Mini Dreams

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Transcript:



My name is Owen Jones. Born in Merthyr Tydfil on 5 April 1944. I was a war baby. My dad worked in the Rock Colliery, Glyn Neath. I'm one of four children; three boys and a girl. Merthyr at the time was a reasonably prosperous town, yet the mining and iron and steel eventually coming to a close.Went to school, primary, I suppose I must have been about four and then went through the middle school and remained in the secondary modern school until I was fifteen years of age.My teenage life began in that environment, in school. I suppose, without feeling sorry for myself, I was a failure, educationally. No comprehensives in those days and so we waited until our fifteenth birthday. And then we were looking for jobs and during that period of my teenage life, cultural background for south Wales in those days would be of sport on a Saturday and then it would be in the public houses Friday night, Saturday night. The fifties for me was sport. Academically, very little progress but we lived for soccer. My idol was a man called John Charles. We all wanted to be like him. Life itself, I suppose, was very simple.In 1959: the Mini. It hit the road and I think it was the car that captured our imagination. It was new on the road for £500 and it was the dream of so many to work, to save their money to buy a Mini.Holidays - my mother was the eldest of thirteen and therefore we had many aunts dotted around, particularly south Devon and we would often go on the South Devon Express from Cardiff to King's Weir and we would spend time with my cousins. It cost a £100 to take us four children, my mother and father for a fortnight to Devon.