Meeting reports 2019

David Fillery : ‘Guide Dogs Cymru’ – 12th November 2019

The work of ‘Guide Dogs Cymru’ was the subject of an interesting talk to the Club by David Fillery. After his retirement from the police service, David and his wife Paula became involved in the organisation’s work, which includes the training and provision of guide dogs for people with sight loss, and advising owners on building a working relationship with their ‘guides’. Dogs come from a central breeding centre where they are assessed as to their suitability for work, and then transferred to training centres, including one at Cardiff, where final training is provided. Guide dogs have to wear a harness and act as their owners’ ‘eyes’ and must therefore learn basic skills such as responding to commands, walking in a straight line, stopping at kerbs, negotiating obstacles (including vehicles illegally parked on pavements), and not being distracted by various smells and noises when out walking. Guide dogs are allowed access to all public places, including public transport, by law.
The guide dogs charity was established in 1931, working mainly with the German Shepherd breed. Today, a high proportion of dogs were Labradors and Retrievers; Labradoodles were also being introduced as they have the advantage of less hair loss.
Dogs are assigned to their owners free of charge, subject to an agreement that they will take good care of them. David noted that there were around two million people in Britain with varying degrees of sight loss, of whom two per-cent were totally blind. There were currently 260 guide dogs working in Wales. The cost of training and providing dogs was substantial and the charity depended heavily on public support and donations. 

Rotary Quiz
The Aberystwyth Club was successful in the area quiz competition for Rotary clubs in Ceredigion and East Carmarthenshire, held at Lampeter Rugby Club on 13th November. The  team consisted of Club President David McParlin, Robin Varley and Hywel Wyn Jones. Aberystwyth Rotary, along with Carmarthen Tywi Club, will progress to the next round early in 2020.

Lynfa Davies : ‘Keeping honey bees’ – 4th November 2019

Lynfa Davies, of the Aberystwyth and District Bee-keepers’ Association, gave a most interesting and inspirational talk about her hobby of keeping honey bees. A former student of the Welsh Agricultural College in Aberystwyth with a degree in Agriculture, Lynfa is a Master Beekeeper with a National Diploma in Bee-keeping –the only person in Wales to hold this. An important part of her work is training new bee-keepers.
She explained the life cycle of honey bees, the different operations that bee-keepers need to undertake throughout the seasons, and noted how many people don’t know the difference between wasps, honey bees and bumble bees. A female-dominated society, honey bees exist as a complex social colony living in hives, and operate a sophisticated communication system informing each other of where to find good foraging areas. There are 250 types of bee in the British Isles, but only one honey bee.
Successful beekeeping is dependent on good weather, good foraging sources and ensuring that bees are kept disease free. Honey bees produce not only honey, but also beeswax, propolis, pollen and royal jelly – many of these products are retailed because of their amazingly impressive anti-bacterial and immune-boosting properties. One of the biggest threats to this vital pollinator is the Asian hornet, which as yet is not a serious threat in country, but any sightings need to be reported; they have characteristic yellow legs on a dark body with an orange segment at the end.
So what must we do to ensure the protection and long-term survival of this hard working species so vital to our ecology? Lynfa’s essential advice is: to plant a variety of flowering plants in your garden (but not F1 hybrids), don’t keep tidy, manicured gardens, buy local honey, keep a look out for Asian hornets. And – most important – don’t mow dandelions, which are a rich source of pollen and nectar.

Peter Taylor : Rewilding the countryside of Wales – 29th October 2019

The subject of this week’s talk to Aberystwyth Rotary Club was ‘Rewilding the Countryside’, an issue which has led to much controversy in mid Wales recently. Peter Taylor, a lifelong environmentalist and author, is a member of the Wildland Research Institute at the University of Leeds and leader of Ethos, an ecological consultancy. Rewilding involves large-scale conservation aimed at restoring and protecting natural processes and wilderness areas. It may also seek to protect or reintroduce top predators and keystone species; examples include the wolf in Scotland, the white-tailed eagle in Wales and lynx in Spain. The speaker maintained that, given the consequences of human impact on the environment, it is developed countries such as Britain that need urgently to take the lead in addressing these issues; rewilding is seen as a key approach. Some of the more remote upland areas of Scotland and Wales were described as ideally suited for rewilding. However, integration with existing users, including farmers and landowners, was essential. The increase in the sheep population, particularly at the expense of cattle, was regarded as a problem for wildlife in upland areas due to overgrazing. In a broader socio-economic context, a cheap food policy contributes significantly to global environmental problems.
Examples of rewilding in the UK include Glen Affric in Scotland, where fencing to exclude deer has led to reduced grazing and an increase in native flora and fauna. In Wales, Bwlch Corwg, near Machynlleth is a 140 hectare area of moorland recently acquired by Cambrian Wildwood where the aim is for native woodland to colonise naturally.
Peter Taylor also outlined his work on global warming and his proposition that much of the recently documented warming of the earth has been caused by peaking natural cycles, and therefore adaptation, not mitigation, should be the priority.

Jim Wallace : introductory talk – 22nd October 2019

Jim Wallace, a new member of the Club, gave his introductory talk at last week’s meeting. Although he was brought up in Southampton, Jim is a proud Scot, a native of Hawick which was also the home town of the legendary rugby commentator Bill McLaren and motor-racing world champion Jim Clarke. He recalled that McLaren – as a local schoolteacher – taught his father, and his mother went to school with Clarke. The Scottish Borders district was a rural area like mid-Wales, with small market towns and a strong sense of community.
After graduating at Aberystwyth and completing his teacher training certificate, Jim worked at the Rhoserchan study centre before setting up his own business in 1990 as a training course organiser. This involved collaboration with the university, and he went on to join the staff as Conference and Short Courses Officer.
In 2002 he was appointed Director of Residences and Hospitality Services, which has involved the challenges of providing accommodation for a growing number of students year on year. A major development was the £45 million scheme of residences at Penglais Farm, all with en suite facilities, and places had been in high demand from students. Currently, the university was undertaking a total refurbishment of Neuadd Pantycelyn; this £16.5 million project was due to be completed in June next year, with financial support from the Welsh Government, and it would reopen as a Welsh hall of residence at the start of the 2020-21 session.

Dafydd Rhys : Developments at Aberystwyth Arts Centre  – 15th October 2019  

The guest speaker at the meeting was Dafydd Rhys, Director of Aberystwyth Arts Centre. A native of Glanaman with strong family links with Ceredigion, Dafydd has worked in television, firstly with ITV Cymru/Wales, and then as Director of Programmes for S4C. He recalled that one of his proudest achievements in broadcasting was as producer of a programme on the chaired poet from Blaenannerch, Dic Jones. The poet, although a sick man at the time, had given a three-hour interview which was then edited for the programme; it turned out to be the last interview he gave before his death. Dafydd’s period at S4C saw the production of crime-noir series ‘Y Gwyll’ / ‘Hinterland’, which brought Welsh television to a world audience.
His current role as head of the Arts Centre brought new challenges, and he was happy to have a team of dedicated professionals, all of whom were committed to driving the Centre towards an exciting future. They were aware of the importance of the Centre to the society and population of mid-Wales, and of reaching out to its diverse communities. The Centre’s activity, in terms of the number of artistic classes held, was the greatest throughout Wales.
Dafydd stressed the importance of celebrating international links, of which the current visit by artists from India was a good example. The Centre had also continued to attract major national events such as the S4C ‘Cȃn i Gymru’ competitions. His work as Director was not confined to leading on the artistic programme; there were challenges to do with fund-raising and the structure of the building. A major project to be faced in the next few years would be the refurbishment of the Great Hall to meet 21st century needs.
Preparations were in hand for the celebration of the Arts Centre’s 50th anniversary in 2022.

Charlie Falzon : ‘Wild life conflicts’  – 8th October 2019

‘Wild life conflicts’ was the subject of Charlie Falzon’s talk at this week’s meeting of Aberystwyth Rotary Club. Charlie, a former teacher, originally from Malta and currently living at Tre’r-ddôl, had worked on a project in India with forest managers and contributed to workshops on tiger management and conservation. India is the home of 50 per cent of the world’s tiger population. However, the tiger population in natural habitats in Asia was under threat and had decreased by over 90 per cent over the last decade; there were now more Bengal tigers in captivity in the USA than living in the wild in India.

Poaching and illegal trading in wildlife products was a serious problem; animal parts were being sold at enormous prices. One of many aspects of this trade was that tiger bone is used as a component in some Chinese medicines.

Charlie gave some fascinating facts about tigers, including their breeding habits – usually one male would mate with 3-4 females, The average tiger weighed around 280 kilos and could leap a length of some ten metres. They were fiercely protective of their territory, and can account for deaths and injury to humans. Tiger stripes are distinguishing features like human fingerprints, and can be used to facilitate camera trapping and detect evidence of  illegal poaching and trading.

Paul Harris Fellowship award

At this meeting, Mrs Cynthia Whiting was awarded a Paul Harris  Fellowship in recognition of her work with  Inner Wheel  over many years, and of her support and fund-raising activities for charitable organisations including ‘Blood Bikes’ and ‘Polio Plus’.

John Phillips: ‘Reminiscences of Aberystwyth’  – 1st October 2019

Guest speaker at this lunchtime Rotary Club meeting was John Phillips, former Director Education and Chief Executive of Dyfed. The subject of his talk was his reminiscences of Aberystwyth, firstly as a University College of Wales student, and later as Director of Education for Cardiganshire.  A proud native of Gwaun Cae Gurwen and a coal miner’s son, he – like many of his generation – had been the first in his family to benefit from higher education.

The college in his day had consisted of some 1000 students, centred almost entirely in the Old College building on the sea front where the academic work and student social activity took place. He recalled student debates in the ‘Exam Hall’ where the star performers were two ex-Ardwyn school students, John Morris (for the Liberals) and Elystan Morgan (for Plaid Cymru), both of whom later distinguished themselves as Ministers in the Labour Govenment and currently served in the House of Lords. Student President was Gwilym Prys Davies, a Welsh Republican in his college days, who later stood as Labour candidate in the 1966 election when Gwynfor Evans was elected Plaid’s first MP;  a distinguished lawyer who later served in the House of Lords. The college Rugby team was captained by no less a figure than Carwyn James. Professor E G Bowen had noted from his research that Aberystwyth was the university with the highest proportion of students going on to marry  a fellow student, and it was here that John had met his wife  Bethan. Contrary to the words of a song that was popular with students at the time, he said “that the time we spent at Aber was the happiest of our lives”.

A notable character that John had encountered both as a student and later as local goverment officer was R J  (Dick) Ellis, college plumber who assumed such air of self-importance that he became known as ‘professor of plumbing’, and who was a powerful figure on the old Cardiganshire County Council.

After a period as a teacher in London, and an education administrator in Aberdare, John returned to Aberystwyth, firstly as Deputy Director of Education and then as Director upon the retirement of Dr J Henry Jones. A major issue in which he was involved was the reorganisation of secondary education in the area in the early 1970s, and the establishment of the two comprehensive schools – Penweddig and Penglais – which had been the subject of controversy at the time. Then, in 1974, with the reorganisation of local government, John and Bethan had to leave Aberystwyth when he became Deputy Director of Education for the new County of Dyfed. But Aber had always retained a special place in his heart.

Elin Wallace :  ‘Visit to Peru’ – 17th September 2019

Elin Wallace addressed the Club on her visit to Peru during April and May this year, for which she had received support from the Lionel White Scholarship fund. Elin, a former Ysgol Penweddig student, was currently working in the University’s Conference Office after graduating in French and Spanish at Bangor.  Her visit to Peru with her friend Hanna had been organised by Globalteer, a charity involved in volunteer placements abroad.

She was based in the  small town of Oropesa, some 15 miles from Cusco, working in a local school which was entirely dependent on private foundations, without state funding. Her day-to-day programme involved holding classes and bonding with the children, taking advantage of her fluency in Spanish, which was the second language of most of the local population alongside the indigenous Quechua.

Hygiene and personal welfare were emphasised at the school ; children were given a free lunch and a piece of fruit to take home. The work also involved helping with the upkeep of the garden, which Elin admitted was “difficult in the Peruvian heat”. During her spare time, she had an opportunity to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Machu Picchu, and had experienced an overnight stay on an island in Lake Titikaka.

Dr Jon Dollery : ‘Pen Dinas Hill Fort’ –  3rd September 2019

Dr Jon Dollery, Mapping Officer for Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru – the Royal Commission on  Historical & Ancient Monuments (Wales) – gave the Club an illustrated talk on the history of Pen Dinas hill fort. Although Pen Dinas is shown on a 19th century map as a ‘Roman camp’, its origins date back much further. Tradition refers to it as the seat of  the mythical Celtic king Maelor Gawr.  It is actually two forts – the oval-shaped north fort, and the later ‘south fort’ which originally consisted of a stone wall, ramparts and substantial gateway, as well as the embankments which have remained to this day. It was thought that some of the stone from the original constructions were used in the building of the Wellington Monument in the mid-nineteenth century.

The antiquity of the site was first  realised during excavations initiated by Professor Daryll Forde of the University College’s Department of Geography and Anthropology in the 1930s. Among the finds uncovered were fragments of early pottery,  possibly dating back to the Iron Age, and pebbles which were thought to have been used as missiles during attacks on the fort. A recent geophysical survey has found evidence of a Bronze Age barrow (burial chamber), dating back some 2000 years earlier than the Iron Age fort.

The location of the fort would have had strategic importance in an age when the main mode of travel was by sea. A map of the ancient world by the Roman geographer and astronomer Ptolemy  shows place names in Wales which include ‘stuccia fluvius’ which could well be a reference to the Brythonnic form of ‘Ystwyth river’.

Jon Dollery said that much of the site remains unexcavated, and much more could be done to unearth its secrets, using modern methods such as GPS, dating technology and laser aerial surveys. Pen Dinas’s historical and archaeological importance deserves to be further researched and appreciated.

Dr. John Valentine : ‘100 years of Plant Breeding at Aberystwyth’  – 20th August 2019

Dr John Valentine, a native of Ynysybwl and scientist at the Welsh Plant Breeding Station for 37 years from 1975, gave the club a captivating summary of the Station’s development and achievements over the 100 years from its establishment until its integration with the University.

The Station began in the former foundry building in Alexandra Road (currently the site of a solicitor’s office, funeral director and pizza outlet). A pioneer figure in its early development was Sir Bryner Jones, Professor of Agriculture at Aberystwyth, who saw the need for specialised research to deal with the poor quality of grasslands in Britain. His work was taken forward by his successor,   the visionary Sir George Stapledon.  In 1937 the Station was relocated to the present Penglais campus, and in 1955 moved to Plas Gogerddan, bought from the Pryse family estate with University funds,  where its work continues to this day.

The Station’s early remit was to improve livestock agriculture through the breeding of better varieties of grasses, and it was able to record a number of landmark achievements. Among those who had led breeding and research into grasses in the post-war period were the geneticist Dr Les Breese, Watkin Williams and Ellis Davies. During this period, under the directorship of Professor P T Thomas, substantial government funding had been received for agricultural research.

In 1976 the Station – then headed by Professor John Cooper – was awarded the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement. This later period also saw the  expansion of arable crop breeding under Dr D J Griffiths and later Dr J D Hayes, and in 1985  the title of  ‘best new malting barley’ was awarded to  a strain bred at Aberystwyth by Rodney Habgood.

The metamorphosis of the Station into an Institute of Grassland and Animal Production, and then Institute of Grassland & Environmental Research (IGER), around 1990 was an acknowledgement that the remit of a modern research institute had to be wider than plant breeding alone. Then, in 2008, IGER merged with the University’s Biological  and Agricultural Institutes to form the ‘Institute of  Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences’ (IBERS) with former Aber student Professor Wayne Powell as its first Director.

In thanking Dr Valentine for his talk, Rotary Club President David McParlin referred to the contribution of Honorary Member Lord Elystan Morgan – as President of Aberystwyth Univerity at the time –in the integration of the Plant Breeding Station into the University.

‘Cletwr Project’ – 13th August 2019

The guest speaker  was Nigel Callaghan from the Cletwr Community Project, Taliesin. He described how the original village hub of a café and petrol station had closed in 2009, but then re-emerged as a community venture which opened in 2013. The project received £900,000 in public and private funding, the largest contribution of £500,000 being made by the National Lottery. From an initial three part-time members of staff and fifty volunteers, the project now employs in excess of twenty people , mainly in a part-time capacity. The village shop and community space are now, quite rightly, at the heart of the community, giving appropriate room for local produce and community events. There is now a discernible and higher level of confidence in all that is done by, and for, the community.

Geraint Roberts : ‘Vale of Rheidol Railway’ – 6th August 2019

Geraint Roberts of the Vale of Rheidol Railway gave the Club an interesting illustrated outline of  the history and the ongoing development of the railway which had become a major and widely known tourist attraction, contributing sustantially to the local economy. As he explained, the origin of the railway was based on the movement of freight, including the transportation of mineral ore from the mines to Aberystwyth harbour .

Parliamentary approval for the construction of the line was granted in 1897. It was completed by 1901 but suffered a setback when the first train was derailed, on its inaugural trip. Also, the promoters’ early ambition to extend the line to Aberaeron failed to achieve sufficient funding. The narrow gauge line, along the Rheidol valley from Devil’s Bridge, was opened for passengers and freight in 1902; it was later taken over by the Cambrian Railways which owned the standard gauge lines to Oswestry, Shrewsbury and along the Cambrian Coast. The ‘Cambrian’ in turn became part of the Great Western Railway, and after nationalisation of railways  in 1948 the Vale of Rheidol was the one narrow gauge service run by British Railways. From 1968 it remained  the only steam-operated service on the network.

When the state-owned service decided to sell the line, it was taken over by Peter Rampton, who has died very recently, and due to his efforts, investment, and enthusiasm, the line had seen a revival. A number of steam locomotives had been bought for restoration, and there were plans to house the collection in a museum at Aberystwyth. A number of engines, some of which had come from South Africa and America, were currently undergoing restoration.

Old photographs shown by Geraint illustrated how the Aberystwyth terminus had been relocated several times. The original station was on land which is now the Football Ground car park – with a branch along the river to the harbour quay. It was later moved to a site adjacent to the main station; then to the platforms formerly used by the Carmarthen line which closed in 1965. The latest development was the opening of a new station which, along with the carriages, reflected the traditional GWR colour scheme of chocolate and cream (with engines painted dark green). More recent photographs illustrated well the scenic attraction of the line, and its huge appeal.

Holly Jones : – Ceredigion & Powys Enterprise Hub – 30th July 2019

The speaker  was Holly Jones, Engagement Co-ordinator for the recently-established  ‘Hwb Menter – Enterprise Hub’, which has been set up to encourage the creation of new businesses and the development of existing small businesses in Powys and Ceredigion. The Hub’s aim was to provide a ‘package of support’ for new start-ups, by means of a programme of events and workshops. Among the themes to be addressed was protection of cyber crime, in a session led by Dyfed-Powys Police, and  data protection legislation compliance. Although the Hub was not involved in granting   support for new start-ups, it can advise businesses on possible sources of funding and investment. The Hub was based in Newtown (in the former Pryce Jones Building), but it was was intended that satellite hubs would become available in Ceredigion and throughout its region, in collaboration with establishments including Coleg Ceredigion and Aberystwyth University. The aim was to facilitate the creation of up to 200 new jobs over the coming three years.

Freya Clare : ‘Working in Cambodia’ – 16th July 2019

The Club’s Lionel White Scholarship provides financial support for young people from the Aberystwyth area to travel abroad for humanitarian and experience-widening purposes. Freya Clare, from Rhydyfelin, had been motivated to apply for the scholarship after viewing a documentary ‘A Cambodian summer’.

She gave the Club an interesting account of her recent three-month visit to Cambodia, where she worked on an educational project – the ‘Christina English school’ which had been set up at the initiative of a local man. As a volunteer worker at the school, Freya gained valuable teaching experience with over 130 students,  rangeing from the lower and higher intemediate levels to teaching English to adult learners. The educational programme involved holding quarterly tests to monitor students’ progress in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Much of the teaching was carried out through role-playing and games, in little bamboo huts.

Freya described the Cambodian people she met as particularly friendly and welcoming, who like to invite visitors to their local events. She herself had the opportunity to attend a traditional wedding ceremony. Cambodia was, she said, doing everything possible to rebuild and recover from its dark history as a war-torn country.

Freya will be starting on a degree course in Anthropology at Goldsmiths University, London, in September.

Matthew Sharples : ‘Scouting in Ceredigion’  – 2nd July 2019

‘Scouting in Ceredigion’ was the subject of a talk by Matthew Sharples, a native of Llanafan who recently graduated at Manchester University.  Matthew is a leading member of the 2nd Penparcau Scouts group –one of eight groups in Ceredigion.  One of the main aims of  scouting, he said, was to cement friendships, share experiences  and develop team-building skills in a range of activities. Local members had been involved, for example,  in acquiring first-aid competence, beach cleaning, and doing voluntary work in a home for the elderly.

Attendance at scouts jamborees was an important and exciting part of  scouts’ programme during the summer. This year, Penparcau members would be attending a ‘Jamborette’ later this month in the Netherlands, towards which the Rotary Club has provided financial support. Those who have attended similar events in the past have benefitted from taking part in pioneering projects, taking part in mental and physical challenges and enjoying the cultural aspects of visiting another country.

Dr Richard Kipling : ‘Skomer Island’  – 18th June 2019

Dr Richard Kipling in his talk to the club’s lunchtime meeting gave members a fascinating look at the natural life of Skomer Island, off the west Pembrokeshire coast. Dr Kipling, who has a PhD from Aberystwyth University in Countryside Conservation,  spent a period on the island, researching its flora and fauna.

It is believed that Skomer had a population of over 200 inhabitants in prehistoric times. Its  prominent standing stone, now used as marker by boats, might well have had some early ritualistic significance. Its lighthouse, so important for the marine traffic using the Milford Haven, has a sinister history; following the suspicious death of one of its two keepers, a policy was introduced that all manned lighthouses must have three keepers.

The sheer cliffs of the island are the home of countless birds – kittiwakes, guillemots, fulmars, razorbils – and the celebrated puffins for which Skomer is well known. Shearwaters breed here, and when the young have taught themselves to fly, they migrate all the way to Argentina.

 Much of the land was forested at one time, and although the trees are long gone, the mass of  bluebells – which thrive in woodlands –  have remained.

Dafydd Llywelyn, Dyfed-Powys Police & Crime Commissioner – 11th June 2019    

The Club welcomed Dafydd Llywelyn, Dyfed-Powys Police & Crime Commissioner,  as its guest speaker. Before his election in 2016, he had worked as a statistician, as an intelligence analyst with the Dyfed Powys police, before taking  an academic post in Criminology at Aberystwyth, funded by Y Coleg Cymraeg.

Dafydd recalled that the creation of Police Commissioners by the  Westminster Government in 2012 had been controversial, and some parties including  Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems had decided on principle not to contest the first election. Four years later, it was generally felt that, whilst the PCC post exists, it was important to ensure effective representation for our communities. Dafydd stood as Plaid Cymru candidate and was elected with 70,000 votes, on an almost 50% turnout – the highest in all the police areas of Wales and England.

The role of Commissioner was threefold – settting the general direction for the police service through consultation with the public, organisations, and public bodies;  appointing the Chief Constable and holding the post holder to account on the execution of the strategic plan; setting the level of Council Tax precept for the police service.

He mentioned the challenges of maintaining and developing an effective police service in an an area of sparse population and relatively low local tax-raising resources.  Although reponsibility for policing came under the Home Office, central Government funding for the service had been proportionately reduced in recent years, with a shift in funding that placed a greater burden on local taxpayers.

Dafydd Llywelyn referred to the restoration of the CCTV security systems in towns including Aberystwyth; this was a valuable resource and was now monitored cost-effectively in a central control centre. Another vital service that had been safeguarded was the Police Helicopter Service, where cover was now provided for the Dyfed-Powys area from Cheshire and South Wales.

Dafydd was thanked for his informative talk by Hywel Wyn Jones.

Mair Hughes : ‘Education in Wales’ – 21st May 2019

Mair Hughes, headteacher of Ysgol Penglais, addressed the Club on the subject of ‘Education in Wales’. She began with memories of her own educational background  in Trefnant, Ysgol Glan Clwyd, and then Oxford University where she took an MA degree in Music. Recalling her experiences  in learning to play the harp, competing in eisteddfodau, and orienteering in Ysbyty Ifan, she enphasised that ”learning is not just about school, but all  the experiences that form us  as individuals”.

Her teaching career began in Ysgol Gwynllyw, the first Welsh/bilingual school in Gwent; she then moved to Brentford School for Girls where she spent 13 years as Music teacher and Deputy Head. Then after a period at Hampton Academy, which was run by  a Swedish Educational Trust, she returned to Wales in 2017 to take up her current post at Penglais.

The needs of local communities had played a large part in the development of education in Wales since the nineteenth century. Two major influences more recently have been the introduction of a national curriculum, and the growth of Welsh-medium schools. Schools are now seen as having a role in preserving the language and culture. There were also new challenges from external bodies such as Estyn, and the changes in leadership and accountability systems experienced throughout the sector.

Looking to the future, Mair felt that importance must be placed on inclusivity, working in partnership with the community, inspiring leadership, and strong inter-school collaboration. “We have been  through a pattern of education that’s politically led; we’re now returning to education that’s back in the hands of the community – quite scary, but quite exciting”.

Mair was warmly thanked for her talk by Robin Varley, former Head of Geography at Ysgol Penglais.

Glenys Williams : Introductory talk – 14th May 2019

It is customary for new members of the Rotary Club to give a talk on their own careers and interests, and the speaker at this meeting was Dr. Glenys Williams, who was brought up in Llanafan, attended Ardwyn Grammar School and went on to study Law at Aberystwyth. After starting her career in Swansea, her first appointment as a lawyer in Aberystwyth was the result of a chance meeting between herself, her former primary school teacher D L Oliver, and Dai Griffiths of Messrs, Bowen & Griffiths, Solicitors. After a few years with this firm, and later with fellow-Rotarian Alun P Thomas, Glenys turned her interests to the academic study of Law, and completed her PhD degree on the legal aspects of assisted suicide and euthenasia.

In 2000 she took up her academic appointment at the university, where she has taught through the medium of English and Welsh on a range of legal matters including sports law, criminal matters, healthcare, and Welsh law and policy. She has continued her studies in medically assisted death and legal issues relating to patients in a ‘vegetative state and minimally conscious state’.  She has been involved in international recruitment of law students, and has served briefly as Head of Department.

Glenys now lives in Cwm Rheidol with her husband Ceredig; she is a Governor of Ysgol Gymraeg Aberystwyth, and her main hobby is cake decorating, in which her A-level in Art at Ardwyn, taught by artist  Hywel Harries, ‘still comes in useful’.

Dinah Jones: ‘My life in television’ – 16th April 2019

‘My life in television’ was the subject of a talk by Dinah Jones to the Club’s meeting in Easter week. Dinah, from Cribyn, is an independent TV and radio producer, and director of Silin Cyf., which has produced a number of award-winning documentaries in both Welsh and English. Among Silin’s recent productions was ‘Lost for Words’, a BBC Wales TV series following  Beti George caring for her partner, former broadcaster and dementia patient David Parry-Jones. The series had been warmly acclaimed as a “portrait of love, loss and kindness” which had helped to give home carers ‘a voice’.

Silin’s mission was to bring history and stories alive through exciting and popular documentaries, as exemplified by ‘Ysbïwr yn y Teulu’, an S4C programme which followed the late First Minister Rhodri Morgan’s quest into the history of his relative, Professor Morgan Watkin, an academic and linguist who had been covertly involved in British espionage during World War I. Another intriguing wartime documentary was ‘Annie’s War’, focussing on the experiences of a Welsh nurse on the Western Front.

Gemma Freedman: ‘Radio Bronglais’ – 2nd April 2019

Gemma Freedman spoke to the Club about the valuable service provided by Radio Bronglais for patients, staff and visitors to the local district hospital. The station had become an important element in the service provided at Bronglais, and she mentioned how listening to  its broadcasts had helped sick patients in their recovery. Established in 1970, Radio Bronglais would be celebrating its 50th anniversary  next year, and celebrations were being planned which it was hoped would include broadcasting on line as well as on its FM frequency.

As a registered charity, the station relied on its devoted team of volunteers, and it was happy to hear from anyone with the appropriate background and experience to contribute to the running of the organisation.

Ioan Rhys Lord: ‘The California of Wales’ – 26th March 2019

Guest speaker at the Rotary Club’s lunchtime meeting was Ioan Rhys Lord, a student of Welsh History and Archaeology at Bangor University. His talk, on “the California of Wales”, took members on a historical journey to the heyday of silver, lead, and zinc mining in mid-Wales. Whilst there is evidence of prospecting for mineral ores during the Roman occupation of Britain and as far back as the Bronze Age, the growth of the industry began in the 16^th century with the opening of mines in the north of Ceredigion. In 1642, the royal mint was based at Aberystwyth castle, using silver from mines around Talybont. From the mid-18^th century, mining methods were facilitated by the availability of gunpowder, and many companies were set up to exploit the natural resources and the demand for minerals – and to attract foolhardy financial investors.

The mines had a significant impact on the landscape and provided employment for thousands. Deep shafts were opened to access the lodes of mineral ores –the deepest, at Cwmsymlog, reaching 1050 feet. Water wheels were constructed, up to 63 feet in diameter. As the ‘Aberystwyth Observer’ reported in 1897, Talybont was ‘the centre of an extensive and lucrative industry’.

Although the last mine closed in 1939, evidence remains of their workings and equipment, such as the 16 ft. underground water wheel at Ystrad Einon mine near Eglwys-fach, and the shaft cages at Bwlch-glas, as shown in fascinating photographs by Ioan. Some mines had been left exactly as they were when the last shift walked out; footprints of hob-nail boots in the mud, “as clear as if they had been made only yesterday”.

Ioan, brought up in Cwm Rheidol, has recently written a book entitled ‘Rich Mountains of Lead: the Metal and Mining Industry of Cwm Rheidol and Ystumtuen’, available through the Vale of Rheidol Railway shop and online. He is currently preparing a book on the wider industrial society in mid-Wales.

Visit to Inverness – 18th – 21st March 2019

Members of Aberystwyth Rotary Club and partners enjoyed a three-day visit to Inverness, which included a boat trip on Loch Ness, visits to Glen Ord distillery, Fort George,  and Culloden Battlefield visitor centre. They were hosted at a social evening by the Rotary Club of Inverness Loch Ness, of which former Aberystwyth academic Neil Chisholm is a leading member and Past President. The trip was organised by Club Vice-president David McParlin.

Professor Rhys Jones: ‘Geography at Aberystwyth’ – 12th March 2019

Professor Rhys Jones, guest speaker at the Club’s last lunchtime meeting, gave an engaging account of some of the highlights of Geography studies at Aberystwyth University, over the past century. A major figure was H J Fleure, who became the first holder of the endowed Gregynog Professorship of Geography and who had conducted anthropological studies, which  involved measuring and recording personal physical characteristics, to try to discover ‘who were the Welsh’. Although a  native of Guernsey, Fleure had taken to Aberystwyth and had written his impressions of his adopted ‘little town’. One of his provocative observations was that most families attended chapels on Sundays, leaving their keys in the lock, but “they don’t risk that in August when the English are about”!

H J Fleure was succeeded as Professor of Geography by one of his students, Emrys G Bowen, a popular lecturer who had conducted studies to explore the ‘essence of Wales’. Other former Geography students had made  major contributions to the study and interpretation of Wales and its society; they included Iorwerth C Peate, first Curator of the Museum of Welsh Life at St. Fagans, and Alwyn D Rees, Director of Aberystwyth’s Extra Mural Studies Departmernt who had undertaken a study of life in a Welsh countryside, focussing on the community of Llanfihangel yng Ngwynfa in rural Montgomeryshire. Recent studies conducted by the Department had looked at issues concerning language and culture.

Professor Rhys Jones, as a current staff member and former Head of Geography, said that the Department sought to continue its proud tradition of interpreting Wales, which had commenced under H J Fleure’s inspiration over 100 years ago.

Charter Night – Saturday, 2nd March 2019

Principal speaker at the Rotary Club’s 71st annual Charter Night on 2nd March was Professor John Williams, former Head of the Law and Criminology Department at Aberystwyth University. He entertained  guests with some revealing and amusing tales from the legal profession. Club President Michael Deaville in his talk reflected on some of the highlights of his year in office.

Linda Tomos: ‘Curiosities from the attic’ – 26th February 2019

Linda Tomos, National Librarian, the guest speaker at the Club’s lunchtime meeting  during St David’s week, gave members a fascinating illustrated presentation of a range of curiosities  housed in the National Library’s attic. Artefacts in the collection ranged from a cigar once owned by Pope Pius XI to a buckle from one of the shoes worn by Charles I on the way to his execution, and a section of the first transatlantic cable which was laid across the ocean bed by Brunel’s SS Great Britain.

Among the many items of Welsh significance, there was a silver and gold eisteddfod medal  awarded to the winner of the harp competition at the 1913 National Eisteddfod at Abergavenny, a tailor’s scissors which had been the stock-in-trade of novelist Daniel Owen, and a medal commemorating ‘Welsh Day’ by the Lackawanna Druid Society of the 19th century Welsh settlement at  Scranton USA.

Of particular local interest was an old  sampler inscribed with the maker’s name: ‘Lizzie Julian Williams of 2 Bridge Street, Aberystwyth. Aged 21 – 1882’. She had apparently been awarded a competition prize for her sampler but the prize was then withdrawn as she had washed the fabric before submitting it!

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During the meeting, the Club  presented Lionel White Awards to Elin Wallace and Owain Feasey to support their impending visits to participate in humanitarian projects abroad.

Hedd Piper BSc DC MRCC : ‘Pain Science’ – 19th February 2019

 Hedd Piper is an Aberystwyth-born Chiropractor and head of Clinig Corff Ystwyth. His talk, on the subject of Pain Science, began with a historical look at early attempts to understand and analyse pain, by French philosopher  Renée Descartes and others. The interaction of mind and body  – the brain and the nervous system -was a core element in how the study of pain has developed.

‘Pain  is an illusion, but it is always real’ is an axiom that underpins the study and treatment of pain. Pain is personal –we all have our own reasons for how we develop pain. Interestingly, it was found that 95 per cent of  pain in the lower back has no identifiable or pathological cause. There were several misconceptions about the cause of pain, but it was the case that pain was more likely to occur if you have stress issues, inadequate sleep or if there is excessive use of toxic substances such as caffeine, nicotine and alcohol.

Hedd emphasised that “a chiropractor’s work is about coaching patients to achieve their goals and guide them towards more helpful habits”.

Hywel Wyn Jones : “Ethics and Councillors” – 12th February 2019

“Ethics and Councillors –are they mutually exclusive?” was the provocative title of a talk by Club member Hywel Wyn Jones at last week’s meeting.   Hywel,  himself a former Councillor and currently chairman of Ceredigion Ethics and Standards Committee, and that of the Mid/West Wales Fire Authority, began with some amusing examples of how the culture of patronage and power in local government had in the past led to indiscretions and misuse of authority.

  In the wake of a series of public office scandals reaching right  up to Government level, a Committee on Standards in Public Life had been set up in 1994 under Lord Nolan; this had led to the adoption of a set of ethical principles and a binding Code of Practice for all members of public bodies, including County and Community Councillors. The Code meant that all councillors now had a legal obligation  to adhere to the principles of honesty, equal opportunity, respect and consideration for others, avoiding conflicts of interests, and not acting in a way that brings their position or their authority into disrepute.

Allegations of a breach of the Code of Conduct were investigated by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, and Hywel cited a number of cases where councillors had been suspended from duty or disqualified for gross breaches of the Code.

  He stressed however that, considering how many people are serving as members of local bodies, and the pressures that they often face, the number of reported breaches was comparatively small, and that there was today a growing awareness  of the need for a firm ethical approach to public duty. 

Richard H Morgan:  ‘The world we live in’   – 29th Janaury 2019

“How much do we know about the world we live in?” was the subject of an intriguing talk to the Club by Past President and geographer Richard Morgan.

He posed a set of challenging questions in a questionnaire on socio-economic, demographic, and world health issues. The correct answers, based on recent research, indicated that for example the proportion of the world population living in extreme poverty had almost halved in the last 20 years, largely due to a marked reduction of poverty in India and China.  There were nevertheless still 800 million in the world surviving on less than the equivalent of 2 US dollars per day.

The number of deaths from natural disasters had decreased to less than half over the past century. The gap between the educational opportunities and expectations of young men and young women was also decreasing.

It was predicted that by the year 2100, the world population will have increased by  another 4 billion, and – not surprisingly – that the average global temperature will get warmer.

Club members’ answers to the questionnaire indicated a somewhat over-pessimistic view of global trends and, as Richard said, research has shown that the world is not in such a bad place as we sometimes think. It was suggested that many of our misconceptions are based on world circumstances in the 1970s and 1980s, and that the world has changed a great deal since then.

Tony Moyes : ‘Travel’ – 15th January 2019

Guest speaker at last week’s Rotary Club meeting was Tony Moyes, lecturer in Human Geography at Aberystwyth University until 2000. The theme of his talk was ‘travel’, and he began with the observation that some would contend that an ability to travel more and more is both a requirement for economic growth, and a yardstick of it.  He illustrated how our perception of travel, and the growth of travel, has increased over recent decades; this has had a visible impact  on the local landscape, our working, domestic, and leisure practices.

Closure of the Aberystwyth–Carmarthen railway in the 1960s was a major episode in the history of the local community and Mr Moyes gave a thought-provoking overview of issues that would have to be considered with regard to the project to reopen the line. There was an interesting comparison between this proposal and the recently reopened Edinburgh –Tweedbank railway; there, the existence of the line had attracted new commuter travel, and passenger numbers in the first year of reopening had been double the predicted demand. However, the population levels and distribution along this Scottish Borders Line line were very different from  those along the Aberystwyth-Carmarthen line. Among the major considerations  in pursuing the goal of reopening the rail connection were the current physical circumstances along the route, ecological issues, sustainability and efficiency in terms of passenger preferences, and comparative costs of rail and other modes of travel.

Dr Peter Dennis : ‘Thailand Cave Rescue’ – 8th January 2019

The Club was privileged to hear a presentation by Dr Peter Dennis, a Reader in IBERS at Aberystwyth University, who spoke to us in his capacity as Chair of the British Cave Rescue Council (BCRC), the body which had been involved in rescuing the boys at the centre of the Thai Cave crisis,  The story had gripped the world over 17 days last summer  and it was only as a result of meticulous planning and careful collaboration between local and international teams that it had a successful outcome for the boys and their coach, albeit with tragic death of one of the Thai rescue team.

The story began quite innocently when the boys decided to visit the show cave of  Tham Luang last June,  a major tourist attraction they had visited several times in the past. Unfortunately, torrential rain associated with the early onset of the monsoon blocked their exit and forced them ever deeper into the cave complex.

The Thai authorities issued a formal invitation via the UK government to the BCRC for assistance, given their world-wide recognition as experts in cave rescues. Over the next few days, with help from local volunteers, the Thai authorities and 30 US servicemen, the rescue efforts started to become more effective, with water being pumped out of the cave entrance in large quantities and safety ropes  installed over long distances. The boys were eventually reached on 2 July, 10 days after becoming trapped, some 3 kilometres into the complex.

The team then had to decide the best way of evacuating the boys safely through the hazardous terrain of flooded caverns and and raging torrents, while managing the expectations of relatives in the full glare of the world media. Technical issues had to be resolved (where to source small face masks for the boys?  how to adapt varying types of equipment?). Given the many dangers the boys would have to face including long periods under water in narrow and very confined spaces it was determined that it would be safer to anaesthetise the boys for the actual rescue, to prevent them panicking during the three hour trip each would take.

It took until 10 July to bring them out one by one, each being whisked off for immediate medical care to ensure their health and wellbeing, to the great relief and families and rescuers alike.

The BCRC is run by volunteers and depends entirely on any funding it can raise from its own efforts. Its reputation has spread worldwide and Peter was enormously pleased that those cavers who took part in the rescue were recognised in the New Year’s Honours lists with gallantry medals and other awards.