Looking back over an eventful year

Friday last we held our second annual general meeting; time to reflect on what has been achieved during a year which has certainly been a busy one.

We have organised many events, continuing the successful formula of Saturday coffee mornings and Friday evening talks and quiz nights.

An important aim of the society is to encourage community participation and this is what we try to do - bring people together to share memories, learn about our past and bring in photographs to scan.

We have also taken part in many local events organised by other organisations, publicising our work and giving talks to promote Pembroke's heritage. A huge thank you to all who have participated and supported us.

The highlight of the year has to be Haggar's Night, a celebration of the life and work of William Haggar, pioneer of the cinema and moving pictures.

Over 100 people attended the event in Pembroke Town Hall, which was conducted by Sarah Haggar, great-great-granddaughter of William Haggar, and musician Mark Jones.

This was a marvellous night when we were not only given a fascinating talk about the great man, but were able to enjoy his silent movies as they were intended to be seen - with a musical accompaniment. A big thank you to Sarah and Mark - I hope some day we can repeat the performance.

While recording our recent past is of great importance, we have also been researching into Pembroke's past history and, as a result of our efforts, we are proud to have produced two heritage leaflets, one for Monkton and one for Pembroke, the latter launched earlier this month.

We are greatly indebted to George Lewis, who worked closely with us to produce the illustrations, and to Planed, who funded them.

Grateful thanks also to local historian Terry John, who worked with me to lead the Story of Pembroke project; a set of interpretation boards which trace the history of Pembroke through the ages to the present day, now in the process of production.

The officers and committee were all unanimously re-elected and we now have one more addition to the team.

It was my pleasure to welcome George Lewis as president of the society for which he has already done so much. George is a huge asset, a talented artist and personality, with a great knowledge of Pembroke's past, displayed graphically on the walls of Pembroke Town Hall.

The Pembroke Murals, which George and his wife Jeanne painted, are a huge achievement; it should be remembered that Pembroke not only has a great and glorious past, it has a great artistic heritage too.

Many of the great topographical artists of the 18th and 19th century came here to paint the castle and its picturesque surroundings. So who better to be president?

George was applauded enthusiastically by all present and proceeded to give us a talk and demonstration of 'the art of pen drawing'.

George is really an amazing speaker - in the course of his talk, he gave us a history of the evolution of the pen, principles of composition, a critical look at different artists and styles, including his own work, and finished with a practical demonstration.

All interspersed with amusing anecdotes, which made for an entertaining and very informative evening.

Our next event will be held on Saturday, March 3, which will be a St. David's Day exhibition and coffee morning at Monkton Priory Church Hall beginning 10.30 am. Lunch in the form of home-made soup and crusty bread will be served from 11.30 am and, as befits the day, we will be serving Welsh cakes and bara brith as well.

There will be an exhibition of Welsh costume and, as a special treat, we will be showing, by kind permission of the Haggar family, the old silent movie 'The Maid of Cefn Ydfa'. This was actually the first fictional film made and was a sensational hit for William Haggar, first shown in the Bioscope at Swansea Fair. Something to look forward to!

If you have any stories or photographs for this column, please contact me, Linda Asman, on 01646 622428, email [email protected]">[email protected] and visit our website http://www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk">www.pembrokeandmonktonhistory.org.uk