shops have changed etc.
I would think that there are a lot like me that would love a visual update.
I know that we can get the google maps little man to roam around the streets but he is a bit behind the times already. Plus, they blur out things like names on shopfronts and so forth.
Any volunteers to be the new John Davies "Photos"?.
Can someone keep us ex-pats happy by posting some pictures please?
It hurts me to the core to look at the google piccys and see the Rhondda Hotel up for sale - and pretty derelict. Has anyone tried to get it up and running again?
Just some thoughts to give the grey matter a whirl.
Gary

[brianblaenboy]

Gary, I have to agree with you that some up-dated photos for those of us that live away, would be nice, especially more so for people like yourself. I was at home last June to attend the opening of the "Sir Stanley Baker Lounge" in the Glynrhedyn (ironically the name of the pub in Blaenllechau) and have seen many photos of those in the room, but did not stop long as my friends from Pontypool drove me up to Ferndale so was unable to take photos.
The Rhondda was boarded up as was the Anchor, but that state of affairs is everywhere - four pubs where I live have now been turned into flats, another is becoming a 'dental training place', and a couple of others are really struggling, so I was not surprised.
I'll get my thinking cap on for topics, but at present doing some research on past regimental history for an article and our Annual Lunch next month.
Take care and best wishes.
Brian

[JohnPitt]

Well here's one you won't find on google Gary:

Rhondda fach's own pet cemetry! that certainly wasn't around when you drove your Sunbeam Rapier.

[daveporthcawl]

Brian

Did you see the pictures of the opening on their website? I also attended as you already know.

Google GLYNRHEDYN FERNDALE Sir Stanley Baker Lounge

The website is worth exploring to see the whole enterprise. What a transformation from the old Salisbury Hotel where I sipped many glasses of Mitchell and Butlers dark mild at a shilling a pint.

Dave

[brianblaenboy]

Dave, I have a CD of the pictures that were taken - Barry (I think that's his name) kindly sent me one. It was well worth the effort to get down for that event.
Apart from me, and Alwyn Davies who was in the choir, there were a couple others from the Welch Regiment who were at the Welsh Premiere of the film 'ZULU' in March 1964.
Wow! 1 shilling a pint = 20 pints for a pound!!! Mind you I definitely remember it being 1/3d pint when I joined the army in 1963.

[RogerWood]

Well here's one you won't find on google Gary:

Rhondda fach's own pet cemetry! that certainly wasn't around when you drove your Sunbeam Rapier.

Not so much a pet cemetry. Lots of people scatter their loved ones ashes here.

[GaryLockyer]

On the subject of beer prices, I was in the Rhondda on the day after the budget in - about 1961, when the excise on beer and cigarettes was increased so that you could no longer buy a pint and a packet of 10 woodbine for 2/-. The budget had made it 1/- for the fags and 1/- and a HALFPENNY for a pint -total of two shillings and a halfpenny.
The miners weremost incensed at this huge price increase.( Both had been elevenpence before the budget, so you got tuppence change from a florin!).
Remember that nearly all the miners smoked Woodbine.
Why?
Because they could smuggle a smoke underground in the middle of a packet/roll of POLO mints. The dearer cigarettes wouldn't fit in the hole as they wer bigger.
This was all back in the days prior to the refurbishment of the back area of the Rhondda.
If I remember correctly - and I am sure someone will pick it up if I am wrong, the publican in those days was Sam Maxwell.
After him came Tony, who instituted all of the refurbishment and brought the 'young' crowd to the pub - making it the 'in' Inn of the area. Remember the great sing-a-longs every Saturday night in the lounge? You had to be there by 6.30pm to ensure that you had a seat.
After Tony, Glynn and Hilda took over its running assisted by their son Glenn.
That was the time of my departure from the Valleys - 1978. Although I would visit aften as my parents wer living in 52 Brynhyfryd.
As far as the pets cemetery - - - after my time I think, John.
I have been to all of the cemeteries many, many times.
I used to help my father with driving the limousines and/or the hearse for the majority of funerals in and around Ferndale.
Many is the time that we would have a wedding in the morning followed immediately by a funeral. I would have to speed back to the garage with the limo and use the tyre air-line to blow out the confetti before going on to the funeral.
Or, if we were having a seriously cold spell, which hit the older community hard and resulted in a number of folk passing away at the same time, we could have 4 or 5 funerals on the same day.
We would drive sedately to the first, complete with the undertaker in the hearse.
From the house of the bereaved to the cemetery in the cortage.
Wait whilst the vicar or priest read the last rites, and slowly lower the coffin into the ground.
Once this was done the hearse driver would slowly back away from the funeral party and go back to the hearse and then slowly drive out of the cemetery gates..
The undertaker would be left there and taken back by one of the Limousines.
Once out of sight of the gates we would have to put the foot down and race to collect the next undertaker and then proceed to the next.
In the meanwhile, the Limos would take back the first grieving party to the first and and then they too would have to race off to the next funeral.
I was once stopped by the local bobby for 'driving the hearse on an unseemly manner'. But he let me off when I explained the situation.
Oh for the old ways of community policing. The days when kids were actually afraid of the law. Remember them plodding at their regulation 5mph along the streets - just to remins us all that we were safe under their protection? Sargeant Dennis -Pat Dennis's dad. PC Bob Monkhouse - forever smiling? I believe that we did feel that the village was in safe hands when we had policemen like these.
Ooops, I have done it again - wandered off one subject on to another.
Anyway, that's my threepennorth for today.
Gary

[daveporthcawl]

Nice recollections Gary.
The landlord at the Rhondda Hotel was Sam Mitchell. He had a son Gwyn who later ran a butchers stall in Ponty Market. Gwyn married Maisie Wetherall who was in my school year.
I well remember tanking up in the Rhondda with the likely lads in the early 50s before descending on Porth Rink, after a quick one in the Llwyncelyn Hotel opposite. We usually caught the last train back to Ferndale.
The Rhondda sold FERNVALE beer brewed in Pontygwaith, competing with other pubs selling ELY, HANCOCKS and RHYMNEY ales. The clubs sold mainly CLUB UNION brewed in Pontyclun.
I remember your father at the Garage. Did you own a splendid Grundig radiogram in 1954?
I am still in touch with Gareth Morse in Fremantle. We were in the same classes right through school He emigrated in 1975 and will be 80 this month.
Good luck in OZ
Dave