A Tribute to Gerard Kingston

It is always with sadness that we hear of the passing of those members who were with the group from the beginning and hearing that Gerard has made his last journey means the group has lost a longtime friend and ex-walk leader.

Gerard led a selection of walks up until 2009 to places such as Sully Island, Southerndown and Marcross, Redwick and the sea wall, Rumney to Newport, Porthkerry to Aberthaw, Merthyr Mawr, Blaenavon with a tour of Big Pit, Nash Point, St Brides, Rhossili, the Severn Estuary and Cosmeston and Penarth, often with John Curtin who was his back marker on many occasions. Somehow there always seemed to be a pub involved and in the programme it would read…. pub lunch optional, I think quite often people took him up on that.

I have some lovely messages to impart…

David Rees, ‘So sorry to hear about the passing of Gerard, it is always sad to hear about the death of a popular group member. Please send the condolences from all at Ramblers Cymru to his family and friends.’

Louise, ‘Lovely, always enthusiastic and smiling and his front garden was beautiful, full of flowers and colour. One of life’s gentle-men.’

Barrie, ‘Yes, remember Gerard’s walking days and going on a coach trip to Interlaken, Switzerland with him and others. Good memories of him. Rest in Peace.’

Barbara Stuart, ‘I shall never forget the wonderful fruit and vegetable platters that he and John used to bring from their allotment to the Ramblers Christmas meal as a raffle prize.’

Nick, ‘Sad news about Gerard. He always gave a warm welcome to everyone who was on a walk with him.’

Krystyna, ‘I’m so very sad to hear this news. Gerard was such a lovely gentleman and a great walker. I spent quite a few lovely afternoons on the allotment with him sharing stories and a beverage in his well-equipped shed, always walking away (maybe a little unsteady) with bags of organic delicious vegetables. Rest in peace Gerard’

My personal memories of Gerard echo those sentiments, he was a lovely uncomplicated man, who was generous and funny and lovely to chat to and a pleasure to be with. When we were on walks he loved to talk amongst other things about his allotment and within ten minutes the conversation would lead to tomatoes, which he would bring when they came into season along with basil for the group to try and it was delicious.

Each year he would meet up with his brothers for a week’s holiday on Gower and they would tour all the pubs and eateries there, so when he came back he was able to recite all the different menus to everyone and would make his own recommendations on where to go for the best deal, he was always one for a good deal.

Back in July 2003 Mandy did her first outdoor BBQ for the group, when I led a group of eleven, including Gerard from the Plough and Harrow on a 12 mile walk and threequarters of the way back at Limpert Bay, she and Haydn (Barrie’s brother) had set up a gazebo and a barbecue. There was a problem because the wind blew the gazebo away and they had to chase after it, but somehow managed to get the cooking done.

My luck wasn’t in either because the path was completely blocked so we had to tramp across the pebbles which took extra time but when we did finally arrive we were regaled with bacon and egg baps, sausage baps, fried onions, mushrooms and salad, all washed down with big mugs of tea. It was glorious in really hot sunshine (remember sunshine!).

Then the walk continued to the Fontygary Inn, where we all met up again and as this had been a linear walk, I took two of the group back to fetch their cars, whilst the rest had a cooling drink at the pub to say thanks for letting us use their car park. When I returned, Mandy’s dog could not walk in a straight line and when I asked what was wrong, she replied, ‘Gerard has turned my dog into an alcoholic.’ Apparently he went into the pub to get drinks returning with a full tray, so some of the liquid slopped over onto the tray. Not knowing what to do with the empty tray he put it on the floor, and unbeknown to all, the dog in her wisdom licked it dry and got tipsy. So, after that time whenever she smelled alcohol she was first in the queue. Gerard never stopped talking about that great day and whenever there was a BBQ after that he was the first in line.

On another occasion I was due to lead a walk and turning up at Penarth Leisure Centre with Haydn, only Gerard was there, so I suggested we go on a recce. He jumped into the back of the car and off we went. A little while later he asked, ‘Where is Tuffi today Joy didn’t you bring her?’ That was my dog and I said, ‘She is sitting right beside you!’. She was so quiet he hadn’t even noticed, and we had a great day filled with lovely conversation and laughter.

So, we say a big farewell to a lovely man who was an integral part of the group in times past. Memories when shared mean a return to happy times. We send our sincere condolences to all his family and friends with our promise that no one is ever forgotten.

Joy Strangward

Publicity

12 November 2023

A tribute to Dr Rosemary Anne Alderson

It is always so sad when we hear of the passing of one of our rambling family and attending the funeral of our own Doctor Anne as we knew her, opened up a much deeper side to the person we knew from our walking adventures. 

In essence Anne always seemed to be rather a private person, reserved but very pleasant to talk to and with encyclopaedic knowledge of plants and flowers including all the Latin names and who simply relished the outdoors.

So we learned from a beautiful eulogy by one of her sons that her family initially called her Anne and that she was complicated and private following a strict upbringing as she was the daughter of a head teacher.

Born in Shropshire in 1944, the family moved around a bit before heading to Somerset where she attended Minehead Primary School where her father was the head teacher, a fact that she felt was strange and perhaps even difficult.

She loved gardening and when she was 3 years old she memorised all the names of the flowers in the garden, along with their Latin names. She also loved swimming and informed her family that she wanted to be a nurse, but at school they encouraged her to aim higher and eventually she attended the University College  London and became a doctor which in those days, as a woman, was quite a feat.

Living in London she met her husband and subsequently had three sons to care for, so her doctoring was temporarily put on hold.

She had a passion for cooking and spoke very fondly of the Mendips, Somerset Levels and the Quantocks as she loved all things to do with nature, the outdoors and walking.

Later she became a GP whilst juggling the hectic life of bringing up her sons and worked in Penarth, various practices in Cardiff and then Splott where she remained for some years and where she was very well respected for her caring attitude to her patients.

She then ventured into Occupational medicine, first for the Fire Service and then for Dow Corning, which deals with the maintenance of health in the workplace, prevention of illness and accidents at work and assisting people to return or stay in employment following an accident or illness.

Apart from her love of swimming she was an avid scuba diver as she longed for the challenge, the excitement and the search for adventure and although she owned a sports car she also longed for a motor cycle.

Some of you may remember that she was always turning up at the last moment for walks, when she would scream around the corner on two wheels in her sports car at Penarth Leisure Centre, always as we were set to leave.

She was also feisty and determined, because on one of William’s annual New Year Walks where lunch is taken at the pub halfway, we left Porthkerry and hadn’t walked far, only to the pebble beach at Porthkerry Bay, when she slipped and fell over on the pebbles sustaining a nasty cut above her eye and luckily not breaking her glasses.

They say Doctors make the worse patients and after cleaning her up the offer was made to go back with her, but she would hear none of it replying, ‘I want my dinner first’.

So she walked all the way along the coast to the Blue Anchor and ordered her lunch, after which the shock of the fall and the injury began to kick in and arranging a lift to get her back home, because she refused any medical treatment, she cleaned up the wound and put butterfly stitches on to heal it…. Without fuss – job done!

As Anne’s memory began to falter, she still came on some walks but had to rely on people giving her lifts and supporting her, which they did until sadly it was no longer possible, and she was truly missed and will not be forgotten.

Hearing her grandchildren speaking about the pride and fond memories they had of their granny proved how much she was loved by her entire family and summing up her character it was declared she was’ an inspiration to everyone’.

What more could you ask?

Joy Strangward

Walk Cancelled – Southern Bannau Brycheiniog

Saturday 22nd July walk has been cancelled due to the heavy rain forecast.

Change to Saturday 11th March walk

Barrie has cancelled his Potsticill walk this Saturday due to the weather forecast for the area. He will do this walk later in the Spring. Instead Barie is putting on an easy 10 mile walk from Cogan Leisure Centre starting at 9:00am taking in the parks of south Cardiff and Cardiff Bay.

Cancellation of Penallta Park 9th March walk

Sheila has recultantly cancelled this walk due to the forecast for snow and ice.

Change to 18th February Walk

Due to a landslide the walk from Blackmill will be replaced with a Rail Ramble walk. Catch the 08:55 train from Dinas Powys arriving in Radyr at 09:26 for the walk back to Dinas Powys.
The route will be Radyr golf course, St Fagans, Culverhouse Cross, Wrinston and Dinas Powys.

Extra Walk 4 February 2023

Jan and John are walking to Cardiff Bay from Cogan Leisure Center on 4 February, starting at 9:30am. Its graded as an Easy walk and 6 miles in distance. There will be a 30 minute break on arrival at Cardiff Bay.

A tribute to Harold George Boudier

It is always with great sadness that I have to report the passing of someone who had ties with the group and on Monday 24 October, 2022 Harold Boudier, known simply to the group as Harry passed peacefully away at the age of 97.

Harry was a member of the group from its inception and led occasional walks for the group up until 2005.

His favourite place was the Senghenydd Dyke and Mynydd Eglwysilan because he loved the history, along with Craig yr Allt and other rambles taking in Penarth where he lived, Forest Farm, Radyr and Llandaff, Cardiff Bay and the River Ely, Roath and the Nant Fawr corridor, Newport and the freshwater reservoir of Pant yr Eos, Cosmeston and its medieval village and St Lawrence Church.

He was always immaculate, and had the sweetest nature and loved to take part in group social events especially at the start of the group way back in the 1990’s when we were all getting to know one another and was always a friendly face and a listening ear and led such lovely walks.

After he stopped walking with the group I sometimes bumped into him on the clifftop at Lavernock and it was always a pleasure to stop and have a chat with him.

He used to be a regular at the group Christmas lunches as well when he caught up with old friends.

Susan Jarvis commented on the fact that he was a lovely man who used to go to the Penarth History Society meetings until lockdown for Covid and as he was becoming frail they used to pick him up and drop him home to make sure he was safe!

 I know a lot of younger members of the group won’t have heard of him but for those amongst you who knew him, his memorial service will be held at All Saints Church, Penarth on Thursday 10 November at 11.30am.

As always no one who belongs to our big rambling family is ever forgotten and we send our sincere condolences to all Harry’s family and friends.

Tuesday 18th October Walk Cancelled

Joy’s Gower walk has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for November.

Evening Walk for 11 August is Cancelled

The 11th August walk has been cancelled due to the extreme heat warning and will now take place on the 25th August all other details of the walk remain the same.