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Hello and welcome, for the last term now year nine set one have been reading a book called "Granny was a buffer girl". This book covers a lot of topics which relate to young and old people spending time together, so one homework that our English teacher Ms Jones set us was to write up an interview which would help you find out as much information about someone's life as possible. We were asked to carry out interviews on a person of our choice, we were asked to pick a person that we thought would have had a really interesting life. We could interview our grandparents, next door neighbours, Mum or Dad, friends, anybody, but they must be over thirty years of age. We all went home and interviewed the person of our choice. After we had all got the information we needed about the person we had interviewed we were asked to put it together and write a report about the life of the person we had interviewed. Now we have put them all together in this booklet for you to read and we hope you enjoy reading about the lives of Newport people. Lastly, we would all like to say a very big Thank You for giving us some of your time to let us interview you, since without the interviews we would not have been able to make this booklet.

Thank You from all in 9Q1.

I interviewed my mum (Elaine Cunningham) because she had an exciting childhood and she also had an interesting teenage life.

My mum was born in her nan's house in Ebbw Vale and that's where she went to school in Briery Hill primary school She used to love having picnics on the mountains in Ebbw Vale and she used to love going to school

When my Mum went to High she went to Ebbw Vale Grammer School but she didn't go there for long as my Grandad was offered a job at Llanwem steel Works. My Mum wasn't happy that she had to move but she didn't heave any choice. Then she moved to Underwood in Newport. She soon liked it there and went to Chepstow Comprehensive. Even though she loved Ebbw Vale, she soon adapted to Newport life. I asked my mum if she minded all that moving but she said she didn't mind.

When my mum was 17 she learned to drive as she had a job at the Tizer factory. There she worked as an accounts clerk where she met my dad. He was a lorry driver even though my mum couldn't drive she used to catch a bus nearly everyday to visit my dad. After three attempts my mum passed her driving test which made it easier to get to work and to see my dad. By that time they were going out with each other. My mum didn't like driving. Soon after she passed her driving test she reversed into a Mercedes. My dad did most of the driving and they were soon engaged to be married. They got married at Llanwem Church. In 1978 my brother was born called Lee Cunningham. Because of this my mum and dad moved in together in Lliswerry and for my mum it was just another change, but she wasn't sure wether to move or not because her father had died as well as her brother. In 1984 my mum had her second child me (James Cunningham). I asked my mum what her best memory was and she said it was having me and my brother. My mum now works as a clerk at Lliswerry Infants School.

Janet Hamilton DoB: 22/02/63

Relationship to Interviewer: Mother

This biography will be held on my mother, Janet Hamilton, who I found I know only 50% of her life's facts. Using the research, I will be able to find out a lot more about her.

Before she was able to go to play school, my mother had to be able to do the potty and was pretty much able to, by this time as well, she was a very good walker, alike most other babies.

When she progressed in infants, she loved to play around, but at this age you also had to learn the really basic skills like you A-Z and 1-10.

She swore that she was a very good girl whilst in her junior school. My mother also said that she swung from the main hall assembly curtains and really wouldn't care if the teachers saw her. My mum also claims that she would wrap wet toilet paper around the toilets so that the people would have to peel the paper off. Her education was pretty important at this time for going into senior school. She claims that she went up with her SATs with an average score on most subjects.

When she first entered her senior school, she told me she was very shy, and hadn't made any friends within a few days. The first person she met was Dawn Lonnen and they are still friends to day.

My mother's favourite teachers were; Mrs. Carpenter, who taught P.E. and Mrs. Pearson, who taught mathematics. Her worst teacher was Mr. Morgan, he was the Headmaster and also taught English.

She had pretty average grades after taking her GCSEs. E.g. 4 Bs and 1 C, and an A in textiles.

The main reason my mum left home was to seek her independence. Since she had left at the age of 19, a year later she had my sister Jackie. When my mother left she moved, and after that she moved to where we are now.

Newport People Talking

NAME: David Gladstone Herron

D.O.B: 1st SEPT 1949

ADDRESS: Hamilton Street NPT

RELATIONSHIP WITH INTERVIEWER: Dad

INTRODUCTION

I interviewed my Dad on 20th September 1998 at home. I chose my Dad because I think that he's had an interesting life.

CHILDHOOD

As a child he was mischievous, always getting into trouble. He played practical jokes on teachers and always disobeyed his mum. He was in a single parent family and when his mum was working he would go around to his nan's for tea.

TEENAGE YEARS

At the age of 13 he had the job of a Milk Lad and would do odd jobs for the Baker and Butcher. By the age of 14 he had started smoking. His mum found out when he and his mates went into a shed for a cigarette, she went in for a broom and there they were puffing away!

MARRIAGE

He was married at the age of 16 to a girl named Sibyl. They had two kids, Lesley and Louise. They divorced after a couple of years. He then moved to Newport and was a bouncer at Tiffany's (Ritzy's) where he met my mum. They married in 1982 and had me in 1985 (1^st January) and my brother in 1988 (5th January).

TRAVELS

My dad has traveled to Poland, America and Saudi Arabia where he worked on a Saudi Kings palace, doing carpentry & joinery.

By

Andrew Herron

Name: Shahida Sarwar Date of Birth: 15/5/59

Address: Newport S.Wales

Relationship with interviewer: Mother

Childhood

She was born in Islamabad, Pakistan on the 15th of May 1959. When she was a child, her mum told her that she was a quiet girl and she was quite shy. She had curly hair and was quite chubby. At this time she was the second oldest person in the family, because she had an older brother. She didn't have many toys but, she knew when she was younger she wanted to be rich and that she wanted to have every toy in the world. When she was young she wanted to be a doctor because she liked the idea of helping other people and being in charge.

School

My mum went to Comprehensive Girls High School in Pakistan. The school looked quite nice, but the majority of teachers were quite strict, and the cane was still in use at that time. She had quite a lot of friends. She wasn't bullied at school and she didn't know anybody who wasn't bullied, because if anybody did bully, they would be hit with the cane.

When she was older, she was bit by a scorpion, although it was on of the most scariest moment of her life, she still can't remember how it happened. Anyway she was taken to a nearby hospital, which treated the bite, and after a couple of weeks it was all better.

There was one time when her brother went to America to play basketball, and she remembered that she desperately wanted to go, but she wasn't allowed. He played there for the school. He is a very good player, as he is very tall and strong. Nowadays though he works in the army.

My mum got married to Mohammed Sarwar, in Pakistan. Then they moved to London because my dad went to a university there. At this time my dad was a chemical engineer, but my mum didn't work. Then in London, they had their first child, called Umbereen Sarwar in 1979. Then after that they moved to Merthyr, and that is where I was born in 1984, then my sister, Henna, in 1985. At this time, my mum and dad owned a grocery, and video shop, where they both worked. Then after a couple of years, they closed it down, because my dad had a new job as a domestic appliance repairer, which he ran by himself. The repair service was called "Kwick Repairs", and he repaired nearly everything electrical. My mum did a course on computers which came in handy with her first job, which is mentioned in the next paragraph

My family and I moved to Newport in 1996, my dad still had his own business and my mum was now working as an administrative assistant in CDS Superstores. She liked living in Newport better than in Merthyr because some of her relatives, and friends lived here, and she had also found a job.

My mum's ambition in life is for her children (including me) to be wealthy, kind, to have a good job, and to be well behaved, and to bring up a loving family.

Name of Interviewee: Mrs. J. Whiddon

Address: Beechwood: Newport

Date of Birth: The 1920s

Relationship to Interviewer: Neighbour

I decided to interview my next-door neighbour, Mrs. Whiddon. I took the opportunity to speak to her Friday evening.

Mrs. Whiddon was born in the 1920s in the City of London. The extended family was very much involved in bringing her up, she was brought up by her grandparents. Very little was expected of her during her childhood - very different from today.

There were no toys you could find today such as Lego, Action Man and things like radio-controlled cars. Instead she used to play with things such as fluffy toys and board games.

Schools were very strict. Teachers were very liberal in dispensing physical punishment - to the boys, not the girls. Apart form the matriculation examination very few qualifications were available. This would almost certainly explain why many people left school at 16.

Although there was no uniform specified, everyone was expected to conform to an unwritten code of attire. This required them to dress smartly.

Mrs. Whiddon did not have a weekend job as many people do now, such as a paper round or washing cars.

There were many office jobs available such as typists - on manual typewriters, secretarial work, etc. Mrs. Whiddon was first employed in an office job - filing, typing, secretarial work, etc.

She had to travel a long way to work. By today's standards (particularly in London) they worked fairly short hours, that is, compared to top managers who often work up to twelve hours a day.

For people living in Newport though, a nine hour day might seem a little excessive. Eight hours a day is the norm in Newport.

Although you did not have to have so many O-Levels for a particular job, the more qualifications you had the better the job you were likely to be offered.

Attire was expected to be of a very high standard. You could lost your job if you weren't dressed properly.

Workers had to carry out their jobs with meticulous precision. Mrs. Whiddon

husband gave me an example to illustrate the point;

"Back in the days when the lettering for the newspapers was done completely by hand the typesetters had to have superb spelling and grammar skills. If one mistake was found in the paper sold on the streets you were liable to lose your job."

Women were paid a fair wage and were not discriminated against because of their gender.

Although women weren't discriminated against they didn't have their own careers as they have today such as in law, medicine and education.

Although women could find employment in office work, the working male population preferred to go out to work while the wife stayed home to care for the children.

There was no television around when Mrs. Whiddon was younger, and certainly no computers!

There were toys like board games, dolls, fluffy animals, etc. to play with. Mrs. Whiddon enjoyed playing tennis.

There were also other avenues to explore, such as radio, cinema, the circus, fairs and fetes. You could also listen to the music of the time if you liked, which was jazz, classical and dance music.

Just before, and after the war there were few cars so many people walked to their destinations. If you could afford it, trains were there for those fortunate few. If you didn't want to walk, but couldn't afford the train, you could always have opted for a bus, tram or trolley-bus. Trolley-buses are buses kept on course by overhead wires that would fall off at every corner, so the journey was delayed whilst the drive climbed out and onto the roof to replace the guide arm.

As you can see, the times when Mrs. Whiddon went to school and got a job were very, very different from today. I would like to thank Mrs. Whiddon for taking the time to talk to me.

Peter Stephens

By Gemma Bailey

Name: Carol Bailey

Date of birth: 8/10/53

Relationship to interviewer Mum

Address: Nash Road, Newport

I interviewed Carol Bailey who is my mum. I interviewed Carol because she has a very interesting childhood which she told me all about Carol also told me some amazing stories which you can read below.

Carol Bailey was a very good girl who always did what her parents told her to do, but at the age of 15 her obedience wore off and she became bit of a naughty girl, bit of a rebel. Carol was always getting into mischief, but she was never in any trouble with the police. Carol liked to play little tricks on her brother Glynne who was three years younger than her. Carol first boyfriend was when she was 12 years old, his name was Terry Sefon who was also 12 years old. Carol and Terry were in the same class in school, this is how they met Carol went out with Terry for about two years before they broke up. Carol's mum and dad didn't approve of Carol having a boyfriend because they thought that she was too young and school was more important which is true. Carol became a hippie at the age of 16 until she was 18. Carol and her mates brought a flat in Newport when she was 17. All her mates were hippie's, their flat had paintings on the walls of flowers and stuff like 'Flower Power!' in the walls.

Carol went to a nursery some where in Cardiff when she was four years old. After that she moved to Pontypool and went to Duffryn junior and high school travelling 20 miles on a 2 hour bus journey to and from school every day. In school, Carol was normally a very good girl and came out of high school with some very good grades. Carol has not just lived in Newport she as moved 1 0 times altogether, she was born in Cardiff Castle in Cardiff where she had 2 different addresses. Then Carol moved to Pontypool where she had 2 different addresses. Then she moved to Swansea where she had 3 different addresses and finally to Newport where Carol lived at 2 different address's before moving to 45 Nash Road where she still lives today and has lived there for 24 years.

On the 24th of April in 1978 Carol Bailey married Eric John Charles Bailey. They got married in a registry office in Newport How did they meet 1 hear you shout well I will tell you. Eric was a taxi driver for three years, Carol used to have taxis to and from work every day and she soon got to know Eric. They had been seeing each other for four years when they moved to Nash road. Carol had two wonderful children. The first child was a boy called Darren who was born on the 24th of May 1981 in the royal Gwent Hospital. Four years later in 1985 the youngest and only daughter was born called Gemma-Marie. Carol Bailey's mum name is Jean and her dads name as Bill. Carols parents met and had three more children after Carol who was the first these were Glynne who is Carols brother who is 41, Janet her sister who is 39, and Angela the youngest of the four who is 31.

That is all of Carol's family.

Carol was 17 when she had her first job, it was a Saturday job in a hair dressers in Newport. Carol has had many, many jobs through-out her life from making egg boxes to having her own business, but now Carol has given up her own business and works in Gwent Locksmiths in town. Carol has never really had a car of her own, but she is hoping to have a KA in the near future. Carol's hobbies are dancing, reading (especially cooking books from the past.) Carol also enjoys cooking, but most of all her favourite hobby is wine tasting in town on a Monday night with her friends.

Carol Bailey is not really a religious person. Carol does not go to church, only for weddings and funerals etc. Carol Bailey was born into the Church of England. Carol has had many pets over the years. Her favourite pets when Carol was a little girl were two cats called Penny and Twopence. Now Carol has a cat called Sooty and a dog called Dee. However Carol favourite pet ever was called Fat Sam. Fat Sam used to beg like a dog, she got her name Fat Sam because she was very, very fat. When Carol first left home she was working full time in a hotel, so her first home was a room in the hotel that she was working at which was called The Hilton.

Carol has a holiday once a year, this is some where like France. This is not the only holiday that Carol has a year, she also has many short weekend holidays, these are places like some where in Wales. Carol has just brought a caravan so this means that Carol will be going on weekend breaks a lot more.

I asked Carol if she has any interesting stories that she would like to tell me about when she was growing up. Carol told me many very interesting and amazing stories, some of which couldn't be written down on paper. Below are my two favourite stories that Carol told me.

"I was 18 years old. I met a guy called..... well we will call him Fred. I met Fred in a party in a night club. He was with a bunch of mates. I had never seen him before. I was with a bunch of girls, having a laugh. We all had a great time at the party. Afterwards the girls and lads all went for a meal. Fred told me that he liked the way that I was treating him just like a normal guy. I was totally flabbergasted with this so I just smiled. Three days later when I was at home watching the T.O.T.P. there he was on stage on the the Tele. He was in a WORLD FAMOUS band being hounded my girls. I was shocked when I saw this, I mean think about it here I was just days before in a night-club dancing away and feeling totally relaxed and normal around him and two days later I find out he is in a world famous band. I've never seen him again.

Another story that Carol told was when........ well I will let Carol herself tell you.

'I was 9 coming on 1 0 veus old. It was just gone Christinas and my mother had just had a pair of slippers brought for Christmas. The slippers were off my father, Bill. They were gold slippers with fur on the front they had little gold beads on the side, they were very expensive. Our mother told me and my brother and my little sisters never to touch these slippers because they were so expensive. One night my dad and brother were out and my sisters were up stairs and my mother was in the kitchen cooking tea and I was in the living room all on my own. I was watching the television. On the tele they had ballet dancers on Blue Peter. I have always wanted to be a ballet dancer so I got up and joined in. The fire was blazing away. I saw my mothers slippers by the side of the armchair and I thought should I or shouldn't I, they were her favourite pair of slippers. I knew I shouldn't have touched them, but I did, they looked just like the ballet shoe on the tele. I couldn't help resist it the temptation was too great, I ran one to the pair of golden slippers that were resting on my mother's newspaper. I felt like a queen with these golden shoes on. So off I went prancing around the room like a fairy. I give a left high kick and the left slipper came shooting off my foot and went flying across the room and landed right in the middle of the blazing fire. I looked on in horror as the golden slipper melted to nothing. I took the other slipper from of my other foot and wrapped it in newspaper and quietly shoved it into the bin. For months every one was wondering where my mothers favourite and most expansive golden slippers had gone. I dared tell anyone that it was me, I burnt the slipper and threw the other away. It wasn't until many girls later when I was 42 that I found the courage to tell my mother what had happened. We then laugh over it I don't think this would of been her.

This story has taught me a lesson. If ever you do anything wrong don't tell anyone until 34 years later!

Thank You!

I would just like to say thank you very much Carol Bailey for helping me do this interview with you it has been wonderful talking to you, and thank you for spending many hours talking to me.

By Gemma Bailey

BACK TO CONTENTS

Name: Tegwin Jones Year of Birth: 1933

Address: Goldcliff, Newport Relationship: Next door neighbour

Newport People Talking: Interview With Mum

Interviewee: Mrs S. Roberts

Address: Cromwell Rd, Newport

Date of Birth: 1950

Relationship: Mother

I have chosen to interview my Mum because she has moved so many times and lived in so many places.

I interviewed my Mum at home.

My Mum was born in Nairobi, Kenya on 3d February 1950. She was Christened in the RAF chapel on the camp. As she grew up, she moved around a lot, in total, 41 times, sometimes to places that she has lived before. When 1 asked my Mum if she minded moving so much, she said that she never had any choice.

My Mum's first childhood memory was that of a close neighbour at RAF Locking, she used to push my Mum on the swing for hours, my Mum says she had a lot of patience. Another is that of riding an elephant called Rosie at Bristol Zoo.

As a child, my Mum's favourite toy was twin dolls, and a twin push chair, one of the dolls was black, and one was white, and she used to push them around in the twin pushchair.

As a child, my Mum never really went on holiday, she came back to Newport and visited family, because she has a lot of family in Newport.

Because my Mum moved around so much, she never really became best friends with anybody.

I asked my Mum, as a child, was it safe to play outside, or were you at risk from muggers, rapists or murderers, she said that none were publicised, so everybody thought that they were safe.

My Mum went to 11 different schools. She told me that her favourite one was a secondary school for girls at Driffield. Her favourite teacher was Miss Rhodes from Queens school, Rhinedalen.

My Mum's favourite subjects at school were Maths and Geography, this was because she was good at them and got high grades in them. Her least favourite subject was Art, because she could never draw, and never enjoyed it.

My Mum left school just before the age of 16.

As a teenager, my Mum didn't really keep up with fashion until the mini skirt came out.

When my Mum was 14, she moved to Germany, and this is where she got her first job as an Usherette at the RAF cinema, called the Astra cinema, where she got paid £1.50, this wasn't a lot then, but it was more than you got ftom pocket money.

When I asked my Mum if she enjoyed that job, she said she did enjoy it, it was a great laugh.

My Mum's Dad's first car was a Ford Anglia ( Anglia box)

My Mum met my Dad at RAF Cosford. They met at the gliding club that they both went to. They got married 2d September 1972 at Cosford, my Mum was 22 and my Dad was 23.

For their honeymoon they went to stay at the Lake District, but they didn't like it there, so half way through their honeymoon, they went to South Wales and spent the rest of it there.

Some of the places my Mum had lived in are: East Africa, Newport, several times because Mum and Grandma came to live here when Granddad got posted unaccompanied abroad, RAF Bruggen, RAF Kenly, RAF Cosford, RAF Laarbruke, RAF Gutersloh, Peterborough, RAF Cotismore, Berlin, York, RAF Bruggen, RAF Swanton Morley, RAF Wyton, RAF Locking, Forest of Dean, RAF St. Athens, Drudstone Cross, RAF Driffield and Church Crookhain.

Some of these places we lived in after my Dad came out of the RAF.

BACK TO CONTENTS

Name: Mr Anthony Davies

Date of Birth: 4/01/1942

Address: Traston Close, Newport South Wales.

Relationship with Interviewer: Grancha

Introduction- 1 chose my grancha to interview because over the years I have been told by my grancha many interesting stories about his life, so Newport People Talking was a good chance to find out even more events in my grancha's life.

Childhood- My grancha's life began on the 4th January 1942 in Handover, Hampshire in Grately, England. He was one of six children and was the third to be born. Before him was his brother Brian and his sister Am, Then after my grancha was his three brothers Jimmy, Michael and Terry.

School- His school life began in Lliswerry Infants and then he moved on to Lliswerry Junior, Some of the teachers my grancha can remember are Mr Evans, Mr Gatehouse, Miss Wilson and Mr Blake they were all very nice teachers my grancha said. After Llisweny Juniors he went onto Alway, the Headmaster was Mr Wilson and teachers included Mt Bail and Miss Wilkinson. My grancha's last school was Hathleigh. He left Hathleigh school at the age of 15 and went to work at Lysaghts Steelworks. My grancha said that he was very well behaved and worked well through all his schools.

Later childhood years- My grancha, after his days at school used to come home and do a number of things he used to tidy up his room, play with his friends and help out the local greengrocer. Jobs for his Dad and Mum included doing the garden, the dishes and looking after his younger brothers and sisters. His favourite television programmes at the time were Hop Along Cassidy, Roy Rodgers Cowboys and the normal cartoons. My grancha was not the youngest child born as I have told you and can remember the birth of his two youngest brothers Michael and Terry they were both born in hospital. With six children in the household I asked how did they all get on? My grancha said quite well as children go, they rowed at times.

Memorable childhood events- One of my grancha's favourite and most memorable childhood events was when he ran at the athletic grounds and when he used to represent the school at sports.

Teenage years- Teenage clothes at my grancha's time were jeans, check shirts and t-shirts. A drink (pint of beer) at a pub cost eleven pence in money today. My grancha's ambition when he was a teenager was to be an athlete but he never really had the chance, so he decided he wanted to become a mechanical fitter.

Driving Years- My grancha passed his driving test at the age of forty three and started driving straight away. He passed his test first time there were no major problems apart from he cut out once! Its first car was a Mini Van it cost one hundred and fifteen pounds which was left to him by his grandfather. My grancha added windows to covert the Mini Van into a car which all the family piled into, all five of them and went on holiday.

Work- Many embarrassing things happen to you at work one of my grancha's was one morning he arrived at work two hours early because the clocks went back!

Marriage- My grancha and my nan lived in the same street as children, that's how they met each other. My grancha used to make out he was calling for my nan's brother but really all he wanted to do was go and see my nan. When my grancha and my nan announced to their parents that they were getting married, their parent's reaction was: one of delight. They got married in the September of 1963 in the Holy Trinity church, Pill. They were married in this particular church because my nan's mother was married in the same church, also my nan's mother and my nan were married by the same vicar.

A Stroke of Good Luck- Just before my mum and dad's wedding, my nan and my grancha won three thousand pounds on the pools, this money was won just in time for my mum and dad's wedding and was a lot of help as you can imagine.

The Children- My grancha has three children, one girl (my mum) and two boys. My grancha can remember the birth of all his children especially the birth of his second child Paul, Paul was delivered by my grancha's mother in law at home because the midwife arrived late! My grancha said that all his children were well-behaved when they were younger.

Written by Samantha Roberts