About myself

I was born in Fochriw in 1944. I attended the Infant and Junior schools and had the good fortune to pass the 11+ examination to Bargod Grammar School.

Family circumstances dictated that I had to leave school at the age of 16, without sitting the “O” Level examinations, to work as an electrician’s assistant at Ogilvie Colliery, Deri, the “family” pit.

Having studied to gain my academic qualifications in electrical engineering, in 1968 I secured employment with The English Electric Company as an Electrical Engineer working at the new Ironbridge and Pembroke Power Stations and at Cilfynydd 400kV grid site.

Link to Google Earth for site location

I was married  in 1970, left Fochriw and in 1971 joined the Electrical Engineering Consulting practice of Kennedy and Donkin, where I held the position of Site Electrical Engineer at Homs, Tripoli, Libya undertaking the installation of gas turbine power stations and 33kV distribution systems

In 1974 I returned to the head office in Woking and became Project Manager in charge of all electrical engineering new works for the Dubai Electricity Company.

I left in 1980 to eventually become Division Manager (Electrical) for Welsh Water’s South Eastern Division located in Cardiff and then Nelson Mid Glamorgan.

I retired in 2000 from Hyder Consulting, which was a subsiduary of Welsh Water following privatisation in 1989, as Regional Construction, Design and Management Manager.

I now live in Usk with my wife, who is a recently retired (2007) Primary School head-teacher. I have one daughter who is married to an Ulsterman and lives in Edinburgh and one son who is married to an American and lives in Florida.