The New Road was built - I mean the Pentwyn Road - and we were able to walk from Treorchy right down, around Ton, and that was our Sunday parade.

Then the Bwlch and the Rhigos roads were built. but those were built under different circumstances.

It was mainly to get work for those who had been on the dole for so long. If you were ten weeks working on the road - building the roads on the Bwlch and the Rhigos - and if you didn’t turn up ONE day for work – you weren’t allowed dole at the end of it.

This was brought in tanks drawn of course by a horse – and you can guess his name - Hughes the Oil. He would come around and ring a huge hand-bell so everyone would bring out their lamps.

Then came a man we called Dan Sand-y-Mor. In those days there was nothing but flagstones - no carpet, nothing – and the floors had to be "stoned" as we called it. On a weekday we used a blue stone - but on a Sunday, and on special days, it was the white stone.

We would dip the stone into a bucket of water and rub it over the flagstones and when it dried it would leave a coloured residue. Then the sand was dried in the oven and thrown over the floor, so that it wouldn’t create any dust and wouldn’t soil, or leave any footmarks on the beautiful white or blue stone. The sand would stick to your shoes and protect the floor. They had a lot of pride and it took a lot of work to get down to that.

An Irishman would come round and of course his name was Pat. He had a bike – and on the front part of the bike he had a little cart with a real stone wheel and he sharpened all the knives and mended all the umbrellas. He always had a cup of tea here and told us stories, and looking back now, I doubt if half of them were true!

I remember Emrys Hughes from Ynyswen who became a film extra in "How Green Was My Valley".

Of course he was the one that was to be stripped down to the waist and take a bath - in the old sink bath as we know them. You should have heard the leg pulling that he had when he came home - it isn’t any wonder that he gave it up!

Gave up acting I mean, not bathing!

Then there was Mr. Davies the dentist, that lived on High Street.

He always wore a black jacket, pinstripe trousers & a dickie-bow (which I thought was a real film star) and he was a gentleman, there was no class distinction with him.

Mr. Howells the schoolmaster who lived in Glyncoli Road composed many hymns - and they were beautiful.

We were very sad and very grieved when he passed away. He put many a pupil on to a wonderful education.

I have known some great characters and I look back at them now and think what a privilege it was for us to have such wonderful people to guide us on our way.

"Pob bendith ei rai oddi cartref"

"Every blessing to those away from home"