Farwell Dear Village
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"Life is a journey - things change - but not always for the better." Saundra says goodbye to the village life of Pontyberem.
Transcript
"I'm like a passenger going on a train journey, sitting with my back to the engine, I see only what has passed.
I bemoan the fact that my village of Pontyberem has changed so much. I have lived here all of my life, so have generations of my family.
The school which once stood in the centre of the village was closed and razed to the ground. No more sounds of children playing in the yard, or the drone of learning by rote.
The majestic ironmongers went; along with shop Jack, Siop Shoni Hughes, Luipi's.
Coalbrook House - an old mansion built in the year 1670 - slowly crumbled away, because no one cared.
Outside the Star Inn stood the white hawthron tree. We would gather here - it was our 'mob' for hide and seek. But it was cut down, even though the old people had warned that floods would follow - and they did.
The hump-back bridge was demolished because it was considered too narrow, and too weak for all the traffic. I remember the little butcher shop - Siop Bessie'r Cig, which clung to the bridge like a barnacle. It disappeared along with the bridge.
On New Year's Eve, the colliery hooters would blast out Blwyddyn Newydd Dda. The noise of the other hooters would resound throughout the Gwendraeth Valley. Pentre Mawr colliery closed down. All quiet now.
Life is a journey - things change - but not always for the better.
Farewell dear village, you will never be the same again.
Neither, I suppose, will I."
An interview with the author
Please tell us about yourself. I'm a mature student studying an MA in Celtic Christianity. I've been married to the same gorgeous bloke for 45 years. I have four grown-up children and six grandchildren.
What's your story about? The village I live in has changed. It was once a beautiful village with great character and a sense of community. It is now devoid of the little shops which added to its charm. Thank God we still have a great park and a village hall.
Why did you choose to tell this particular story? A lot of people living in Pontyberem today have no idea of it once was including my own children and grandchildren. My father would always remind me of the names of the streets and thatched roofed cottages there were bulldozed to the ground. I just wanted my children and newcomers to the village to learn a bit of good old Pontyberem.
What did you find the most rewarding about the workshop? Mainly that computers can be fun. The pace of the teaching suited me - they did not move onto something new unless all understood what was needed. Looking at the other stories, many quite poignant made me appreciate my own life.
Your comments
"I have moved here recently from Dartmoor, Devon. I often walk along the railway line and wonder what was. Great reading this. I think the atmosphere in Parc Y Mynach where I live is still one of a small village, as was Dartmoor 20 years ago. Long may it last. Many thanks for the insight."
Janice from Pontyberem."This story brought back so many memories, I am 44 & live in Birmingham but was born & brought up in Bont, a lovely place to grow up in. I still have family & friends there and the older I get the more I feel Hiraeth for the village."
Dai Rees, Birmingham, England.
