Mayals School Connections

A Memory of Mayals.

I was 4 years old in 1961 when I first went to Mayals County Primary School as it was known then. My sister, Stephanie, who is slightly older than me was transferred there the year before from Grange to the new school. We were very happy there with so many great teachers such as Harry Trew and Brian Taylor, and who could forget the immortal Mr Minty, the Head, who always reminded my mother that 'as long as they're 'appy Mrs Owen', and Steph often recounts the story of him getting the assembly to hunt for his false teeth behind the stage.
My mother and father, Barbara and Edgar Owen, had moved to Mumbles in the late 40's from a Welsh family background in Liverpool. Mum remembers the sad funeral procession following the Santampa disaster. We lived at the top of the Mayals in Sunningdale Avenue, moving in when the new Wimpey houses were being built in 1956. It was an idyllic childhood - I went to Emmanuel Grammar (again enjoying it) - Stephanie to Llyn-Y- Bryn. I took my time sorting out what I wanted to do, but the summers of 75/76 were the greatest of memories - playing tennis down at Langland during the day, sun-tanned and fit and then running down to work in a pub during the evening - life doesn't get much better. But eventually I had to grow up and once we both had our education and reasonable career progression in London I got married to a scouse girl, Sue, and decided that as I could work anywhere in the construction industry, if we were to have a family, then we would base ourselves back in Mayals. Having moved into our house, opposite Clyne Park (where we still are), all of a sudden our twins were born, Tom and Georgie, and they then went to Mayals school - but some 30 years after. Again the spirit of the school is still there and everybody who goes there says what a happy school it is. They have moved on to Goreseinon and Olchfa - but the connection lives. Having met her as an account director for an advertising agency in Chelsea, my wife is now a classroom assistant with the reception and loving it. My mother is still up the road at 91 years of age and my sister is down the hill -so as Georgie used to say -'the family hill'. We were born and bred in the Mayals and Mumbles and there is no place we would rather live. I must admit my work colleagues in England must get tired of me going on about Mumbles and Gower - but it's probably best to keep it a secret !!!!

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