June - Father's Day Month

Since this is Father's month, I thought I would tell you all a bit about our fathers. Mine - George, was the oldest son of a family of 13. He has two older sisters. His father was a bricklayer and was not a family man. He brought home the wages (not enough) and was the only one who had meat to eat. Any meat that was provided for the rest of the family came from my father who would go out at night and kill birds, rabbits and whatever he could get to put the food on the table. He left school at the age of 11 to work as a laborer for his father and was paid in cigarettes and beer. He went on to be a bricklayer/stonemason and a lot of the walls still standing in Llandudno were done by my father. The one in front of the house on the corner is an example. He was not the best provider (having a weakness for beer and gambling), but he was the most attentive father and regaled us with stories, bits of wisdom and his humor, and his morals. He was what would be referred to as a man's man - darts and snooker champion at the pub, club champion at the Golf Club, played soccer for Llandudno and once for the amateur Wales team. He was a volunteer fireman and also volunteer with St. John's Ambulence - a first aid force that would attend sports games and other large gatherings. He was always asked to be the M.C. at the club events having an unending supply of jokes and anecdotes.