Group go back to school – 50 years after leaving
IT WAS a walk down memory lane for a group of former pupils of Swansea’s Llwyn y Bryn Grammar School when they returned for a special guided tour.
The friends, led by Liz Mundee, all attended the school between 1965 and 1972.
The beautiful old building now forms part of Gower College and home to students of a range of subjects including art and design, photography, music and ESOL (English for speakers of other languages).
Almost 60 years since they were pupils there, the reunited friends were given a guided tour by the college’s learning area manager Kieran Keogh.
They all brought along a selection of photographs taken during their time as pupils so they could compare the ‘then and now’ of the building. “We had a wonderful visit”, said Liz. “Kieran was so accommodating, and it was very interesting to hear what is going on in the college today.
“I began at Llwyn y Bryn in September 1965. I had to catch two buses to get there which was very daunting for me.
“The school seemed so huge when I first arrived, so many corridors and classrooms. The sixth formers looked so grown up and important, I was very nervous of them.”
She added: “I enjoyed playing netball, rounders, singing in the choirs and taking part in the eisteddfods. I was excited to be selected to teach and conduct the house choir when I was in the sixth form.
“I studied maths, English literature and language, French, Welsh, history, geography, music and general science. I also studied music and English at A-level.
“I have had a very successful teaching career and I am very thankful to Llwyn y Bryn school for the high standards that were set.
“I was very excited to come back to the school and it was wonderful to meet up with some of the girls from my year. It was lovely to see our old school still serving the community as a college and the courses offered are very interesting and diverse.”
Another friend, Rita Evans said: “It was nice that I could remember some of them from school.
“It was also lovely to see how the school has changed in all those years, but great that so much has also stayed the same. The gardens and grounds of the school are still stunning. It did feel strange to actually go into the headmistress’s room and also to see that the beautiful wooden staircases are still there.”
Yvonne Smith, summing up the visit said: “It was brilliant going back to the school.
“Of course, things have changed with modern teaching methods and the need to provide access for all students throughout the old building, but it was still possible to see the shape of my old school and it highlighted so many good memories. It was also a pleasure to see the beautiful artwork of today’s students.”