Years Gone By 1960s 1970s Part 1

A Memory of Llanharan.

Lynette Carter (nee) Evans

I was born in Glossip Terrace Hospital Splott Cardiff. My family and I first moved to Heol Cynllan Road, Llanharan when I was just over 2 years old. We lived with my Aunty Fanny and Uncle di. At number 1 Heol Cynllan lived my Aunty and Uncle, Gino Serenti, Ann Serenti along with my cousins Sandra, Paul and Mark Serenti. I remember running the short distance down the street to see them.

My Aunty Ann was raised in Llanharan, her surname was Payne, along with her brothers Richard Payne, Lemual Payne, and youngest sister Linda Payne, their parent’s; my grandparents were Richard Payne, and Maureen Payne.
Aunty Ann lived in Llanharan her entire life.
I think it was sometime during the late 1940’s my grandmother Maureen moved to Cardiff with my Polish step grandfather John Pobium, they went on to have my other uncles and aunties’, Janice Pobium, Twins Sonia and Sandra Pobium, Peter Payne, and Mark Pobium.
My Grandfather Richard Payne eventually moved to Llanharry, but later returned to Llanharan. My Uncle Gino is Italian.

I can still see my Aunty Fanny in the kitchen in her clean apron; cooking, washing clothes in the sink with a scrubbing board, the parents these days would never survive the hard work that my generation; and generations before had to do just to keep the house and family ticking over. I would tease my Uncle Di with his pigeons’; he would spend all day in his pigeon shed that stretched the entire width of the back-garden; chickens ran wild, including Turkeys which were for the plates on Christmas day.

I remember the little corner shop which was a short distance from Heol Cyllan; also the nice little grey-haired lady who I think owned it. At that point in my life we didn’t live in Llanharan for long before moving to Portmanmore Road Splott. However during my childhood I moved back and forth Llanharan, as well as visiting family.

For short explodes of my childhood I lived with Aunty Ann and Uncle Gino, they had moved to 3 Harold Street Llanharan which is the first tuning right, across the road from the shop I mentioned earlier. I also attended the Junior School which unfortunately I can’t recall the name of, but it was at the top of Llanharan Road.
I would walk up Llanharan Road with my cousins Paul and Mark. I remember the very first time I went to that school, we had an art competition, the entire class had to draw and colour the Welsh Dragon, I came first; believe me a city kid don’t benefit first place in a village school, I ended up in a fight outside in the playground with Paul and Mark pulling me off the boy who started it; I won though!

I recall my eldest cousin Sandra having a tantrum over me using her clothes. There’s one incident that really stands out; she went mad over a pair of crimpeline slacks that Aunty Ann gave to me which had gone too small for Sandra. Now when we see each other, we both laugh over the old days.

We would do the weekly shop in Talbot Green shopping centre; I loved it because both Aunty Ann and Uncle Gino made me feel so special, and I love them both still like they were my own parents. There was only one supermarket, and across the road were a few small shops. Then it was more personal; like the heart that brought the villages together. Nothing like today’s shopping centres where customers are just pound signs; so cold and often deprecating.

Paul, Mark and I use to ride bikes down the old gravel lane that ran from the top of Llanharry into Llanharan; I still have scarred knees to prove it. I didn’t own a bike so I would lend Sandra’s without her knowing. Aunty Ann and Uncle Gino were strong Catholics, so every Sunday I attended church. I recall one evening walking back from church with Aunty Ann and Sandra it began to rain together with strong thunder and lightning. Sandra and I panicked and ran the rest of the way home leaving Aunty Ann behind.

Llanharan was a brilliant tiny village, fields stretched far and wide; a tiny village, not like today; even the roads have changed. Everybody knew everybody; people helped one another. I remember the field at the end of Heol Cyllan, they built the first bungalows on there, my grandfather Richard moved into one, but from there they built a housing estate.

I was 15 year’s old and pregnant when I went to Sandra’s wedding in the Catholic Church in Llanharan. In December 1977 Sandra gave birth to the Fifth Generation in our family, then two weeks later on January 2nd 1978 I gave birth to the 2nd Firth Generation; Sandra had Lisa, I had my daughter Rachel. Strange as it may sound, now age 49 I am expecting my Great Granddaughter in November; the Firth Generation for a 3rd time in our family within the sort period of 33 years’.

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