_____________________________________________ Front Cover: a lino cut by Alison Jones Decorative text dividers are from lino cuts by Alison Jones and drawings from Virginia Robotham Other illustrations are generally captioned Brecon U3A: Registered Charity no. 1074288 Secretary: Agi Yates Web Site: https://u3asites.org.uk/brecon/welcome Contact: https://u3asites.org.uk/brecon/contact THE PHOENIX Summer 2018 The Annual Magazine of Brecon University of The Third Age No. 71 Editor: Mike Ingram Editorial Team: Elaine Starling, David Mitchell, Trevor Jones, Richard Walker Contents Editorial 6 From the Brecon U3A Chairman 7 Adventure in Hay-on-Wye - The Siege Victim 8 by Jean Hosie The Royal Oak, Pencelli 13 by Virginia Robotham By Classic Car to Classic Trains 13 by David Mitchell Ty Bach Tales 14 by Phillip Dey Gadfly 17 Brexit 18 by David Mitchell True Style 18 by Hugh Thomas Le Chateau Rose 19 by John Davies Ayrton Wragge 20 by Deanna Leboff Toadstool 22 by Corrine Thomas Making Gardens 23 by Poppy Weston Twrch 29 by John Davies A Thing of Some Significance ... 30 by Fiona Ciai Brown Frisky Friesians or Hazards of the Artist 33 by Fleur The Nesting Place 34 by Cathy Sims (written 1966) The Meal 36 by Hugh Thomas Lino Cut 40 by Alison Jones 2 Vitticulche A Guide for Whining Snobs 41 by David Mitchell Round the Bend 42 by Vivienne Williams Chilterns 44 by Lyn Rees Frank Sinatra 45 by Robert Poole Cardiff Library 46 by Robert Poole Suspended 47 by Rosey Budd, Canterbury U3A Sports Slacks Label 49 By Vivienne Williams U3A and Co-Production 50 by Richard Walker The Tree 52 by Mike Ingram Farmyard 55 by Corrine Thomas The Dormouse 56 by Linda M Dainty 2017 Ancient Places 57 by Jean Ruston Rabbit 58 by Joan Stanesbury Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit 58 by Joan Millard Disappointment 59 by Joan Stanesbury If I were Just William for a day, I would have a riotous time 61 by Deanna Leboff A Welsh Family in New Zealand 63 by John Underwood Remembering Snowy Winters Ago 66 by Fiona Ciai Brown 3 A Thursday Round 68 by Hugh Thomas Betrayal 69 by Linda M Dainty Summer Delights 70 by Margaret Blake Déjà vu 71 by Richard Walker Thoughts of a Would-be Thespian 73 by Robert Poole Broken silence 76 by Linda M Dainty Travels in Patagonia – November 2017 77 by Viv Williams Archaeology 81 by Elaine Starling Classical Literature 82 by Elaine Starling Creative Writing 82 by Elaine Starling Y GAER - NOT JUST A ROMAN FORT 84 by Mervyn Bramley The Canal at Pencelli 87 by Virginia Robotham Brecon U3A Archive 88 by Gill Evans Literature – Philosophy – Theology 89 by Richard Walker Wildlife 2017/18 91 by Gill Evans Film Club 92 by Nesta Thomas The Travel Desk - Review of the Year 2017/18 94 by Joan Millard Picton Castle 96 by Virginia Robotham 4 Art Appreciation and Family History - Erased from History 97 by Mike Ingram Gardening 98 by Pat Wilkie Sky Dive 100 by Margaret Lloyd Rise to a Challenge. 102 by Chris Kamutikaoma Using the Brecon U3A Website 104 5 Editorial This is my first year of editing the Phoenix. On everyone’s behalf I would like to thank David Mitchell for the great work he has done with the previous issues. David has given me a great deal of help this year and I am sure that you will be glad to know that he is still on the editing team. I was worried at first that I would not get enough contributions to fill a magazine but that has not been the case. As you will find out when you read it through there are many excellent and varied contributions. My emphasis has been on layout and have avoided tampering with text. A few of you who have submitted material may find the odd word changed or missing. I have only done this where it has been absolutely necessary to avoid odd words or lines going onto the next page. I have also tried to be consistent with the design of previous issues. I have thoroughly enjoyed the privilege of being the first in the audience to read these pieces. And would like to congratulate and thank those who have provided art work which is all of excellent quality. In fact, thank you to everyone who has provided all of these excellent items. 6 From the Brecon U3A Chairman The term “Chairman” first appeared in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1658. It has several citations around 1720 for those occupying the “Chair” at formal meetings. I remember when I was much younger enjoying the tradition of the chairman being a “Master of Ceremonies” in the old Music Hall, whose job it was to control the rowdier elements of the audience. I was living in Leeds when “The Good Old Days” was regularly broadcast from the Leeds City Varieties. The term “Chairman” was used in both Russia and China in it’s respective revolutions, and in China Mao Zedong is still referred to as “Chairman Mao”. Being chairman of Brecon U3A, it’s nice to know you are following a long historical tradition! For me, the role of chairman is simply being one of a team that seeks to make Brecon U3A work for all its members. I have other roles outside U3A but picking up the office of chairman in an organisation with a reputation for excellence is rather daunting. Part of it at Brecon are the traditions established by my predecessors, but without the support of a talented and committed team, a chairman can achieve nothing. Organisations like U3A only function because people give up their time and use their talents to organise, arrange, keep people informed, as well as dealing with a myriad of rules and regulations that seem to be dreamed up by those in authority as obstacles to achieving anything. Like all other Third Sector organisations U3A only has a future if people volunteer to make them a success. I may be biased, but I think Brecon U3A is a great organisation feeding those most important human traits of curiosity and imagination. On your behalf, my thanks to everyone on the committee; to all of you for your support and friendship, and finally to Mike Ingram, who does so much for us, but very practically has produced this magazine. Enjoy it. Richard 7 Adventure in Hay-on-Wye - The Siege Victim by Jean Hosie On Friday 10th December 1993 Bruce and I having just returned from a 12-week visit to Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia decided to make a start on serious Christmas shopping and arrange appointments with our dentist so drove over to Hay-on-Wye. On leaving the car park we separated, Bruce to the Post Office enroute to the dental surgery and I into the Bruce Hosie 1929 - 2017 Pavement Bookshop. I was astonished when he appeared moments later saying he had heard in the Post Office that there was man armed with a gun going “around the town” and having reported to me went off to the surgery. I thought little of this message, confident that no villain was likely to come into a second-hand bookshop. Some ten minutes or so later, about 3.00pm, I was amazed to hear a policeman come into the shop and insisting premises be evacuated immediately as there was an “incident”. I made my way to the car park, expecting Bruce to join me very shortly, but realised he had the car keys and that I had foolishly left all my keys at home, having failed yet to transfer them from my holiday bag into the one I was carrying! When he did not appear, I started back to the Dental Surgery only to find the town now full of police and all the streets closed. The man with the gun was making his presence felt, and I learned he was already well known to the authorities; it later transpired that he was one Mark Williams, “on leave” from prison for the weekend to visit his foster-mother in Llanwrtyd Wells. Mark and his foster-mother had fallen out over a Christmas present he 8 wanted but that she could not afford, and he had hit her and thrown her downstairs before fleeing the house. He stole a car in Llanwrtyd and drove towards Hay but before reaching the town stopped at a farm and persuaded the farmer to buy the car from him. The farmer gave him a cheque, so he walked into Hay to cash it in a bank, but it was incorrectly made out and he was refused. Frustrated, he left the bank, crossed the road and went into the Agricultural Merchant’s where he found a young man, Andrew, on his own. He produced a gun and proceeded to propel Andrew, who developed an asthmatic attack, round the town with the gun in his back. They met the local police constable who immediately questioned Mark by name and asked what he was doing. Mark showed him the gun and demanded the constable hand over his mobile phone and his keys, both of which he then threw away over a high wall. The constable turned tail heading for the police station and Mark continued with his captive into town. Building work had been going on at the dental surgery and the builders had left the door propped open when they left. Mark shoved Andrew, now considerably distressed, in through the doorway where he was greeted with concern by the Receptionists, who were then alarmed when Mark appeared waving his gun at not only two receptionists but two or three patients (including Bruce) immediately threatening them all.