There’s a story about a very boastful man who told anyone who would listen at a party how successful he was. He claimed to be a self-made man. The host was heard to say under his breath, ’Well, there’s a real example of shoddy workmanship!’.
As Julie Andrews once sang in the Sound of Music ‘Nothing comes from nothing’. We are all the product of our upbringing, our past experiences and the people who have influenced us for good…or for ill.
Tonight I am hosting an evening with one of the Greatest Welshmen of his generation. This is the headline for tonight’s event at the Gwyn Hall.
‘Join us for An Evening with The Greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey Sir Gareth Edwards.’
Sir Gareth has been there all of my life. As a child growing up our family would all gather around the TV to watch him play for Wales or The British Lions. He had everything. Skill, speed, strength and best of all a Welsh accent.
Over the years I have had the privilege of interviewing people from all walks of life. Sometimes, say if the interview has been hastily arranged last minute for a radio programme, I get very little information about the guest before we start. The great thing is after all of these years I have a few stock questions that help set the ball rolling and once we start the interview usually it takes on a life of its own.
Tonight is different because we all think we know Sir Gareth Edwards. Tonight I’m sure we’ll talk about Barry John and Phil Bennett. We’ll hear tales from his time on tour with the British Lions and I can’t wait to go through that extraordinary try that he scored for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973.
Just to be on the safe side I thought I ought to get hold of his autobiography. It is really very informative but…well I didn’t want to leave anything to chance so I rang the organisers and asked if they could get Sir Gareth to give me a call for a bit of a chat.
Now I’ve met Sir Gareth many times over the years and he has been a regular at Swansea City games for decades but when the phone rang and he told me who he was…well, how do you think I felt…. on the other end of the line was the living legend himself.
Now some of what I’m going to tell you now you might already know but if you are coming to our chat this evening this is a spoiler alert.
Whilst we all know about Gareth’s career as a rugby player in many ways his upbringing has much more to tell us about the man himself. Gareth’s grandmother, Mrs Edwards went to the same Gospel Hall as my Mamgu in law. Whilst being immensely proud of Gareth I had never heard it said that she went to see Gareth play. I found that strange.
I thought it might have been down to chapel not sitting well with the rugby lifestyle, but Gareth gave me another possible reason. Gareth’s grandfather had died following a game of rugby. He had finished the match, put on his overcoat to go for a few post-match pints before heading home for a bath. Everyone blamed that time spent in the pub as the reason he picked up an infection which turned into pneumonia. He was only 27 when he passed away. Maybe that was always a fear she carried for her grandson and she couldn’t bring herself to witness it again first hand..
What I had always struggled with understanding was how Gareth, a miner’s son from Gwaun- Cae-Gurwen, had ended up at Millfield, one of the leading Private Boarding Schools in the country. Millfield has always had a reputation as being an excellent school for sport. Their alumni includes outstanding sportsmen and women including Olympians and international cricketers. Obviously Gareth was extremely talented at all sorts of sports. He excelled at rugby and football, he shone at athletics and gymnastics but how did they find out about him?
What might have been a disaster for Gareth turned into the thing that possibly set him on the path to glory, Gareth failed his 11 plus exams and found himself attending Pontardawe Technical School for Boys. Whilst picking up some engineering skills which would actually come in handy later in life Gareth continued to excel at sport.
It was at the Tech that Gareth felt he was being picked on by one of the masters Mr Bill Samuel. Gareth would come home and with tears in his eyes tell his mother that Mr Samuels worked him harder than the other boys. When his friends finished circuits or laps around the playing field Mr Samuel would send Gareth around for another few laps. In the end Gareth’s dad actually went to have a bit of a chat with Mr Samuel. What they soon found out was that Bill Samuel saw the potential in Gareth and wanted to push him to be the best.
Bill had read that Millfield School would offer scholarships to youngsters showing exceptional talent. Mary Rand who won a Gold medal was a prime example of taking raw talent and developing it into Olympic Gold.
Mr Samuel took it upon himself to write to the headmaster of Millfield, Mr Jack Myer. Jack Myer had founded the school in 1935. He had returned from India with 7 Indian boys, six of whom were princes. As well as providing an education for some of the richest families Mr Myer also promoted what he called the Millfield Mix
“…to nurture talent by providing the very best facilities, teaching, coaching and opportunities in which young people can exercise and explore their abilities; and to give awards to those in financial need. ”
Initially the letters started very formally, to Mr Myer from Mr Samuel. Bill pointed to Gareth’s prowess in all sorts of sports and quoted his times and achievements. My Myer replied that he had various other student from other parts of the world who had better times and stats, but Bill wouldn’t give up. Eventually the letters became less formal with the men addressing each other by their first names and Gareth was given an opportunity to attend the school to show Mr Myer first hand his potential.
It wasn’t a complete free ride for Garth to attend Millfield. It also meant his father having to sell his prized possession, his caravan, to help pay the fees but I think the whole of Wales and the Rugby World is grateful for every sacrifice made.
Life is full of ‘what ifs’. What if Gareth had passed his 11 plus, or Mr Samuel hadn’t pushed Gareth to train and written those letters to Jack Myer. Gareth’s talent was unquestionable and I’m sure he would have found another way but like every great man or woman Gareth is more than willing to give credit to those who helped him and shaped his life.
We all need people to believe in us. Even the most successful people are never entirely self-made.