Gair y Ddraig The Word of the Dragon - Calgary Welsh Society
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Gair y Ddraig
Mis Chwefror
2019
February
CALGARY WELSH
SOCIETY
The Word of the Dragon FOUNDED: 1906
Officers: Directors At Large:
President: Margaret Freedman Membership Sec.: Jean Kuhn
Vice-president: Tracy Burr Jane Thomas
Secretary: Barbara Morris Sandy Keating
Treasurer: Gwenda Raymond-Jones Past President: Elaine Westlake
Newsletter Editor and Website Manager: David Matthews
Annwyl Ffrindiau / Dear Calgary Welsh Society Friends
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! Best wishes to everyone for a healthy and
safe 2019. Hope you all had a Happy Christmas.
The annual CWS Christmas Brunch was celebrated at Royal Executive Inn.
Everyone had a good time with great food and wonderful entertainment.
Thanks goes to everyone who participated. Thanks Barbara, Rebecca and
Megan, for buying all the door prizes, and to Jean, Gwenda and Derek for manning the payment
tables. Thanks to Elaine for guiding our carol singing and to Barbara for her ‘participation’ story.
Thanks to Brian and David for their reading from Dylan Thomas, A Child’s Christmas in Wales.
And, of course, thanks to all of you who attended the Brunch to made it a great social success.
Check out some of Kathleen’s photos in this newsletter!
Our next event is our celebration honouring our Patron Saint, Saint David. You are welcome to
bring family and friends to this event to be held at the Calgary Winter Club on March 2nd, 2019. If
you are unable to drive, please let the CWS person who contacts you know, as we can provide a taxi.
It will be held once again at the Winter Club, 14 St. N.W.
A committee has been formed from members of the Society to view applications submitted to
attend the North American Festival of Wales and Cwrs Cymraeg. On completion of that process,
AGLC will be approached for their approval. Applications to attend NAFOW and CC must be
received by February 15th, 2019.
Please submit your membership fees if you haven’t done so. Membership fees are due as of the
January 1st of each year.
If you have any ideas for events, for the newsletter, or there is something you would like the
society to consider, please send them to our email address: thecalgarywelshsociety@gmail.com.
On behalf of the board
Margaret Freedman
President, Calgary Welsh Society
Calgary Welsh Society’s CHRISTMAS BRUNCH
THE CHRISTMAS BRUNCH HELD, ONCE AGAIN at the Royal Executive Inn was a great
success. The food was delicious and the program very enjoyable.
Special thanks go to Barbara, Rebecca and Megan, for buying all the door prizes, and to Jean,
Gwenda and Derek for manning the payment tables. Thanks also go to Elaine for leading our carol
singing and to Barbara for her Christmas-themed story that got all present involved. Thanks to Brian
and David for their reading from Dylan Thomas’s, A Child’s Christmas in Wales and to Tudor
Davies for sharing some of his poetry.
Of course, without our members attending and participating, this Christmas Brunch would not
have taken place, so a special thanks to all of you for making this such a great social success.
Barbara and the Christmas story A Child’s Christmas in Wales David and Brian
Thanks photographer: Kathleen Johnson Tudor Davies reads poetry
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YDYCH CHI’N GWYBOD? (DO YOU KNOW?)
DESPITE THE CONTINUED UPROAR over Brexit, political debates in Wales remain intensely local.
The closure of the only public toilet in Porthcawl in January caused uproar. All governments are
cutting costs by closing libraries, leisure facilities and other so called ‘frills’. The anger over closing
the ornate Victorian era urinal on John Street by the Bridgend Borough Council has caused such an
outcry politicians are seeking solutions. The use of toilets in pubs is reserved for customers only.
There are even doorman (considered bouncers by some) who
enforce the policy. One solution is to offer pubs a grant to allow
the public to use their toilets. One plan is to turn the famous
listed building over to the Porthcawl town council to operate as a
pay-to-go facility.
Porthcawl is the major seaside resort in South Wales. Local
people were quick to respond to the shut down. Imagine the
impact on the town in the summer when busloads of people
arrive with children and grandparents but no place to go.
One local observer counted more than thirty people on a
wintry afternoon, approach the urinal, curse the locks and chains
and in some cases sought a hedge behind which to relieve
themselves.
While Brexit has caused anxiety in rural North Wales because
of the potential loss of farm subsidies, other economic set-backs
are just as troubling. The huge nuclear reactor planned for Wylfa
in Anglesey with billions invested by Hitachi, has been
cancelled. The reason given is the unreasonable bids of local
contractors. The Trawsfynydd reactor was decommissioned, now its replacement has been lost too.
In South Wales the decision to halt the electrification of the railway beyond Cardiff has West
Walians upset.
There is one positive note. The tolls on vehicles crossing the Severn Bridge back into Wales have
been removed. With buses paying twenty-five pounds, trucks (lorries) paying twenty pounds and cars
seven pounds the negative economic impact was so great there had to be a response.
Just one more bit of really bad news. Many pubs have closed down. Others no longer serve the
afternoon drinkers. The main reason: fewer drinkers are prepared to pay between three and four
pounds a pint.
CALGARY WELSH SOCIETY ST. DAVID’S DAY LUNCH
SATURDAY, MARCH 2 AT THE CALGARY WINTER CLUB
Please join us for lunch, a tribute to St. David, entertainment,
the county call and a time to socialize.
Menu: Leek & Potato Soup, Sirloin Steak, Key Lime Cheesecake and Welsh cakes
Cost of the event is $45 for members and $50 for non-members
This is ticketed event, all tickets must be purchased in advance (Deadline to
purchase is February 15, 2019). MAIL YOUR CHEQUE TO: Jean Kuhn, Box
11, Turner Valley, AB T0L 2A0
Please allow time for your cheque to reach Jean by the deadline. As we have to
confirm numbers, no refunds will be available after Feb. 15.
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RUGBY UNION - 2019 Written by ROLY THOMAS
MANY WELSH AND CANADIAN RUGBY FANS must be very disappointed with the Canadian
media’s sad coverage of international games played in Europe, North America and the southern
hemisphere. Since June, 2018 a total of 24 internationals have been played by the leading rugby nations
with few games, if any, given even a mention in our newspapers or on TV!
The summer of 2018 saw European national teams travel to South Africa and the Pacific countries
while teams from those southern countries later visited Europe during the months of October and
November. Notably over this period the Wales XV were involved in a number of ‘friendly’ encounters
with other international teams - achieving success in Argentina (by 30 points to 12) and continuing this
success with three games played in Cardiff - one versus Scotland (21 points to 10), another versus
Australia (9 points to 6) and finally against South Africa (20 points to 11). It is amusing that these tour
games are still referred to as ‘friendlies’ when opposing teams appear to be attempting to knock the
stuffing out of one another! The game is now fully professional - so gone are those days when players
were accustomed to a few beers at the local pub before turning up at the clubhouse! The game now
demands supreme fitness from all players!
To date the New Zealand ‘All Blacks’ continue to lead and to still dominate the competitive
standings but must have had a real fright in their November, 2018 Twickenham encounter with
England - which they won by a single point, by 16 points to 15. Their subsequent 16-9 loss to Ireland
must have the All Blacks looking and preparing for overwhelming revenge.
It appears that both Ireland and Wales have finally made an impressive impact upon the world rugby
scene!
The world international standings currently are; At #1, New Zealand: #2, Ireland: #3, Wales: #4,
England: #5, South Africa: #6, Australia: #7, Scotland: #8, Fiji: #9, France: and in last spot, at #10,
Argentina!
The 2019 Six Nations European Championship commences on February 1st for Wales and will be
an away fixture to be played in Paris. The 2019 Rugby World Cup competition follows and will be
played in Japan during the months of September and October. Obviously this year promises a feast of
exciting international rugby to which we will look forward with the hope that the Wales XV will have
greater success than in past years! I look forward to reporting on these competitions in later issues of
the ‘Ddraig’!
Roly Thomas
Six Nations Update: On February 1st in the Stade de
France stadium in Paris, Wales came back from a half-
time 16-0 deficit to beat France 24-19 in a wet, most
exciting, mistake-filled game! On the right, George North
celebrates his second try in this topsy-turvy event.
On February 2, in Murrayfield stadium, Edinburgh,
Scotland ran up a 33 - 3 lead after one hour’s play. Italy
came back with some good plays in the remaining twenty
minutes to make the fulltime score a respectable 33-20.
In Dublin’s Aviva stadium, Ireland lost to a superior
English team, 20 – 32 points. This was a great upset, as
Ireland, rarely losing on their home ground and having
recently beaten the All-Blacks, were the favourites to win.
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CALGARY WELSH SOCIETY THE CALGARY WELSH SOCIETY has formed a
committee to research the contributions of Welsh pioneers
HISTORICAL RESEARCH to the development of Calgary and its hinterland.
COMMITTEE This event, taken from a newspaper clipping, dates back to
the early 1900s! Check out some of the prominent names!
Submitted by Research
Committee member:
Jane Thomas
WANT TO LEARN TO SPEAK WELSH? ‘Cwrs Cymraeg’ is in Calgary this summer!
If you do want to learn this Celtic language, this upcoming July is for you. ‘Cwrs Cymraeg’, meaning
literally 'Welsh course', is a one-week opportunity to learn the basics.
‘Cwrs Cymraeg’ features instruction at six levels, from absolute
beginners to fluent speakers It is led by teachers from North America and
Wales. Classroom instruction is enhanced by workshops, quiz nights, folk
dance, movies and an Eisteddfod.
The dates are July 14-21, 2019 at the SAIT campus. For further
information please visit the Cymdeithas Madog website.
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Remembering Morfudd……..
We were saddened to learn of the passing of a cherished friend of Calgary Welsh Society in
December 2018. (Sarah) Morfudd Jones was an active society member for over 50 years and
a long time life member.
Morfudd moved to Calgary from Wales in the mid 1960’s and it was at a CWS meeting that
she met the “love of her life” Bill Jones. They married in 1971 in her home area of Lledrod,
Camarthenshire.
Together Morfudd and Bill worked hard to revive
interest in the society and often held CWS events in
their home or at their Waiporous cabin. Over the
years they contributed a great amount to CWS. She
was predeceased by Bill about 15 years ago but
continued to be active in the society.
Morfudd was a strong, passionate lady who was
immensely proud to be Welsh. She loved all
aspects of Welsh culture and Wales and happily
conversed in Welsh, her first language, whenever
possible.
She stayed at the Westin during our 2016 NAFOW
and was thrilled to read the scripture in Welsh at
our Sunday morning bilingual service at Knox
United Church.
She was a talented musician who surprised us all
about three years ago when she entertained us at a
Noson Lawen gathering by playing her harmonica.
She continued to attend Welsh Society events until after her 90th birthday in the Fall of 2017
when she was hospitalized.
A celebration of Morfudd’s life was held at her church, Christ Church Anglican on Jan 11/19
with many Welsh society friends in attendance.
Our lives were enriched from knowing Morfudd. She will be missed!
CALGARY WELSH SOCIETY FAMILY NEWS
Our sincerest condolences to Tony Jones and family on the death of Sherrie, (Sadie Sheridan Jones),
on January 20. We will miss seeing her lovely smile at our CWS events. A celebration of Sherrie’s
life will be held at 2:00pm on February 9th, at 99, Arbour Lake Rd., NW.
Both Cledwyn Haydn-Jones and Maura Frezell suffered accidental falls that resulted in surgery and
long hospital stays including physiotherapy and rehabilitation. We are delighted to report that both
Cled and Maura are recovering well. Cled was home in time to sing a beautiful rendition of “Calon
Lan” at Morfudd Jones’ memorial service on Jan.11th. Maura is still recovering at the Rockyview
Hospital.
NB: If you know of any member who is sick, needing support or celebrating an event please let us
know by emailing or calling Elaine Westlake at [westlake.me@shaw.ca] or to 403-256-4136.
Diolch yn fawr!
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