JEREMY BOWEN’S TOUGHEST QUEST YET

BBC Middle East editor is trying tot track down womanw who played key role the night his mum and dad met

JEREMY BOWEN has taken on some challenging assignments in his time, risking life and limb reporting from war zones around the globe, but the acclaimed Welsh journalist is findappalling. It was blowing a gale, ing one particular mission incrediwith sleet, snow and ice. They were bly difficult. in my mother’s work vehicle, which

The current BBC Middle East ediwas a very rickety Merthyr Express tor, who comes from a distinguished van. journalistic family, is attempting to “When they got to Fiddler’s Eltrack down the woman who played bow my mother wanted to turn a pivotal role in bringing his mum back and Mavis said ‘No, no, no, no and dad together on a fateful stormy you have to go on.’ night almost 60 years ago. “It was lucky that they did, be

Back then Jeremy’s mum Jennifer cause that was the night my mother was a photographer on our sister timet my father at the Christmas partle the Merthyrty.”Express,whereshe worked alongside the woman Jeremy added: “At that time my whom Jeremy is attempting to find. father was a journalist on the West

“Mavis Jones, as she was then ern Mail. He was a young, dashing called, was my mother’s friend guy who was working for the paper when my mother was a photograin London. He had come back for pher on the Merthyr Express in the the party and he was very well late ’50s, when Mavis was a reportdressed, apparently. er,” said Jeremy. “In those days hav“If Mavis hadn’t insisted that she ing a female team was quite unusuand my mum drive on to the Christal and they were great friends.” mas Party, arguably they wouldn’t

Jeremy has much to thank Mavis have met and I wouldn’t be here. for, playing a pivotal role in bringing “My mother hasn’t been in conhis mum and dad together – a tale tact with Mavis for more than 50 that involved a Christmas party and years and would love to meet up treacherous weather. with her again.”

“It was Christmas 1957. Mavis Jeremy, however, has met Mavis wanted to go down to the Western previously – around three years ago, Mail Christmas party in Cardiff,” he when his mum’s mate introduced said. “My mum told me that in those herself out of the blue to the BBC days the road from Merthyr to Carman at a book festival in Dubai. diff is not what it is now, and there “I was speaking at the Emirates was a particularly notorious stretch Festival of Literature and at the end called Fiddler’s Elbow, which was of it, a lady about my mother’s age, an accident blackspot. 78, came up to me. She said, ‘I’m

“Apparently the weather as they Mavis, I was your mother’s friend. drove to Cardiff was absolutely We haven’t seen each other since 1961.’ Mavis said she was staying with her son or daughter, I think it was in Dubai. She gave me her details but sadly I lost them.

“All I know is that after leaving the Merthyr Express Mavis worked for the British Council. She married a guy who was an academic at Bangor University and still lives in Wales.”

The quest to find the woman who played a sizeable part in bringing his mum and dad together is especially poignant, as 56-year-old father-of-two Jeremy revealed that his dad Gareth, a notable Welsh journalist who worked for BBC Wales for many years, is dying.

“He’s 86 and has been suffering with vascular dementia for some time. He’s been in a care home in Cardiff for three years. He’s had a long illness and it’s coming to an end.”

Jeremy said he hoped his mum could be reunited with Mavis, especially as his mother, who moved into sports photography in the ’60s, hopes to stage an exhibition of life in Merthyr and the Valleys in the late ’50s through the pictures she took.

“She has been going through all her old negatives, and would love to stage an exhibition. She was a very fine photographer who continued to take pictures throughout her life despite going on to have five kids,” said Jeremy.

“She would dearly love to meet up with Mavis again.”

If you know Mavis or can help Jeremy in his quest, contact David Owens by emailing david.owens@ mediawales.co.uk or by call 029 2024 3628