Mike Jenkins - Welsh Poet & Author
  • Mike's Blog
  • New Book!
  • About Mike
  • Contact
  • What's the point?
  • The Climbing Tree
  • The Fugitive Three
  • Publications
  • Red Poets

RON THE BUS : LOCAL LEGEND

11/27/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Photo by Robert Haines
   Ron the Bus is a local 'lej' where I live, in Heolgerrig.
   At a time when genuine characters are hard to find, he stands out.
   But after 27 years working for the locally-owned buses he was made redundant with no pay-off at all and only the promise of a taxi job for the firm who took over.
   Now he's working for another company on the taxis around town and always toots his horn when passing.
   Before he was a bus-driver he worked on the milk rounds with his twin brother Rob ( confusing, eh?) in the village.
   If anything went wrong they'd say it was the other's fault, so when we were regularly woken early on Saturday mornings to pay the bill, I hastily threatened a bucket of cold water as retribution.
   At the time, however, I thought there was one of them and didn't know twins were delivering, so when the answer came - 'It wasn't me , it was my brother!' later in the week, I thought it was a ruse!
   Ron doesn't live in Heolgerrig, but knows everyone by name, classically shortened to 'Shar', 'Kar' , 'Jule' and 'Bri' etc.
   He doesn't seem to have changed over the years : teeth that would take a dentist a lifetime to fix, cackling laugh like a hubble-bubble-toil-and-trouble impersonation and the constant teasing about customers' age.
   He's always been so much more than a bus-driver.
   He bought food and papers for pensioners and delivered them. He stopped outside homes and went in for a quick cuppa. He helped every journey with bags and buggies.
   Ron, of course, could also be infuriating.
   He'd sometimes stop at the Post Office or Stores to get his shopping, leaving you stranded in the bus and waiting.
   However, he's is full of interest in people's lives and, with me , particularly the career of my older daughter Bethan, because Ron is an enthusiastic supporter of Plaid Cymru.
   In a town dominated by Labour he recalls the days of the Plaid Council and Emrys Roberts, who came close to winning the Parliamentary seat when S.O.Davies retired.
   He has no time for Labour's arrogant hegemony and their inevitable backing for a ludicrous and expensive monarchy.
    If you want a second-hand car Ron is also a person to see and seems to have plenty of contacts.
   Also, many evenings he'd drive a taxi for another firm and I've used him for longer journeys.
   At one time, he'd even ferry the Red Poets back and fore to our gigs in glamorous places like Tredegar and Pontlottyn.
   Most adore Ron and hundreds of pounds was raised as a goodbye gift.
   However, on one journey home (with a different driver) the bus was packed with Ron-haters. It was the first and only time I'd encountered such venom.
   They all had malicious tales about him : how he went to sleep in the bus at the top of the hill and it was late ; how he took breakfast and lunch in a woman's house while on the job.
   Of course, the buses were erratic, to say the least.
   Many were late or never showed up; they often broke down, leaving drivers like Ron stranded and passengers desperate.
   Yet all the drivers, not just Ron, would stop where you wanted and assist anyone who needed help.
   Now the buses are on time, but the rules strictly adhered to.
   Heolgerrig has lost Ron and it seems like an era has ended.
   When you stopped hearing Welsh spoken on the buses and then in the Post Office, these too were eras ending.
   Characters are side-lined, move on and the place loses its identity.
   I'm delighted that Heolgerrig photographer Robert Haines ( whose work was recently exhibited in Redhouse) has captured that world, because it's so precarious.
   At the bottom of the hill Trago Mills ( owned by a prominent UKIPer) grows at a rapid rate.
   Who knows what will become of our town centre after, part derelict and part rejuvenated.
   Ron's like one of the few , surviving local businesses: personal, caring, yet threatened.
   But he is still around, still driving his taxi and, if you're ever lucky enough to catch him, it'll be a memorable journey.


    
THA  DRIVER!
 
Im ! Im b’there! Tha driver!
 
Im with-a graveyard teeth
an a bloody cackle
like-a witches off of Shakespeare.
 
Ee took us t Daffodils ee did
an not inta town,
thinks ee’s funny ee does,
a proper clown.
 
Jest coz we all got bus passes,
ee’s always goin on bout ower ages.
 
Took us t the Ol Folks Ome,
stopped outside an said –
‘Right yew lot! Get off yer
coz none of yew’s paid!’
 
Yeah, im b’there!
Im elpin with-a trolleys an push-chairs.
Thinks ee cun get away with it
jest coz ee knows ev’ryone.
 
Well, ee don’ know my name! ​

    
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.



    Archives

    November 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from johnharveypegg, Dai Lygad, joncandy, victoriapeckham, David Holt London, aeneastudio, fromthevalleys-, Metro Centric, andymag, David Bergin Photography, villunderlondon, @markheybo, joncandy, Martin Pettitt, Between the Shadows, joncandy, johnkell, olivia.barrie, villunderlondon, Lake Worth, MittenStatePhototog, frankieleon, robynejay, joncandy, mcaretaker, Thomas Leuthard, Knight Foundation, joncandy, Joybot, brownpau, Iburiedpaul, villunderlondon, amit_gaur, abegum, simonw92, beeveephoto, Aislinn Ritchie, Shannon Green Photography, joncandy, Nick J Webb, Vish Menon, AberCJ, gcoldironjr2003, joncandy, World Can't Wait, jonl1973, Watt_Dabney, petejam70, Kerndav, MJ Klaver, joncandy, Daquella manera, spratt504, joncandy, ashleigh290, Glyn Lowe Photoworks., afanatochka, r.nial.bradshaw, themendingnews, rikkis_refuge, Matthew Straubmuller, joncandy, onnola, final gather, funktionhouse, marioanima, joncandy, Dai Lygad, joncandy, Guttorm Flatabø, brittreints, garryknight, villunderlondon, wonker, Martin Pettitt, joncandy, tnarik, AJC1, simonw92, wardyboy400, joncandy, Bombardier, joncandy, Cargo Cult, joncandy, joncandy, SeanOConnor2010, Feral78, comedy_nose, Abode of Chaos, mkairishstudies, joncandy, avail, Jörg Weingrill, Gwydion M. Williams, Leshaines123, KiltBear, eisenbahner, Capt' Gorgeous, Francis Storr, New Chemical History, Matthew Black, jc.winkler, Gwenael Kere, Karen Roe