Hendrefoilan School Sports Day

This cine was taken at the Hendrefoilan School Sports Day, sometime between June 1978 and June 1980… ish.

I’m guessing it’s between these dates because (a) I look quite young (b) I think I can see Kath Williams before she went to Australia [confirmed, thanks Kath!] and (c) there was a distinct turnover in teachers around the time I went into J1 (September 1980 If my memory serves me well) and I can see several of the old-guard who I remember being teachers but who never taught me. If you can help nail down the year then any clues or categorical claims will be most gratefully received.

Organisation

The school was (originally) divided into four groups (Red, Yellow, Blue and Green) each with around fifty members of various equally distributed ages. When I was very little, I seem to recall Blue being dominant, but those of us in Green never gave up and I think I recall that either we won “the cup” (or the smart money was on us winning the cup) when, due to dwindling school attendance green house was disbanded and it’s members were redistributed, so I joined Blue house. Either way I remember taking whole lap of honour running around the big field, miles away from our parents, passing the cup around and holding it aloft.

The Cast (Help please!)

As I recognize people, or as others identify them, I’ll add names here. If you spot people who are not on the list please leave a comment below containing their name, the time when they are visible (there’s a little clock in the video player), and what they are doing/wearing that will help others distinguish them.

Teachers

Mr. Lewis (officiating the turn-around point at 1:01)
Mr. Smith (at the start line, facing away from the camera at 1:10)
Mrs.Davies (at the start line, facing the camera in the background at 1:10)

Children

Richard Boakes (in many shots due to grandparent camera holding)
Paul Brooks
Christopher Cone (right hand line, infront of Nathalie at 1:21)
Darren Chetty (looking surprisingly tall in red shorts)
Anthony Evans
Alex Ferguson
Tom O’Kane
Jarrod Rees (with handy name-bearing T-Shirt and winning the eggand spoon race at 2:00)
Steven Sole (right hand line, behind of Nathalie at 1:21) – unsure of name spelling.
Mark Withy (very brief appearance bottom left at 1:46 – maybe?)

Nathalie Carter (blue stripey top)
Lisa Barrett (tall, tanned, dark pigtails)
Kathryn Gray
Fiona Thompson (bright blonde hair in bunches with red tracksuit top at 1:23 – maybe?)
Kathryn Williams (Bouncing irrepressably)

Parents / Grandparents / Guardians

Lesley Gowen (my mum)
Sarah O’Kane
Maureen Horsman
Elaine Williams (KathW to confirm)
Edna Breeze
Dai Vaughan (maybe? He’s sits down at 0:06 looking away from the camera; it seems likely because I don’t remember there being a big dark haired teacher, but I do recall that “Vauhan Sound Systems” did the tannoys for sports day every year).

22 Comments

Kath says:

16/08/2006 at 05:57

That’s definately me, the one jumping up and down. I think it’s Kathryn Gray in the red t-shirt to the left.
It could also be my mother Elaine Williams with the floral skirt and white puffy sleeves top running toward the cine. I’ll have to check with her and get back to you.
Thanks Rich.

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Kath says:

16/08/2006 at 08:39

Your memory may serve you well (and mine). I recall Helen Morgan returning from USA just before or just after Mt St Helens erruption on May 18th 1980. So more than likely this film was taken in Sept 1980.

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Lesley says:

17/08/2006 at 04:53

Sports Days are usually held in June or July.
Yes I am sure that is Dai Vaughan joining the officials at the table. I had forgotten that Vaughan Sound Systems always held everything together at school sports days and fetes etc.

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Kath says:

18/08/2006 at 02:02

Hi Rich. It is definately my Mum. On Looking at the clip again I think that it may be Lisa Barrett not Helen Morgan as my Mum recalls Helen having shortish curly hair. Lisa was always tall and lanky looking with pigtails. This means that it could be pre-1980 ??

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Kathryn Gray says:

23/08/2006 at 09:51

Shockingly, that is me in the red t-shirt. I have slimmed down a bit since then! Ha! It is also Lisa, of that I am pretty certain. Helen had short hair. Hope all is well with you!

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darren chetty says:

11/09/2006 at 23:00

surprisingly tall you say? I’ll have you know I’m now 7 foot 2. This is great footage Mr Boakes – you are just as i recall you, tearing around everywhere full of enthusiasm!

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Rich says:

26/02/2007 at 21:07

Darren that’s positively gargantuan. I have enough trouble with ducking through doors at 6’4; your head must be littered with dents. BTW you might be able to help improve this .

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Darren says:

03/03/2007 at 09:52

Ha Ha how did you know about ‘The Gents’?! I’ve just helped my Dad put together a CD – he’s getting nostalgic especially after a comeback gig in Northern Ireland last year.
oh and in reality I’m 6’1 in my New Balances.

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Rich says:

03/03/2007 at 10:35

Circa 78/79 in your kitchen, I remember you telling me about your dad being “in a band” and playing “puppet on a string”, and although I cannot remember the music, I also distinctly remember you having a mini record player that played real records, which probably included your dads.

This was about the time you had a Boris the Spider (which incidentally, scared me witless). It was also around then that you showed me how “knuckles” works for working out month lengths, which I still use to this day.

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Darren says:

10/03/2007 at 21:43

Really?! I can’t remember when I learnt the knuckle technique but that’s funny because I’m still showing children that now!

Boris is long gone but I still have my subbuteo from that time (and gain far too much satisfaction from beating my pupils). Not sure whether you ever played that on our living room floor? One of the downsides of moving around as a kid is that you don’t get people reminding you what you were like as a kid. But then I guess that one of the benefits of moving around as a kid is that you don’t get people reminding you what you were like as a kid…

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Rich says:

11/03/2007 at 09:57

You get a long distance thank you every time I don’t have to go through that “Thirty days hath Sept…” rhyme.

You may not recall this but during “wet break” (when we were all kept inside due to heavy rain) the mentally agile Chetty Jr. could often be found conscientiously working through the tests in the series of books that began “First Year Assessment Papers in Reasoning”.

It’s one of the things that opened my eyes to the idea that problems and work were just badly worded puzzles*, and thus, fun. A teacher could have pointed me at the books but I’d never have opened them if you hadn’t. I hold you partially responsible for everything I’ve done since.

*the other eye opener was a couple of years later when Mr. Thomas would regularly go through his book of puzzles and brainteasers before home-time; something which obviously only occurred if it wasn’t a sunny day, in which case we’d all be in the bottom yard playing crazy cricket.

Ahhh Subbuteo. I remember you bringing it in to school on the last day of term, and beating everybody at it. Some things never change.

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Darren says:

11/03/2007 at 22:42

wow I have no recollection of that – was I really such a nerd?

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Rich says:

12/03/2007 at 08:10

More “active mind” than “nerd”, and this was in wet break.

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Alex Ferguson says:

21/03/2007 at 11:55

Where am I!!!

Do you ever stop running around? I am pretty sure that you were cheating in the egg (potato) and spoon. That may be the reason why the Green team never won. Although you had your moment of glory as vice captian of the victorious Blue team when we were in J4.

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Rich says:

21/03/2007 at 13:22

I was Vice Captain? I had no idea, though I do remember the “lap of honour” with the cup when we won.

Q: Where am I!!!
A: 1:48, squinting, bottom left.

If it helps also I have some significantly embarrassing footage of your 14th birthday, but it’s just too hideously mid-80s to put on the web; I feel it’s probably better that we can grow old gracefully and just fondly recall exuberance of our youth.

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Sian Mitchell(horsman) says:

15/04/2007 at 19:37

What a suprise! You are right that my Mum Maureen is on the bank holding my brother John. Is it Eve pope next to her? I’ll check with Mum. I think that I’m in the egg and spoon race after Jarrods. Iwas really tall with pig tails and a blue cardigan(usually last)! I’ll get a couple more people to take a look but think that this must be 1980. Possibly July as we usually had sports day then.Hope you are well. Do you remember selling me your surfboard a very long time ago? please explain knuckles!

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Lesley says:

17/04/2007 at 07:17

Hello Sian! I’m Richard’s Mum
I used to baby sit you. In fact I believe I was looking after you the night before John was born.
Please give my regards to your parents.

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George Thomas says:

19/04/2007 at 17:09

Well I have not heard the name Darren Chetty since he moved from my class a long, long time ago! Fancy Richard having a video of the sports day; it was quite sad to see Mr. Harold Smith again. He was always a gentleman. You all bring tears to an old man’s eye! Almost poetic Kathryn!! Remember, you are welcome to visit the schhol if you are ever around killay. I am still here and plan to be for a while yet.

All best wishes,

George Thomas

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Lesley says:

20/04/2007 at 10:27

Hello George!

Its ages since you were Richard’s teacher at Hendrefoilan (J3, I think)…. and even longer since you were up at Townhill. I hadn’t realised that you were still in Killay

I agree with your comments about Harold Smith. I remember visiting the school once with a group of German exchange students. He was enormously proud of his school and its children and staff and insisted on doing an ad hoc fire drill to show off a bit!…. It was certainly impressive…the whole school outside, checked, lined up and returned to their seats within about a minute and a half. The Germans were well impressed by the Welsh efficiency!

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David Vaughan says:

04/03/2008 at 08:06

Yes that’s Dai Vaughan Snr, at the beginning of the film or dad to be precise.

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Tori says:

26/02/2009 at 02:19

Hello all, even though none of the Pope’s are featured in this video its still fabuolous to see it and brings back loads of great memories of Hendrefoilan. Mr T. of course next time I am back from Hong Kong I will pop in to say hi! all the best to you all. Tori Pope

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Tony O'Kane says:

13/03/2009 at 08:03

Site arrived from Torie to us on Gower recently
Will pass it through to Tom.
Remember the day you reversed back through the narrow lane at Cilonnen and then dipped your head below the dash board , so that I wouldn’t see you !
I think you were 14 , at the time and driving out to visit Tom at the farm. It tickled me pink asI knew exactly who was being so couteous to an oncoming driver !
Tony

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