Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Rhondda Heritage Park Museum has launched a series of free local remembrance events as Wales prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster.
People who wish to reflect and remember on 21 October are invited to visit the museum in Trehafod for open access and organised activities and events, all free of charge.
Cllr Ann Crimmings, Leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, said: “Rhondda Cynon Taf Council stands in remembrance and solidarity with its communities as Wales marks the 60th anniversary of Aberfan.
“Our thoughts remain with the 116 children and 28 adults who died on October 21, 1966 and those who continue to be affected to this day. We will never forget.
“Rhondda Heritage Park Museum is built in the footprint of the former Lewis Merthyr Colliery, in a former industrial heartland. Our communities are closely bonded with the community of Aberfan. We want to offer a place for reflection and remembrance locally, to run alongside the wider Wales-wide remembrance events.
“We are grateful to all the partner organisations and individuals who have created poignant, important ways in which our communities can remember in the days leading up to, and following, October 21.
“It is important we not only reflect and remember, but also continue to capture memories and share stories, creating a legacy for future generations who, as the years pass, will be the ones upholding our promise to never forget the lives lost in Aberfan.”
On Tuesday 20 October at 2pm, the museum will screen the film Sorrow and Stirring Of A New Life, followed by a question and answer session with Suzanne Grover, who grew up in Aberfan. At the time of the disaster she was an A Level student and a member of the Merthyr Civil Defence.
On 21 October 1966, she, like all other pupils in Aberfan, was sent home from school early and reported for Civil Defence duty at her former school, Pantglas Infant and Juniors, to assist in the response. Suzanne, a retired headteacher, went on to lead and deliver projects relating to Aberfan, including the 2016 IC Rapoport Commemorative Event that marked the 50th anniversary.
IC “Chuck” Rapoport was a young American photojournalist on assignment in Aberfan with LIFE magazine on 21 October 1966. He stayed in the village for six weeks, and his photographs of surviving children, families and the community were brought to international attention in a photo essay in LIFE magazine in 1967. His 111 original photos are a record of life in Aberfan following the disaster and a historical record of life in the South Wales valleys.
Suzanne worked with him to produce the film, which contains previously unseen images. Free places can be reserved by calling the museum on 01443 682036.
The museum is also home to the 21.10.1966 144 9.13AM memorial sculpture, a permanent memorial to the lives lost. It contains 144 clocks, one for each of the adults and children who died, each set to 9.13am, the time the disaster began.
The sculpture was created by Welsh sculptor Nathan Wyburn, who grew up near Aberfan, and is based on a photograph of former coal miner Johnny Thomas, one of the first on scene, as he made his way to the disaster site.
As part of Avant Cymru’s The Silent Volunteer project, a commemorative post box has been placed at the museum for people to share memories, reflections and messages of remembrance. All contributions will be preserved until the Centenary commemorations in 2066.
The Silent Volunteer play, featuring descendants of those who went to help on the day, will be performed at the Pierhead Building in Cardiff at 10am on 20 October, at Tylorstown Welfare Hall on 21 October at 1pm or 7.30pm, and at St Elvan’s Church, Aberdare, on 22 October at 7.30pm.
Visitors can also add a message of kindness, a few words or a drawing to a leaf on A Tree of Remembrance and Hope, and explore a digital and interactive exhibition space with historical photographs, videos and artefacts, including items and records relating to Aberfan and the period that followed. The museum courtyard displays mining memorabilia.
Rhondda Heritage Park Museum is open from 9am to 4.30pm, Tuesday to Saturday. The exhibition, the Silent Volunteer post box and the sculpture can be seen at any time during opening hours.
