THE CAMBRIAN
NEWSLETTER OF THE WELSH SOCIETY OF FREDERICKSBURG VIRGINIA
FOR November 2011
NOVEMBER PROGRAM
The November program for the Welsh Society of Fredericksburg will be held on Sunday Nov 20 (President Trip Wiggins’ birthday) at 7:30 at Faulkner Hall, St George’s Episcopal Church on Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg. The program will be a short documentary on the filming of the new Welsh movie “Patagonia”.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
The annual Welsh Society Christmas Noson Lawen will be on Sunday December 18 at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in Stafford beginning at 6PM. We have always had great food, great entertainment and great fellowship. See you.
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
In accordance with the Welsh Society of Fredericksburg by-laws, elections are held every two years in January. A nominating committee is appointed by the President in October. The slate recommended by the Nominating Committee is as follows: President: Trip Wiggins; Vice President: Dave Rich; Treasurer: Bob Roser; Secretary: Jeannette Episcopo. Nominations from the floor may be made at the January meeting or sent to the Nominating Committee chair, Bob Roser at roscym@comcast.net
WELSH LANGUAGE FILM NOMINATED FOR ACADEMY AWARDS
For the third time a Welsh language film has been nominated for the best foreign language film category for the 2012 Academy Awards. BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Theatre Arts) film committee has chosen “Patagonia” as the U.K.’s submission for this category. The film stars Rhys Matthews, Nia Roberts, and Welsh pop singer Duffy. It is set both in Wales and in Patagonia and was filmed in both Welsh and Spanish. The story is of two parallel journeys, one by a Welsh couple who take a trip to Argentina to work on their relationship and another by an elderly Patagonian woman and her nephew who travel to Wales in search of their family roots. The previous nominees were Hedd Wyn in 1993 and Solomon and Gaenor in 1999. Patagonia premiered at the Seattle Film Festival in 2010. It will be released in the USA in 2012.
WELSH TEAM FOR OLYMPICS?
Welsh players in the Football Association of Wales have voted against a proposed “British” Football team to compete in the London Olympics. Scottish Football Association players have also opposed the British Team. The Football Association of England is keen that the Irish, Scottish and Welsh football (soccer) players be involved in the British Team. In international football and rugby matches, the Welsh, Scots and Irish all have their own teams.
WORLD RUGBY CUP
Wales played for the Bronze medal but lost to Australia 21 - 18. The ultimate champion was New Zealand which beat France 8-7.
NEW WELSH WRITERS GROUP
A new writers group has been set up in Wales to promote writing from Wales and Welsh people around the world. The website is www.clebran.org. Short extracts of their work are on the site. Another site, www.sgriban.org, has their quarterly publication which will begin in the Spring 2012.
THE PRESIDENT’S WELSH ROOTS. (Ninnau)
From Dafydd Wigley’s column in Ninnau: Like so many other American Presidents, Barack Obama certainly has Welsh blood in his veins. Work undertaken in the United States by William A. Reitwiesner suggests that he is 1.58% Welsh by blood and has identified, on his mother’s side, great (x5) grandparents of Welsh origin. These include Robert Perry (1786-1852) who was born in Anglesey and Richard Hoskins (1761-1834), though the area of Wales in which he was born has not yet been established.
Nancy Perry (1812-94) was the daughter of Robert Perry and his wife, Sarah Ellen Hoskins (1788-1859). Nancy lived in the village of Radnor in Delaware County, Ohio. By 1870 according to “A History of the Welsh in America” by R. D. Thomas, there were 600 Welsh speakers in the village of Radnor and two Welsh chapels, one Methodist and one Congregational. It is therefore highly likely that Nancy Perry was herself brought up in a Welsh speaking community.
His family tree also includes names such as Ellis, Hughes, Williams, Thomas, Lewis, Davis and three by the name of Mary Jones – all of whom sound as if they may have come from Wales but their origin has not been determined.
WELSH LAKE NAMED AS ONE OF THE 1,000 MUST SEE SIGHTS
Lonely Planet has named Llyn y Fan Fach located in rural Carmarthenshire as a global “must see sight”. Located about 7 miles southeast of Llandovery in the Brecon Beacons, the lake is the only Welsh entry on the list which includes such places as Stonehenge and Baker Street in London. The lake is associated with local legends of a “Lady of the Lake” and the physicians of Myddfai. The National Botanical Gardens of Wales is also nearby. http://www.myddfai.com. http://www.gardenofwales.org.uk
THE NATIONAL HISTORY MUSEUM AT ST FAGANS
This is another must see place in any visit to Wales. The museum has been chosen the UK’s favorite tourist attraction in a poll conducted by “Which Travel Magazine”. The magazine’s survey of 3,001 people named St. Fagan’s the number one UK museum or gallery. The museum has over 600,000 visitors each year and is one of those places parents and grandparents have taken their children and grandchildren over the generations.
The Cambrian
A publication of:
The Welsh Society of Fredericksburg Inc.
PO Box 723, Fredericksburg VA 22404
(540)- 659-1879
President: Trip Wiggins
Vice President: Bob Roser
Treasurer: Myra Wiggins
Secretary: Jeannette Episcopo
Festival Chair: Dave Rich
Newsletter Editor: Bob Roser
Dues are $15 per year per family
Web: www.welshfred.com
e-mail: welshsociety@aol.com
Facebook Group:
Welsh Society of Fredericksburg