| Description | Track 1 [01:00:23] [Session one: 6th March 2019] Charlotte Rhydderch-Preece, born 17th February 1940’s and grew up in Blaina and had a lot of relatives living in Llangynydir, six miles away. Mentions most family members were teachers except her father who was an Engineer, working as Area Transport Manager for the Co-operative Movement and mother who stayed at home. Describes the dislike of attending the local infant school; strict teachers who used corporal punishment, formal education and a rigid timetable. Mentions not receiving cane as Uncle was head teacher although saw many injustices. Mentions grandfather very keen on the education of women in the family accounting for many female family members working in the infants, primary and grammar schools attended. Mentions her grandmother had an interest in politics and had Sylvia Pankhurst to stay. Mentions had Victorian grandparents and Edwardian parents. Comments on her older sister: Swansea University graduate and teacher. [0:02:50] Describes full social life attributed to the thriving industry. Mentions how the diverse workforce and local economy led to presence of beautiful shops, four cinemas in Abertillery, lovely parks and swimming pools. Describes the 1950’s: idyllic despite the rationing of food until 1954. [0:03:51] Describes how passing her eleven plus exam, gained her entry to Hafod Y Ddol Grammar School [since been demolished]. Describes how due to rheumatic fever, it was a stressful transition to grammar school. Comments that dad had high expectations. Mentions monkey walk whereby boys and would chose themselves a girlfriend. Remarks how busy her social life was with four dances a week. [0: 06:30] Comments on girls persuaded to do art subjects in the grammar school whilst boys did sciences. Mentions receiving a teacher’s prize for achieved nine distinctions at ordinary level examinations and went on to do English, French, Latin and History for advanced level exams. Remarks on the Head master saying girls don’t go to university and in response to this she applied on her own to go to university. Remarks on secretarial colleges, colleges of education, civil service and nursing were the normal routes into work for girls her age. [0:08:17] Describes the reason for applying to Swansea University was her sister had come here although did get an offer from St. Anne’s college, Oxford University but felt that Swansea would equip her with a better education for a career in teaching. Comments on her previous visit to SU: during her sister’s undergraduate years where she stayed in Beck Hall and describes her sisters SU experience: an inter 4yr degree course in 1948. Described sister’s accommodation in Beck Hall and mentions she relived this when she was put in the same room in Beck Hall that her sister had resided in. Mentions shared a room with Mary Cash. Mentions mass vaccinations due to smallpox outbreak. [0:13:23] Describes the Beck Hall bedrooms: quite big, pleasant but old fashioned, 2 single beds, a bay window, dowdy colours with the use of a kitchen down the corridor. Mentions embellishing the room with a rug and pictures but not allowed to put things up on the wall and comments on having a good library and food there. Describes the meal times wearing a gown, having to sign in and out and being on high table and likens the experience to that of a boarding school. Mentions nick name of the warden at Beck Hall as Griff the dragon and comments on her huge responsibility. Mentions warden looked after international students also. Remarks how cost of Halls was expensive, £80 per term. Describes her busy daily routine; out all day either in lectures, tutorials or the library due to doing three subjects and the education as being demanding but rigorous. Describes the social life with the curfew at Beck Hall at 9pm but explains dances were still possible as long as the warden knew their whereabouts. All first year girls were put in Beck hall and were monitored. Comments on how it was expected that own napkin rings were owned and presented at mealtimes and was shocked at how things differed when she went back to see her niece in SU in mixed halls a decade later. [0:17:10] Describes instances where the rules were broken and girls stayed out longer than the curfew by leaving a window open. Describes sit down meal with three courses and at times invited to top table. Describes how the Uplands hotel, popular for singing and the bookshop were within walking distance of Beck Hall and frequented often although mentions getting some classic studies books by post from Blackwells, Oxford. Describes the many societies attended at SU: Classics, French, Drama, Varsity variety, Poetry society inclusive of Vernon Watkins as guest speaker. Describes the balls and how with every society there was a ball, as well there was a College Ball and a less informal Rag Ball with very good Jazz bands and guest players such as Humphrey Littleton. [0:21:30] Mentions exams at Christmas and in the summer and quotes that if the tree was blossoming in May and you hadn’t started revising – look out and stressed that you were thrown out ruthlessly if you didn’t pass exams. Comments on how would see people crying on getting their results. Mentions need to abide with dress code in exam hall. Describes some people would delight in wearing gowns if they were state scholars which meant you had 3 A’s. [0:23:39] Mentions graduations held in Brangwyn hall. Further describes the course syllabuses, covering the whole extent of the topics from their beginnings through to moderns with a specialist subject taken in third year. Comments on a very thorough tutorial system in which two essays at least a week were needed by your tutor to mark, quite interrogatory if didn’t meet required standard. Describes the tutorials as wonderful and remarks that they were so important to a university education that they hopefully continue today. Acknowledges a big part of time at university is honing your time management skills, important through life. [0:28:00] Story of using these skills whilst Head of comprehensive school in Powys when the National Curriculum was brought in –university approach taught her you had to get through it. Describes SU friends and connections: Donald Sindon [50&60’s film and tv actor] ‘s sister, Joy, who was taking English and wonderful make-up artist, together did all make up for all plays in English and French department. [0:30:00] Describes the SU campus and the 1937 library. Mentions New Arts building and College House had just opened. Describes College house [now Fulton House] with the refectory in which porters gave out plastic covers for ladies with stilettos on entry so as not to damage the floors. Mentions Duke of Edinburgh visited the College House when it opened and mentions it was a place for Arts & Science students to sit and have coffee. Describes loggings in Mumbles during second year with Mrs Algee whose sons volunteered in lifeboat service. Mentions it was also a B&B which meant that in the summer months a low profile must be kept. Describes daily routine; to have a hearty breakfast at 7, walk into college and spend the day doing work at top of College House until thrown out. Mentions it was not an ideal environment for studying. Mentions memories at Mrs Algee’s were marked by the assassination of Kennedy in 1963. Comments on how changes were happening, students were challenging authority and going against the establishment, student rights and Welsh Language were being fought for. [0:34:10]Discuss that university has always been a platform to challenge things, even since Elizabethan times and underlines the importance of open debate. [0:34:40] Remarks on how it was a time of Youth Culture and mentions loving the clothes, music and anti-establishment satire. Mentions not having drugs and feels drugs are a big problem today. Mentions miniskirts, bouffant hair and winkle pickers. Comments on Swansea: milk bar, David Evans shop and being a model for Richard Henry hairdressers. Mentions music listened to; Jazz Music, Humphrey Littleton, Elvis and Rock and Roll, the Beetles being later. Mentions Rag ball attracted top bands where there was a theme that you dressed in accordance with, one venue being Patti pavilion. Comments on how played Hockey against other colleges of Wales. [0:39:16]Describes the main purpose of Rag week being charity but also was a chance to let hair down and mentions how she raised money for Rag by selling magazines in town. Mentions sister was Rag queen. Recollects a poor Town and Gown relationship and describes the incident where male students walking back to their digs in Mumbles were set upon by the town boys, ten at night, one was hospitalised. Comments on cause of tensions being that only a small minority were accepted into university with males being a more vulnerable target. Comments on how Rag queen was an elected process. Describes how during her university times there were still lovely costumes and dressing up, a hangover for post war times.[0: 42:55] Describes the transition from year two to three. Mentions General honours degrees were phased out which she was doing, to only single honours degrees and reflects that the general hons degree suited her and her career in teaching later. Describes her third year accommodation in a flat in Glanmor road near to Cwmdonkin park and comments on difficult environment to study as lights would be off at ten. Mentions that the flat was on the same road as Dylan Thomas during the time Singleton hospital was being built. Comments on how if there was a need to go to hospital you had to share it with people who had mental health issues. Remembers final year being nothing but work as there was no degree if you failed. Mentions one friend was unable to do exams and came out with an igra-tate[in illness]degree. Mentions walked down to SU in four inch heels, no cars. [0:45:45] Mentions no cars on campus and no halls on campus with Neuadd Sibly not yet been built. Mentions was able to drive but no car although her fiancée had a car. [0: 46:40]Describes the layout of their Glanmor road flat accommodation; top level of Victorian house with a lovely front room with small kitchen and bathroom. Mentions flat mates Ness, doing Science, Mary doing History but remarks on having the most books. Mentions regret at not being in hall in third year, being thrown out in the last term. Remarks on how she was fortunate in having lodgings in her sisters’ old landlady’s house for those last weeks. [0:49:10] Mentions being aware of the global events occurring whilst at SU; Cuban missile crisis, JFK assassination, language movement, anti -establishment feelings, fashion, Carnaby street, Vietnam war, with a feeling at times of their mortality due to the instability of the world with much anxiety due to cold war which led to going on CND marches . Mentions SU encouraged this involvement to make a more liberal world and challenging the system which prioritised a person’s entitlement to do a job through age rather than ability. [0:51:15] Comments on the importance of the establishment of the first Welsh office in 1960 as London dominated everything in Wales before that. Describes protests against the drowning of the Tryweryn valley in north Wales and remarks how these passionate feelings of Welsh nationalism didn’t affect student mixing in SU. [0:53:50] Mentions the student union would organise protests/ marches with the president at that time being Ashley Dunn. Comments how her memories during her time at SU were of a mixed community interested in a better world. [0:54:40] Describes post-graduation degree at Cardiff in counselling & guidance, before doing an MSc. in Management back at SU. Considers the change in SU over a decade: appalled by graffiti in the loos [beware of limbo dancers], peoples dress being too informal and male /female cohabiting. [0:58:15] Remarks how as SU expanded it has maybe lost some of its friendliness. Remarks how much she enjoyed time at SU and mentions her role as an Ambassador for the Powys Tourist Information which has just stopped after 12 years. [0:59:40] Concludes that her education in SU has shaped her life and although coming from an academic background anyway this marvellous education at SU has paid off, resulting in a rewarding career.
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