Below is the text from a radio interview made during 1983 at the time of the 50 th celebrations of the Hendy Pool and the opening of the new changing rooms by the then Llanelli Borough Council, The Fond Memories were those of the late Davy John Rees better known as (john-y-bird) in conversation with Hendy’s resident and presenter Gary Owen.

Before the pool in the Hendy was built, the local boys had few places in which to swim. But the girls had nowhere at all.

The boys in the Fforest had a choice of three places, Pont Abraham, Pwll y Felin and at one time Pont Pump was very popular which was down by the Geubren somewhere between Plas y Gwew and Tir Bach.

The boys of the Hendy had plenty of choice of where to swim. The marsh was the best swimmers went and they used to swim when the tide was in. Boys like Terol and Herddlun Edwards, Oliver and Elfed Williams… Dai timothy, Will Jones, George Jones, Randell and Ifor James, and Wyn Evans. Another place to swim was Cae Joe when the tide was in.

Some went up to Pownd Ty Gwyn, but there wasn’t much pleasure going there, especially if boys from the Ffroest had arrived first.

One other place was near the Gwili Bridge, which was very dangerous. It was very near the houses and lots of people threw all sorts of rubbish into the river.

And then sometimes during the summer of 1931, a boy from the Hendy had an accident. He cut his head as he jumped into the river by Gwili Bridge and he died.

The story went around the community that he cut on his had head become infected and the poison went through him. I remember going down to see the boy in his coffin. He was in his school jersey and he had a pink rose on his chest. I remember the funeral and all the children threw flowers into the grave until the coffin was totally covered. After that there was a lot of talk about stopping the children swimming in the river at the time lots of the men in the Hendy were out of work and were wandering around the place.

The idea came into somebody’s head that it would be a good idea to have a swimming pool. They thought it would be a good idea to have it somewhere clean and safe where the children of the village could swim. It was built voluntary labour and people who were on the dole and the means test could do it without being stopped, as it was unpaid.

There was no money to be had anywhere, but people were willing to help and when the time came to start, they all came, one with his pick, one with his spade, one with his wheelbarrow, one with a sledge and bar. They had a lot of help from William Glo Man, the Ironmonger. He sold a great deal on the “never, never, never, never”. Henry Williams Llwyngwern was a great help, he lent a lot of heavy tools, trams, rails and water pumps. I don’t know how many meetings they had or if they had any at all and I don’t know about permission to do the work, but fortunately there were no Town and Country Planning Acts to be had at the time.

With in the year the work was finished and lot of arrangements were made for the official opening. It’s hard to believe that the work was finished so quickly. No JCBs, no dumpers, no diggers, only the strength of men’s arms and plenty of willing arms.

The course of the river had to be changed in two places. They had to open a trench for the water pipes from the bottom of Walker’s garden down to the pool, which was nearly 200 yards. They had to open a hole, which was 50yards long 20yards wide with a depth of three feet going down to six feet. They needed hundreds of tons of concrete and tons of trees of all kinds of girders and shuttering steel. There wasn’t one farthing to pay for workmen.

Somewhere perhaps, there is a list of all the men who helped. Some of the ones I remember and I hope that if I’ve forgotten anybody they’ll forgive me. Here are some of the names.

Dai Jim, a Will Hiddlestone, David John James, David Thomas, Elwyn Jones Bryngwili, William Evans Bryngwili, Ashwyn Walters, William John Davies the cobbler…Henry Clement, William Marks, Rhys Timothy, Myrddin James, Bryn Evans, Sam Davies, Dai Williams… Dai Phillips, Handel Williams, Rhydwen Mathias, Ned Lewis, Charlie Price, Ted Walters, Aneurin Morgan, Trevor Morgan, Tommy William Morgan the councillor, David Nicholas, Ashwyn Jones, John Reynolds the councillor….Dai and Ianto Davies, Dai Hugh, Joseph Samuels, George Evans and William John Grant and Idris James that’s all I can remember at the moment.

The day of the opening arrived - August 27 th 1932. The weather was beautiful. Hundreds of people lined the streets. From the farmers in Pontarddulais down to Hendy Square, I don’t know how many jazz bands there were, I’m trying to remember….. The ones I can remember are Band Y Blacks, Band Y Cwns, Convicts, Costermongers….. League of Nations, Guards, Stewarts, and Gypsies, Comic Band Dai Losin.

Some had come from Port Talbot, Caerau, Aberafan, Ammanford, Llangennech, and the Bont As well as the bands there were hundreds of individuals dressed up and the competition went on until about midnight. Who one I don’t know and I don’t remember.

I don’t think the Hendy ever saw a better carnival than that carnival, ever since or before.

A little while after the opening there were arrangements for schoolchildren from school to swim in the pool. Children from Pontardulais, Llangennech, Llanelli, Llanedi, and Grovesend, they all came and enjoyed an hour in the water. There use to be Swimming Galas, Water Polo, Life Saving Demonstrations and Temmy the Legless Channel Swimmer, the Catamaran and we heard new words in swimming, the

Butterfly stroke, Breaststroke, Backstroke, Single Over-arm, Crawl, the Swallow dive, the Pike dive, the Chinese dive, and the belly flop.

Before long there were a generation of children in the Hendy who could swim like fish and won medals and cups and here are some of the names of the stars of those days;

Winnie and Gracie, Cyrus and Eifion Cottle, John Mathias, Dan Rees, Ralph Davies

Dillwyn price, Glyn Hughes, Glanville Williams, Alice Heycock, Joan Williams, Royden Thomas, Morwen and Linda Evans, Reg and Jack Davies, Dora Hiddlestone,

And Danny Hiddlestone.

By now there were thousands of children and adults who had hours of pleasure in the pool in Hendy. The Pool has given great joy to many and, we must say thanks to the efforts of those determined men, who changed the course of the river, made a hole and built a swimming pool for something to do and to provide somewhere safe for the children to swim……