HERIAN News

The people of Industrial South Wales are often written about as being victims of the industrial Revolution; however, they were far from complacent to their situation, and often sought means of escaping their lot. Education was one way out, and people like Nye Bevan used the facilities of the Working Men's clubs, with their libraries and reading rooms, to educate themselves. Indeed the thirst for knowledge was so great in Wales that hundreds of sons and daughters of Miners and Ironworkers trained to be teachers and at one time we exported huge number of teachers to England and indeed around the World.
We have also had our eccentric geniuses such as Dr William Price (born in Rudry) who gave free medical help to those without means, but who is best remembered as a druid who promoted cremation at a time when it was illegal.

Even today we have great self-made heroes, such as Tyrone O'Sullivan and the Miner's of Tower Colliery who, after its closure by the NCB in 1994 took on the establishment and thanks to a very steep learning curve became world famous entrepreneurs. In fact, just a year later they had proved the 'experts' wrong making pre-tax profits of £4,000,000 from what had been dismissed as an unprofitable mine. Incredibly, the mine worked for a further 13 years, finally closing in January 2008. In case you were wondering, the colliery gained its name from a folly built by the Crawshay family of ironmasters.

If we love learning, then we adore music! Wales has many modern musical superstars like Duffy, Tom Jones, and Shirley Bassey, but it also has its share of historic musical maestros – Joseph Parry who wrote 'Myfanwy' is celebrated in Merthyr Tydfil, Evan and James James who wrote the National Anthem are remembered in Pontypridd, and the Hymn Calon Lan is remembered in Blaengarw where its lyricist, Daniel James worked as a Miner.

Today, our thirst for knowledge is still there and we revel in fascinating facts and anniversaries. For instance, this year we have celebrated the 60th birthday of the NHS, born out of the Medical Aid Society in Tredegar. Tredegar has had another birthday bash this year – to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the much loved Town Clock. Another curious piece of local trivia is that Whitford Point lighthouse near Llanelli is the only cast iron lighthouse in the UK which sits directly in the water.
There are plenty more fascinating facts out there too, and you can enjoy discovering them for yourself at your local library or your local historical society, so what are you waiting for... go and quench your thirst for knowledge!