Land Of My Fathers

A Memory of Abergwynfi.

I loved growing up in the 'cape' as we called it. In the hot summer of 1977 I remember going up the mountain behind Villiers Road to go picking whinberries with my uncle Peter Morris, and I insisted on carrying them back down the hill and fell over with the tiny berries flying every where! They took hours to pick.
I also remember going with my friends up the hill behind Scotch Street, we used to slide down the mountainside using cardboard pieces or whatever we could find to do it. I'll never forget the lovely sweet smell of the foliage and also the cold water from the streams where we used to make dams with bricks and clods of earth down near Tunnel Terrace which we built deep enough to swim in!
I'm too young to remember the existence of the pit but I do remember the heavy plant machines landscaping the aftermath of a now bygone industry for the cape. but for me I'll always have lovelly memories of growing up there, of things like going to the western or the Gelli with my gran Lillian Dickson and my grandpa Jim, helping him fix cars from his little garage at the top of Commercial Street by the old school that's no longer there.
Life was modest but happy for me with my mother and father Marion and Derrek Jewell, we used to live in the flats at the bottom of the valley then moved up to Scotch Street and on to Maesteg in 1979.
I hope sharing some of my memories will trigger some also for you. I thank the Lord God for the privilege of growing up there.

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